The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 145 Eat melon and watch a show
When Ma Xun and Zhu Biao chatted about everything, they didn't necessarily talk about matters in the court.

You can talk about military strategy, literature, the context of historical development, or the changes in tea drinking culture, etc.

There are so many topics to talk about anyway. The uncle and nephew are just bragging. Besides, there is not much difference in age between them, so there is still a lot to talk about.

The conversation here was lively, but it was different among the women.

Not to mention Ma Xiuying, even Concubine Li Shufei and others gradually began to glance at Ma Xun more frequently, and Liu Shuning began to feel a little embarrassed.

Ma Xiuying suddenly stood up, a little angry, "What on earth have you learned outside these years?"

Ma Xun looked at Liu Shuning, who lowered her head and looked ashamed to see people, and understood, "Learn everything to make a living."

"No wonder you looked so miserable when you returned!" Ma Xiuying was so angry, "I used to say you were smart, but if you were really smart, would you have been tricked into learning these things?"

Zhu Biao didn't understand, but quickly advised, "Mom, what uncle learned is also a skill. It's nothing more than the size of the skill, as long as it is useful."

Ma Xiuying looked at her eldest son, thought for a moment, and still said nothing. "In two years, who knows, your uncle's ability might come in handy. Now get out of the way! Don't interrupt when adults are talking."

It is certain that Ma Xiuying is in menopause now.

Zhu Biao was a little dazed for a moment. His mother rarely treated him like this. Even when she got angry sometimes, she would be more tolerant of him.

Those who were punished to stand were almost in tears. The queen mother had finally treated everyone equally and now she was angry with the emperor's brother as well.

If this continues, my brother should also be punished by standing!
But this was obviously overthinking, because Zhu Biao seemed to have suffered an unexpected disaster and sat down obediently to drink tea, and he would not say anything else.

Ma Xiuying pointed at Ma Xun and said, "You should pay attention to this matter, otherwise what will people say about our Ma family!"

"He's a skilled doctor." Ma Xun said, "Poetry and literature are passed down from generation to generation. What can we not say? I'm a doctor, so why should I be afraid of seeing a doctor?"

Ma Xiuying glared at Ma Xun fiercely, but it was difficult for her to say much. The main reason was that even if some things were difficult to say, she had to admit it when it came to medical skills.

It's just that the medical skills that Ma Xun learned seem a little "difficult to talk about", mainly because of his age.

At such a young age, he has learned the skills to treat women's diseases, but it is hard to convince people that he has the skills.

No wonder he became a fake monk. He can’t use his abilities.

"Let's talk about this in a few days." Ma Xiuying took a deep breath and adjusted her mood. This was also what Ma Xun taught her. "You, it's useless for me to say anything now."

The other concubines were also trying hard to hold back, as the uncle in front of them always brought them "surprises".

Everyone acknowledged that Ma Xun was capable, but some of his abilities, no matter how you looked at them, seemed to have no direct connection with the court.

In addition, because of his young age, Zhu Yuanzhang's concubines subconsciously regarded Ma Xun as a younger brother who was somewhat capable and less troublesome, but not particularly ambitious.

You don’t need to worry about big things, but you need to be reminded of small things everywhere.

A large house of people came, including ten sons, eight daughters, and a pregnant concubine. Zhu Yuanzhang would definitely have more and more children.

Moreover, judging from the fact that he now has more than a dozen concubines, Zhu Yuanzhang, who is in his early forties, is in his prime, and the next few years are likely to be the peak period for having children.

Zhu Yuanzhang came with his head held high, accompanied by Li Zhen and Li Wenzhong, who were all his relatives, so this was also a family dinner.

Mu Ying came with his wife and children. This is a real "family dinner" and only relatives can enjoy this treatment.

As for the sons who were punished to stand, let them continue to stand. They must have made mistakes and were punished to stand, so there was no need to ask more questions.

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying did not look at each other, no one else said anything. Others should not interfere in the affairs between the emperor and the empress.

"I thought my younger brother was teaching the second brother and the others, and they are going back to their hometown." Zhu Yuanzhang sat down and said, "Bao'er also has to prepare for the war, let's have a meal and talk as a family."

It seems that this is the reason for the family dinner. It is not necessarily that Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying are fighting. Neither of them is willing to take the initiative to find a way out.

Zhu Yuanzhang then looked at Ma Xun, his eyes full of satisfaction, "You have done a lot this year, you have a promising future, your sister is happy."

It’s okay to say that, Ma Xun has indeed done a lot in this year.

