Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Old Zhu has always been aware that Zhu Yunhuan has great ambitions. While he is pleased, he also has some concerns.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's view, he had already conquered the country and achieved unification. There were no serious enemies around that could threaten the Ming Dynasty, and some major contradictions and hidden dangers had also been eliminated.

Under such circumstances, his children and grandchildren only need to guard the country peacefully and steadily without any trouble. Even if they do nothing, they can still become a reliable king who maintains the status quo.

But both Zhu Biao and Zhu Yunhuan were very opinionated people, and they both had their own ideas and ambitions on governance. These were not the types of people who intended to maintain their throne in peace.

This also means that there will definitely be some troubles, and many things will be somewhat different from what Lao Zhu originally arranged, which naturally makes him worried.

But despite his worries, Zhu was also quite happy. "If Huguang can really develop countless fertile fields and the population can increase, the Ming Dynasty will no longer face a food crisis."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded upon hearing this, but still said, "It can only be said that there is more food reserve. If the population is really too large, there may not be enough food."

Zhu asked unhappily, "How many people would it take to not have enough food? If Huguang is really developed for you, you can support 10 million people."

One hundred million, that is, one hundred million people. This seems to be an astronomical figure in today's feudal dynasty, but Zhu Yunhuan thinks this is definitely not the limit of a feudal dynasty.

Whenever a dynasty has stable political situation and relatively sufficient food, it will inevitably see rapid population growth.

There is no need to feel strange about this. Even if the current Ming Dynasty does not have the ability to have a population of 40 million, if the political situation is really stable for a long time, 10 million may not be incredible.

After all, the current registered population of the Ming Dynasty exceeds 11 million households, or about 65 million people, which is a huge increase compared to the early years of the founding of the country.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Old Zhu and said, "Grandfather, what I am most worried about now is that there are too many people and too little land. Now people prefer to stay in the south of the Yangtze River and are unwilling to go to the north and Jingxiang."

Old Zhu understood this truth. "We have been relocating people despite the criticism over the years just to enrich some places. It would be a pity to leave such good land uncultivated. We are also worried about having too many people and too little land."

Jiangnan is great, and everyone knows that it is rich. But if everyone were to be in Jiangnan, there would be too many people and too little land, which would be a hidden danger.

Old Zhu then said with emotion, "In fact, if you think about it carefully over the years, Jingxiang is pretty good, but the people are still reluctant to go there."

No, there were some countries existing in Hubei, Jiangxi and other places during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, but they were called "barbarians" at that time and were considered to be ignorant of etiquette, etc.

After the Tang and Song dynasties, these places have been greatly developed and improved, but there is still no way to change the perception of many people that Jiangnan is the truly prosperous place.

This is normal. Hundreds of years later, people are still happy to be the Lord of Beijing or Shanghai. The various advantages brought by the region do exist, and these are things that cannot be denied at all.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "If I really want to do something, I will definitely think about enriching the people in the north and Jiangxi and Hubei first."

Old Zhu reminded, "Don't forget Yunnan and Sichuan. You also need more civilians in Liaodong. If it's really not possible, let the military households go there first."

Zhu Yunhuan spoke up immediately, "Originally, we can only think about the military households first, and then think about others. The military households had one good thing in the past, that is, when the land was reclaimed, they were given the land to cultivate first. Some military households should also have some land."

Zhu was hesitant to speak. Although there was a system of military farms, many military farms in the Ming Dynasty were as self-sufficient as possible. However, these military households did not actually have any real land.

If these people are given land, then the military households will no longer be just military households, but will become ordinary people, which means they will have to be registered as civilians.

This is contrary to Zhu's idea. He made the household registration system quite strict. Basically, what kind of household registration is required not only for the individual but also for all his descendants.

Even if some people occasionally leave their original household registration, etc., that is a low-probability event and will not have much impact.

Zhu Yunhuan naturally understood Old Zhu's concerns and said with a smile, "Grandfather, don't worry. I won't touch the household registration issue easily. I also know that there is no perfect law in this world. The current household registration system is suitable for Ming Dynasty."

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan say this, Old Zhu felt relieved, "It's good that you understand. I think you are also a smart person. You know some things in your mind. You can't do something rashly."

