Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 94 Drag the word trick
After the Crown Prince Zhu Yunhuan was enthroned, he seldom appeared in the court, and no one thought there was anything wrong with it.

The crown prince was also like this, he just studied at first. When the eldest grandson Zhu Xiongying was born, the crown prince officially observed the government. At that time, the practice was that all political affairs were handled by the crown prince first and then reported to the emperor. The crown prince "met with the ministers every day, listened to the announcements of various departments, and practiced state affairs."

So when the crown prince appeared in the court, he requested the emperor to reduce the number of old and young people in the process of relocating people to Yunnan, and requested that the court should provide more care, distribute land, exempt taxes, etc. during the process of relocation. The emperor agreed without hesitation.

All the civil and military officials in the court immediately sang praises to the Crown Prince, saying that his kindness was beyond compare and he was a role model for the world.

Zhu Yunhuan then petitioned again to set up a Xingdusi in Jianchang, and Zhu approved it without hesitation, praising the Crown Prince for his foresight. He therefore ordered the Five Military Commands Office to cooperate with the Crown Prince in setting up the Xingdusi, and all matters should be reported to the Crown Prince first, and then the emperor would approve it.

All civil and military officials are very familiar with this routine. It was the same when the crown prince was in power.

If there is a difference, it is that the crown prince is in charge of both big and small matters, while the crown prince seems to be specialized in only one or two things.

But on the other hand, the crown prince is still young and does not have much experience in handling practical political affairs. However, on some major issues, the emperor has begun to delegate power and train him without any concealment.

Think about it, there has almost never been an emperor in all dynasties who was able to cultivate and delegate power so carefully.

Emperor Hongwu was truly defenseless against the crown prince. Being the crown prince of the Ming Dynasty was not a high-risk job.

Zhu's attitude made many civil and military officials more worried. Originally, no one dared to express their opinions easily on the issue of appointing a crown prince. After the crown prince was appointed, many officials wanted to observe for a while before considering some things.

But now there is no need to think too much, being able to get close to the Crown Prince is a huge benefit. The current Crown Prince should be the same as the previous Crown Prince, both of whom are the most trusted and beloved by the Emperor. It is not wrong for all officials to obey the orders of the Crown Prince in the Ming Dynasty.

After the court session, Zhu Yunhuan ran to the main hall and sat there quietly listening to the lecture of the great scholar.

Suddenly Zhu Yunhuan spoke up and said, "Gentlemen, please remember that my uncles and brothers and I will govern the country in the future. The most important thing is to have a righteous heart. Once the heart is righteous, everything can be done. If the heart is not righteous, all desires will attack us. We don't need to learn from ordinary scholars. It is useless to just memorize rhetoric."

The great scholars and lecturers naturally did not dare to refute. They more or less understood that what Zhu Yunhuan said was correct. After all, these princes and grandchildren of the emperor did not need to take the exam, so they did not need to learn essays too well.

Zhu Yunhuan then looked at Zhu Gaochi and said, "If uncles and brothers like writing, we can discuss it. But character comes first. Good writing skills are naturally a good thing, but the children of the royal family should first think about how to govern the country."

While Zhu Yunhuan was still speaking, Zhu Gang kept coughing anxiously.

The Prince of Jin was constantly disrupting the normal order of the class, but who dared to say anything? He was really anxious now, and was basically waiting, either waiting on the way to Wenhua Hall or running to the main hall to catch Zhu Yunhuan.

Zhu Yunhuan had no choice but to stand up. He had originally wanted to improve his reputation, but after his uncle's disturbance, it would be impossible. If he didn't leave, the Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin would be the ones to disrupt the order.

"Nephew, can't you plead for me?" Zhu Gang pulled Zhu Yunhuan's arm and said with a sad face, "Look, it's almost the end of the year, and it will be winter soon. If we don't go back, we will have to stay in Yingtianfu for the New Year!"

Zhu Yunhuan found it funny and pointed at the wintersweet and said, "Uncle San, the wintersweet hasn't bloomed yet, how can it be the twelfth month? It's autumn at best now, and it's still a long way from the New Year."

"You can't expect us to kowtow to you again on your birthday, can you?" Zhu Gang puffed his beard and glared, saying, "Nephew, please beg me to let us go back first, okay?"

Zhu Yunhuan thought for a moment and said, "Grandfather Huang did not allow me to plead for mercy. Ultimately, it is up to Third Uncle to decide on this matter."

Zhu Gang knew this truth very well, but he was unhappy when he thought about the reduction of rice salary by tens of thousands of dan.

Zhu had celebrated his birthday in a hasty manner before, without holding a grand banquet for his ministers. It was almost the eleventh month of the lunar calendar, and the ninth day of the eleventh month was Zhu Yunhuan's birthday.

If it were in the past, there might not be a grand ceremony, but this year the situation is different, because this year Zhu Yunhuan was officially canonized as the Crown Prince.

Zhu Gang lowered his voice and said, "How about reducing it by 20,000 dan next year, and by another 10,000 dan the year after, and then by another 10,000 dan. That should be fine, right? If it's reduced to 10,000 dan, we won't say anything. If we reduce it all at once, we'll always feel a little uncomfortable."

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it for a while and said, "Then Uncle San has to go and plead for mercy first before I can help."

"No, no, you have to go and plead for mercy. If we go, it will definitely not work." Zhu Gang immediately put on a high hat and said, "Nephew, please have pity on your third uncle. If I submit a petition to reduce it to 10,000 dan at once, your second uncle will definitely block the road and beat me up. Besides, if it really is 10,000 dan, it will definitely not be enough for next year's expenses."

