Letting Zhu Yunwen return to Yingtian Prefecture does not necessarily mean that he needs to be used as a wedge in Jiangnan. Zhu Yunwen does not have that energy now. He does not have that much power and prestige.

However, it is still possible to treat him as a special inspector in public.

Zhu Wenyao and Zhu Wengui were having a lot of fun. The two little brothers didn’t need to worry about their parents’ grudges or anything like that. The world of children was very simple, especially since they were both only one or two years old.

Old Zhu happily left carrying his fat great-grandson. He was glad to see Zhu Wenyao having fun, and it was also nice to take a quick look at Zhu Wengui.

Zhu Yunwen didn't have too many thoughts. This time, he met Old Zhu and let Zhu Wengui see Old Zhu, which was an unexpected surprise.

After everyone left, Zhu Yunhuan asked Xia Yuanji to remember to make arrangements for Zhu Yunwen, as he still had to rely on him for the affairs of the Maritime Customs.

The Ming Dynasty reopened the Maritime Customs Offices and actually made some slight adjustments. There were three Maritime Customs Offices, one in Guangzhou, Guangdong, one in Fuzhou, Fujian, and one in Ningbo, Zhejiang, and they were responsible for more than just tribute matters.

Regarding the requirements of the new Maritime Customs, the focus is now on trade, etc. Zhu Yunhuan is still very pragmatic and believes that bringing more gold and silver to the Ming Dynasty is the top priority.

Daoyan smiled but said nothing. Be it the King of Wulin or the King of Wu, their future days would not be easy, and their reputation would probably not improve either.

Although the Wulin King likes to read and now has some literary reputation, once the Maritime Customs Office focuses on trade, the coastal vassal king will only have the Wulin King.

The result is self-evident. Some merchants and landlords had already had complaints, and now the royal family wants to get a piece of the pie. The bad reputation will be borne by the King of Wulin, who is the first to stick his head out.

In particular, this King of Wulin may not necessarily gain any practical benefits, and he has no power at all, but he will have to bear a lot of bad reputation.

But once you get used to it, it won't be a big deal. After all, it's not the first time that King Wulin has offended someone. He has offended many royal family members before, so it's nothing to offend some merchants and landlords now.

He is the elder brother of the future emperor. This identity is enough to allow him to have a very unique status even if he is notorious, and wealth and glory are naturally inevitable.

Zhu Yunxun, in a good mood, returned to the East Palace and asked, "What did my sister-in-law and the Crown Princess say?"

Xu Miaojin immediately replied, "The emperor's sister-in-law is a well-educated and well-mannered person. It's just that Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess is a little resentful, and I'm afraid she's not very happy in her heart."

Zhu Yunxun smiled, "Why is she unhappy? Now Yunwen is enjoying the sights and sounds of Hangzhou, and the fourth and fifth sons will be granted fiefdoms and crowned kings when they reach the age. What else can she be unhappy about?"

There was nothing wrong with Zhu Yunhuan thinking so. After all, Zhu Yunwen had suffered a complete defeat, and Princess Lu's status and situation were extremely embarrassing.

Especially now that she has been almost banished to the cold palace, not only does she have no power at all, she is also basically under constant surveillance. The gap in her heart is really too great.

From the high and mighty Crown Princess at the beginning, it seemed that the position of Queen was just around the corner, and at the very least, she could become Queen Mother. But now, she was only staring at the title of Crown Princess, without any power at all.

Xu Miaojin said, "I think the Crown Princess is somewhat complaining about not being around so often, and Your Highness rarely goes to pay respects."

Zhu Yunxun laughed, "So it's really me who was disrespectful. After all, she raised me. If this gets out, I will never be able to clear my name as an unfilial person!"

Xu Miaojin did not speak either. This was actually what she was most worried about. In this era, filial piety is emphasized. Zhu Yunhuan was raised by Princess Lu in his early years. This is also something many people know.

No matter whether she deliberately made Zhu Yunhuan a cripple or gave him a bad reputation, the fact that he grew up safely and lively is the grace of raising her, and that is all many people see.

Zhu Yunxun then asked, "Were the fourth and fifth brothers present at the time?"

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "The fourth and fifth sons are not here, but the emperor's sister-in-law is here. How can she let the fourth and fifth sons be here? After the emperor's sister-in-law heard this, she didn't say a word."

