Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Some things seem to unfold in such a low-key manner that many people have not reacted at all.

The Prince of Jin and the Prince of Yan were the most talented in leading troops among the two princes of the royal family. Assisted by Fu Youde and Lan Yu, two generals who were good at commanding troops, they fought to the northern desert but did not encounter large numbers of enemies.

They only achieved a small success, which can be considered a fruitless effort. Now they have been ordered to return to the capital.

The guards of the major vassal kings returned to their respective garrisons, and the local garrisons were also returned, so they could be said to be going back to where they came from.

The war was over, which was something that many civil and military officials could have predicted. After all, the Tartars had been dealt with so badly before, and even if some Tartar scouts appeared in Daning, it did not mean that those people dared to go south.

So it was normal not to find the enemy's main force. It was also expected that the two armies had not achieved more results, so there was no need to make a fuss about it.

However, it is a good thing that the army is returning to the capital now. It seems that this can save some military expenses. After all, it costs a lot to march out a large army.

The army had returned from the north, which meant the war was over and they could relax a little. Some people might think that the Ming Dynasty could rest for a few years without war.

But many things are unexpected. The army has just returned home, but a new war may break out.

Duke Chang Sheng of the founding dynasty reported that Japanese pirates were spotted in the waters off Zhejiang and Fujian. In order to ensure the Ming's coastal defense, he requested an order to send the navy out to fight.

At this point, many officials did not know how to refute, because logically speaking, if they opposed sending troops at this time, it would be considered treason. The Japanese pirates have always been a major concern for the court.

The Japanese pirates never paid tribute to the Ming Dynasty. Even when Zhu Yuanzhang founded the country, he sent envoys to Japan, but they were unable to meet the so-called emperor of the Japanese pirates because Japan was also in a state of division at that time.

It was the right thing to do for the army to go and suppress the Japanese pirates. The imperial navy had large ships and many men. The Crown Prince said that even if they chased them to Japan, they would destroy the Japanese pirates who were disturbing the border.

The civil servants certainly don’t know many things, for example, the scale of this fleet is very large and it has already assembled in Taicang.

The number of officers, flag soldiers, fire chiefs, helmsmen, anchormen, interpreters, clerks, scribes, doctors, anchor-building materials and other craftsmen, sailors, and crewmen reached 25,000.

More than one hundred ships of various sizes officially set out to sea under the leadership of Deputy Chief Censor Lian Zining, Marquis of Jiangyin Wu Gao, Marquis of Yuexi Yu Tongyuan, and a group of generals including Ping An and Guo Zhen.

This team can be said to be strong in terms of men and horses, and Zhu Yunhuan had decided early on to send them to sea.

It is not just generals, soldiers or sailors, it is also necessary to bring some civil servants. After all, this is a long-term career, and some things cannot be solved by generals leading troops alone.

The Jinyiwei and the Northern Pacification Office naturally also sent people, as well as some translators, guides, etc.

Zhu Yunhuan thought he had made sufficient preparations, but he was not completely confident about what the results would be this time.

"It looks like we still have to stay close to the continental shelf and coastline, and we won't go too far." Zhu Yunhuan pondered carefully, a little unsure, "Let's accumulate some information first, it's not that easy to discover a new continent."

Zhang Fusheng stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, there are censors who have accused the fleet of purchasing a large amount of commercial goods and want Your Highness to conduct a thorough investigation."

Zhu Yunhuan immediately became happy and asked, "Forget about these people. Just take out the memorial and say I know it."

Daoyan said, "Your Highness, I heard that there were many rumors before the fleet set sail. Taicang is quite close to the capital, so any slight movement will naturally be reported."

Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood this truth. His fleet did cause quite a stir before setting sail. Even during the preparation stage, many people paid attention to the situation there.

It's just that the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan insisted on pretending to be ignorant even though he knew the truth, and the emperor didn't talk much about this matter, so many civil servants could only worry about it, or they didn't understand the situation and thought that they were really going to fight the Japanese pirates.

