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

Chapter 9 The Emperor's Heart is Unfathomable

Upon hearing Zhu Gaochi's words, the smile on Zhu Di's face vanished.

He had actually considered the problems that would arise from moving the capital and the heavy burden that would place on the court, but some of the issues that Zhu Gaochi was raising were completely unexpected.

What troubled him even more was that he had only thought about these problems, but had not actually made any plans for them.

Zhu Di knew that he needed money, grain, and supplies, that he needed to conscript more laborers, that the military focus would shift northward, that he needed to rebalance the officials and scholars in the north and south, and that there were many other problems such as the Japanese pirates along the southern coast. In fact, he knew all of these.

But now Zhu Gaochi's series of questions left him speechless, silenced his powerful tone, and fueled his anger.

Actually, Zhu Gaochi said all this to make him feel gratified.

Because he twice seemingly casually proposed building Beiping, neither those who opposed nor those who supported it ever gave such a comprehensive account.

Even those who supported him, including Yao Guangxiao, were not as comprehensive as Zhu Gaochi, nor had they discussed these issues with him in this way.

He can tell whether something is right or wrong.

What angered him was also Zhu Gaochi's words.

Since Zhu Gaochi knew all this and had thought it through so thoroughly, why didn't he remind him sooner?

In particular, these questions raise the question: Did Zhu Gaochi truly agree with his decision to move the capital?

Following this line of thought, Zhu Di realized that although Zhu Gaochi seemed to agree with him moving the capital, he was actually opposing it.

Because what Zhu Gaochi said could not be achieved in a short period of time.

He's not young anymore, he's already quite old. If he does all this well, will he be able to do it in his lifetime?

Zhu Gaochi seems to be tackling a fundamentally impossible problem by opposing the relocation of the capital.

Thinking about all this, Zhu Di's face was extremely gloomy, and his eyes were coldly fixed on Zhu Gaochi.

"What if I insist on moving the capital?"

"I agree, I'll do whatever Dad says."

Looking at Zhu Di's gloomy face, Zhu Gaochi already knew the outcome.

Zhu Di felt that the questions he raised were difficult to solve, and thought that he was making things difficult for Zhu Di. He was using this method of retreating in order to advance and try to prevent the relocation of the capital.

Zhu Gaochi was too lazy to argue with Zhu Di; there was absolutely no need to argue about such a thing now.

Zhu Di needed to think things through and calm down before they could proceed with a more in-depth discussion.

This is why he now wants to enjoy half his life to make up for his regrets.

He was ultimately just a crown prince, not the emperor.

Zhu Di insisted on moving the capital, so be it.

Anyway, there's no use in opposing him; once Zhu Di has made up his mind, it's very difficult to change it.

Zhu Di, who was originally furious, forgot his anger for a moment when he heard Zhu Gaochi agree so readily.

Why is this different from what he expected?

Shouldn't Zhu Gaochi have vehemently opposed him? Shouldn't he have taken the opportunity to so-called advise him to prioritize the people's welfare and allow the economy to recover?

Soon, Zhu Di realized that he was still judging Zhu Gaochi with his old ideas.

Zhu Gaochi has clearly changed; how can he still have the same mindset as before?

Zhu Di stared intently at Zhu Gaochi, who was now a figure he couldn't quite fathom.

Previously, Zhu Gaochi constantly talked about benevolence and righteousness, but in reality, his actions were limited, and some of them even contradicted his words.

Now, Zhu Gaochi no longer says those things, and it seems like he's giving up.

That means that no matter what he wanted to do, Zhu Gaochi no longer tried to dissuade him as before, and he no longer opposed him.

He had seen Zhu Gaochi's nonchalant words and clearly didn't want to get entangled with him.

But thinking about this made Zhu Di somewhat unhappy.

Is he just an unreasonable person? Is he someone who can't listen to honest advice?

Zhu Di's feelings were quite complicated, and he himself couldn't quite figure it out.

After a long silence, Zhu Di slowly spoke.

"I will seriously consider what you said. Don't think so badly of me."

Although I am a general who rises to power through military campaigns, don't think that I only know how to wage war. You're still too green to handle state affairs.

If anything happens in the future, just tell me directly, don't keep things to yourself.

Otherwise, I'll beat you up.

"Dad, I'll just say what I want to say from now on, can you please stop hitting me?"

"I'm so old, I'm supposed to be the Crown Prince, this is too shameful."

Seeing that Zhu Di was different from before, as if he had figured things out, Zhu Gaochi was also happy.

He was also deeply moved, realizing that the human heart is indeed unpredictable, and the emperor's heart is even more so. No wonder there is a saying that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger.

He acted this way one moment and that way the next, which meant he knew Zhu Di wouldn't do anything to him; he was quite bold.

If it were anyone else, they would have been terrified by Zhu Di countless times since they entered the main hall, and would probably have collapsed in fear long ago.

As for Zhu Di's final comment about beating people, Zhu Gaochi really didn't want to say anything.

If you're so capable, go beat up Zhu Gaoxu. What kind of skill is it to beat him up?

If Zhu Di could defeat Zhu Gaoxu, that would be a real feat.

His second brother was brave enough to fight ten thousand men and was invincible.

The only pity is that his second brother doesn't listen to him and likes to go against him all day long.

Zhu Di was amused by these words.

As expected, the only way to deal with Zhu Gaochi was to take action.

Otherwise, based on his eloquence alone, Zhu Gaochi's words just now would have left him speechless.

The atmosphere eased slightly, but Zhu Di said solemnly again, "What you said is good, but it all needs to be prepared in advance."

Preparations in advance will inevitably require their involvement, so how can we get them to agree to do it? Do you have any ideas?

This was what Zhu Di truly cared about.

Actually, as long as you convince everyone and no one objects anymore, doing those things isn't that difficult.

Only when those people agree can the relocation of the capital be considered finalized.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi raised an eyebrow.

"Father, this matter is actually not difficult. It's just a matter of getting them to agree. It's very simple."

Beiping is the place where your dynasty rose to power, so you can completely follow the example of how Emperor Taizu treated Fengyang.

If Beiping is to be used as a secondary capital, and people are to be relocated, then Father, you are following the ancestral system. How can others object?

At that time, only pragmatic officials, such as Xia Yuanji, still opposed it, worrying about the enormous financial pressure, the massive scale of the project, and the corvée burden on the people.

So this question brings us back to what I just mentioned.

We'll have them prepare the specific budget requirements later, and then we'll see.

So, a contingency plan was developed.

As for how to handle the problem, as ministers, they should naturally share their father's burdens.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's eyes lit up.

At this moment, Zhu Di also suddenly realized that he had gone astray.

Those are the problems; why should he think about them himself?

We've kept so many ministers, especially in the cabinet. When problems arise, aren't these people the ones who solve them? Otherwise, what's the point of keeping them around?

In particular, Zhu Gaochi's method of breaking the deadlock was modeled after Zhu Yuanzhang's approach. Now, what can anyone say?

Zhu Di looked at Zhu Gaochi with satisfaction. Although he was happy, a sense of worry rose in his heart.

Is it really a good thing that the son is more outstanding than his father, and the crown prince is more outstanding than the emperor?

If Zhu Gaochi were to challenge him for power, what would he do?