The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 136: Honoring the Meritorious Officials
Ma Xun didn't know that Zhu Yuanzhang had noticed some of his knowledge about pregnancy preparation, but even if he knew it, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

There is nothing difficult to say. Increasing population is one of the most important things in this era.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is very useful knowledge, it will benefit future generations.

What's more, he at least has a reputation as a master of medical skills, although many people now treat doctors as if they are useful to them and not as useful to them.

But overall, the profession of doctor is still somewhat special. Even if there are some seemingly sensitive topics, when doctors talk about them, people won’t think too much about it.

Doctors have a kind heart, and whether Ma Xun admits it or not, others will think so.

"Uncle." Zhu Biao came to the courtyard, followed by a maid. "The court robes have been delivered to you and your aunt. Please try them on first."

Ma Xun looked towards the next courtyard and asked, "Where is your uncle?"

Zhu Biao said quickly, "Let's go to my uncle first. He tried on new clothes."

Ma Xun nodded, "Then I won't refuse. I'll go try on the clothes first."

Sometimes Zhu Biao felt that there was no need for any deliberate education. It was enough to just look at what his elders did. This was the true teaching by example.

Loyalty, righteousness, filial piety, simplicity, benevolence and filial piety, these are the examples set by his aunt and uncle.

After changing into the court dress, Ma Xun was quite satisfied. "This is it. Actually, there is nothing to try. The court dress looks like this."

Zhu Biao also smiled and said, "That's true. Dukes and marquises don't have crowns and robes now."

In previous dynasties, dukes, marquises and other nobles had crowns and robes, but in the Ming Dynasty, only members of the royal family had crowns and robes.

Except for Li Zhen's, his clothes were Zhu Yuanzhang's old clothes.

Maybe Ma Xun will have a portrait in the future, including Xu Da and others, but that is all in the future, and all of them will be portraits in the crown and robes of a prince or duke.

Zhu Biao then smiled and said, "Uncle, don't get up late tomorrow morning."

Ma Xun's reputation as a lazy sleeper has spread, but he doesn't care. "I will definitely get up early if I have something important to do, don't worry."

Liu Shuning was smiling happily. Her attire was a wide-sleeved shirt with a bright red background, and she wore a shawl over it. The shawl was embroidered with dark green flowers and gold-embroidered cloud and phoenix patterns.

Coupled with the hairpin that Ma Xiuying had given her before, her status became even more valuable.

Clothes make the man, and nowadays, what kind of clothes you wear can really reflect your status.

Ma Xun looked at her carefully, then said with a smile, "My sister will probably confer titles on a few ladies tomorrow, and you will be lucky enough to get involved."

Liu Shuning also knew about this matter. Xu Da's wife Xie, Chang Yuchun's wife Chang Lan and others, the wives of the seven founding dukes, would also be conferred titles tomorrow.

As for the twenty-eight marquises, their wives will have to wait some time before they can receive the official titles, so there is still some difference here.

Even Liu Shuning's mother could only be posthumously conferred the title of Countess, because Liu Bowen was only an Earl.

The young couple was still very excited and expectant, mainly because conferring titles on meritorious officials was an extremely grand event in any era.

The first grand ceremony of ennobling meritorious officials in the Ming Dynasty officially began. On November 11, the third year of Hongwu, the atmosphere inside and outside the imperial palace was solemn and grand.

Li Zhen and his son Li Wenzhong got up early and called Ma Xun. The three great relatives chatted and laughed as they walked towards the Fengtian Gate.

The whole court was filled with nobles and the ranks of civil officials were mostly filled with envy, jealousy and hatred, but the atmosphere on the military side was extremely warm.

This time, the only officials in the civil service system who were conferred the title of Duke were Li Shanchang, and Liu Bowen and Wang Guangyang were conferred the title of Earl, which is hardly worth mentioning.

