Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 77: Expectations for the Emperor's Uncle (First Order Request!)
The preparations for the enthronement ceremony of the Crown Prince were quite thorough, after all it took nearly a month to prepare.

However, Zhu Yunhuan's enthronement ceremony ended very suddenly, without the usual grand banquet.

The reason is that according to etiquette, Zhu Yunhuan is still in mourning, so smart people would not think about banquets at this time. Because this would only embarrass the newly-minted crown prince and make the emperor very unhappy.

So on the second day after the enthronement ceremony, all officials presented their congratulations, and that was enough.

At the same time, a number of vassal kings including Prince of Qin Zhu Chong submitted petitions to return their fiefdoms, and the emperor approved them without hesitation.

Although he is reluctant to leave his sons, Mr. Zhu has also gotten used to life without them around.

Zhu Gang was very embarrassed. He was the only prince left in Yingtian Prefecture. Together with his brothers who had not yet been enfeoffed, he continued to live cautiously in the palace.

As the crown prince, Zhu Yunhuan had to send his uncles out of the city before he had time to go to the Taimiao.

Zhu Yunhuan originally had ten uncles who were enfeoffed. His eighth uncle, Zhu Zi, Prince of Tan, was worried about being involved in the Hu Weiyong case, so he burned himself to death and had no offspring, which led to his death without a posthumous title and the abolition of his kingdom. His tenth uncle, Zhu Tan, Prince of Lu, died after taking elixirs for a long time, but fortunately he left behind a son, Zhu Zhaohui, who was only five years old, so he naturally did not need to come back.

Even the King of Shu, Zhu Chun, who was far away in Sichuan, hurried back and was about to return to his fiefdom just after attending the ceremony.

By this calculation, a total of seven princes left Beijing this time.

Old Zhu specially asked Zhu Yunhuan to leave the city with a full ceremonial guard. Although the enthronement of the grandson had already been announced to the world, he still had to show his presence when it was time, after all, his age was a bit embarrassing now.

When they got to the outside of the city, Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhu Chong and said, "Uncle, I can only send you here."

Zhu Chong laughed and said, "No need to do that. We usually go on pilgrimage every year. It's not like we won't see each other anymore!"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "That's true, but it will be hard to see all the uncles come back next time."

The princes were not allowed to come together to pay homage, and they were not even allowed to travel at different times. Instead, a prince had to arrive in Yingtian Prefecture, return to his fiefdom, and then pass on a message to the next prince before he could leave.

Zhu Chong looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said with a smile, "You are now the crown prince. Do you have anything to say?"

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it carefully before speaking, "Second uncle is enfeoffed in Xi'an, which is an important place. But second uncle should also understand that the court still needs to suppress the Qiang area. After second uncle returns, he should train the troops when it is time to train them. Whenever there is a rebellion, as soon as the court's order arrives, second uncle should lead the army to fight."

Xi'an's location is too special. If the imperial court wants to send troops to Gansu, Qinghai and other places in the northwest, Xi'an is the first choice. Including sending troops to the Western Regions, Xi'an is also the most important location.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Although the city walls have been newly built before, they are just some of the passes. Second uncle should also check them frequently."

Zhu Chong smiled and said, "If we go there often, will the emperor be able to rest assured?"

Zhu Yunhuan didn't care about the hidden meaning in Zhu Chong's words. "Tongguan is the key to the Three Qins after all, and it is located at the strategic point of Qin, Jin, and Henan. Second uncle should often go to Tongguan, Hanguguan, Wuguan, and Dasanguan."

It has to be said that Qin Wang Zhu Chong had a special status, as can be seen from the fact that his fiefdom was in Xi'an, the "ancient capital of thirteen dynasties."

The importance of Hangu Pass and Tong Pass in the east goes without saying. Wu Pass and Yao Pass in the south are fortresses for defending Xi'an.

Needless to say, the Dasan Pass in the west is Guanzhong in the north and Bashu in the south. So this place is also very special and must be taken seriously.

To the north is Xiaoguan, which was the best defense point for the Central Plains dynasty against the Xiongnu. Once Xiaoguan was in danger, Guanzhong would be shaken.

Zhu Chong nodded slightly and said seriously, "I understand. No matter how bold I am, I dare not be careless about the matter of Qin's four passes."

After saying this, Zhu Chong saluted formally, then led a small number of guards and left.

After Zhu Chong left, Zhu Di stepped forward.

Zhu Yun opened his mouth and said to Zhu Di, "Beiping was originally the capital of the Yuan Dynasty, and it was an important town. Although the Yuan Tartars fled north, there are still some remnants. The court must continue to suppress them, and Fourth Uncle should also train his troops diligently. Whenever there are Tartars disturbing the border, Fourth Uncle should control the troops and fight them according to the order."

Zhu Di was familiar with this situation at this time. The year before last, he had commanded all the troops and marched out of Gubeikou to attack Nairbuhua, the Taiwei of the Northern Yuan Dynasty.

It was also during that battle that Zhu Gang and Zhu Di had some grudges against each other, because the surrender of Nairbuhua was considered as their own credit by both princes.

The Yuan Dynasty has collapsed, and the tribes on the grassland are still fighting, but they still have a chance to make a comeback. So it is necessary to continue to attack and disintegrate them.

Zhu Gang, the Prince of Jin, and Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan, will be the two main candidates for the imperial court to go north to the frontier. However, the Prince of Yan is more concerned with the nomadic peoples in the north, while the Prince of Jin must also prepare to govern the northwest, and the Western Regions also need the Prince of Jin to put pressure on them.

After hearing Zhu Yunhuan's instructions, Zhu Di immediately accepted the order, saluted, and left with his men, not even bothering to say hello to Zhu Gaochi.

