Ming Dynasty: What's wrong with being a leisurely crown prince?

Chapter 15 Xu Miaoyun's Determination

Kunning Palace.

Neither Zhu Di nor Xu Miaoyun were sleepy at this moment.

"Is what you just said true? Boss has changed so much?"

Xu Miaoyun was quite surprised; she really hadn't expected Zhu Gaochi to have changed so much.

What Zhu Di had just told Zhu Gaochi was a bit hard for Xu Miaoyun to accept.

"Yes, the boss has really changed a lot. However, I sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate, but they haven't found anything wrong yet. We'll need to observe him for a while longer."

Although the eldest brother said he had figured things out, some things are not as simple as just figuring them out.

"That eldest kid is hiding something from us."

Zhu Di's face was solemn. Although he disliked Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaochi was the crown prince and his eldest son, so how could he not care about him and worry about him?

Although Zhu Gaochi performed very well, he did not give up the investigation.

It was crucial for Zhu Di to ascertain whether Zhu Gaochi's change was due to his own actions or if someone around him was instructing him.

Upon hearing this, Xu Miaoyun suddenly grabbed Zhu Di's ear.

"Ouch, be gentle, it hurts..."

"You still feel pain now. This change in the eldest brother could not possibly be due to anyone else's instigation. I can see it clearly here; it couldn't have been someone else's instruction."

How dare you bring this up? The eldest son is already the crown prince, and you still want to stir up a fight between the eldest and second sons. What kind of father are you?

Your eldest and second sons, one skilled in literature and the other in martial arts, were originally your capable assistants. Now you feel you're too old and are even afraid of your own sons?

You say you're the emperor on horseback every day, afraid that the eldest son will control the court, and afraid that the second son will have too much prestige in the army, so you follow the second son.

Do you think I don't know you're scaring the eldest, second, and third brothers every day?

Didn't you dislike the eldest son? When I suggested establishing the eldest son as the heir apparent, you hesitated for over a year.

Now that the boss has changed, you're being paranoid again.

"Let me tell you, Zhu Laosi, you need to stop being so paranoid. You're betraying your own son, you're doubting your own son, what kind of father are you..."

Zhu Di was initially a little aggrieved and wanted to get angry, after all, he was very dissatisfied with being suddenly pulled like this by Xu Miaoyun.

But after Xu Miaoyun spoke, Zhu Di couldn't utter a single word.

Those things were truly disgraceful, and he himself admitted it.

If anyone dares to say that to him, we'll see if they'd actually kill someone.

Unfortunately, it was Xu Miaoyun who said it. If it were any other time, he would have been able to stubbornly argue back and find fault with Xu Miaoyun, and not let her be so fierce to him.

But now that Xu Miaoyun is ill, Zhu Di can't bring himself to be cruel to her.

The Zhu family valued deep affection, and their love and respect for the Empress was genuine.

Although there is a harem, it is for political purposes and to expand the family line; the emperor only favors and loves one person.

"My ear is about to fall off, please stop pulling it. I was doing it all for the sake of the country, for the sake of the country."

You see, if I hadn't pushed the boss a bit earlier, would he have been able to have this sudden realization?

The eldest brother suddenly realized, "Didn't I also contribute to this? I guess I helped him."

He is the crown prince. If he can't even handle this much pressure, what kind of crown prince is he?

And the second son, look how unruly he used to be, now all he thinks about is one thing, and he hasn't caused any trouble since. It's all thanks to me.”

Xu Miaoyun was so angry at Zhu Di's words that she laughed and immediately released him.

"Old Zhu, you really have a thick skin. How could you say that?"

Xu Miaoyun sat down at the table, preparing to pour herself some water, but Zhu Di poured it for her first.

In fact, she did this to prevent Zhu Di from continuing to harbor this suspicion.

It is quite normal for emperors to be suspicious, because emperors need to be wary of their ministers and to question the motives behind their words and actions.

However, Xu Miaoyun felt it was normal to have a slight suspicion about her son.

But Zhu Di was clearly overly suspicious, and she had seen and was very worried about what he was doing.

She had mentioned it before, but it was just talk, because the deed was already done and it was too late.

Now that Zhu Gaochi has changed, she sees a glimmer of hope: that things might still have a chance to turn around.

This is why she spoke of Zhu Di in this way after much painful reflection.

Xu Miaoyun knew that Zhu Di was being lenient with her, not wanting her to be sad or upset.

Normally, although Zhu Di loved and respected her, he would never be so docile as he is now.

