Daming: I am the Crown Prince

The child is happy, the emperor and the crown prince are happy. If these two are happy, everyone else will naturally be happy too.

After all, the power of these two was too great, and not all emperors held great power. Some emperors were restricted by the ministers around them, and even killed by eunuchs.

Zhu Yunhuan was happy, and the nobles in the Five Military Commandery were naturally happy too. Although some of them didn't know the inside story, it was rare for the crown prince to summon a group of nobles before ascending the throne, so this was a great event.

If you think about it more, you will feel that this is a manifestation of the Crown Prince's attention to the nobles, and it is not that the nobles are too optimistic.

Since the crown prince was enthroned, he has never concealed his respect for the nobles. Over the years, he has entrusted them with important tasks and has shown no tendency to reduce their power.

Back then, when the crown prince had not yet been enthroned, a group of nobles were summoned to the Central Army Commander's Office to discuss the handling of Jiangxia Hou behind closed doors. Until now, there are many different opinions among the civil servants.

Now that the Crown Prince is about to ascend the throne, he has summoned a group of nobles to this special place, the Central Military Governor's Office. There must be some major events, so they continue to discuss some things behind closed doors.

The status of the nobles was still guaranteed, and they were still the confidants of the crown prince. Even if the civil officials were dissatisfied, they could only endure it at this time, and there was no sign of them getting out of this situation.

There is nothing wrong with being optimistic, and the current noble group has reason to be so optimistic.

Although no one knew what kind of big event it was, the Duke of Kaiguo, the Duke of Liang, and even the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Ying all looked relaxed, which meant that it was not a bad thing.

If it is not a bad thing, then there is naturally no need to be nervous. The pressure is already high every day, so there is no need to scare yourself.

After briefly dealing with some matters after leaving the court, Zhu Yunhuan hurried to the Five Military Commandery.

Looking at the Qianbu Corridor on both sides, Zhu Yunhuan said with some emotion, "When I came here, I was stopped by someone and could only stand here and shout. Only now did I meet the nobles."

Zhang Fusheng flattered him, "Your Highness is joking. Your Highness has always been trusted by His Majesty."

"What do you know?" Huo Xian said jokingly, "When I broke in here to meet the Duke of Kaiguo, you didn't even know where you were serving. It's no use telling you this, because I was only the third grandson of the emperor at that time!"

Zhang Fusheng could only smile at this time. He had also learned about some things before the crown prince was enthroned. But even if he knew, there were some things he couldn't say.

Zhu Yunhuan had no intention of making things difficult for Zhang Fusheng. Perhaps only he could feel some things, and others could not empathize with him since they had not experienced it together.

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan striding into the Central Army Commander's Mansion with his head held high, a group of nobles immediately stood in their seats in an orderly manner.

Zhu Yunhuan looked around and said directly, "Yesterday, I summoned the Duke of Ying and others, and I was also moved by the meritorious officials such as the Duke of Ying who followed my grandfather in the war and helped the country."

Fu Youde was the first to kneel down. It must be said that the Crown Prince really gave face to the Duke of Ying. He often praised this veteran and always gave him many compliments.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "There are fewer and fewer veteran generals in the court. Many of them are from our fathers or even grandfathers, and they are all enjoying the legacy and merits of their ancestors. Some of them are not very capable, but fortunately most of them still have some achievements."

Chang Sheng stood there with a clear conscience. He was the most incompetent nobleman in everyone's eyes, the typical example of a "tiger father and dog son", even though his title was the highest.

But he felt at ease and had no guilt at all, nor did he think there was any problem. As long as he had a good child and good luck, that was enough. He didn't need to worry about anything else.

His father passed away early, his eldest brother broke the law and was exiled, and now his eldest nephew is in power. Chang Sheng's position is as firm as a mountain. What else is there to worry about?
Needless to say, Chang Sheng was very proud of himself. There weren't many nobles like him, but there weren't too few either.

Not every noble has a bright future. Judging from the current situation, there is no second or third generation of nobles in the Ming Dynasty who can surpass the first generation.

This is already a common phenomenon. The better one is Xu Huizu, the worse one is Chang Sheng, and the ones who are neither good nor bad are Guo Zhen and others. Everyone knows this well, so naturally they won't potter about others.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Although some nobles have retired, the court cannot forget the contributions of these veterans. It is also time to consider those who have not yet inherited the title."

