Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Chapter 348 It’s natural
Although I had visited the Prince of Kaiping's Mansion and Chang Lan before, it had been some time since then.

During these days, Chang Lan's physical condition has not improved at all, and he even looks weaker and weaker. Everyone even has some not-so-optimistic speculations.

Things like birth, aging, sickness and death are really beyond human control. Some things really make people feel powerless, and kings and generals have no way to deal with them.

Although it is a sensitive moment, it is no problem for Zhu Yunhuan to go to the Prince of Kaiping's mansion more often. This is not to deliberately show his filial piety, but also because the crown prince also has human nature and emotions.

It can even be said that under the current circumstances, the ministers in the court can understand if they go to the Kaiping Palace more often. If they go there frequently, many people will complain privately.

If he really met some stubborn people, they might directly impeach and advise him. After all, the Kaiping Palace was not only Zhu Yunhuan's maternal family, but also nobles and in-laws.

Naturally, you need to maintain a certain distance. Even if you are very close, there is no reason to go over there often. That is not a good thing.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Chang Sheng and asked, "Where is my uncle? He hasn't said anything these days, so I can't ask too much."

Chang Sheng quickly replied, "Duke Liang has been very careful with his words and actions these days. Apart from working, he goes home after leaving the yamen. He has been very well behaved these days and has not been drinking much."

Zhu Yunhuan didn't find it strange at all that Lan Yu was like this. It didn't necessarily mean that Lan Yu had made progress, but that he was really a little anxious.

Given Lan Yu's personality, although he was often criticized by Zhu Yunhuan, he has indeed been more disciplined in doing things in recent years and seems to have made no mistakes, etc., which basically makes people feel more at ease.

But sometimes, his personality of not thinking before speaking can really make people angry and funny, and this is a personality that can't be changed. If he said a few words in private, there's nothing to say.

Lan Yu had this kind of personality. He thought he was close to the former crown prince Zhu Biao, so he dared to speak ill of Prince of Yan Zhu Di to his face. Now that he was close to Zhu Yunhuan, he dared to complain about other princes in private.

If Zhu Biao and Zhu Yunhuan did not know Lan Yu's character, people would really think that this great general was trying to alienate the royal family.

There are only four generals in the court now. The first is Fu Youde, the second is Lan Yu, and the third is Feng Sheng. Xu Huizu is not a general. The fourth is Li Jinglong.

"He's really anxious now. He's always been close to my grandma." Zhu Yunxun sighed and said, "You should persuade him to drink less these days. If he drinks too much, he will definitely cause trouble."

Chang Sheng naturally knew what was going on. He was actually a heavy drinker, but he didn't dare to do anything rash at this time. Even when he was drinking, he was very restrained.

My uncle was brought up by me. Even though he is a duke now, he is still a laughing and joking brother who doesn't care about his image in front of me. When he was in the Duke of Liang's Mansion, it was Chang Lan who was in charge.

In Lan Yu's heart, he never thought that the Chang family and the Lan family were two families, and he never thought of himself as the "head of the family", but rather his sister.

"Where's my third uncle?" Zhu Yunhuan asked unhappily, "He was summoned back to the capital earlier, why hasn't he come back yet?"

Chang Sheng quickly explained on Chang Sen's behalf, "Your Highness, he still has some things to deal with. He should be back in the next two days. Taicang is not far away."

"If you're not far away, you should come back more often!" Zhu Yunhuan said somewhat dissatisfiedly, "It's already this time, coming back to show your filial piety is better than anything else!"

This is the dilemma for Chang Sheng, Chang Sen and others. The Crown Prince's words are naturally fine. But as ministers, they actually have no choice at this time.

Filial piety is of course extremely important, and they are all very anxious. However, those tasks must be done well, and officials cannot easily leave their jobs and return home to fulfill their filial piety. There is no such freedom.

It is a big deal to sacrifice public office for personal gain, not to mention that Chang Lan is just ill now. If something really happens, the emperor will directly "take away the love", and the ministers can only continue to stay in office with gratitude, and the people of the world can understand it.

