Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 276 Old System
Zhu Yunhuan was not really very active or enthusiastic about taking a concubine.

He is naturally a worldly man who also likes beautiful women and has never considered monogamy.

But it must be said that Xu Miaojing has a good personality, is very intelligent, and is beautiful, which makes Zhu Yunhuan very happy.

It’s not necessarily that he is the Zhu family’s hereditary romantic, but he does think Xu Miaojin is very good and there is really no need to rush looking for other beauties.

The most important thing is actually to handle government affairs well, which is more meaningful to Zhu Yunhuan. These things are what he pursues, and other things can be put aside for this.

The new day started with a morning court session again, and Zhu Yunhuan came to the Fengtian Hall without any hurry. Looking at the empty dragon throne, everyone was used to it and waited for the crown prince to preside over the morning court session.

Chen Di, the newly appointed Minister of Rites, was the first to speak up after the report was made. "Your Highness, if the Maritime Customs Office is reopened, the Ministry of Rites and the Honglu Temple should be in charge of all matters concerning the envoys from the vassal states coming to the court."

Zhu Yunhuan had a calm expression, not surprised at all. "This matter needs to be discussed again. We still need to summon scholars and great Confucian scholars to discuss it more. You, my dear ministers, also need to discuss it in court before making a final decision."

It seems that the Crown Prince still wants to drag on this matter and still intends to temporarily shelve the demands of some officials. This will of course make some officials feel dissatisfied. Things cannot be done this way!

Yu Xin also stood up in time and said, "Your Highness, previously the Maritime Customs Office was responsible for inspecting foreign goods on ships entering and leaving, collecting taxes, collecting taxes, and conducting trade."

Zhu Yunhuan laughed, looked at Yu Xin and asked, "Before? Then can you tell me when this before was?"

Yu Xin answered without thinking, "Your Highness, this is how His Majesty defined the powers of the Maritime Customs before he abolished it."

Some civil servants also nodded and agreed. What Yu Xin said was correct. These were indeed the responsibilities of the previous Maritime Customs. It was a division of power that seemed to satisfy many people.

"Your Majesty, why did you abolish the Maritime Customs Office?" Zhu Yunhuan replied directly, "Of course, the Maritime Customs Office is not doing a good job, and Your Majesty has noticed the shortcomings. If the old system is restored, what is the point of reopening the Maritime Customs Office?"

Zhu Yunhuan's words sound a bit far-fetched, but if you really want to think about it, there is certainly some truth in what he said. It is an indisputable fact that the Maritime Customs had been abolished before.

Those who knew understood that it was because of the maritime ban, and the Maritime Customs Office was naturally affected and abolished. But then again, isn't this also a manifestation of the emperor's dissatisfaction with the Maritime Customs Office?

If everything remains the same, it seems to be a good choice. But if the division of responsibilities is readjusted, it can certainly make sense.

There is nothing wrong with this, of course. It just depends on how everyone understands these things and where their positions are.

Chang Sheng and others naturally echoed at this time. Even if they did not particularly understand some things, since His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had expressed his position, they should stand up and support him.

It seemed that Chen Di and Yu Xin were blocked, but Zhu Yunhuan understood that this was just the beginning. More officials would stand up to fight for some power.

Even when facing an emperor as domineering and powerful as Zhu Yuanzhang, some officials would report their own ambitions and opinions instead of blindly carrying out the emperor's orders, and not all officials in the court were yes-men.

Zhu Yunhuan also likes to hold all the power, but that doesn’t mean he thinks all his ideas are correct, nor does he think he has really considered all aspects.

Therefore, even if some ministers raise some objections, he may not get angry, but will need to carefully consider the gains and losses or omissions of some policies.

As long as it was not a matter of principle, he actually didn't care much about the objections of some ministers.

Ru Rong also stood up at this time, "Your Highness, I think if the Maritime Customs Office is reopened, although there will be some improvements, it is not advisable to make too many adjustments."

Yu Xin immediately agreed, "I second the motion! The regulations and powers of the Maritime Customs have been clearly defined. Although there have been some changes over the dynasties, the overall situation has not changed."

Yang Di also got excited and said, "I second the motion! Since the law of the Maritime Customs is still proven, I think it is not advisable to change it lightly, so as not to cause confusion and achieve nothing."

