Daming: I am the Crown Prince

In a place like Yingtianfu, there is never a shortage of things that seem worthy of attention.

The appointment of Bao Zhao as the Minister of Justice was nothing. The death anniversary of the late Crown Prince was no longer something that deserved special attention.

Including the fact that summer taxes can now be deducted with treasure notes, this matter caused a lot of discussion a few days ago. However, it will soon be replaced by new hot spots, such as the rumor that the emperor will move out of the Qianqing Palace.

There is no way. This is Yingtian Prefecture, which naturally means that a lot of things will happen here, and major events that will affect the world situation will continue to occur.

There is no need to feel strange about any of this. Everyone thinks it is natural because this is Yingtian Prefecture, the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

But soon there was a new rumor that the navy that went to suppress the Japanese pirates last year had docked at the port and the fleet had returned to Taicang Port. Many people saw that a lot of gold, silver and copper were transported off the ship, and even the warehouses could not hold them all.

This is a bit exaggerated. It's just that three people make a tiger. However, there are indeed a lot of rumors coming out, and it's hard to tell the truth from the false.

Yu Xin was a little nervous and went to Zhu Yunhuan, "Your Highness, the court has always been short of copper."

Zhu Yunhuan interrupted directly and asked with a smile, "What did you hear? I, the crown prince, don't even know that a large copper mine has been discovered, but you heard it?"

Yu Xin had naturally heard some of the rumors and was indeed very concerned. But the Crown Prince was not admitting it now, which was worrying.

Zhu Yunhuan didn't care about Yu Xin's attitude and continued to ask, "Tell me, how is it spreading now?"

"Your Highness." Seeing Zhu Yunhuan playing dumb, Yu Xin could only say, "Now it is rumored that a fleet has returned from Taicang Port. There are no Japanese pirates being escorted back, but many people have seen gold, silver and copper."

There really is no wall without air in this world, and some things cannot be kept secret. Zhu Yunhuan was naturally aware of this, but he still underestimated some people's "gossip".

"I haven't received the report yet, so I can't tell whether it's true or not." Zhu Yunhuan continued to fool around, "Yu Xin, is it true that without new gold, silver and copper, the court will be unable to continue?"

Yu Xin quickly explained, "Your Highness, the court had previously banned the minting of copper coins. Now that the exchange of treasure notes is allowed, many people are rushing to withdraw money."

What Yu Xin said was true, and Zhu Yunhuan naturally knew it. This was the reason why he only dared to allow the recovery of treasure notes on a small scale in the past few years, because he was worried about the possibility of a run on the bank.

After all, the previous depreciation of Baochao was continuous, and the people had lost their trust in Baochao. So once it was released, many people felt that if they missed this opportunity, they would miss this opportunity, so they had to hurry up.

Yu Xin continued to complain, "Your Highness should also know that the imperial court's copper mines are currently only in Dexing and Qianshan in Jiangxi. Later, there are also mines in Liangshan in Sichuan, Wutai Mountain in Shanxi, Ningqiang and Lueyang in Shaanxi, and Yunnan."

In the final analysis, although there seem to be many mines, their scale is actually limited and the output is seriously insufficient.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang had previously strictly prohibited the minting of copper coins, since officials and people did not recognize it, Zhu Yuanzhang had no choice but to continue minting copper coins.

During the thirty years of Zhu's reign, there were five large-scale copper coin production campaigns, the lowest of which was 89 million copper coins, and the highest was more than 220 million copper coins.

The total amount of copper coins minted in these five times is nearly 10 billion copper coins!

how?

This number does seem to be a lot, but each string of copper coins is worth one thousand coins or one ounce of silver, and the imperial court prohibited the circulation of gold and silver, so they could only be exchanged with the government.

So these copper coins were not much, and were not enough. Old Zhu racked his brains to limit the use of copper, but he still couldn't fill the gap.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Yu Xin and said seriously, "I also know your difficulties, but the court also has difficulties. Look at the palace. It has avoided using copper utensils in recent years."

Yu Xin naturally believed this and he also saw some things.

The emperor and the crown prince also wanted to save copper and did not accept tributes made of copper. However, they did not prohibit porcelain, pottery, ironware, etc.

However, the frugality of Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan was actually just a drop in the bucket. It would not change the reality of the Ming Dynasty's copper shortage just because they used less copper utensils.

