It was already early May when the prince returned to the capital, having resigned from his duties as governor of the Northeast for nearly three years.

He was quite relaxed about this,

At the age of twenty-two, he has traveled all over from Qinghai-Tibet in the west, to Guangdong, Guangxi, and Northeast China, and he has no idea how many layers of wind and frost have accumulated on his face.

"Your Highness, the capital has arrived!"

The sound of steam was heard. In the luxurious private room, Prince Zhu Cunqu leaned on his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

The eunuch on the side reminded him softly.

"No hurry!" Zhu Cunqu said calmly without opening his eyes: "There are many people at this time, let the common people go first, and we will go last!"

After a while, everyone left, and the group got out of the box and left the station.

What was counterproductive was that the prince's short stop led to the bus following behind him, forcing him to make an emergency rescheduling.

After boarding the carriage, Zhu Cunqu was actually in a bad mood.

Zhao Shu passed away two years ago. This old man who gave him many advices had an extraordinary status in his heart, but he was unable to return to Beijing at that time.

As soon as we drove into the outer city, we heard the sound of suona and a procession of people wearing linen and mourning clothes were walking on the streets.

Looking at the long queue, Zhu Cunqu raised his eyebrows: "What's going on in the capital recently?"

This was obviously a question to the groom, who was also unambiguous: "Since King Wencheng of the East China Sea passed away last year, a lot of nobles from the capital have left. There are people leaving every month, and it's very lively..."

Can it not be lively?

Monks and Taoists came and went to reminisce, and there were countless banners and flags hung. All kinds of banquets naturally came and went.

The nobles in the capital were even more busy. They had to go out to have dinner and give gifts every now and then. They were very tired.

When the prince heard this, he thought to himself: "This hero of Shaowu and Zhongxing has been greatly weakened. How many of the ten great princes are left?"

You Shiwei was the first to leave, followed by Wu Sangui and Chen Yongfu.

Nowadays, among the nobles, the top ten princes are rearranged. The first one is Zhu Meng, the Duke of Xuan, followed by Li Jizu, the Duke of An, Li Jingwu, the Duke of Yi, Liu Tingjie, the Duke of Cheng, Yan Guochao, the Duke of Yong, Li Dingguo, the Duke of Jin, and Li Dingguo, the Duke of Jing.

Gaoyigong.

As well as the newly recruited Duke of Ping, Chen Dong, and Duke of Chang, Zeng Ying.

The one person who was still missing was left to Xin Wencheng, who was conquering the Kazakh Khanate.

As a hero, Xin Wencheng was born in the Qin army and followed Li Jizu. Later, he was recommended by Li Jizu and was re-employed by the emperor to garrison Qishan Fort for several years.

Later, for his repeated military exploits, he was granted the title of Marquis and became the first general of Jilin, which can be said to be both civil and military.

Now that even Zeng Ying and Chen Dong have become princes, how can Zhu Yixi not take care of them?

In the spring of the 31st year of Shaowu's reign, Xin Wencheng was appointed as the General of the Expedition to the West. He controlled the soldiers and horses of the Beijing camp, as well as the patrol camps of Anxi and Shanxi, and sent troops to the Kazakh Khanate.

Not surprisingly, he will receive the title of Duke of the Country.

Among the ten great princes, they would rather leave one empty to wait for him than let people like Duke Qian and Duke Ding fill up the list.

“It’s time for the older generation of nobles to fall behind!”

Zhu Cunqu murmured in his heart.

At this time, he could not even mention a trace of coveting military power.

The older generation of nobles withered away, but the new generation of nobles who couldn't stand it still united closely with the emperor.

The nobles controlled the local patrol camps, and the emperor personally controlled the Beijing camp and the border troops. There was no loophole to catch.

And when he comes to Beijing this time, he is afraid that he will receive a new mission. Where will he go?

Northwest? Or southeast?

After entering the mansion, he freshened up and took the steam train to Yuquan Mountain.

Here, he met the emperor's father, who was getting older.

"Thank you for your hard work, my son!"

Zhu Yixi looked at the mature and steady prince and felt a little satisfied: "The imperial court has learned that Jilin has been developed properly. Although the pace is large, it is not chaotic. It all depends on you to maintain it!"

"I don't dare to be a son-in-law!" Zhu Cunqu bowed his head hurriedly, showing unusual humility.

"You deserve it."

Zhu Yixi chuckled and said: "You have experienced more than ten years in the local affairs. Now it is time to enter the court and think about the government's administration. Only in this way can you understand everything and integrate the inside and outside."

