Daming: I am the Crown Prince

He reduced the supply to Zhu Su and Zhu Yunwen and completely took away their military power, making them idle and wealthy.

This is just the beginning, because many people know that some of the next princes will most likely not escape such a result, and more princes will inevitably have to suffer the same fate.

Zhu Su and Zhu Yunwen seemed to be aware of this outcome.

Zhu Yunwen had no military power to begin with, so there was nothing to be disappointed about at this time. The three guards of the vassal kings had never had anything to do with him.

Even now, he was still secretly happy in his heart, because other princes were treated the same as him. Thinking this way, he felt balanced. Those princes were truly stripped of their power. They must have felt even more lost from having nothing.

Zhu Yunwen, who had nothing, did not feel that he had suffered any loss. However, Zhu Su, who was used to having uncertain military power in his hands, naturally felt a little disappointed.

The highlight is coming, and many people are looking forward to the next series of developments, because although King Zhou and Prince Wulin seem to have committed crimes, it can also be explained by not governing their subordinates strictly.

But His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi obviously couldn't use this excuse to shirk responsibility. Especially with the files now made public, it seemed that no one was going to cover up for His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi.

Zhu Yunhuan spoke again and said to Old Zhu, "Grandfather, the steward of the Prince of Qi's Palace was authorized by the Prince of Qi to collude with Chai Zhi, the commander of the Prince of Qi's Central Guard. The Prince of Qi's Palace colluded with merchants to seize the right to transport grain and salt to Liaodong."

Old Zhu asked with a stern face, "Why, are you asking me to depose the King of Qi?"

Zhu Yunhuan did not back down either. He looked at Old Zhu and said, "My grandfather, Liaodong is really important. The soldiers guarding the border are already in hardship. The King of Qi pretended to obey but secretly disobeyed, transporting grain and salt is not worth mentioning, and he has made a lot of money. I think if he is not punished, many subjects in the world will not accept it, and the soldiers will definitely be disheartened."

Zhu continued to look gloomy, while Zhu Yunhuan continued, "I think we should order the King of Qi to return to the capital, either to live in the capital or to return to the imperial palace. We can order the King of Qi to work hard in the fields, hoping that he will learn the difficulties of farming and think about how to maintain his wealth and honor."

Zhu Su immediately looked at Zhu Yunwen, and Zhu Yunwen also began to tremble.

As for other civil and military officials, they lowered their heads and dared not move, because it seemed that the Crown Prince was really going to take ruthless action against the King of Qi.

Let the King of Qi return to the capital to be punished. It would be fine if it was just to cut supplies.

But now the Crown Prince proposed that the King of Qi should not be allowed to return to his fiefdom, but should return to his hometown to farm.

Zhu Chong, Zhu Su and others were familiar with this kind of treatment, as they had all farmed in their hometowns before. But there was also another clan member, that is, Jingjiang King Zhu Shouqian, who also farmed in Fengyang because he committed too many crimes. After repeated admonitions, he was imprisoned in Yingtian Prefecture and died.

The title of King of Jingjiang is still vacant, and it may be reserved for Zhu Zanyi. However, Zhu Zanyi is already fifteen years old, but before that, he was only asked to visit the thirteen princes of Jin, Yan, Zhou, Chu, Qi, Shu, Xiang, Dai, Su, Liao, Qing, Gu, and Qin, and he was never told to inherit the title.

Zhu Yunhuan's words easily made people suspect that Zhu Yunhuan was planning to depose the King of Qi.

Old Zhu narrowed his eyes and looked at Zhu Yunhuan, "Grandson, do you mean that I can only make the royal family respect me if I depose the Prince of Qi?"

Zhu Yunhuan replied, "Your Majesty, I think the crime of the King of Qi is too great. The royal family has repeatedly violated the law, which shows that they have no fear. This time, the King of Qi is punished in the hope that he will reform himself. This is the reason why the King of Qi should be worshipped to preserve his family."

The civil and military officials became even more frightened. The Crown Prince was now just short of saying openly that he wanted to depose the King of Qi.

Old Zhu's face became even gloomier. "If the King of Qi doesn't change, then he will be deposed. Is that right? The title of King of Qi will be taken back by the court?"

Zhu Yunhuan said respectfully, "Grandfather, I dare not do that. If the King of Qi repents, you can banish him to Yunnan. If he refuses to repent, you can follow the example of the former Grand Commander and punish him but keep his title as a king."

Who was the former Grand Commander? It was naturally Zhu's nephew Zhu Wenzhen, who was also Zhu Shouqian's father.