Chang Sen has not reached that stage yet, but if he is in a hurry to come back now, I don't know if other people will have big opinions, but it is true that Chang Lan will be the first to get angry.

Zhu Yunxun then asked, "What happened with Third Uncle? It's been several days, and he hasn't come back yet? Is he really planning to wait until after my birthday to come back?"

Chang Sheng quickly replied, "It's about installing cannons on warships. Earlier, Li Yuancheng from Annan said that he had improved the cannons and was trying them out over there."

"How come I don't know?" Zhu Yunxun was stunned for a moment, then he didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "How are the cannons on the ship being modified now?"

As the eldest son of the eldest son of Hu Jinluo, a powerful official in Annan, Li Yuancheng was directly detained in Yingtian Prefecture by Zhu Yunhuan and forcibly assigned an official position and job. These things actually caused some ministers to complain for a time.

This was a very undiplomatic thing. Li Yuancheng came to Yingtianfu as an envoy to report on the domestic situation in Annan. Even though everyone knew that this was a whitewash, the surface article still had to be taken care of.

But now, he was kept in Yingtian Prefecture and was granted an official position by the court. People who don't know would think that the crown prince kept him as a hostage, as if this would make Hu Jinyi afraid to act rashly.

Chang Sheng quickly replied, "It doesn't seem to be a big deal. I just added a few wheels. Not only can it go farther, but it also seems to be more accurate."

Although there are no red cannons or the like now, some artillery also exist. The power varies. The big iron cannons used to defend the city are naturally more powerful, and there is no need to argue about this.

Some large ships of the navy also have cannons. This is not an improvement that only came about during the Ming Dynasty. During the Yuan Dynasty, some large ships also had cannons, and efforts have been made to improve them.

It's just the recoil and other issues, which must be considered for many warships. Especially for some powerful artillery, firing a shot may even cause the ship's course to change or the deck to crack.

"I'm afraid you don't know much about this matter. I'll ask someone to ask again." Zhu Yunhuan was a little expectant. "This Annan man is quite capable. If he really does something, it will be worth it."

These are naturally what Zhu Yunxun thought in his heart. He really thought so. He kept Li Yuancheng here just for the sake of proton or not.

Li Yuancheng was known as a firearms expert when he was in Annan, and he had unique insights into improving firearms. Now keeping him in Yingtian Prefecture can help the Ming Dynasty improve its firearms.

This is how to bring out the value. Staying in Annan can only help Hu Jinyi to usurp the throne. In Ming Dynasty, he has the opportunity to grow into a weapon master and the god of firearms. What a good deal! Zhu Yunhuan began to feel proud. Although some of the things he had arranged before seemed to take a little longer, at least he saw some results.

This may just be the beginning. There may be more surprises and gains in the future, which are also things worth looking forward to.

I chatted with Chang Sheng for a while, not only about politics, but also about family matters. After all, Chang Sheng's identity is different. He is not only a founding duke, but also Zhu Yunhuan's uncle and his staunch supporter.

"Go and have someone tell the Crown Princess to arrange to go to the Kaiping Palace tomorrow." Zhu Yunhuan said to Zhang Fusheng, "By the way, how is your job as the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department going?"

Zhang Fusheng immediately knelt down and said gratefully, "Thanks to your highness's appreciation, I will be promoted to the eunuch in charge of the seal in a few days. Your Majesty has sent someone to convey the oral order."

Now Zhang Fusheng can proudly call himself a "eunuch". In fact, if he reaches the level of junior eunuch, he can be called a "eunuch", but the circumstances are special. The eunuch who holds the seal is the pinnacle of eunuchs.

Eunuch is not just an identity, but also an official position for many people. Not all castrated men can be called eunuchs, let alone eunuchs or grand eunuchs.

"That's as it should be. You're diligent and careful in your work, which is good." Zhu Yunhuan was relatively tolerant of the people around him, and he was not stingy with his affirmation. "Do your best in the future, and don't let me down."

Zhang Fusheng naturally kowtowed repeatedly to express his determination. This was not just a pretense, but a true reflection of his inner thoughts.

