Daming: I am the Crown Prince

When Zhu Yunhuan arrived at the Qianqing Palace, he happened to see Old Zhu coaxing a child, apparently trying to coax the child to sleep.

Zhu Wenyao instantly perked up, and had been lying on Old Zhu's shoulder, looking like he might fall asleep at any moment. But the next moment, he happily reached out to Zhu Yunhuan.

"You came at the wrong time. Wen Yao was just about to go to sleep!" Old Zhu was both angry and amused. "I've been coaxing him for more than a quarter of an hour, but he still won't fall asleep."

Zhu Yunhuan happily hugged his fat son and said, "Then I came to the right place. If I hadn't come here now, he wouldn't be willing to let me hold him!"

Hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, Old Zhu also thought it made sense. Zhu Wenyao didn't let Zhu Yunhuan hold him, which was almost a worry for many people. Fortunately, he finally held him now.

The little guy was well taken care of. Babies are chubby and plump, and Zhu Wenyao was even more muscular and broad-shouldered. He felt heavy in his arms.

"He loves to play!" Old Zhu said with a smile, "He's much harder to take care of than your older brother when he was little. Your older brother never cried or made a fuss. But Wen Yao is different. If you don't go out for a walk, he'll make a fuss. It's even harder to coax him to sleep."

Concubine Guo Ning beside her smiled and said, "I think the little prince is easy to take care of. He basically doesn't cry when he wakes up at night. As long as there is someone around, he can play by himself for a long time after being fed."

This is deliberately finding reasons to praise him. When Zhu Wenyao wakes up at night, someone teases him, so it is normal for him not to cry. But during the day, he often needs to be carried out, otherwise he will make a fuss.

"Why are you here?" Old Zhu said, shaking his sore arm. "Are you missing your son, or are you here to see me?"

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "Yes, I have to come and take a look. I also have some important matters to discuss with my grandfather."

Old Zhu was immediately upset. This grandson was good in every way except that he liked to deliberately annoy people sometimes. The ladder had already been set up, and if he just followed it a little, it would show filial piety, but that little bastard insisted on deliberately annoy people.

Concubine Guo Ning and others were silent. This scene was a very common occurrence. It was not the first or second time that the Crown Prince deliberately caused trouble for the Emperor. They were used to these things and did not make a fuss about them.

What's more, the emperor, the person involved, doesn't care, so if other people say too much at this time, it will not be of any benefit.

"It's still about the canal transportation. Chen Xuan wants soldiers and money now." Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but complain, "I think about it, this is a big deal and naturally can't be delayed."

Zhu Yuanzhang was naturally very clear about this principle. The matter of grain transport could not be taken lightly. No matter the situation was not stable before the founding of the country, or it seemed that everything was going smoothly now, Zhu Yuanzhang attached great importance to grain transport.

In the past, the canal transportation was blocked, so Zhang He, the Marquis of Navigation, and Zhu Shou, the Marquis of Zhuanlu, opened up sea transportation, which also required the continuous transportation of grain to the north.

After all, the grain production in the north is not enough, especially in Liaodong, where the imperial court has gathered a lot of troops, and naturally a large amount of grain is needed for people and horses to eat.

Now the north is also constantly recovering its population, cultivated area, etc., but at present there is still some food gap, which means that water transport needs to continue, and dredging the canal is extremely important.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and asked, "We know about this matter. It's not bad now. What do you think?"

What Zhu Yuanzhang said naturally made sense. The imperial court has now invested a lot of resources in dredging the canal. As long as it is carried out step by step, this matter will naturally not be a big problem and will be relatively smooth.

In Zhu's opinion, the timeline can be extended so that it will not be a burden on the court. Judging from the current situation in the north, there is no need to worry about the food shortage being so large that it will cause unrest.

There is no need to rush and there is no need to get things done in one go. This is Lao Zhu's attitude.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood this and said with a smile, "I think so too. I'm definitely not in a hurry."

Dredging the canal and improving the water transport system were things that needed to be done at the time. But there was really no need to think about getting it done in one or two years. It could have taken five or even ten years to get it done.

It is normal to dredge sections of the canal, build some transfer stations along the way, etc. For the Ming court, it only needs to continue to do this well.

"I think my fourth and fifth uncles can help with these matters." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Beijing or Kaifeng, they are both near the canal. We can ask my fourth and fifth uncles to send troops to help, and the court will have less burden."

