Daming: I am the Crown Prince

The honest and dutiful Zhu Shangbing, the low-key and polite Zhu Jihui, the seemingly honest and reliable Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Yunwen, who has been virtuous and kind since childhood, were all Zhu Yunwen's childhood playmates.

The five brothers studied together when they were young. Zhu Yunhu was the only one who was playful and active. He seemed to be unlearned and a dissolute man.

But Zhu Yunhuan knew that Zhu Yunwen's kindness and virtue were only on the surface, and he was mean and cruel in his heart. Zhu Gaochi looked kind, but he was dark inside.

On the contrary, Zhu Shangbing and Zhu Jihui were a little "abnormal". After all, the King of Qin and the King of Jin were the two least famous princes in the Ming Dynasty, but these two brothers were very rule-abiding people.

"Grandfather, I will issue an order to have them come to Yingtian Prefecture after the New Year." Zhu Yunhuan was not polite at all, "Yunwen will not come, but all princes over the age of fifteen will be asked to come back."

Old Zhu thought about it and felt a little excited. "There are not many grandchildren I have seen, and even fewer around me."

No, although he had many sons and even more grandchildren, Zhu really only had some impression of his first few grandchildren. Zhu Yunhuan and others who grew up and studied in Yingtian Prefecture were all familiar to him.

When it came to Zhu Youdun, the fifth uncle's family, Old Zhu had seen him less often, and most of the other princes' sons had never seen him.

In fact, in Zhu's eyes, the "grandson" is the one who is the legitimate son. He is willing to meet the legitimate sons of his other sons.

"It is definitely not possible for the prince to return to the capital, so let the princes send a congratulatory message." Old Zhu became serious and said, "You still have to be careful about your second uncle and third uncle. You should not be careless at all."

Zhu Yunhuan was silent for a moment and then nodded, "I know what's going on. I'm not really worried about my second and third uncles. It's the other uncles who might make mistakes at any time, or my brothers."

Old Zhu glared and said, "Your uncles don't dare to act recklessly, so where do your brothers get the courage? The military power has been taken back, what can your brothers use to compete with you?"

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Isn't it because I'm afraid of being bewitched? If there are treacherous ministers trying to please me, I might get confused. In the Ming Dynasty, there are still people who dare to rebel in recent years, let alone the vassal kings."

Old Zhu was speechless for a moment. He knew there was nothing wrong with saying this because that was the reality.

"In recent years, I have taken away the military power of the princes and reduced their supplies because I don't want to cause the Seven Kingdoms Rebellion or internal strife." Zhu Yunhuan said, "But the princes' power and status are there, and I don't plan to change them."

Zhu Yuanzhang believed this, and Zhu Yunhuan had made some small moves against the princes, which Zhu Yuanzhang had seen. The reason why he did not object was that those small moves would not endanger the lives or inheritance of the princes.

As an emperor, having these suspicious thoughts was not a bad thing in Zhu Yuanzhang's opinion.

Zhu Yunhuan only reduced their power, which was some of the small moves he made against the princes. In various places, the princes still had a transcendent status.

There are a lot of people who want to curry favor with the vassal kings. Even if they cannot serve the emperor, they can still make a good living in the local area if they serve the vassal kings.

The identities of the princes have some natural advantages and appeal. If someone really goes crazy and is bewitched and forgets everything, he might really cause some trouble.

"If those bastards really show up, it's not your fault." Old Zhu thought carefully and said, "I'm not worried now, but I'm afraid that the royal family will not behave themselves in the future if Wen Yao gets the upper hand."

No one can predict this kind of situation for sure. Zhu Yunhuan's worries and Zhu's uneasiness were all because there were too many similar situations in history.

But there is no need to think about such distant things now. It is better to deal with the things at hand in a down-to-earth manner. This is the top priority.

In the final analysis, there has not been any rebellion by any vassal kings yet. In fact, judging from the intelligence feedback from all sides, these vassal kings of the Ming Dynasty are all abiding by their duties and have no intention of rebelling.

Thinking about things too far in the future is obviously making yourself uncomfortable and making yourself feel bad, which is not something a smart person should do.

This worry is a matter for the future. Zhu Yunhuan will have time to make further arrangements, and he must not create a Zhu Chenhao.

