Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Zhu Yunhuan got up early. Before it was fully light, he had already arrived at the Fengtian Hall to prepare for court.

If it were in the past, he might have to pretend and supervise the civil and military officials lining up outside the Fengtian Hall, and then lead them into the hall to start the morning court after the whip was sounded.

But now, Zhu Yunhuan went straight into the side hall of the Fengtian Hall, had a simple breakfast, and casually flipped through some memorials, making final preparations for the new day's early court session.

Zhang Fusheng said softly, "Your Highness, it's time to go to court."

Zhu Yunhuan then stood up and walked into the Fengtian Hall. In fact, all the civil and military officials had already taken their positions.

When people saw the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan walking out of the side hall, no one found it strange. It was mainly because they were used to it, so it was not worth making a fuss about.

There are some things that everyone knows, so they tacitly don't say anything. This is when everyone knows what's going on.

Zhu Yunhuan pretended to do something and did not walk directly to the throne. After all, he was the crown prince. Even if he had presided over the morning court for quite some time, it would not be appropriate for him to sit on the dragon throne directly.

Political affairs seemed to be going smoothly, and some civil servants seemed to have not given up on the Maritime Customs, but there didn't seem to be much they could do at this time.

However, facing the imperial power, the nobles, and the powerful Ming royal family, these civil servants did not have much resistance.

Zhu Yunhuan was calm and composed, and just presided over the morning court normally. There was nothing special to worry about, and government affairs were progressing in an orderly manner.

After returning to Wenhua Hall, Zhu Yunhuan asked, "Have you arranged for the princes to return to Beijing?"

Zhang Fusheng replied, "Your Highness, everything has been arranged. I guess the princes have also received the summons and it's time to leave."

"Fifth uncle is slow. He always wanted to come back in the past few years, but now he always puts it off until the last minute." Zhu Yunhuan said with some amusement, "My fifth uncle has become more complicated now, and he seems to be afraid of me."

Daoyan remained silent. He felt that it was the right choice for Prince Zhou Zhu Su to keep delaying his return to the capital alone. The main reason was that the pressure brought by the current Crown Prince to the princes was increasing.

It seems that this crown prince is very good to the royal family members, taking care of them in many ways, and also making use of the princes when possible. It seems that the royal family members of the Ming Dynasty have also done a lot.

However, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the crown prince had been weakening and suppressing the royal family in all aspects over the years, whether in terms of economy, military or status.

He cut the annual salary of the royal family, found reasons to transfer the three guards of the princes, clarified some of the royal family's ranks, etiquette systems, and even showed leniency while punishing them when they made mistakes.

Although Prince Zhou is a playboy and seems to have a good relationship with the Crown Prince, he has been criticized many times. It would be strange for him to be in a hurry to return to Beijing at this time. The best option is to hide if possible.

Zhu Yunhuan just smiled and said, "When it's time to urge them, urge them. There are good things waiting for them. They are not in a hurry. What kind of nonsense is this!"

Zhu Yunhuan's words made it difficult for some people in Wenhua Palace to respond, because this crown prince was the only one who acted as both a good guy and a bad guy, and his requirements for the royal family were indeed very high.

Looking at Xia Yuanji, Zhu Yunhuan said, "Go and urge Yu Xin, and have a good discussion with Yan Zhenzhi. Once Chen Xuan returns to Beijing, I will look into the plan of dredging the canal and establishing water transport."

Xia Yuanji immediately took the order and started to get busy right after returning to Yingtian Prefecture. He couldn't expect to get much rest time at all. He had already realized this.

After all, the emperor is extremely diligent, and the crown prince does not like to be lazy, so now all the civil and military officials have to follow suit and get busy.

You have just returned to Beijing and you have to start a new round of work. Don't expect to have a chance to rest, etc. There is no such good treatment in Ming Dynasty. There is only endless work and things will come one after another.

Daoyan took the initiative to speak, "Your Highness, I think if we want to dredge the canal, we should do it bit by bit."

"I have thought about this, and I think dredging in sections is the best way." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "But you don't understand these things, and neither do I. It's better to ask someone who knows."