Old Zhu was stunned for a moment, then pointed at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "Tell me, what else are you thinking?"

"Anyway, the soldiers under the Fourth and Fifth Uncles' garrisons don't have much to do for now, so we can transfer some of them back to dredge the canals along the way. They can do the job well with the laborers." Zhu Yunhuan continued, "It just so happens that Seventh Uncle can also transfer troops, which will save a lot of trouble on the canal in the north."

If the guards of the three vassal kings, the King of Yan, the King of Zhou and the King of Qi, were really pulled out, there would be nearly 30,000 people, which was naturally not a small number. These people were not completely dredging the canal, they were different from ordinary laborers.

But if they can do a good job of guarding and do some other things at the same time, then there won't be any big problems and it can save the court a lot of worries.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "With the help of my fourth uncle, I can withdraw the soldiers and laborers who were originally transferred there, and the areas south of Kaifeng can be dredged earlier. If it is done well, Yangzhou may be able to become prosperous again sooner."

The so-called Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal has been silted up in many places and no longer has the attributes of a canal. If you want to dredge this north-south artery again, it naturally means that the court needs to prepare more investment.

Old Zhu thought about it carefully, "I have transferred the three guards of the vassal king to you, you will definitely not return them."

Zhu Yunhuan was just laughing at this. What Zhu said was basically the truth. Once you have the meat in your mouth, you will definitely not spit it out. The three guards of the vassal king have taken it back, and they will definitely not give it back.

Zhu Yuanzhang could understand this truth, and in fact, other people could understand it too. If the imperial edict really reached Beiping and Kaifeng, Zhu Di and Zhu Gang would understand it instantly, and they would definitely feel unhappy.

But no matter whether I feel unhappy or not, it seems that I have no choice but to accept such arrangements.

The power in the hands of Zhu Yunhuan, the eldest nephew, was so great that the princes had no way to compete with him.

Secondly, there are some seemingly legitimate reasons. If the princes do not cooperate, even if they are impeached, they will have no way to defend themselves and can only apologize at this time.

After thinking it over carefully, Lao Zhu said, "You can do whatever you want, but don't go too far. They are your uncles after all, and you have had a good relationship with them over the years. Don't hurt their relationship."

Zhu Yunhuan still hoped that a harmonious family would bring prosperity, and that his grandson would sit firmly on the throne, while his sons would guard the central emperor. "I just don't have a good relationship with my seventh uncle, but I have a good relationship with my fourth and fifth uncles." Zhu Yunhuan was very confident, "I don't have any bad intentions towards my uncles, and I do things openly and honestly, and my uncles know this."

Old Zhu did not object to Zhu Yunhuan's boasting. In fact, he was very clear about some situations.

When the Crown Prince was appointed, the attitudes of the King of Qin, the King of Jin, the King of Yan, and the King of Zhou were very clear. The attitudes of these four vassal kings basically represented the attitudes of the Ming royal family.

Over the years, Zhu Yunhuan treated those princes very well. Although some of them had their salaries reduced, he still took care of them when necessary, reused them when necessary, and protected them with all his might when necessary.

For Mr. Zhu, he is very proud that his grandson is very outstanding and can take good care of his family.

He also felt very satisfied that his sons were very sensible and had no messy thoughts. They were also very qualified to be vassal kings.

These seem to be the best possible situations. The Ming Dynasty needs the current unity among the royal family.

"I have also thought that the military power of my uncles will be taken back sooner or later, but there is no rush." ​​Zhu Yunhuan said, "I will definitely not take the military power of my second and third uncles now, as they still need to help me defend the Ming Dynasty."

Old Zhu also understood this truth and said with a smile, "It won't matter if the military power of Old Five and Old Seven is taken back. It doesn't matter if the military power of Old Six and the others is taken back either. It's not a big deal to move around in the north for now."

Zhu Yunhuan agreed very much. He would not touch the military power of the King of Qin, the King of Jin, the King of Ning, the King of Liao and others. Some troops were still needed in the north, and it would be more beneficial than harmful for these princes to have troops in their hands.

As for the King of Qi and the King of Zhou, there would be no problem in taking back the military power in such central regions. If necessary, the imperial court could send troops north at any time, so there would naturally be no big problem.

