Daming: I am the Crown Prince

There is nothing much to say about enthroning his younger brother as king. Even if there were some unpleasantness before, he must still be enthroned.

If I really do nothing, not only will the royal family talk about me, but the whole world will laugh at me.

What should be given will definitely be given, but when giving some treatment, there may be some little thoughts of one's own. It may seem that the treatment is good enough, but in essence it will be very harsh.

But Zhu Yunhuan didn't intend to treat his younger brothers in this way. There was no need to be so cunning. The overall situation had already been decided. There was no need to disgust others with such a small move. He could be more generous.

After a busy day, Zhu Yunhuan came to the West Palace and saw Old Zhu basking in the sun alone, so he asked, "Where's the little one?"

"We can't take care of him. He gets more naughty as he gets older." Old Zhu said helplessly, "He just came back and he wants to go out again. We don't want to cause trouble, so we let Miao Jin take him out."

Zhu Yunhuan found it funny when he heard it. "This kid is getting more and more naughty and daring. I am now thinking about the time when I ascend the throne, I am afraid that he will make trouble nearby. This is not good."

Old Zhu seemed to be thinking about something, then asked suspiciously, "You're not blaming me, are you? It was me who said I would bring Wen Yao to watch the ceremony, and it was me who said I would teach him the rules. Are you afraid that I've ruined your chance?"

Zhu Yunhuan was speechless for a moment, "Grandfather, we don't need to be like this, right? I just mean that kid is naughty, how could he have so many problems?"

Old Zhu then lay down comfortably and said, "It's useless even if I want to say something. This is the old emperor who is about to abdicate. No one will pay attention to me. From now on, you are in charge of this palace. It's hard to say whether I can see people or not!"

Zhu Yunhuan was not frightened by what Old Zhu said. In recent years, Old Zhu liked to say some jokes, even some sarcasm. If he was really frightened by this, it would be unreasonable.

Zhu Yunhuan could more or less guess whether Zhu Yuanzhang had other intentions, so his mentality was naturally calmer at this time.

"The fourth child came to see me today. I guess he wants to be crowned king." Zhu Yunhuan took the tea handed to him by the maid and said, "This child is quite thoughtful. He is afraid that I will bring up the past."

Old Zhu snorted unceremoniously, "You petty thing, you dare to go against me at your age, and dare to tell me that you want to compete for the position of Crown Prince! I am angry just looking at your brothers!"

Old Zhu still had some anger left as he continued, "The more I watch them, the more I feel that the three brothers are all of the same character. They look okay on the surface, but they are cowardly and weak at heart, and have no sense of responsibility."

"This is not a bad thing. Although it is a bit heartless, it is also my duty." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "As long as they are not allowed to take charge, it is fine."

Old Zhu thought about it and felt that it made sense. "Your brothers are also incompetent. This is good. Their incompetence saves you trouble. Competent people are more thoughtful and will cause trouble later."

There is nothing wrong with saying this. The three brothers of Zhu Yunwen have high aspirations but low skills, which is indeed not a bad thing.

Zhu Yunhuan did not hide his thoughts. "If the fourth and fifth sons are like Yunwen, it would be a good thing. I am afraid that they will act recklessly when they arrive at their fiefdoms. These princes will have no restraints when they arrive at their fiefdoms."

Lao Zhu originally wanted to refute, but he was speechless for a moment. This was because there were so many cases of this kind that he was now a little lacking in confidence.

Look at Zhu Yunhuan's uncles, this is the best proof. Many of them were well-behaved and honest when they were in Yingtian Prefecture, but they became cruel and absurd when they arrived at their fiefdoms.

"I summoned several nobles today and discussed with them the issue of succession of titles." Zhu Yunhuan also spoke up and continued, "The titles of Duke Xin and Marquis Deqing should be passed down."

Old Zhu thought about it carefully and then asked, "The title of Duke Xin is to be passed down, but have you decided whether to give it to Tang He's son or his grandson?"

Zhu Yunhuan said, "When I returned to my hometown that year, Duke Xin entrusted Tang Sheng to me. I thought it would be best to give him the title, which is the legitimate thing to do."

