Zhu Yuanzhang's birthday banquet was lively and harmonious, and many people felt that after the emperor's birthday celebration, it was natural to continue to devote themselves to their work. Based on their understanding of the emperor, they believed that he would definitely continue to work hard and would not rest.
This truly reflects Emperor Zhu's personality; he was a workaholic. With such a boss, his subordinates were forced to become workaholics as well, making it extremely difficult for them to get any rest.
Seeing the gray-haired old Zhu sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu Xiong Ying, the imperial grandson, was unusually open and discussed many matters directly with the civil and military officials in the court, showing no ambiguity whatsoever.
This is somewhat unusual, even though everyone knows the Crown Prince's status and importance, and that he has long been reviewing memorials and handling government affairs. It's just that in the past, the Crown Prince in court was mostly a listener who spoke little, rather than taking the initiative to step forward and handle matters as he is now.
"The relocation of the capital is a national policy, and this matter is not open to discussion," Zhu Xiong Ying said, turning to Ru Chang. "My dear minister, please draft a list. The Right Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries will be required to relocate to Beiping, and the Right Vice Ministers of the Five Courts will be sent. The Censorate will be led by the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief, and the Office of Transmission will be led by the Right Transmission Officer to Beiping. The Six Ministries will also have the Left Censor-in-Chief."
Now everyone understood that what the Crown Prince meant was that the central government departments, led by their respective third-in-commands, would move the capital to Beiping first.
Ru Chang did not object, but said, "Your Highness, if important officials from various departments are leaving the capital..."
"You can't get anything done just because one person is missing?" Old Zhu was displeased; he couldn't stand it. "With the departure of an important official, my central departments are missing someone who can make decisions?"
Faced with Zhu Yuanzhang's anger, no one knew what to say. They simply accepted the Crown Prince's suggestion. As for opposing the relocation of the capital, that was out of the question; those who opposed it had already been purged several times before.
At this moment, Ru Chang spoke again, "Your Highness, all the central government departments have sent people to Beiping, which is quite far from Yingtian Prefecture..."
Zhu Xiong Ying waved his hand and said, "If there is any major event, we will naturally send a message quickly. The various departments are only going to Beiping to make initial arrangements and will not be involved in much political affairs. All matters will still be handled by the Yingtian Prefecture. At that time, a prince should be present to oversee things..."
Sitting on the dragon throne, Zhu Yuanzhang spoke again, "Regarding this matter, let's have Prince Jin go and keep an eye on it first, Yunhu..."
Zhu Xiong Ying coughed, and Old Zhu immediately realized what had happened. His second grandson had run away again, this time with Prince Zhou, Zhu Gang, and Prince Xiang, Zhu Bai. Their destination was the territory of the "Shu Scholar," Prince Shu, Zhu Chun.
This was a prince whom even Emperor Zhu called a "Scholar of Shu." He was filial, kind, and well-versed in classical texts. His principal wife was Lan Yu's daughter. This prince was also one of Emperor Zhu's favorite sons because he was relatively easy to manage and had the potential to become a wise prince.
Actually, many princes haven't returned to their fiefdoms yet. Prince Zhou and his group fled because they obtained an imperial edict. As for how they got the edict, that's hard to say, but Zhu Yunwen obtained it. It was a genuine imperial edict, not a forged one.
At this moment, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "Grandfather, your grandson thinks that Prince Chu has been stationed in Wuchang for a long time and has also pacified Dayong and Daozhou, and conquered Yunnan and the Western Barbarians. It is most suitable for him to go to Beiping. In addition, it is also suitable for Prince Chu to serve as the Right Clan Member of the Imperial Clan Court."
Old Zhu thought for a moment and said, "That's right, then let's go with the King of Chu. Duke Chang Mao of Zheng is in Beiping for a long time, so let's go there together."
Everyone knows why Chang Mao went to Beiping. If it weren't for the Crown Prince's early death, Chang Mao might have stayed in Beiping with the Crown Prince. To be honest, the Zheng family was the most supportive of moving the capital, because they were the Crown Prince's maternal family, and they all knew that the Crown Prince had contributed greatly to the relocation of the capital to Beiping.
Moreover, everyone had their own guesses as to why Chang Mao was the one to go to Beiping; he was definitely keeping an eye on Prince Chu, Zhu Zhen. Although Zhu Zhen had accompanied Crown Prince Zhu Biao to the Wenhua Hall to listen to the Confucian scholars, he seemed to harbor some resentment and complaints about the Crown Prince becoming the rightful heir apparent.
Some things seem to have been decided so pleasantly, and Zhu Xiong Ying certainly felt quite happy about it. As for whether others were happy at that moment, that's hard to say.
Some civil and military officials were certainly unhappy; they might have to leave the central government for a while and go to the bitterly cold Beiping. This wasn't just a matter for the various central departments; the Five Military Commissions and noble families would also definitely send people to Beiping.
After the court session, Zhu said to Zhu Xiong Ying in an annoyed tone, "Your method of cutting flesh with a dull knife is getting more and more sophisticated."
Zhu Xiong Ying immediately began to feign ignorance, but seeing that Old Zhu couldn't be fooled, Zhu Xiong Ying said, "It's not a bad thing for Sixth Uncle to leave Wuchang; he can go and see the world. It's also time to send troops. If Sixth Uncle doesn't go to Beiping, are you going to ask for pay again but not personally lead the troops?"
This is what Zhu Zhen did last year. He was supposed to lead troops to quell the rebellion. Instead, he took the military pay but didn't go to the army, which made Zhu Zhen extremely angry. None of his sons could truly give him peace of mind.
It wouldn't be accurate to call it a slow, insidious process, but since the Prince of Chu wasn't in Wuchang this time, Zhu Xiong Ying could legitimately transfer all three of the Prince of Chu's guards away. They could go to the southwestern frontier to continue putting pressure on the Chen Dynasty, and then continue their campaigns in the Indochina Peninsula. If they conquered these areas, Zhu Xiong Ying felt it would be easier to settle some princes there. For example, the Prince of Chu, Zhu Zhen; once he went to the Indochina Peninsula to establish his own kingdom, places like Wuchang could be easily reclaimed, instead of remaining the Prince of Chu's fiefdom.
Zhu Xiong Ying still had his own little calculations about these things, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with them.
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