A person's reputation is like the shadow of a tree.

In fact, deep in Zhu Ying's heart, he always had a trace of fear towards Zhu Di.

The name of Emperor Yongle is still very famous in later generations.

He was the only person in the entire history of China who successfully rebelled as a vassal king.

This is also the reason why Zhu Ying never really used Zhu Di. The best way was to let him expand the territory outside the Ming Dynasty.

But now the situation in Liaodong and Nurgan is completely different.

First of all, in Liaodong and Nurgan, the land is flat and there are no natural barriers to defend.

The black soil covers a very large area, which means that it will be extremely difficult to protect grain production.

Under such circumstances, there is no doubt that whenever the black soil begins to be harvested, it will inevitably cause jealous invasions from the grassland and surrounding forces.

In the past, people had to go through a lot of trouble to cross the Great Wall and go inland to beg for money, but they often never came back.

It’s different now, you can just rush over and grab it.

The grasslands were uneven and the wars continued. This was the true portrayal of Liaodong and Nurgan areas in the future.

In such a situation, a true general is needed.

It’s not that there are no real fighters in the Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, there are still many.

For example, the Huaixi military generals group, just pick out a bunch of them.

Including Lan Yu, he can also be dispatched there.

However, their contributions are already great enough. If they continue to guard Liaodong and Nurgan, the impact will affect the balance of military power.

They already have many old subordinates, and their influence is already being weakened. If they are released, it will be difficult to control them.

Then why is it not a problem for Zhu Di?

First of all, his identity is that he is a vassal king.

The soldiers and generals of the vassal kings came from the dispatch of the royal family. In other words, the power of the vassal kings themselves came from the royal family itself, not the individual generals. This is also the main reason why the rebellions of the vassal kings have never been successful since ancient times.

When the imperial edict was issued to remove the power of the princes, very few people would choose to follow the princes in rebellion.

Zhu Di was an exception. The reason was that Zhu Yunwen had no official background, acted too ruthlessly, and the timing was also very wrong.

Because when Zhu Yunwen came to power, a large part of the military power was in the hands of the princes, and when these princes faced the struggle between Zhu Di and Zhu Yunwen, they just stood by and watched, and some even helped Zhu Di.

Because no one wanted to be killed, although they didn't feel that Zhu Di could succeed, they at least wanted to intimidate Zhu Yunwen.

When the princes united, their influence was still great. Moreover, at that time, it had only been four or five years since the Lan Yu case, and a large number of middle-level officers had been killed, which also led to the decline of the army.

There were also many coincidences, political schemes, and internal and external cooperation, which led to Zhu Di's success.

Zhu Ying couldn't figure out how Zhu Di could fight against him alone.

Even if Zhu Di was arranged to go to Liaodong, Nurgan would definitely not be managed by him alone, as there would be constraints.

Looking back on Zhu Di’s life, he spent almost all of it on horseback.

Even after he became emperor, he continued to lead his troops in person.

It was not until his fifth expedition that he ended his military career when his body could no longer bear it.

He is more suitable to be a general than an emperor.

"If the eldest grandson feels it is inappropriate, then forget it."

Zhu Yuanzhang had been observing the expression of his eldest grandson. Seeing that he was struggling and was obviously worried about the fourth son's matter, he spoke directly.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ying looked up at the old man and caught the regret and heartache in the old man's eyes.

His heart moved, and he said, "No, I think that Nurgan in Liaodong is suitable for my uncle to go there."

When Zhu Yuanzhang heard this, his eyes widened and he said happily, "Does Grandson really think it's okay?"

One is his eldest grandson and the other is his son.

If we really compare them, Zhu Yuanzhang would naturally choose his eldest grandson without hesitation.

Because this is Zhu Chongba's eldest grandson, and the fourth one is Zhu Yuanzhang's son.

It may seem contradictory at first glance, but this is actually the case.

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang still liked Zhu Di very much in his heart.

Once in the court, Zhu Di was praised many times, saying: He is like us.

He even issued Ming Dynasty treasure notes with a face value of one million to reward Zhu Di.

There was no way. Zhu Di's popularity was all due to the support of his brothers. Except for the crown prince Zhu Biao, almost no other son could be as outstanding as Zhu Di.

Each of them has a very bad reputation. According to Ming Dynasty law, all of them must be stripped of their royal titles.

Only Zhu Di had a rigorous style of work, rarely suffered defeat in years of fighting, had an excellent reputation in the army, and had no bad record in the local area.