No, I also know the scissors gap between workers and farmers. Although the land tax will be abolished in the future, completing the task of collecting taxes from the land for thousands of years.

But it can't change some realities. For example, farmers paid a lot in the beginning and their burden was very heavy. A household registration would also become the dream of countless people at that time.

The current Ming Dynasty is even more so. If the household registration system is relaxed now, it will definitely be a bit chaotic. The current Ming Dynasty is suitable for farming, and the people still have to focus on farming.

It is unrealistic to fully develop handicrafts, consider doing business, etc. Those are even trends that need to be suppressed. Farming and so on are the foundation of a dynasty.

Zhu Wenyao didn't understand these things, but Xu Miaojin sat on the side and ate quietly, occasionally taking care of the children, and listening to some discussions about political affairs. She would just remember them in her heart and would not say them out loud, let alone interrupt.

As for Xu Miaojin, not to mention Zhu Yunhuan, even Old Zhu has great recognition now.

If it was when Zhu Yunhuan and Xu Miaojin had just gotten married, Xu Miaojin would not have been qualified to sit by and listen to the discussion of political affairs. Now there is no need for that, and in most cases, she will not be avoided.

After all, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Yunhuan would not discuss some really important things in such occasions.

After eating and drinking their fill, Zhu Yunhuan and Xu Miaojin bowed and left. Zhu Wenyao was not at all reluctant to leave and he was even a little sleepy.

In fact, this kid only wants to sleep with Lao Zhu or Guo Ningfei, and will not recognize anyone else. This is also the common nature of many children. Even though they are close to others during the day, they only want a specific person when it comes to sleeping.

After returning to the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Yunhuan asked, "Have my brothers come to greet you?"

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "Of course I greet you. I have also arranged a banquet for you."

Zhu Yunxun suddenly laughed and asked, "Now that we have met Gao Chi, what should we do?"

Xu Miaojin rolled her eyes at Zhu Yunhuan. The couple had been together for several years, so there was no need to be cautious. Sometimes they could have their own little romance. Xu Miaojin became serious, "Your Majesty, we need to hurry up with the affairs of the Imperial Clan House. Now, not only the royal family, but also the children of many noble families are of marriageable age and it is time for them to get married."

"You can arrange these things first. Some of the people with special identities don't need to be decided right away." Zhu Yunhuan said directly, "For the prince of a vassal state, don't decide on the daughter of a duke or marquis right now."

Xu Miaojin said, "How about taking the example of the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Jin?"

Zhu Shangbing's wife was Liu, and his father Liu Qian was an official who served as the deputy commander of the Central Military Commandery. He was from Fengyang.

Although Zhu Jihui's queen was the daughter of Fu Youde, considering that he was the second grandson of Zhu, it was normal for the situation to be a bit special.

Zhu Gaochi's wife was the daughter of Zhang Qi, the commander, and Zhu Youdun's legal wife was the daughter of Lü Gui, the commander of the army. The princes of the Ming Dynasty now either choose their concubines from the families of middle- and high-ranking generals, or from the families of former dukes who have lost their titles.

This is completely different from the beginning of the founding of the country. At the beginning of the country, Zhu's sons all chose concubines from noble families. That is, Zhu Chong was special in that he married "Zhao Min", but his preference was Deng Yu's daughter.

Zhu Yunhuan agreed and said, "That's how we do it. Let's make some of the daughters of the nobles the Prince of Xu. Remember to choose those with good character. Some of my cousins ​​are becoming more and more absurd and outrageous."

Xu Miaojin could naturally understand some things, as they were different at different times.

In the early years of the founding of the country, the rule of the Zhu family needed to be consolidated, so more marriages with nobles were needed. Although marriages still need to continue now, some levels need to be lowered a little.

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Now we not only need to guard against the nobles becoming too powerful, but also prevent some royal family members from getting too close to the powerful nobles.

It is obviously impossible to restrict some royal family members by simply reducing supplies, etc. Their military power and network of relationships also need to be further weakened.

The status of the royal family and princes is still high, but gradually they will only seem to be in a high position, with enough wealth and glory, but they will completely lose the opportunity to access power.

