Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 84 Let go
Zhu Yunhuan didn't need to worry about catching criminals, but for many spectators, this was a big deal.

Who doesn't know that Ouyang Lun is the only royal consort of commoner origin in the Ming Dynasty? People say that he is the emperor's favorite son-in-law, which is why he let his legitimate daughter marry him.

But now they saw a large group of Jinyiwei arresting people, and Ouyang Lun’s parents and family were also being taken away crying.

Something big happened!

As soon as Zhu Yunhuan entered the palace, he was called to Wuying Hall by the eunuch waiting at the palace gate.

When Old Zhu saw Zhu Yunhuan entering the palace, he asked, "What do you think?"

"I was thinking about my aunt's feelings and wanted to show some leniency." Zhu Yunhuan said his thoughts, "But my aunt and that person don't have much affection, so there is no need to show leniency."

Old Zhu asked, "Killing is definitely killing, how is it going to be done?"

Zhu Yunxun said, "In recent years, the nobles and relatives of the royal family have committed some illegal acts. In the past, we were more strict with the nobles. Ouyang Lun was directly tried in court and then executed. After all, he is the son-in-law of the emperor, so he can at least deter the illegal nobles and relatives of the royal family."

Zhu Yuanzhang killed many nobles, but he did not kill any members of the royal family or his relatives by marriage.

Perhaps the reason why Ouyang Lun was so bold was that he relied on his status as the son-in-law of the emperor and thought that Zhu Yuanzhang would not kill him.

"Then don't worry about it, let's go kill people." Old Zhu sighed and said, "Back then, I wanted my legitimate daughter to marry him off, and those sons of the noble families must have thought that I still cared about them. Now I am too embarrassed to see your grandmother, why did you choose such a son-in-law!"

Zhu Yunhuan could only console them by saying, "You have become too rich and powerful to care about anything else. Execute the main culprits, and resettle the others or exile them. Return the land that was seized by trickery, and punish the officials who assisted the evildoers."

Old Zhu must have had the same idea. He was always strict with officials. "That's right! Killing a son-in-law can still scare people. In the past, we killed corrupt officials and some nobles. People in the world think that we are reluctant to kill sons-in-law, so let's kill one to show them!"

Not only do we have to kill, we have to kill openly!

There is a fundamental difference between killing a person of status and killing an ordinary landlord.

Zhu Yunhuan was silent for a moment before he said, "How about letting my aunt file the complaint first? That way, no one will talk too much."

"Stupid!" Old Zhu cursed, "She was the first to file a complaint, she was putting justice above her own. Who would dare to get close to such a person in the future? With so much evidence of her crimes, are you still afraid of people talking behind her back?"

After hearing what Zhu Yuanzhang said, Zhu Yunhuan didn't know how to refute it.

Old Zhu also sighed and said, "No matter what, her reputation will definitely be implicated. She is also a confused person and doesn't ask about many things. She hasn't had any children in these years, so it's inevitable that people will gossip about her."

This matter should be handled according to the court laws, but some things must be concealed. For example, Ouyang Lun raised a child, and it would not look good if it was exposed in public.

The more Old Zhu thought about it, the angrier he got. He said, "We have been cleaning up the bureaucracy over the years, and I thought it was getting better. Now I see that at most those people have become more restrained. Once you become an official and have power, not only will you become rich, but your family and clan members will also benefit from it."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't refute it, as such things seemed common sense to some people.

Who doesn’t have a poor relative?

By the same token, if you have wealthy relatives and don’t lend a hand to help your poor relatives, there will definitely be a lot of people gossiping about you.

Especially in a feudal dynasty like today, let alone the clansmen who are closely related, if some dignitaries do not help their fellow villagers, there will be people gossiping about them behind their backs.

Zhu Yunhuan also spoke up, "The administration of officials must be further rectified. They were used to being lax during the Yuan Dynasty, and they still think of those evil tendencies when they come to the Ming Dynasty. However, we cannot condone the illegal activities of the nobles. We should rectify them in the next few years."

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said, "I know what's going on. You take the lead and we will come forward. Do you understand?"

Zhu Yunhuan responded with a smile, "Grandfather, I will have to deal with these matters sooner or later."

"It's true that you will have to deal with these things sooner or later. I'm still here, and I'm not old and confused yet!" Old Zhu said seriously, "In the past few years, you have to establish your authority and build up your reputation. It's not easy for you to do things that offend people all the time, but I don't have such concerns."

Old Zhu then continued, "I was thinking of sending a few dukes away, but now I'll keep them in Beijing. Let Feng Sheng go to Taiyuan with your third uncle to see the situation there first. Your other uncles will also be enfeoffed next year."

Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood this truth. "It doesn't matter if Third Uncle takes charge of the power, but Duke Song hasn't commanded the army for many years." "We don't want him to go to war, we just want him to train the troops." Old Zhu said, "We don't like Feng Sheng. He has made great contributions and is arrogant. This old man can have a good end."

Zhu Yunhuan glanced at Old Zhu and really didn't know what to say.

