Daming: I am the Crown Prince

The princes had their own thoughts, but Zhu Yunhuan, who was thousands of miles away, certainly didn't know about those things.

Zhu Yunhuan was naturally concerned about the war in the north. The progress of the war was considered a victory, because no matter how you looked at it, it was a victory, although it was only a small victory, it was still a victory.

Moreover, judging from the current situation, the Ming army also has absolute advantages and initiative. All this makes Zhu Yunhuan more confident and he can be more patient.

Now that the war has not evolved into a protracted one, there is no need to worry about it becoming a quagmire that will drag down the Ming Dynasty's energy for a long time.

Xia Yuanji came to Wenhua Palace and said, "Your Highness, the goods for Taicang are ready."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly and asked, "Were they all purchased locally in Taicang, or were they transferred from other places?"

Xia Yuanji spoke the truth, "Your Highness, Taicang is the distribution center for all the cargo in the world, and many goods can be bought. Except for a few that cannot be bought, most of them are purchased locally."

Zhu Yunhuan would not have any objection to this. Purchasing at some distribution centers of goods would save a lot of trouble. Because it was a large-scale purchase and it was not a tribute to the palace, there was no need to be so picky.

Xia Yuanji continued, "Some goods cannot be found in Taicang. We have urgently ordered the officials to prepare them so as not to miss any important event."

Because Xia Yuanji and others also understood that, if nothing unexpected happened, the fleet should go out to sea in autumn. This is the time when the ocean currents and monsoons are suitable, which is suitable for the huge fleet to go out to sea smoothly.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhang Fusheng and said, "Call the founding duke over here."

Chang Sheng came very quickly, although he didn't know what the matter was, he came anyway since the Crown Prince summoned him.

Looking at Chang Sheng, Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "How has Third Uncle been these days?"

"The third brother is just like that. He can't even stay in the mansion." Chang Sheng couldn't help but complain, "He has a lot of bad friends. He's always out there inviting friends. It's really too much."

This is a crow landing on a pig, and it can’t see that it is black!
Chang Sen might be busy with all kinds of social activities and fooling around with some of his former friends. But Chang Sheng is not much better. He is also one of the most outstanding dandies in the Ming Dynasty, and he has quite a few bad friends.

Zhu Yunhuan also smiled, not really caring, "My third uncle is away from home all year round, and it's not easy for him to come back. We haven't seen our relatives and friends for a long time, so it makes sense for us to get together."

Chang Sheng also nodded repeatedly. Not only Zhu Yunhuan thought so, but Chang Sheng actually thought so too. Even if it was Chang Lan, she would not control Chang Sen's gathering with friends.

"The goods in Taicang are all there, and so are the ships and boatmen." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Please arrange the matters concerning the soldiers and guards."

Chang Sheng immediately said seriously, "Your Highness, I have already arranged everything according to your instructions. All the generals were appointed by your Highness."

Zhu Yunhuan had naturally made arrangements for this matter. In fact, he had previously arranged several generals with certain experience in commanding troops. Going to sea would require more than just the navy.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Chang Sheng and continued to ask, "Now that there is no Duke guarding the capital, you have to help with many things."

Chang Sheng looked embarrassed and said with some lack of confidence, "Your Highness, this is really asking too much. Your Highness knows my ability. At most, I can only handle some small matters. I dare not make decisions on my own."

Chang Sheng was a man of self-awareness. He guarded Yingtian Prefecture mainly because his father was Prince of Kaiping Chang Yuchun, his uncle was Duke of Liang Lan Yu, and his nephew was the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan.

So in this situation, Chang Sheng knew that he should not make any blind suggestions and should do things within his ability.

Since the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan had arranged things, he would just carry them out well and not think too much about other things.

"Uncle!" Zhu Yunhuan said earnestly, "Uncle, I don't let you lead troops to fight, I don't let you make plans, and I don't let you guard important places. If you really want to explain everything to me, it's not reasonable, right?"

Chang Sheng was even more embarrassed, but he still said, "Your Highness, I know myself. Not to mention that my father is a natural military talent, my uncle is now a pillar of the court. Your Highness is also wise and brave, and there are many talented people in the court. I am really not good enough, and I am afraid that I will do something wrong and bring shame to Your Highness."