There are quite a few eunuchs in the palace, and even more who are eager to climb up. It is an indisputable fact that many of them may have some abilities, but they have no chance to succeed.

Being able to work for the Crown Prince is itself a great opportunity. It is true that the Crown Prince has valued and promoted Zhang Fusheng over the years, and has not punished him for trivial matters. This seems to be even more worthy of gratitude.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally didn't bother to care about Zhang Fusheng's gratitude. He really liked people who could get things done and also liked people who were easy to use.

The reason why Zhang Fusheng was given such an important position was not just because of Zhu Yunhuan's trust, but also because of his ability. If he didn't have some ability, he wouldn't be able to grasp the opportunity even if he was given it.

After all, working by Zhu Yunhuan's side seemed to bring unlimited glory and a high status, but if one made mistakes again and again, it would simply be a way to death. Without the ability, no matter how much trust one had, it would be useless.

Having received such unexpected yet reasonable good news, Zhu Yunhuan must have been very happy and had more expectations for the future.

Now he has formed the first army equipped entirely with firearms. The Ming Dynasty's firearms are continuing to develop and are still at the forefront of the world. This in itself is something to be happy about.

But Zhu Yunhuan also knew that this really could not be considered his credit. It was nothing more than the previous generation planting trees for the next generation to enjoy the shade. It seemed that he was just picking the ready-made fruits.

Gunpowder has been invented for a thousand years, and has been used in military affairs for five hundred years. It has also been used to demonstrate its power in wars for two hundred years.

This is a clear development trend, and Zhu Yunhuan seemed to have pushed it forward. But if he had not done so, Zhu Di in history would have formed an army equipped with only firearms a dozen years later. It's that simple.

What Zhu Yunhuan is doing now is to provide certain resources, and continuously promote and improve them so that the development of Ming Dynasty's firearms can be smoother. It would naturally be best if the power could be greater.

Take it slow. The firearms of the Ming Dynasty are now unrivaled in the world. They are invincible and extremely powerful in the wars of this era. This seems to be something worth being happy about.

However, Zhu Yunhuan’s requirements were higher. Although the current firearms had developed well, they still had a lot of room for development compared to the firearms he had in mind.

This means that continuous improvement and invention are very necessary. We must not be complacent because of some of the current progress, nor should we think that the development of firearms has reached its peak.

There is still a long way to go. Perhaps we should consider investing more resources to see if we can work hard to prove the right direction, and then continue to invest resources and provide guidance.

These are also very important things for Zhu Yunhuan. Investing limited resources into them can help him avoid detours, create greater value and get more returns.

This matter is indeed worth Zhu Yunhuan's careful consideration and it is worth his serious study of the operating space.

It's just that he needs to deal with some political affairs quickly now. No matter his birthday is coming soon or the ceremony is about to begin, it can't change the reality that there are still many political affairs to deal with.

Things are happening all the time in the world, and they are not subject to Zhu Yunhuan's will. Since something has happened, it is natural to seize the time to deal with it.

It is of course a happy thing that big events are about to happen, but Zhu Yunhuan does not need to be overly happy about the ceremony. After all, some things seem natural to him, and handling government affairs is his job.

Ascending the throne and so on are just what he deserves. No one can change this fact, and no one can create more trouble for him in this matter.

This is not blind confidence, but a fact that is obvious to all. Almost everyone can see this situation and this reality.

After dealing with these matters, Zhu Yunhuan still needs to go to the West Palace to borrow the child. It is not easy to take Zhu Wenyao away from Old Zhu. Although Old Zhu recognizes Chang Lan as his relative, it is limited.

In Lao Zhu's eyes, his descendants are naturally his real family. If they have to work hard because of the so-called in-laws, Lao Zhu will not be happy.

Especially when it comes to your own precious and precious things, then this matter will naturally become more sensitive.

Sometimes, Lao Zhu was mean and unkind, and everyone seemed to understand this.

Although he might be scolded by Zhu, he still had to do what he had to do, and this would not be a real pressure for Zhu Yunhuan.

It is only natural to have your own son!

(End of this chapter)