Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Old Zhu summoned Zhu Yunhuan to the Qianqing Palace again and got straight to the point, "We heard that the two people in front of you went to Taicang?"

Don't ever think that Mr. Zhu doesn't know anything because he is concentrating on taking care of the children. When it comes to matters concerning his grandchildren, Mr. Zhu is naturally extremely concerned and attentive, and he knows a lot of things.

Daoyan and Xia Yuanji were Zhu Yunhuan's two most important generals. All the civil and military officials in the court knew about the specialness of these two ministers, and Zhu naturally knew their abilities even more clearly.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "We should let those two people go. One is good at managing money, and the other has some strategies. If they go, I will have less worries."

Old Zhu also agreed, "These two are quite capable, especially the monk. I think you should be more careful, this guy might be Li Shanchang."

Daoyan's abilities are obvious to all. This weird monk who is bent on making a big move has also gained more and more recognition, but some people are wary of this.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "I don't even plan to give him a real official position, not to mention that my Ming Dynasty doesn't have a prime minister now."

Old Zhu also laughed and said with great approval, "It's OK if this man is your strategist. He is very cunning. If you were to say, you have no one on hand now, otherwise we would have to kill him."

"That's not the case. The monk is just doing his duty now." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "If he really has any intentions, even if it's out of pity for his talent, I will take action when the time is right."

In the final analysis, Daoyan poses no threat to the imperial power or the country, and he is also relatively law-abiding, so Zhu Yunhuan naturally does not have too many concerns.

Old Zhu said, "Now that you think about it, you should be wary of your uncles. If your fourth uncle has such a capable minister under his command, I'm afraid he will easily have some ideas."

"With Second Uncle and Third Uncle here, Fourth Uncle doesn't dare to move." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Besides, Fourth Uncle has a simple mind, he just wants to go to war."

The most capable sons now are indeed the third and fourth sons, and Mr. Zhu is naturally very clear about this.

However, no matter how powerful those two boys were, they were just younger brothers in front of the second brother. The second brother was extremely supportive of Zhu Yunhuan, the crown prince, after all, Zhu Yunhuan had protected him several times.

Initially, Zhu was indeed worried that his grandson would not be able to suppress the princes, but now he no longer needs to worry. What he needs to worry about now is that Zhu Yunhuan will bully the princes too harshly.

"Let's not talk about this big monk for now. I took away the military power of my uncles to avoid any trouble in the future." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Seventh Uncle is a bit domineering. Isn't it because he has been thinking too much in recent years?"

He gets angry when he mentions Prince Zhu of Qi. Among his sons, starting from the seventh son, some of them are not very ambitious. They have little ability and bad temper, and most importantly, their character is bad.

Even though the second and third brothers have some bad deeds, they are capable and have always been well behaved towards the crown prince. It's the seventh brother who is a bit restless and now has to farm in his hometown, which is his own fault.

"Your seventh uncle should be taught a lesson. Even when you become emperor next year, you are not allowed to pardon him." Old Zhu said, "When he has really made progress, then you can change his title."

It is impossible to return to the fiefdom, and they will definitely have to be relocated in the future. There is no other way around it. How can we really have no means to deal with the royal family? Blindly being tolerant will only make them feel fearless.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood this truth, so he smiled and said, "I think Uncle Seventh is the one who deserves the most blame. He became the first vassal king in our family to be re-titled."

This is indeed the case. Although some princes had their titles changed before, those titles were changed before they were enfeoffed, so it was not a big deal.

The only thing was different for the King of Qi. He was granted a fiefdom and then his title was changed. The meaning of this was naturally very different.

Xu Miaojin arrived and bowed politely, "Your Highness, your Highness, pays respect to your grandfather."

"Wen Yao is sleeping inside, and Concubine Ning is watching." Old Zhu smiled gently and said, "We heard that you are busy choosing concubines for Yun Hun, and you are also busy choosing concubines for your uncles and brothers. How are they going?"

Xu Miaojin immediately replied, "My granddaughter-in-law wants to take two concubines into the palace after my father's death anniversary. One is the legitimate daughter of the Left Secretary of the Household Department. She has a gentle temperament, good looks, and a good family tradition. The other is the granddaughter of Wenlinlang. She is quite talented and her family tradition is very strict."