We can know some common sense things and make some arrangements. But when it comes to some professional fields, we naturally need to trust some experts and authorities, and then discuss and make decisions.

Zhu Yunhuan was not omniscient and omnipotent. He knew that there were many things he did not understand, and he was even a complete layman, so it was not easy for him to pretend to be an expert.

If you understand, you understand; if you don’t understand, you don’t understand. Zhu Yunhuan knew this very well, and he never concealed the fact that he knew nothing in certain areas.

Daoyan continued, "Your Highness, I think that the officials have their own opinions on some issues. If it is Minister Yan, what he wants to do most is to dredge the canal in the south."

Yan Zhenzhi was from Wucheng. Although his hometown was not near the Grand Canal, he was somewhat influenced by it. He could be considered one of the more serious members of the Zhejiang East Civil Service Group, and his stance naturally leaned towards the southern civil service.

This is very easy to understand. If Yan Zhenzhi really has the power to decide some things, even if he is a capable official, he can't help but think about benefiting his hometown and so on.

Zhu Yunhuan was silent for a moment before he said, "That's true. Hangzhou and Yangzhou are the focus of the canal dredging project. It's normal for Yan Zhenzhi to care about them."

If the canal transportation is fully established, the Grand Canal is re-dredged, or even some sections of the river are re-excavated, Yan Zhenzhi chooses to start work on the southern section of the river first, etc., which is something that cannot be criticized.

It's something that has to be done sooner or later, so there's nothing strange about favoring people who are close to your relatives or interest groups first.

Zhu Yunhuan also thought it made sense. "That's true. If it doesn't affect the overall situation, there will inevitably be some selfish motives. This matter needs to be discussed carefully. Which canal should be dredged first? This is a big deal."

This is the reality. The sooner the canal is dredged, the sooner the people in the surrounding areas can benefit from it. Even in small areas and small watersheds, more convenience will be gained.

Daoyan said more seriously, "If there are nobles, some may be thinking about the south, but if they are interested in the military of the north, they must want to dredge the north."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Daoyan with interest and said jokingly, "Master, it seems that someone has persuaded you to pass on a message to me?"

Daoyan quickly knelt down to defend himself, "Your Highness, I dare not!"

Zhu Yunhuan was a bit noncommittal, and smiled and said, "Whether you dare or not, I don't care so much. Let's get things done first, this is the most urgent thing." Daoyan was Zhu Yunhuan's confidant and counselor, and many people knew this. However, this strange monk had almost no contact with officials, so it was not easy to make friends with him.

This good university scholar just prefers to live in a temple. It would be fine if he was well-versed in Confucianism and Taoists, and he seemed to like interacting with Confucian scholars and Taoists, but he never talked about state affairs with them.

It has to be said that this monk is extremely eccentric. It is extremely difficult to persuade the Crown Prince through him.

Daoyan said cautiously, "Your Highness, I think we need to be cautious when using troops in Liaodong and Mobei. The court is not at war now, but we should also make preparations early."

"Tianjin Wei is almost done. It will be easier to transport grain to the north or Liaodong in the future." Zhu Yunhuan thought seriously, "But the canal cannot be dredged in its entirety, so transshipment is inevitable."

This is a troublesome matter. If the Grand Canal is not completely dredged, transporting food and so on to the north will increase costs and the efficiency will not be particularly high.

This is obviously a worrying matter, but Zhu Yunhuan also has to consider this matter, and even needs to solve this hidden danger as soon as possible. This matter really cannot be delayed any further.

Feng Sheng was still guarding Liaodong, and many people felt that the imperial court might use military force against Lee Seong-gye at any time.

As for the remnant forces of the Mongols, they also need to be continuously suppressed and eliminated. This is also true. Zhu Yunhuan is naturally very clear about the principle that food and grass should be sent before the army moves.

"In the final analysis, there is still not enough food in the north!" Zhu Yunhuan said with a headache, "It's hard for Guanzhong to feed itself now, let alone support Beiping and Liaodong."

In the past, Guanzhong was a fertile land and a place where emperors achieved their hegemony. However, the grain output in Guanzhong nowadays is not as high as before, and people now rely more on transporting grain from the south.