The Five Military Commandery was also overbearing, insisting that military secrets could not be leaked, so the civil officials could only stare blankly. They were really anxious, so they wanted Zhu Yunhuan, the crown prince, to preside over justice and investigate the matter thoroughly.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Daoyan and asked casually, "How is the investigation of the wealthy families in Jiangnan going?"

Zhu Yunhuan was planning to move some wealthy families to the capital, and this matter also made many civil servants anxious.

Although the imperial court has already taken a number of targeted measures, serving as officials in other places has become commonplace, and the imperial court has also been intentionally increasing the number of officials in the north in the past two years.

But fundamentally, there are more civil servants in the south. There are relatively more civil servants in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and they are more or less connected with their own clans.

With a high-ranking official in the court, the clan members will naturally be in the limelight in the county. Needless to say, some practical benefits are naturally not mentioned. It is not just about being an official if you have someone in the court.

Daoyan immediately replied, "Your Highness, I heard that many court officials are now looking for the Minister of Revenue. They are afraid that if the whole family moves to the capital, they will lose their roots."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but laugh, "That's a good thing. There are officials in the court who can speak for the people in the countryside. This is a good thing."

Zhu Yunhuan's sarcastic words made Daoyan and others not know how to respond, but they were sure that those officials who wanted to help their relatives would probably shoot themselves in the foot this time. This was easier said than done!
It was thought that the Crown Prince was in charge of this matter, but in reality, the Emperor was in charge. If anyone dared to make trouble at this time, the Emperor would be furious.

This is something that is beyond doubt. As to why the emperor and the crown prince insisted on moving the wealthy families to the capital, everyone could understand the meaning behind it. They simply did not want to see the landlords and powerful people occupying one place.

But for those wealthy families, no matter how prosperous the capital city is, it has nothing to do with them. They can only live comfortably and have a prosperous family in the counties and towns.

"Xia Yuanji, go and urge Yu Xin." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Submit the list of wealthy households to be relocated before the end of the year. I'll check it out!"

Xia Yuanji did not dare to be careless, as this matter could be said to be very offensive. But there was no other way, as the will of the emperor and the crown prince could not be questioned by some officials.

This is the reality. Some so-called landlords and powerful people have no ability to resist when facing imperial power and the army.

It's not that Xia Yuanji and others didn't want to plead for mercy. Some officials more or less have some clans behind them, etc., and personal relationships are also the most difficult issues to deal with. But there is no way. When it comes to some policy matters, even important officials or confidants like Yu Xin and Xia Yuanji can't change the ideas of Zhu and Zhu Yunhuan. Some things should be executed.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Daoyan and asked, "How is the investigation of the salt permit issue going? I just don't believe that there are no clues to these things. If we follow the clues, there should be an explanation now, right?"

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan's dissatisfaction, Daoyan felt embarrassed and difficult, but he really had no better way out and did not dare to report it casually.

It is not to say that the Kaizhong Law and Salt Permits have been completely corrupted by royal families or merchants. No collapse has been found so far. There are only some small-scale situations, which have little impact on the overall situation.

However, once royal nobles are involved, these matters need to be investigated more carefully, otherwise a major case may be uncovered, or the person may be charged with alienating royal family members.

Seeing Daoyan's embarrassment, Zhu Yunxun asked, "Have you found out something?"

Daoyan did not dare to hide it and said, "Your Highness, we have indeed found out something. It is related to the salt fields along the coast of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Some salt households and salt merchants are in collusion."

As for the so-called salt merchants, in fact, it is difficult for the Ming Dynasty to have a truly large group of salt merchants. In history, the salt merchants in the middle and late Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty were the truly large groups and forces of salt merchants.

The Ming Dynasty now has a salt permit system, which means that salt merchants who transport and sell salt must pay salt tax to the Salt Transport Office and receive a salt permit. Only then can they go to designated salt-producing areas to buy salt from salt farmers and sell it in designated salt-selling areas.

In history, merchants from Shaanxi, Shanxi and Anhui gathered in the Xiaguan area of ​​Yangzhou. These people indeed relied on this system to become a prominent and wealthy group.

Zhu Yunhuan sneered and said, "I'm afraid it's not just that. How capable can the salt households and salt merchants be? Most likely, some officials have been bribed. After all, greed has blinded people's hearts. They are not afraid of death!"

