Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Zhu Yunhuan chose to muddy the waters and to use the imperial power plus the power of royal family members and nobles to suppress the civil service group. This is what he is doing now and this is his strategy to keep some initiative in his hands.

As for whether this is somewhat unethical, it is obviously not necessary to care about it, as long as the effect is achieved.

The civil service group does have a certain amount of power, and they also have a lot of ambitions. However, if these people have self-awareness, they will know that they have almost lost the initiative.

The current imperial power is difficult for them to contend with, not to mention the royal family and the nobles. These two major interest groups are the left and right arms of the imperial power.

After a busy day, Zhu Yunxun was in a good mood. Although not all the work was done, today's work was basically finished, so he could choose to take a break.

Zhu Yunhuan, who ran straight to the Qianqing Palace, heard laughter from afar. It seemed that the birth of the little guy Zhu Wenyao brought joy to many people, and the little guy's growth made many people happy.

Zhu Wenyao was indeed happy, not by riding a big horse or anything like that, but just by simply winking at him, you could hear his cute laughter.

Old Zhu looked at him with a smile on his face, and in his eyes he really only had his great-grandson. He just glanced at his grandson's arrival and didn't show any other expression.

"This child is really noisy." Zhu Yunhuan sat down and watched Xu Miaojin teasing the child with a smile, "Why is it so funny?"

Old Zhu said with disdain, "You have never raised a child, so you naturally don't know these things. Our Wen Yao is well-behaved and happy to be teased by anyone. I have never seen such a lovable child."

Zhu Yunhuan can absolutely guarantee that this is the old Zhu's private agenda, and that the old Zhu only has his great-grandson in his eyes. If it weren't for his status, Zhu Wenyao would definitely not be so likable, there is no doubt about that.

But there is no need to discuss these things with Lao Zhu. Zhu Wenyao's identity is here, and this is an ironclad fact, so there is nothing to say.

Looking at Zhu Wenyao, Zhu Yunxun suddenly said, "Grandfather, isn't it inappropriate to start moving things right now? If this gets out, how embarrassing will it be?"

"Unpleasant to hear? What's so unpleasant about it?" Old Zhu was unhappy. "I am no longer the emperor, but I still occupy the Qianqing Palace and Kunning Palace. This is inappropriate. The emperor should live in the Qianqing Palace and handle official business in the Wuying Hall."

This is indeed the truth, but sometimes we don’t necessarily need to stick to these systems, and some flexibility is possible.

But Old Zhu did not give Zhu Yunhuan a chance and continued, "Throughout the dynasties, how many of those retired emperors still occupied the former palaces after they abdicated? If we give in but do not retreat, then you will be in trouble."

Zhu Yuanzhang's meaning was actually very clear. Since he had chosen to abdicate, he would abdicate cleanly, without giving others any thoughts, nor would he let some civil and military officials have other thoughts and ideas.

After all, he was the founding emperor and had held great power for many years. If he had any dissatisfaction with his political views, it would become a huge obstacle to Zhu Yunhuan.

This is the fact. Even though Zhu Yunhuan seems to be in control of the court now and has considerable prestige, he is still very different from Old Zhu. Everyone can see the difference.

Seeing that Zhu Yunhuan was silent, Old Zhu asked, "We continue to live in the Qianqing Palace. What do you think the officials will think?"

Zhu Yunhuan didn't even need to think about it and said, "Isn't it the same as it is now? I am in charge of the government, and some things still need you to decide."

"That's what I'm afraid of. I'm afraid there will be trouble." Old Zhu said worriedly, "I'm the emperor and you're the grandson, that's fine. But if you become the emperor and you're constrained by me in everything, that's not good."

Zhu Yunhuan didn't care much and said, "Grandfather, even if I become the emperor and you abdicate, everyone knows who has the final say in the court."

This is not just a compliment to Mr. Zhu, this is just the simplest way of telling the truth, this is a statement of fact, everyone knows it in their hearts, but many times some people dare not say it out loud.

"Since I'm going to retire, let's do it cleanly so that the officials don't have any other thoughts in their minds." Old Zhu said directly, "Now you know that if I don't agree, there are some things you can't decide."