The Northeast seems to be a good place, and Zhu Yunhuan knows that the soil there is fertile, but there is no hope of developing that land now. It is not that he is worried about wild men or something, but it is difficult for the people to take root there.

Instead of considering developing the Northeast early, it would be more pragmatic to fully develop Huguang.

After Huguang is developed and we have stronger national strength, we can then consider the development of the Northeast. This is not something that can be accomplished overnight and there is really no rush.

There are so many places that he wants to develop, and there are many places that he thinks have potential. But Zhu Yunhuan knows better that it is difficult for him to achieve everything in one go, and the current level of productivity cannot support it.

This feeling of having the will but not the ability is really frustrating, but Zhu Yunhuan really couldn't think of a better solution.

The resources at hand are really limited. He needs to invest these limited resources in areas where he can see results in the short term, and then consider long-term issues.

"We still have to wait until Chen Xuan comes back to discuss this matter. There is no rush now." Zhu Yunhuan could only say, "The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works should hurry up. There is no time to delay."

Some things really cannot be delayed. The sooner you start to develop vigorously, the sooner you can see the results. Once you make a decision, you can continue to push forward. At that time, you will have no regrets.

It would actually be a good thing if it really comes to that, so that we don't have to be in a difficult situation to make a decision like we are now. Moreover, there are only so many resources and everyone is eyeing on it and wants to take a piece of the pie.

Xia Yuanji also took the initiative to say, "Your Highness, I think it would be a great idea to replace the three guards of King Zhou with the Tuntian Guards."

Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "I know about this matter, you must not mention it again. If it really gets out, it might become Chao Cuo, which will not be good for you."

Xia Yuanji shuddered in his heart. Everyone knew what happened to Chao Cuo. That was definitely not the role model Xia Yuanji wanted to follow, and he had no thoughts in that regard at all.

But if you think about it carefully, it seems a bit sensitive. After all, it involves the pitiful military forces in the hands of the princes, and if you are not careful, you may be accused of alienating the royal family and proposing to reduce the power of the princes.

The charge was too serious. Xia Yuanji thought he was not capable of taking the blame, and no one in the court could take on such a responsibility.

Therefore, some things can only be proposed by the Crown Prince, discussed between the Crown Prince and the princes, or directly ordered by His Majesty the Emperor. Others should keep a low profile as much as possible on these matters.

It's better to do things one by one. It's not that you can't get the hot tofu because you are impatient. These are simply things that I should do. Now I just want to finish things as soon as possible, that's all.

As in the past, when reviewing memorials, he would occasionally summon ministers to discuss matters.

As the crown prince, Zhu Yunhuan now does more than simply observe government affairs. Officials are now accustomed to the fact that some policies are directly decided by the crown prince.

As evening approached, Zhang Fusheng hurriedly reported, "Your Highness, Jinyiwei Commander Jiang Li wants to see you."

Zhu Yunhuan was a little surprised. Jiang Li had a special status and generally he would not easily ask for a meeting unless there was something important. Could something have happened?
"Xuan."

Jiang Li knelt down as soon as he entered the palace, and said without leaving any secrets, "Your Highness, I have learned from my investigation that some officials have colluded with wealthy businessmen in order to plan to go to sea."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help laughing at this. "Great, really great. This matter hasn't even been finalized yet, but some people are already impatient. Great, it's true that people die for money and birds die for food!"

It is no wonder that Zhu Yunhuan was so angry. The current administration in the Ming Dynasty was relatively clean, which was naturally the reason why Zhu had previously strictly rectified the administration.

I originally thought that after these rectifications, some officials would know how to restrain themselves and understand that the current court can no longer tolerate corrupt officials.

But now looking at it again, this may just be Zhu Yunhuan's wishful thinking. Some people see the benefits, facing huge interests, it is really difficult to keep their original intentions, or they don't care about the risks at all.

"Catch him!" Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "I'll give you three days to investigate this case thoroughly!"

This was not intended to be a major case. It was simply that Zhu Yunhuan could not tolerate any sand in his eyes and would not allow anyone to sabotage his plan to open up the sea.

Anyone who dares to show up now will be severely punished! (End of this chapter)