Daming: I am the Crown Prince

The sea ship is about to return to Taicang, which is naturally a big event, but for Zhu Yunhuan, there are still many things that need to be dealt with before this matter.

Zhu Yunhuan, the Crown Prince, still has a lot of things to do, especially now that his responsibilities are becoming heavier and heavier and he is in charge of more and more things, which naturally means that he needs to work hard to handle things well.

Zhu Yunhuan was naturally very concerned about the silver mines in Japan, but the timing was not right now.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally wanted to take over Goryeo and Annan as these two pieces of land had extremely important strategic significance.

But in the end, if you want to take it down directly, it is not enough to just take it down. After taking it down, you still need to continue to manage it, which is also extremely time-consuming and costly. If you are not careful, it will be a bottomless pit.

In history, Zhu Di conquered Annan, but it was difficult to govern after conquering it. When Zhang Fu was stationed in Annan, the area was peaceful. If Zhang Fu left, Annan would start to rebel.

As a result, the Ming Dynasty's rulers and ministers at that time felt that it was not cost-effective to control Annan and took the initiative to withdraw. This is also the point of view of many people's criticism of Zhu Zhanji.

But according to the situation at the time, the cost of developing Annan was simply too high.

Merits will be passed down through the ages, while sins will be committed in the present. It is difficult to judge such matters. One cannot ask the emperor to lose his kingdom and just want to live in a remote and desolate place. That is obviously not very reasonable.

Zhu Yunhuan wanted a lot of things, but he knew very well what it meant to do things within one's means. Colonizing the world sounds great, but how easy is that?
It is better to take it step by step. If you are too radical, don't expect the Ming Dynasty to flourish. Maybe it will end in the second generation.

Zhu Yunhuan was indeed not in a hurry to expand. He wanted to first sort out the affairs within the Ming Dynasty and then consider other things.

Chang Sheng was called over by Zhu Yunhuan again, "The fleet is about to return. Which nobles do you think are reliable?"

Chang Sheng said uncertainly, "Your Highness, please let Your Highness speak on this matter. I really don't know which people I can trust, and I haven't had much contact with them over the years."

This makes sense, after all, there are still certain small factions among the nobles. Moreover, Chang Sheng has a bad reputation, and everyone's respect for him is actually only for his identity.

But these are actually just Chang Sheng being vague, there are some things that everyone knows. Chang Sheng used to be very high-profile, but now he is becoming more and more low-key, especially at this sensitive point.

Zhu Yunhuan said at this time, "Don't hide your incompetence. This is an important matter. It would be better for you to give some advice now."

Chang Sheng answered without thinking, "Then Wu Dinghou is the most appropriate. The others are all generals and cannot do these things."

Look, this is one of Chang Sheng's characteristics. In fact, he knows a lot of things, but he hides them, thinking that he would not do anything if he could, because that way he would not make mistakes.

Those who are capable should do more work. Chang Sheng is very clear that he is not capable enough, so there are some things he is really unwilling to do. This seems to be the best solution.

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but laugh, "Yeah, now I don't even need to think about it. I think it's time for Marquis Wu Ding to do it. Only then will I feel at ease and secure."

Chang Sheng was puzzled and very confused, "Your Highness, did I say something wrong?"

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Daoyan and said, "Master, please have a good talk with the Duke of Kaiguo about why this matter should not be done by the Marquis of Wuding."

Daoyan looked at Chang Sheng and patiently explained, "Duke, everyone in the court and the country knows that His Majesty treats Marquis Wuding very kindly and has designated him as a relative. This is something that other nobles cannot do."

Chang Sheng naturally understood this. The five relatives' families chosen by the emperor were the Duke of Wei, the Duke of Xin, the Duke of Cao, the Marquis of Xiping, and the Marquis of Wuding.

Li Wenzhong and Mu Ying aside, Xu Da, Tang He and Guo Ying, who were not considered real relatives before, are now real relatives, and this has nothing to do with marriage, because other nobles are also married to the royal family.

As for the Empress's family, the Imperial Concubine's family, the Eastern Palace Concubine's family, the Princess' family, the Prince Consort's family, etc., they are also relatives. However, there is still a certain difference between them and those whose family background is clearly defined and named.