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Xu Miaojin and asked with a smile, "Since she said so, how do you answer?"

Xu Miaojin smiled and said, "Your Highness is busy with state affairs and cannot spare the time to pay respects. I have broken the rules and failed to pay respects. I apologize."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and nodded, jokingly saying, "That's true. I couldn't spare the time to go over and say hello. She felt that there weren't enough people going over here, and it was you who didn't do a good job."

Xu Miaojin said worriedly, "Although I didn't go to greet her more often, I sent someone to greet her every day. At that time, I sent someone to question her, but the people in the East Palace didn't dare to break the rules, but the maid over there stopped them."

Zhu Yunhuan was even more interested. "So it was she who acted recklessly with the predecessors and prevented my people from the East Palace from paying their respects? How will you deal with this person who alienated the royal family?"

Xu Miaojin said with a worried look, "I feel that the people around Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess are really unruly, so I immediately replaced them with a group of people who know the rules."

Zhu Yunhuan smiled and nodded, "Let the fourth brother live in Dongling for a while, and let him pray for me."

Xu Miaojin was quite ruthless. Although Princess Lu only had some complaints, she did not have much resentment and did not dare to make too many small moves, but she was still somewhat dissatisfied.

Since this is the case, Xu Miaojin naturally doesn't mind using the power of the Crown Prince's Consort to directly replace the people in Crown Princess Lu's palace with a group of more rigid and rule-abiding maids.

Don't underestimate these maids. They are extremely strict with the rules, especially when they are making things difficult for others, which leaves people speechless.

It is true that Consort Lu is the Crown Princess, but Zhu Biao is no longer around. So according to some of the current rules, Consort Lu needs to be particular about mourning, fasting, praying, etc.

You have to be careful about chanting scriptures, reciting Buddha's name, etc., and even if you joke too much, you will be charged with a lot of crimes, and the reasons are naturally related to women's virtues, etc.

There are plenty of ways to torture someone. Zhu Yunhuan understands this, and Xu Miaojin also understands this.

The maids around Lu would naturally know what to do. Lu was now nothing more than a crown princess in name only, and a crown princess without real power would have an average status.

Otherwise, just ask the former Princess Zhao Min of Qin. She was locked up in the cold palace, where she only ate stale fruits and could only use broken porcelain.

Xu Miaojin was not polite, so Zhu Yunhuan naturally did not need to be polite. He would not attack Lu, so he would torment her son, and the reason was naturally impeccable. As Zhu Biao's heir, Zhu Yunhuan did not have time to pray for blessings, so he let his younger brother do it. The fourth child alone was not enough, maybe the fifth child could also go to the Eastern Tomb to pay tribute in a while.

Don't say that Zhu Yunhuan, the elder brother, was harsh. He was filial and asked his younger brothers to pray and offer sacrifices to their father. Anyone who dared to say anything about these things would be against the ethics of the world.

At home, Zhu Yunxun was also a bit blunt, "I thought she had made some progress, but she is still a short-sighted woman! Just a few complaints, a few complaints can make me accept her as my wife?"

Xu Miaojin advised, "Your Highness may be angry, but please forgive her for the sake of your father."

After all, she was the Crown Princess appointed by Zhu Biao, so she should be given some face when it was due. The most important thing was that it was not the right time to cause trouble.

Zhu Yunhuan said somewhat unsatisfactorily, "She must have realized that I didn't want to cause trouble at this time, so she got bold! This little cleverness is really as usual!"

Xu Miaojin thought so too. After all, many people now knew that Zhu Yunhuan’s big day would be coming soon, which meant it was normal to have some small thoughts.

Since Zhu Yunhuan wanted perfection, Lu felt that she might have a chance to get a guarantee at this time, such as the status of empress dowager, or to get some treatment for her sons.

Xu Miaojin spoke up, "I am a junior after all, so some things are not good. So I thought of asking the aunts to come to the palace and talk to her."

Zhu Yunxun immediately laughed, "This is a good arrangement. Even though she is my sister-in-law, I should still respect her. It's easy to say about the eldest aunt, but it's a bit difficult to say about the younger aunt."

When it comes to mobilizing people, Zhu Yunhuan really has nothing to worry about. He has so many helpers behind him that he can easily handle some small situations and doesn't need to worry too much.

