Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Zhu Yunhuan went to Zijin Mountain again. He still had to be filial as a child. Especially at such a critical juncture, if he did nothing, it would be criticized.

Seeing that Zhu Yunhuan was still in a daze, Zhu Yourong advised, "Yunhuan, father and mother will definitely be pleased to see you like this now."

Zhu Youling also advised, "That's the reason. Father taught you carefully, and mother gave birth to you. Wasn't it because they wanted you to succeed today? You are so outstanding now, they must be pleased."

"There's not that much to say, I'm just daydreaming." Zhu Yunhuan responded with a smile, "Okay, we should go back too."

In the eyes of many people, Zhu Yunhuan was taught by the crown prince Zhu Biao, and the previous dandyism was just a cover-up. Zhu Yunhuan couldn't say these things, and there was actually no benefit in explaining them.

So let the misunderstanding be. If some things are explained clearly, it will not benefit anyone. So if it is rare to be confused, let it be. There is no harm in it.

After returning to the palace, Zhu Yunhuan was not idle, as there were still many things to deal with. For him now, there are endless things to do every day, especially some urgent matters or emergencies, which must be dealt with early.

This means that unless you are seriously ill or encounter some particularly important things, you should be busy with government affairs. There is no such thing as vacation or no vacation.

Fortunately, Zhu Yunhuan was used to all this, so he naturally didn't think there was anything wrong with it. As long as he could overcome it, then naturally there would be no difficulty.

Enjoying it is how Zhu Yunhuan evaluates his current life and work conditions. He doesn't think there is anything to be upset about.

Daoyan seized the opportunity and said, "Your Highness, I led the Annan envoy to the camp yesterday and saw the advantages of our Ming Dynasty's firearms."

Zhu Yunhuan was now interested. He put down his brush and asked, "How is it? Does this person really have some ability, or is he just a show-off?"

"Your Highness, in my opinion, this man has some knowledge." Daoyan gave his own evaluation and said, "As for firearms, this man has some ideas. When he saw the firearms of our Great Ming Shenjiying, he was mostly amazed at the craftsmanship, not anything else."

This statement is a bit difficult to understand, but as a smart man, Zhu Yunhu can understand Daoyan's meaning, which makes things a little more interesting, and it also strengthens Zhu Yunhu's determination.

It was obvious that Li Yuancheng had broadened his horizons. He saw that the Ming Dynasty could mass-produce large quantities of firearms, and the manufacturing technology and so on were something he could never do in Annan because the level of productivity could not keep up.

But as for the firearms of the Shenjiying, in Li Yuancheng's opinion, they might be just so-so. They cannot shock him, and he does not think they are such amazing inventions.

This is normal. Although firearms have always been around, many things have certain development rules and there are some traces to follow.

A large number of firearms began to appear during the Song and Yuan dynasties, and the Ming Dynasty also used a lot of firearms when it attacked Luchuan. These allowed the people in Annan to have a little understanding of the power of firearms and even come into contact with them.

Zhu Yunhuan thought for a moment and said, "Think of a way to keep this man here and take out whatever he has in his stomach."

Zhu Yunhuan's meaning was very clear. He was impressed by Li Yuancheng's abilities and felt that he could help the development of Ming's firearms and provide some support for Ming's military strength.

As for whether the Ming Dynasty's military developments and firearms would be used against Annan in the future, Li Yuancheng obviously had no way to control these things.

Things like detaining envoys would naturally not happen in the Ming Dynasty. Li Yuancheng devoted himself to learning etiquette and education in the Ming Dynasty so that he could return to Annan to benefit the people in the future.

There were international students coming to the Central Plains in the Tang Dynasty, and the same was true in the Song Dynasty. In fact, the Ming Dynasty also has the Siyi Hall to teach students from some vassal states.

Since the purpose is to educate the world, then there is a natural reason to let the people of the vassal states bathe in the light and feel the great power of the Ming Dynasty. Who among those who can enter the Four Barbarians Hall was not a descendant of a famous family when they were in a vassal state?

So Zhu Yunhuan felt very at ease, and other people didn't think there was anything wrong with it. They even thought it was a blessing for Li Yuancheng.

