Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chang Sheng and others came to Wenhua Hall. Although they didn't know what was going on, they didn't need to ask too much at this time. There were too many things to do, and the plan couldn't keep up with the changes.

Seeing these nobles coming over, Zhu Yunhuan spoke directly, "In the past, the Mongols were unjust, and your majesty the Emperor saved the people from danger and saved the people from suffering. Heroes from my hometown of Fengyang flocked to it and made great achievements!"

These nobles are all proud and arrogant, which is why they can now enjoy wealth and glory.

Either they followed His Majesty in fighting in troubled times, or their fathers rose up in rebellion in troubled times. They took wealth and honor for granted.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Xu Huizu and said, "In the past, the former King Kaiping and the former King Dong'ou were the first to follow my grandfather. I still remember that King Dong'ou entrusted his grandson to me before he became seriously ill. Now I feel ashamed when I think about it."

The emperor has always been partial to Tang He, who is also the most special noble. Zhu Yunhuan is also good to Tang He, and everyone knows these things.

Zhu Yunhuan said to Xu Huizu, "The son of Duke Xin joined the expedition to Yunnan and died on the way. Do you think the title of Duke Xin should be passed on to the son of Duke Xin or the grandson of Duke Xin?"

Tang He had five sons and five daughters. The eldest son, Tang Ding, died of illness during the expedition to Yunnan, the youngest son, Tang Li, died of illness during the expedition to Wukaiman, and the third and fourth sons both died young.

Now only the second son, Tang Fu, is in Taiyuan Guard. Unfortunately, he is also a playboy and is only in charge of pacification. He is the most despicable among the sons of the Duke.

Tang Sheng, the son of Tang Ding, was indeed entrusted to Zhu Yunhuan by Tang He when he was seriously ill a few years ago.

At this point Xu Huizu and others started to get nervous, because this matter was extremely sensitive.

In recent years, the emperor has been strictly controlling the titles and the management of the nobles has become increasingly strict, and everyone is aware of this.

And now Tang He's title of Duke of Xin is even more sensitive. Theoretically, it should be given to his son, but Tang He is not a legitimate son and is also very mediocre. It is hard to say whether he can keep this title.

Thinking more about it, this situation is somewhat similar to what happened to the Crown Prince back then, the only difference is that Tang Sheng has no brothers to compete with him.

"Are you speechless?" Zhu Yunxun asked directly, "You are also from the old family, and Duke Xin is also your elder, why don't you say anything about this?"

Xu Huizu gritted his teeth, knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I think the inheritance of the title is too important. Although I was good friends with Tang Ding in the past, I dare not talk nonsense about the inheritance of the title."

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan looking over, Chang Sheng immediately said, "Your Highness, my father is not from Huaixi!"

"Why isn't my grandfather from Huaixi?" Zhu Yunhuan was immediately amused. "Huaiyuan is not Huaixi? If I remember correctly, you always said that the people of Huaixi are of the same blood. Now it's not the case?"

The standard for promotion is also very flexible. Normally, it is the Huaixi nobles, and everyone is a group. But now with such a sensitive matter, the Huaixi nobles have become Fengyang people.

Chang Sheng began to sneer. His standards were indeed flexible, mainly because the matter was too sensitive.

Besides, the nobles also stick together. The people in Fengyang may be those who came over after Zhu Yuanzhang established his own regime, or those who came over after crossing the river, or those who surrendered, etc. There are some differences.

Zhu Yunhuan sighed and said, "There is also the Prince of Ninghe. He has made great contributions, but it's a pity that he was stripped of his title because of his unfilial son."

Chang Sheng, Xu Huizu and others just cowered. Ninghe King Deng Yu was one of the six founding dukes, but Deng Zhen, who inherited the title, was the son-in-law of Li Shanchang's granddaughter, so he was implicated and killed. It was also a pity.

However, Deng Yu now has five sons. Except for Deng Zhen who was executed and the second son Deng Ming who died in the war against the barbarians, there are still three sons alive.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Chang Sheng and asked, "The King of Ninghe is not from Huaixi either. He and my grandfather both served in Hexian. Tell me, what do you think of the title of the King of Ninghe?"

Chang Sheng was even more embarrassed. He had been trying to pass the buck and gloating, thinking that the title of Duke Xin was troublesome and that Xu Huizu might offend people if things went wrong. But now he was in even more trouble.

Deng Yu and Chang Yuchun both joined Zhu Yuanzhang when he established his own faction, and they had fought side by side many times. It seemed that he, the founding duke, would have to offer advice and suggestions at this time.