Old Zhu was silent for a moment before asking, "That's true. Tang Sheng is Tang Ding's descendant after all. If you ask me, if Tang Ding were still alive, this title should have been his."

This probably also reminded him of himself, except that what was at stake was the throne, while what was at stake was the title of Duke. The difference was that Tang He's grandsons did not fight for it, but his son did not give up.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Old Zhu and asked seriously, "Grandfather, I know that the court has been controlling the number of nobles in recent years. But I think the number of nobles now is appropriate, not too many."

"It's not a big deal if there are more or fewer titles." Old Zhu said, "Even if the titles are hereditary, the court can afford it."

This is also true. Although dukes and marquises are hereditary and their ranks are super-ranking, their salaries and so on are not really a big deal and the court will not have too much burden because of them.

Zhu Yunhuan understood what Old Zhu meant and said, "I asked those veterans to retire two years ago. Now they are back to enjoy their retirement, so there is no need to worry too much."

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan say this, Old Zhu laughed. This is the good thing about his grandson, he is more thoughtful and thinks far ahead. He abolished many titles in the past, and it was not because he was stingy and refused to give salaries.

The bottom line is that the power of the nobles was too strong in the early years of the founding of the country. The civil service group could not be supported in a short time, and the royal family also needed some time to grow.

Therefore, the simplest and most brutal approach is to find a reason to directly depose some nobles, so that the balance in the court can be better controlled.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "I also know that many people here are not capable enough, but considering their ancestors' meritorious service, the court cannot ignore this."

Old Zhu nodded and said, "You are right. Some people were not allowed to inherit the title before because they were too incompetent. Now that you have ascended the throne, you should show your grace and let those who can inherit the title inherit it."

This was an opportunity for Zhu Yunhun to show kindness, so Zhu Yunhun naturally would not stop it. He could also fully understand some of Zhu Yunhun's motives for doing so.

The so-called general amnesty and so on, does seem to be a way of showing grace, but it may not necessarily win over some people's hearts immediately.

In the final analysis, these amnesties were mostly for ordinary people, criminals whose crimes were not serious, etc. From the perspective of the rulers, this was just a "universal celebration" for good luck.

Now that some titles can be passed down, this is directly aimed at the noble group. This is also Zhu Yunhuan's base after all, and the Huaixi nobles and so on are not just casual talk.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "Many of these nobles are unreliable. Do you know that?"

"If it weren't for my mother, the founding dukes wouldn't be reliable." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Grandfather, look at what my two uncles have done over the years?"

Old Zhu laughed when he heard it. It was not that Chang Sheng and Chang Sen had done something bad that was hard to talk about. It was simply that the things assigned to them were dispensable. To put it in the most inappropriate way, the two were like clay Buddhas, placed in a seemingly prominent position. But if you look closely, after praying and talking for a long time, there was no response at all.

They can't make decisions or do anything, so the two of them just say they are the uncles of the Crown Prince.

With such an attitude towards the two uncles, no one dared to let them do anything, so naturally there was no hope for some incompetent nobles.

Lao Zhu believes that this approach is very necessary. After all, if incompetent people occupy certain high positions, it will only do harm and will only make things worse.

Zhu Yunhuan also continued, "In fact, let alone my two uncles, I don't dare to use many of my relatives. After becoming rich, these people have no ambition to make progress."

Hearing what Zhu Yunhuan said, Old Zhu couldn't help but sigh. He understood this truth very well. In fact, he felt some things more deeply than Zhu Yunhuan.

Those who followed him to conquer the world were all outstanding people, and each of them had real abilities. However, most of their descendants were incompetent, or even useless.

In Lao Zhu's opinion, none of these noble descendants can surpass their ancestors and fathers. It is good enough if they can keep their titles, and it is promising if they do less illegal things.

"Let them inherit the title next year. The imperial court has only reduced the titles over the years, and it's time to change it." Old Zhu said with a smile, "A new emperor appoints new ministers. It's time for you to make the decision."

Zhu Yunhuan also smiled and nodded, "A few years ago, I sent back a group of old ministers. Who knows, those people are probably blaming me in their hearts."

Old Zhu was unhappy and glared at me, "How dare they! You asked them to go back home to retire. They have fought for half their lives and now they are going back home to retire in glory. If they blame you, they are ungrateful!"