"I am still a little brother who follows the rules." Chang Yuchun turned his head and said to Ma Xun, "The court sessions in the past two years were a mess. It was like going to war."

Ma Xun also felt that he had done something small. "Without rules, there will be no order. That won't work. The rules of the morning court are so good. It looks orderly."

Ma Xun was also too shameless. He was whispering to others here and praising the improvement of the rules for attending court.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao appeared, accompanied by a group of princes dressed in crown robes.

Everyone saluted. It was rare for Zhu Chong and others to appear in front of the civil and military officials, but everyone's attention was obviously still on the prince.

When Zhu Biao led all the officials to the court, Zhu Yuanzhang also went up to the palace.

Looking at the civil and military officials in the court, Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Today I am deciding the titles and rewards, not out of personal preference, but following the example of ancient emperors. I have been preparing for two years, but the Northern Expedition was not completed before, so I waited until today."

"At the beginning of the founding of the country, the world was in turmoil and many heroes emerged. Han Shantong, Chen Youliang, Zhang Shicheng and other people who were determined to make achievements often failed to control their subordinates, so they all failed."

"I had no intention of ruling the world. Today, I have accomplished this great cause, all thanks to the blessings of the gods of heaven and earth, and the assistance of all the meritorious officials. Since I started the army, you all have been under my command, conquering all corners of the country and making great achievements. I remember all of this in my heart!"

Zhu Yuanzhang became more serious and said, "Now that the world is settled, I will reward you with titles and rewards. The order of titles and rewards is determined by me, and I am impartial and selfless."

Zhu Yuanzhang then stood up, pointed at Tang He and said, "Tang He and I are from the same hometown and have known each other since childhood. Although he has made many contributions, he is addicted to drinking and killing, and does not obey the law. Even if it was he who invited me to join the army, he can only be given a title of nobility." Tang He knelt respectfully, not only because he did not dare to complain, but also because he already knew what was going on.

Zhu Yuanzhang then looked at Guo Xing and said, "You disobeyed the orders of the commander-in-chief and did not abide by the discipline. Although you have made contributions, they are not enough to cover up your faults. You are not worthy of being conferred the title of Duke. Do you have any objection?"

Guo Xing naturally didn't dare to say anything more, he also knew his own situation.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Liao Yongzhong again, "You have made great contributions in Poyang Lake, and even followed me across the river. I saw you maneuvering a boat to hold off the enemy, and I thought you were a remarkable man. But you ordered the Confucian scholars to speculate on my intentions, are you dissatisfied?"

Liao Yongzhong naturally didn't dare to say anything more. He was no longer as excited as before, but a little nervous.

Many nobles became nervous because Zhu Yuanzhang's policy of ennobling meritorious officials was somewhat "unprecedented".

He actually pointed out the merits and demerits of those who were about to be conferred titles one by one. The emperor remembered everyone's past experiences, and now he even recorded them in imperial edicts and iron certificates.

For example, Feng Sheng is a little scared now. The fact that he led the army privately last year was remembered by the emperor, and now he is "announcing it to the world."

Zhu Yuanzhang then looked at Xu Da and Li Shanchang and said, "Left Prime Minister Li Shanchang, although he has not done much hard work, he has served me the longest and has provided food for the army without any shortage."

"Right Prime Minister Xu Da is from the same hometown as me. When I started my army, he followed me to conquer all directions, defeated the strong and pacified the people, and made many contributions. These two have been made dukes, and they should be promoted to great powers to show their appreciation."

Li Shanchang was granted the title of Duke of Han, ranking first among all dukes. Xu Da was granted the title of Duke of Wei, Chang Yuchun was granted the title of Duke of Zheng, Deng Yu was granted the title of Duke of Wei, Li Zhen and Li Wenzhong, father and son, were both granted the title of Duke of Cao, and Feng Sheng was naturally granted the title of Duke of Song.

