The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 132: Those who are capable work hard

When talking about the fall of the Ming Dynasty in history, many people immediately say that it was the Ming royal family that bankrupted the finances.

It is true that the royal family was a burden on the Ming Dynasty's finances, but during most of the middle and late Ming Dynasty, although they were not given the full amount of physical goods, they did not bankrupt the Ming Dynasty.

Or some say that the Little Ice Age, which led to a shortage of food, etc., caused a series of problems.

Naturally, some people also mentioned the Donglin Party, party struggles, etc., and perhaps they would also mention that the imperial court in the late Ming Dynasty could not collect taxes at all, and those gentry kept crying poor and always said "you can't compete with the people for profits."

These gentry are rich and have the power to control the country. If their interests are harmed, they will go to the Meridian Gate to be beaten with a stick and be proud of it, so that they can become famous all over the world.

After the Jurchens entered the Pass, they suddenly discovered that these people did not give them better treatment.

After all, in the Ming Dynasty, those who were scholars or above were exempt from taxes and labor service, and it didn't matter if they killed the emperor's envoys in places like Jiangnan, because the gentry in Jiangnan were impervious to attack.

But when the Jurchens arrived, these people were horrified to find that the Jurchens had implemented even harsher taxation in the Jiangnan region than during the Ming Dynasty.

The tricks used by the Jiangnan gentry in the Ming Dynasty, such as relying on their former power to gain connections with government officials, bribing clerks, concealing their identities, and withholding payments and grain, were no longer effective.

If a region did not pay full taxes, the Jurchens would not care about anything else and would simply dismiss all the officials and gentry in the four prefectures and one county in the south of the Yangtze River. These people had no temper at all and all obeyed the orders and kowtowed to thank the emperor for his grace.

Being executed for writing or implicated for false accusations, these gentry all waited obediently for their necks to be chopped off. They no longer had the power to rule the country or control the local areas that they had enjoyed in the Ming Dynasty, and they all became extremely docile.

He would not cry out for injustice at this time, nor would he say that he was pure and upright, and he would not, as a commoner, point fingers at the affairs of the court.

When given preferential treatment and privileges, people want more; when given status, they want to use it as an opportunity to get more benefits. Some people are already familiar with these tricks.

Now is the early years of the founding of the country. Zhu Yuanzhang is on high alert for some signs, fearing that some people will succeed.

But for some groups, they never give up because they feel they deserve better treatment.

They are constantly working towards this end. They are dissatisfied with many current situations and believe that they must fight for change.

Ma Xun felt that it was quite pleasant to talk about some things with Zhu Biao. Although they did not share completely the same political views, they were like-minded on some issues.

Just when the two were still complaining about the little tricks of Song Lian, Wei Guan and others, they suddenly heard footsteps.

"I'm talking about you guys." Zhu Yuanzhang was elusive and said with a smile, "I heard that your uncle entered the palace, but he didn't come to see me or your mother. It's rare for him to come to the East Palace."

Ma Xiuying also smiled and said, "I was a little surprised too. I heard that your uncle had entered the palace, and I happened to be free. I waited and waited but he didn't come. I waited and waited but there was no news. When I asked, I found out that he had been running to you for more than an hour."

Zhu Biao was a little surprised. "He missed his meal? It's rare for my uncle to come to my place, but he forgot to eat. It's really my fault."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked curiously, "What's the big deal? You were so excited that you almost forgot to eat?"

Not only Zhu Yuanzhang was curious, Ma Xiuying was also curious, but they were even happier that Zhu Biao and Ma Xun could chat together.

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "My uncle has always been dissatisfied with some gentry, saying that people in eastern Zhejiang are too cunning."

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately felt that he had the final say. "Your uncle's background is like this, so we are the same kind of people. Our ancestors were tenant farmers and had always lived in poverty. Your uncle has been wandering outside since he was young, and he knows how greedy the rich are."

Ma Xiuying and Zhu Biao also nodded. They all thought that Ma Xun had opinions about some gentry because he had seen a lot of situations at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

The poor have no place to live, this is the reality.

Tenants depend on landlords and work hard all their lives, but they may not even have a place to be buried after their death.

After witnessing these things, it is natural that he could no longer be on the same page with some of the gentry, and it is easy to understand why he developed such a character that hates evil.

Zhu Biao continued with a smile, "My uncle is not optimistic about the imperial examination next year, so he wants to get a feel for it. Once he knows the situation at the Imperial College, he can make arrangements for the imperial examination next year."

Hearing Zhu Biao say this, Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying were even happier, because this was also a serious matter.

Ma Xun has not only grown and knows how to do his job, but he also knows how to plan ahead and make arrangements for some things, which is what makes people happier.

Sometimes Ma Xun felt that Zhu Biao was so magnanimous and broad-minded probably because he was praised by Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying.

He now felt the same way. Even if he did something small, Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying could deduce countless things that were worthy of recognition and then praise him profusely.

In such an environment where you are encouraged and affirmed, it is difficult to be narrow-minded.

Growing up in an environment where you are loved and valued, it is impossible to be gloomy.

