Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 91: Working Down to Earth
The inheritance of incense is a really big deal for most people.

No matter whether it is the kings and nobles or the common people, no one dared to be careless about this matter.

Lan Yu had always felt that he might be letting his ancestors down. He thought that the title he had obtained with great difficulty might be cut off by him, and that he might even have no descendants in the future.

But now he saw some hope. In Lan Yu's eyes, his nephew was like his son!
Chang Sheng is under a lot of pressure now. He doesn't even have a son, but suddenly he has to take on the responsibility of helping the Lan family to carry on the family line.

The most important thing is that the crown prince has always believed that the Chang family will definitely have a Chang successor, and he has even helped to pick a name. And if that little guy is really born, the Kaiping Palace and the Liangguo Palace will definitely hold him in the palm of their hands.

Chang Lan was expectant and worried at the same time, "Your Highness, if you do this, there will definitely be criticism in the court."

Lan Yu became anxious. How could there be any criticism?

Zhu Yunhuan said, "There will be some criticism. The court does not grant titles easily now. For example, the Duke of Song wanted to pass the title to his nephew Feng Cheng, but the court did not allow it. My eldest uncle was also the nephew of the Marquis of Runan, but the court did not allow him to inherit the title. That's why I said that the Duke of Liang's contributions are not great enough now."

Lan Yu immediately stood up and said excitedly, "Your Highness, I can still make new achievements. I hope Your Highness will have mercy on me!"

"We are family, so we should keep some things to ourselves. You just need to know them, but don't let them spread." Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "If the title is to be inherited in the future, the Duke will definitely not work. A downgrade to Marquis will be enough. There is no rush for my second uncle's matter, as he is not childless."

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan say this, Chang Sheng felt a little less stressed. But seeing the burning eyes of his mother and uncle, Chang Sheng suddenly felt more stressed. If he really couldn't give birth to a son, he would be a sinner!
Zhu Yunhuan looked at Lan Yu and said, "Don't think I'm lying to you. You'll see it when you're old. I won't admit it if this gets out. Just keep it in mind."

Lan Yu and others nodded repeatedly. If this matter were to get out, not to mention some nobles, even many civil officials would probably run to the emperor to beg for mercy, and the inheritance of incense and incense would be cut off for many families.

Lan Yu was smart now, and quickly asked, "Your Highness, I will apologize when I go to court tomorrow!"

"Apologize?" Zhu Yunxun was so angry that he laughed. "What crime are you apologizing for? The people's land has been sold, and the adopted sons have been sent away. You still want to apologise? Don't take in any more adopted sons in the next few years. Control your temper. You can go riding, hunting, eating, drinking and having fun, and no one will say anything to you. But you must not disregard the law, or you will get what you deserve!"

Chang Lan immediately scolded Lan Yu, "You are a warrior with no brains, just listen to His Highness! You are also lucky, the prince protected you before, and now His Highness is willing to support you. If you don't make any progress, don't blame me for not recognizing you as my brother!"

"No, no!" Lan Yu said in a flattering tone, "I always thought that this was it. I had no hope in my heart, so I just thought that I would be happy as long as I could. I didn't dare to think long-term."

This may also be true. Without offspring, Lan Yu may have no hope.

Zhu Yunxun sighed and said, "Don't think you can only rely on your second uncle for this matter. You are not that old now, and maybe you can have a child."

There were some things that Zhu Yunhuan was not comfortable saying directly. He was only fifty, still very young. He already had wives and concubines at home, and maybe he already had children.

Lan Yu said happily, "Of course, it's good to have one more hope! The Chang family and the Lan family are one family, one family!"

Zhu Yunhuan said nothing more, and stood up and said, "That's good, I won't say anything else. My mother risked her life to give me this life, and it is her blessing that I am where I am today. Whatever happens to other nobles, I will naturally take into account the laws of the court, but the affairs of the Chang family are my business."

Lan Yu and others also became serious and did not think that Zhu Yunhuan was just saying sweet words to win people's hearts.

The Crown Prince is pure and filial. This is also what is being spread across the government and the public. His statements are also in line with today's universal values.

No one is perfect, and Zhu Yunhuan was naturally aware of Lan Yu's arrogant behavior. However, he could not ignore his abilities and roles.

Zhu Yunhuan did not expect Lan Yu to be as cautious and respectful as Xu Da, the King of Zhongshan, and be a role model for a minister. As long as he could be more restrained, that would naturally be the best, and he would be extremely relieved to use him.

Even if the so-called Jingnan Campaign was not important, the imperial court would still need to use military forces in many areas in the future.

Fu Youde and Feng Sheng were old, and Xu Huizu, Li Jinglong and others lacked experience in major battles, so Lan Yu's importance became more prominent. In the next decade or so, Lan Yu would definitely be the first choice for the general.

We talked about some serious matters and then had a happy meal together.

Zhu Yunhuan seemed to care even less about the rules. He did not separate the tables for men and women, nor did he give each person his own small table. The whole family sat together, eating, drinking, chatting and laughing. This was also very good.

