Daming: I am the Crown Prince

As for Zhu Yunwen's meanness and ingratitude, not to mention that Zhu Yunhuan had long been aware of it, now Zhu Yunwen was also understanding some things more and more clearly.

Now thinking back, I feel a lingering fear in my heart that I once favored Yunwen, who had been well-mannered and well-read since childhood.

If Yunwen were really made the crown prince, let alone whether he could govern the country well, the royal family would definitely have a hard time simply because of Yunwen's character.

No matter how much trouble Yun Hu could make, he was not vague about major issues, and he had rules in mind when governing the country, so he was relatively prudent in doing things. The most important thing was that although he seemed to have many restrictions on the royal family, he never treated them unfairly.

The officials who committed crimes in Zhu Yunwen's Prince of Wu's Palace would definitely be brought to justice, and there was nothing to say about this matter.

Even if we give Zhu Yunwen some face, we will sometimes turn a blind eye. But this matter involves maritime trade, and it is definitely not justifiable not to find someone to take the blame.

After dealing with Zhu Yunwen's affairs, Zhu Yunhuan asked, "Where is the King of Qin?"

"Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin will be able to cross the Huai River in three days." Zhang Fusheng immediately said, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin's letter of apology will be delivered tomorrow. It seems that he has not yet defended himself."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded in satisfaction. It should be said that although his second uncle had caused trouble again, fortunately the problem was not serious. The most important thing was that his attitude was very correct and he stood at attention when he was beaten.

"That's good, it saves me a lot of trouble." Zhu Yunhuan said with a smile, "Have someone take my second uncle back to his hometown and tell him that he should be the one planting the rice for the heaven and earth sacrifices and the ancestral temple next year."

Everyone else was used to it. Whenever a member of the royal family made a mistake, they would definitely return to their hometown to farm.

Zhu Shouqian, Zhu Su and Zhu Chong were the main forces. The rice they grew with their own hands was definitely useful. It was basically used to worship heaven and earth and ancestral temples, after all, they were royal princes.

The royal family members who committed crimes must be punished, and Zhu Yunhuan would definitely not show mercy to those corrupt officials.

Bao Zhao and the others were a little nervous. When they went to Taicang this time, they did find out a lot of things. They were also a little scared and felt that many people had no memory at all.

How long has it been since the Guo Huan case and the Kong Yin case?

How come it’s only been ten years, and many people seem to have completely forgotten about that major case?

Zhu Yunhuan looked at the memorial with a very unhappy expression, "These merchants have a lot of ideas. I think it's not just the merchants who have the power to do these things, right?"

Others were also well aware of this. This time in Taicang, it seemed that some businessmen used various means to win over some officials, but it was obvious that the businessmen and others were just pushed to the front.

Zhu Yunxun said earnestly, "These people forget their duty as long as there is profit to be made. It's really hateful!"

Daoyan said quickly, "Your Majesty, I think that since we have uncovered this case, we should severely punish the main culprit and not punish many others."

Bao Zhao, Ru Chang and others also quickly agreed. In fact, they were frightened when they thought about some of the things.

The Guo Huan case at that time was about Guo Huan, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and others who colluded with officials from various provinces to cheat and steal and sell government grain.

As a result, all the officials below the rank of vice minister in the six ministries were executed. Then, in order to recover the stolen money, landlords from all over the country were implicated, and countless of them had their properties confiscated and went bankrupt, which caused the landlords to resent deeply.

"Why?" Zhu Yunhuan asked, "Are you worried that I will implicate too many people, or have you already raided the homes of some wealthy families during the Hongcang case? Now I should give in and let them go?"

Daoyan quickly defended himself, "Your Majesty, I have absolutely no such intention! I think this case is not too complicated, and it is important to find out the truth, but we should not pursue it based on one side's testimony."

This is the impact of the Guo Huan case. It was originally about recovering stolen grain, but it turned into a nationwide riot, and all the rich people went bankrupt. Among them, many people did suffer from unprovoked disasters.

Zhu Yunhuan nodded slightly and said, "The three judicial departments will continue to investigate this case thoroughly, and those involved will not be tolerated. But we must investigate it thoroughly, and don't let the cruel officials be implicated."

