This was also a characteristic of Zhu Su; in his youth, he left his fiefdom without permission. Besides not being too afraid of Zhu Yuanzhang, it was also because he was reluctant to leave his homeland and couldn't endure hardship. Back then, Kaifeng was nowhere near as good as his hometown of Fengyang.
Zhu Su didn't mind exposing his shortcomings, saying, "I still prefer the Ming Dynasty. Although I can travel around and enjoy the scenery these years, I can come back whenever I want. If I really went to Goryeo, I'm afraid I would never be able to come back in this lifetime."
Hearing Zhu Su say this, Zhu Yunying said nothing more. It's not just that many people in this era are reluctant to leave their homeland and yearn to return to their roots; even hundreds of years later, many people still have this sentiment.
Zhu Yunying also said with a smile, "Since Fifth Uncle is not willing to go, then we will not mention it again. If there are any enfeoffments in the future, Fifth Uncle can bring it up with us if he is willing. If Fifth Uncle is not willing, we will ask him first. If Fifth Uncle does not go, we will go to other princes."
Zhu Su nodded hastily. His other brothers were practically fighting tooth and nail for the title of prince. His eleventh brother, after moving from Shu to Yingtian Prefecture, was initially very happy to travel around and enjoy himself. However, he gradually realized that being a comfortable prince in Yingtian Prefecture was nothing compared to the carefree life of a prince enfeoffed in Shu.
Although he had heard that Goryeo was bitterly cold, he was thinking that he was about to have his own foundation, and that he and his brothers were working hard to compete for it.
They've already set off eagerly, rushing to govern the lands the Ming army has conquered. In fact, many people understand that Zhu Chun, the Prince of Shu, is about to establish his own kingdom in Goryeo.
The Prince of Shu intends to establish a kingdom in Goryeo, but others still have other plans. His Majesty intends to establish two kingdoms in Goryeo, and although many now know that Prince Ning, Zhu Quan, is likely to be the ruler of the other kingdom, many will not give up until the very last moment.
Among the Ming dynasty's imperial family, some, like Zhu Su and Zhu Yunwen, preferred comfort and could even be described as纨绔 (wán kù, meaning spoiled or dissolute). However, many others possessed ambition and aspirations to establish their own empires. Of course, there were also diligent and ambitious virtuous princes, like Zhu Yunwen.
Although they discussed two things, this was clearly not all that Zhu Yunying had for summoning Zhu Su to the palace; Zhu Yunying obviously had other intentions as well.
"Fifth Uncle, we've heard that the imperial clan's dividends are still overdue at the bank." Zhu Yunying became serious and looked at Zhu Su, asking, "So, the Imperial Clan Court hasn't received the money yet?"
In fact, the stipends and other stipends of the Ming Dynasty's imperial family were first allocated to the Imperial Clan Court, then to the individual princely residences, which were responsible for distributing them to each branch of the family. This was quite normal; it was efficient and convenient, and it also emphasized lineage.
However, there are occasional exceptions. For example, some princes went to Beiping Prefecture, but their sons, who were princes of the second rank, stayed in Yingtian Prefecture. In this case, they could not be assigned to the younger branch according to the eldest son's lineage.
Another special case is the dissolute and纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled and dissolute young man) Zhu Yunwen, the Prince of Wu, who does whatever he wants. Relying on the emperor's favor, he commits numerous minor offenses, though not major ones. Often, some officials in the court will not make things difficult for the Prince of Wu over these trivial matters.
Zhu Su had something to say at this point, and he was practically complaining, "Your Majesty, I originally wanted to ask about this. Many members of the imperial clan have come to me, saying that their share of the bank's profits should be arriving soon. Although they receive salaries from the court, so the imperial clan members are not starving, their expenses are still quite high at times."
Zhu Yunying got angry and said, "We also asked Yunhu, and he said that the dividends were distributed on time and according to regulations, so we assumed that the imperial clan had all received them. The Empress also said that our share of the imperial treasury had arrived. Fifth Uncle, go back and ask him carefully, and tell us in court tomorrow."
Zhu Su was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, is there a delay in the transaction with the bank? Or has something gone wrong with the bank?"
Zhu Yunying said decisively without the slightest hesitation, "The bank is doing a good job; they must have made a lot of money. Besides, if there were any delays, it would be due to negligence on the part of the bank staff, and we will punish them accordingly. Tomorrow at court, Fifth Uncle should have a detailed discussion with us about this."
Zhu Su originally wanted to say more, but although this matter involved the money of many people, there was no need to bring it up in court. That would be too troublesome for Zhu Su. Anyway, he was not in a hurry to spend money and was not short of money.
Suddenly, Zhu Su noticed Zhu Yunying's expression and remembered that Zhu Yunying had repeatedly mentioned "in court." Zhu Su then realized what was going on.
Even if he was a bit slow to realize things, and even if he seemed somewhat uninterested in court affairs over the years, it doesn't mean Zhu Su was completely ignorant. In fact, he knew quite a lot and understood many principles; he just sometimes didn't want the trouble.
Seemingly slow to realize what was happening, Zhu Su quickly accepted the decree, no longer feigning ignorance, "Your subject accepts the decree!"
That's good. Zhu Yunying felt that he had been straightforward enough, and saying anything more would be too blunt, which would not be good. Now that Fifth Uncle understood, it was much easier to put his mind at ease.
Other members of the imperial clan could also handle these matters, but Zhu Su was the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan, and his seniority was also high, so it was actually best and most influential for him to handle these matters.
The court officials dared not say much. When Emperor Zhu Yunying faced his uncle, he seemed to feel the pressure and could go along with it to severely punish some people. Zhu Yunying wanted both substance and face.
As for Zhu Su offending people, that's nothing to worry about. After all, Zhu Su is the Prince of Zhou, a member of the imperial clan; who would dare to provoke him for no reason? Zhu Su's intervention, given his superior status, can actually save Zhu Yunying a lot of trouble.
On this side, the Prince of Zhou, representing the imperial clan, was dissatisfied with the Ministry of Revenue, believing that the Ministry had neglected the imperial clan. Zhu Yunying could then step in to adjudicate the case. After all, the imperial clan were also Zhu Yunying's relatives, and the crime of mistreating them was no small matter.
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