These people really are of one mind. They are all trying to find ways to seize some power. Perhaps they know the benefits of the Maritime Customs, so of course they will work hard to get it.

Seeing that the several great ministers seemed to be very powerful, many civil servants seemed to have been injected with chicken blood, and many of them stood up.

The implicit meaning of the words is naturally that they hope that even if the Maritime Customs Office is reopened, it needs to be implemented according to the previous practices. It seems that this is the best way.

Zhu Yunhuan was very calm. He did not think that the civil officials were forcing him to abdicate. He did not think that these people just wanted to force him, the crown prince, to bow his head.

There is no need to complicate simple things. People like Yu Xin and Ru Hong are impatient because they want to limit the imperial power and gain more benefits in some things, that's all.

Chang Sheng and his people seemed a little anxious because these civil servants seemed to be of one mind. They were also worried that Zhu Yunhuan would not be able to withstand the pressure and would agree to their proposals.

Such concerns are not without reason. After all, the civil servants in the court now seem to be united and they seem to be really of one mind.

Faced with such a situation, even Emperor Hongwu had to consider some things carefully, let alone the Crown Prince, who was more likely to be frightened by the situation before him.

However, Zhu Yunhuan was relatively calm. The occurrence of this scene was within his expectations. After all, some civil servants had been eager to make proposals before, so it was normal for such things to happen in the court.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at several ministers and suddenly asked, "Since you mentioned that the Maritime Customs Office had an old system before, I wonder if it was the old system of this dynasty or some old system of the previous dynasty."

Seeing that these civil officials were silent, Zhu Yunhuan just smiled slightly. However, this smile made many people feel a little worried.

The Crown Prince's mind was a bit sullen, even though he was smiling now and didn't seem angry. However, many people felt that the Crown Prince's expression would not be that way if he was not sure.

Once His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is sure of it, it means that if the civil officials want to fight for it, it will definitely not be an easy matter and it may be difficult for them to achieve their wish.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Yu Xin and the others and said, "I remember that there was a Maritime Customs Office during the Tang and Song dynasties. Since you are well-read and follow the old system, why don't you take a good look at what the regulations of the Maritime Customs Office were during the Tang and Song dynasties and even during the Yuan Dynasty, and how much did it earn?"

The civil servants who originally had a lot to say stopped talking. Not only did the Crown Prince not play by the rules, but the most important thing was that he was too thoughtful and thought about many things very thoroughly.

Since we are talking about the old system, let's talk about the Yuan Dynasty and even the Tang and Song Dynasties to see if the Maritime Customs Office at that time is the same as the current one. If we continue to talk about following the old system, we have to ask why the Tang and Song Dynasties and even the Yuan Dynasty lost their country!

The power struggle over the Maritime Customs has temporarily subsided because many people seem to be not prepared at all.

We can wait a little longer. There is no need to be too anxious to settle this matter. There are still many things that have not been resolved. There is actually not much use in being anxious.

After the court session, Zhu Yunhuan felt a little tired. There were a lot of tedious things to do every day, and he had to compete with others in wits and courage, which was really a test of his mind.

Instead of heading straight to Wenhua Hall, Zhu Yunhuan walked towards Qianqing Palace. It was okay to take a short break. Even though there were many political affairs to deal with, there was nothing urgent at the moment, so he could take a break.

Seeing Old Zhu sitting in the yard, Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "Where is Wen Yao? He is not sticking to you, so how can you be allowed to drink tea here?"

Old Zhu said cheerfully, "What time is it now? The child hasn't woken up yet. He won't wake up for another half an hour."

These can be considered as one of Zhu Wenyao's small characteristics. He would get up in the middle of the night to play for a while, and would sleep until around seven or eight o'clock in the morning, which gave him some time to breathe.

"When he grows up, he will know how difficult it is to get a good night's sleep." Zhu Yunhuan said cheerfully, "I wanted to come over to see him, otherwise this child would not be close to me."

Old Zhu didn't care about Zhu Yunhuan's little teasing. The thing that made him most proud now was that Zhu Wenyao was sticking to him. This was the real way to enjoy his old age and play with his grandchildren. He was very happy.

In the past, even if there was nothing to do, Zhu Yuanzhang would go to the court and review some memorials, because he was a person who could not sit still and would feel uncomfortable if he didn't find something to do.