While eating, Zhu Biao said, "It's just that my uncle is worried. It's probably because I didn't let him check my pulse these few days, so he came to check my pulse. Now that the season has changed, he also wants to see the East Palace residence."

Zhu Yuanzhang was so happy, "If your dear uncle doesn't take care of you, who will? Tell me yourself, is your uncle good to you?" Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't be more satisfied with his brother-in-law Ma Xun.

Putting aside his abilities, the fact that he cares so much for Biaoer makes him the best brother-in-law.

Zhu Biao then said, "So I thought about transferring Wei Guan away. He has repeatedly angered my uncle. He always makes things difficult for my uncle because of his talent and achievements."

Ma Xun put down his chopsticks and said, "It's not like he has anything against me, it's just that we have different political views."

"Then listen to Biao'er and send him to be a prefect." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile, "It's just right to let him govern the people in the area, so that he doesn't have to make noise all day long."

Ma Xiuying also said seriously, "This matter is not to vent your uncle's anger. This is because Wei Guan is too selfish and needs to be punished and tempered."

Ma Xun said with some worry, "Brother-in-law, there are no people from eastern Zhejiang in the Secretariat. If Wei Guan is demoted again, the Song army will be unable to support the army alone."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't take Ma Xun's worries seriously. "There are no people from eastern Zhejiang in the Secretariat, but many of the six ministries are from eastern Zhejiang. There are countless people from eastern Zhejiang in the court and various government offices, and there are also many in the local prefectures and cities."

Ma Xun had nothing to say now. Zhu Yuanzhang had no other choice but to prevent people from eastern Zhejiang from entering the Secretariat.

It is true that the Huaixi people are powerful, but many of them are in the army.

Although the people of eastern Zhejiang seem to have no particularly prominent high-ranking officials, the basic base of middle and high-level civil servants is basically controlled by these people.

It doesn't matter if Liu Bowen and Wei Guan are gone. Even if Song Lian falls, it won't be a problem. The people of eastern Zhejiang will come up with a new leader.

Although he valued scholars from eastern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu, he also gave them certain preferential treatment.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang would not trust these people unreservedly. There would be necessary suppression and checks and balances.

The same goes for the Huaixi people. The Huaixi people can be strong, but they will never let these people dominate the world and act without any scruples.

After all, Zhu Yuanzhang is the emperor. He is not the emperor of the Huaixi people, nor the emperor of the Zhejiang people. He is the Son of Heaven of the Ming Dynasty!

Ma Xiuying looked at Ma Xun with a smile and said, "Now that you know what these people in East Zhejiang are thinking, shouldn't you go to the Secretariat?"

Looking at the eyes of Zhu Yuanzhang's family of three, Ma Xun's scalp tingled, "It's definitely not possible in the next few days. I have a lot of things on my hands."

"Just go around and show your face." Zhu Yuanzhang urged, "Even if the second brother and the others are training the troops, you can let them go and leave it to others. You don't need to keep an eye on them all the time."

Zhu Biao also said, "I know that my uncle cares about the school. There are teachers there to take care of it, so you don't need to sit in the classroom every day. Take some time to sit in the Secretariat for an afternoon. Many people should do their duty."

Ma Xiuying continued, "Prime Minister Li is not in the Secretariat now, but it makes no difference if he is still here. Hu Weiyong is also feeling proud now because he has Prime Minister Li as his backer!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was also troubled because Li Shanchang used to be the only powerful person in the Secretariat.

But in the past year or so, when Li Shanchang retired, Yang Xian was arrogant and domineering. Now Yang Xian is gone, but Hu Weiyong also has this tendency.

Some officials who seemed cautious in the past would always become like different people in the shortest possible time once they were in charge of the Secretariat.

It even made Zhu Yuanzhang worried. He was not worried about himself or Zhu Biao, but it was hard to say about his future descendants.

If future generations have no ability, won’t they be bullied badly by the prime minister?
At that time, the powerful official would appear as soon as he said so.

In front of him, the founding emperor, people like Li Shanchang, Yang Xian and Hu Weiyong dared to form cliques for personal gain, all trying to hold on to power.

If they met a mediocre monarch, these prime ministers would definitely rebel!

We must find a way to abolish the position of prime minister, and concentrate power in the hands of the emperor!
Ma Xun was overwhelmed. The government office he least wanted to go to was the Secretariat, but now it seemed he had no choice but to go.

He has already done quite a lot, but in the eyes of Zhu Yuanzhang's family of three, this is far from enough and he can still do more.

The emperor is a workaholic, and the empress and the crown prince are not pleasure-seekers, and the others are either active or passive.

As long as you are considered capable and necessary, you should work harder.

Even if Ma Xun thought he had done a lot of great things, Zhu Yuanzhang and others would not think that Ma Xun was really idle.

However, we can still try our best to do some things better, and taking on more responsibilities is also an obligation.

Ma Xun ate his food in silence. The next time someone said he was idle, he would bring that person over.

Let those blind people see what the King's uncle is busy with every day, and see who dares to gossip!
(End of this chapter)