By then, not to mention the imperial court, they will gradually lose some influence even on the local areas. The first generation of vassal kings may have access to military power and have some influence on the local areas.

But starting with people like Zhu Shangbing, Zhu Jihui, and Zhu Gaochi, it was absolutely impossible for them to have any access to military power, and their influence on local governments was also minimal.

This is the most ideal position for the princes of the royal family, with status and wealth, but that's all. If there is another story of a prince rebelling successfully, it would be a bit unreasonable.

After all, the things that my fourth uncle did in history can be regarded as unique in history, and they also planted some seeds in the hearts of the royal family and princes of later generations.

Xu Miaojing is the queen. Although she cannot interfere in or influence the affairs of the court, she can still help with some royal family affairs.

In Zhu Yunhuan's view, his queen was not just for the purpose of passing on the family line or being just a vase. Although the queen of the Ming Dynasty certainly did not have as much power as the queen of the Han Dynasty, she still had to take responsibility for what she was responsible for.

The busy Zhu Yunhuan went to bed early and got up early, and still went to court on time. He was used to it and was extremely adaptable to it all.

As for the civil and military officials, they have naturally adapted to it long ago. Sometimes they even feel that nothing has changed at all. It is exactly the same as when Emperor Hongwu was in power.

Although it was Emperor Chengkang who was sitting on the dragon throne now, it was only this emperor who had been presiding over the government for the past few years. What was even more terrible was that this emperor had only been on the throne for a few days, and everything was back to normal!

There were no grand celebrations, no rewards, no promotions of his own confidants, or power struggles with some officials. All of this was unnecessary for Emperor Chengkang.

This was probably the benefit of having been in charge of government for several years. Although not all the civil and military officials in the court were from his school, the promotion and appointment of many people were indeed arranged by this emperor.

He interfered with the appointment and dismissal of important officials in the court before he ascended the throne, so it is naturally more legitimate now.

After leaving the court, Zhu Yunhuan called Ru Rong and said, "Hurry up with the Ministry of Personnel. The appointments, dismissals, and punishments of officials involved in the Hongcang case will all be decided by me."

Ru Heng quickly replied, "Your Majesty, we have already discussed it before, and there are only a few details of the case that have not been sorted out. We dare not neglect it, and we will definitely close the case soon!"

Zhu Yunhuan was naturally satisfied with this answer. The tone of the Hongcang case had been determined long ago, and the initial punishment had also been basically determined. What needed to be done now was to completely close the case, which naturally required serious treatment.

"Next year, you should hurry up to evaluate, appoint and remove officials. You should complete it in the first half of the year." Zhu Yunhuan continued to arrange tasks. "I have told you before that some of the former officials should retire."

Although it is a bit exaggerated to say that a new emperor appoints new ministers, the officials who have survived the Mongol Yuan Dynasty can now basically bid farewell to their official careers, as their historical mission has been completed.

This is not bad news. At least for some people, it is a smooth journey and they can return to their hometown to enjoy their retirement.

After all, these officials are retired. After retiring and returning to their hometowns, they still have some honors and some preferential treatment from the court. This is not completely a case of crossing the river and destroying the donkey after it has done its work.

Ru Rong quickly replied, "Your Majesty, we have checked it out and will be able to sort out the list of officials in a month or so. The officials who are promoted, appointed and dismissed can also take up their posts one after another, so as not to delay the affairs of the local state government."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and nodded, "That's good. I feel relieved to hear you say that. I remember that the salaries of court officials have always been meager. Let's give these retired officials some rewards first, and then discuss the salaries of all officials."

Ru Heng suddenly looked up, feeling a little unbelievable. Could it be that Emperor Chengkang would give preferential treatment to all officials?

Old Zhu was extremely harsh towards officials. Not only were they severely punished for their mistakes, but they were also given very low salaries.

In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, the government was in financial difficulties, so it was natural to do so. However, Zhu Yunhuan also understood that he could not always let people work without paying them enough.

He certainly would not follow the example of the two Song dynasties and offer high salaries to maintain integrity, but he would not follow the example of Zhu Yuanzhang and only provide the most basic treatment.

The salaries of officials can be slightly increased, but only slightly. This is also a new trend after the new emperor ascended the throne! (End of this chapter)