Zhu Yunhuan didn't know what to say for a moment. Perhaps this was also Chang Sheng's difficulty.

Chang Sheng is not a particularly talented person. At most, he is diligent and dutiful. If he holds a high position, he will definitely be a mediocre person.

But there are too many outstanding people around him, who can be said to be the most elite group of people in the world. Slowly, this will naturally make Chang Sheng a little self-doubting and make him lose enough confidence.

It seemed that next to this group of people, the only thing he could show off was his background.

Zhu Yunhuan was both angry and amused, and said, "Second uncle, there are some things I will naturally let you do, and there are some things I won't let you do. I know whether you can do it well or not."

"I originally wanted to ask you to go to Taicang, why did I wait until now and not let you go?" Zhu Yunhuan said bluntly, "As long as you are in the capital, the Five Military Commandery will have no worries. You don't need to do anything more, I can rest assured if you sit in the government office."

Chang Sheng was even more embarrassed, but he asked tentatively, "Can we let the third brother take care of the trip to Taicang?"

"This matter was originally assigned to Third Uncle. I don't trust anyone else." Zhu Yunhuan became serious. "This is about going out to sea, it's not a trivial matter. After Third Uncle goes out, report the Japanese pirates to the border. Do you understand?"

Chang Sheng naturally knew that the fleet was now so large, and it was even said that they had begun to prepare a lot of cargo. It would be a bit embarrassing if they did it without a legitimate reason.

Although Zhu Yunhuan was in power and was not particularly worried about rumors, he was still the crown prince after all, so he had to pay attention to the impact.

Find a relatively reasonable explanation and reason and send a large fleet out to sea. This will not contradict the maritime ban policy previously formulated by Zhu Yuanzhang. Adjusting the policy will also require a process.

So the Japanese pirates had a very good excuse. The Ming fleet went out to do serious business, not to go out to sea to trade and make big money.

If someone doesn't believe it, there is nothing we can do. The Five Military Commandery is Zhu Yunhu's people, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Northern Pacification Office are also Zhu Yunhu's people. Some of the intelligence he created is naturally true.

Even if some civil servants had some doubts in their hearts, they could not find any points to refute on the surface, so they could only watch honestly.

Don't think too much about the rest. It's useless to think too much about those things. It's just asking for trouble. Zhu Yunhuan smiled and continued to encourage, "Some things should be handled by your second uncle. It's not easy for me to step in. As for the nobles, remember to bring in a few close families."

Chang Sheng was about to speak but stopped talking. Zhu Yunxun could not bear to watch and asked, "Tell me, what is it that you can't say? Why are you playing hard to get in front of me?"

"As for the Crown Prince's Consort," Chang Sheng gritted his teeth and stamped his feet, saying, "Duke Wei is not in the capital right now, and his second son and his daughter are not in the mansion either. There is no one in charge right now. As for the Duke Wei's wife, I can't say anything either."

Zhu Yunxun couldn't help laughing and said, "I'll tell Miao Jin about this when I get back. You don't need to worry about it."

"Duke Cao is also a problem. Zengzhi and I are more familiar with each other, and he is not in the capital now. Fangying is too young, and I can't play with him." Chang Sheng continued, "Your Highness has to talk to you about the matter over there."

Zhu Yunxun thought about it carefully and asked, "After all this talk, the only thing you can do about this Duke's Mansion is to be the boss of our Prince Kaiping and Duke Liang?"

Chang Sheng quickly explained, "I am not in charge. We just have some dealings. How can I be their boss? Your Highness, this matter needs to be handled by many nobles. I really can't be in charge."

Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood Chang Sheng's troubles. Although the nobles seemed to be of the same blood, there were also some so-called factions within them, and they did not necessarily all speak with one voice.

Even though Chang Sheng was Zhu Yunhuan's uncle, the nobles gave him face, but it was not the case that Chang Sheng could just raise his hand and everyone would respond.

"I can only give you a brief explanation of these matters, but you still have to come forward." Zhu Yunhuan emphasized, "These are not difficult for you, right?"

Chang Sheng nodded immediately. If he was to do something that the Crown Prince could not do, then it would be his duty. The Crown Prince would be in the spotlight, and if he had to take the blame, it would be the Founding Duke.

