The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 119 I'll arrange it (Please subscribe!)
Since they didn't see eye to eye, Li Shanchang should have learned his lesson.

A smart man like him would definitely be able to understand Ma Xun's intentions from several interactions, and might even lose patience with the 'hopeless' Ma Xun.

This is a good thing for Ma Xun. It allows him to have some peace and quiet, and most importantly, it allows him to avoid getting involved in unnecessary trouble.

Since Li Shanchang's trouble was temporarily solved, Ma Xun accompanied Liu Shuning back to her parents' home.

The old man made a cup of tea leisurely. When he saw Ma Xun, he smiled and asked, "Uncle, I heard that Prime Minister Li came to see you again?"

"I left the palace the day before yesterday, and he went there yesterday." Ma Xun said helplessly, "Otherwise, Shu Ning and I should have come here yesterday, but we were delayed by Prime Minister Li."

Liu Bowen smiled and asked, "Now that you and Marquis Enqin are in charge of the Grand Zongzheng Court, isn't it time to remind His Majesty to build the mausoleum?"

Ma Xun was stunned for a moment. If someone didn't know, they would have thought that Liu Bowen was cursing the emperor.

But in a flash he also understood that ancient emperors basically began to build imperial tombs as soon as they ascended the throne.

But Zhu Yuanzhang was not like that. In history, he did not start building his mausoleum until the 14th year of Hongwu. At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang was already in his early 50s and only then did he start thinking about his funeral.

A year later, Empress Ma passed away at the age of fifty-one.

"I don't think your majesty is in a hurry to build the mausoleum. The court is short of money now." Ma Xun said, "The imperial city has not been built yet, and the capital city has not been built either."

Liu Bowen didn't say anything else. He was the one who chose the location of the palace and he was also the one who set the regulations of the palace.

At present, the most we can consider is that the basic structure and general construction have been completed, but there are still many places that need continued construction, which may take more than ten years.

The city walls of Yingtian Prefecture are also under continuous construction. There is nothing that can be done about it. This is the capital, and because of the wars in previous years, a lot of resources have been used on the army.

Liu Jing brought tea and said with a smile, "I heard that the prince's uncle was punished by His Majesty. I was a little worried."

Liu Bowen smiled and said, "You don't have to worry. He will definitely not anger His Majesty. But if you want to serve in the army, you will definitely need the help of the uncle in the future."

Liu Jing also nodded in approval. Ma Xun was now the right governor in the Grand Marshal's Office, nominally second only to the left governor Li Wenzhong.

What's more, in the eyes of the emperor and empress, Ma Xun still holds great weight, and pleading for him still has a great effect.

"Second brother, you have to help me tomorrow." Ma Xun said, "The princes are going to train their troops, and I want you to help."

Liu Bowen asked sternly, "I shouldn't have asked too much about this matter. Your Highnesses, how many soldiers are you training? What will these people be used for in the future? Have you asked clearly?"

Liu Bowen's worries were normal. Zhu Chong and others were all young men, and they might have to become fiefdoms in a few years.

Everyone can see that the emperor and the crown prince want these princes to know about military affairs, but they also don't want these princes to have too much contact with the generals in the army.

Ma Xun explained, "It's to let the princes train their troops. They often train in the army. In the past, they just trained, but now they learn to command troops. This time, it's just a guard post, and after they are trained, they will belong to the Beijing Guard."

After hearing what Ma Xun said, Liu Bowen and Liu Jing had nothing to worry about. This was simply an opportunity for the princes to practice.

Liu Jing asked with a smile, "So, you are the leader of this guard?"

Ma Xun was speechless for a moment, and said with some sorrow, "The princes need to gain experience, and so do I. I am the Right Commander, but I am actually in charge of a newly built garrison."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao had too many plans. They wanted Zhu Chong and others to train the troops because these princes had a certain foundation and were old enough to learn some real skills.

Ma Xun was there to keep the princes from doing anything wrong. On the other hand, Zhu Yuanzhang and others took a different approach to Ma Xun's lack of understanding.

Since he is unwilling to take the initiative to do things, then he will be assigned an unshirkable task. He will lead Zhu Chong and others to train the troops and improve themselves as well.

Liu Bowen and Liu Jing also laughed. The emperor and empress really had good intentions towards Ma Xun, the emperor's brother-in-law.

Liu Bowen also asked with concern, "This time you are leading the princes to train, don't you have any generals to assist you?"

Although Liu Jing had read military books and had some experience on the battlefield, he was obviously more of a military strategist rather than a general who directly led troops.

"I found Mu Ying, he is the most suitable." Ma Xun said with a smile, "I don't have the ability, and it's not good for my second brother to have too much contact with these princes."

Hearing what Ma Xun said, Liu Bowen naturally felt relieved. Although his son-in-law was young, he was really very reliable in doing things.

Liu Bowen smiled and said, "I am now old and just waiting to go back to my hometown."

"Next month, we will confer honors on meritorious officials. Taishan will have to wait until then before he can go back." Ma Xun explained with a smile, "You will be in the capital these days, and you can have a good chat with your old friends and relatives."

