Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Although Zhu Yunhuan was quite busy, rushing back to Fengyang from Yingtian Prefecture, he was actually offering sacrifices to his ancestors, which was the top priority.

As for the need to rush back to Yingtianfu now, it is completely understandable. After all, time is a bit tight. At this time, don't talk about whether you are tired or not. Finishing the important things is more important.

Zhu Yunhuan and Xu Miaojin returned to Yingtian Prefecture, exhausted. The first thing they did was to go see Old Zhu.

Zhu Wenyao is a very forgetful child. He hasn't seen anyone for more than ten days and now he can't recognize people.

He had never wanted Zhu Yunhuan, so no one found it strange. But now that Xu Miaojin wanted to hug him, the child was still a little curious and rejected him, which was surprising and naturally made Xu Miaojin a little sad.

"It will be fine after a while." Old Zhu could see the sadness of his granddaughter-in-law and said comfortingly, "You know Wen Yao, she is just shy of strangers."

Lao Zhu's standards have always been flexible, which may be one of the qualities that an excellent politician should have.

Xu Miaojin forced a smile and said, "Grandfather Emperor is worrying too much. Wen Yao just hasn't seen me for a while. He just needs to be coaxed again."

Zhu Wenyao, who was barely standing on Old Zhu's lap, drooled, bit his hand, and kept looking around. He should know Zhu Yunhuan and Xu Miaojin, how could he really have no impression of them at all?

But she hadn't seen him for more than ten days, and the child was always with Old Zhu. Even though Xu Miaojin thought she was very close to her baby son, she was not that close, at most only slightly closer than Zhu Yunhuan.

"We won't be attending court tomorrow." Old Zhu said directly, "We have been very busy these days. Wen Yao has been asking us to sleep with him, so we have to get up very quietly and rush back after attending court."

Concubine Guo Ning also said with great distress, "There were two times when the little prince woke up and didn't see His Majesty, and he cried so hard. The little prince is usually so well-behaved, even when he wakes up he just plays by himself, but he definitely can't stand not seeing His Majesty for a long time!"

Old Zhu nodded in agreement. His little great-grandson was the most well-behaved. Not to mention waking up during the day, even when he woke up at night sometimes, he was well-behaved and didn't cry or make a fuss.

Hearing that his little great-grandson was crying, Zhu felt very sad. He also blamed those officials for not doing their job. The endless morning court sessions delayed his return to comfort his great-grandson.

"I will go to court tomorrow." Zhu Yunhuan also said with self-knowledge, "Speaking of which, there haven't been many memorials sent to me these days. Grandfather is really powerful. He has taken care of all the political affairs."

This is not flattery, this is just stating the simplest fact.

Even though Zhu Yunhuan had made some arrangements before, he also felt that he had been away from Yingtian Prefecture for a long time, and there might be some political affairs waiting for him to deal with. After all, it had been nearly a year, and he had basically been in charge of the government.

However, one should not overestimate one's presence and importance. Even after leaving Yingtian Prefecture for ten days or so, Yingtian Prefecture did not send any reports on political affairs to Zhu Yunhuan.

This is not to say that nothing happened, but simply because Zhu Yuanzhang was in charge, he handled many political affairs. Even if he did not take care of political affairs for a year, it definitely did not mean that he had lost control of the court.

Concubine Guo Ning said distressedly, "Your Majesty has to get up early every day to attend court, and His Majesty handles government affairs when the little prince is asleep. Often, the little prince is asleep, while His Majesty is still handling government affairs, and he doesn't sleep for more than two hours a day."

Sleeping less than four hours a day for ten consecutive days may be unrealistic for others.

But reality is sometimes even more magical, and this was often the case when Lao Zhu was young and middle-aged. Sleeping about four hours a day was normal for him, and this was a regular occurrence for many years.

Old Zhu said complacently, "After all, I am old, so I just need to hold on for a while. If it continues like this, I won't be able to hold on any longer. Fortunately, you are back now, so I won't be tired."

Rest, Lao Zhu always thinks that if you can't hold on any longer, then there is no need to rest. It is because he is taking care of Zhu Wenyao now that he can rest a little. Lao Zhu, who can't sit still, always has to find something to do.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Although this trip was in a hurry, it is not the right season now. But I also saw that compared with previous years, there are a little more villages and towns now, and the fields do not show signs of being barren."