The happiest person must be Chang Lan. Her daughter died young, her eldest son got into trouble and died outside, and her son and younger brother often made mistakes. I don’t know how depressed she must have been over the years.

But now everything seems to be no longer a problem. The little grandson has become the crown prince, and can help take care of his useless great-uncle and even more useless uncle. This is a great blessing. After eating and drinking, Zhu Yunhuan wanted to stay and talk, but the eunuch in the palace came to remind him.

Zhu Yunhuan had no choice but to bid farewell to Chang Lan reluctantly and return to the palace.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunxun and asked with a smile, "How is it?"

"Not bad." Zhu Yunhuan looked at Old Zhu and said with a smile, "Lan Yu doesn't look like a domineering person. I think he has a simple mind. Let's take a closer look, otherwise I might be wrong about him."

Old Zhu smiled and said, "You are right. He is just simple-minded, like a warrior. It is true that he did those bad things, and it is also true that he is domineering. If you can control him, you will be able to use him in the future. Your father used to bully him a lot, and he often made him cry."

In fact, what Old Zhu was most satisfied with was the closeness that Zhu Yunhuan said in front of the Chang family. Old Zhu did not doubt that what his grandson said was from his heart.

But no matter what, Zhu Yunhuan is still surnamed Zhu and is the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty.

Therefore, the final stance and so on is still on the side of the Zhu family and the country, and this is also what makes Zhu the happiest.

The Chang family is powerful, but so what?
Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan with a smile and asked, "What do you think of that sixth-place winner? Should we give him the post of prefect of Yingtian Prefecture?"

Zhu Yunhuan immediately shook his head and said, "That won't work. The prefect is a third-rank official, and he is a sixth-rank editor."

Old Zhu said nonchalantly, "That's not a problem. If he has the ability, we can make an exception. We have promoted many officials."

"I know. It's not impossible to promote him several levels." Zhu Yunhuan said, "The main reason is that he has been studying all the time and is now studying in the Hanlin Academy. He has never been a people-friendly official or an administrative official. It is definitely not possible to let him take charge of Yingtian Prefecture now."

Old Zhu was even happier about Zhu Yunhuan's insight.

Zhu was quite satisfied with Xu Guan, the top scholar in the six poems. His knowledge was beyond reproach and he had some experience. In Zhu's opinion, this person was worth training.

Because of Ouyang Lun's incident a few days ago, the position of Yingtian Prefecture Prefect became vacant, so Old Zhu naturally thought it would be appropriate to let Xu Guan go.

Talent and ability are one thing, and it was also because he heard that Zhu Yunhuan admired Xu Guan very much.

Zhu Yunhuan said, "Choose a mature and prudent prefect and transfer Xu Guan there. I remember that his experience as a sixth-rank official is also suitable. If he can make some progress, then he can be promoted to a fourth-rank councilor, which can also be considered a promotion for him."

Old Zhu smiled and nodded, "Okay, if you are not happy to be appointed a prefect, then give him a job title. But you still have to do this favor, lest he thinks that this job title is earned by his own ability. Since you have rewarded someone, you must let that person know in his heart and remember your kindness. If you have done a good deed, you must let people know, especially to your ministers!"

Zhu Yunhuan joked, "Grandfather, don't worry. If he doesn't know, I will have someone explain it clearly when he takes office. Now everyone in the Five Cities Military Department knows that they got their positions because of me."

Old Zhu smiled and stroked his beard, "That's right. A few days ago, someone was talking nonsense in front of me, saying that all the soldiers in the Five Cities Army were from noble families."

"Let them say whatever they want." Zhu Yunhuan said indifferently, "As long as those people don't tell grandfather that I am plotting something bad by taking control of Yingtian Prefecture, it's fine. If I hear the toad croaking, why don't I just farm?"

"Those people wouldn't dare to say that." Old Zhu laughed even more happily, "You, you are a little overbearing. We just want you to learn from your father, but why do you do things and behave like us!"

Zhu Yunhuan deliberately said wittily, "I learned everything. How can I have the means and abilities of my grandfather? Now I have learned something weird. I am not like you or my father. I have learned a little bit of both the good and the bad."

Old Zhu waved his hand and said, "Okay, I'll send someone to look for you later. Did you read the memorial given to you yesterday? Send someone to ask and get a proposal for us as soon as possible."

Old Zhu was also a master of time management, and he arranged the time for Zhu Yunhuan very clearly.

After visiting relatives and friends, come back early to get down to business. Since you are the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty, you must seize the time to learn more about handling state affairs.

Zhu Yunhuan had nothing to say about this, just get used to it.

Meeting an emperor as diligent as Zhu Yuanzhang, the crown prince couldn't think of sitting idle. Even though Zhu Yuanzhang had said before that Zhu Yunhuan could relax a little, it was obvious that his so-called "relaxation" was not considered relaxing in the eyes of normal people.

(End of this chapter)