After listening to Zhu Yunhuan's words, Daoyan and others felt a chill on their necks. This crown prince might have the intention to kill.

However, no one dared to beg for mercy at this time. It was indeed because of these things that it was really not worth begging for mercy.

Collusion between officials and businessmen, corruption and abuse of power must be dealt with seriously no matter where they occur.

Especially when the current emperor and the crown prince hate corruption, there are still officials who are bold enough to do so after repeated rectifications. There is no sympathy for such officials.

Seeing Daoyan's tacit agreement, Zhu Yunhuan said, "Have someone prepare, have the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate prepare to take over. I want to see how many more people are involved in this!"

If the relevant government offices enforced the law impartially, that would be the best thing. But if some people from these government offices were dragged into the water, don't blame Zhu Yunhuan for being merciless.

Daoyan gritted his teeth and said, "Your Highness, the Palaces of Prince Zhou, Prince Qi, and Prince Liao have had dealings with these salt merchants. It has been verified that the manager of the Palace of Prince Zhou privately granted salt permits."

Zhu Yunhuan's expression changed instantly, and he said directly, "Call the three princes back to the capital. I want to come and ask them in person! Arrest all the human traffickers, and have the Jinyiwei keep a close eye on them. Don't let them die without any evidence!"

Daoyan knelt down and continued, "It seems that someone in Wulin County Prince's Mansion also took out salt permits privately. An official took the letter from His Royal Highness the County Prince and issued a salt permit."

Zhu Yunhuan was somewhat surprised by what Daoyan said, but it was not particularly surprising.

A higher-ranking official can crush a person, let alone a so-called royal family. If the prince or duke authorizes them, some officials really dare not not issue salt permits. They dare not issue large quantities, but only a few for small quantities.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't waste any words and said directly, "Call the Prince of Wulin back to the capital, and order the officials to detain the prisoner and send him back to me as soon as possible!"

"It's best if my second brother is kept in the dark." Zhu Yunxun looked at Daoyan and continued to ask, "Did you find out about this, or did the Jinyiwei find out?"

Daoyan naturally did not dare to hide it, and replied, "Your Highness, with the help of the Imperial Guards, I was able to obtain some clues to investigate. The people investigating the case were not from the Imperial Guards or the Northern Pacification Office."

It's no wonder that Zhu Yunhuan was so cautious, but sometimes he had to be on guard against the Jinyiwei and the Northern Pacification Office, for fear that these people would directly fabricate a lot of false evidence for the sake of credit.

It's not that these people don't have the courage and ability to do this, they feel at ease doing these things. The so-called lackeys of the emperor sometimes speculate on the emperor's intentions and make up stories to win credit.

We will soon know whether this is a major case or not. Now the most important thing is to send back the witnesses and clues.

As for other things, there is actually no need to be particularly anxious. A careful investigation will do the trick. There is no need to rush.

Because of these things, Zhu Yunhuan was in a really bad mood. He always thought that the world was peaceful and the administration was clean, but now looking back, that was not the case at all. It was simply that there were some things he didn't know.

Unfortunately, Zhu Yunhuan had no better solution. He was now only living in the palace and could only learn about many things outside through various channels.

Although his mood was affected by these things, Zhu Yunhuan was used to it.

If you can't adjust your emotions well when dealing with political affairs, you will definitely become depressed or even have a mental explosion.

After all, most of the time, not everything is good, there are all kinds of bad things and so on.

After returning to the East Palace and seeing Xu Miaojin taking a slow walk, Zhu Yunhuan felt much better. It was good to have someone at home, otherwise it would be even more depressing to be alone without anyone to talk to.

"Your Highness, the baby in your belly seems to be quite naughty." Seeing Zhu Yunhuan, Xu Miaojin also said with great curiosity and surprise, "If I sit down, he will move."

Zhu Yunhuan instantly became interested and joked, "That's really my child. I have been naughty and active since I was a child."

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "If I could be half as smart as Your Majesty, I would be satisfied."

Zhu Yunxun laughed, "That won't do. You are smarter than me. Our child will definitely be smarter!" (End of this chapter)