Just like himself, he likes to kill corrupt officials. After investigation by the Jinyiwei, the evidence is solid and there is no false accusation.

Not only did he not abuse the people, but their livelihood was actually pretty good.

Zhu Chong, Zhu Gang, and other brothers who were considered to be relatively capable could not be compared with Zhu Di at all.

The legitimate sons of Empress Ma are the eldest son Zhu Biao, the second son Zhu Chong, the third son Zhu Gang, the fourth son Zhu Di, and the fifth son Zhu Su.

Although Zhu Di was not Zhu Di's biological son, he was registered under the name of Empress Ma, perhaps because of the guilt for accidentally killing Concubine Shuo.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't like it when he was a child, but he liked it very much when he grew up.

The reason is very simple, because among all his sons, only Zhu Di and Zhu Yuanzhang look the most alike.

However, if Zhu Yuanzhang knew that after his death, Zhu Di, the fourth son who looked most like him, would come to him for help because of his words: "I dreamed that someone put a jade pendant on my neck, and then my neck flesh started to ache slightly, and I suspected that he was ill. I applied medicine to it, but it didn't work. Later, the bone became protruding, which was very strange."

Then he gave himself a shoe-horn face, and maybe now he couldn't help but pick up a stick and beat him up.

What Zhu Yuanzhang meant by this was that he had a dream at night in which he saw a jade disk on his neck, which then melted into his flesh and turned into a bone protrusion.

Then, in order to strengthen the monarch's authority, Zhu Di gave his father Zhu Yuanzhang the title of Son of Heaven.

Because dragon faces are generally long, he also gave his father a dragon face.

The only good thing is that the portrait enshrined in the Wuying Hall still mainly features Zhu Yuanzhang himself, otherwise it would have been difficult to distinguish between the two in later generations.

For various reasons, in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind, Zhu Di and Zhu Ying, the two uncle and nephew, should work together to support the Ming Dynasty.

However, because Zhu Ying became a commoner and the eldest brother died, the fourth brother had the idea of ​​becoming emperor.

Before he knew about his eldest grandson, Zhu Yuanzhang actually had the idea of ​​making the fourth son the emperor.

Zhu Yunwen was still young, and none of his other sons were worthy of his attention. The only ones who could be compared to him were the fourth son and Yunwen.

Of course, there is no need to consider these things now. Everything will be different when my eldest grandson comes back.

Because of the return of his eldest grandson, Zhu Yuanzhang has become much calmer now, less irritable than before, and his habit of killing people at will has also improved to a certain extent.

He also attaches great importance to his eldest grandson's ideas.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that he was getting old and the years he could live would become fewer and fewer.

He understood his eldest grandson's temperament. Even if he forced some choices on him, he was afraid that he would still change after he ascended the throne.

The situation with my eldest grandson was different. When I came into contact with him, he had already grown up.

Ten years have made the eldest grandson's character become resolute, and it has become difficult for him to make major changes.

Zhu Yuanzhang was a smart man, so when it came to dealing with the issue of vassal kings, he respected his eldest grandson's ideas and would not deliberately impose them.

In fact, it was the same with Zhu Yunwen, but he didn't expect that when his grandson Zhu Yunwen was still alive, he promised well, but suddenly changed his mind and took forceful action.

After becoming emperor, Zhu Di always felt that he was sorry for his father and often woke up in the middle of the night, fearing that he would be scolded.

In fact, if Zhu Yuanzhang really knew that Zhu Di had seized the throne because of Zhu Yunwen's forceful reduction of the power of the princes, he would at most scold him a few words and would not get too angry.

Because Zhu Yunwen's ruthless actions only made Zhu Yuanzhang feel more disappointed.

Even if Zhu Di became emperor, in the end, the meat was rotten in the pot.

Perhaps, the fact that this son, who looked most like him and had the most similar personality and behavior to him, got the throne was perhaps fate's arrangement.

However, compared to the eldest grandson Zhu Ying, everyone should stand aside.

Zhu Yuanzhang was very happy to see that his eldest grandson had let bygones be bygones with his fourth uncle.

"Grandpa, Fourth Uncle is very good at marching and fighting, especially in the grasslands. He is familiar with the situation and will be of great use in the future."

Zhu Ying did not answer the question about the delicate relationship between himself and Zhu Di.

These things just need to be tacitly understood.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and nodded, "It's the best that the eldest grandson thinks this way. We are all family, so there is no need to talk about two families. The fourth child is very straightforward and doesn't beat around the bush."