He still remembered what happened when they first met Zhu Yunhuan, and was afraid that Zhu Yunhuan would mention Monk Daoyan again.

Zhu Yunhuan just smiled. Monk Daoyan couldn't escape. He had plenty of ways to send Monk Daoyan back to Yingtianfu.

When Zhou Wang Zhu Su also started to step forward, Zhu Yunhuan started to laugh, "Uncle Wu, I also know that you have always liked herbs. If you like these, you can call on the experts in the medical field to compile a pharmacopoeia. This is also a good thing to save the people and benefit the common people."

Zhu Su's eyes lit up, and he said quickly, "I have this idea, but I'm afraid I'm not up to it." Zhu Yunxun said affirmatively, "Uncle Wu has summoned some doctors, so they naturally dare not fail to do their best. Besides, Kaifeng is not far from Yingtian Prefecture, and the imperial doctors can also go to help Uncle Wu."

Zhu Su said happily, "Well, let's discuss it later."

"Uncle, Kaifeng is the former capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. Now that the Yellow River has changed its course, you should remember to have people dredge the river regularly." Zhu Yunhuan instructed, "Once there is a flood, the people will be displaced and their livelihood will be miserable. That would be bad."

Zhu Chong also became serious and said, "We must keep this in mind and not be careless."

As soon as Zhu Su left, King Zhu Zhen of Chu stepped forward.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at his uncle and said with a smile, "Uncle, you are guarding Wuchang. You must not be careless in conquering the barbarians and training the troops. In addition, Uncle should be diligent in farming and cultivating fertile land in Jingchu."

If Huguang is well-fed, the whole world will be well-fed.

That was something that happened in the middle and late Ming Dynasty in history, but the development of Huguang should also be carried out consistently.

Prince Zhu Yu of Qi stepped forward. He was somewhat proud of his military prowess and did many illegal things.

Zhu Yunhuan gave serious instructions, hoping that his uncle would train the troops diligently and defend against the Hu people, and if necessary, he would go to war with the Prince of Yan after receiving the imperial decree.

It is hard to say whether Zhu Yuanzhang took it to heart. This King of Qi, who was demoted to a commoner by Zhu Yunwen in history and became even more arrogant after being restored to the title during the Yongle period, was indeed not that respectful to Zhu Yunhuan.

But Zhu Yunhuan didn't care, the King of Qi was really nothing.

Looking at Zhu Chun, Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "Uncle Eleven, you have been traveling all the way and have worked hard."

Zhu Chun smiled and said, "That's right. I feel bad for not being able to come back to see my brother off for the last time."

Zhu Chun, a scholar from Shu, was one of the best scholars in the Zhu family. He was also a wise king in the true sense. He greatly reduced taxes, formulated market regulations in Shu, and finally brought order to Shu.

Moreover, his princess consort was Lan Yu's beloved daughter, so she was considered to be a "close relative" to Zhu Yunhuan.

Zhu Yunhuan became serious and said, "Uncle Eleven, the people of Shu have won over. Uncle should be more lenient, be kind to the people, and exempt taxes for reclaiming good land. If there are barbarians causing chaos, call in troops to suppress them immediately."

Zhu Chun said seriously, "I understand."

Zhu Yunhuan thought for a moment and said, "Shu is also a place of culture and learning, and my eleventh uncle likes to read. Previously, the entire family of Song Shi moved to Sichuan, and I hope my uncle will take good care of them."

Master Song naturally refers to Song Lian, one of the three great masters of the Ming Dynasty, who was also one of Zhu Biao's teachers.

Zhu Chun said solemnly, "I understand. I have already reburied Master Song in the east of Huayang City."

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Allow the family of Master Song to offer sacrifices in spring and autumn. If there are scholars who want to pay their respects, don't stop them. Let me write the tomb inscription in a few days, and your uncle will be responsible for repairing Master Song's tomb."

Zhu Chun's eyes lit up and he said excitedly, "Your Highness is wise!"

Song Lian was an idol to many scholars. Zhu Yunhuan's writing of the tomb inscription was not only a way for the Crown Prince Zhu Biao to respect his teacher, but also a sign that he valued scholars.

Zhu Yunhuan was still willing to do things that were beneficial but cost nothing. Sometimes, if you want to gain some fame, you have to be very pretentious.

After the King of Shu left happily, only the King of Xiang, Zhu Bo, was left. He was the prince who was forced by Zhu Yunwen to burn himself to death to show his determination, and was given the evil posthumous name "Li".

Zhu Bo's death changed the political direction of the Ming Dynasty to a great extent, promoted the change of imperial power, and marked a new beginning for the Ming Dynasty for more than 200 years.

But all this will not happen now. Zhu Yunxun looked at Zhu Bai, "Twelfth Uncle."

Zhu Bo, who had great ambitions since childhood and always encouraged himself to assist the country and bring peace to the people, looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "Haha! Our nephew is becoming more and more heroic!"

"Uncle Twelve, you are joking. We are not good enough in front of Uncle Twelve." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "I still remember that it was Uncle Twelve who taught me how to ride a horse and shoot arrows when I was a child. At that time, I admired Uncle Twelve the most."

Zhu Bo laughed heartily. At only 21, he was full of vigor and vitality. "You are the crown prince. You will govern the country and take care of the people in the future. As long as we can do it, just give us orders!"

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Uncle Twelve still needs to train soldiers, and the other thing is to cultivate more fertile land."

Zhu Bai nodded seriously, and then said, "But if there is a rebellion in Yunnan and Guizhou in the future, you have to let me lead the army."

Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "Okay!"

Zhu Bo's eyes lit up, and he mounted his white horse and said, "Yun Hu, be filial to your royal grandfather and take good care of the people. I'm leaving now!"

(End of this chapter)