Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 8: The Son is Not Like the Father
Old Zhu's skill in taking off shoes and beating people became more and more sophisticated. He had more than twenty sons, and there were always some who were troublesome.

Even though I can't take care of all of them, I have some experience in discipline. So now I can take care of a troublesome grandson, so it must be no problem.

Zhu Yunhuan rubbed his butt and didn't take it seriously. It was just painful for a while and it would be gone. It was not even a superficial injury.

After cleaning up Zhu Yunhuan, Old Zhu said, "Come on, accompany me to dinner."

Glancing at Old Zhu, Zhu Yunhuan said with a heartache, "I had dinner with my grandfather today, and the East Palace is getting anxious."

Old Zhu was both angry and amused. "We don't know much about the East Palace, but if we want to know, we will definitely find out. Do you believe it?"

Zhu Yunhuan certainly believed it, because he knew that Zhu Yuanzhang was an extremely complicated person. Zhu Yuanzhang could be ruthless to officials and nobles, and he could not tolerate any injustice. However, when it came to blood relatives, Zhu Yuanzhang was blindly tolerant, and he attached great importance to blood ties.

Old Zhu also continued, "If we don't want others to know about the things in the palace, no one can know. Donggong, your father is gone, what kind of Donggong is it!"

Zhu Yunhuan didn't know how to respond for a moment. He didn't know how Zhu Yunwen was viewed in history. But one thing was certain, that is, in Zhu Yunhuan's mind, the country he had built could only be given to his eldest son Zhu Biao.

Since his eldest son failed to become emperor during his lifetime, he must be posthumously named emperor after his death.

Perhaps one of Zhu Yuanzhang's biggest regrets was that he never got to see his beloved boss wear the emperor's crown and robes.

After all, it was still a period of mourning, so the meals were relatively plain and simple, and naturally there would be no alcohol, singing or dancing in the palace.

Old Zhu only ate a little, his appetite was not very good. There were too many sad things, and he was old, so his appetite naturally decreased a lot.

Looking at Zhu Yunxun who was still eating, Old Zhu suddenly asked, "Do you still remember your elder brother?"

"I vaguely remember it." Zhu Yunxun didn't put down his chopsticks, chewing his food while saying, "He likes to scare people, and there are always a lot of people in front of him. Yunwen and I are fine, but Twelve Uncle and the others also follow my brother around."

Old Zhu smiled and said, "Your brother is the eldest grandson of the emperor, and the country should belong to him. Your uncles are about the same age as him, so it's normal for them to play together."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded, "That's true. My brother and I are three or four years older than each other. Uncle Twelve is the same age as him. The older kids don't want to play with the younger kids. They are six or seven years old, and I'm only three or four. No one wants to play with me."

"If your brother were still alive, we wouldn't have to worry about it." Old Zhu sighed and said, "Your brother is gone, and your father is gone too. We are in a dilemma as to who to pass the throne to. Your father was also unfilial. This should have been his concern, but he just left and we have to help clean up."

Zhu Yunhuan said without any taboo, "Give it to me. I am the legitimate son, and Yunwen is the illegitimate son."

Old Zhu knocked on the table and emphasized, "His mother was made the legitimate wife, so he is now also the legitimate son."

Zhu Yunhuan immediately perked up and said, "Count? You also said that he is only considered a legitimate son! Besides, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children is determined when they are born. How can we say that he is considered a legitimate son now?"

Old Zhu was immediately speechless. He had really underestimated the emperor's third grandson in the past. He was not only good at grasping the key points, but also willing to set traps and find faults on purpose.

Old Zhu adjusted his mood a little and asked, "Why do you think I like Yun Wen?"

"He is a good student, and on the surface he looks a bit like my father, who is kind and virtuous." Zhu Yunhuan replied, "He also looks filial, and he has become so thin while guarding the casket. Not only did the civil and military officials praise him, but my grandfather felt sorry for him too."

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan carefully and suddenly asked, "Did your father and brother teach you to be so mischievous?"

Zhu Yunxun quickly denied it, "I didn't, I can't, don't talk nonsense!"

Then Old Zhu had reason to be suspicious, "If it wasn't them, who taught you these things? You've never been around me before, and which of your cousins ​​wouldn't be as scared as a quail when they see me? Even your uncles would tremble if I glared at them!"

