The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 1: Carrying the coffin home
A horse roared into Yingtian Prefecture, and the rider on the horse tried his best to lie on the horse's back, looking exhausted.

The people hurriedly got away, as they had become accustomed to this kind of situation over the years.

Last year, the Emperor founded the country and named it Daming (Great Ming) and the reign title Hongwu (Hongwu).

The year before last, General Xu Da and Deputy General Chang Yuchun led an army of 250,000 to the north. After nearly a year of hard work, the army had recovered Qi, Lu, He, Luo, Yan, Ji, Qin, and Jin.

Emperor Yuan fled north in a hurry, and the Han people recovered the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun which had been lost for more than four hundred years.

Today, the Northern Expedition Army is still fighting fiercely with the remnant of the Yuan Dynasty. Although the Yuan Dynasty withdrew from the Central Plains, the Northern Yuan Dynasty still maintained a set of government institutions. After the Ming Dynasty occupied Shanxi, the Yuan army still had more than 100,000 troops in Shaanxi and Gansu.

The world is not at peace yet, and the remnants of the Yuan court in the north are still a major concern.

Ming Yuzhen and his son Ming Sheng occupied Sichuan, while King Liang of Yuan Dynasty used Zhala Walmi and the Duan family of Dali to occupy Yunnan.

Today the war is still fierce, but people all over the world basically understand that Emperor Hongwu has taken control of China and the country belongs to the Zhu family.

It was getting dark, but the 42-year-old Zhu Yuanzhang was still handling government affairs in the Wuying Hall. Having won the world, he did not get carried away, and even worked harder than before.

"Hold the lamp."

Zhu Yuanzhang finished reviewing the memorial without raising his head, and suddenly looked up with a feeling of something in his heart.

Quickly putting down the brush, Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile, "Sister, why are you here?"

Ma Xiuying said with some annoyance, "The country cannot survive without you, Emperor Zhu. Then Li Shanchang, Wang Guangyang, Yang Xian, and Liu Bowen are all just decorations. I think it's better to dismiss them from office. They don't do anything and just keep the emperor busy. The emperor is so busy that he can't even eat. Aren't they just sitting there doing nothing?"

The maid opened the food box with a smile, as she was used to the Queen's frequent teasing of the Emperor.

Zhu Yuanzhang stretched his neck to take a look. "Freshly baked pancakes? This is what I like. Girls really know me!"

While Zhu Yuanzhang was eating a pancake with big mouthfuls, Ma Xiuying took the memorial and looked at it carefully.

After drinking a mouthful of soup, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at his wife and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Ma Xiuying looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "The harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. I know that!"

"How can that be possible!" Zhu Yuanzhang quickly moved aside the dragon chair and pulled Ma Xiuying to sit down. "Sister, I want you to help me with some ideas. I am short of wisdom, and I need the help of a female Zhuge Liang!"

Ma Xiuying was very pleased with Zhu Yuanzhang's straightforward flattery. "I am just a woman. I should open a vegetable garden in the harem to grow vegetables. How can I offer advice to Emperor Zhu?"

"Sister, I don't like it when you say that!" Zhu Yuanzhang patted Ma Xiuying's shoulder in a flattering manner, "When I was herding cattle, you were reading poems. When I was begging for food, you were reading scriptures. You are more knowledgeable than me."

Ma Xiuying rolled her eyes at Zhu Yuanzhang and said, "Okay, eat well. No matter how many things you have to deal with, you can't forget to eat. There are so many things in the world that you can't handle them all. How can you forget to eat and sleep? What if your body can't bear it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang ate his favorite pancakes while enjoying his sister rubbing her brows. "Sister, this is the beginning of the country. There are too many things to do. Let's deal with them one by one."

After 18 years of marriage, the couple still has a strong bond.

Whether Zhu Yuanzhang was the up-and-coming Red Turban Army general back then, or the emperor who rules the world today, some things have not changed.

In Ma Xiuying's eyes, Marshal Zhu, King Wu, or the current Emperor Hongwu, they are just one of Chongba's identities.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, his only confidant was his sister. She did not despise him for being poor, and saved him when he was suspected. When he was on the battlefield, she followed him and guarded the rear.

Zhu Yuanzhang was eating pancakes while discussing political affairs with Ma Xiuying. The harem was not allowed to interfere in politics, but they only talked about it in private. Now we can talk about family affairs, not national affairs. If the queen did not go to the court, it would not be considered as interfering in politics.

