Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Zhu Yunhuan was still calm. For him, some things happened and that was it. All he had to do was deal with the next things.

The Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan was able to remain calm, probably because he had experienced a lot in recent years, which could be considered as a training.

Therefore, even if something big or urgent happens, even if you feel anxious and concerned inside, your outward emotions will not be particularly obvious.

Zhu Yunwen was worried now, but there was nothing serious, and he didn't need to go to court. But suddenly he received an imperial decree, asking him to return to Yingtian Prefecture immediately, which was a big deal.

Thinking carefully about these years, Zhu Yunwen considered himself to be very honest.

When he was enfeoffed as a vassal, he kept in mind the warnings and admonitions from his younger brother.

Even if one feels very aggrieved at first and thinks that becoming a vassal will mean the success or failure, one will still worry that one's life will be lost for no apparent reason.

However, in the past few years, Zhu Yunwen also felt very comfortable traveling in Hangzhou, writing poetry, reading books, and making friends with some literati.

Although he would occasionally be brought to the court to report some thankless matters, it was of no importance. No matter what the royal family members said, they could not do anything to him.

When he arrived at Yingtian Prefecture and entered the familiar yet unfamiliar imperial city, Zhu Yunwen was obviously very dazed.

He was born and raised here, and once thought that he could rule the world in this imperial city. Thinking about it now, it still seemed like a lifetime ago, but he was now more balanced in his heart and should not have unrealistic fantasies.

My younger brother is too good at this. His position has been decided, so there is no chance for him to succeed. If he shows any restless thoughts, he will obviously be ruthlessly eliminated.

When a prince returned to Beijing, the first thing he did was to go to Fengxian Temple to worship his ancestors, and Zhu Yunwen was no exception.

However, after the ancestor worship was over, Zhu Yunwen did not see Old Zhu, nor did he see Zhu Yunhuan in the side hall. He could only continue to follow the little eunuch to the Wenhua Hall in a sad mood.

His treatment was getting lower and lower. In the past, he could be seen in the side hall. Now, his weight was seriously insufficient. It seemed that no one in the whole palace took him, the prince, seriously.

As for Old Zhu, since leaving Yingtian Prefecture to become a vassal, Zhu Yunwen could only see Old Zhu during the morning court session. If he asked for an audience in private, he would definitely be rejected and scolded. When he met the emperor in public, he was just a minister.

When he arrived at the Wenhua Hall, Zhu Yunwen was very polite, "I, the Prince of Wulin, Zhu Yunwen, am here to greet His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Long live His Royal Highness."

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "Stand up, there is no need for us two brothers to be so polite."

Zhu Yunwen did not dare to be presumptuous and bowed politely, "Your Highness, I respectfully thank the Crown Prince."

His own positioning is already very clear. In the final analysis, Zhu Yunwen has accepted his fate and no longer has any unrealistic fantasies.

Looking at Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunwen was in a good mood, "My brother is getting better. He is more handsome and talented now."

Zhu Yunwen was honest and dutiful. "Your Highness, I strictly abide by the etiquette. I can see a lot of scenery and culture in Hangzhou, and I feel much better."

Zhu Yunxun was in a good mood and jokingly said, "I also want to go to Hangzhou, but I haven't had the time in the past two years. Maybe later. I'll go there if I have the chance."

Zhu Yunwen didn't dare to respond. If he said some words, they would be sensitive.

Looking at Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunwen asked, "Do you know why I asked you to come here this time?"

Zhu Yunwen was a little nervous, but he told the truth, "Your Highness, I don't know."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly, and then said, "You used to like reading and didn't care much about the outside world. I know this. But you should take care of your predecessors. The people under you have such long hands that they dare to collude with officials and guards. Tell me what's going on."

Zhu Yunwen's face turned pale in an instant, and his body was a little shaky. He heard things that he could not imagine, and he felt that he was in real big trouble, to the point of being fatal.

In the past few years, Zhu Yunwen traveled around and made friends with some literati, but he basically did not discuss current affairs with those people, and it was impossible for those people to get his name card and seek an official position in the government or participate in the imperial examinations.

Because he remembered some reminders, he was not allowed to discuss current affairs, make friends with local officials, or have any contact with Wei.