Daoyan, Bao Zhao and others also breathed a sigh of relief. This was probably the difference between Emperor Chengkang and Emperor Hongwu.

It is obvious that Zhu Yunhuan will never tolerate this matter, and everyone knows this.

However, he was more concerned about holding the officials who committed the crime and the landlords and wealthy families who were involved in the incident accountable. He did not want to escalate the matter or let it get out of control.

If this happened to Emperor Hongwu, he would not even think about it. As long as his name appeared on the charges or confession, he would not be let off easily. As for whether it was an accusation or someone deliberately framed him, he would not care.

Zhu Yunhuan was not a kind person. When it came time to punish, he would obviously be ruthless, and some innocent people might be involved.

But overall, he still doesn't want to implicate more innocent people. He wants to thoroughly verify the evidence and make it a real ironclad case.

The administration of officials must be rectified when it is time to do so, and Zhu Yunhuan will not be lenient in doing so.

However, the practices that Zhu Yuanzhang used in the past may not be appropriate now. It is right to use harsh punishments in troubled times, but the Ming Dynasty has been established for 30 years after all, so how can it continue to use harsh laws?

Daoyan and others breathed a sigh of relief. The current emperor's approach was not to "turn a blind eye" but to conduct targeted trials and judgments, which could be regarded as the maintenance of the laws of the Ming Dynasty.

At this point in time, it is indeed not appropriate to continue some of the practices adopted in the early years of the founding of the country.

Zhu Yunhuan was well aware of this. Although he was angry about the problems at Taicang Port, he could not lose his mind because of his anger.

After all, he is now highly centralized in power, and the so-called "emperor's anger" is indeed an unbearable fear for many people, and it also has a significant impact on the country.

Now that you understand these principles, then do the next things steadily and well.

After all, the Ming Dynasty is constantly developing. The old problems may have been solved. What needs to be done now is to solve some new problems. These are also things that a dynasty must go through in its development.

After the others left, Zhu Yunxun asked with concern, "You said before that the fleet could leave on schedule. Tell me the truth, can it really leave the port on schedule?"

Daoyan spoke the truth, "Your Majesty, although there are a lot of goods of insufficient quality, it has some impact. But now we are urgently purchasing and replenishing the goods, and the fleet will be able to set off on schedule."

After hearing Daoyan's words, Zhu Yunhuan naturally felt relieved. He also needed such an answer. In the final analysis, the arrow was on the string and had to be shot. If the fleet was suddenly stopped from leaving the port, not to mention the losses or previous preparations, etc.

But if he wants to send a large fleet out to sea for trade again in the future, the resistance will inevitably be greater, which is obviously what he does not want to see.

Although he got the news from many channels, Zhu Yunhuan still hoped to verify it from multiple sources. After all, he was in the palace and seemed to know everything about the outside world, but there was no guarantee that some people would not collude.

When the rebel army was at the gates of the city, Hu Hai still thought that the Qin Dynasty was as stable as a rock. There were countless examples of emperors being deceived by their ministers, and Zhu Yunhuan naturally did not want to be like that.

"Do you think it's the merchants or the landlords who are responsible this time?" Zhu Yunhuan asked again, "I sent people out to sea this time, and many people were not happy about it."

Daoyan told the truth, "Your Majesty, I think that no matter whether it is the landlords, merchants, or some dignitaries, they are all involved to some extent. These people have no other intentions, they just want to gain more benefits."

Zhu Yunhuan just nodded slightly, seemingly agreeing with Daoyan's statement. However, whether he really thought about it or not, only he himself knew it.

This unexpected incident occurred before the fleet even set out to sea, and in addition, many civil servants had previously wanted to gain control of the Maritime Customs.

This would naturally make Zhu Yunhuan think more. It is not impossible that those interest groups deliberately created obstacles in order to gain benefits.

After all, if Zhu Yunhuan cannot accomplish these things, then they will have the opportunity to take over, and by then perhaps some big families and powerful people may be able to gain enough benefits from it.

All of this is uncertain. Zhu Yunhuan obviously does not want such a good thing to become a way for a very small number of people to gain huge benefits. Such benefits can only be enjoyed by the court in an absolute dominant position.

Xia Yuanji interrupted at this time and said, "Your Majesty, I think the suppression of the gentry in Jiangnan before was not enough. These people are the most active in their minds."

