Daming: I am the Crown Prince

The Crown Prince is preparing to take concubines, which is definitely a big deal for many people.

Moreover, according to current information, the Crown Prince is very likely to have selected his concubines from the families of middle- and low-level civil servants. This is a great encouragement to some people.

Everyone has seen many things very clearly: the royal family is full of distrust towards civil servants.

Among the princes and grandchildren, only Zhu Yunwen, the Wulin Prince, was a little special, as his wife was from a civil servant family. But everyone knew what the prince's situation was.

The rest of the princes and grandchildren of the emperor all chose their wives from noble families or military generals. Even the princesses and granddaughters of the emperor were basically promised to noble families or military generals.

In the past, we could still deceive ourselves that Princess Anqing married Ouyang Lun, who was from a civil servant family and an ordinary family. But the result is that the grass on Ouyang Lun's grave is several meters high, and he remarried into a noble family.

Now there has been some progress, even though it's only with some concubines, at least they haven't forgotten the civil service group.

Although this is not a significant breakthrough or change, it is gratifying that some situations have not worsened.

After all, it is no secret that the Crown Prince is close to nobles and relatives by marriage. Even before he was enthroned, he did not have much good feelings towards some civil servants, and everyone knew it.

Therefore, the civil service group hates Zhan Hui, Zhang Xin, Ouyang Lun and other tributaries very much. These people are now bearing the consequences of the sins created by those people.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't care what these people were thinking. He was in a good mood right now. He didn't feel any anticipation or excitement about having three wives and four concubines.

He is now a man who has gotten rid of vulgar interests. He can certainly have women and other things, but what fascinates him more is power, and what he looks forward to most is naturally being able to do something great.

The outing did not allow Zhu Yunhuan to discover any talented and capable ministers. At most, it helped him win over the hearts of the people. After returning to the palace, he naturally needed to continue to busy himself with business.

Daoyan was very cautious and asked, "Your Highness, if the Maritime Customs Office is reopened, I think there will be a lot of resistance."

The Ming Dynasty followed some practices of the previous dynasty. The Maritime Customs Office was mainly responsible for overseas trade and tribute affairs. Even when Zhu Yuanzhang proclaimed himself King of Wu, there was an office each in Guangzhou, Guangdong, Quanzhou, Fujian, and Ningbo, Zhejiang.

However, in the seventh year of Hongwu, the Maritime Customs Office was abolished. Now the Ministry of Rites, the Honglu Temple, etc. are responsible for the tribute envoys from various countries, and the Maritime Customs Office has long been a thing of the past.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded and said, "Reopening the Maritime Customs Office is just a matter of an imperial decree. It is nothing more than a matter of maritime ban, which requires the emperor's grandfather to issue an order personally."

Daoyan and others understood this principle better. Although Zhu Yunhuan could issue an edict to reopen the Maritime Customs Office in the future, it would not be a big deal.

However, if Zhu Yuanzhang personally issued an order to lift some maritime bans, the resistance would naturally be smaller. If Zhu Yunhuan really wanted to do something in the future, it would of course be much easier. This is the actual situation.

Daoyan continued, "If the Maritime Customs Office is reopened, I think there will inevitably be conflicts with the civil officials. They may accuse Your Highness of competing with the people for profits."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but laugh. "Competing with the people for profit? These people are really brave enough to speak up. The people they are talking about are probably the landlords and gentry. Only the scholars can be considered as the people, not the common people!"

Daoyan would not refute this. In fact, there have always been some "clear streams" in every dynasty, but the clear streams in the middle and late Ming Dynasty in history seemed particularly "clear and noble".

They talk about morality, but what they do in private is disgusting. These people are used to saying one thing and doing another. They talk about morality, but their hearts are full of business.

Daoyan did not think too far ahead and told the truth, "If the Maritime Customs Office is reopened, the local governor will definitely want to seize power."

This is also true. In the past, the Maritime Customs was under the jurisdiction of the provincial governor, and the power of taxation was basically controlled by local officials such as the provincial governor.

These civil servants naturally did not think there was anything wrong, and they thought it was all natural. Not only was the Maritime Customs Office located in the region, but taxation and other matters were also the responsibility of the Ministry of Revenue and the local provincial government.

