Chapter 195: Crown Prince Zhu Biao inspects Taiyuan on behalf of the Emperor, and his unstable position as regent causes criticism from ministers

There was a hint of worry in Zhu Biao's voice, and he obviously had reservations about starting another war.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his eldest son quietly, a hint of relief flashed in his eyes, but more of it was determination.

He knew that Zhu Biao had always been known for his kindness and generosity, and was always cautious about war.

But this time, Zhu Yuanzhang had to stick to his decision.

He slowly said, "Prince, do you know why we insist on the Northern Expedition?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes were as sharp as an eagle, as if they could penetrate people's hearts.

Zhu Biao bowed and clasped his fists, saying, "I don't know, please tell me clearly, father."

His tone was sincere and respectful, showing his respect for his father.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up, walked to the door with his hands behind his back, and looked at the sky in the distance.

He said slowly, "How can I allow others to snore beside my bed?
As long as the Northern Yuan Dynasty is not destroyed, our Ming Dynasty will never have peace!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's voice was deep and powerful, full of determination and domineering.

His Majesty's ministers all echoed and shouted in unison: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Their voices were in unison and loud, expressing their support for the emperor's decision.

Zhu Gang stood aside, observing all this silently, and secretly sighed in his heart: "He is worthy of being the Hongwu Emperor! His courage and decisiveness are unmatched."

He was well aware of Zhu Yuanzhang's determination and strategic vision, and also understood the importance of this Northern Expedition to the Ming Dynasty.

Although Zhu Gang understood Zhu Biao's concerns, he believed more in Zhu Yuanzhang's judgment and leadership.

After all, even a prime minister like Hu Weiyong, who had great power in the court, had been beheaded.

At this moment, except for the Crown Prince Zhu Biao, no one in the entire court dared to go against Zhu Yuanzhang.

"I've always heard from King Jin that Taiyuan is a good place.

It's a pity that the mountain is high and the road is long, so I haven't had the chance to go and see it. After the New Year, the prince will go there on our behalf."

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, the ministers in the court were in an uproar.

It is well known that Zhu Biao's power is great, which can be reflected in the following two aspects:

1. Almost all ministers were in the Eastern Palace in name only

In order to enable the crown prince to govern better in the future, emperors of all dynasties allowed them to train their own team within certain limits.

However, the crown prince must not be involved with too many ministers, otherwise he will lose trust.

During the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty, the eighth prince Yinsi was originally the best heir to the throne.

But because so many civil and military officials in the court supported Yinsi, Kangxi considered him a minister of transportation.

Not only did he scold him, but he also directly cancelled Yinsi's qualification to inherit the throne.

In most feudal dynasties, the duties of the crown prince and the minister of transportation were very serious and could easily make the current monarch uneasy.

This is because the prince himself is a potential stock and if nothing unexpected happens, he will be able to smoothly inherit the throne in the future.

Ministers in the court vied with each other to curry favor with them so that they could be promoted in the future.

Over time, these people's attention shifted from the ruler to the prince, and they were no longer as dedicated as before.

What is more serious is that if the prince can gain enough power, some people may instigate him to seize the throne early.

It was because Li Yuan did not restrict Li Shimin from building up his power that the "Xuanwu Gate Incident" eventually occurred.

Li Shimin was not the crown prince, but he was able to do this, let alone the heir apparent who had even greater appeal.

Therefore, kings of every dynasty would be wary of the crown prince and try their best to avoid them from having too much contact with court ministers.

However, Zhu Biao was treated differently. Almost all important officials of the court had served in the Eastern Palace.

Li Shanchang served concurrently as the Eastern Palace's Junior Tutor, Xu Da served concurrently as the Eastern Palace's Junior Tutor, and Chang Yuchun served concurrently as the Crown Prince's Junior Guardian.

At the same time, Feng Sheng, Liu Ji, Liao Yongzhong, Tang He, Deng Yu and many other founding nobles also served in the Eastern Palace. This treatment is unprecedented in history, which shows how much power Zhu Biao held.

2. Act as regent and handle government affairs on behalf of the country
Sometimes when the emperor led an army to fight in person or traveled around the country, they would temporarily give the East Palace the right to govern the country on their behalf.

However, the emperor usually sends someone to monitor the crown prince, and at the same time the prince needs to report his work frequently.

Any major event must be reported to the emperor for personal handling.

In most cases, the so-called "Crown Prince Regency" actually means that the crown prince stands aside and observes while the emperor governs the country.

The actual power they can possess is basically minimal.

In comparison, only Zhu Biao, the Crown Prince Yiwen, truly possessed the power of regent.

In the ninth year of Hongwu (1376), Zhu Yuanzhang thought Zhu Biao was old enough and granted him the power of regent.

During his time as regency, Zhu Biao possessed great power to "listen to decisions and then report to the emperor."

This means that when civil and military officials in the court reported official business, they had to first hand it over to Zhu Biao for processing.

Only then can it be reported to Zhu Yuanzhang for the final decision.

It is obvious that Zhu Biao was, to some extent, already half an emperor, and Zhu Yuanzhang was only playing a supporting role of "providing a safety net".

This shows how powerful Zhu Biao was.

In history, Zhu Biao served as regent for fifteen years and accumulated very rich political experience.

However, it was precisely because of his long-term assistance to Zhu Yuanzhang in governing the country that Zhu Biao's already poor health became worse and worse.

This eventually led to his untimely death and laid the groundwork for Zhu Di's later usurpation of the throne.

But Zhu Biao had just been regent for a year when he was sent to Taiyuan to inspect the country on behalf of the emperor. This was obviously not a good sign.

Looking at the ministers who were whispering, Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and snorted, "If you have any opinions, please speak louder. We can't hear you clearly.

Hey, you were the one who talked the most just now.

Let me give you a chance to show yourself."

Seeing the looks from other colleagues, the minister who was called by Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly felt as if a thorn in his back was left unchecked.

“I think it is a very wise move for the Crown Prince to go to Shanxi to inspect the country.

As the saying goes, seeing is believing. Now that Beijing is undergoing unprecedented changes, it is appropriate for us to learn from some advanced experiences.

Your Majesty is wise and wise, and we, the ministers, are far behind you!"

As soon as the minister finished speaking, all the officials in the court immediately shouted "Your Majesty is wise".

This scared him greatly, after all, Hu Weiyong, who was a powerful figure last time, had lost his head.

Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang did not say anything else and scolded the minister who almost wet his pants, thus avoiding the embarrassment of losing manners in front of the emperor.

Seeing that no one submitted any more memorials, Zhu Yuanzhang gave a look to Wang Jinghong who was standing next to him.

"retreat……"

Unexpectedly, before Wang Jinghong could finish his words, Xu Da stood out from the crowd.

"Your Majesty, I wonder why you summoned this old minister to your palace?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, my dear, I just want to ask you.

What do you think of the current political situation? "

Xu Da was delighted, thinking that now he had a chance to show his abilities.

He cleared his throat, stepped forward, saluted respectfully, and said, "Your Majesty, I think the court should vigorously develop agriculture and reduce taxes on the people.

Only by ensuring that the people live and work in peace and contentment can we ensure long-term stability of the country.

At the same time, we must also strengthen our military to prevent foreign invasion.”

(End of this chapter)