Many people were excited at this. Although those standing in the Central Army Commander's Office all had titles, they still had to consider their children and grandchildren if not themselves.

There are some people in the imperial court who have failed to inherit the title, and the title is just left there vacant, which makes people anxious.

If there is a reason, it is naturally that the person who was supposed to inherit the title was too mediocre and could not even pass some seemingly very basic tests.

But in all conscience, even if the assessment is just a process, the court should give people a chance. The assessment standards are there, but they just don't carry it out. It's just empty promises and nothing can do but watch.

The assessment of some military commanders was in full swing, because those people were on the "front line", so the court would not delay it. But as for the titles, they would delay it as much as possible.

"Your Highness is wise!"

The Central Military Governor's Office was filled with congratulations. These were all related to their own interests, so of course these nobles were very enthusiastic.

"Report the eldest sons of the appropriate age in each mansion." Zhu Yunhuan was a good man and said, "It is time to confer titles on the crown princes of each mansion. This palace and other nobles are also happy."

Zhu Yunhuan's words made these nobles even happier. Although not everyone met such conditions, it was a good start, and it would be smooth for their descendants to inherit the title in the future.

If he was made the crown prince, then it would be natural. Otherwise, when he reached the age, he would first enter the palace to become a guard of honor, and then find an official position to be placed, leaving aside the issue of succession to the title.

A son may not be able to inherit the title, but a grandson may be able to inherit it if he works hard. If that doesn't work, a great-grandson may have a chance to inherit it.

The title has always been there, but whether it can be inherited smoothly sometimes really depends on the emperor's mind, which is also a headache for many nobles.

But even if you have a headache or are anxious, you cannot complain in front of the emperor. This is the way of a subject.

Some of Zhu Yunhuan's practices seemed to be fair and would benefit many people. In the long run, the system of inheriting titles would be further improved.

These are also what he should do. After all, the noble group is also a basic group, so he naturally needs to consider maintaining them and ensuring some structures in the court. Zhu Yunhuan looked at Xu Huizu and said, "Although Xu Qin is not old enough, he is the eldest grandson of the King of Zhongshan. He should be the first to be appointed as the crown prince this time."

Xu Huizu knelt down immediately and said, "On behalf of my son, I would like to thank Your Highness for his great kindness!"

Zhu Yunhuan turned his head and looked at Fu Youde and said, "It will be difficult to confer the title on Long An. It will be inconvenient for the Duke of Ying to have two heirs."

Fu Youde naturally understood Zhu Yunhuan's joke. The current Prince of Yingguo was Fu Zhong. Although Fu Rong was of the right age, he was still a grandson anyway, so how could he "jump over the line" directly?

Zhu Yunhuan then said, "Long'an is eleven this year, so we will send him to the palace to study. Xu Qin will also come, and Duke Cao's Bingzhi will also come. The Duke's sons who are over eight years old will be sent to the palace to study. Those who have titles but no official positions and are over fifteen years old, regardless of whether they are descendants or legitimate, will enter the palace as honor guards."

Continue to treat everyone equally, and no one has any objection to this arrangement, because judging from a series of previous arrangements, this is the traditional promotion route for nobles.

It is not only the sons of noble families who can enter the palace as honor guards. Most of the sons of noble families can also enter the palace. Even illegitimate sons can enter the palace. This is also an advantage of the noble group.

The path for the children of nobles to enter officialdom is relatively simple, and their starting point and room for advancement are also very high.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Guo Ying and said, "Marquis Wuding, you are a veteran and highly respected. You and Marquis Changxing should help Duke Ying to handle the affairs of the nobles. The inheritance of the titles of the various families cannot be delayed."

Guo Ying and Geng Bingwen also looked at each other. This was an awkward task and would offend people, but now they had no choice but to take on such a task.

In the final analysis, inheriting the title at this time will easily make some people dissatisfied, feeling that their wealth and honor have been taken away.

Especially the descendants of Tang He, the Duke of Xin, would quarrel. If the father died and the son succeeded, there would be no problem. But if it came to the system of primogeniture, there would be no problem at all.