If the emperor and the crown prince continued to act like scoundrels, Yu Xin would naturally have no other options. At least now he didn't have much evidence, so it would be very difficult to argue even if he wanted to.

After Yu Xin left, Zhu Yunhuan was also very helpless, "Even though Daoyan and Xia Yuanji contributed, this trip was not smooth."

It was not smooth sailing. The two trump cards in hand were originally sent out in the hope of controlling the matter within a certain range. There was definitely some effect, but it was by no means the most ideal state.

This is something that makes people feel helpless and frustrated, but that's how things are. Not everything can go as planned, even if he is the crown prince.

We just need to continue paying attention to Yu Xin's affairs. Although this matter is not very satisfactory, Zhu Yunhuan also understands that the problem is not serious for the time being. He thinks this matter is not worth making him angry.

Looking at Zhang Fusheng, Zhu Yunhuan said, "Go and bring Xu Qin to me."

Zhang Fusheng held back his laughter. Xu Qin, the future prince of the Duke of Wei, was unhappy recently because he was taken to the main hall to study. Xu Qin, who didn't like studying, was tortured. Those great scholars and scholars also kept complaining to Zhu Yunhuan.

The well-behaved Xu Qin knelt down as soon as he entered the Wenhua Palace, "Your Highness, Xu Qin, pays respects to my uncle, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but laugh. Xu Qin, who was only seven years old, was so smart. "You, what are you doing if you don't study? Only by studying can you be wise and learn etiquette. Why are you wasting your studies?"

Xu Qin was not afraid of Zhu Yunhuan, and said, "Your Highness, I don't like reading. I have no time to study because I am busy with all the nonsense. I want to ride a horse and practice archery. If I lose my ability to guard the house, I will not be able to inherit the title in the future."

This made Zhu Yunhuan speechless, because according to the previous policy of the court, if nobles wanted to inherit the title, they needed to undergo basic assessments. Military merits, of course, would require assessments of some basic military skills.

If he can't ride a horse, shoot a bow, and doesn't even know the most basic military knowledge, it would be a laughing stock if he could become the "chief military general".

Even though everyone knows that the nobles will become corrupt and decadent quickly, and there may be a large number of playboys in the future, the basic constraints that should exist now must still be in place.

"I am naturally happy that you are so motivated." Zhu Yunhuan said earnestly, "How can you read military books if you can't even read and write? You don't need to understand everything you read, but you should know the basic principles." Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Don't go to the main hall after entering the palace tomorrow. I see that you don't study hard."

Xu Qin's face lit up with joy, and he did not hide his happiness at all that he didn't have to study. This child really didn't like studying, and studying was a torture for him.

But the next moment Xu Qin couldn't laugh at all, "Go to the East Palace and find your aunt. Let her teach you to read these few days, which will always help you improve."

Going to the East Palace to see his aunt and have her teach him to read in person made Xu Qin's face look undisguised. That was frustration, sadness, and collapse. Going to the East Palace to study was really far worse than going to the main hall.

In the main hall, the old teachers dared not say anything about Xu Qin, but only told tales. But in the East Palace, the aunt really wanted to beat people, and she would really assess them, which was something that could not be fooled.

Regardless of whether Xu Qin was frustrated or not, Zhu Yunhuan still had to insist on doing such things. He needed to urge his children to make progress when it was time.

It is children's nature to be playful. Zhu Yunhuan could accept that Xu Qin and Chang Jizu were mediocre or even dissolute, but it would naturally be better if these two children could be more promising.

Now Xu Qin needs to put some pressure on him. In a few years, Chang Jizu will be sent to the palace frequently, and by then the child's task will be to truly "accompany the prince to study."

Sending the dejected Xu Qin out of the palace, this child would probably be scolded again when he returns to Duke Wei's Mansion.

But there was nothing to worry about. Xu Qin was not a sensitive child. He was a little naughty and very careless. If we really didn't care about him, we would be harming him.

Zhu Yunxun called Jiang Lin over and asked, "Now many people in Yingtian Prefecture are spreading the news about Taicang Port. How many of them have any dealings with those wealthy families in Jiangnan?"

Jiang Li naturally did not dare to hide it, "Your Highness, many wealthy families have sent people to Yingtian Prefecture. Many of them are merchants, and they are looking for information everywhere."

This really did not surprise Zhu Yunhuan at all, after all, everyone knew a lot of things. Most of the high-ranking officials in the court now had good family backgrounds.