Zhu Yunhuan ignored Chang Sheng's embarrassment and continued to ask, "Speaking of which, there is also the Marquis of Deqing. Although he was sentenced to death for violating the rules, his title is still retained. The other is the title of the Prince of Hejian. This should also be considered."

Liao Yongzhong, Marquis of Deqing, also served Zhu Yuanzhang when he established his own regime. He made great contributions. After he was granted death penalty, the title was passed to his son Liao Quan, but Liao Quan died early, so the title is now vacant.

The Prince of Hejian was Yu Tingyu. His eldest son, Yu Tonghai, died in battle and was posthumously named Duke of Guo, but unfortunately he had no offspring. Yu Tingyu's second son, Yu Tongyuan, also made great contributions and was named Marquis of Nan'an, but was stripped of his title for his involvement in the Hu Weiyong case.

Now there is only one younger son, Yu Tongyuan, who has average ability. He went out to sea with the family before and is still in Taicang.

Chang Sheng is now extremely embarrassed, or it can be said that he is in a dilemma.

Matters involving titles are inherently sensitive. Not only the emperor and the crown prince have concerns, but those involved in the titles are also very sensitive and care a lot.

If Chang Sheng's suggestion allowed the illegitimate son to inherit the title, it would be a great success for the illegitimate son. But the legitimate son might start to curse Chang Sheng, or even file a lawsuit.

After all, these hereditary titles are related to real wealth and glory. Although many nobles were implicated in the Hu Weiyong case, the emperor has not killed many meritorious officials in recent years.

Seeing Chang Sheng and Xu Huizu not talking, Fu Youde was almost beginning to become old and weak, and had Alzheimer's disease, and Zhu Yunhuan was speechless. These nobles really knew how to protect themselves, it was really too big a matter.

When dealing with civil servants, even if these people did not grin and roll up their sleeves to do the work, even someone as steady as Xu Huizu would advance and retreat with the nobles if they really encountered a group attack.

But in the current situation, we just have to avoid it if we can. It is really not easy to be in the spotlight or be at the forefront of these things.

Zhu Yunhuan was a little amused. "What? Are you all speechless now? You guys are all important officials and the cornerstones of the court. For such an important matter, why don't you give me some advice?"

Chang Sheng and others were still hesitating and didn't know how to answer. This matter was really too sensitive and they really didn't know how to answer.

Zhu Yunhuan did not embarrass these people any more. "The day after tomorrow I will go to the Central Military Governor's Office and call all the nobles in Beijing over. I will discuss these matters with you in detail."

Chang Sheng and others breathed a sigh of relief. It would obviously be a good thing that everyone would get into trouble and offend people together. They wouldn't have to worry too much about offending people, and they really didn't need to worry about being the first to be shot.

But if you think about it carefully, the Crown Prince hasn't been to the Five Military Commandery for several years. The last time he summoned the nobles in such a serious manner was when he dealt with Zhou Ji, the son of Jiangxia Hou, before he was appointed as the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's visit to the Five Military Commandery was naturally a big deal, and everyone could understand these things.

For Chang Sheng and others, there is nothing special to worry about. When there are more people around, they can just keep their heads down.

By then, there will be respected veteran generals like Geng Bingwen and Guo Ying, who are also genuine Huaixi nobles and your majesty's confidants.

They are even related to the crown prince. Geng Bingwen's eldest son Geng Xuan is Zhu Yunhuan's brother-in-law, and Guo Ying's sister, Concubine Guo Ning, has always been loved by Zhu and is now helping to take care of the emperor's great-grandson.

At that time, the older generation will rush to the front and offend people, and the younger generation will shrink back. If it really doesn't work, there is Lan Yu who is not afraid of offending people, and he can also offend people.

Just communicate a little bit, and then discuss it together. These things are indeed sensitive.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Chang Sheng and said, "I have asked the Duke of Liang to inspect the Twelve Guards. You should also go and take a look. The Duke of Ying will follow me at this time and present the treasure with the Marquis of Wuding."

Duke Fu Youde of Ying State was immediately excited and knelt down and kowtowed, "I will obey your Highness's order. I am terrified!"

Guo Ying is Zhu Yuanzhang's current number one confidant. The so-called following the Crown Prince or serving as a treasure collector actually means holding a tray. When the time comes, he will assist Zhu Yuanzhang in reading imperial edicts, passing on the imperial seal, and the jade seal.

Originally, everyone thought it was not surprising for Guo Ying to follow such a role, because he was a confidant. Other candidates would be Lan Yu, Chang Sheng, or Xu Huizu, who were also dukes and closer to the crown prince.

