My father Yongle, building a five-good family

Chapter 71: Building Datong
"Today's silver carp is especially delicious, with fine scales and tender meat. Come on, bring another three ounces of rice!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression changed from calm at the beginning, to shock, and finally to calm again.

This kid...has already had three more bowls of rice, right?
Isn't this enough?
But I have to say, with such a guy around, at least Lao Zhu doesn't have to worry about the food being wasted.

On the contrary, Zhu Yunwen...

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at him. It was the grandson he had personally chosen as the crown prince. Although Zhu Yuanzhang had been a little wary of him these days because of the Huang Zicheng incident.

But whenever he thought of the former Crown Prince Zhu Biao, the expression on his face would slowly soften.

I only heard Lao Zhu speaking with a smile:
"Yun Wen, you have to eat more too. Although your cousin is small, he has grown so strong and healthy, thanks to his good appetite. Grains nourish the body, eat more."

Zhu Yunwen nodded with a tasteless look, then lowered his head and took a bite of the food, but felt it tasted bland.

Does eating more mean you won’t get sick or have any disasters?

Is this raising a child or raising a calf?

Thinking of the news he had heard on the way here, Zhu Yunwen couldn't help but ask:
"Grandpa Emperor, this time Japan complained about the storm at sea and wanted compensation from the Ming Dynasty... What do you think?"

This matter had just been discussed in the afternoon, and Zhu Yuanzhang already had a plan in mind.

But when he heard Zhu Yunwen's question, Zhu still felt a little unhappy.

At some point, the Qianqing Palace became a place like a sieve.

Now that the news has been revealed to the crown prince, what will happen next? Who will it be revealed to?

However, considering that the person in front of him was the crown prince, Old Zhu suppressed his temper and said nothing, only smiling faintly:
"Yun Wen, eat, eat!"

It’s better not to talk about serious matters while eating.

It’s a pity that Zhu Yunwen didn’t seem to understand the hidden meaning of these words.

Or rather, he actually already knew it, but because Zhu Gaoyu was able to sit in on government affairs before, even if he appeared to be indifferent about it on the surface, he still cared about it in his heart.

This made Zhu Yunwen want to show off in front of the emperor.

It's impossible that the grandson he personally taught is worse than a five-year-old child?

Zhu Yunwen considered for a moment, and then spoke:
"Grandpa, I think that our Ming Dynasty is vast and rich in resources, while Japan is just a barbarian land and a flea on the sea. Regarding this..."

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly put down his chopsticks, raised his head, looked at Zhu Yunwen, and said in a light tone:

"Do you have any idea?"

Zhu Yunwen stood up, bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang, and then said:
"As the great country of Ming, when dealing with foreign barbarians, I think we should first educate our vassal states and demonstrate the majesty of our great Ming. By accumulating this from generation to generation, we can achieve a glorious era where all nations come to pay tribute."

Zhu Yuanzhang wiped his mouth, nodded without comment, and raised a question:
"But what if Japan has evil intentions, appears to be obedient, but secretly accumulates strength, and at the same time indulges the Japanese pirates at sea to burn, kill and plunder?"

Zhu Yunwen said righteously:
"Then we should express our condemnation to the Ashikaga Shogun of Japan."

Zhu Yuanzhang continued to ask:
"But what if Japan secretly obeys?"

Zhu Yunwen was silent for a long time, as if he had not expected that his grandfather the emperor would pursue this issue so relentlessly.

He hesitated for a while before speaking:
"When that time comes, the Ming navy will have no choice but to march straight in. Since the heavens will not punish the Japanese pirates who are causing trouble, burning, killing and looting, then the Ming will conquer them!"

but……

Zhu Yunwen thought about it and added:
"After all, Japan occupies a dangerous terrain, surrounded by mountains and seas, which is not conducive to attack. In addition, the Northern Yuan Dynasty also attacked Japan before, but it was only two expeditions, and both ended in failure."

"My grandson thinks that instead of wasting national strength to conquer Japan, it is better to implement a maritime ban in coastal areas and relocate coastal people inland. Once on land, the so-called Japanese pirates are nothing more than a group of bandits. Under the protection of our Ming Dynasty guards, they can be destroyed in a snap."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, but didn't respond. He just said:
"Sit down and eat. We are a family and we have to stand up all the time. It seems strange."

Zhu Gaoyu was eating his meal quietly when he heard this sentence. He couldn't help but complain in his heart:
When he stood up just now, I didn't see Lao Zhu stop him...

No matter how stupid Zhu Gaoyu was, he could see that Zhu was unhappy.

As for why he was unhappy... Zhu Gaoyu had a few guesses in his mind.

But I'll wait until I get back and ask my dad.

……

Dinner is over.

As soon as Zhu Yunwen left the Qianqing Palace, the smile on his face suddenly fell, and there was no trace of a smile on his face anymore.

He paced inside the palace wall, his eyes showing deep thought, but at this moment, he heard a familiar voice:
"Your Highness, is there something on your mind?"

Zhu Yunwen looked up and saw Li Jinglong coming in front of him at some point.

He smiled bitterly:
"What does my cousin still call you His Highness in private? How could the friendship between you and me become so distant?"

Li Jinglong smiled, and it was obvious that he benefited greatly from these words.

Li Jinglong walked beside Zhu Yunwen, slightly behind him, and repeated the old words:

"Looking at your expression, Your Highness, you seem to be in distress?"