Xia Yuanji said, "Your Highness, I think it wouldn't matter if the governor was responsible for collecting taxes. But the sea trade is very profitable, so the court should keep a close eye on it."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Xia Yuanji and said meaningfully, "After all, he is the future Minister of Revenue, and you still want all the benefits to go to the Ministry of Revenue."

Xia Yuanji knelt down immediately, he could hear the dissatisfaction of the grandson. But he still had to say what he had to say, because Xia Yuanji really hoped that the power of taxation of maritime trade and so on would be controlled by the civil officials and the Ministry of Revenue.

It is true that he is the Crown Prince's confidant, but most of the time he also has his own stance and his own little thoughts. At most, he made the Crown Prince a little dissatisfied this time.

Zhu Yunhuan was not really angry about Xia Yuanji's attitude.

The crown prince has his own stance, and the officials have their own stance. This is all perfectly normal. He would not get furious just because of some political differences.

Looking at Xia Yuanji, Zhu Yunhuan asked directly, "If the Provincial Administration and the Ministry of Revenue are in charge of the Maritime Customs, how long do you think the court can control it? How much benefit is there? Do you understand it?"

Xia Yuanji quickly replied, "Your Highness, I understand. It is precisely because of this that I request that the Maritime Customs Office be placed under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue and the Provincial Administration Office."

The Crown Prince did not trust some officials and felt that some of them might be corrupt and accept bribes.

Xia Yuanji could understand these concerns, because even now the Ming Dynasty had almost zero tolerance for corrupt officials and severely punished them. But even so, it was impossible to completely ban them.

This naturally means that once the huge profits of the Shibosi are seen by some people, taking risks may be inevitable. It is not surprising that some people want to hollow out and control the Shibosi.

But civil servants might do this, and it is entirely possible that the powerful and the royal family might do this as well.

In his opinion, it would be better to establish a strict regulatory system to avoid such things from happening as much as possible, rather than allowing this huge benefit and huge source of funds to be completely controlled by the royal family and nobles because of concerns about civil servant corruption.

If this is really the case, then it will not be of much benefit to the officials and the people of the world. It will only make those powerful people even richer and more extravagant.

Some things are just like this. It seems that there is no most perfect method or system, so we can only think of some ways to prevent them, which seems to be the real way to solve the problem.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Xia Yuanji and said, "Remember this. The opening of the maritime trade and the Maritime Customs are not for the benefit of civil officials, nor should they be for the royal family or the rich and powerful. What you should think about is how to make the benefits available to the people."

Xia Yuanji naturally understood this truth. If the court's taxes were increased, it shouldn't be just the court and the royal family that benefited. Daoyan quickly flattered him and said, "Your Highness is very far-sighted, and I am far behind."

Xia Yuanji also understood and said quickly, "I am short-sighted. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "Okay, let's think about getting things done. The fleet will be back soon, and the royal family, nobles, civil and military officials should all know about these things. It's more important to think of a way to deal with it."

This is the case, and this is the most important thing for Zhu Yunhuan. Other flattery or good words are obviously not that important. What he needs is someone who can do things in a down-to-earth manner.

Daoyan and Xia Yuanji were the closest and most capable ministers to Zhu Yunhuan. These two palace and cabinet ministers did have outstanding abilities in certain areas.

The fleet has actually returned, but it has not yet docked at Taicang Port. Most of the news is only known to people like Zhu Yunhuan, the Crown Prince, so it naturally won't cause much waves for the time being.

But it’s hard to say what will happen next. It might cause a huge uproar and attract countless people.

In the final analysis, there will be a lot of big things happening in the future, and the benefits are so great that the interests will attract people's attention.

The fleet is about to return to the Ming Dynasty, and everyone will know the harvest this time. Zhu Yunhuan is very clear that by then, many people will become restless because of these interests.

When that time really comes, it naturally means that even if there is some pressure from imperial power, many people will try hard.

After all, although the risk is relatively high, if you can get enough returns, that is enough.

There are a lot of things to do next, and Zhu Yunhuan is very clear about this. There will also be many tests ahead.

Maybe there will be some struggles, some compromises, and even some major cases.

There is nothing to doubt about this. As long as they see the rewards, the sense of oppression brought by the Hongwu Emperor, or some legal constraints, are nothing to some people.