Liu Bowen sighed and said, "This is a difficult matter. Many people now have different ideas from me. There are differences in philosophy and in the way they deal with people."

As one of the leaders of the civil servants in eastern Zhejiang, Liu Bowen retired at this time, which made many people in the civil servants in eastern Zhejiang very dissatisfied.

They thought Liu Bowen was a deserter, that he had not joined hands with them to support the country, and that he had not advised His Majesty to govern the world with the way of a sage, and that their ideas on governance had not been implemented. Liu Bowen then looked at Ma Xun and asked, "Next year, the court will hold its first imperial examination. How are you preparing?"

"I am just maintaining the discipline in the examination room. The examination papers are prepared by the great scholars, and they are also responsible for reading the papers." Ma Xun said with a smile, "I am not in charge of this matter, but I have to be on guard."

Liu Bowen put away his smile and asked, "Are you on guard? Against fraud, or against something else?"

Ma Xun said directly, "Although I think that most of the candidates in this subject are from the south, they can't all be from the south, right? And they can't all be from eastern Zhejiang or southern China."

The historical case of the North-South List occurred the year before Zhu Yuanzhang's death. In the previous imperial examinations, not all southern scholars passed the exams.

But the trend is also very obvious: people from the South have always been better at imperial examinations.

The reason is very simple. The south is relatively stable and the literary style is more prosperous.

The North was inferior in culture and education, especially during the nearly 100 years of Mongolian rule, when there were fewer educated people in the North.

Of course, we cannot rule out the ulterior motives of the examiners, examiners, etc. These people really began to form a group and were constantly testing the emperor's bottom line.

After hearing what Ma Xun said, Liu Bowen said, "No wonder His Majesty has always wanted you to join the Secretariat, and Prime Minister Li has been trying so hard to win you over. There are reasons for this."

"So I'm hiding. These things are so troublesome." Ma Xun said with a smile, "I'm not interested in these. I just want to have a child with Shuning as soon as possible so that I can go to war. After the war, I will travel around the world and see the beautiful mountains and rivers."

Liu Bowen and Liu Jing didn't know what to say for a moment, because Ma Xun's idea was so right.

He understands the truth, so it is very difficult to influence him with your own views.

But there is no way to persuade him, because Ma Xun seems to know what is serious and what must be done well.

Liu Shuning sat on the side and just listened but didn't say anything about these topics.

There is no need to let her leave now, because there are many things that need to be known, so that Ma Xun can better deal with some things.

Having a baby is indeed a big deal for Ma Xun and Liu Shuning. Even many people are keeping their eyes on their unborn child.

Liu Jing asked with concern, "Speaking of the war, I was asked to go to the Grand Commandery. How is the arrangement going?"

Ma Xun immediately said, "I also want to ask my uncle, do you want to lead the army or participate in the council?"

Liu Jing already had an idea in his mind, "I still want to lead the army myself."

Being a military strategist is indeed good, but for many people, commanding thousands of troops is the real passionate pursuit.

Ma Xun also didn't think there was anything wrong with Liu Jing's idea. A general didn't necessarily have to be skilled in martial arts, as long as he could command the troops to victory.

Ma Xun said, "This is what I think. My uncle will go with the army this time, so he shouldn't hold a high position."

It would be too high to let Liu Jing become the third-rank commander of the capital guards, not to mention the second-rank commander, which is basically the military chief of a province, and Liu Jing does not have this qualification.

Liu Jing also agreed and said, "My uncle is right. I think it is enough to pacify them."

Ma Xun couldn't bear to be pacified, because He Da and others had said at the beginning that with Ma Xun's ability, he could only be a pacified soldier of the fifth rank at most.

"I think the most suitable position is the deputy commander." Ma Xun said, "Taishan already has an official position and title, and my uncle can also be enlisted in the army."

It is true that this is nepotism and favoritism, but it is not out of the ordinary because military positions in the Ming Dynasty were hereditary.

A fourth-rank commander is only a middle- or senior-level general in today's army. In today's world where there are so many generals and commanders, a fourth-rank commander has no say in the Grand Marshal's Office.

Liu Bowen smiled and said, "This arrangement is naturally the best. When the time comes, I will have to trouble you to select a reliable officer to help your uncle."

Ma Xun thought about it carefully and said, "How about I let my uncle go to Fu Youde's camp? It's true that I have a close relationship with Brother Tang and others, but my uncle is not suitable to go there."

Liu Bowen and Liu Jing also understood what Ma Xun meant. This was not just a simple conflict between the people of Huaixi and the people of eastern Zhejiang.

Also because of Ma Xun's identity, it was not appropriate for him to let Liu Jing, his second uncle from eastern Zhejiang, get too close to the core group in Huaixi.

A surrendered general like Fu Youde is more suitable. Not only does he have outstanding abilities, but his character is also better than some of the Huaixi nobles.

The most important thing is that under Fu Youde's account, Liu Jing can be taken care of and will not be excluded or overly courteous.

Liu Bowen was also very pleased to see that Ma Xun had arranged things so appropriately.

My daughter married the right man. Not only is she very happy and contented now, but the entire Liu family is also benefiting more and more from it!
(End of this chapter)