Speaking of this, Zhu Yunwen sighed deeply, frowned, and seemed a little puzzled:

"I talked with Grandpa Huang today, and I felt that he was not very happy with my answer..."

At this time, Li Jinglong was still a genius in the eyes of everyone and a representative of the saying "a good father will have a good son". In addition, he was of extraordinary bearing, tall and strong, and looked trustworthy.

Li Jinglong did not disappoint Zhu Yunwen. After a little thought, he came to a conclusion:
"Your Highness, did you mention the matter of Japan?" Zhu Yunwen nodded immediately, and the doubt in his eyes became more intense:
"I think I have explained everything. Whether it is the benevolent teachings of the saints, or the Ming navy's promotion of the Ming Dynasty's majesty, and finally considering the emperor's previous decree, the possibility of a maritime ban was mentioned again. But why... I feel that the emperor still seems not very satisfied."

Li Jinglong was also a little confused at first. As he frowned and thought, he didn't know what he was thinking of, and his expression changed slightly.

Zhu Yunwen, who was standing by, just happened to catch this scene and frowned slightly:

"What did my cousin know?"

Li Jinglong was also a little hesitant:

"I mentioned this matter to Your Majesty with Duke Wei before. But Duke Wei and I have different ideas. Zhu Gaoyu, on the other hand, has the same idea as Duke Wei."

Zhu Yunwen was suddenly a little unbelievable.

Could it be that... the Emperor's idea is the same as Zhu Gaoyu's?
But...how is this possible!

How old is Zhu Gaoyu?

Zhu Yunwen shook his head and said in a deep voice:
"How could a man like Grandpa Huang change his policies on national affairs just because he dotes on his grandson? Changing policies every day is not a good thing. It must be a coincidence..."

Zhu Yunwen took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of distracting thoughts.

However, Li Jinglong next to him still had his brows tightly furrowed.

He felt that... this was not a coincidence.

But when he thought of Zhu Gaoyu's age, Li Jinglong's frown relaxed slightly again.

In fact, I secretly said something very disrespectful in my heart. Since the deaths of relatives such as Empress Ma and the former Crown Prince Zhu Biao, and the fact that Zhu Yuanzhang is indeed old, his health is not as good as before.

How old was Zhu Gaoyu, and how many days did Zhu Yuanzhang have left?
Besides, the position of Crown Prince is now firmly established. Could it be that he would deliberately target Zhu Gaoyu just because of his favoritism in such a small matter?

Only a fool has this ability!

If there is a chance... we might as well target King Yan.

When I heard His Majesty talking about Datong today, his intention... seemed to be to let the Prince of Yan build the city of Datong.

Datong is located between the inner and outer Great Walls, bordered by the Yellow River in the west, the desert in the north, Daoma and Zijing Pass in the east, and Yanmen Pass and Ningwu Pass in the south...

In short, as one of the nine important border towns in the early Ming Dynasty, Datong has extremely important strategic significance.

This time, the Prince of Yan was sent to build Datong... It can be seen that no matter what His Majesty's attitude towards the Prince of Yan is, he at least has great trust in his son's skills and abilities.

Compared with his uncles who were well versed in military and political affairs, Zhu Yunwen, although well-read, was still somewhat inferior to others because of his scholarly air of idle talk.

Li Jinglong understood these things clearly, but he would not say them out loud.

But he was thinking in his heart... it seemed like he hadn't dealt with Zhu Laosi for a long time, so how about... go for a drink in a few days?
……

The days passed by little by little.

In a blink of an eye, autumn has passed.

Looking back, Zhu Gaoyu had already put on his little cotton-padded jacket.

Preparations also began in Prince Yan's mansion.

And the cause of all of this... all came from a clear decree from the palace.

Let the King of Yan build Datong.

Zhu Gaoyu lay by the window, watching his father wiping his spotless armor, holding his cheek, yawning, and speaking lazily:
"Dad, will you pass through Beiping on your way to Datong this time?"

Zhu Di did not even raise his head:

"Probably. But if we're in a hurry, we won't stay. Besides me, your Thirteenth Uncle will also be with us to build Datong this time."

Zhu Gaoyu continued to support his chin. Silver charcoal was burning in the room, and the hot wind blew, making people a little drowsy.

"Didn't Grandpa Huang only ask you to build Datong? Why is there Uncle Thirteen?"

Zhu Di glanced at the boy and felt a little helpless.

This kid really doesn't care about anything and only eats three bowls of rice.

Sooner or later he will become as fat and happy as his elder brother!

He has been in Yingtian for so long, but he didn’t even know that Datong was Zhu Gui’s vassal state... What was this kid doing?

But then again, when it comes to important matters, he doesn't seem to have delayed at all.

Zhu Di thought about it and was too lazy to say anything, so he just let him be.

Anyway, he is just a little kid and no one is expected to do anything. He has three older brothers around him, so what else can he do?
As he was speaking, footsteps were heard in the yard.

The wind blew the leaves, making a rustling sound, and then the door creaked open, and the cold wind rolled up the yellow leaves and swept all the way inside the door.

Zhu Gaoyu was originally half-sleep, but when he heard the noise, he immediately became excited.

The person who came was none other than his thirteenth uncle Zhu Gui, whom Zhu Di had just mentioned. In addition, there was another familiar guest.

——Li Jinglong.

(End of this chapter)