Zhu Yunwen did not mention the so-called three guards of the vassal king, because he was a prince. He was also very clear that his palace guards or some officials were arranged by his own brother, the grandson of the emperor. Only in this way could he save his life.

"Ma Wenhua, he must be my sister-in-law's cousin." Zhu Yunhuan continued, "I had someone bring him back. Your brother-in-law is quite capable. He must be very wealthy. He relies on his family background to have dealings with salt merchants and to persuade the garrisons to do business together, transporting salt and grain to the garrisons on the border."

Zhu Yunwen knelt down instantly, "Your Highness, I don't know about this!"

Lu was the daughter of Lu Ben, the former Minister of Taichang Temple. She had no direct blood relatives, only some cousins.

Zhu Yunwen's wife, Ma, was the daughter of Ma Quan, the Shaoqing of Guanglu. It was not that she had no one in her family, she did have brothers and sisters.

Zhu Yunhuan pointed to the file on the table and said, "Send it to my brother, so that he won't think someone is framing you."

Zhang Fusheng took the file respectfully and gave it to Zhu Yunwen. This eunuch who had been with Zhu Yunwen for several years was not particularly smart, but he had one good point, which was to abide by the rules and do his duty. He would not blindly speculate on the intentions of his superiors, nor would he bully others by taking advantage of his power.

Especially in front of royal family members, he did not feel that he was of noble status just because he was the personal eunuch of the crown prince. He always knew that he was a subject. Even if he was an unappreciated royal family member, he was still the "master" and he had to give him enough superficial respect.

Zhu Yunwen flipped through the files quickly. The more he read, the more frightened he became. He really had not expected that his brother-in-law would act so recklessly. He was really going to be screwed.

Zhu Yunhuan opened his mouth slowly and said, "I have always disliked collusion between officials and businessmen, especially those who have to reach out to the military. But your brother-in-law is so good, he did everything I don't like at once. Do you think he is relying on his father who is the Minister of Imperial Households, or because he has a brother-in-law who is a prince?"

Zhu Yunwen hurriedly said, "Your Highness, I really don't know what this person did!" He had to clear himself from the crime, otherwise, with the evidence he had seen now, Zhu Yunwen felt that it would be difficult for him to turn things around.

Collusion between officials and businessmen is indeed something that the current crown prince is afraid of. The close contacts between the royal family and the border guards and local wealthy businessmen, as well as some interest cooperation, are simply evidence of "rebellion"!
Especially since Zhu Yunwen thought that his identity was sensitive, he had been so cautious in recent years because he was afraid of being dug up. But now, it was the people around him who took the initiative to send some evidence to the crown prince!
Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "The person is being held in prison now. Go over and interrogate him and ask him questions yourself."

Zhu Yunwen was almost paralyzed, "Your Highness, I really don't know about this!"

Now it was Zhu Yunhuan's turn to be at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "What are you thinking? Should you be locked up too? Go ask him yourself, so you don't have to wonder. Find out why he made the mistake, and if there's anything he left out. He'll suffer less if he explains it clearly, and this is something you can do to help him as his brother-in-law!"

Zhu Yunwen said directly, "Your Highness, this person has violated the law. I think he should be dealt with according to the law!"

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but look at Zhu Yunwen. It seemed that his second brother had not changed much over the years.

But it's true that once some personalities are formed, it's really hard to change. My second brother is mean and cold in nature, and that won't change.

No matter if he was a mentor, uncle or brother, he didn't care that much. What's more, it was not worth risking his life to beg for mercy for his so-called brother-in-law. He would be thankful as long as he didn't get dragged into trouble.

"You should go and ask him. He is quite stubborn and unwilling to talk about some things." Zhu Yunhuan said, "If you can make him talk, it will be good for you."

Since Zhu Yunhuan had said so much, Zhu Yunwen felt that he really had no choice but to carry out the trial obediently.

However, he felt a little aggrieved during the trial. The people following him would definitely be those arranged by the Crown Prince, so he could only go to the prison to ask some questions.

"After coming back this time, I have another thing to talk about, which is the matter of the fourth son." Zhu Yunhuan continued, "The fourth son will also be enfeoffed in two years. How about letting him go to Jiangxi?"