When Old Zhu heard this, he was immediately more satisfied. Although Yingtian Prefecture and Fengyang had special status and seemed to be densely populated.

But no matter what, there may be some barren places along the way. Especially coming from the troubled times, Old Zhu knew too well that the road from Fengyang to Yingtian Prefecture was once "uninhabited for thousands of miles", with barren land and dilapidated villages everywhere.

Zhu Yunhuan also continued to laugh and joke, "If Grandfather goes back to his hometown now, I guess he won't be able to understand what he says. Many of the people who moved there are local residents of the Imperial City. I'm going to have someone check them out."

Old Zhu was angry, but helpless, "We have investigated this matter once or twice, but it still persists."

The reality is indeed like this. Whether it is Zhu Yuanzhang or Zhu Yunhuan, they have often cracked down on those who want to change their household registration.

But as long as there are benefits, there will inevitably be some people who want to take advantage of loopholes. It is true that there are some risks, but if the benefits and rewards that can be obtained after the work is done are greater, then some people will choose to take risks.

Old Zhu then started to speak out, using occupational discrimination, saying, "Why don't we always suppress those merchants? These people are just unproductive and cunning people who are good at talking!"

As for some businessmen, Lao Zhu looks down on them from the bottom of his heart and has used various means to restrict them.

There is nothing strange about this practice, as rulers of all dynasties have actually done roughly the same thing.

Even though the Song Dynasty seemed to be more lenient towards merchants, there were still many cases of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, and heavy taxes were imposed on merchants. This is what a feudal dynasty based on agriculture was destined to do.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "I am going to clean it up. Let the Ministry of Revenue and Fengyang Prefecture investigate it thoroughly. Those who should be cleared out must be cleared out. But then again, Fengyang does seem to be prosperous now."

It is not surprising that the imperial city has become prosperous, because so many policies are leaning towards it.

Old Zhu smiled and nodded. He felt that what Zhu Yunhuan did was the right thing to do and it was the mature and prudent approach.

Zhu Wenyao, who had been staring at Xu Miaojin, suddenly pouted and tears as big as beans slid down his chubby face. He opened his little hands to hug her.

It seems that he really recognized her. He has reacted and is feeling very aggrieved. He hasn't seen his mother for more than ten days. This has never happened before. Xu Miaojin was happy and sad. She hugged her fat son and kept coaxing him. Fortunately, her baby son could still recognize his mother.

Zhu Yunxun felt bad. He looked at Xu Miaojin who was still coaxing Zhu Wenyao and complained, "My biological father is here, but this kid doesn't even look at me. He even yelled at me when I touched him."

Old Zhu responded immediately and forcefully, "Don't mess with our Wen Yao. The child was just playing peacefully, why did you have to mess with him? Wen Yao doesn't want you to hold him, and if you ask me, it's your own fault!"

Whether it was Concubine Guo Ning or Xu Miaojing, some of them even agreed with Zhu's point of view. Naturally, it was because they felt that the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhu was too childish at times and especially liked to provoke Zhu Wenyao.

This left Zhu Yunhuan even more speechless. Things had developed to this point where he was wrong no matter what he said.

Zhu Wenyao was a good kid, his lower lip was trembling from crying, but everyone felt so distressed. Then he leaned on Xu Miaojin's shoulder, so close.

As if he felt that this was not enough, he suddenly stood up after lying down for a while, held Xu Miaojin's face in his chubby little hands and looked at it carefully, then laughed in a baby voice, as if he had found his mother and was suddenly happy.

Everyone was very happy and felt that Zhu Wenyao was not only adorable, but also extremely well-behaved and filial since he was young, and that they deserved to spoil him even more.

Zhu Yunhuan felt unhappy, for a simple reason: his fat son didn't want him to hold him. When he reached out to touch the tender little hand, Zhu Wenyao would open it impatiently, and even roar in a childish voice.

"I'm afraid Uncle Seven is a little scared. This time when I went back, Uncle Seven also asked me to plead for him." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and continued to talk about the situation. "It seems that he really has corrected his behavior. How about next year?"