To be precise, Zhu Di suppressed his temper just to make her happy.

All of this stemmed from her illness, which was incurable, and Zhu Di cherished these last moments.

In that instant, Xu Miaoyun was actually somewhat grateful for her illness, which enabled Zhu Di to do these things.

This further strengthened Xu Miaoyun's resolve: while she was still alive, she had to properly manage the father and his three sons.

Xu Miaoyun really didn't want the father and his three sons to start fighting so fiercely the moment she left.

She didn't want to see her own son and husband fighting each other, which could escalate into a major conflict. She was even more afraid that her own flesh and blood would turn against each other and cause bloodshed.

Xu Miaoyun didn't know if doing this would change the outcome, but she suddenly wanted to try, to use her last moments to give it a shot.

If it works out, even if I leave, at least she won't have so many regrets.

If it doesn't work out, perhaps that's just fate.

Her mother, Empress Xiaoci Gao, passed away, and she too eventually succumbed to illness. What else could this be but fate?

Zhu Di wanted to refute Xu Miaoyun's words, but when he saw that Xu Miaoyun's expression had become somewhat downcast, Zhu Di panicked.

"Those three brats, I'll teach them a lesson later, so they'll keep causing us worry every day."

By the way, what do you think of what the boss said?

Zhu Di quickly changed the subject. He knew that Xu Miaoyun valued state affairs and often advised him in his ear, worried that he would neglect state affairs.

Zhu Di himself knew that he was good at fighting wars, but he really needed to learn how to govern a country.

This is also why Xu Miaoyun said it, and he listened.

Xu Miaoyun was clearly thinking about something that was making her unhappy, and Zhu Di had to interrupt her immediately.

The imperial physician repeatedly emphasized that Xu Miaoyun's mood was of utmost importance, as a happier mood would be more helpful for her recovery.

Upon hearing Zhu Di's words, Xu Miaoyun instantly got into the zone.

"What the boss said actually gets to the heart of the matter."

Your intention to move the capital was good, but we both thought about it in a somewhat one-sided way. It's not as comprehensive as what the eldest brother thought.

These are things that must be carefully considered. We must think through all the details and prepare appropriate responses before we can better complete the relocation of the capital.

This was originally for the sake of the Ming Dynasty, and it was a matter that would benefit the country and its people. We must not create public resentment, so as to cause the people's hearts to turn against the court.

If you follow the boss's method, there shouldn't be any major problems, but you must pay attention to the details.

Xia Yuanji and his men are good ministers; you should discuss this with them carefully.

Just as the eldest brother said, we should build Beiping in the same way that Emperor Taizu built Fengyang, and no one can say anything about it.

But I need to mention one thing: we must pay attention to regulation.

The most important thing is to implement what the leader said and truly put it into practice for the people.

Moving the capital would cost a lot of money, food and resources. If those people don't object, there will probably be many people eyeing this job.

"By carefully selecting personnel, paying close attention to supervision, and reassuring the people, we must ensure that they are aware of the court's compensation and that it is implemented effectively. Only then can we successfully complete the task."

Xu Miaoyun looked worried. In fact, what Zhu Gaochi said was very good, and they had thought of a lot of things themselves.

The only difficulty is implementation, which is the fundamental problem.

Both she and Zhu Di had experienced it firsthand and knew how difficult it was to truly implement policies.

How many of those people below could resist the temptation of handling so much money, food, and supplies?

Zhu Di felt the same way; when he was ordered by Zhu Yuanzhang to investigate Fengtian, wasn't that exactly what he had seen?

But seeing Xu Miaoyun's worried expression, Zhu Di kept these thoughts in mind and stopped thinking about them.

"Okay, I understand all of that. Don't worry, I'll handle it."

Oh, right, didn't the eldest brother say he wanted to look at medical books? I had someone send him some medical books from the Imperial Medical Academy.

Xu Miaoyun turned her head and looked at Zhu Di's wicked smile, unsure whether to speak or laugh.

"You...you're such a grown man, and you're still harming your own son. How dare you say that?"

"Only you would make the Crown Prince, the heir apparent of the Ming Dynasty, read medical books..."

Xu Miaoyun truly didn't know what to say about Zhu Di.

In fact, she could probably guess what Zhu Di's intentions were, since Zhu Gaochi had also talked to her about reading medical books.

Xu Miaoyun also wanted to see whether Zhu Gaochi was just putting on an act or if he was really doing it for her.