Zhu Yunwen replied without thinking, "Your Highness, I think your Majesty should make the decision on this matter and your Highness should be the advisor. I dare not speak rashly."

This is a real non-stick pan. Zhu Yunwen may only care about his own interests and does not want to get himself into too much trouble, so he is unwilling to interfere even in his own brother's affairs.

On the other hand, Zhu Yunwen might have really accepted his fate and felt that this was just a test for him.

So it’s better to be honest. Anyway, these things are not something he can advise on, so it’s enough to just listen to some orders.

Say more and do more, these are some of Zhu Yunwen's ideas. At this time, he should be low-key enough, which is the real way to protect himself, and this is what he, the Wulin County King, should be like.

"Okay, go to your mother." Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand and said helplessly, "It's okay for you to know about this matter. There is no reason to worry your mother and the fourth brother, understand?"

Zhu Yunwen naturally understood this truth. There were some things that really did not need to be let them know, and knowing those things would only add to their troubles.

Seeing Zhu Yunwen bowing and leaving politely, Zhu Yunxun could only shake his head. The feelings in his heart were hard to describe. He really didn't know what to say.

Daoyan and Xia Yuanji felt somewhat emotional. They also knew that the Prince of Wulin had competed with the Crown Prince for the throne and even had an absolute advantage at one point. It seemed that the position of the Crown Prince was just around the corner.

But looking at it now, it is not known whether this Prince Wulin is shrinking in front of the Crown Prince, or choosing to bide his time and protect himself after failing in the battle for the throne. Now he seems to be completely timid.

However, as Zhu Yunhuan's confidants, they would certainly not say much about this matter, and they might even be glad that the emperor made the right choice for the crown prince.

Even though this crown prince is not perfect, sometimes he can make people feel that he is very difficult to serve.

But compared to the seemingly indecisive and mean Prince Wulin, the current Crown Prince is still much more outstanding, especially since this heir has many great ideas.

As soon as Zhu Yunwen left, a young eunuch came to convey the imperial eunuch and summoned Zhu Yunhuan to Wuying Palace.

Old Zhu got straight to the point and said, "You always like to scare Yunwen whenever you have the chance. That kid is timid, so don't scare him. Your fifth uncle is coming back soon, go back and scare him."

Old Zhu continued to nag, "Your fifth uncle is also thick-skinned. He has made many mistakes over the years. He can stand being scared. If Yun Wen is scared by you like this, he will probably not be able to sleep well for several days."

Zhu Yunhuan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and said, "Grandfather, don't think my second brother is so well behaved in front of me. Outside, he is a descendant of a royal family, and he is quite impressive."

"After all, our grandson is the grandson of the emperor, and he will be a prince in the future. It is only natural that he is praised by others." Old Zhu complained, "You are more pretentious, why don't you say anything yourself?"

Zhu Yunhuan understood what Old Zhu meant and explained, "I'm going to offend people. This time I have to set rules for the royal family. You said I won't look for my second brother, so should I look for other uncles?"

Old Zhu was speechless for a moment, and then he couldn't bear it any longer, "If you want to offend him, just call him Second Brother. Normally, it's Yunwen, Yunwen, after all, he is your brother!"

"This time is different. We have never dealt with the ancestors of the royal family and princes before." Zhu Yunhuan became serious. "If I don't find my second brother to establish my authority, the other uncles will feel uneasy."

Old Zhu could also understand Zhu Yunwen's difficulties, because it seemed that Zhu Yunwen was indeed the best target to establish his authority.

Over the years, no matter whether Zhu Yunwen was willing or not, he would be pushed out to offend people in the royal family. Everyone had a tacit understanding of this.

Looking at Old Zhu, Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Grandfather, my second brother is very smart. If it's other things, it's fine, but when it comes to protecting himself, he is smarter than others."

Old Zhu wanted to refute, thinking that Zhu Yunhuan should not be so petty as to evaluate Zhu Yunwen in such a way.

But after thinking about it carefully, he still didn't have any confidence. Yunwen was a good kid, but sometimes he did things that made Zhu Yuanzhang unsure how to evaluate him.

That child is sometimes unbelievably mean! (End of this chapter)