Old Zhu was so protective of his shortcomings, and this was also what he really thought. After all, three years ago, Zhu Yunhuan did send a group of veteran generals back to their hometowns, built houses for them, gave them memorial archways, etc., and it seemed that they were enjoying unlimited glory.

However, some nobles were also feeling unhappy. In Yingtian Prefecture or at the border, they were dukes, marquises, and generals. When they returned to their hometowns, they were just nobles with good reputation but without real power.

This kind of psychological gap is quite large, and not everyone can accept the gap of losing power. Having only a title but no real power would make one feel even worse.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "I think so too. It would be a good thing to be able to return home with honor and wealth. It would be a good story of monarch and ministers, and bring honor to the family."

Old Zhu stared at Zhu Yunhuan and always felt that his grandson spoke in a sarcastic tone. However, he had gotten used to it. This child was good in every way except that his words were sometimes unpleasant, but after listening to them for a long time, he got used to it.

As he was speaking, Zhu Yunhuan heard a babbling sound, and there was no doubt that it was the little guy Zhu Wenyao.

Zhu Wenyao appeared, with a fat face and a seemingly serious expression. He ran in from the palace gate on his short legs and went straight towards Old Zhu.

"What's wrong?" Old Zhu immediately picked up his fat great-grandson and asked with concern, "You were so happy when you went out. Could it be that someone has offended you?"

Zhu Wenyao leaned towards Old Zhu and pointed at the grove, "It stinks."

Lao Zhu understood immediately and said with a smile, "Just find someone to do the shit. Do you have to rely on us?"

Although he complained, Old Zhu was in a very good mood. He immediately carried Zhu Wenyao towards the grove. Naturally, the maids and eunuchs quickly got up the toilet, chamber pot, etc.

"No one is allowed to look!" Old Zhu smiled and squatted down holding Zhu Wenyao, "No one is allowed to look at our Wenyao pooping, everyone stay away."

Zhu Wenyao was in a good mood. He looked up at Old Zhu and said, "Grandpa."

Old Zhu responded happily, "Hey."

Zhu Wenyao was happy, "Grandpa."

Lao Zhu responded patiently, "We are here! Why don't you pull it!"

Zhu Yunxun smiled and sat on the chair, looking at Concubine Guo Ning, "When did this happen? You didn't say anything about taking care of your shit and piss before, you just recognized your grandfather?"

Concubine Guo Ning smiled and replied, "It's just these few days. I guess people will forget about it in two days. His Majesty said before that no one is allowed to see it now."

No wonder, Zhu Wenyao had always worn open-crotch pants before, and he liked to squat down and show off his fat buttocks whenever he had nothing to do. When he was free, he would pinch his buttocks a few times.

There is no doubt that Lao Zhu is good at taking care of children. Just look at Zhu Wenyao lying on Lao Zhu's lap and humming some unknown tune, and he looks very comfortable.

Old Zhu wiped Zhu Wenyao's butt and said, "Go wash your hands, or your father will nag you again. This good boy has learned to be clean from you."

Zhu Yunhuan just chuckled at this. Although Zhu Yunhuan was usually very rough, he would not be unhappy at all if his descendants became refined, as that would make them appear noble.

After washing his hands, Zhu Wenyao was happy, "Dad."

Zhu Yunhuan picked up Zhu Wenyao and weighed him. He smiled and said, "It's a bit heavy! The weight is just right! Dad will be the emperor in a few days, how about you be the crown prince?"

Zhu Wenyao spoke in a baby voice, not understanding the meaning but answering simply, "Okay."

Old Zhu seemed very happy, "We Wenyao should be the crown prince! When the time comes, I will teach you how to fight and how to scheme. Your father is definitely not as good as you. He didn't learn well when he was young, and your grandfather didn't teach him well, so he is just a half-baked one!"

In Zhu's mind, Zhu Yunhu was taught privately by Zhu Biao, and he never doubted this. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain how such a useless playboy could be so scheming and resourceful.

But it didn't stop Old Zhu from looking down on Zhu Yunhuan sometimes. He didn't learn all the methods well enough. After all, he wasn't taught since he was a child, and he still lacked the skills. (End of this chapter)