These are just the actual situations. After all, one needs some family background to study and so on. Even if a noble son is born in a poor family and gets an official position, he has achieved social class advancement.

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it carefully and said, "If there is anything that violates the law, then don't be polite at this time."

Jiang Li understood immediately. This was something he was really good at. The Jinyiwei were responsible for doing this kind of work, and they were the ones who had to do the dirty and tiring work.

Zhu Yunhuan reminded him worriedly, "Pay attention to me and don't cause me any trouble. Most importantly, don't involve me in Taicang Port. Just investigate the crimes that have been proven."

Jiang Li naturally understood more clearly at this point that this was obviously taking advantage of the situation and just finding an excuse to suppress some people.

Jinyiwei like Jiang Li must be put on a bridle, otherwise these people will be like wild horses that have broken free from their reins. If Jinyiwei is left to his own devices in a small case, they can pull it out into a major case of treason.

Zhu Yunhuan was a very pragmatic crown prince. He felt no pressure in taking advantage of an issue and so on. As long as he could achieve some results, that was enough.

As soon as Jiang Li left, Chang Sheng called him over and said, "Go and ask Fu Zhong to arrest some people. Jiangnan is a rich place after all. There are many wealthy families who have moved here, and there are still many people who dare to act recklessly."

Chang Sheng got excited and said, "Your Highness, I'm not being nosy. Fu Zhong is a stubborn person and is not as decisive as me!"

Zhu Yunhuan scolded angrily, "It's already this time, you still want to cause trouble for me, right? Don't cause trouble, this year, next year, you and the Duke of Liang don't cause trouble, will it be good for me if your reputation is ruined?"

Chang Sheng smiled awkwardly. He really had been cultivating himself, and Lan Yu was also keeping a low profile. After all, this year was a sensitive time, and they really didn't want to cause trouble for Zhu Yunhuan.

But when it comes to arresting people, Chang Sheng thinks he is far better than Fu Zhong. When it comes to offending people, Chang Sheng is really not afraid of offending people at all.

Zhu Yunxun continued, "It's best that Fu Zhong is single-minded. He is not like you who do things without measure. In my opinion, the best thing is that you can make me worry less."

Chang Sheng felt a little aggrieved. He thought he had been doing his duty in the past few years. If it were a few years ago, he would have been lawless and would have been a dissolute man in Yingtian Prefecture.

"Bring Jizu over in a few days. This child doesn't even recognize me as his cousin." Zhu Yunhuan said jokingly, "Let the grandmother come over as well. She's been in good health recently. It would be good for her to come and see me."

Chang Sheng naturally nodded repeatedly. He treated Chang Jizu as his treasure, and that child was now lawless.

With Princess Kaiping Chang Lan doting on him, Duke Liang Lan Yu always there to coax him, and a 'kind father' like the Duke of Kaiguo who 'had a son in his old age', it would be abnormal if Chang Jizu didn't have a temper.

Zhu Yunhuan immediately spoke up, "Alright, keep a close eye on the Five Military Commands Office, and keep a close eye on the nobles as well. If anyone dares to cause trouble, you will deal with them severely!"

Chang Sheng naturally nodded repeatedly. He was also afraid that some nobles would become lawless at this time. After all, many nobles had lost their sense of reason over the years and had no reverence at all.

As for the fact that this is a critical period, those nobles may not think so. Some nobles are not afraid of Zhu Yuanzhang and dare not care about his strict instructions, not to mention that Zhu Yunhuan is only the grandson of the emperor.

Chang Sheng, this is definitely one of the best knives in Zhu Yunhuan's hand, and some jobs are just suitable for him to do.

"Okay, let the people in each government prepare well." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Now that the fleet is back, you know that some nobles have contributed money and effort, so it's time to reward them."

This was Zhu Yunhuan's inner thoughts. After all, when he went to sea for the first time, he used his status to attract a group of nobles and royal family members.

Since they have contributed money and effort, they must get some benefits. Especially since these people are considered Zhu Yunhuan's confidants and supporters, of course they must be given benefits.

You have to use both kindness and force. You can't just ask others to make contributions all the time. The nobles also need to be given certain benefits so that you can win them over and make them follow Zhu Yunhuan closely.

After arranging these things, Zhu Yunhuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Things had to be done one by one and there was no need to be too anxious.

The return of the fleet is naturally the best thing. We also need to arrange the follow-up matters well. We can't turn a good thing into a bad thing! (End of this chapter)