Daming: I am the Crown Prince

As an emperor, Zhu Yunhuan had long been accustomed to being busy and to various emergencies. When problems arose, they had to be solved, which was the most fundamental thing.

Whether it is aimed at royal family princes, corrupt officials in Taicang, or some local merchants and landlords.

After all, these things need to be dealt with. It's enough to get the case investigated thoroughly. Some things really can't be delayed.

The morning court of the new day made many officials tremble with fear. The emperor ordered the princes to be reprimanded, ordered the chief historians of the princes' palaces to come to the capital, and ordered the reduction of the princes' supplies.

Although Zhu Yuanzhang was protective of his own shortcomings, he was unlikely to impose heavy penalties on the princes this time. However, the punishment had already been raised high, and the princes involved in the Taicang case would have to tremble in fear, while those who were not involved should take it as a warning to others.

These are not only Zhu Yuanzhang's attitudes, but also Zhu Yunhuan's attitudes. After all, there needs to be some constraints on the royal family, rather than letting them appear to be unscrupulous.

Zhu Yunhuan actually didn't take some things to heart, mainly because there were too many things in the world and he dealt with any situations that arose in a timely manner.

Daoyan led some officials to rush to Taicang. This was the first group, and there would definitely be more officials going back and forth in the future, because the emperor attached great importance to such a major case.

Regardless of whether Zhu Jihui and the others were worried or not, they could only start their journey back to their fiefdom. They were accompanied not only by Mei Yin and Princess Ningguo, but also by Zhu Song and Zhu Mo, who were also in their fiefdoms.

Although there have been some minor changes, things that need to be advanced are still being pushed forward.

Zhang Fusheng sent the invitation, and Zhu Yunhuan looked at it carefully, and saw a series of etiquette and rituals that needed to be paid attention to.

As an emperor, he has to be involved in many things, but there is nothing to complain about. Since he is the emperor, he naturally needs to take on these responsibilities.

The court session was held as usual. After the court session ended, Yu Xin went to Wuying Hall as soon as possible and said, "Your Majesty, the allocated money and grain have all arrived, and most places have started dredging the canal."

Finally, he got some good news. Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "It's time to do this. We have been planning this for a long time, and we should hurry up. If the plum rain season or early summer comes, we are afraid of floods."

Although he was not the Minister of Industry, Yu Xin, as the Minister of Revenue, was well aware of the impact of floods. Once a flood occurred, tax relief would be required, and this happened in some places almost every year.

The Yellow River changed its course and flowed into the sea through the Huai River, which caused floods in the Huanghuai region. However, this does not mean that there are no floods in other places. There are also many places in the Yangtze River Basin that will experience mountain torrents and floods during the flood season.

Zhu Yunhuan continued, "Remember to start the summer tax this year, and make sure to do a good job of exchanging treasure notes. The people's will cannot be violated, and the upward momentum that has finally emerged cannot be interrupted."

Zhu Yunhuan did not need to remind him of this matter, as Yu Xin and others were all aware of it. In the final analysis, the creditworthiness of the Ming Dynasty's treasure notes had improved slightly and was not becoming waste paper.

But this is obviously not enough, and we need to continue working hard.

Zhu Yunxun suddenly asked, "What figure should we set for increasing the salaries of officials this time?"

Yu Xin immediately became cautious. This matter offended people. "Your Majesty, I think the salaries of officials above the fourth rank are not low. If there is a salary increase, it should be given to officials below the fourth rank."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly, "I think so too. Officials above the fourth rank are not very wealthy, but they are not poor either. However, I heard that many officials of lower ranks can only support themselves."

Yu Xin knew that this was definitely an exaggeration, but the treatment of lower-ranking officials was indeed average. If there were more people in the family, it would probably be difficult to support the entire family.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Yu Xin and said with some emotion, "During the Song Dynasty, officials had generous salaries, but corruption was inevitable. In this dynasty, there is a lot of work to be done, so the salaries of officials can only be kept simple."

Yu Xin didn't know what to say, because what Zhu Yunhuan said made sense. At the beginning of the founding of the country, there was indeed a lot of work to be done and it was normal that the treatment was not enough. Zhu had even raised the salaries of officials once before.

However, even with a salary increase, officials below the fourth rank did not get much benefit. Even with a salary increase, senior officials above the fourth rank could only make their treatment comparable to that of the Song Dynasty.

