Daming: I am the Crown Prince

For Zhu Yunhuan, ascending the throne was a kind of anticipation. It would be a lie to say that he was not excited at all.

It just seemed that some things were just natural, and there seemed to be no need to worry or care too much. Perhaps when he was appointed as the Crown Prince, it was only a matter of time before he ascended the throne.

There is no need to rush into some things, just be more patient, and there is no need to worry about some things.

The 29th year of Hongwu passed by, and in the blink of an eye it was the 30th year of Hongwu. If nothing unexpected happened, it would be the last year of Zhu Yuanzhang's reign.

Old Zhu, who is already seventy years old, is happy and proud now. He still wants to live a few more years because his great-grandson is growing up healthily, which is enough to make him feel happy and expectant.

The historical Zhu Yuanzhang will pass away next year, having reigned for thirty-one years.

Now Zhu Yuanzhang’s thoughts are very simple. He has been in power for a long time, and there is nothing for him to be attached to the throne.

After the grand court ceremony ended, Zhu Yuanzhang, feeling very proud, summoned his important ministers to a banquet in the Jinshen Hall.

Holding Zhu Wenyao in his arms, Old Zhu said proudly, "We are holding a banquet today. First, it is the New Year and we should celebrate. Second, this year has been pretty smooth and the country is in great order. Third, we want you to meet the emperor's great-grandson."

Zhu Yunhuan was somewhat speechless, while the civil and military officials had very clear positions. It was no pressure for them to meet the emperor's great-grandson, even though Zhu Wenyao was still in his infancy, he was still the emperor's great-grandson.

Not only because he is the eldest son of the Crown Prince, but also because all officials should kowtow to any member of the royal family.

This is the difference in identity, and it is very obvious from birth.

Holding Zhu Wenyao in his arms, he sat on the dragon throne and accepted the congratulations. Old Zhu said, "I am also seventy years old. It is said that seventy is a rare age. I have been in poverty since childhood, and I have conquered the world for more than ten years. I am very tired. The Crown Prince is wise and intelligent. He has been very capable in observing government affairs and handling political affairs in recent years. When you report political affairs in the future, you can go directly to the Crown Prince."

Zhu Yunhuan then stood up and said, "Grandfather, please be wise. I am still young and do not know how to handle government affairs. Please take back your order. I still need experience."

Old Zhu ignored him and continued to say to the civil and military officials, "The Crown Prince is the crown prince of the country and the first heir of the royal family. You should all pay homage to the state and the country."

This statement shocked Zhu Yunhuan. The so-called "sheji" could also refer to the emperor, not the crown prince.

Even though some things have been planned before, they have not been directly announced at this stage. Bringing it up in this semi-formal occasion will inevitably make people think too much.

All the officials were nervous, not knowing whether the emperor was testing them or had other intentions.

Zhu Wenyao started crying at this time, and the whole court could only watch as Zhu happily carried his great-grandson away. The officials continued to enjoy the banquet, and since the Crown Prince was presiding over it, there was nothing to worry about.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Xu Huizu and said, "Duke Wei, you have been on many expeditions in the past two years and have worked hard for state affairs. Come, have a drink."

Xu Huizu had hardly had a good rest in the past two years. He had only rested for a few days after suppressing the rebellion in the southwest before he immediately rushed to the north to join the army. Whether he was the commander-in-chief or the deputy commander, he didn't care at all.

He just does his job conscientiously and completes it quite well, which is worthy of recognition.

As expected of Xu Da's son, although he is quite different from Xu Da in terms of ability, his modest, prudent, respectful and diligent character is almost the same, which is very satisfying.

Even though Xu Miaojin is now the Crown Prince's Consort, and even though he has Zhu Wenyao, Xu Huizu has not been ostentatious. In fact, because of these reasons, he has become more cautious.

Naturally, all civil and military officials knew what kind of personality and style Xu Huizu had, and there was no doubt about his status.

In the past, Xu Da, the King of Zhongshan, was the chief military commander and the first noble. A few years ago, because of Zhu Yunhuan, many people felt that Chang Sheng became the first noble in name.

But looking at it again now, it still has to be the King of Zhongshan, not only because of Xu Miaojin and Zhu Wenyao, but also because Xu Huizu still has outstanding abilities, which is where Chang Sheng cannot compare with him at all.