After finishing these things, Zhu Yunxun strolled to Wuying Hall, "Grandfather, is it time to eat?"

Old Zhu, who was working at his desk, looked up and asked, "Don't you want to take a break after coming back?"

"Why should I rest? I'm not doing any hard work." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Reviewing memorials is not tiring."

Old Zhu advised, "You may not be tired physically, but you are tired mentally. You should take a break, too."

Although the workaholic Zhu was very diligent and had strict requirements for Zhu Biao and Zhu Yunhuan, sometimes he still didn't want Zhu Yunhuan to be too tired and he still needed to rest when it was time.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "I am going to relocate some people."

Zhu's subconscious reaction was that some places had few people and more land, so some people needed to be relocated to restore production. The Ming Dynasty has been doing this for many years, and the work of relocating people has actually been ongoing.

Not feeling that there was anything wrong, Lao Zhu said, "You can arrange this matter, and the officials will know how to do it."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Relocate the rich people. This time I plan to relocate some of the wealthy families in Jiangnan to Yingtian Prefecture."

Old Zhu's eyes lit up and he immediately said, "Okay, this is a good idea."

Zhu Yuanzhang did a lot of these things. After pacifying Zhang Shicheng, he ordered the relocation of wealthy people from Suzhou to Haozhou. After the founding of the country, he relocated wealthy people from the southeast to Linhao.

Zhu felt that it was not only harmful for the rich and powerful to bully the poor and exploit the common people, but also because he needed to stabilize the government and the local areas. He did not want some powerful people to become bigger and stronger, so that they could make a living by farming or live in the capital, becoming civilians and losing their original political and social status.

Although it was certainly a disaster for these wealthy families, it was still very beneficial for consolidating and strengthening the autocratic centralized system of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yunhuan would not be soft-hearted and said, "Now many places have begun to annex. Some powerful families will become local tyrants as long as they accumulate power over time."

Old Zhu agreed with this very much. "It's natural. We will take some of the people's land and make them tenants. When that time comes, these people will accumulate more and more land and pay less tax. The clan will be stronger, and all the people in the county government will be theirs."

This kind of situation could not be completely eradicated in feudal society, and it is actually the same in the so-called modern society. Some families have all kinds of connections in the local area, and can get more resources relatively easily.

Therefore, when rectification is needed, Zhu Yunhuan will definitely take action without hesitation and will not allow some wealthy people to truly rise.

"I was thinking about this matter when we talked about the salt permit issue a few days ago." Zhu Yunhuan looked at Old Zhu and said, "If there are really royal family members involved, I might have to deal with a few of them then." Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "Follow the previous royal family evaluation method. If there is no trouble, just give us some face and don't let your uncles lock you up in a high wall or make you a commoner."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and joked, "If it really came to that, we would have known it long ago. When the uncles were abolished, it was my grandfather who did it, and it had nothing to do with me."

Old Zhu also laughed. He felt that there was nothing wrong with what Zhu Yunhuan said.

Although it is said that the royal family is involved in the salt and opening-up policy, there is no big problem for the time being. Otherwise, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan would not have heard of any disturbance.

However, there is also the possibility of being deceived, and Zhu Yunhuan is well aware of this.

So we should first see what the case is like and how much the royal family is involved, and then give them a light punishment or a severe warning.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "I also think these things should be done well. Especially in Jiangnan, there are many wealthy families. If many things are not done well first, it will become more and more difficult to do them in the future."

Lao Zhu thought about it and said, "This matter will offend people, so let's do it."

Zhu Yunhuan said with a sly smile, "Isn't this what you said in front of Grandfather? You said you were asking for Grandfather's opinion, but you were thinking that if Grandfather wanted to offend someone, then you should do it. I am the Crown Prince and the Heir to the throne, so I should be flawless."

Old Zhu laughed and scolded, "Is this all we are good for now?"

"I'm counting on you to take care of Wen Yao." Zhu Yunhuan said with a thick face and a smile, "There are too many things to do now, and it will probably get busier and busier in the future. I'm sure I won't be able to handle it by then. You have to hold on, otherwise I'll be at a loss."

