Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Many people are concerned about the affairs of Taicang Port, and many people are also very sensitive to the Maritime Customs. They want to keep testing it and want to gain more power.

However, as for this matter, it seems that it is still the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan who is dragging it out, and it is obvious that he does not intend to give more people an opportunity to take advantage of it.

Yu Xin, the Minister of Revenue, came to Wenhua Hall again. The purse of the Ming Dynasty was used to complaining about being poor, so when it saw something beneficial, it naturally needed to hold it tightly in its hands.

Zhu Yunhuan got straight to the point and said to Yu Xin, "If it's about the matter in Taicang Port, you don't need to speak up. I think the matter has not been finalized yet, so let's talk about it later."

Even if Yu Xin was really anxious this time, if he really talked about it later, he would definitely not get anything by then.

The Crown Prince's intention was actually very clear. If we talk about it later, it would mean that the matter has been settled and the Crown Prince has already distributed some benefits. How could the Ministry of Revenue get enough benefits if we talk about it at that time?

The smart man Yu Xin immediately said, "Your Highness, I think we should discuss the matter of reopening the Maritime Customs with Your Majesty. This is a big deal, and the maritime ban was only decided not long ago."

There seems to be nothing wrong with this. It is a fact that Zhu Yuanzhang established the maritime ban policy, and it is also a fact that the Maritime Customs Office was previously abolished. So what Zhu Yunhuan is doing now is to overturn the policy established by Zhu Yuanzhang.

To put it nicely, the situation has changed, so Zhu Yunhuan, the crown prince, has the courage to make some changes.

To put it bluntly, the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty was disloyal and unfilial, and wanted to overthrow the iron laws set by the founding emperor.

Zhu Yunhuan said calmly, "If it weren't for the order of my grandfather, how could I easily bring up the matter of reopening the Maritime Customs? Minister Yu, you don't have to worry too much."

The advantage of being thick-skinned was shown, even though some people might know that it was the Crown Prince's idea to overturn the maritime ban, but he insisted on putting the blame on Zhu Yuanzhang, and the others could only stare blankly.

Because if the matter really comes to light, the emperor will definitely side with the crown prince, and he will personally step forward when necessary, so there will be no problems in terms of etiquette and law.

Yu Xin naturally understood this truth, and then said, "Your Highness is right, but I was overthinking it. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

Zhu Yunhuan just smiled and said nothing. Yu Xin was getting bolder and bolder. It wasn't necessarily that he was disobedient, but that he had enough confidence as a capable minister.

In addition, as I get to know the Crown Prince's temper and character more and more, I know that there are some things that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does not really care about, so naturally I can relax a little. It doesn't matter.

Yu Xin sorted out his thoughts and said, "Your Highness, before this, the Maritime Customs Office not only managed taxation, but also handled matters such as tribute from foreign countries."

"I know this." Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhang Fusheng with a smile, and then said, "The tribute is a big deal after all, and these things should be handled by the Ministry of Rites. What do you think, my dear?"

Zhang Fusheng understood what he meant and nodded slightly to the young eunuch standing at the door of the hall. The young eunuch immediately tiptoed out of the Wenhua Hall.

The reopening of the Maritime Customs Office would certainly require the division of some powers. There were some things Zhu Yunhuan did not intend to intervene in, but there were some things that the civil service group would not be able to do as they wished.

The tribute affairs were handed over to the Ministry of Rites, which was originally their responsibility. Now that the Maritime Customs Office has been reopened, some matters will still be handled by the Ministry of Rites, and there is nothing to say about this.

Yu Xin suddenly felt a sense of anticipation in his heart. It seemed that the reopening of the Maritime Customs meant that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not intend to completely deny it. It was even very likely that some of the previous practices and arrangements would be continued.

But the next moment, a young eunuch reported, "Your Highness, the Crown Prince, the Duke of Kaiguo is asking for an audience outside the palace. There is an urgent military situation at the border, it is extremely urgent!"

Zhu Yunhuan immediately said to Yu Xin, "You step back for now. We can discuss this later if there is anything else."

Yu Xin could only leave at this time. He was not sure whether something serious had really happened at the border. But he had to leave now to avoid getting into trouble.

Chang Sheng looked anxious and irritated, and when he saw Yu Xin he acted as if he had not seen him, as if he was a founding duke who was concerned about the country and the people and had received urgent news from the border and did not dare to delay even a little.