This is also the truth. Even if Zhu Yuanzhang has not appeared in the court for a long time, it still cannot change the fact that he is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Looking at Zhu Yunhuan, Old Zhu said earnestly, "There is no two suns in the sky, and no two masters in a country. If the officials have too many thoughts, it will not be good for you."

Zhu Yunwen continued, "If grandpa really moves out, what will people say? I, the Emperor Taizong, will probably become Emperor Taizong of Tang. Yunwen and I have had a quarrel before, and it will be even more unpleasant now."

Old Zhu's expression was a little embarrassed. He could actually understand some of Zhu Yunhuan's difficulties. After all, filial piety is important in this era. If some things are not handled well, it will be embarrassing.

There is precedent for the founding emperor to voluntarily abdicate. The Tang Dynasty is an example, and many people are aware of the competition between Zhu Yunhuan and Zhu Yunwen for the throne.

If this matter is not handled carefully, it is very likely that someone will make far-fetched connections and copy some situations in the Ming Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, especially since the two incidents seem to have certain similarities.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said with a smile, "You are different. You did not force me to abdicate, nor did you use my hands and feet as a tool. We are different from the Tang Dynasty, so outsiders will not make nonsense."

Although Zhu Yunhu also understood that he might not be able to change some wild historical nonsense, in essence, there were still some differences between him and Li Shimin.

In the final analysis, there was no bloodshed, and in the final analysis, some things were seen by everyone. This is still fundamentally different from the Li Tang period.

So it seems that there is no need to worry too much. Some things are not that complicated. You just need to pay a little attention to the impact. A small disturbance will soon be ignored or even not mentioned at all.

Old Zhu continued with a smile, "Whether we are living well or not, all the officials know. Now we just want to take care of Wen Yao, that's all. You take care of the government affairs, and I will enjoy my old age."

Zhu Yunhuan stopped trying to persuade him and said, "Are you really not going to build the palace?"

"No, even if the court has some surplus now, we won't build it." Old Zhu said decisively and resolutely, "Being frugal is one thing, but if we really build a new palace, it will be far away from you, which is not good, and Wen Yao will have difficulty seeing you."

This makes sense. After all, once a new palace is built, it will basically be farther away from the core area of ​​the imperial city, and it will naturally be less convenient to travel back and forth.

If the palace was really built, Old Zhu might still get angry. By then, it would not be the grandson fulfilling his filial piety, but the grandson would despise the old man and drive him away. After thinking this through, Zhu Yunhuan did not force it, "It's fine as it is now, it's better to be closer, I don't think it matters."

Old Zhu continued, "We have many concubines, and the West Palace is too crowded to accommodate them. We don't want them all to be around, lest they cause trouble for Wen Yao. Our concubines will live in the West Six Palaces, and the East Six Palaces will be yours."

This is also a tricky thing about not building a new palace. Naturally, some places cannot be fully lived in. After all, there are only a few palaces with names in the palace city.

Even if they were just some of Zhu Yuanzhang's concubines, in theory they were all treated as having their own palace. Although they were basically arranged in the East Six Palaces and the West Six Palaces before, now they need to move some space aside.

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but complain, "I will be scolded by then. I'm sure the East Six Palaces will all blame me."

Old Zhu didn't take it seriously and said directly, "How dare they! If they really don't know how to behave, let me show you how I can deal with them!"

There is no doubt about this. Zhu may not have any real feelings for those concubines. If they dare to talk too much or affect Zhu's plans, Zhu will not show mercy.

All of this is completely understandable. On such a major matter, Zhu Yuanzhang would never allow others to have any say. Not to mention the concubines who he usually didn't pay much attention to, even his other sons would not be allowed to do so.

This is the real state affairs in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes. It concerns the country and the people, so naturally he would not allow "outsiders" to make irresponsible remarks. Many things can only be done according to his requirements.

Zhu Yunxun, who was still acting cute after getting the advantage, said, "That's fine. I don't want anyone else to live in Kunning Palace. The East Palace will be reserved for Wen Yao, and no one else is allowed to live there."