Old Zhu also laughed, "I'm old now, so I can only do these things. I can help you, and I can do things that offend people. Don't worry, we'll call people to discuss the matter in a few days, and don't interfere when we move the rich households."

Zhu Yunhuan was not necessarily a person who cherished his reputation, but he still cared about his reputation. It was better to let Zhu Yunhuan do things that were beneficial, and the emperor should do things that offended people.

Zhu Yunhuan also understood this and continued, "I understand this matter as well. I will ask Xia Yuanji to help Yu Xin deal with this matter."

Old Zhu was also quite pleased and said, "That Xia Yuanji is quite capable. If you use him well, you won't have to worry about the selection of the Minister of Revenue for 20 to 30 years. It is your blessing to find such a capable minister."

Zhu Yunhuan was no longer modest and said rather proudly, "That's true. Xia Yuanji does have some skills. He still needs to be trained. With him and Yu Xin, the Ministry of Revenue doesn't have to worry about it for the time being."

Old Zhu nodded and said, "You are the one who arranged the Ministry of Personnel, so you should pay more attention to the other government offices."

Zhu Yunhuan is also very clear that he still needs to consider many things. Many things seem to be relatively stable now, but he also needs to consider the long-term future.

Old Zhu continued, "After this trip, you have to replace the people in the Five Military Commandery. Just keep a few of the nobles now. If you don't want to start a big case, let them retire."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said, "I understand. I have been using Xu Huizu and my cousin Jiujiang for the past few years just for this situation."

Fu Youde allowed him to remain semi-unemployed despite his old age, while Feng Sheng stayed in Liaodong to make use of his remaining energy. With such a veteran in charge, there was basically no need to worry about any major chaos.

In addition, with the presence of Lan Yu, the court now has a candidate for the position of general, which actually makes Zhu Yunhuan feel more at ease.

"These years, those veterans have all grown old. It's not good for them to keep occupying positions in the court." Old Zhu opened his mouth and said, "There are already many nobles in Huaixi. It's time to let them stay away."

There is nothing wrong with doing this, the power of the Huaixi nobles is indeed too great. Even after several rounds of weakening, it is still deeply rooted and still has a great influence.

After all, there are still some veteran generals in the court. As long as these people are still standing in the court and in the Five Military Commandery, their influence will exist.

It is indeed necessary to consider the transition from the old to the new. Zhu Yunhuan does not like the rapid rise of the civil service group, but this does not mean that he wants the noble group to have absolute voice.

Even though he seemed to have close contacts with the nobles, he was even considered to be the biggest backer of the Huaixi nobles.

The crown prince of the Zhu family, this is Zhu Yunhuan’s identity, not the crown prince of the Huaixi nobles!

The replacement of the old with the new is a very necessary thing, and Zhu Yunhuan would naturally not object to such a thing happening.

So when the army returns triumphantly, it will be time to reward people according to their merits. There is nothing to say about this.

However, after this, except for a very small number of veterans, the rest of the veterans will retire.

This is not bad, retiring is also a blessing, it is not an exaggeration to say. If it were not for Zhu Yunhuan, this group of veterans who wanted to retire would have been eliminated by Zhu long ago.

So Zhu Yunhuan felt at ease with this ending. Of course, there were some things that only he knew, and whether others could understand it was another matter.

The imperial power may change, which will naturally cause some changes in the court structure.

In fact, since Zhu Yunhuan was appointed as the Crown Prince, some things have been constantly changing.

It's just that some things are now proceeding more obviously, and it seems that a series of arrangements are being carried out in the final stage.

After discussing important matters with Old Zhu and having a good meal, Zhu Yunhuan naturally strolled back to the East Palace to have a good rest.

In the north, Zhu Gang, Zhu Di and others had no time to rest, and they were also feeling a little worried.

It’s not that they discovered a large number of enemies or that the war was difficult, but that the scale of some wars was much smaller than they expected.

Such small-scale wars, which were almost equivalent to suppressing bandits, were really not worth the effort. The military achievements were too few. (End of this chapter)