After entering Wenhua Hall, Chang Sheng looked around and didn't know what to say. He knew better than anyone else whether there was any urgent news from the border.

"Okay, just let my second uncle help me drive away the bad guests." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Did you see Yu Xin? He is really annoying. These people rush to grab any good thing they can get."

Chang Sheng said with some sympathy, "Your Highness, if these people are really annoying, I will deal with them."

"Who will be in charge of the Ministry of Revenue if Yu Xin is beaten?" Zhu Yunhuan knew Chang Sheng's way of "cleaning up" and said hurriedly, "Second uncle doesn't need to do this. Pay attention to your identity."

Sometimes Chang Sheng's methods of solving problems are very simple and crude, but it must be said that those methods are indeed very effective at times, and there is no need to reason with scoundrels.

This method is especially effective against some civil servants. However, at this stage, Chang Sheng does not need to take action yet. It has not reached that stage yet.

Chang Sheng also understood, but he was quite regretful. "Your Highness, if there is something wrong, just let someone know. Your Highness can rest assured that I will do my job well. I will never embarrass you!"

This Wenhua Hall has become one of the most important places for Ming Dynasty to discuss state affairs in the past two years. However, according to Chang Sheng's words, it seems to have become some kind of hall that specializes in illegal and disorderly things.

To those who were not in the know, the conversation between the founding duke and the crown prince might be interpreted as a conspiracy among scoundrels and gang members to oppress the good people.

Although Zhu Yunhuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, he still said, "I know, but there are some things you can't do yourself."

Chang Sheng said quickly, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I know what I am doing. If something really happens, I can arrange for a few nobles to handle it, and Your Highness will never be implicated."

Zhu Yunxun asked curiously, "Besides Wang De, is there anyone else who can do these things?"

Wang De is not to be mentioned. Wang Bi and his son are both die-hards of the Chang lineage. Therefore, it is most appropriate to let Wang Bi and Wang De take charge of some matters. After all, they are the "vanguards" and should charge ahead.

Chang Sheng did not keep the secret and said, "Of course there are some. Some of them are the sons of noble families, or the second sons, or the illegitimate sons. If they really want to teach them a lesson, the Five Military Commandery can handle it."

Even if he was impeached by a civil official, the court would certainly punish him severely on the surface. But in private, he could get a lot of compensation and rewards. If he wanted to do some dirty work for the crown prince, ordinary people would not have these opportunities. These things were indeed better done by some confidants.

Zhu Yunhuan thought for a moment and said, "Wang De can't handle these things in the future. After all, he is the son of Dingyuan Marquis. Let Wang Zheng handle it."

After saying that, Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help laughing, "Don't really punish Yu Xin for me. It's not appropriate to do so now. Let Tang Yu go back to his hometown later. The anniversary of the death of King Dong'ou is coming soon."

As Tang He's grandson, Tang Yu was sent to Zhu Yunhuan by Tang He a few years ago. Although his ability is ordinary, his family background is really good. Speaking of it, Tang He is helpless. He has five sons. The eldest son, who is the most promising, died of illness on the way to the war in his early years. The youngest son also died of illness on the way to the war. The third and fourth sons both died early.

Of the five sons, only the second son is left.

"Your Highness, is it time to let Tang Yu inherit the title?" Chang Sheng asked with concern, "King Dong'ou has been dead for two years, and it's time to enthrone Tang Yu to inherit the title."

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it and felt that it made sense. The situation of the Tang family was different after all. This was also the reason why Zhu Yunhuan had stayed by Tang Yu's side all these years even though Tang Yu seemed to be somewhat incapable of doing so.

This is also a nobleman who is worthy of trust and cultivation, and he can indeed be a force that can strengthen the noble group.

"Let Tang Yu submit a petition to request the title of heir." Zhu Yunhuan thought carefully and said, "Let's not worry about the other families for now, but we have to make arrangements for the Xin family first."

There are still some noble children in the Ming Dynasty waiting to inherit the title, but the emperor and the grandson pretended not to hear about it and just suppressed these matters. But when it comes to Tang Yu, he has to prepare well.

In fact, according to reason, Tang He had been dead for two years, and Tang Yu should have inherited the title some time ago. But there was no problem, and it would not be a problem to enthrone the Duke of Xin a little later.

Historically, Tang He had a lot of problems with his offspring. In addition, his sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons all died early and were unable to inherit the title. Therefore, Tang's descendants lost their titles during the reign of Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty.

