diymy Chapter 103 The Crown Prince Takes Away the Watching Boy
Chapter 103 The Crown Prince Takes Away the Watching Boy
In the bedroom, where a faint fragrance wafted through the air, Zhu Gaoxi slept soundly.
A visit to Yongle Palace completely shattered Zhu Gaoxi's preconceived notions about the old emperor.
A tough guy with a tender heart; it turns out that the old emperor was once meticulous, gentle, and knew how to enjoy life.
After the morning court session, the old emperor went directly back to Chang Le Palace.
The grandfather and grandson ate breakfast contentedly, each lost in their own thoughts.
The old emperor was immersed in endless reminiscence of his sweet past.
Zhu Gaoxi, on the other hand, was ambitiously envisioning the future.
When I grow up, I want my sweetheart to live in a fairyland like Chang Le Palace, so we can be together every day and live a shameless and happy life.
Lost in his memories, the old emperor did not forget the important matter at hand. After finishing his meal, he immediately asked, "Xi'er, why did the Crown Prince reduce the power of the princes?"
"I am worried that the power of the princes is too great and difficult to control, which could endanger the imperial power," Zhu Gaoxi replied fluently.
"Then how can we avoid it?" the old emperor asked further.
"Like my grandfather, we should further restrict the power of the vassal kings, encourage them to control the various tribes of the northern grasslands and the fishing and hunting tribes of Liaodong, and promote the education of rites and music to strengthen governance."
"With Beiping as the capital, implement the dual-capital patrol system, dredge the Grand Canal between the north and south, build seagoing vessels, vigorously develop the navy, and quickly transport troops and provisions to important towns on the northern border to support the princes' northern expeditions and enhance the influence and control over the northern princes."
"The combat effectiveness of the princes will be evaluated regularly. Those princes who fail the evaluation will return to the capital to participate in irregular military strategy training, and their defense will be temporarily entrusted to the heir apparent or the prince of the second rank."
"Won't it become too big to handle?" the old emperor asked, frowning.
"Grandpa, from the Qin to the Tang dynasties, Jiaozhi was a prefecture of the Central Plains court. I heard that Jiaozhi has been quite turbulent recently. The powerful relative of the empress, Li Jimao, is gradually developing the ambition to usurp the throne. If a prince or grandson of the emperor, like Brother Jixi, who is good at fighting, has a way to quell the internal strife in Jiaozhi, and we make him the King of Jiaozhi, wouldn't that be just fulfilling his wish to make a name for himself?" Zhu Gaoxi asked with a smile.
"Gaining their land is insufficient to provide for them, and gaining their people is insufficient to command them. Raising troops to attack them would be a losing proposition," the old emperor shook his head and rejected the idea.
"What if my grandson has a way to manage this?" Zhu Gaoxi asked with considerable confidence.
"What method do you have?" The old emperor's interest was piqued, and he leaned closer, indicating that he was willing to hear the details.
"Send a fleet to the Western Ocean to conduct ocean exploration, actively develop overseas trade, and export silk, porcelain, paper, and cotton cloth to Western countries. Search for high-yield crops and precious metals such as silver. In short, grow more grain and make more money," Zhu Gaoxi said with a smile.
"Can you do it?"
The old emperor thought his beloved grandson's promise was too grandiose and asked incredulously.
Zhu Gaoxi nodded with absolute certainty, "Grandpa, your grandson is willing to do his best to give it a try."
The old emperor pondered for a long time, then suddenly realized that he was getting old and knew very little about things overseas, and was somewhat unable to keep up with his grandson's train of thought.
We used to think that as long as the hard-won empire could be passed down through generations and we could manage our own land well, we would be content. Now, our eldest grandson wants to expand overseas. If it can bring a better life to the people and ensure the Ming Dynasty continues forever, why not?
"My son, haste makes waste, and you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry," the old emperor said, patting his grandson's head with a kind smile.
"Thank you for your teachings, Grandpa. I will keep them in mind," Zhu Gaoxi replied with great excitement.
The conversation came to a temporary end. The old emperor hadn't decided on a method for further assessment, so he took Zhu Gaoxi back to the Qianqing Palace.
Zhuo Jingzheng, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, was waiting outside the hall. When he saw the old emperor approaching, he hurriedly stepped forward to pay his respects.