Old Zhu thought for a moment and said, "As the new emperor ascends the throne, it stands to reason that he will grant amnesty to the entire nation. Your seventh uncle's crime is no big deal, no small matter, so he can be released."

A general amnesty does not mean that all crimes will be forgiven. Only some minor crimes basically fall within the scope of a general amnesty.

Zhu Yunhuan also said, "That's the truth. All the people in the world have been pardoned. I can't even tolerate my own seventh uncle if I hold a special examination to show my kindness."

Old Zhu naturally understood this and said, "Let's leave Old Seventh alone. Give him a new fiefdom. Send him to Sichuan. He is proud of his military skills and may be able to be of use to him."

It is only right to give a small punishment and a severe warning. It is impossible for the King of Qi to return to Qingzhou, otherwise the deterrent effect on the royal family will be greatly reduced.

It is not even as simple as changing the title. Power and so on will also be further restricted, and the treatment may even be slightly reduced. This is the price that the royal family pays for being dishonest and breaking the law.

This matter is basically confirmed, and there is really nothing to worry about, because it was originally planned like this, at most it is just a little bit advanced.

Since it has been finalized long ago, we just need to wait for the right time to announce and implement it thoroughly, and we don't have to worry about anything else.

Looking at Old Zhu, Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Those nobles seem to be pretty good. I haven't heard of them being arrogant and domineering or encroaching on the people's land."

Old Zhu smiled, then said with some concern, "We have dealt with many illegal nobles over the years, but some things continue to happen despite repeated prohibitions. These nobles are doing their duty, but the people and relatives in their houses may not be doing their duty."

Veterans like Zhang Long returned to Fengyang to retire. Although this seemed to be a retirement, it did have some meaning of returning to their hometown and staying away from the court. They now had basically no influence on the government.

After all, even among the nobles and the Twenty-Four Generals of Huaixi, not everyone agrees with Tang He. Even if he returns to his hometown, he can still influence the court.

What made Tang He special was not necessarily that he was the Duke of Xin, but that he and the emperor were not only monarchs and subjects, but also childhood friends and fellow townsmen. It was difficult for other people to have such treatment.

But even so, people like Zhang Long are nobles and marquises after all. Even if they retire and return to their hometown, they are not people that the prefect or the deputy governor can mess with.

The seventh-rank officials in front of the prime minister, the relatives and friends of these nobles, and even the servants in the mansion, might also bully others by taking advantage of their power. In front of ordinary people, these people are also big shots who cannot be provoked.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Grandfather is right. We must manage what we should manage and not let them run wild."

Old Zhu never worried about Zhu Yunhuan's attitude towards the nobles. People said that Zhu Yunhuan always valued the nobles of Huaixi, and those nobles of Huaixi also supported the crown prince one by one.

This makes sense, Zhu Yunhuan was born there, and was naturally closely connected to the noble group. Old Zhu even added fuel to the fire, making Zhu Yunhuan's relationship with the nobles even more tied together.

These are true, but Old Zhu doesn't think that his grandson should only use nobles. If those nobles commit crimes, their fate will not be much better than if they fall into his hands.

Reuse when it is time to reuse, and suppress when it is time to suppress. This is what Lao Zhu has always done and what he teaches.

Regardless of whether it was Zhu Biao or Zhu Yunhuan, not only did they learn these things, but they were also very adept at using this trick without any hesitation.

As for the so-called imperial mentality, Zhu Yuanzhang also knew that his beloved grandson did a good job.

"Now the nobles don't have much roots in their hometowns, and the wealthy families who moved there are also rootless duckweed." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "As long as we keep a close eye on them, there won't be any trouble in our hometown."

Old Zhu was even happier. He moved some wealthy families in Jiangnan to Yingtian Prefecture and Fengyang. Many people thought it was a waste of money and labor, but Old Zhu still insisted on doing so.

In the final analysis, it is about preventing the rich from becoming stronger. If they leave the land where they originally lived and are stripped of their original network of relationships, it will be almost impossible for them to continue to become stronger.

Not only Zhu Yuanzhang would do this, Zhu Yunhuan would also do this. This is something that must be done.

In the final analysis, the dominance of wealthy families in one area is of no benefit to the court's rule at the grassroots level. So when it is time to weaken them, then we must weaken them. (End of this chapter)