Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Old Zhu was in a very good mood, not only because he had a great-grandson, but also because his sons were all around him.

Although he had more than 20 sons and more than 10 daughters, it was obviously impossible for Old Zhu to treat them equally. He did not even have a deep impression of his younger sons.

Old Zhu obviously has deeper feelings for his first few sons, and he feels happy looking at them.

"You have arrived just in time. You will be able to see your nephew and grandson in a few days." Old Zhu said happily, somewhat proudly, "Old Third, go back and urge Ji Hui. He should have a child too."

Then Old Zhu looked at Zhu Di again, "Gao Chi has been married for two years, and there is no news of any movement. They are older than Brother Yun Hun, and they got married earlier, but they are not as good as Yun Hun!"

Zhu Gang and others didn't know what to say, because they all understood that although they were all grandchildren, their children could not compare with Zhu Yunhuan.

However, everyone felt that what Zhu said made sense. Zhu Jihui and Zhu Gaochi should have gotten married earlier, and they were both Zhu Yunhuan's brothers, but there was no movement yet.

In fact, Zhu Gang and Zhu Di were also a little anxious. They were either 41 or 37 years old, which was the age to have grandchildren in today's era.

Zhu Chong remained silent, he was also anxious. Although his son Zhu Shangbing was younger, he was already seventeen years old and had already married, but there was still no movement for the time being.

It is certainly a bit urgent, but there is no need to be too anxious. My sons are not too old, so it doesn’t matter if they are two years late.

Zhu Chong smiled and said, "Father has a great-grandson now, and he looks better than when I saw him at the beginning of the year."

Old Zhu did not deny this. "Now we have some hope. We just want to live two more years to help Yun Hun teach Wen Yao. The court affairs are heavy and Yun Hun is too busy to handle them."

Zhu Chong and others felt a little jealous. Their father's partiality had always been so obvious and undisguised. After doting on his son, he doted on his grandson, and now he even regarded his great-grandson as his lifeblood.

As expected, my father's preference for my eldest brother has always been so much so that my eldest brother's descendants are more unique in my father's eyes, and other descendants cannot be compared at all.

But there’s nothing to be upset about. It’s been like this for so many years and I’m used to it.

What's more, now that they have their own children, Zhu Chong and others have to ask themselves if they can treat all children the same and that they are inevitably somewhat partial.

So it’s okay to be partial, it’s no big deal.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Chong and asked, "You have always been unable to keep secrets. Do your brothers know what I told you before?"

Zhu Chong said with a little embarrassment, "Father, please understand. I have told my brothers something."

Old Zhu became serious and said, "It is said that a harmonious family is the foundation of everything. If brothers in an ordinary family are united, then the family business will prosper. If brothers and relatives do not care about each other, not only will they become a joke inside and outside, but they will also probably not prosper."

Zhu Chong and others naturally listened seriously. No matter whether they agreed with these statements or not, they needed to express their attitudes at this moment and did not dare to say anything more.

Old Zhu continued seriously, "The same is true for the country. We worked hard to build the country, and you all enjoy it. If the country is gone, you will all suffer. You should understand this."

The princes of the royal family seemed to agree with this statement on the surface. They naturally understood this truth: if one prospers, all prosper, and if one suffers, all suffer.

Now that the Zhu family sits on the throne, it is natural that the descendants of the Zhu family will be rich and powerful. No one doubts this.

But sometimes, these princes of the royal family also feel that there is nothing that can threaten the country. Besides, governing the country has nothing to do with them, so naturally they don't need to worry too much.

"I like the crown prince Yunxun very much." Old Zhu said bluntly, "I am not young anymore, what do you think?"

Zhu Chong took the lead and said, "Father, you are wise. Although Yun Hun is young, he is not short of tactics and means. He is not only deep-minded, but also has foresight. If Yun Hun becomes the emperor, I think he will be a wise ruler!"

This is an extremely straightforward form of flattery, and it actually also expresses one's own attitude.

There was nothing that could be done about it. After all, Zhu Chong was the King of Qin, the head of all the royal family and vassal kings in the world.