The lineup sent out now includes the highly respected Fu Youde, Guo Ying and Geng Bingwen, and the Huaixi nobles have nothing to say.

Fu Youde's title and prestige are high enough, Guo Ying and Geng Bingwen are serious Huaixi nobles. Guo Ying is one of the 24 generals of Huaixi, and Geng Bingwen's father Geng Junyong is also one of the 24 generals of Huaixi.

What's more, Guo Ying was Zhu's confidant, and Geng Bingwen's son married the crown prince's eldest sister.

These three first-generation dukes and marquises are now in charge of the affairs of the nobles, and many people have to endure it even if they are dissatisfied.

Such an arrangement is naturally necessary. Zhu Yunhuan also knows that these things are sensitive. Once interests are involved, it naturally means that many people will do anything regardless of the consequences.

Zhu Yunhuan's expression became serious, and he said, "You know that things have been busy these days, so keep your children in check. If anything happens again, even if I want to let you go, the court law will not allow it!"

In fact, there was no need for Zhu Yunhuan to remind people of these words, as everyone present was actually very aware of them psychologically.

At this time, it is necessary to manage the people in the mansion. There is no shortage of dandies in the noble families, and some people are lawless. If something happens at this time, a small matter will become a big one.

Think about Zhou Ji, the son of Zhou Dexing, Marquis of Jiangxia. His family of marquis suddenly lost its title, leaving only two sons who are now far away from the central government and serving as middle-level military officers in local areas.

There are so many lessons from the past, but unfortunately many people don't learn from them. If something like this happens to your family, it will be too late to regret it. This kind of treatment is really too great.

After Zhu Yunhuan had warned everyone, he said, "The Duke of Guo stays, Marquis Wuding and Marquis Changxing stay, and the rest of you leave."

Many nobles also bowed and left one by one. Zhu Yunhuan looked at Lan Yu and said, "I am too lazy to say anything to you. The Duke of Kaiguo is your nephew, and I am his nephew. It is difficult for me to say anything to you. Just keep it in mind."

Everyone else looked at Lan Yu, but they all seemed not to find anything strange and thought that this was all very normal.

Lan Yu was embarrassed. He did have some complaints before. He felt that he was suppressed by Fu Youde again. He was naturally very unhappy and couldn't help complaining.

Zhu Yunxun then said to everyone, "You guys are in this position, so there is no need for me to say more about some things. It doesn't matter if you are nobles and have the same blood at ordinary times, but you must be cautious at this time."

Fu Youde and others quickly spoke up, "We will obey your highness' orders."

"It is because of my grandfather's broad mind that I am where I am today." Zhu Yunhuan ordered, "You must take the lead in presenting a petition to praise my grandfather's majesty and benevolence."

Fu Youde naturally had no objection and quickly expressed his opinion, "I understand and will obey your orders."

In fact, there is no need for Zhu Yunhuan to say much about these things. Even though Zhu had abdicated, some of his influence was still there. How many civil and military officials in the court really believed that the Ming Dynasty had become the country of the crown prince?

It was simply because Emperor Hongwu was willing to give up power that Zhu Yunhuan, who was about to become Emperor Chengkang, was able to hold power. If Zhu Yunhuan had not been willing to give up, he would have been a puppet.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood this truth, but there was no need to worry too much about many things. Old Zhu was willing to give up, and no one knew this better than him.

I carefully explained to these nobles some things that require their attention, and this is also the right thing to do.

After all, it is such a sensitive moment and there are indeed too many things to do, so we need to do them well and there can be no delays at all.

After finishing the business of the Central Military Governor's Office, Zhu Yunhuan was not idle either. He still had a lot of things to do and still could not relax at this time.

Carefully check the preparations for the ceremony. Even if you have been avoiding suspicion before, there is no need to be pretentious now. Ask about what needs to be asked and check carefully when necessary.

Not only Zhu Yunhuan was busy with these things, Xu Miaojin was also very busy at this time, carefully checking the preparations for some grand ceremonies and asking about many things.

Even Old Zhu was not idle, holding the noisy Zhu Wenyao to check. But there was one good thing, Zhu Wenyao loved to play and make trouble, and now he was very happy, and was a little reluctant to go back to the West Palace. (End of this chapter)