Zhu Yunhuan nodded. The minds of the gentry in Jiangnan were indeed quite active. Since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu had been trying to suppress and weaken them, but there were still many gentry who had very strong influence in the local area.

Daoyan could not help but look at Xia Yuanji. This future Minister of Revenue was indeed a "good minister". After all, Xia Yuanji belonged to the civil service group in a broad sense and was one of the representatives of the gentry's interests.

But looking at it again now, I really am helping you share your worries.

Zhu Yunhuan was naturally satisfied with Xia Yuanji's awakening. Not all scholars and civil servants only care about the happiness of their clans, and many of them care about the world and have lofty ambitions.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "I know these things, but in this world, we must consider the interests of the gentry."

There is nothing wrong with hating evil, but if an emperor is too jealous, that may not be a good thing. The gentry class still has considerable influence, and Zhu Yunhuan knows this very well.

"Your Majesty, I have seen many gentry only care about their clans and officials, and not the people." Xia Yuanji said with some worry, "I have read Confucius and Mencius since I was young, and I have never forgotten the words of the saints."

Zhu Yunhuan understood this truth very well. Many people are full of enthusiasm when they are young, but gradually become extravagant.

When you are young, you may have some lofty ideals, but gradually you start to think about some practical problems. This is all very normal.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "These people have some small ideas, but it's not a big deal. As long as they don't go against the will of the court, there's nothing to say."

Zhu Yunhuan would certainly not expect everyone to be dedicated to the public and sacrifice their own families for the sake of the public. This is also very unrealistic. It is very normal to have some ideas of his own.

Daoyan also echoed, "Your Majesty is right, but many people have never thought that when the nest is overturned, no eggs will be left intact."

Zhu Yunhuan also agreed with this. Some people are like this. When they become rich, they think it is all due to their own abilities, etc.

There is really nothing wrong with saying this, and many things are indeed achieved through one's own efforts, which require talent, hard work, and so on.

But it is obvious that sometimes we cannot just rely on our own efforts. Without a stable environment, it is obvious that even if we work hard, we may not necessarily reap results.

The saying that if a pig stands on the wind, it can fly is obviously not just a casual saying. And the saying that a speck of dust in the era is like a mountain for ordinary people is also true.

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and said, "Don't worry too much about those things. As long as these people don't cause us trouble, that's fine."

Zhu Yunhuan then said, "Master, you should continue to keep an eye on the situation at Taicang Port. We must go out to sea, and this matter cannot be delayed."

When Daoyan nodded, Zhu Yunhuan urged Xia Yuanji, "Check with Yu Xin to find out how much it costs to go to sea this time and calculate the approximate profit. The court will have to go to sea again in the future, and we can't lose money."

Not only do we not want to lose money, but we also need to make a lot of money so that maritime trade can continue and a relatively healthy cycle can be formed.

Stimulating domestic demand is very important, but developing foreign trade and so on are also important matters that cannot be delayed. These are all things that Zhu Yunhuan needs to do as soon as possible.

Maritime bans and closing the country to the outside world obviously did not exist in his view. He wanted to break some shackles and strive to achieve greater changes.

Whether it was Daoyan or Xia Yuanji, they all understood what they should do next, and they also knew Zhu Yunhuan's intentions, and would definitely not delay the emperor's plans on some major events.

Things at Taicang Port seemed to have been handled well, at least there was a preliminary result, and there seemed to be good arrangements for what was to come.

However, Zhu Yunhuan still had a lot of things to worry about, and political affairs obviously would not be limited to going to sea.

Focusing on the implementation of some major strategies or policies is definitely something that should be done, but in addition to that, there are many daily matters that need to be dealt with.

"The cabinet and the Grand Council, these things need to take shape." Zhu Yunhuan said to himself, "Daoyan and Xia Yuanji are now members of my cabinet, but they are not good enough."

After all, Daoyan and Xia Yuanji are now more like Zhu Yunhuan's assistants, and they have no weight in the handling of political affairs.

Such a cabinet was only in name only, which was obviously what Zhu Yunhuan was not very satisfied with.

Decentralize certain powers, but do not let these powers get out of control. This is also something Zhu Yunhuan needs to consider. (End of this chapter)