Zhu Gang also said quickly, "Father, I was worried about Yun Hun's young age. But after watching him for a few years, I feel inferior to him. I only need to guard the northwest and build the ranch and border city, and I will be able to relieve Yun Hun's worries."

Zhu Gang had already made clear his attitude towards supporting Zhu Yunhuan. After all, he had nothing to do with the throne, which had been made clear when he established the crown prince a few years ago.

While expressing his support for Zhu Yunhuan, Zhu Gang also had some ideas of his own. He was still reluctant to give up some power and still wanted to become the most powerful prince among the royal family.

These are actually not contradictory at all, so even Zhu Yunhuan pretended not to know about his uncle's little thoughts. Even though he is now reducing the treatment and power of some clan princes, he will not be afraid to let the clan do things when it is time.

Zhu Di also said very straightforwardly, "Father, I am only focused on fighting. Yun Hun has foresight and is skilled in handling political affairs. If Yun Hun becomes the emperor, I will be the first to present a congratulatory letter and kowtow to him in Beijing."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but look at Zhu Di. After hearing Zhu Di's words, his thoughts became more subtle and complicated.

Zhu Chong and others looked at Zhu Di unhappily. The fourth son had many thoughts. This was not only to please his father, but also to please the grandson.

Zhu Su said with a little embarrassment, "Father, I am wise. If it weren't for my elder brother and Yun Hun, I would have become a commoner long ago. Yun Hun and I have always been close. If he ascends the throne, I will still obey him."

After hearing what his sons said, Old Zhu was naturally very happy. This was the expression he needed.

He is not only a father, but also the emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Naturally, some things need to be confirmed over and over again.

With the statements of these sons, Zhu felt relieved. Because all the other sons combined were not as prominent as these four sons, nor did they have as much power as these four sons.

Whether the royal family obeys Zhu Yunhuan or not actually depends on the King of Qin, the King of Jin, the King of Yan and the King of Zhou. If these four do not have any random thoughts and support him, then the royal family basically has nothing to worry about.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Second uncle, please stop praising me. I still think the crown prince is the best and doesn't have to take on any responsibilities."

Zhu Chong and others could not help but look at Zhu Yunhuan. This nephew was still as kind-hearted as ever. Everyone had already made their position clear, so he was just saying some nice words after the fact.

If they really didn't have those thoughts, they would have apologized directly before, and they wouldn't have asked them to express their opinions one by one. However, even if they knew these things, Zhu Chong and others only complained in their hearts, but didn't dare to say it out loud.

My father was narrow-minded, my eldest brother was narrow-minded too, and my nephew Zhu Yunhuan was also narrow-minded due to his ancestral heritage.

If he really holds a grudge against you, there won't be a major disaster, but he will definitely find some high-sounding reasons to make you feel uncomfortable.

After all, this was the crown prince, the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Even though the princes had noble status, that was only relative to ordinary people. In front of the emperor, the princes were not good enough, even if they were uncles.

Everyone knew that if the princes wanted to live comfortably, they had to look to the emperor for favor most of the time. Even more than some ministers, these princes of the royal family needed to rely on the emperor's breath.

This is a fact that cannot be changed. Whether you like it or not, you cannot change these realities.

As very smart princes of the royal family, Zhu Chong and others naturally understood this principle very well.

Old Zhu was obviously very satisfied and happy. Whether it was the expressions of his sons or Zhu Yunhuan's performance, they all made him feel very satisfied and relieved. What he needed was such a seemingly harmonious and amicable process of succession to the throne.

The fact that he had determined the order of succession to the throne long ago, or his undisguised preference and delegation of power to the crown prince, were the best manifestations of these thoughts.

Looking back now, the decentralization back then has reaped the best rewards, and the transition of imperial power will be very smooth and stable.

"It's enough for you to know about this matter. I'm still in good health now." Old Zhu smiled and said, "Remember to submit a congratulatory letter next year. Don't worry about this matter."