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it and it made sense, so he said, "Uncle, it's not that we are being mean, but when we submit the memorial, we must clearly state how much we want to reduce each year."

"What can we do?" Zhu Gang said speechlessly, "I'm sure the memorial has made it clear that you will not agree unless the quota is reduced to 10,000 dan."

Zhu Yunhuan couldn't say much, although it seemed that the goal was achieved two or three years late. But on the other hand, the court had already begun to reduce the treatment of some royal family members in advance, but it was not done all at once. Zhu Yunhuan could accept it, after all, there were still more than a dozen princes who had not yet been enfeoffed, and it was acceptable to reduce their treatment step by step.

"Then I will go and plead for mercy, but please let Third Uncle take Ji Hui back with him this time." Zhu Yunhuan said, "It won't be a problem if Ji Hui stays in Yingtian Prefecture, right?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Zhu Gang immediately became excited and said happily, "Don't worry, nephew! I will definitely invite a famous teacher to teach Ji Hui and will not delay his studies!"

Zhu Jihui was Zhu Gang's "eldest son" and he loved him very much. It was a pity that such an eldest son could not be by his side.

Zhu Gang, who was eager to return to his fiefdom, almost forced Zhu Yunhuan to the Wuying Palace, fearing that there would be further changes in the matter.

Old Zhu looked up at Zhu Yunhuan and asked, "Why are you here at this time?"

"I was originally listening to a lecture in the main hall, but Uncle San ran over there?" Zhu Yunhuan poured a cup of tea and handed it to Old Zhu, saying, "I just thought Uncle San would be in trouble, so I tricked him. He said that the quota would be reduced by 20,000 dan next year, and by another 10,000 dan the year after next and the year after next, so there would only be 10,000 dan left."

Old Zhu snorted coldly and said, "Ghost Third! He probably thinks I won't live for many more years, so he's dragging me out here!"

"Not really." Zhu Yunhuan said, "What Third Uncle said makes sense. It is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality. Now all uncles have 50,000 shi, so they are building large-scale projects. If they reduce it to 10,000 shi at once, it probably won't be enough for them. Let Third Uncle submit a memorial and Grandfather will approve it."

Old Zhu pointed at Zhu Yunhuan and said bitterly, "You are just like your father. You are too soft-hearted towards your own family!"

Zhu Yunhuan was determined not to take the blame for this, and the one who was truly soft-hearted was still Zhu.

"Uncle San is also stubborn. If he really stays in Beijing, he will definitely get anxious." Zhu Yunhuan also said, "As for Uncle Er and the others, if the salary is reduced to 10,000 in one go, then they will not blame Uncle San, but me."

Old Zhu asked, "Why is it your turn to blame?"

"I, the crown prince, have just been enthroned, and the princes' annual salaries have been reduced by 40,000 dan at once. Who else can they blame if not me?" Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "By then, people will probably say that I, the crown prince, am narrow-minded and am afraid that my uncles have money and food, so I am holding back and reducing their salaries!"

Old Zhu thought about it and it made sense. He patted his thigh and said, "That's right! As their father, I have to reduce their salary. It's not good to reduce it now that you have just been enthroned."

Old Zhu said again, "Then you will go to court in two days. We will reduce the number to 10,000 shi in one go. You can ask for mercy and let them reduce the number to 10,000 shi within three years."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded, and Old Zhu continued, "Just wait for your birthday and let them share in the joy."

Zhu Yunhuan continued to nod, and Old Zhu also said, "We will issue an imperial decree when the time comes, and they won't be able to blame you in the future. Ghost Third, let's see if he can hold out!"

Feeling that Old Zhu was a little angry, Zhu Yunhuan immediately advised, "Third Uncle doesn't have that intention! I also told Third Uncle to let Jihui go back first. After all, Jihui is older than us, and he can get married next year or the year after next."

Old Zhu nodded and said, "The princess chosen for Ji Hui before was the daughter of Fu Youde. What do you think?"

"No need to change." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Second Uncle and Third Uncle are both good people, they just have a bit of hot temper, but they don't have any bad intentions."

Zhu Yuanzhang had no objection. He just thought what his children and grandchildren thought was best. So Zhu Yunhuan's behavior did not seem strange to Zhu Yuanzhang. He thought it was the best embodiment of the same lineage.

"When your third uncle goes back, let Feng Sheng go with him to train the troops." Old Zhu said, "Your second and third uncles don't have those thoughts, but they have to be on guard. After Feng Sheng has trained the troops, let Chang Sheng take some time to go over there. Once he goes over there, your second and third uncles will understand the intention."

Zhu Yunhuan also nodded slightly. Some things cannot be solved by simple trust, and more preparation is also required.

Old Zhu looked at Zhu Yunhuan with a smile and asked, "How many people in the Five Military Commanders' Office listen to you?"

Zhu Yunxun said depressedly, "It's still a little short of the right time. They all listen to me on the surface, but they are just using the tiger skin to make a big banner. They are all doing it for the sake of grandfather's face. If I really want to transfer them, I can't transfer any of them."

Old Zhu was so disappointed, "It's already this late, and you can't even move one person?"

"Grandfather, how long has it been?" Zhu Yunhuan felt wronged. "It's not even half a year, how can it be so fast?!"

(End of this chapter)