But now this old Zhu's nephew cannot be addressed in the court. The title of prince is not appropriate, nor is the title of emperor's nephew. Especially Zhu Yunhuan, he cannot call Zhu Wenzheng by his name.

Old Zhu was so angry that he laughed, "Great! You are so thoughtful to let me depose my own son!"

Seeing the emperor walk away in anger, the civil and military officials dared not even breathe.

Zhu Su and Zhu Yunwen were also trembling with fear. They now felt that some of the punishments they had received were too light.

Think about the King of Qi. Now the Emperor and the Crown Prince have different opinions. One wants to protect him, while the other wants severe punishment.

Ordering him to return to his hometown to farm or exiling him to Yunnan were all vague statements, but it was certain that even if the King of Qi came to his senses, he could not return to Qingzhou and had to change his fiefdom.

The most important thing is that the Crown Prince has such a bad impression of the King of Qi. If the Crown Prince really waits until he succeeds to the throne, the King of Qi may spend his whole life in his hometown of Fengyang. Who knows if the title of King of Qi will be passed down!
These are all very likely to happen, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi may indeed become the first prince to be deposed in the Ming Dynasty.

Old Zhu's figure disappeared, and Zhu Yunhuan stood up calmly, "Dismiss the court!"

Some people originally thought that the Crown Prince might go to the Emperor to explain, but this Crown Prince just walked out of the Fengtian Hall and seemed to be going to the Wenhua Hall.

This is not right. The crown prince should have explained something to the emperor at this time. Angering the emperor and punishing the royal family are both big things, but why doesn't the crown prince care?
Has something really changed in the relationship between the Emperor and the Crown Prince?

These things only flashed through the minds of some officials for a moment, and then the bad thoughts quickly dissipated. They really didn't dare to think too much about it.

The best thing to do at this time is to do nothing and just wait and see. You can't afford to offend the crown prince, but you can't afford to offend the emperor even more. It's better to talk less, do more, and keep a low profile.

Being eager to stand out and show off is likely to lead to disaster. If you offend the emperor or the crown prince, it is difficult to have a good ending.

You still need to be low-key when you need to. Now when there is a fight between gods, you'd better not get involved, otherwise you will really be like someone else who is suffering from the consequences.

What other people were thinking had nothing to do with Zhu Yunhuan. He returned to Wenhua Hall calmly. He was no different from before. He just continued to review some memorials and handle some government affairs.

It’s not that Zhu Yunhu was careless, but he knew a lot of things. Some officials were nervous and confused because the information they knew was limited and they could only make random guesses.

After finishing a day's government affairs, Zhu Yunhuan calmly stood up and walked towards the Wuying Palace.

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan, Old Zhu said disdainfully, "I thought you were in a hurry to go back. At least you haven't forgotten your grandfather." Old Zhu's complaints were also sincere, although he also knew that Zhu Yunhuan should accompany Xu Miaojin. But sometimes it is inevitable to feel a little disappointed. He only has such a precious grandson in front of him, so of course he values ​​him.

In the past, the grandfather and grandson always ate and chatted together. No matter how busy they were, it was no problem for them to have a meal together every day. But now, it might not be possible to see Zhu Yunhuan come to have a meal for several days.

"How could that be possible!" Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Grandfather feels that it is good for me to be around now, so I will bring you a baby in a few days, and you will be very happy!"

Old Zhu was in high spirits, full of anticipation, "What's so good about it? Wen Yao is here with us, we can only be happy!"

Old Zhu does not feel hard about taking care of children, especially his great-grandson, who is his real treasure and he has been looking forward to this event.

"It will be soon, in about half a month." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Now everyone in the East Palace is nervous. Miao Jin turned over last night, and the East Palace was busy for a long time."

Old Zhu said seriously, "Don't sleep too soundly, and pay more attention to the movements. If Miao Jin is really about to give birth, send someone to tell us immediately, do you hear me?"

Zhu Yunhuan naturally agreed quickly. Waking up Old Zhu in the middle of the night seemed not a good idea.

But considering the child in Xu Miaojin's belly, and considering that it was the "first heir of the royal family", waking up Old Zhu at this time was not unfilial, but a great act of filial piety.

Of course, it wouldn't matter if Old Zhu didn't go, not to mention his great-grandson, even his grandson wouldn't matter. But considering Old Zhu's personality, it would be better to call him over.