Zhu Chong and others were naturally very clear that they really could not participate in these things and could only wait for the final results.

If these princes had been able to hint at things and express their positions in a slightly more obscure way when the crown prince was appointed, there would definitely have been no problem and no one would have thought it was a big deal.

And now, the emperor intends to pass on the throne directly, which is not succession.

If the princes get involved, it would be considered "persuading the emperor to ascend the throne", and things would become very sensitive.

If the princes really got involved, a good thing would turn into a bad thing, which would make Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan very embarrassed.

So the best thing to do at this time is to pretend that you know nothing and just wait for the results to come out. Then submit a report in time to express congratulations and reiterate your attitude, and that's it.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said with a smile, "Now that we have a great-grandson, we just need to think about teaching Wen Yao well. After all, we are getting old and not as good as before."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Grandfather is in good health and will surely live a long life."

"Don't say nice things. I didn't want to live in the early years. It was really lonely to be alone." Old Zhu said with a smile, "It was the same in the past two years. It was nothing more than being unable to let go of you and the country. It's different now. I just want to watch Wen Yao grow up, and I can give an explanation to your grandmother and your parents when I meet them in the future."

Zhu Chong and the others were even more embarrassed, and they really didn't dare to say anything at this time. These words were too sensitive, and if their old father really said something, everyone who heard it would be terrified.

However, those present were more or less aware of what Old Zhu was thinking, and were not particularly surprised.

Others may not know what kind of personality Zhu Yuanzhang has, but these princes of the royal family must know it.

So as for Lao Zhu's words, they just felt it was difficult to respond, rather than being shocked by what Lao Zhu said.

Old Zhu looked at his sons and said seriously again, "When the time comes, you must behave yourself. If Yun Hun becomes the head of the family, and you take advantage of your status and do not know what is good for you, I will not tolerate it anymore!"

This is definitely a warning, and it is because when I think about my sons' past behavior, I have to worry about this kind of thing, and now I need to take precautions before it happens.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Grandfather, don't worry. The uncles are not without sense. If you think about it carefully, the uncles have been behaving themselves in the past few years."

This is definitely an excuse for the princes, but it is basically a relatively factual statement without any exaggeration.

As they grow older, these princes of the Ming Dynasty may not all become wise, and certainly not all of them will absolutely abide by the law and stop making mistakes.

However, compared to when they had just taken office, these princes of the Ming Dynasty have indeed made some progress now.

As long as they were making progress, Zhu Yunhuan's requirements were not too high. As for the royal family, he felt that as long as most of them did not cause trouble, it was enough, and he could not expect too much from the others.

After a brief chat with a group of uncles, it seemed more like Zhu was holding a short meeting with the royal family members, formally announcing some of his ideas within the headquarters.

It seemed that there were no disturbances and everything was going extremely smoothly. No one raised any objections and everyone accepted the situation tacitly.

The position of crown prince was determined early on, and the subsequent inheritance of the throne was also a natural outcome.

It was just that everyone was a little surprised that the emperor seemed to have no attachment to the throne and was so generous that it was a little unbelievable.

After all, there are few emperors in history who would voluntarily abdicate, which is very different from some emperors in history who abdicated.

Emperor Gaozu of Tang, Li Yuan, abdicated to his son, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin; Emperor Ruizong of Tang, Li Dan, abdicated to his mother, Wu Zhao; Wu Zhao abdicated to her son, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian, and so on. In many cases, power fell into the hands of others and there were internal and external troubles.

After returning to the Eastern Palace, Zhu Yunhuan could only speak a few words to Xu Miaojin through the doors and windows, and he was still not allowed to enter the delivery room.

Not only was Xu Miaojin in confinement after giving birth, but also because it was autumn, everyone was being extremely cautious, fearing that Zhu Wenyao would catch a cold.

Even though they just chatted briefly, Xu Miaojin was very happy and proud to show off the interesting stories of little Zhu Wenyao.

It is obvious that the birth of this child has given too many people surprise and brought happiness to too many people. This little newborn baby also carries the expectations of many people. (End of this chapter)