But it’s different now. Apart from taking care of the children, I just rest and don’t ask too much about the affairs of the court. It’s enough to just go and learn a little bit from time to time.

In addition to having enough confidence in Zhu Yunhuan's ability to control the court, it is also because the joy of raising children is so great that it can allow a workaholic to temporarily let go of some of his previous obsessions.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and asked with a smile, "You have been a bit busy these days, right?"

"Fortunately, the matter of the Maritime Customs was still being discussed during the morning court session." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "When the time comes, it will be up to grandfather to make a visit."

Old Zhu naturally understood that it was he who set the maritime ban policy in the first place, so it was naturally no problem for him to lift the maritime ban at this time.

Although there would be nothing wrong if Zhu Yunhuan lifted the maritime ban, in any case, if Zhu Yunhuan personally lifted the maritime ban, he would encounter less resistance.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan with a smile and said jokingly, "This is just the beginning. There will definitely be more things to worry about in the future."

"I've experienced this a long time ago. I've never been idle." Zhu Yunhuan complained, "I haven't finished dredging the Grand Canal yet, and now many people are eyeing the Maritime Customs Office."

This is really the case. In the final analysis, there are just too many things to do. All of this is necessary for government affairs. There are really too many things to do, and sometimes things don't go according to plan.

The situation with the Maritime Customs was still relatively good. Zhu Yunhuan had been mentally prepared before this. It was just that two things happened at the same time, so it seemed a little busy.

As long as these things are arranged, there is nothing to worry about. It is always simpler than dealing with some emergencies.

I chatted with Old Zhu until Concubine Guo Ning came out of the bedroom holding the chubby Zhu Wenyao.

The little guy was a little grumpy when he woke up. He rubbed his eyes, and his chubby face was full of unhappiness. When he saw Lao Zhu, he reached out for a hug, after all, he was the child that Lao Zhu had always been taking care of.

Old Zhu's attention is naturally focused on his great-grandson now. His grandson is already so old, so there is no need to pay too much attention to him. He can take care of himself.

"Come here, let daddy hug you." Seeing Zhu Wenyao start to get lively, Zhu Yunhuan clapped his hands, "You can't refuse to let me hug you, right?"

Old Zhu coaxed Zhu Wenyao in a soft voice, "Let your father hold you. He rushed over to see you right after the morning court session."

Although he brought Zhu Wenyao up by his side, deep down Zhu still hoped that Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Wenyao would have a good relationship as father and son.

Zhu Wenyao turned his head to look at Zhu Yunhuan, and after a moment's hesitation, he slightly opened his hands. But just as Zhu Yunhuan was overjoyed and ready to hug the child, the little guy immediately turned around and lay on Zhu's shoulder.

The next moment he turned around, reached out to his father, and then turned around and lay on Lao Zhu's shoulder.

"This kid is teasing me!" Zhu Yunxun couldn't help laughing when he heard Zhu Wenyao's babyish laughter. "This kid is incredible!"

Zhu Wenyao turned around again, looked at Zhu Yunhuan and stretched out his hands, then turned around with a babyish smile.

Although it was just a simple game, the child was happy, Zhu Yunhuan was happy too. As for Old Zhu, he was even happier. Although his little great-grandson was quite energetic when he made a fuss, Old Zhu didn't feel tired at all.

Concubine Guo Ning smiled and looked at him for a while, then said, "Your Majesty, it's time to take the little prince out for a walk."

Old Zhu said to Zhu Yunhuan, "Let's take Wen Yao for a walk. As you can see, son, I've taken good care of him. Go and handle the government affairs. Those are the things you should do."

Zhu Yunxun, who was ordered to be expelled, stood up with a smile and said, "Okay, I'll go and take care of the government affairs. I'll come over for dinner. It looks like there's hope. Wen Yao might let me hold her!"

Old Zhu also thought it made sense. The little grandson's performance today was a huge improvement. Even though Zhu Yunhuan didn't hold the child, he didn't give him a cold shoulder as before.

Keep working hard, maybe there will be some surprises, and maybe the parent-child relationship can make great progress.

Not only Zhu Yunhuan was looking forward to this, Old Zhu also hoped to see it happen.

(End of this chapter)