The old emperor pointed towards the inside of the hall, indicating that he should come inside to talk.
"Your Majesty, the capital and the entire realm should follow your example. Your Majesty has not clearly distinguished the ranks of the imperial grandsons, but instead has allowed them to wear the same clothing as the crown prince, causing confusion between legitimate and illegitimate heirs and disrupting the order of rank. How can you then command the realm?"
In front of Zhu Gaoxi, Zhuo Jing spoke his concerns frankly without the slightest hesitation.
Recently, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate heirs has indeed become somewhat chaotic. The old emperor is well aware of this, and all the problems stem from his desire to change the heir apparent.
The distinction between elder and younger, legitimate and illegitimate, must not be confused. The old emperor pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "You are right, we did not think things through."
Zhuo Jing had always advocated for reducing the power of the princes, but his approach was more moderate than that of Huang Zicheng, Qi Tai, and others. He used the method of granting favors to indirectly reduce the power of the princes, and moved the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di, to Nanchang.
Historically, if Emperor Jianwen had truly heeded his advice, Zhu Di would have found it difficult to refuse, and the Jingnan Campaign might not have occurred.
However, Zhu Yunwen was too impatient, determined to get rid of Zhu Di as soon as possible, and unwilling to compromise with him.
Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng, and Fang Xiaoru were all unable to change the old emperor's mind, so Zhu Yunwen brought in Zhuo Jing as a savior, which was a last resort.
The old emperor clearly took Zhuo Jing's words to heart.
Zhu Gaoxi couldn't imagine what negative impact this would have on his life, so he decided not to waste his efforts.
Worrying was useless, Zhu Gaoxi sat down at his desk and began to process the memorials.
A short while later, Zhu Youdun hurriedly walked in from outside. Seeing that the old emperor was also there, he hesitated to speak.
"What happened? Just tell me," the old emperor said, his sharp eyes seeing through everything.
"Miaojin just came into the palace and said that the Crown Prince took Song Zhong to the Prince of Wu's residence and took away Guan Tong, the commander of the Prince's guards," Zhu Youdun had no choice but to answer truthfully.
"Why did Yunwen take Guantong away?" the old emperor asked irritably.
"My grandson doesn't know," Zhu Youdun said honestly.
Zhu Yunwen did indeed make a move. Could it be a bad idea from Li Jinglong? Zhu Gaoxi pondered to himself.
He never doubted Guan Tong's loyalty, but he was worried that Guan Tong would suffer too much.
As I get older, my body might not be able to withstand being thrown into the Jinyiwei prison.
"Perhaps the Crown Prince wants to promote Guan Tong," Zhu Gaoxi pretended to be confused.
"Huang Liang!" the old emperor called out loudly.
Huang Liang responded and came in.
"Go to the Wenhua Hall and summon the Crown Prince," the old emperor ordered, frowning.
Recently, the Crown Prince has been very ambitious. First, he had people take turns submitting memorials to impeach Gao Xi, and then he took away the guards and generals from Gao Xi's residence. He has been making frequent moves. He is really very powerful. He simply doesn't take us seriously.
The more the old emperor thought about it, the more agitated he became.
He didn't want to see the power struggles between the princes and grandsons, but he had no better solution.
With his position as crown prince threatened, Yunwen could not remain indifferent.
Zhu Yunwen quickly arrived at the Qianqing Palace. Before the old emperor could ask any questions, he immediately explained, "Grandfather, I wish to promote Guan Tong and transfer him to the Right Guard of the Imperial Guard."
The Right Guard of the Imperial Guard was one of the twelve personal guards directly under the emperor, responsible for guarding the western side of the imperial city and patrolling the city gates.
"Where is Guan Tong right now?" the old emperor asked cryptically.
"I have already sent him to the Right Guard of the Imperial Guard," Zhu Yunwen replied without looking to the side.
Throughout the entire process, he never once glanced in Zhu Gaoxi's direction, as if Guan Tong had absolutely no connection with Zhu Gaoxi.
"On behalf of the younger brother Guan Tong, I thank my elder brother, the Grandson, for his appreciation," Zhu Gaoxi said calmly and without showing any emotion.
He was relieved as long as Guan Tong was safe and sound and not in any danger to his life.
The security of the Wu Prince's Palace will not be affected.