"When Uncle Seventh comes back, there will definitely be trouble." Zhu Yunhuan said as he ate his food, "Then the royal family won't just blame Yunhuan, they'll blame me."

Old Zhu snorted coldly, "You are cruel, but you are also protecting your seventh uncle. He doesn't know when to advance or retreat, and he will get into trouble sooner or later! If you deal with him now, at least you can leave a rich and prosperous life for his descendants."

Old Zhu knew very well what his son was like. He did not like some of Zhu Yunhuan's actions, but he also knew that it was inevitable.

With the way Qi Wang Zhu Yu was doing, if he continued to make trouble, he would definitely be deposed. If that happened, it would be difficult for the Qi Wang lineage to have a good ending.

Therefore, it would be best to follow the approach taken towards Zhu Wenzhen, punishing only him without implicating his descendants.

"Seventh uncle's temper needs to be tempered. He is even more extreme than second and third uncles." Zhu Yunhuan sighed, somewhat helplessly, "This is also a helpless move. I have to give an explanation to the other clan members."

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan acting like a good boy after getting an advantage, Old Zhu was really angry and amused. But he also understood that there was really no big problem with Zhu Yunhuan's choice.

In the final analysis, it was to kill the chicken to scare the monkey. Old Zhu was actually well aware of the illegal deeds of the royal family over the years, but he just couldn't bear to be cruel to his sons.

Since he was reluctant to be cruel, some things naturally required Zhu Yunhuan to be more cruel.

Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys, the royal family should also be afraid. They have lived too comfortably in the past few years, and they are all fearless. Anyway, they all know that there will not be any big problems.

But now the situation has changed, starting with the King of Qi. He will not really be deprived of his title, nor will he be imprisoned.

However, the three guards of the vassal king no longer exist. Even if he returns to his fiefdom, he will have to find a place worse than Qingzhou to relocate.

The most important thing is that this matter was initiated by Zhu Yuanzhang. Even if it was advocated by Zhu Yunhuan, it still needed Zhu Yuanzhang's approval. This was not Zhu Yunhuan taking action against his uncles.

All this can be regarded as Zhu Yuanzhang paving the way for Zhu Yunhuan. He treated his sons too well and now he is worried that his sons will continue to act recklessly after his grandson ascends the throne.

There is no need to talk much about the treatment of Zhu Yuanzhang. Zhu Lao and Zhu Yunhuan had already reached a consensus on this matter. Some things must be done this way.

As for the fact that Zhu Yu has not returned to Beijing yet, it is actually not particularly important. The evidence is there and he has nothing to refute. The smartest choice is to accept such punishment obediently.

If he is dissatisfied, it will only increase the charges against him and he will be punished more severely.

The royal family really needs to start imposing a series of restrictions on them to prevent them from acting more and more recklessly in the future.

So whether it is temporarily placing Zhu Yuanzhang under house arrest or stripping Zhu Su of his military power, this is just the beginning.

This can be considered as a careful selection. Prince of Qi Zhu Yu was not the most prominent member of the royal family, but he was an important vassal after all, which was enough to serve as a warning to other vassal kings.

As for Zhu Su, it goes without saying that he has a very special status. Now that he has been punished, even Zhu Chong and others will be cautious and fearful.

It was a matter of conscience to do so, and Zhu Yunhuan would not miss such a good opportunity to make use of the issue. The administration of officials had to be rectified, and the royal family could not be without restraint.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhu Yunhuan returned to the East Palace. Seeing that the palace seemed to be getting more and more lively, he felt more at ease. At this time, it would not be excessive to be cautious, and it was justified to mobilize a large army.

When they arrived at the bedroom, Zhu Yunxun asked with concern, "How do you feel today?"

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "Your Highness, don't worry too much. I'm fine now. If you count the days carefully, it will be these days."

"It's because I know it's going to happen these days that I can't help but feel a little worried." Zhu Yunxun touched Xu Miaojin's belly and said, "If this child is really born, everyone will be happy."

Xu Miaojin nodded when she heard this. Ever since she became pregnant, she could clearly feel many people's attitudes and expectations towards her.

Not only did the emperor need a great-grandson, the crown prince also needed a legitimate eldest son, and the Xu family also needed a future crown prince for the Ming Dynasty.

These are of course some pressure, but Xu Miaojin doesn't think it is too much of a burden. She is also looking forward to the baby in her belly.

Obviously, the first heir of the royal family was not just a casual remark. According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, the child in her belly was basically the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Everyone is very nervous and takes this very seriously, which is as it should be. (End of this chapter)