The title of Duke of Xin lasted only one generation, until nearly 140 years later, when Tang He's fifth-generation grandson Tang Shaozong was granted the title of Marquis of Lingbi as a meritorious official, and the title was then passed down for five generations.

Difficulties in having children and so on are like nightmares for many noble families, but there is nothing that can be done about it. Sometimes it just depends on luck. If one cannot give birth to a son, it is normal to be stripped of the title.

Chang Sheng thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, my father has been dead for almost thirty years."

Zhu Yunhuan said, "There are still two years until thirty. I know what's going on. Teach Jizu well first, and I will naturally make arrangements for my grandfather's affairs in the next two years."

Chang Sheng was relieved now. In fact, he did not doubt that Zhu Yunhuan would offer sacrifices to Chang Yuchun. However, some things still need to be mentioned briefly, which is not only to show one's filial piety.

All of this is naturally emphasizing the specialness of the Chang family, especially since it is almost the 30th anniversary of Chang Yuchun's death, and coupled with the fact that it is the 'new emperor's accession to the throne', the meaning is naturally different.

Even Chang Sheng would have his own little thoughts, and there was nothing to say, after all, he was a founding duke. And Zhu Yunhuan would not be unhappy with these little thoughts.

After a brief chat with Chang Sheng, he naturally let Chang Sheng go. This founding duke was here to help solve some difficult problems. When Zhu Yunhuan needed to play a double role, the founding duke played a very important role.

There is nothing wrong with this, of course. Zhu Yunhuan is used to it, and Chang Sheng also thinks that all this is natural, and everyone has a tacit understanding.

Even some civil servants and nobles knew the role of Chang Sheng, the founding duke, but they could only sigh helplessly.

It's ok to get used to these things. Who made the Crown Prince trust Chang Sheng? Who made the Crown Prince seem to be a little "favorable to villains and distant from wise ministers" sometimes?

Even if he felt a little uncomfortable, he could only hold it in at this time. He really couldn't find a better way, and there was really no way to make this stubborn prince change his ideas.

As soon as the matter of the Maritime Customs was mentioned, many civil and military officials became interested, which was naturally within Zhu Yunhuan's expectations.

Now the civil service group is naturally more enthusiastic about this matter. They all hope to take these powers into their hands and hope to strengthen their strength.

These people are indeed enough to give people a headache, but fortunately, things are not out of control yet, so there is no need to worry too much. This matter will definitely not make the civil servants have everything they want.

As for the nobles, for the time being, they are still relatively honest. It is not that Zhu Yunhuan's authority makes the nobles dare not have any ideas, but these nobles have no chance, so naturally they can only be honest.

This is also a good thing. If the court and the country were of one mind, Zhu Yunhuan would have a headache at that time. Therefore, it is better to divide when it is time to do so.

And when it is time to be strong, then naturally you will be extremely strong. There is nothing to doubt or worry about.

Zhu Yuanzhang had been powerful for most of his life, and Zhu Yunhuan is still extremely powerful now, so these civil and military officials all know very well that some things can be fought for, while some things may not be able to be fought for.

Continue to review memorials, this is the main work content. Xia Yuanji and Daoyan have not returned yet, so Zhu Yunhuan naturally has more things to do.

Sooner or later, the cabinet will have to consider setting up some institutions to share some of the pressure. However, it is not suitable at this stage. At present, it is more suitable for a high degree of centralization, so that we can concentrate our efforts on major tasks.

As soon as she returned to the East Palace, Xu Miaojin said, "Your Highness, I have selected a few auspicious days, and it is time for my sisters to enter the palace."

Look, Zhu Yunhuan himself is not in a hurry to take a concubine. Instead, Xu Miaojin is extremely persistent and enthusiastic about this matter.

"Just decide for yourself. Don't make her a concubine, just a talented person." Zhu Yunhuan thought for a moment and said, "The rank is much higher. We'll talk about it later."

Talented women, selected concubines, and ladies are also considered to be among the ranks of the prince's concubines, and their ranks are relatively low. But this is nothing, some of Zhu's concubines are not concubines, but concubines or beauties.

Xu Miaojin naturally understood what to do, and did not think that Zhu Yunhuan was being harsh. After all, the concubines of the crown prince were essentially "concubines", and if they wanted to climb up, they still needed to see their performance. (End of this chapter)