Suddenly, a eunuch came hurriedly and reported, "Your Majesty, Mao Xiang requests to see you." Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying immediately became worried. Why did Mao Xiang come to ask for a meeting at this late hour?
"Xuan!"

The big spy chief Mao Xiang trotted into the Wuying Hall. When he saw Ma Xiuying, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately knelt down and held up the secret letter with both hands.

"Your Majesty, yesterday afternoon a young man led a donkey and carried a coffin into Xinfengli, Suzhou, intending to bury our ancestors in the Xuwang Mausoleum."

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious, "Asshole!"

Prince Xu, that was the title that Zhu Yuanzhang posthumously conferred on his father-in-law, Ma Taigong!
Ma Xiuying immediately asked, "Tell me, what happened?"

Zhu Yuanzhang had reason to be angry. A kid who came out of nowhere wanted to bury his ancestors in King Xu's tomb. How could that be tolerated!

Mao Xiang's voice trembled as he said, "Your Majesty, that man calls himself Ma Xun, and his ancestral home is Guide Prefecture."

Ma Xiuying seemed to sense something, and her voice trembled, "The coffin he carried back was my father?"

Mao Xiang's voice trembled even more. "Your Highness, the Queen, I dare not tell you the name of that young man's father. But your Highness's relatives all said that Ma Xun looked very much like the late King Xu when he was young."

Ma Xiuying couldn't stand up, and Zhu Yuanzhang quickly supported her, "Sister, I'll go to Xinfengli right away! Mao Xiang, please explain it to me!"

Old Zhu has heard a lot about his sister's family background.

My sister's ancestors passed the imperial examinations during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty and moved to Suzhou, Guide Prefecture, during the Jingkang National Crisis. However, by the time my sister was born, my father-in-law was not wealthy because of his love of charity and public welfare.

My father-in-law even killed someone and fled. He took Ma Xiuying to Dingyuan and entrusted her to his close friend Guo Zixing. Then he fled again and most likely died in a foreign land.

Ma Xiuying never blamed her parents. Her mother had a difficult labor when she was born. She had always been the apple of Ma Taigong's eye. She was good at poetry, painting, and history, all of which were taught by her father.

When she fled to Dingyuan to seek refuge with Guo Zixing, Ma Xiuying was already in her teens. She was stubborn and looked down upon by ordinary people, so she did not get married in her early twenties until she met Zhu Chongba, who she liked.

Such actions can be regarded as extremely willful in today's age. If she had not been spoiled by her father since childhood, how could she be so willful!
Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly opened the letter. The Jinyiwei in Xinfeng described in detail the story of the young man named Ma Xun carrying the coffin back to his hometown, and also recorded the opinions of some of Ma Xiuying's relatives.

"Sister, I'll go to Xinfengli right away!" Zhu Yuanzhang said decisively, "You wait for my letter in Yingtianfu. If that man is really my brother, I will bring him back. If he dares to pretend to be a royal relative, I will make him live a life worse than death!"

Then Zhu Yuanzhang shouted, "What are you still standing there for? Call the prince over!"

"It's my father! It must be my father!" Ma Xiuying looked at the letter and the portrait, "It must be my father who has returned! This is my brother! Chongba, I want to go back!"

Zhu Yuanzhang knew he couldn't stop her, so he immediately said, "Sister, I'll go back first, and I'll send you a reply in two or three days at most."

Fifteen-year-old Zhu Biao hurried to Wuying Hall and ran up to Ma Xiuying when he saw her crying. "Mom, what happened?"

Seeing that Ma Xiuying was still crying, Zhu Biao became even more anxious, "Mom, did someone offend you? Tell your son quickly, and your son will talk to him!"

Although Zhu Yuanzhang cared about his wife, he was also very angry with his son.

Who was the eldest son talking to when he said those words?
"Biao'er, someone said that your grandfather's remains were sent back to his hometown." Zhu Yuanzhang did not hide it, "This matter is too big, I will go there overnight. You will go to court tomorrow, and you will be the regent for the next few days."

Zhu Biao was stunned for a moment, "Dad, I'll go over there."

"I'll go over there. You're too young to know how to handle this matter." Zhu Yuanzhang said immediately, "Take good care of your mother and wait for my letter."

Ma Xiuying wiped her tears and could hardly utter a complete sentence, "Zhongba, leave tomorrow morning. Go slowly on the way, don't rush."

Even if it was about my father, Ma Xiuying also cared about her husband. Her affairs were a big deal in Zhu Chongba's eyes, but in Ma Xiuying's eyes, Zhu Chongba's affairs were also her affairs!
(End of this chapter)