Chang Sheng had no resistance or psychological pressure at all, nor did he have any dissatisfaction. He always felt that such things should be done by him.

Xu Huizu and Li Jinglong were the best among the second generation of nobles. Any discerning person could actually see through some of their positioning and arrangements.

Under such circumstances, some things are naturally difficult for the two of them to do.

As for other children of nobles, they either lacked the ability or were not close enough to the Crown Prince or did not have high enough status, so naturally they could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.

After Chang Sheng left, Zhu Yunhuan said to Zhang Fusheng, "There is no one in charge of the Duke of Wei's Mansion and the Prince of Zhongshan's Mansion. Let the Duke of Cao's wife and the Duke of Wei's wife go to the East Palace tomorrow to talk to the Crown Prince's Consort."

Zhang Fusheng naturally took note of it. Zhu Yunxun continued, "Let my two sisters come back as well, as well as my two aunts. Their help is indispensable for these matters."

If there are benefits, we must not just think about the nobles, our family members must also get certain benefits.

Giving all the benefits to outsiders is obviously not Zhu Yunhuan's style. Taking care of his own family is of course a matter of course.

However, in Daoyan's opinion, the Crown Prince might do this not only for the sake of benefits or his own family, but also because things would be easier to handle if he could get a few influential royal family members, relatives and nobles.

If someone raised these issues to his face, Zhu Yunhuan would naturally not object. This was the actual situation. If he did not tie some important people to his chariot, some things would be difficult to handle.

Or it is not that it is difficult to do, but the effect is likely to be slightly worse, which will not make him satisfied.

Zhu Yunhuan wanted to do things better, which was also what he expected. He didn't want to see any twists and turns.

After a busy day, Zhu Yunhuan returned to the East Palace. "Tomorrow, ask your sister-in-law, sisters and aunts to return to the palace. Find a way to get them to pay some money and buy some goods."

Xu Miaojin was a very smart person and knew what Zhu Yunxun meant. "The matter of going to sea has been decided. If the nobles get involved, it might not be appropriate, right?"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Let's pull them together. We will prosper together and suffer together. It's better to let them be together now."

Xu Miaojin said with some concern, "Your Highness, these are indeed against the laws of the court. If this is the case, there will definitely be censors to impeach you, which is not good."

Zhu Yunhuan naturally knew Xu Miaojin's concerns and said, "It's okay. These things are not just for today, but for a longer period of time. Now that the nobles are also doing these things, it can be regarded as a role model for the lower classes."

Since Zhu Yunhuan said so, Xu Miaojin naturally would not object much. She would not easily interfere in some important court affairs, and would just do some things instructed by the Crown Prince.

"It's because many of the heads of the household are not here right now, so I have to ask you to speak." Zhu Yunhuan also explained with a smile, "My two sisters can't handle these things, but my eldest and youngest aunts can, but your words are not as effective as mine."

Xu Miaojin smiled gently, "Your Highness, you are too kind. My sisters have always been elegant in front of noble ladies."

"It's luxurious, but it can't handle a big occasion." Zhu Yunhuan also knew his sisters' abilities, and it was not the first time he had criticized them. "Speaking of which, the eldest and second sisters are also not good. I heard that they are busy organizing a poetry meeting."

Xu Miaojin couldn't help laughing and said comfortingly, "Eldest sister and second sister have always been talented in literature and are also famous talents all over the world."

Zhu Yunhuan looked disgusted. His two sisters' "literary talent" was all due to others' flattery. But Zhu Yunhuan would not say much, because his two sisters just liked these things.

Firstly, they are not needed to help with the affairs of state, and secondly, they are not needed to manage the royal family. Therefore, it is okay for them to enjoy some elegant things now. It is also good for a group of talented women to travel around, catch butterflies and compose poems.

Even his step-brother Zhu Yunwen is said to have built several large boats on the West Lake, and a group of failed scholars follow him to go boating on the lake and recite poems whenever they have time.

Not all members of a family can work very hard. There must always be a few who can enjoy themselves and relax a little.

There is nothing much to say about this. His brothers and sisters do not interfere in state affairs or do evil things, which is a great help to him.

So sometimes, when his brothers and sisters liked elegance, Zhu Yunhuan would still support them and create better conditions for them.

The Ming Dynasty, sometimes, also needs some literary talent. (End of this chapter)