Zhu Ying remained silent.

The old man thought this way because Zhu Di had always been obedient in front of the old man. When it comes to cunningness, there are probably few people in the royal family who can match him.

…

Because of the Chinese New Year, it seems that everyone is starting to have some free time.

Both the royal family and the common people were busy preparing for the New Year.

Some poor scholars also set up stalls in the cold wind and helped people write couplets.

Especially this year's New Year goods are more affordable and cheaper than in previous years, which has caused an even greater craze.

As for the New Year's goods, Zhu Ying had already made preparations, and goods of all sizes were continuously transported into the palace.

This included all kinds of goods. Everyone in the palace, from concubines and royal descendants to eunuchs, maids, and imperial guards, all received gifts.

If there are children in the family, they can also get a red envelope, which is New Year's money.

However, the main significance is symbolic. After all, these days, there are many families with six or seven children, and it is impossible to seal six or seven red envelopes.

Inside the red envelope, there are notes ranging from ten coins to ten strings of cash, depending on their grade, which is considered a festive occasion.

"Your Highness is truly magnanimous. This is the most lively New Year's Day in the 25 years of our Ming Dynasty."

"Of course. You see, there are still eight days until New Year's Day. The festive atmosphere is already stronger than in previous years. I heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has even recruited opera troupes from all over the world to come to the capital to perform in turns."

"This year is very different. Our Crown Prince has returned to the palace, and the emperor and his grandson are reunited. Such a happy event must be celebrated in a grand manner. After the Crown Prince entered the palace, the emperor has become rich."

"Hehe, how can we not have money? It's such a big chamber of commerce. All of our New Year's goods were purchased from the Heroes Chamber of Commerce. With such a large scale, I'm afraid we'll have to build a new palace to hold all the money we earn."

"That's not the case. The goods we buy now are much cheaper than in previous years. I think it's a great thing for ordinary people like us to have His Royal Highness run the Chamber of Commerce."

"In previous years, I could buy goods for dozens of coins, but now I can buy almost half as much. It is really a great blessing."

There was a festive atmosphere inside and outside the palace.

Especially the people in the capital city received huge benefits. Even the lowest class refugees had special places to feed themselves.

Such a huge expenditure was all paid by the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce, which is definitely a big deal.

"Grandson, this amount of money will probably cost a lot."

Inside the palace, after feeling the hustle and bustle, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but find his eldest grandson to ask.

In previous years, the New Year's Day and Spring Festival did not have such huge expenses, because the country had just been founded and there was not much surplus grain in the treasury, so there was still some control on major events and it was relatively frugal.

This time, he agreed to let his eldest grandson take charge of the New Year's Day and Spring Festival affairs. However, Zhu Yuanzhang was curious about such a grand scene, especially some arrangements in the palace. After reading the regulations that had been revised several times, he felt a little uneasy.

There were quite a few regulations in previous years, but they were mainly about etiquette.

Responsible for the congratulations from all officials.

Now there is more than that, there are many more programs, performances, operas, storytelling, and even a special food court in the palace.

In Fengtian Square alone, there are extremely grand New Year's Eve events on Zhengdan.

The list of fireworks involved is more than ten pages long.

This was unacceptable to Zhu Yuanzhang, who was always frugal.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. These expenses may seem huge, but in fact, they don't require a single cent of the treasury. Moreover, my grandson's chamber of commerce will make some money from them."

Zhu Ying replied confidently.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked curiously, "Tell me, with such a huge expense, how can you make money without spending money?"

Zhu Ying smiled mysteriously and explained, "Grandpa, have you ever heard of the Tianjie Temple's head incense?"

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "Of course I know that."

Tianjie Temple is the first of the three major temples in the capital.

It has long been a custom for people to compete to be the first to burn incense, as it is believed that this can bring good luck to people in the new year.

The competition for the first incense stick nowadays is not as fierce as it is in later generations, where people spend millions just for a single incense stick.

Nowadays, those who can get the first incense offering at Tianjie Temple, or Linggu Temple and Da Baoen Temple, the three major temples in the capital, are either royal nobles or important officials in the court.

Merchants, no matter how much money they spend, are not qualified for that.

But this does not mean that they did not have this idea. After the development of business in later generations, the people who spent the most were the businessmen.

Zhu Ying was well aware of this, so he added an extra step on the New Year's Day. This step was enough to offset the expenses and also leave some surplus.

The name of this segment is: Happy New Year to His Majesty.