Zhu Yuanzhang is now facing a happy dilemma. His eldest son is the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, and he has handled state affairs with great skill over the years. Zhu Yuanzhang knows that even if he were to pass away now, his eldest son would still be able to manage the Ming Dynasty perfectly.
Civil officials, military generals, nobles, and imperial relatives—no matter which faction they belonged to, none dared to be arrogant or deferential before the Crown Prince.
As for Zhu Yuanzhang's beloved eldest grandson, he was very intelligent from a young age. The precocious grandson was deep in thought and very talented. Whether it was the lifting of the maritime ban or the campaign against Japan, both had brought huge revenues to the Ming Dynasty's treasury. Now that the eldest grandson was in charge of Beiping, the construction of Beiping and the development of Tianjin were progressing rapidly.
But now that the eldest grandson has made military achievements, this has put Old Zhu in a slightly difficult position.
He knew the Crown Prince wouldn't think much of it, but he couldn't guarantee what the other court officials might think. The Crown Prince did indeed have many civil and military officials under his command, but the Grandson already had a large number of nobles. If they were to further reward the Grandson's generals, it was highly likely that the Grandson's generals would overshadow the Crown Prince's faction.
This is no exaggeration. The Crown Prince's top military commander is Lan Yu, but that still has some connection to the Crown Prince. People like Fu Youde and Xu Yungong are clearly labeled as being related to the Crown Prince.
Da Zhu laughed and said to Lao Zhu, "Father probably didn't expect Ying'er to grow up so quickly, did he?"
“We know Ying’er is fond of martial arts; we’ve seen it since he was little,” Old Zhu said irritably. “We just didn’t expect him to be so bold at such a young age. Biao’er, your strengths over Ying’er lie in handling political affairs and imperial methods. But we admire Ying’er’s vision. We also trust his ability to fight.”
Zhu said with a hint of pride, "My son is better at literature, but Ying'er is even better at martial arts. Ying'er has just been away from the central government these past few years and doesn't want to get involved in politics. He's smart, and given some time he'll be able to handle things smoothly."
Old Zhu scratched his head and chuckled twice. "Our son is successful, and our grandson is successful too! But now, our grandson is so successful that we have to suppress him?!"
Suppressing Zhu Xiong Ying completely is out of the question, but it's certainly necessary to somewhat restrain Zhu Xiong Ying's subordinates. In any case, neither the old Zhu nor the eldest Zhu wants Zhu Xiong Ying's forces to grow too powerful, at least not to give the impression that the grandson's power surpasses that of the crown prince.
Old Zhu and Big Zhu could be confident, and they knew that no matter how much Zhu Xiong Ying grew, he wouldn't truly suppress Big Zhu. However, some obtuse and shrewd civil and military officials might simply fail to see things clearly.
In fact, there are many instances in history where emperors favored their crown princes. Liu Ju, the crown prince of Emperor Wu of Han, and Li Chengqian, the crown prince of Emperor Taizong of Tang, were both quite favored. However, in most cases, the crown princes were young, not young and powerful.
But Old Zhu was different. He was happier when his son and grandson were successful. Of course, his son and grandson's success was largely due to Old Zhu's strong support and guidance.
Just then, Shuangquan tiptoed into the palace and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Prince has gotten into a conflict with someone."
Although Zhu Yuanzhang (the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty) truly disliked his third son, Zhu Yunwen, he was still his second legitimate son. Moreover, Zhu Yuanzhang was well aware of how much the Crown Prince valued and protected Zhu Yunwen.
Old Zhu's eyes were almost red, a sign of his affection for the house extending to its inhabitants, "Who is it?"
Shuangquan prostrated himself on the ground and said, "It is His Highness the King of Han!"
Prince Zhu Song of Han was the nineteenth son of Zhu Yuanzhang. He was a cautious, intelligent, and well-read prince, and one of Zhu Yuanzhang's more promising sons.
Old Zhu and First Zhu instantly understood, because Zhu Xiong Ying wanted to move the capital to Beiping, something many of the princes already knew. In fact, they had all heard that First Zhu originally intended to enfeoff these princes as border guards in the Nine Garrisons, making them frontier princes.
However, the border troops of the Ming Dynasty must not be allowed to be interfered with by the princes, and the Nine Garrisons are out of the question. The Jingchu and Jiangnan regions are also areas that the old Zhu and the great Zhu were reluctant to enfeoff, as they are the source of revenue and the main grain-producing areas, and the princes cannot be allowed to interfere.
So these vassal kings are now heading to the southwest, the northwest, and the Lingnan region. This has angered the princes who grew up in the prosperous city of Yingtian Prefecture, who feel that their good nephews have ruined them by sending them to the wild and desolate lands.
Old Zhu was now in a dilemma; both his son and grandson were his flesh and blood. He couldn't bear to punish his son, and he understood that his son harbored resentment. But his grandson was, after all, his own flesh and blood, and besides, he had to give Zhu Xiong Ying some face.
Da Zhu sighed and said, "Father, why don't you reward Yunhuo with some gold, silver, and jade? Otherwise, let him inspect Yangzhou; that child would probably be overjoyed. As for Xiao Shijiu, I'll go and talk to him."
Old Zhu nodded, then asked, "Biao'er, do you think our system of granting fiefdoms and establishing new ones is so thankless and exhausting? You and Ying'er don't like it, and our other children also have some reservations."
Da Zhu smiled but didn't say anything; this topic was offensive.
Old Zhu said irritably, "We used to think Ying'er liked to play dumb, that she learned it herself, but now it seems she's just like you! You two don't want to offend anyone, you don't want to talk to us, so you both play dumb for us!"
This amused Da Zhu, who looked up and said, “Father, although Ying’er grew up with you and Mother, she is still my son. The more I look at her, the more I feel that Ying’er resembles me. She is not only delicate but also refined. If I were to adopt a refined style, I would resemble a scholar. Ying’er would be just as good.”
"If our Ying'er were to hold a book, she would truly look like a scholar." Old Zhu was also delighted and in high spirits. "It's just that our Ying'er doesn't like holding books; she prefers to hang a sword. I mean, you and Ying'er are both good at pretending to be scholars. But I'm no good; if I wanted to pretend to be a scholar, I'd look like a martial artist."
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