In fact, before the death of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, Zhu Yuanzhang had no intention of cleaning out the Huaixi nobles.

What he did was to transfer the military power to the hands of the princes, thus forming a balance of power in the army between the Huaixi nobles and the princes.

During this period, he once wanted to kill Zhu Yunwen, but after his eldest grandson came back, he no longer had the idea.

Until the eldest grandson brought up the idea of ​​establishing fiefdoms overseas.

Only then would Zhu Yuanzhang have such thoughts again.

All the princes who were capable of fighting left the Ming Dynasty, forming a barrier to protect the Ming Dynasty. So, within the Ming Dynasty, only the Huaixi nobles were left in power.

This situation seems to have returned to the past.

Zhu Yuanzhang felt that he could not fight against the Huaixi nobles with only Zhu Di, even some generals other than Lan Yu, such as Feng Sheng and Fu Youde.

These are things that Zhu Di could hardly achieve.

This is also the issue that the grandfather and grandson have been considering about Zhu Di.

As of now, there is actually no space or soil for Zhu Di to rebel, even if Yao Guangxiao is still around.

The military generals and nobles of Huaixi were like a mountain in the army, and no one could get over them.

The only one who has the power to shatter this mountain is Zhu Yuanzhang.

…

"Yun Wen, after this year, you will be sixteen years old. Have you ever thought about what the future holds?"

After a busy day, Zhu Yunwen returned to the back hall of Chunhe Palace. When he was having dinner with his mother, Lu, Lu suddenly asked.

Zhu Yunwen was a little confused and asked, "Mother, why do you say that?"

Mrs. Lu shook her head gently and said, "Yesterday in the harem, I heard from Concubine Ning that because the vassal king was enfeoffed overseas, as a biological mother, I could choose to go with him."

"That is to say, if Wen'er also wants to go overseas to establish a kingdom, I can leave the palace with you."

When Lu said this, there was a hint of thought and some complicated expressions in her eyes.

Her presence in the palace is actually a subtle obstacle for the Crown Prince, as it is rather awkward because of the relationship with the successor Crown Princess.

She would not be so foolish as to think that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would recognize her as his biological mother.

Now that it has been dragged on like this, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has never come to the Eastern Palace once. This may have a lot to do with me. I learned that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is only concerned about his reputation.

But she didn't want to just sit there and wait for death.

When Lu heard Concubine Ning talking about this, an idea came to her mind. With the current relationship, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would not make it too difficult to defeat them.

With the elite soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, conquering a small country as a vassal state is also a good choice.

At least it avoids future embarrassment.

If I wait until Your Majesty ascends to heaven and the Crown Prince takes the throne, what will I do with my own arrangements?

Queen Mother?

Impossible.

But destroying oneself would seem too cruel.

The best way is to follow Yun Wen and leave.

"But mother, you know me well. How can I have the ability to conquer a vassal state?"

"Isn't it good now? I am also working for my elder brother. I am valued by my elder brother and I am revising the laws of the Ming Dynasty. This is something that will be remembered for thousands of years."

"I heard that Xie Jin will be arriving in the next few days, and my eldest brother also replied to me, saying that there is no problem."

"Also, the capital is so lively now. Thanks to my brother's development, the streets are bustling with people, and more things are coming to the capital."

"I heard that a new avenue will be built from Zhengyang Gate to Waiwulong Bridge Square. Last time, my eldest brother asked me what I thought would be a good name for it."

Zhu Yunwen kept muttering, and his words and deeds showed no intention of going overseas to fight against the vassal states on his own.

He didn't like fighting in the first place, and he disliked those stinking soldiers even more. Fighting was not what a gentleman should do, and he should stay away from it.

Immersing himself in the classics of Confucian classics is what he likes to do now.

When Lu heard this, there was a flash of extreme disappointment and relief in his eyes.

Fortunately, when His Royal Highness the Crown Prince first entered the palace, he did not resist, nor did he let his son resist.

The performance so far has been relatively submissive.

What was disappointing was that his child had no lofty ambitions and was not born to be an emperor. He was a complete blockhead.

My brain has been washed by those Confucian teachings.

Everyone said that Wen'er was like his father, but the prince was also a man of both literary and martial talents. His performance in both civil and military affairs surpassed that of his brothers and was extremely outstanding.

The "wu" in Crown Prince Zhu Biao's name does not refer to his martial arts, but rather to his excellence in military strategic vision and in commanding soldiers.