Speaking of the princesses of the Ming Dynasty now, Princess Ningguo and Princess Anqing are naturally among his biggest helpers, and can easily suppress a large group of female relatives of the royal family.

Xu Miaojin looked worried. "My aunt has always been quick-tempered and straightforward. I thought if my aunt came over, I would have to go over and talk to her."

"They are just talking among sisters-in-law, why would a junior like you interfere?" Zhu Yunhuan retorted directly, "Then you can take your cousin around the palace and tease Wen Yao."

No matter what happens in the You Palace, there is no need for Xu Miaojin to show up. It is better to just hide decisively.

In fact, I believe that with what Xu Miaojin did today, Lu must have regretted it a long time ago. His clever tricks didn't work and he was immediately counterattacked. He must be regretting it to death.

The treatment was originally average, and they just maintained a little harmony on the surface. Now that such a commotion had happened, the treatment would definitely be further reduced, and the situation in the palace would naturally become more difficult.

If Princess Ningguo and Princess Anqing entered the palace tomorrow, they might have respected Lady Lu before, but now they would have no reason to do so.

At that time, it will be the daughter of the Zhu family who will blame the outsider who married in. Maybe it will be to ask Lu to cultivate her virtues as a womanizer, talk less, do less, and accumulate some virtue for her sons.

Zhu Yunhuan acted quite complacent and didn't think there was anything wrong with doing so. He didn't think that he was bullying a widowed woman.

There is no need to have too much benevolence, righteousness, and morality at this time. Lu and Zhu Yunwen were defeated in the beginning, so they are in this situation and have this fate now. It's that simple.

If it was Zhu Yunhuan who was defeated, then there is no doubt that even if he was lucky enough to save his life, he would be forced to do things against his will and would have no freedom or power at all.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is a life-and-death struggle. It is also a winner-takes-all game, and if you lose you have to accept your fate.

Although it was a small surprise, it actually didn't have much impact on Zhu Yunhuan. He didn't think that what happened now would change anything.

It's not that he is too optimistic, but given the current situation of Lu and Zhu Yunwen, they really can't cause any trouble. At most, they can just disgust people a little bit, that's all.

It doesn't matter if they choose to be disgusting. Perhaps Zhu Yunhuan at that time should have given in a little, and it seemed that he had no choice but to accept it. After all, he still had to consider his face a little.

But after those little clever tricks, you must be prepared to accept revenge, and then it will not just be a matter of disgusting people.

There is nothing to worry about. This is Zhu Yunhuan’s attitude. Just continue as usual. He is very relieved and has full confidence in his heart.

Start to rest early. His work and life will not change much because of this little accident. He will just continue as usual and there is no need to change anything.

The new day naturally starts with getting up early. After washing up, Zhu Yunhuan ate something leisurely and then set off towards Fengtian Gate.

The bigger the event, the more you need to keep calm. Zhu Yunhuan waited outside the Fengtian Hall as usual. It seemed like taking off pants to fart, but this was the right thing to do.

After all, he has not officially ascended the throne yet, so how can he go directly to Fengtian Hall to wait for the officials? Now he is just the crown prince, so he is also a minister.

Seeing Chang Sheng, Zhu Yunhuan said, "Be a little more careful. I can't always suppress the censor's impeachment!"

Chang Sheng immediately stopped smiling. Those censors were really abominable. Not talking to people would be fine, but if you didn't stand straight, coughed or even farted in the queue, the censors would write it down.

It can only be said that there are too many rules for attending court, but these rules set by the court still need to be followed when necessary, even if you complain in your heart.

Chang Sheng lowered his voice and whispered, "Your Highness, many people have been preparing these days. Should I also prepare?"

Zhu Yunhuan said unhappily, "You are going to start preparing. Shouldn't everyone in Yingtian Prefecture also be preparing? Take a break for now. When everyone in Yingtian Prefecture is busy, there should be no movement in the mansion."

Preparation, naturally, means preparation for Zhu Yunhuan's enthronement. At that time, there will be decorations and lights, and everyone in Yingtian Prefecture will have to dress up nicely.

Others can prepare, but Kaiping Palace does not need to prepare now, it is better to keep a low profile! (End of this chapter)