After drinking with Xu Huizu, Zhu Yunhuan looked at Chang Sheng and said, "The founding duke is loyal and diligent, so he should also drink a glass."

Chang Sheng was naturally smiling happily. He was the apparent leader of the Chang faction and certainly worthy of the Crown Prince's special attention.

As for Lan Yu, the actual head of the Chang family, he is still in Qingzhou, settling the three guards of King Qi. This Duke of Liang is still very useful, and in fact he has become the first military general of the Ming Dynasty.

Fu Youde has worked hard and made great contributions, but he is old and his contributions are great enough, so it is time for him to be laid off. Even though he is a little unwilling to accept his old age, he still wants to make new contributions.

However, the actual situation does not look optimistic. Neither the emperor nor the crown prince will entrust him with important tasks under such circumstances.

Many civil servants are very jealous, but now it seems that only the six ministers can have some status in front of the crown prince.

Even among the six ministers, everyone can clearly feel that the Minister of Works Yan Zhenzhi and the Minister of Revenue Yu Xin are more valued. The reason is that the Crown Prince likes capable ministers who can do practical things. Although he seems to value some so-called clean officials, he simply does not deliberately take care of them.

Even if they were defined as clean officials by the crown prince, their careers would basically be over, and they would not even have the chance to become ministers of the six ministries. The Imperial Censorate, the Metropolitan Procuratorate, etc., these were where the officials should go, not other government offices.

It’s best to concentrate on one field, don’t always think about jumping around, there are not so many all-rounders!
These can also be regarded as Zhu Yunhuan's way of employing people, and this trend is becoming more and more obvious now.

He did not like some officials who kept going back and forth between several government offices, and preferred those who specialized in a certain field. Especially in places like the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works, officials' promotion seemed more difficult, but they had more opportunities.

The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Punishments, and even the Ministry of War were relatively not given much attention. Officials' promotions did exist, but their authority was not strong enough.

The Ministry of Personnel is a special case, as the Crown Prince has always had it firmly in his hands. Ever since the killing of Zhan Hui, the Ministry of Personnel has actually been in the hands of the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Although the officials in the Ministry of Personnel seem to be prominent, it is difficult for them to stay in the position for a long time.

The banquet ended like this. The civil and military officials had worked hard for a year, so they needed to celebrate. However, after a little celebration and relaxation, they naturally needed to devote themselves to a new round of work. After all, the court had a lot of political affairs, and there would be some new challenges and new things to deal with every year.

Xu Miaojin seemed to have drunk some wine. When the emperor and the crown prince held a banquet, Xu Miaojin was also hosting the banquet to entertain the ladies of the court and the wives of officials. This was also the responsibility of the Crown Prince's Consort.

After all, there are few female masters in the royal family now. Apart from the Crown Princess Lu, who has an awkward identity, there is Xu Miaojin, the Crown Grandmother. She has to take responsibility for many things.

"Grandma looks much older." Xu Miaojin said to Zhu Yunhuan with some concern, "I took a closer look and she doesn't look as energetic as she did at the beginning of the year."

Zhu Yunhuan could only smile and comfort, "Grandma is old, and now she has a step-grandfather, so she is in high spirits. She must be fine, she's just not in a good mood in winter."

These are actually just self-deception. As the elderly get older, there are some things they have to consider.

Moreover, at the end of the year, Chang Lan had a minor illness. The seemingly lively and forthright Princess Kaiping looked noticeably older after she recovered from the illness. She even walked less vigorously than before and had to use crutches.

"My aunt seems to be more cautious now." Xu Miaojin continued, "My aunt has always felt that she is not close to His Highness. I guess it's because of what my grandfather said before that my aunt is much more cautious."

Zhu Yunhuan also understood this, and he did have a better and closer relationship with Princess Anqing. Compared with other aunts, Zhu Yunhuan did have a better relationship with Princess Ningguo.

But in the eyes of Princess Ningguo, the king is the king and the minister is the minister. The reason why she and Mei Yin can get along harmoniously is that both of them are well-read, knowledgeable and very sensible.

Sometimes they would deliberately keep a certain distance and abide by the duties of a monarch and his subjects.