Zhu Yuanzhang also looked at Ma Xun and said, "Ma Xun, the Queen's brother, the Crown Prince's uncle, and the only son of Prince Xu. Although he did not make any contributions in his early years, he has made outstanding contributions in treating the Empress and the country. The monarchs of later generations should also remember that although the Queen's father and brother can be granted titles, they cannot be inherited."

Everyone knew that Ma Xun was conferred the title of Duke, and they all knew that this was Duke Xu.

The only thing that was unexpected was that Zhu Yuanzhang also made a patch when he conferred the title on Ma Xun. If future emperors wanted to confer the title on the father and brother of the empress, they could basically only confer the title on one generation and it would not be hereditary.

It is naturally impossible to satisfy everyone and be fully satisfied with this great honoring of heroes.

However, there is no way to change the reality now. The emperor's will is clear, and the titles of most people can convince the public, and there is no particularly big controversy.

Li Shanchang is happier now because he is nominally the head of all dukes and can even be called the first meritorious official.

But some people do not quite agree with this, because Xu Da obviously received more rewards.

The treatment of Ma Xun, the Duke of Xu, was not surprising, as he was in the middle of the Dukes. The most important thing was that Ma Xun and Li Wenzhong were the powerful relatives of the Ming Dynasty.

Civil officials, military honors and relatives by marriage now seem to be balanced and each has its own advantages.

The civil service system seemed to be severely suppressed by the Huaixi nobles, but these people had an excellent base. Especially for the people from eastern Zhejiang, in addition to the court, the prefectures and cities were also dominated by them.

Not to mention the Huaixi nobles, there is a large group of superior dukes and marquises. These groups who rose to prominence through military merit can, on the surface, seem to be able to suppress the civil officials to the point of suffocation.

However, neither the civil officials nor the Huaixi nobles should think that this is just a competition between them. Ma Xun and Li Wenzhong are in charge of the Imperial Academy and the Grand Marshal's Office respectively, and they can both participate in the discussion of state affairs.

The most important thing is that these two people have won the emperor's unparalleled trust, and they are the best helpers to check and balance the civil and military virtues.

Even these Huaixi people and nobles have different factions.

Not to mention the core faction in Huaixi such as Xu Da and Tang He, there are also military leaders such as Deng Yu, Feng Sheng, and Liao Yongzhong who led troops to surrender early on.

In addition, there are surrendered generals like Fu Youde, as well as forces that voluntarily surrendered, led by Mei Sizu.

These nobles even seem to have more obvious factionalism, and are not as united as the civil officials in eastern Zhejiang.

When it comes to power struggles and checks and balances, Zhu Yuanzhang has a lot of experience in these areas.

He would also make constant adjustments, whether before or after the founding of the country, and would make various adjustments due to changes in some circumstances.

The checks and balances among various forces and factions, and a series of adjustments in the Secretariat and even the Grand Marshal's Office are what he is doing now, and he will never let things get out of control.

After taking the red-lettered iron certificate handed over by Zhu Biao, Ma Xun thanked him again and said that he would put this thing in the ancestral hall for worship.

After the grand ceremony of conferring honors on meritorious officials in the imperial court, they would go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and other places to pay homage. After these things were completed, there would be a banquet in the Huagai Hall and so on.

Liu Bowen smiled and clasped his fists towards Ma Xun, "Greetings, Lord Xu."

Ma Xun supported Liu Bowen and asked, "Does the Earl of Chengyi want to make his son-in-law unfilial? When is Taishan going to leave for his hometown?"

Liu Bowen smiled and said, "It should be in the next few days, so that I can go back to my hometown to celebrate the New Year."

Ma Xun said with some concern, "If you all go back, Shuning will definitely be sad."

Liu Bowen smiled and said, "To be honest, I am not used to it either, but now that I am married, there is nothing I can do about it."

Ma Xun and Liu Bowen were chatting and laughing. I guess Hu Weiyong and others saw this and would not want to poison Liu Bowen, right?
(End of this chapter)