In the final analysis, it is naturally the emperor who is stingy. It even makes people suspect that Emperor Chengkang is now planning to increase the salaries of officials. That is because he has just ascended the throne, so he is increasing the salaries of officials.

Although he thought so in his heart, Yu Xin would definitely not show it, and he even pretended to understand the court's difficulties.

Zhu Yunhuan said casually, "Although my grandfather's rectification of the bureaucracy in the early years has achieved remarkable results, the trend of corruption can only be curbed for a while, but it is difficult to keep it in place for a long time, which is annoying."

Yu Xin felt a little uneasy. I am just the Minister of Revenue, the purse string. I should talk to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice about matters related to civil service administration. They are responsible for these matters.

After all, it's a matter of official administration, and if you're not careful you're bound to offend a lot of people. It's also a real mess, and it's very difficult for anyone who falls into it to get out with a clean record.

Zhu Yunxun immediately said, "Go and make the arrangements. How much the salaries of officials at all levels will be raised and what the basis is, etc., all of this needs to be done well."

Yu Xin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "I obey your order."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "To govern the country, scholars are needed. They must learn the arts of literature and martial arts and serve the emperor. In the Ming Dynasty, officials cannot just have ambitions. Officials should at least have enough food and clothing. They can't be as good as the rich, but they can't be worse off."

Everyone knows that some people become officials not out of ambition or anything like that, they simply want to live a better life, and these are just some of their pursuits.

Looking at Yu Xin, Zhu Yunhuan changed the subject and said, "But think about it, officials in my Ming Dynasty will not be poor. If you pass the examination to become a scholar, you can be exempted from taxes and labor service. If you pass the examination to become a juren, you can also make donations. How can you be short of money?"

Yu Xin was shocked and said quickly, "Your Majesty, we will investigate the surrender."

The practice of entrusting land to the name of the gentry to reduce taxes and labor service existed in the past and still exists in the Ming Dynasty. Some scholars still have privileges, which naturally means that privileges can be converted into cash.

Zhu Yunhuan became serious. "We need to check the household registration and measure the land. These things need to be done quickly. The Ming Dynasty has been established for 31 years, but the south is still prosperous and the north is poor. We need to think of a solution."

This made Yu Xin a little troubled, because everyone could see some situations, but it was not easy to achieve some results immediately.

The imperial court has introduced a large number of policies, big and small, over the years, all in order to develop the north and win the hearts of the people in the north. However, this is not something that can be achieved overnight, and the results can even be said to be minimal.

Seeing Yu Xin's embarrassment, Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Okay, just do your job well first."

Although he said so, Yu Xin couldn't help but worry in his heart. Some of His Majesty's thoughts were actually easy to guess. It goes without saying that he would increase the salaries of officials. On the one hand, this was because the salaries of low-level officials in the Ming Dynasty were low, and now that the new emperor had ascended the throne, it was natural for him to show favor.

Your Majesty specifically mentioned the issues of surrender and northern development. There must be a reason for this. These things are real. Perhaps this is the direction of your majesty's next policy.

As for fighting, it is basically impossible to have a large-scale war except for the fleets in Taicang Port.

But if you think about it carefully, the Ming Dynasty is not without war. The traditional concept is that the war is on land, but the fleet going out to sea this time has more than 20,000 soldiers.

A large-scale naval battle may break out because Your Majesty seems to be intent on eliminating Chen Zuyi who is entrenched in Southeast Asia. When the army goes to Southeast Asia, it is also possible that it will attack those foreign countries that do not obey the king's orders.

In fact, sending a large fleet out to sea is a huge investment in itself, but because a large amount of wealth was brought back from the previous voyage, many people can accept it.

The pressure on Yu Xin's wallet is still not small, and he needs to reduce expenditure while increasing revenue.

As for internal affairs, Zhu Yunhuan did plan to spend some time to sort out internal affairs, which would indeed take some time, but some things did not conflict with each other and should still be done.

After a busy day, Zhu Yunhuan returned to the Qianqing Palace, "How is my second sister now?"

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "My second sister is pregnant. I should go and see her tomorrow."

Zhu Yunhuan also laughed when he heard it, "I had Wen Yao first, and my second sister is also pregnant now. So my eldest sister is under the most pressure, but fortunately no one dares to say anything to her."

Geng Bingwen and his son did not dare to say anything, but they must be anxious. For Zhu Yourong, the pressure in her heart would also be very great, because even a princess had to bear the responsibility of carrying on the family line.