Some even felt that it was reasonable to choose Li Jinglong, Duke of Cao. After all, he was a relative by marriage and had a very close relationship with the royal family. He was also the cousin of the crown prince.

But now it seems that the Crown Prince still "values" Fu Youde as always. For such a glorious and prominent position, he still prefers a great general like the Duke of Ying.

Such old ministers, especially those who have made great contributions, must be shown due respect, especially since Fu Youde is not young anymore and basically doesn't have much time left.

Chang Sheng couldn't help but feel a little worried. If his uncle knew about this arrangement, he might start complaining again.

The bottom line is that Lan Yu never regarded Xu Huizu and Li Jinglong as real "opponents". He has always been competing with Fu Youde for the title of "great general" and to become the number one military general in the Ming Dynasty.

But thinking about it, it seems that there is no need to worry too much. My uncle has complained a lot in recent years. Every time he complains, he is scolded and then he quickly runs to apologize.

After experiencing this kind of thing a few times, you will get used to it and naturally won’t think it’s strange.

Zhu Yunhuan then looked at Daoyan and said, "You should also go and ask the clan office. It's time for the legitimate sons and daughters of noble families who are of marriageable age to get married."

The marriages of nobles are definitely not "free", including the marriages of some royal children. This is not a problem, and no one thinks that such arrangements are arbitrary.

Ordinary families all pay attention to the marriage of equal status, so it is natural for emperors and generals to have some political marriages. In the final analysis, most of the current royal families are married to nobles.

After arranging these things, Zhu Yunhuan waved his hand and asked Chang Sheng and others to leave and continue to deal with other things. There were still many things that needed to be dealt with.

There are simply too many memorials that need to be reviewed. For example, the censors who are now being sent to various prefectures and cities will definitely need to look at the list, the resumes of these people, and various evaluations, etc.

Even though this is not the most comprehensive and may not be absolutely accurate, it is definitely worth a careful look.

These censors are there to monitor the administration of officials and investigate some malpractices. If these people are not upright, there will be chaos. Then they will become "imperial envoys" who do evil and disrupt local politics.

Although Zhu Yunhu did not know everyone here, fortunately he knew who their superiors were, and he could also ask spy chiefs such as Zhu Zhong and Jiang Li to send some investigation reports over.

Zhang Fusheng said in a low voice, "Your Highness, the Fourth Prince requests an audience."

This "Fourth Prince" is naturally Zhu Yunhuan's younger brother Zhu Yunhuan. This little brat who dared to speak harshly to Zhu Yunhuan is now thirteen years old.

As for conferring the title of king, Zhu Yunhuan was not in a hurry to confer the title of king on his younger brother. Although theoretically Zhu Yunhuan could also be conferred the title of prince, no one would be able to find any fault with it if he waited a little longer.

Zhu Yunwen immediately knelt down after entering the Wenhua Hall and said, "I, your humble servant Zhu Yunwen, pay my respects to my brother, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. May Your Highness live forever."

"Old Fourth, it's rare for you to come to Wenhua Hall." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and asked, "Since you are here, you must have something to do. Tell me what it is?"

Zhu Yunwen immediately replied, "Your Highness, I request your permission to confer the title of king and to take up my fiefdom."

"Wait a minute, Thirteen is too young. Let's talk about it when you are fifteen. Live with your mother and Old Five first." Zhu Yunhuan said, "It is definitely not possible this year. The earliest is next year."

There is nothing wrong with becoming a fiefdom at the age of fourteen. Prince of Xiang Zhu Bo became a fiefdom when he was fourteen.

Zhu Yunxun asked with a smile, "I will assign you an assistant officer in the palace next year. Is there any place you want to go?"

Zhu Yunwen immediately said cautiously, "I will follow your Highness's arrangements."

This kid really knows how to judge the situation. Even if he is dissatisfied, he has calmed down over the past few years. He is so timid in front of Zhu Yunhuan that he dares not express any opinions.

But this is obviously a good thing. Having a younger brother who is less troublesome and timid can also save Zhu Yunhuan a lot of worries. After all, these royal family members can be difficult to deal with if one is not careful.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "You are my brother, so you should not be wronged. Don't go to the frontier. It is bitter and cold over there, and you don't have the ability to guard the frontier. What do you think of going to Jingxiang?"

Zhu Yunwen naturally had no objection, and he kowtowed quickly, smiling happily, "I will obey your order."

If I were really assigned to be a king in the north, I would suffer. Even if Jingxiang is not as good as Jiangnan, it is still a good place, not desolate, and not unsuitable for the local climate and soil! (End of this chapter)