One is from a seventh-rank family, and the other is a civil servant, also of the seventh rank. They belong to the middle and low-level civil service system, so it is a more suitable choice.

Old Zhu was very satisfied, "That's good, a good family tradition is needed, so as not to cause trouble in the palace. A simple mind, a law-abiding mind, can bring peace. It's Yunxun who picked it, what's the use of having a good color!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was a pragmatist. Although he had a lot of concubines, there was definitely no such thing as an ordinary woman, but neither was there any beauty in the true sense of the word. He believed that the ability to bear children was the most important thing.

Or if some foreign countries offered tribute for the purpose of marriage alliance, Zhu Yuanzhang would naturally not be polite, and the emperor also needed to make some sacrifices.

Xu Miaojin said to Zhu Yunhuan, "Grandfather, I think Your Highness should have one or two concubines with good looks and talents. Since you are busy with government affairs, it would be great to have a chat with them in your spare time."

Old Zhu said bluntly, "How can you entertain people with sex for long? Yunhuan is the crown prince, and he has a lot of state affairs to deal with. The harem is full of beautiful women, which is annoying."

"Your Highness is a man of elegance and grace, and he shoulders the heavy responsibility of the country. If there is no one to talk to after the court session, that would not be appropriate." Xu Miaojin argued, "I think Your Highness still has too few concubines. If you find a suitable one, Your Highness should also add a few concubines."

The smile on Old Zhu's face could not be hidden. This granddaughter-in-law was sensible and caring. These words touched Old Zhu's heart completely. He really hoped that all the good things would belong to his grandson.

So even though Old Zhu was criticizing on the surface, if Xu Miaojin agreed to what he said, Old Zhu would be unhappy.

Zhu Yunhuan said at this time, "It's enough to have one who understands your heart, and the rest can be used as children to relieve boredom. There's no need to worry too much, but you really should have some duties."

Zhu's harem was not in chaos. When Empress Ma was around, her words were final and there was no palace fighting. Even if there was palace fighting, it was just a few favorite concubines competing to please Zhu and Empress Ma.

There was no palace fighting in Zhu Biao's harem. When Crown Princess Chang was around, the others were just concubines. When Crown Princess Lu was around, her position was also stable.

Although Xu Miaojin is the only one in Zhu Yunhuan's palace now, no one doubts that her position is stable. Not only because of the formal marriage and the background of the Prince of Zhongshan's Mansion, but also because of the existence of Zhu Wenyao.

Of course, she is beautiful, very smart, and has a very good relationship with Zhu Yunhuan, which is the most important thing. Palace fighting is really hard to find in the Ming Dynasty. The difference between a wife and a concubine is like heaven and earth, which is an almost insurmountable gap, so don't have any small thoughts, it will only make you laugh.

Xu Miaojin naturally understood this truth, so even if she wanted to take a concubine for Zhu Yunhuan, she was extremely enthusiastic about it and did not feel at all that this was adding competitors to herself.

There was no doubt that those concubines were not qualified to be her rivals.

Suddenly, crying sounds were heard from the inner room, and the whole family naturally became busy immediately. The little guy Zhu Wenyao woke up, and almost the entire Qianqing Palace had to follow suit.

After having eaten and drunk his fill, Zhu Wenyao was no longer in a bad mood when he woke up. It was time for him to be lively and active again. He was restless even in Old Zhu's arms. When others were talking, he wanted to babble to attract their attention.

Holding the increasingly lively Zhu Wenyao, Old Zhu said with a smile, "I'm really old now. It's hard to hold a child now. It wasn't so hard when I held your eldest brother."

"It's probably because Wen Yao is very active and can't sit still." Zhu Yunhuan joked, "After all, he is my son. I have also been very active since I was a child and can't sit still."

Old Zhu said thoughtfully, "I guess that's true. We didn't see you much when you were a child. Later, we asked the old people in the palace, and they all said that you were naughty and active since you were a child, and there are some things you can't pretend."

Although I don't know much about Zhu Yunhuan's childhood, Old Zhu has already asked many people carefully. Even if there are some exaggerated words, I can probably restore some things.