The sharp-tongued Old Zhu continued, "The Jinyiwei is letting you use it now, you must be looking for something. One Ouyang Lun is not enough, but it is not easy to kill nobles this year, and we have already killed Jiang Xiahou. Also, remember to do things thoroughly, and once you take action, you must be swift and resolute, and don't give those people any leeway!"

Looking at Zhu Yunhuan, Old Zhu said, "I originally thought you had bad luck and always encountered bad things. Now that Ouyang Lun has been killed, it will be good for you. You don't have to rush to deal with Lan Yu."

There is some truth in this. Lan Yu, the one who stood out, really needed to be disciplined, otherwise Zhu Yunhuan would not be able to take action against other nobles.

So let Lan Yu clean up first to avoid a dirty mess.

Old Zhu continued, "In the next two years, no matter what method you use, you must deal with Lan Yu for us! We can still hold on now, and no matter how much trouble the people under us make, we can deal with them. If we feel that we can't hold on any longer, and you don't have the ability to control those people, then we will take them all away in one go!"

Zhu Yunhuan had no doubt that Zhu Yuanzhang would do so. Historically, Zhu Yuanzhang carried out a large-scale purge of nobles in his later years, which was marked by Zhu Yunwen being appointed as the crown prince and culminated in the Lan Yu case.

It is said that if Zhu Biao had not died, Lan Yu would not have to die either; if Lan Yu had not died, Lan Yu, Fu Youde and others would have led the court's superior military forces, and there would have been no chance of Li Jinglong and Zhu Di.

This statement has some truth, but the old Zhu is not completely relieved. After all, he thinks Zhu Yunhuan is a little better than Zhu Yunwen, but it still does not change the fact that Zhu Yunhuan is too young. Even if the old Zhu thinks Lan Yu is also an "old and extinct family", he will still pay more attention to him.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and nodded, saying, "I didn't have to attend the court in the past two years, so I focused on rectifying and winning over the nobles. Besides, I've been a playboy since I was a child, so how about finding something else to do?"

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said softly, "As long as you don't go too far and don't waste your time on playing around, it's fine. You should be in charge of disciplining the nobles. The other thing is the Imperial Guards. You can take over as many as you can."

"When you can mobilize the Beijing Army camp outside Yingtian Prefecture like your father did, we can safely hand over the Five Military Commandery to you." Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan and said expectantly, "If you can lead the officials to report to us on the promotion and demotion of civil officials, we will let you govern the country directly."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded, feeling a little pressured, but more eager to try.

"Show us all your abilities. We are never stingy. Your father never hesitates to do things, but you are used to hiding your abilities. You always like to hold back when doing things, which is not good." Old Zhu said earnestly, "Things are different now. You are the crown prince. The country belongs to you. Who are you guarding against?!"

Zhu Yunhuan said quickly, "I'm not on guard against anyone, but I've also thought that I'm not as straightforward as my grandfather, and sometimes I have to worry about some things. As long as the important things are not delayed, that's fine."

Old Zhu continued, "Don't always think about the nobles, they are simple-minded. Most of these meritorious officials are military men who don't know how to read. They often rely on their merits to become arrogant, go beyond the boundaries of etiquette, and even abandon the law and live extravagantly. Just manage what you should manage, and you should also think about the scholars and royal family members."

Zhu Yunhuan said immediately, "I have thought about this as well. The Ming dynasty previously imitated the Tang and Song dynasties in conferring titles on meritorious officials, with changes made according to the times. I think we should also give some advice when the nobles inherit the titles, so that some people won't be unable to ride a horse or shoot a bow, which would make them a joke."

Old Zhu understood what Zhu Yunhuan meant and said, "Aren't you afraid that people will think you are mean? You won't let them inherit the hereditary title?"

"It's not that they won't inherit the title. The prince will have to be tested before he can inherit the title. Even if they are proficient in leading troops in battle, they can't be completely ignorant of martial arts, right?" Zhu Yunhuan said, "If those people really don't even know these, the title will still be there. When their descendants have the ability and prospects, they can take the test and inherit it."

Old Zhu also smiled a little, "That's good. Some noble families are outrageous nowadays. They are good at eating, drinking and having fun. They know nothing about riding horses or fighting. This is not good."

Zhu Yunhuan said with some worry, "This is what I fear the most. Let's not talk about the Duke of Liang and the Duke of Song. If they were all like the King of Zhongshan, that would be a good thing. But if they were all like my eldest uncle and second uncle, that would be ridiculous!"

Old Zhu immediately tried to persuade him, "It's true that your three uncles are all useless, but they are not incapable of riding a horse or killing people. Even if they are not capable of doing anything important, they are not all good-for-nothings."

This is a bit of a face-saving measure, but it is also the truth.

Zhu Yunhuan's three uncles were not very capable, but at least they had some background as military generals.

However, there are already many noble families who have lost even their foundation.

Just like Zhu's buddy Tang He, his eldest son and youngest son died in the army, and the third and fourth sons died young. Only the second son Tang Fu was left, and he was not very capable either.

Not to mention Tang He, even Lao Zhu was worried about his old buddies.

It is said that the noble group was very powerful during the founding period, but if this group became corrupt and degenerate, the speed would be alarming!
(End of this chapter)