Old Zhu smiled and said, "If I live longer, I can take Wen Yao to live in the East Palace. But not now. After you move out, the East Palace can only be used for daily maintenance, and no one else is allowed to live there."

The Eastern Palace is very special. It is where the crown prince resides, so it would rather be left empty than allow other princes and grandchildren to live there.

Just like the Kunning Palace, it has been empty for so many years. Even Zhu Yuanzhang's favorite concubine could not ask too many questions, because once she moved in, her status and meaning would be different.

If Zhu Yunhuan moved out of the Eastern Palace, Chunhe Palace would be vacant. He moved to Wuying Palace to handle official business, and at most Zhu Wenyao would occasionally go to Wenhua Palace to attend classes, and no one else could think too much about it.

These are all very normal things. After all, each of those formal and solemn palaces has a very special meaning and must not be ambiguous.

Old Zhu smiled and said to Zhu Yunhuan, "We originally wanted to move to Rouyi Palace or Dashan Palace, but we also felt that they were not suitable. The West Palace is better."

Rouyi Palace is where the empress works, and Dashan Palace is where the emperor studies. These two palaces are naturally of special significance. The most important thing is that they are close to Fengxian Palace and the three main halls.

"I think the West Palace is the best. It's right in front of the Qianqing Palace. I can go there directly after I leave the court." Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "If we really go to the Dashan Palace, it's a bigger place, but that's not good either."

Zhu Yuanzhang had the same idea. The West Palace and the Palace of Heavenly Purity were separated by a palace gate and a wall, so it was only a few steps away. Unlike now, it takes half of the palace to get from the East Palace to the Palace of Heavenly Purity, which is too far.

As for offering sacrifices to ancestors, Lao Zhu didn't think there was any big problem.

If he really stops being an emperor, he won't be so busy. He will definitely have time to worship his ancestors. It's just that he has to walk a few more steps to the Dashan Palace, which is not a big deal.

Zhu Wenyao suddenly started crying. He was still smiling one moment, but started crying the next. Children are like this. The speed at which their expressions change is always unexpected.

Everyone was concerned and nervous at first, but the next moment they understood the reason. It was simply because Lao Zhu didn't tease him, and the child was unhappy.

Old Zhu coaxed Zhu Wenyao cheerfully, jokingly saying, "This really is your father's grandson. This little kid is so young, but he thinks everything should belong to him, and others can't reach out or look around."

Zhu Yunhuan rolled his eyes, but it wasn't necessarily because of Zhu Wenyao's character or something like that, because part of it was just the nature of children.

The main reason is that Mr. Zhu is partial to his grandson. His grandson is his biological grandson, but no matter what, Mr. Zhu can always find reasons to praise his biological son.

It's okay to get used to these treatments, there's nothing to complain about. Over the years, Zhu Yunhuan has become accustomed to this, and it's not the first time he has encountered similar things.

"I plan to go back to my hometown in a while, and I will bring Miao Jin with me." Zhu Yunhuan said, "Originally, it was okay to let a member of the royal family go there, but it would be better for me to go there myself if I can."

Old Zhu nodded and said, "That's right. You are the crown prince, so you should personally offer sacrifices to your ancestors. Especially for such a big event, it would be better if you go and tell your ancestors yourself."

There may not be such treatment in the future. Once you become emperor, it will not be easy to leave the palace easily.

In other words, now that Old Zhu is in charge, it is no big deal for the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan to occasionally leave the palace, and everyone can understand this.

Since you have already considered many things, you should naturally try your best to make some things seem more perfect and beautiful. Don't be afraid of tediousness, etc. There is no harm in doing so.

Everything has been decided, so let's take good care of the details at this time to make things seem smoother and avoid any waves at this time.

Once something starts, it continues to move forward in an unstoppable trend.

The same is true for the reopening of the maritime ban and the fact that Zhu Yunhuan will soon ascend the throne. These are the general trends and seem unstoppable.

Old Zhu was naturally happy to see such situations, because he was the one who pushed many things forward. The same was true for Zhu Yunhuan, who was also constantly pushing forward some things.

There is no harm in this for him, so he should work hard to do some things better and make some things seem more legitimate, that would be the ideal situation! (End of this chapter)