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "This is mostly your Majesty's fault. My brother-in-law is often away on business and rarely in the capital. It's difficult for me to get pregnant even if I want to."

Hearing Xu Miaojin say this, Zhu Yunhuan also felt that it made sense, "That's true, but there's nothing I can do about it. He's the eldest son of Changxing Marquis and my brother-in-law, so there are some things he should do."

Xu Miaojin thought for a moment and said, "Or let my second and third brothers from my mother's family do something, otherwise my eldest sister will inevitably think too much. Among all the aunts and sisters, only my eldest sister is the most sensitive and thinks the most."

Xu Tianfu and Xu Zengshou, it is also appropriate to let them do something, after all, they are Xu Da's sons.

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it carefully and said, "Forget it now. When my brother-in-law comes back from training, I really shouldn't let him go out too much. If she doesn't have a child, she won't have the authority to speak in front of her husband's family."

Xu Miaojin was very touched by this. She had a good status and was now the queen. But in her opinion, she was able to gain a firm foothold in the royal family because of Zhu Wenyao's birth.

Whether the mother is honored because of her son or the son is honored because of his mother, it doesn't matter.

Xu Miaojin continued, "I will leave the palace tomorrow to visit my second sister, and visit my grandmother on the way. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Zhu Yunxun nodded, and then instructed, "There are some things that grandma can't say in front of me. If she really has any instructions, you should accept them first."

Xu Miaojin also understood what Zhu Yunhuan meant, and immediately said, "Of course, my grandmother has been abiding by her duties over the years, restraining the Duke of Liang and my uncle, fearing that she would embarrass Your Majesty, and I have seen it all."

Zhu Yunhuan said in agreement, "This is not easy. The Duke of Liang has been able to restrain his temper over the years, not just because he is afraid of me."

There are some things that everyone understands, but it’s just not appropriate to say them out loud.

There are generals in the court now, but there are relatively few great generals, not to mention Lan Yu, who has made outstanding military achievements. So as long as his arrogance is not too excessive, it will be fine.

Moreover, he had a very close relationship with the Kaiping King's family, and also had a lot of connections with Zhu Yunhuan. So some things were just turned a blind eye, and everyone pretended not to know.

But if Lan Yu really starts to lose control, then even if there is a relationship, it won't work. This is Zhu Yunhuan's bottom line. After all, he is the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and it is impossible for him to only think about the Chang family.

Xu Miaojin thought for a moment and said, "If the time really comes, we should let Xu Qin and Ji Zu enter the palace to study."

Zhu Yunhuan also became serious. He was actually not very confident about the Chang family's education.

"That's good too. Let Xu Qin go to school first and send Sheng Xin over as well." Zhu Yunxun said with some worry, "I'm scared now when I think about it. What kind of people will be under Wen Yao's command in the future!"

Xu Qin showed some tendencies to become a playboy, which Xu Miaojin saw and felt anxious.

Chang Jizu was not much better. He was relatively well-behaved and obedient in front of Chang Lan, but this child had a very bad temper.

As for Li Shengxin, he is the eldest son of Duke Cao. Although Li Jinglong also manages him, his management does not always have any effect.

Thinking of this, Zhu Yunhuan said, "You are the queen, you have to keep an eye on these young descendants of the nobles. It's easy to deal with the civil officials, the scholars are always in trouble, but if the nobles are incompetent, then they are really incompetent."

Xu Miaojin naturally understood some of Zhu Yunhuan's concerns. In the final analysis, he did not want some of the structures in the court to be broken and did not want the power of civil servants to rise quickly.

It was indeed difficult for most dynasties to curb some civil servants in the middle and late stages, but they had to do the current things well first. They could not follow the example of the Northern Song Dynasty and determine the transcendent status of civil servants from the very beginning.

Xu Miaojin said quickly, "Wen Yao is still young, and most of the emperor's uncles have gone to their fiefs. It's not good to leave the main hall empty, so I will send someone to send the eldest son of the mansion to study."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and nodded, "This is the best, as long as they are of the right age. These people need to be managed, the nobles are not as good as before."

Many people are aware of this. The second and third generations of nobles of the Ming Dynasty have already appeared on the stage, but let alone being outstanding, there are very few who can really impress people.

How can we compete with the scholars who keep coming? The pattern of the Ming Dynasty cannot be that after just 30 years, the civil officials start to suppress the nobles and try to limit the imperial power! (End of this chapter)