The military power in the hands of the King of Chu, the King of Xiang and others was originally limited, so it might as well be taken back now.

"In the past, the royal family was used to take back the military power from the nobles. Now it is time to gradually return the royal family's military power to the court." Zhu Yunhuan did not hide his thoughts and said, "The uncles can understand that if something really happens, they can't help much."

After a moment of silence, Lao Zhu said, "Call them back and discuss it with them."

Zhu Yunxun said with a shameless face, "Grandfather, what I say at this time will not sound good. Grandfather has to step forward at this time. Even for Wen Yao's sake, you have to help me!"

Zhu Wenyao, who was lying in Zhu Yunhuan's arms, instantly became excited, straightened his fat body, and looked at him with his big round eyes. The child was now a little sensible and a little sensitive to his own name.

Old Zhu also saw this scene and said, "Okay, don't talk about Wen Yao. Even if it's your business, we can't ignore it. We are still here, and there are some things that you shouldn't offend others."

It is Old Zhu who is responsible for offending people. After all, they are his own sons, so he is not afraid of anything.

Nowadays, whatever Mr. Zhu says is the final word. Even if his sons have complaints, most of the time they have to endure it.

The father arranged things for his sons, and they basically had to obey his orders. The power came from the father, and now that it has been cut down a little, naturally they can't say much, otherwise it would be disloyal and unfilial.

Zhu Wenyao looked at his biological father, then he became a little unhappy, and turned to Old Zhu and stretched out his hand. The expression on his face was a little pitiful, and now he wanted to seek a hug from his favorite and closest person.

Old Zhu walked forward quickly, not feeling any pain in his arms. This great-grandson of his was truly his treasure. Old Zhu couldn't bear to see Zhu Wenyao cry. When his good great-grandson suffered a little injustice, Old Zhu would tremble with heartache.

With Old Zhu's protection, Zhu Yunhuan could naturally be much more relaxed. Even if it was Zhu Yunhuan's idea, it was Old Zhu who actually did it.

There is nothing wrong with this. Zhu Yunhuan is used to it and doesn't think there is anything wrong with it.

In the past, he helped his own son, and now he helps his own grandson. To Lao Zhu, this is a natural thing.

I had a brief chat with Zhu about some things about the grain transport, and wanted to use the grain transport as an excuse to cut off the military power of some princes. This was Zhu Yunhuan's idea and it was not difficult to implement.

Zhu Yunhuan's reduction of the power of the princes can be said to be relatively gentle. He only wanted to take away the military power of the princes and regulate their actions. He did not really want to directly take away the titles of several princes, nor did he think of taking their lives because of some unfounded things.

After all, the gains would not outweigh the losses. Zhu Yunwen in history has already taught a vivid lesson, and Zhu Yunhuan will naturally not repeat the same mistake. For some things, it is better to have a little bottom line.

After having a meal in the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yunhuan returned to the Eastern Palace.

When Xu Miaojin saw Zhu Yunhuan, she said, "Your Highness, I feel that Xu Qin is not young anymore and should not be treated so leniently."

"He is my nephew after all, so he should be treated with leniency." Zhu Yunxun said with a smile, "He and Jizu should be Wen Yao's right-hand men in the future. If we also include my cousin's family in Jiujiang, I will feel at ease."

It is still the lineage of King Zhongshan, King Kaiping and King Qiyang.

Even if their descendants are not as good as their ancestors, the existence of these three noble families is a golden signboard. They can have a lot of say in the court and ensure that the court situation will not be biased towards one side.

So even if Xu Qin and Chang Jizu are mediocre, it doesn't matter, just like Chang Sheng now, no one expects too much from their abilities. But he is serving in the Five Military Commandery, and as long as he doesn't make big mistakes, he is one of the best helpers to the crown prince.

Xu Miaojin still said with some concern, "Your Highness, Xu Qin is a bit naughty and doesn't like to study."

The Xu family was also anxious. King Xu Da of Zhongshan was such a cautious person, and Xu Huizu was also loyal and diligent. But when it came to the third generation Xu Qin, this kid became a little naughty.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's not a problem. Xu Qin is fine this way. It's not that the Xu family should have a playboy, but if there are one or two mediocre ones, that's acceptable."

If every member of the Xu family were extremely talented, the emperor would be anxious. There is nothing wrong with having a naughty child like Xu Qin! (End of this chapter)