However, it now seems that this trend is basically not seen during Zhu Yunhuan's tenure. As for whether this situation will occur under Zhu Wenyao's leadership, it will probably depend on what Zhu Yunhuan does in the future.

As long as some foundations are laid, there is no need to worry too much. A series of reforms to the Ming royal family can also be done slowly, and there is no need to rush now.

Since Zhu Yuanzhang had no objection to letting the censors go down to supervise the local areas, Zhu Yunhuan naturally had nothing to worry about. He did not intend to drag the matter out and would deal with it decisively.

Zhu Yunxun called the six ministers and Lian Zining and others and said, "I will order the thirteen supervisory censors to inspect the orphanages in various prefectures and cities. What do you think of this, my dear ministers?"

Ru Hong replied without thinking, "Your Highness, I think there should be such an order. The Imperial College was involved in the matter of the orphanage this time, and there may be some corrupt officials in other prefectures."

No one thought that Ru Hong was flattering, and no one thought that Ru Hong's worries were groundless. Now someone had tampered with the orphanage in Yingtian Prefecture, and the situation in other prefectures far away might be even worse.

After all, poorhouses were not only found around Yingtian Prefecture. There were also poorhouses in provincial capitals all over the country, and there were even more poorhouses in places with better economic conditions.

In the final analysis, the Ming Dynasty had experienced thirty years of recuperation, and the people seemed to be able to live and work in peace and contentment. However, there were still people who became widows and orphans for various reasons, and it was not even a particularly rare thing.

Bao Zhao stepped forward cautiously and said, "Your Highness, I also think that we should order the Censorate and other government offices to inspect various places, but the Hongcang case has not yet been concluded. Isn't it a little early?"

It is very normal for Bao Zhao to have these thoughts. He simply feels that the Hongcang case is the source of a series of subsequent cases. Now that the source of the case has not been completely settled, it is not good to create unnecessary trouble.

As the Minister of Justice, he is under a lot of pressure now. If the censors really go down to inspect various places and find out some more things, his tenure as the Minister of Justice will be over.

Besides, there will be some really big events coming up, and it seems a bit inappropriate to send the censor to inspect the local areas in a hurry at this time.

Zhu Yunhuan said unhappily, "Look outside, the autumn wind is blowing and snow is about to fall. When will you send people down? Will you wait until the widows and orphans can no longer survive and then go to collect their bodies?" Bao Zhao immediately knelt down and said, "Your Highness, calm down! I am not against this move, but now that the censors are inspecting various places, I am worried that it may be too much."

"Too much is as bad as too little?" Zhu Yunhuan understood instantly and said meaningfully, "You are worried that some officials are thinking about the new emperor's ascension to the throne and want to make some noise at this time. You are afraid that those people will cause a big crime, right?"

Bao Zhao knelt down obediently, but he did not refute this statement. He was indeed worried that such a thing would happen, and the probability of such a thing happening was not even small.

It is said that a new official will make three big moves when he takes office, and the same is actually true when a new emperor ascends the throne. There must be a series of policies and so on, and everyone wants to work hard to show themselves, not only to show power, but also for fame.

The Hongcang case has not yet been concluded, but it has already spread all over the city. Some officials from Beijing may continue to look for problems when they go to the local areas, and small things may also cause big incidents.

On the other hand, for the sake of political achievements and to win credit, some officials may be forced to confess and ignore the facts. Framing colleagues is also common in the officialdom, and this is also a means of quickly getting promoted.

When the new emperor ascends the throne, he naturally has to make some noise to prove his ability and seek the opportunity to be discovered and valued by the new emperor.

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it carefully and said, "What you said is reasonable. People's hearts are the most difficult to bear. There are patriots who care about their country, and there are also opportunistic parasites. These things must be considered."

"How about this, I will select a virtuous prince consort to be in charge of this matter." Zhu Yunhuan spoke up, feeling at ease, "If there are no restrictions, I'm afraid someone will cause trouble."

These important officials suddenly felt that Bao Zhao might have been tricked. His Highness had obviously had some plans in advance and was just waiting for Bao Zhao to propose them, and then he would take the opportunity to make the move.