After all, the prince grew up in a military camp and was not unfamiliar with war.

However, as the crown prince, Zhu Yuanzhang would not let him go to the front line, so he had no merit or achievements to speak of.

But Lu knew the prince's abilities. Zhu Chong, Zhu Gang and Zhu Di, for example, had often consulted the prince on military issues.

This is also why the younger brothers are so obedient and respectful to the prince, because he is an all-round winner in terms of both civil and military strategy.

Even in the most insignificant personal bravery, the prince is not inferior to others.

But who could have thought that a simple cold would cause the prince to die young? It is simply unimaginable.

It is no wonder that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to massacre the imperial physicians on a large scale, because theoretically, this was simply impossible.

Mrs. Lu put down her bowl and chopsticks and waved her hand.

The eunuchs and palace maids beside them hesitated for a moment, then stood up and began to clean up.

"Mom, what are you doing? I haven't even finished eating yet." Zhu Yunwen complained.

Mrs. Lu snorted coldly and said, "What are you eating? You said you've been working hard recently, but I see you've gained a lot of weight. I don't know what you've been doing in the Dali Temple for this period of time. Or is it because the food is too delicious and you're greedy?"

Hearing his mother's scolding, Zhu Yunwen put down his chopsticks awkwardly and let the palace maid take them away.

I wanted to make some rebuttal, but when I thought about my time in the Dali Temple, I was speechless.

I can't say that I'm just there as a peacemaker every day, urging people to be quiet. Zhu Yunwen has become somewhat immune to the noisy and noisy atmosphere.

This also led to the situation that Zhu Yunwen seemed very busy every day, but in fact he was always slacking off in the Dali Temple.

But he still enjoys such lazy days.

With no hope of becoming emperor and no desire to go to war to establish a vassal state, he could only lie down and wait. After all, his elder brother would give him something to do, and he could just live his life leisurely.

After the palace maid and the eunuch closed the door, Lu said angrily: "You only think about yourself. Have you ever thought about your mother in your heart?"

"You are living like this now, but what can you say about the future? And can you be sure that the Crown Prince is taking extra care of you because of His Majesty? If His Majesty is gone, what will happen then? Can you be sure?"

"As the Crown Princess, I am the successor to the previous Crown Princess, but I am not the Crown Prince's biological mother. If Your Majesty ascends to heaven and the Crown Prince succeeds to the throne, how will I cope with this?"

"Since the Crown Prince entered the palace, he has never been to the Eastern Palace and has been living in Kunning Palace. He wants to distance himself from us mother and daughter so that it will be easier to deal with them in the future."

"Or do you think that I can still be the Queen Mother?"

After hearing what his mother said, Zhu Yunwen's mind was in a mess.

Ever since he gave up the confrontation with his elder brother, he felt very relaxed. His elder brother suggested that those who were good at fighting could build a country overseas, and those who were not interested in war could become officials or be an idle prince to subsidize the industry.

It’s okay to do something you like.

Zhu Yunwen knew that his fifth uncle, Prince of Zhou Zhu Su, and his younger brother Yunhu were all like this.

Especially that kid Yunhu, Zhu Yunwen didn’t even know that he actually liked to do carpentry work.

A few days ago, the eldest brother arranged for Yunhu to learn how to make muskets, but Yunhu came back and said that he didn't like it and preferred other carpentry work.

Zhu Yunwen thought that his elder brother would punish him, but unexpectedly he found a group of carpenters from the public to teach him how to make stools, chairs and bed frames.

A few days ago, Yunxun mentioned that he wanted to ask his eldest brother for some shops from the Qun Ying Chamber of Commerce so that he could sell things and earn some money. He couldn't always take things for free.

From these things, Zhu Yunwen felt that he had already recognized his elder brother. Even though he had not achieved any results in the Dali Temple, his elder brother had never urged him.

I would just like to mention two things: the law is the way of people's livelihood, and it should be enforced with caution and not be neglected.

I also comforted him, telling him to take it slow and not to be impatient.

Zhu Yunwen was very moved.

But when it comes to my mother, it’s completely different.

"Get out! Get out of here, and treat me as if I don't have a son like you!!!"

Seeing that Zhu Yunwen didn't respond for a long time, Lu felt a pain in her heart and stood up and scolded him.

She was worried about Yunwen's affairs every day and helped him in various ways, but now these are the things she got in return. This made the usually strong Lu suddenly collapse.

As a woman, no matter how big the problem is, she can handle it. She also managed to hold on even after the prince passed away.

