Daming: I am the Crown Prince

Srivijaya, Old Port, Majapahit in East Java, etc., these are not completely unfamiliar places in the Ming Dynasty.

Although this is Southeast Asia, or more precisely the Malaysian region, there is still some interaction.

I knew that this was between Zhenla and Java, and that many of the people here had the surname Pu and were skilled in land and sea warfare. I also knew that the soil there was fertile, the climate was warm, and it rained frequently in spring and summer.

The Ming Dynasty had previously banned sea voyages, but that did not mean it was completely isolated from the outside world. Moreover, the Southeast Asian countries and others had had some exchanges with the Central Plains dynasty for a long time, and many Ming Dynasty citizens also went out to sea privately.

Therefore, there is no problem at all for the Ministry of Rites to arrange envoys, etc. There are also many envoys from foreign countries in the Honglu Temple. It’s just that they don’t care much about the common people of some foreign countries.

Basically, it would be good as long as there were no problems on the envoy's side. Zhu Yunhuan also liked this kind of "high-level view" and would leave the specific execution to his subordinates.

It's just that people like Chen Di can get things done, but people like Chang Sen and Fu Zhong may mess things up. So that a good policy has changed, which makes people feel very uncomfortable.

Zhang Fusheng whispered, "Your Majesty, Marquis Wuding is asking for an audience outside the palace."

"Xuan." Zhu Yunxun said with a smile, "These old people are becoming more and more distant now."

Guo Ying entered the Wuying Palace and immediately knelt down, "Your Majesty, I, Guo Ying, pay my respects to you. Long live your Majesty."

Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Marquis Wuding, we are not outsiders anymore. Get up quickly, no need to be so polite."

Guo Ying stood up and said with some worry, "Your Majesty, such a big incident happened in Taicang this time. I am really worried."

"My uncle is in Ningbo and is not involved in this matter." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Speaking of which, my uncle has lived up to my trust. We can finally rest assured about the affairs of the Maritime Customs."

Guo Ying's eldest son, Guo Zhen, married Princess Yongjia, so there was absolutely no problem for Zhu Yunhuan to call him "uncle", especially since there were no outsiders involved.

This was to give face to Concubine Guo Ning, and also to give face to Zhu Yuanzhang. After all, Guo Ying was Zhu Yuanzhang's confidant. His abilities were not particularly outstanding, but he was definitely loyal enough.

Guo Ying breathed a sigh of relief, but still had lingering fears when he said, "The Maritime Customs Office is a big deal, and I don't know how many people are watching. My son is mediocre in intelligence, and I'm afraid he will make a mistake and disappoint Your Majesty."

Zhu Yunhuan said with emotion, "I originally thought so. The huge benefits of maritime trade are well known to the government and the public. Indeed, many people are eyeing this lucrative position."

The Sibosi was originally a relatively wealthy government office, but no one expected it to be this wealthy, so naturally everyone started scrambling for it, as this was a huge piece of cake.

"So I let my confidants and close friends go to several important places." Zhu Yunhuan said helplessly, "Look at what happened in Taicang. What a big deal!"

Guo Ying was rather embarrassed for a moment. His son worked at the Ningbo Maritime Customs and was in charge of some matters in Zhejiang. For the time being, things were relatively good and he was not involved.

But in Taicang, there is the emperor's uncle and the prince of Ying. If you say this now, people who don't know might think you are showing off. It's simply a slap in the face of the emperor.

Seeing Guo Ying's embarrassed look, Zhu Yunxun smiled and said, "You don't have to think too much. This time, your uncle did a good job, which is a good thing. As for other people who messed up their jobs, that's their own business."

This is also Zhu Yunhuan's real thought. We cannot think that everyone's work should be denied just because Chang Sen and Fu Zhong messed up things. There are still some people who performed well.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Guo Ying and asked with a smile, "Old Marquis, do you want my uncle to come back, or let him continue to stay in Ningbo?"

Guo Ying quickly said, "Of course I will follow your majesty's arrangements. I have no shortage of descendants to show my respect to me."

This is true. Guo Ying is also fertile. She has a total of eleven sons and six daughters. The youngest son is not even ten years old now.

However, Guo Ying still tried to speak, "Your Majesty, my son is in Ningbo, and the princess is in the capital. They are hundreds of miles apart, and it is rare for us to see each other."

This is also the truth. Guo Zhen could only go back to Beijing to report on his work, so it was naturally difficult for him to be with Princess Yongjia.

Zhu Yunhuan thought about it and it made sense. He said, "That's true. My uncle has been away for a long time. How about this, you go and tell my grandfather. If I go, he will definitely be suspicious and think that I am his aunt who was exiled to the frontier."