For example, the Kaiping princes were indeed relatives, but except for the crown prince Zhu Yunhuan, other members of the royal family did not need to acknowledge each other as relatives. However, the five families who had previously nominated all had to acknowledge each other as relatives as long as they were members of the royal family of the Ming Dynasty.

Daoyan continued, "For so many years, it has been Marquis Wuding who has been guarding the palace. Even today, Your Highness knows that he trusts Marquis Wuding to guard the palace."

Chang Sheng knew about this. Both the brothers Guo Ding and Guo Ying were Zhu Yuanzhang's personal guards. After the founding of the country, it was indeed Guo Ying who had been guarding the imperial city. Everyone took it for granted.

Daoyan could only explain, "The fleet's return to Taicang is a big deal, and Your Highness does not want to publicize it. If Marquis Wu Ding went there, the matter on the ship might not be spread for the time being, but many people would discuss it."

Chang Sheng seemed to be slow to realize it, and then said, "So, why don't you let someone else do it? Your Highness has many loyal and brave people under his command who can handle this matter."

Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "Then tell me, who do you think is most suitable to do these things?"

This is true. After all, there are many people who want to work for Zhu Yunhuan. What everyone is talking about now is no longer whether the Crown Prince holds great power, but whether he will ascend the throne directly by the end of the year.

If these civil and military officials were asked to immediately ignore the current emperor, they would definitely not dare to do so. However, at this stage, they could do more for the crown prince, and countless nobles would definitely fight for these jobs.

Especially now that there are not many founding heroes left in the court, the young second and third generations all want to be able to take on important responsibilities and want to have the opportunity to become the confidants of the future emperor and be reused.

Chang Sheng subconsciously said, "The third brother is still in Beijing. How about letting him handle this matter?"

Chang Sen is still staying in Beijing. This is also deliberate on Zhu Yunhuan's part. The reason is naturally that Chang Lan's health is not good, so he doesn't want her and Chang Sen to have any regrets.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and shook his head. "If I had asked my third uncle to do something, I would have asked him to go to Fujian a long time ago. He can't go for this matter. Can you tell me if there are other people who can do it?"

Chang Sheng said uncertainly, "The fourth son of Duke Wei, Xu Zengshou, is quite cautious. And the second son of Duke Cao has also been gaining experience abroad in the past few years. I think he can do a good job."

Zhu Yunhuan felt that Chang Sheng had finally recommended a good candidate. Xu Zengshou was a "traitor" in history, but nowadays he still does things in an orderly manner.

Personally, he does favor Zhu Di, but that doesn't mean Xu Zengshou is stupid. The current situation is clear, even if Zhu Di has some ideas, Xu Zengshou will "kill his relatives for the sake of justice".

The risk and reward are disproportionate, or even there is no chance at all, so naturally, don't do stupid things. Zhu Yunhuan looked at Chang Sheng and asked with a smile, "Since Second Uncle already knows about this, do you know what to do?"

Chang Sheng was confused. Sometimes he felt that talking to the Crown Prince was too tiring. For example, in this case, the Crown Prince had already made arrangements. Why was he asking at this time?

Daoyan couldn't help but speak at this time, "My Lord, I thought that you were in charge of the Central Military Governor's Office, and those two were also serving under you, so naturally it was you who would make the arrangements."

Seeing Chang Sheng's sudden realization, Daoyan made his words clearer, "This matter is only the business of the Governor's Office and has nothing to do with Your Highness. If the civil officials want to ask, it's because they don't know the rules."

Chang Sheng understood and said quickly, "That's all. If those civil officials ask more questions, I will definitely make them pay! The military affairs of the Five Military Commandery will not allow them to interfere!"

This is a bit exaggerated, but not too much. After all, although the Five Military Commandery is powerful, it is also a government office of the Ming Dynasty, and it must be subject to some supervision.

However, if the civil service group really wants to ask more questions about certain things, it will not be an easy thing to do, because the nobles all have bad tempers.

Especially for such a famous person, ordinary civil servants still have to give him some ground. This Duke was always making trouble for no reason. If he really caught him, he would definitely not let him go. There is no doubt about it.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded in satisfaction and said, "In that case, you can handle these matters. Just explain clearly, there can be no mistakes, and the people you hire must be trustworthy."