Zhu Yunhuan thought carefully for a moment and said uncertainly, "I have been a playboy since I was young and don't know etiquette?"

Old Zhu was a little sulky. Not many people teased him in his life, and only the closest ones dared to do so. This was even more so in private. Sometimes they even deliberately provoked him, as if they felt happy only when they made him angry. At that time, no one regarded him as the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

But these things happened a long time ago, and no one has deliberately provoked him for a long time. Even the eldest brother has become more stable in recent years. It was in the early years of the founding of the country, when his sister and eldest grandson were there, that was the happiness of family and harmony.

Old Zhu opened his mouth and said, "I used to be a monk and traveled around the world begging for food. I know that life is not easy for ordinary people. If I had a way to survive, I would not have joined the rebel army."

Zhu Yunhuan didn't say anything, but he knew some of Zhu's history.

When he was a teenager, his parents died. He worked alone in a Buddhist temple and was bullied by the monks. There was no food in the temple, so he begged for several years.

Old Zhu asked, "We can't stand corrupt officials, so we enforce the law severely. Do you know this?"

Zhu Yunhuan nodded. The Guo Huan case and the empty seal case were typical examples of rectifying the administration of officials. The skill of skinning and stuffing straw, and the Jinyiwei's surveillance of officials were all developed and promoted by Zhu.

Seeing Zhu Yunhuan nod, Old Zhu asked again, "Many people outside say that I am harsh, but your father is kind. What do you think?"

"If my father really wanted to be tolerant, he wouldn't have to observe politics for so long." Zhu Yunhuan suddenly asked, "I heard that my father always disagreed with my grandfather's political views and they often quarreled. Is that true?"

According to a series of records left by Zhu Laosi after the Jingnan Campaign, Prince Yiwen and Emperor Hui were incompetent. He even boasted that Zhu's favorite crown prince was originally Zhu Laosi.

Old Zhu smiled and said, "Your father has argued with us a lot, but we have argued without hurting each other. We all want to govern the country well, and sometimes it is normal to have different political views."

Zhu Yunhuan listened to this and silently wiped tears for the Crown Prince Liu Ju and the Prince of Hengshan Li Chengqian.

The greatest sin of a crown prince is that the son is not like the father, not to mention that he had a quarrel with the emperor due to political differences, but was treated as if nothing had happened afterwards. This is something else that no one else can do.

At this time, Old Zhu said, "In times of chaos, it is not right to use severe punishments and harsh laws all the time."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded, "That's true. It's not good to always use harsh laws. From this point of view, Yunwen is indeed better than me in this aspect. Grandfather, think carefully. In the past, there were civil officials in Eastern Zhejiang, and now there are civil officials in the south. Can Yunwen control them?"

Old Zhu pointed at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "Your father scolds you behind closed doors all day long. Is that what he scolds you for? Why doesn't he teach Yunhuan the same thing?"

This time, Lao Zhu really misunderstood, but his misunderstanding seemed to be justified.

Who is Zhu Yunhuan? He is the third son of the Crown Prince Zhu Biao. He has been known as a playboy since he was young. He doesn't like to study and only seeks pleasure. But how can such a thirteen-year-old child have such insights into the court situation? Could he have figured it out by himself?

You have to know that the grandchildren of the emperor, Zhu Yunwen and Zhu Yunhuan, could only study before and were not allowed to get involved in government affairs. Even the princes were not allowed to get involved in government affairs, let alone contact with court officials.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and asked, "If you were the emperor, what would you do?"

Zhu Yunhuan thought for a moment and said, "Moving the capital, my father wants to move the capital to Luoyang, right?"

Old Zhu stared at Zhu Yunhuan with sharp eyes and asked, "Tell me, why does he want to move the capital? Isn't Yingtianfu good?"

"How can a unified dynasty be achieved by living in a corner?" Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "The north has just been recovered, and the people's hearts have not yet been won over. The division between the north and the south is also a taboo for the court."

Old Zhu put down his bowl and chopsticks and said to Zhu Yunhuan, "Starting tomorrow, go to your father's coffin early to guard it."

Zhu Yunhuan had no objection, as it was his duty to keep vigil.

(End of this chapter)