Guo Ying was overjoyed. Some other nobles were afraid of Zhu Yuanzhang, and Guo Ying was also afraid of him. But compared to others, he, the Marquis of Wuding, was more trusted by Zhu Yuanzhang.

Seeing Guo Yingxi leaving with a smile on her face, Zhu Yunhuan couldn't help but smile. These things were really quite interesting.

Among Zhu Yuanzhang's daughters, the eldest daughter, Princess Lin'an, married Li Shanchang's son Li Qi, and now the family of four lives in Jiangpu.

The second daughter, Princess Ningguo, has just set off for Beiping with Mei Yin and will probably live in the north for several years.

The third daughter, Princess Chongning, was originally going to marry Niu Cheng. However, not long after the marriage, Niu Cheng was exiled to Jinchiwei, Yunnan for a crime, and Princess Chongning died of illness while accompanying him.

The fourth daughter is Princess Anqing. Needless to say, her first husband was Ouyang Lun. Fortunately, their marriage is still happy now.

Although these princes and princesses have noble status and have no worries about food and clothing, they are not necessarily perfect and have some unsatisfactory aspects.

"This is a good start. The princess doesn't have to stay in the capital anymore." Zhu Yunhuan laughed dumbly, "In the future, the princess's residence may not be located anywhere!"

This was naturally a kind of ridicule, but when Princess Ningguo accompanied Mei Yin to Beiping to take up her post, some other princes-in-law also had ideas.

After all, in theory, the prince consort needs to live with the princess in the princess's mansion, while those who live in her husband's family are basically from noble families of dukes and marquises.

Now if the prince consort is serving abroad for a long time, it would naturally be a good thing if the princess could accompany him.

Zhu Yunhuan was not too worried about this. Although the prince consort and the princess were also relatives of the royal family, they were fundamentally different from the royal princes. Even if they had any ulterior motives, it would not cause too much trouble.

What's more, some people have already noticed that there have been some changes in the royal family's current marriages.

In the past, it was basically high-ranking officials and nobles, and marriages were always with nobles with titles. Now, it is beginning to tend towards middle and low-level civil and military officials. After all, the current environment is different from that in the early years of the founding of the country.

Guo Ying's request for an audience did not disrupt Zhu Yunhuan's arrangements. Naturally, he continued to review memorials, which was the emperor's job.

As soon as Guo Ying left, Zhang Fusheng came back to report, "Your Majesty, the Duke of Ying is outside the palace asking for an audience."

Zhu Yunxun couldn't help but laugh, "He knows the news now, all right, let's announce it." Fu Youde, with a head full of silver hair, looked angry and knelt down, kowtowed heavily, "Your Majesty, I beg to die!"

Zhu Yunhuan stood up immediately, "What are you talking about, Duke Ying? If my uncle didn't do a good job on this mission, then so be it. This is not a crime!"

Fu Youde was really angry and said, "Your Majesty, I am loyal and I am afraid that I cannot repay the kindness of Your Majesty the Emperor. But how could that evil creature do such a stupid thing!"

Zhu Yunhuan pulled hard, "Okay, I'll let you get up! What, do you want me to issue an order?"

Seeing Fu Youde's sad face, Zhu Yunxun said, "I am a little unhappy about my uncle's visit. I know he has always been honest and I thought he would not make any mistakes this time."

Hearing Zhu Yunhuan say this, Fu Youde became even more sad. He could even be said to be speechless and ashamed to face others.

Today, Emperor Chengkang has a close relationship with the Huaixi nobles, but he, Fu Youde, is not a true Huaixi noble, and is now competing with Lan Yu for the title of the number one general of the dynasty.

Fu Zhong's wife, Princess Shouchun, died of illness in her early years, so Zhu Yunhuan disliked her. However, Zhu Yunhuan always cared for Fu Zhong and protected Princess Shouchun's son Fu Rong.

But now, Fu Zhong has messed up things in an important position, which is simply a betrayal of the emperor's trust.

Looking at Fu Youde, Zhu Yunhuan did not hide it, "Whether it's my uncle or my third uncle, they will definitely be dismissed from their posts when they return to the court this time. If there are no other charges, they will definitely serve the people."

Fu Youde lowered his head and said in a trembling voice, "On behalf of that evil beast, I would like to thank Your Majesty for not killing him."

Zhu Yunhuan also advised, "You must teach Fu Rong well. I have said long ago that the Prince of Ying will be my cousin sooner or later. From now on, your uncle cannot inherit the title, and your cousin will inherit the title."