Chang Sheng naturally nodded repeatedly. Although he was not particularly clear why this matter had to be kept secret, no matter what, the arrangement made by the crown prince must make sense.

Zhu Yunhuan was still a little worried, so he said to Daoyan, "Master, go and help with this matter, and come back after everything is arranged."

Daoyan also knew this clearly, and it seemed that the founding duke knew how to handle this matter. However, some details, or things that might happen, needed to be arranged in advance.

There was no way, because the matter was more important. Daoyan, the "strategist", knew Zhu Yunhuan's thoughts very well and knew how important and serious these matters were and that no mistakes could be made.

So don’t be bothered by this time, arranging things is the first priority, and the rest are just details.

As one of Zhu Yunhuan's advisers, all of this was actually part of Daoyan's job, which also reflected his value.

After leaving Wenhua Palace, Chang Sheng hurriedly asked, "Grand Secretary, let me think about it carefully. The fleet that went out to sea this time was originally your Highness's people. Could it be that someone else has other intentions?"

This was what Chang Sheng was thinking. He was becoming more and more confused about what was going on. He didn't understand why His Highness seemed a little worried.

This is completely unnecessary. Although Chang Sheng is not the person directly in charge of the fleet's situation, he knows a lot about it.

How did the fleet come about?

The fleet was naturally built up bit by bit by the Crown Prince, and it took him three or four years to build it.

Ever since he was appointed as the Crown Prince and started to take charge of some affairs, Zhu Yunhuan asked Chang Sheng and others to find ways to raise some large ships in good condition.

In addition to ships, they were also looking for generals who were good at naval battles, sailors, etc.

Daoyan smiled and asked, "Duke, do you want to say that the nobles who led the army this time are all trusted by Your Highness? Even the civil servants and envoys were promoted by Your Highness?"

Chang Sheng nodded repeatedly. This was what he meant. Wu Gao, Marquis of Jiangyin, Yu Tongyuan, Marquis of Yuexi, and Ping An, the deputy commander of the Right Army, were all trusted and valued by the Crown Prince in the eyes of many people.

Even Lian Zining, a civil servant, was promoted by the Crown Prince. Many people thought that even if he could not become a minister, he would have the opportunity to be promoted to the second or third rank in the future.

Daoyan explained, "Duke, His Highness just doesn't want this to go wrong. The civil officials shouldn't have known about these things so early."

Although Chang Sheng still didn't believe this, he was too lazy to ask more questions. He still needed to give Daoyan a certain amount of respect.

It is true that Daoyan's official position is not worth mentioning in Chang Sheng's eyes, but he is a Grand Secretary after all, and one of the most trusted ministers in the hands of the Crown Prince.

Moreover, Daoyan seemed a little weird and had no presence in the court. However, those who were familiar with Zhu Yunhuan knew that this weird monk was quite trusted and did have remarkable abilities.

These are enough to make Chang Sheng trust Daoyan. As long as he is working for the Crown Prince, everything will be easy.

With Daoyan helping Chang Sheng to pack up and arrange some things, Zhu Yunhuan naturally didn't have to worry about too many things.

Now let's think about how to compete with the civil officials. As long as there is profit, those civil officials will not give up easily. If there are some huge benefits, the civil official groups will naturally not give in easily.

Don't forget that most of these civil officials are representatives of the gentry, and they are not ordinary "people". These people often mention the world, but most of the time it is just to better protect their own interests.

"Go and ask Zhu Zhong to investigate the family background of the civil servants above the fourth rank in the imperial court." Zhu Yunhuan said to Zhang Fusheng, "If they are peaceful and have passed down their family traditions of farming and studying, then it's fine. But if their family has a lot of dealings with merchants, investigate more carefully."

Zhang Fusheng didn't ask anything, and he had no right to ask anything. He just needed to help convey the emperor's wishes.

As for what to do, that was the task of Zhu Zhong and others. Don't try to guess what the crown prince was thinking.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't think he was a combative person, but if a fight was necessary sometimes, he wouldn't object.

Especially since he is now in power, he has enough confidence and self-confidence even if he has to fight against some interest groups.

He will make some balance and compromise on some things, and even give in. But when it comes to things that need to be insisted on, he must insist on them.

The Ming Dynasty is opening up maritime trade. We cannot let this matter go astray from the very beginning! (End of this chapter)