This is the current situation. There is no time to waste, and we are also afraid that some officials will act recklessly. So we let the royal family and relatives get involved, and everything will become legitimate.

Ru Rong and the others were upset. His Highness still did not trust the civil officials as usual. Touring the country was originally the job of the Censorate and the censors.

But now, His Highness has directly arranged for the external relatives to be in charge of this matter. It would have been fine if he did not conceal his attitude, but the most important thing is that he is further weakening the power of civil servants, and even these upright censors are not spared.

The situation is stronger than people. Even if there are some complaints at this time, they cannot speak out. After all, the previous series of events were caused by the civil servants, so they naturally lack confidence now.

Zhu Yunhuan continued to make arrangements and said, "It is the duty of the censors to inspect, but it is related to people's livelihood. The Ministry of Justice will take the lead. After the inspectors go down, they must quickly find out the facts of the case and make a decision. They must also provide timely assistance to the orphans and widows."

Ru Hong and others understood immediately that this inspection of the roads was obviously not just a simple inspection.

If it was just a simple inspection by the Imperial Censors, they would only have some supervisory power, and at most they would submit reports to the emperor. But now, all the ministries have to send people to quickly solve cases and provide relief, which is no small matter.

No wonder the Crown Prince wanted to let the royal family and relatives go as well. This was almost a temporary decentralization of some of the power of punishment, which also showed that the Crown Prince was intolerant of these corrupt officials.

Maybe it really is a big case. If there is no supervision, some people below may become bloodthirsty and some false and wrongful convictions may occur.

Yu Xin suggested cautiously, "Your Highness, if we just make the decision, isn't that a bit hasty?"

Chen Di also seconded the proposal, "Your Highness, I think what Minister Yu said makes sense. If we just make the decision, I'm afraid some people will be dealt with before the facts of the case are clear, which is not good."

They are not just worried about the escalation of the case, they are also worried that the decentralization of power will cause disorder and there will be some infighting in the officialdom.

For many people in official circles, using the heads of their colleagues to dye their own official hats red is certainly not a psychological burden. Once in official circles, it is natural for them to want to climb up as much as possible. This is human nature.

Zhu Yunhuan said without hesitation, "I have naturally thought about these things, but some things should be cut off quickly. If the people's hearts are lost, it will be difficult to regain them. Only by enforcing the law can the people see the majesty of the court."

Ru Rong and others didn't know how to refute. There was actually nothing wrong with the Crown Prince's point of view, which was to use the heads of corrupt officials to prove the court's position to the people.

This approach is actually very effective. The court previously used corrupt officials to make the people suffer. Now the court directly kills corrupt officials, which means that the court still cares about the people.

Especially when it comes to vulnerable groups such as the orphans and widows, there will be more discussion among the people about the court, and these matters naturally need to be handled more simply and clearly. Hiding them will only lead to more criticism.

Zhu Yunhuan also gave the civil officials a reassurance, "The important criminals must be carefully examined. Letting the royal family and relatives take charge of this matter is naturally because we are afraid that some people will kill indiscriminately."

This must be done. It is true that power should be decentralized, because these cases must be dealt with quickly. However, we cannot really think that this is holding the imperial sword. Some things should not be done this way.

Zhu Yunxun then smiled and said, "The Jinyiwei, Beizhenfusi and other government offices should also accompany us."

The civil servants felt even more complicated, but they were all very clear that such things were bound to happen, and for such major cases, the Crown Prince would definitely send out spies.

These factory guards do not just monitor the officials sent down, they naturally also have excellent reconnaissance capabilities. In the final analysis, it is these factory guards who are good at gathering information, interrogating people, etc. They are absolute masters.

This means that a large team will be dispatched to patrol the local areas. It can even be seen that this time it may not just be aimed at a series of cases involving the Hongcang case.

This time it is very likely that the Crown Prince sent officials to inspect the local areas under some pretext. This is also to make a series of preparations for his next administration, which is to investigate the people's livelihood, administration and other conditions in various places.

There is no need to be surprised that the Crown Prince did such a thing. It seems that every decision he makes always has deeper meaning.

Everyone still needs to be careful, the new emperor is about to ascend the throne, and some policies and so on may undergo a series of changes! (End of this chapter)