But just now, she had almost said it directly, but her beloved son was like a piece of wood and did not react at all.

As a mother, how can you be like this?

When Zhu Yunwen heard his mother's hysterical roar, he was startled.

I knew that my reaction just now made my mother angry, and very angry.

"Mother, mother, I was just thinking about how to deal with this matter, or how to ask my eldest brother for some elite soldiers, or where is the best place to build a country."

"I am not familiar with the borders of the Ming Dynasty, so I was just thinking about which place would be the most comfortable, at least so that my mother wouldn't have to live a hard life with me."

Zhu Yunwen gritted his teeth and spoke quickly.

As a son, lying to outsiders may be awkward and unfamiliar, but dealing with family members, especially mother, seems to be an innate ability.

Sure enough, under Zhu Yunwen's coaxing, Lu asked suspiciously: "Is it really so?"

Zhu Yunwen continued: "Of course it is so. I didn't think about it clearly before. I am stupid and I was lost in thought."

Lu nodded with satisfaction and said, "It's great that you can think of these things. There are many small countries outside the borders of Ming Dynasty. We really need to explore them carefully to find out which places are more suitable for living."

"But housing is one thing. The most important thing is that we have to pick the weak ones. In the next few days, go and ask around to see if there are any good places to go."

"In the future, don't indulge in the classics. Go get in touch with the generals in the army and see if you can win over a capable fighter to pave the way for our mother. It should be no problem to promise her a position as a general of a vassal state or something like that."

"Go around more and find an opportunity to talk about this idea with your elder brother and His Majesty. After all, you and the Crown Prince are brothers. You can get a better position and more elite troops."

Lu gave detailed instructions. From the current perspective, it seems that establishing a country overseas is also a very good choice.

Even if it is a little barren, people can still slowly rebuild it.

Lu also heard that the crown prince had recruited a group of barbarian craftsmen from the far west who were very skilled in construction.

Then we can see if we can get a few of them.

Moreover, the Overseas Talent Recruitment Hall is still open, but because it is close to the New Year, there are not many scholars coming from all over the country, so it is quite deserted.

Naturally, not many scholars in the capital, or those with connections or families, wanted to leave the Ming Dynasty and go to that desolate place.

After the New Year, there will be a large number of students from all over the country seeking an official position.

Moreover, when they arrived at the vassal state, Yunwen was the king and she was the queen mother. They were free and did not have to worry about anything all day long.

Even if you fall behind a little, you can still be comfortable and enjoy your old age.

Seeing Zhu Yunwen's hesitant look, Lu was somewhat worried whether Yunwen could be a good ruler of a country.

But on the other hand, if Yunwen is not capable, then I will have to help him myself.

In the Ming Dynasty, the imperial harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, but in the vassal states, don’t they have the final say on the rules?

Thinking of this, Lu paused for a moment, and an idea began to germinate in his mind.

Who says women are inferior to men?

Wu Zetian of the prosperous Tang Dynasty was the first empress in history. Although she would not seize the throne from her son, she had followed the prince for so many years and was not unfamiliar with political affairs.

As the Ming Dynasty now attaches great importance to business, Lu thinks that he is not bad in business. When he was a child, his family also ran a business.

After thinking it through, Lu's heart began to become resolute and resolute.

On the side, Zhu Yunwen felt his scalp tingling as he listened to his mother's instructions.

Even though I didn't want to do it in my heart, I didn't dare say it in front of my mother.

He really wanted to stay in the capital. More and more new and interesting things kept appearing at his elder brother's place, and the salary paid out from the treasury was also increasing.

Even Zhu Yunwen vaguely felt that with regard to the matchlock gun and various other arrangements, there seemed to be a major change that would take place forever.

This strange premonition came from nowhere, but it was so real.

Every move of the eldest brother is linked to the next, and there are always new arrangements.

In just a few months, the capital city was very different from before. When Zhu Yunwen occasionally left the palace, he was also keenly aware that it seemed that the people were changing, and it seemed that the world had become colorful.

He wanted to stay in the capital and witness all this happen.

But when he looked up and met his mother's burning eyes, Zhu Yunwen sighed softly in his heart and said respectfully:

"The kid understands."

Mrs. Lu's face gradually brightened with smile. After so many years, she had never felt this excited before, when she married the Crown Prince and when she was appointed as the Crown Princess.

Thinking about this, I couldn't wait any longer.

She vaguely remembered that there was a woman in her ancestry who was particularly famous.