There are many people who are hoping for luck, and even more who take risks. Zhu Yunhuan is naturally very clear about this.

The matters concerning the Maritime Customs and maritime trade still need to be arranged, and there are still many things that need to be done well.

This matter cannot be accomplished overnight. Zhu Yunhuan will have to continue to work hard to get things done.

He still had other things to deal with, because there were too many political matters. For example, there were some matters in the Ministry of Personnel, and Zhu Yunhuan also needed to carefully review and approve the next assessment.

According to some requirements of the Ming Dynasty, the inspection system was divided into external inspection and Beijing inspection.

External inspection is the inspection of local officials, which can be divided into two forms: pilgrimage inspection and inspection tour. The pilgrimage inspection is carried out while the local officials come to Beijing for pilgrimage, which is usually carried out once every three years.

In addition to the inspection system, there is also a completion system, which is an assessment of officials at the end of their term of office. During the nine-year term of an official, an assessment is conducted once every three, six, and nine years.

For officials of the fourth rank and above, the emperor personally makes decisions on the performance reports of officials; for officials of the fifth rank and below, the Ministry of Personnel jointly conducts an assessment with the Supervisory Office and various departments. The heads of various departments first assess their subordinates and submit the assessment comments and related materials to the Ministry of Personnel and the Supervisory Office. The Ministry of Personnel and the Supervisory Office then determine the assessment results and submit them to the emperor for approval.

What Zhu Yunhuan has to do now is to evaluate the officials of the fourth rank and above. Of course, this is for civil officials, and the military generals will still be handled by the Five Military Commandery, so there is no need to worry too much for the time being.

Zhu Yunhuan is really very busy now, especially since Old Zhu is now concentrating on taking care of the children. Political affairs are now basically on Zhu Yunhuan's shoulders, so naturally he needs to handle these things in a down-to-earth manner.

Diligent in government is something that must be done, and it is also what a crown prince must do. As the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty, especially an ambitious crown prince, diligence in government is naturally one of the most basic requirements.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally likes an easy and comfortable life, but at this time he can't sit still at all.

"It's time to settle the matter of the Minister of Justice as soon as possible. There's no benefit in delaying it." Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhang Fusheng and said, "Have someone prepare and send the files of the Ministry of Justice these days."

At this time, Zhang Fusheng could only do his best to convey the imperial edict. Of course, he also knew that the affairs of the Ministry of Justice were the major issue that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had been keeping in mind these days.

There must be no vacancies in the six ministries, so all of this is naturally just advance preparation for the major events at the end of the year.

These are all extremely serious matters. A confidant like Zhang Fusheng knows exactly what to do at this time. He certainly doesn't want others to cause trouble for the Crown Prince.

Looking at some files carefully, thinking seriously, and calling some officials over for questioning from time to time, Zhu Yunhuan is really very busy now, and he really dare not relax at all.

"I am exhausted, and these things will torture me in the future." Zhu Yunhuan rubbed his brows, still unable to hide his fatigue, "In the future, we must delegate power when it is time, otherwise I will be exhausted to death."

This is definitely not an exaggeration, but Zhu Yunhuan's true thoughts. He knew very well how tiring it was to be busy with government affairs every day.

He certainly did not want the nobles or the civil service group to dominate, but becoming a so-called "dictator" was not what Zhu Yunhuan wanted.

In the final analysis, Zhu Yunhuan tried hard to become a wise ruler and hoped to do some good things. However, if everything depended on the emperor's will, there might be some unrest in the future.

After all, among the emperors of the Ming Dynasty in history, there were many who seemed rather absurd.

It was already dark, but there were still many memorials on the desk, and some of them needed to be dealt with urgently.

There are indeed a lot of things to do, so just deal with them slowly. You must seize the opportunities that need to be addressed.

After returning to the East Palace, Zhu Yunhuan chose to rest directly. It is very important to go to bed early and get up early. Take the time to rest, as there will be an early court tomorrow.

This means that you will never be idle, and being an official in the Ming Dynasty is very tiring. However, being a diligent emperor or a crown prince who manages the government is actually even more tiring.

Without a good physique, you really can't bear it! (End of this chapter)