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "He is really naughty, and he is trying to hide his shortcomings. But Wen Yao doesn't need to be like that. This child is just making trouble."

Old Zhu deeply agreed that there was no need for his great-grandson to hide his incompetence as many things had already been determined.

Zhu Wenyao suddenly stretched out his little hands and hugged Lao Zhu's neck, then put his chubby, chubby little face against Lao Zhu's face.

Old Zhu was so happy, this was the greatest pleasure of taking care of children. No matter how tired he was, he felt it was worth it, and he felt energetic no matter how hard or tired he was.

"Wen Yao will be blessed in the future!" Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "My son must be lucky, better than any of us. I will give him a splendid country and usher in a peaceful and prosperous Ming Dynasty!"

These may be the meaning of hard work, to allow future generations to enjoy a better life and to make them feel a little more relaxed. Such struggle and hard work are worth it.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't think there was anything wrong with this, and Zhu Yunhuan didn't think there was anything wrong with this either. They could do something, so there was no need to make their descendants work hard.

"Let me think about it carefully. After you become the emperor, you have to set some rules." Old Zhu gently patted Zhu Wenyao's little butt and said, "If you sort things out, Wenyao won't have to worry about it anymore."

Each generation has its own things to do, there is nothing much to say about this, and judging from some current situations, it seems to be the case.

Zhu Yuanzhang has conquered the country. He has recovered what should be recovered and attacked what should be attacked. Now the country is basically free of internal and external troubles, which can provide a relaxed environment for his successor.

In other words, Zhu Biao left early, otherwise it would have been his turn to continue governing and make the Ming Dynasty more prosperous and powerful, and by that time it would have been a more prosperous Ming Dynasty.

Now these responsibilities fall on Zhu Yunhuan. He needs to continuously lay a solid foundation and set the tone for some major strategies and policies, and then Zhu Wenyao will implement them in the future.

There is some policy continuity, which does seem to be enough and is indeed very important.

"I know. I think I will focus on domestic affairs in the future." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Grandfather has already taken care of the bureaucracy and the power of the nobles. I don't need to use harsh laws all the time."

Old Zhu smiled and nodded. He had done the most difficult and offensive thing. He was the founding emperor, so he could use his extremely powerful power and majesty to eliminate some threats without much resistance.

Some things should be done by Lao Zhu, and it will be easier for him to do them. If others do them, they may have to pay more effort and cost to achieve their goals.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "The matter of reconciling the north and the south will probably take a lot of thought and time in the future. This is also the reason why I want to manage the Yellow River and Huai River and dredge the canal."

Old Zhu is even more convinced that the division and estrangement between the North and the South can be said to be his biggest concern, but Old Zhu also feels that he may hardly see that day.

This is not something that can be accomplished in a day or two. Even after a year or ten years, it may be difficult to see any results.

Therefore, we can only hope that these things can be done well during Zhu Yunhuan's reign. Once he has laid a solid foundation, Zhu Wenyao or his descendants in later generations can feel more relaxed. This is the reality.

"I also have to take care of the affairs of the royal family, and I have to open up good farmland in the two lakes, etc." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "I have to work harder in Yunnan and Guizhou in the future, and we have to get everything done."

The territory of the Ming Dynasty seemed to be stabilized, but winning the hearts and minds of the people would definitely be a very challenging task and a great test.

So Zhu Yunhuan should not think about taking it easy after he ascends the throne. He still has a lot to do, and none of them can be accomplished easily.

However, since you have chosen the throne, you must do these things well instead of complaining, or thinking that these are difficulties and challenges, and therefore feeling afraid and retreating.

Old Zhu reminded, "You also need to pay attention to the north and northwest. You can ask your third uncle for help now. In a few years, your third uncle should take back the power. After all, he is just a vassal king."

There are indeed many things that need to be done in the north and northwest. Even though there seems to be no major direct threat now, we still need to prepare for what needs to be prepared.

Zhu Yunhu was naturally aware of these principles. It seemed that he would be like Zhu Yuanzhang, busy with state affairs in the future and had to become a workaholic.

I can only hope that my body will be stronger and that things will go more smoothly, so that maybe I can see the so-called prosperous times coming sooner. (End of this chapter)