Fu Youde wiped his tears with the back of his hand and said excitedly, "I thank your Majesty!"

It was definitely exciting. Fu Youde, who was so upright, felt that if the emperor really wanted to kill Fu Zhong, there would be nothing to say. Now he was just dismissed from office and demoted to a commoner, which was already a lenient punishment.

As for the title, it doesn't mean that Fu Youde or Fu Zhong are forced to die now, but the title has basically been passed down, as long as Fu Rong works harder.

After receiving some positive words from Zhu Yunhuan, Fu Youde now feels much more at ease. He is basically reassured and no longer needs to worry about gains and losses.

Because of this incident, the affairs of my uncles have not been dealt with yet. Now the affairs of my uncle and uncle have come up, and these are also things that need to be dealt with.

Who makes Zhu Yunhuan the emperor now? It is he who is responsible for the real "family affairs, national affairs, and world affairs". He needs to care about all of them, and he can make the decisions directly on these matters.

How to deal with it is indeed largely up to him.

Those who have made contributions will be discussed, and those who have made mistakes will be punished. It is as simple as that. It’s just that some things require a bit more tact.

Thinking about these things, Zhu Yunhuan could only smile and shake his head. Some things really could not be done completely according to one's wishes.

After finishing a busy day, Zhu Yunhuan went straight to the West Palace.

Old Zhu saw that Zhu Yunxun's nose was not a nose and his eyes were not eyes. He said, "Your aunts are so annoying to you. Should we drive them out one by one?"

"Aunt and uncle are members of the group, what's wrong with that?" Zhu Yunhuan immediately shot back, "Besides, Ningbo is right next to us. It's not in the bitter cold north, nor in the smoky southwest. What is there to worry about?"

Concubine Guo Ning immediately coaxed Zhu Wenyao to leave. She had seen many cases where Zhu and Zhu Yunhuan would quarrel over just a few words.

It can't be considered a quarrel, it can only be said to be arguing and bickering, or it can be said to be fully expressing one's own opinions and trying to convince the other party.

At most, people who are not in the know will be a little worried, but people who know some of the inside story will not be surprised at all and will not think that this is a big conflict, let alone cause unrest in the country.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately blew his beard and glared, "You also know that it is not easy to travel thousands of miles. How can they, women, endure the pain of the bumpy ride? Isn't it good to stay in Yingtian Prefecture? Enjoying wealth and luxury is better than anything else!"

"There are carriages when we go out. We can travel along the way, not march or fight. How can we suffer from the bumpy ride?" Zhu Yunhuan was even more reasonable. "We are rich and noble in the capital, and living apart from my uncle is good enough?"

Old Zhu became even more angry. "Since you are the princess of the Ming Dynasty, you should put the country first. Your uncle is going there on an imperial mission, to do the right thing."

Zhu Yunhuan immediately retorted, "Even if my aunt goes, it won't affect my uncle's work. When did the Ming Dynasty fall to the point where a woman has to shoulder the responsibility?"

Xu Miaojin walked into the West Palace and saw Zhu Yunhuan and Old Zhu arguing. After taking a quick look, she felt that there was nothing to worry about.

"The granddaughter-in-law greets His Majesty the Grandfather."

Old Zhu waved his hand, "Okay, go and take Wen Yao."

Zhu Yunhuan also said directly, "You have nothing to do here, go and help Concubine Ning to serve the dishes."

Xu Miaojin left naturally. She would not stay here, as it would only make her more helpless. She decided to leave the battlefield for the grandfather and grandson to fight.

"It's still the same as before." Concubine Guo Ning looked at the two people quarreling outside and whispered, "Yun Hu was not favored at that time. Your royal grandfather said one thing and he dared to say ten things in reply. But your royal grandfather liked him."

Xu Miaojin also whispered, "When I first saw this, it was scary. But now I'm used to it. It would be strange if Your Majesty didn't quarrel with the Royal Grandfather every two or three days."

Concubine Guo Ning had a say in this matter. "We don't care about those things. Let them talk about their own things."

There is really no need to worry too much. Right now, they are just watching the quarrel get intense, and they haven't started fighting yet. If they really start fighting, it will be useless even if you try to persuade them.

After all, by that time, some people will fight and some will run away, and this doesn't seem to be strange at all.

Even if they quarreled fiercely, it did not affect their talking and laughing during dinner. The grandfather and grandson had the same temper and sometimes held grudges.

But sometimes, things are forgotten in the blink of an eye. What kind of grudge can there be with one's own family?

Instead of worrying about unnecessary things, it is better to think about how to coax the little prince to eat more food! (End of this chapter)