"I know this, too. Otherwise, I always say Shunchang is dumbfounded!" Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "How could the eldest aunt not understand what I mean? She just pretends not to understand. Being born in an imperial family, it is like this sometimes. Look, even the youngest aunt is very sensible. She looks fierce, but she never interferes in state affairs."

Xu Miaojin also knew these things. It was no secret that Princess Anqing had a good relationship with the Crown Prince.

Naturally, some people tried to curry favor with Princess Anqing, but she basically refused to see the families of court officials. Even if someone from the royal family or a noble family asked for favors, as long as it involved state affairs, she would ignore them.

Sometimes, the two elder sisters would fall into the trap due to face or lack of scheming, but Zhu Yunhuan's two aunts were capable people. They were not naive. Because of their status, they knew better what they should not do.

Looking at Xu Miaojin, Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "You haven't shown up for a long time. With the banquet today, I guess the ladies will be more respectful to you, right?"

"Your Highness, ladies of high rank are supposed to observe etiquette." Xu Miaojin smiled and then joked, "But I feel a little more proud these days, and my voice has become louder. In the past, it was Your Highness who gave me the confidence, and now Wen Yao also gives me the confidence."

There is nothing wrong with this statement. In this era, women rely on their fathers before they get married, and their husbands' status after they get married. After having children, their status in their husband's family is stable, and they can be more recognized by outsiders.

Xu Miaojin was the daughter of the King of Zhongshan, so she naturally had a high status. After becoming the Crown Prince's Consort, her status was even higher.

But if she didn't give birth to a son, she wouldn't be flawless. It was obvious that Xu Miaojin didn't need to worry about these things now. After she gave birth to Zhu Wenyao, her position would naturally be more stable.

"Grandfather held Wen Yao and sat him on the dragon throne today. I think it was for me to see." Zhu Yunhuan lowered his voice and said, "He also said something, meaning that I would be in charge of political affairs in the future. You didn't see that all the civil and military officials in the court didn't know how to respond. They didn't dare to respond, nor did they dare to refute."

Xu Miaojin could fully understand such a scene, because she was beside the emperor and the grandson when they were discussing something. She felt those topics were very sensitive and did not dare to show any emotion at all.

She even thought that the civil and military officials were good, because although the emperor was just talking, he didn't say it explicitly.

"I'm really busy this year. I've been responsible for most of the government affairs in the past few years." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Grandfather did this today. No matter what the officials think, the memorials will definitely be sent to me first."

Although in the past, things were first approved by Zhu Yunhuan and then handed over to Zhu for confirmation, but now one process has been omitted, that is, the most important process that requires the emperor's approval.

This may seem like a missing link, but the meaning is completely different.

Once this was done, it would mean that Zhu Yunhuan, the crown prince, was directly doing what the emperor should do.

Doing this means that the only thing left is the final "official announcement", and the Crown Prince will officially ascend the throne.

No matter what other people think, Zhu Yunhuan, the crown prince, is really going to take on more responsibilities now. He will no longer just attend court, but will directly take full control of political affairs.

Perhaps some of the civil and military officials have begun to speculate that this may be the emperor's final test of the crown prince. They may even think that it is hard to say when the reign will be changed and the second emperor of the Ming Dynasty will sit on the dragon throne.

These are all completely possible things that could happen. After all, the emperor's attitude is there, and those words can't help but make people think about it.

Zhu Yunhuan and Xu Miaojin chatted and took a walk. It had been a while since they had felt so relaxed.

This can be considered as a break from the busy schedule, after all, there are still many things to do next.

The imperial family's New Year celebrations are not just about giving a banquet, there are also a lot of etiquette, a lot of celebrations and sacrifices, all of which need to be done well. The emperor and the grandson cannot be lazy, and all these things must be done personally.

Fortunately, Zhu Yunhuan was used to those things. With more experience, he naturally knew how to deal with them calmly. It was just a matter of etiquette, at most tedious, not laborious, and it was even an improvement, and it was also a matter of peace of mind.

Just do what you should do conscientiously, this is some of Zhu Yunhuan’s views.

The Crown Prince has the responsibilities and obligations of the Crown Prince, and as the Crown Prince who can directly handle government affairs, he naturally needs to take on more responsibilities and handle more things! (End of this chapter)