This was completely beyond his expectation.

Only by staying in a place can you understand the happiness of the capital city. The food, drink and entertainment are not at the same level at all, and the comfort level is also several levels behind.

Compared with other places, Beijing is simply a paradise on earth.

"My son, my son is willing." Zhu Cunqu suppressed the excitement in his heart: "Always by the side of his father, the emperor and his mother, the son can also fulfill his filial piety..."

"Go to the Ministry of Finance!" Zhu Yixi waved his hand:

"From today onwards, you will be the Minister of Finance, and you will be responsible for regulating the taxation of the Ming Dynasty. The situation in each province is different, which will test your skills!"

In this way, the situation in Jilin was discussed again, and it took half an hour before the prince left the palace.

He calmed down, forgot about the emperor's aging face, and began to plan in his mind how to manage the financial department.

At this time, he was like an ordinary official. After suddenly ascending to a high position, he couldn't wait to grasp the power and prove his ability to the superiors.

Being able to supervise the Ministry of Finance is a great improvement for Zhu Cunqu.

In the pre-Ming Dynasty, after the prime minister was abolished, the prince usually took the prime minister's place and gained the power to govern.

It was not until Yingzong succeeded to the throne that the power of the cabinet greatly increased and evolved into a new center of power.

"Today it's the eight ministries, tomorrow it's the cabinet, and then it's time to supervise the country!"

Zhu Cunqu felt that he would not reach heaven in one step, but would have to suffer for several years until the emperor was really old and unable to do what he wanted.

For example, sixty years old.

Not long after he returned to the East Palace, the Crown Princess was wearing a red palace dress and was busy preparing gifts. The hollow lace made him quite curious.

"What? Who are you preparing a gift for?"

"My Highness, who else could it be? Your younger brother!" Mrs. Zeng smiled bitterly and shook her head: "The emperor's forty-ninth son is one month old, so we are not allowed to take gifts?"

"In the past ten years alone, I have given out full-moon gifts almost thirty times. Princesses and princes cannot miss one, otherwise they will be disrespectful to their status as crown princess."

"Fortunately, His Highness is an official in the local area, otherwise the East Palace would really have given gifts to the poor!"

"Forty-nine?" Zhu Cuququ was stunned: "Father is still so brave?"

"Take a break these past few years!" Mrs. Zeng said with a wry smile: "There are only two or three princesses and princes a year. Before, there were five or six a year."

"That dress of yours?"

"This is it? The lace trim comes from Europe. It's very beautiful!"

"Don't be new or different!" Zhu Cunqu's voice deepened.

"I know, it's spread all over the palace, my mother and I have several of them, and my father even praised me, otherwise who would dare to wear them!"

Mrs. Zeng said softly, twisted her waist and left, turning back halfway and saying:

"Master, you are back just in time, but you have to teach your naughty son."

Zhu Cunqu was stunned for a moment and watched the latter leave.

He has been too busy in the past few years and has neglected to manage his children, but he is not too panicked. After all, Dongnuange Academy is here.

Therefore, his naughtiness is in the mansion.

As a prince, Zhu Cunqu did not have many heirs, especially when compared with his father, they were far behind.

Today, there are only four sons and three daughters who have survived. They are still healthy and will not be a problem if they live to adulthood.

The number of concubines is only fifteen or sixteen, not too small, but not too many. There are only three Mongolian concubines.

The youngest son had just turned three years old, and the third son was five years old. They were still playing in the East Palace. When they saw their father back, they looked strange.

The three daughters have good memories. The eldest is ten years old, the second daughter is seven years old, and the youngest is four years old. When they see him, they will run into his arms and act like a baby, and they are not afraid of people.

This allowed Zhu Cunqu to enjoy a rare moment of father-son affection.

In the evening, after school, the eldest son Zhu Fuyi saw his father, who was eyeing him eagerly.

"Dad!" He lowered his head disciplinedly and knelt down close to him.

"I really have you." Zhu Cunqu scolded:

"As the saying goes, a gentleman stays far away from the kitchen because he can't bear to see anything happening. How about you boil the ants' nests with hot water and chop off the trunks of the insects with a knife? Do you have a compassionate heart?"

"Is this how the master taught you the way of the sage?"

"If it is, I will go to Dongnuang Pavilion and settle the score with them!"

"Dad, I was wrong..." Zhu Fuyi lowered his head and did not dare to speak.

"Humph, at such a young age, you don't know how to be benevolent towards life. Why don't you think it's a small thing and don't do evil?"
To be continued...