Some medical staff who have been urgently trained at the school are about to go to the battlefield, and Zhu Chong and others are also being trained. The hastily made long bows have both praise and criticism, but they will still be used by soldiers.

After the preliminary test at the Imperial College was over, Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao further lowered their expectations for next year's imperial examination, which were already low.

These are all things related to the court. They may seem trivial, but they do have a certain effect.

As for Ma Xun's personal affairs, or matters involving Zhu Yuanzhang's family, they did have some effect.

So don't say he is idle. He has done a lot of things, but it's hard to see the credit for some things. Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Keep working hard. There are still a lot of things to do next year. Don't think about being lazy."

Ma Xun didn't know what to say for a moment, because some of his work plans for next year seemed to have been arranged long ago, and many things could not be postponed.

The imperial examination was scheduled, and it was also Zhu Chong's duty to send a few people back to Fengyang. Once the medical officers he trained proved to be of great use in the army, he would surely train more.

As for the fact that he was in charge of the Imperial Academy and was the Right Governor of the Grand Marshal's Office, these were useless when he was free, but he had to step in when something happened.

It is impossible to be lazy, mainly because Ma Xun’s tasks are fully scheduled.

This means that although a lot has been done this year, there will be more to do next year.

Ma Xiuying did not refute. She also hoped that Ma Xun could do more. How could a young man just think about comfort?

Zhu Yuanzhang then looked at Zhu Biao and said with a smile, "You will be getting married next year. You should discuss this matter with your mother. Not only are you the crown prince, but you are also my first son to get married, so we have to set some rules."

This is not just a matter of different treatment, it is also a matter of "no private affairs in the royal family". Zhu Biao's series of wedding rules will serve as a reference template for future princes' weddings.

Zhu Biao said, "Prime Minister Li and others have already established some rules, and my parents have also proposed some. I have been thinking about it these days. Some places have too many Tang and Song Dynasty rules."

This is also a characteristic of the Ming Dynasty. Some rules and regulations were based on the systems of the Tang and Song dynasties.

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "This is good, it can establish the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty."

Then Zhu Yuanzhang said helplessly, "It's only been less than a hundred years, and many things are now lost. I have to look through ancient books to find some clues."

Not to mention Zhu Biao, even Ma Xun didn't know what to say for a moment.

The so-called inheritance of civilization is not that easy, and destroying a civilization does not seem to be that easy either.

Regarding the systems of the Tang and Song dynasties, Zhu Yuanzhang and others looked for clues from ancient books and tried their best to restore some orthodox customs of the Han people.

The bottom line is that during the Mongol Yuan Dynasty, many texts were erased and a lot of content was ignored, so after nearly a hundred years, many people have forgotten some of the things that happened back then.

Take Western Xia for example. In the early period, it often fought with Liao and Northern Song, maintaining a situation of three kingdoms. In the later period, the regime coexisting with Jin was eventually destroyed by the Mongols.

The regime was destroyed and the writing system was abolished, so many people don't know where to start when talking about Western Xia now. All that is left are the destroyed imperial tombs at the foot of the Helan Mountains.

Even with the Western Xia imperial tombs, no one knows what happened. It may be difficult to truly restore the Dangxiang civilization.

Everyone started eating and drinking again, and this was a family dinner.

There are some things that Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying would not mention in such occasions. This is just a hint within the family.

The people who can really take charge are obviously Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying, and Zhu Biao may also have some right to make suggestions.

Li Zhen and Ma Xun, they look more like people who can get things done.

Everyone knows their place and what to do.

Ma Xun is just drinking and listening to the conversation now, and he certainly won't express any opinions easily.

Everyone was also keenly aware that the atmosphere between the emperor and the empress was somewhat subtle, so no one dared to say anything more.

If he wanted to show off too much at this time, he might be targeted by the emperor and the empress, which would obviously be like shooting himself in the foot.

There are basically no truly stupid people around Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying, and each of them knows clearly the rules of how to behave in the palace.

Even those who were favored like Concubine Sun, Concubine Guo Ning, and Concubine Li Shu were all well-behaved in front of Ma Xiuying and knew the difference between wives and concubines.

As the daughter of Guo Zixing and Ma Xiuying's sister, Concubine Guo Hui never dared to get carried away by relying on her good personal relationship with Ma Xiuying.

These special concubines are all well-behaved, needless to say the others are even better.

Just eat spectators and watch the show, and when called, stand up and answer a few questions honestly, that's all.

Zhu Yuanzhang actually glared at Ma Xun several times, but Ma Xun was playing dumb. He also gave Zhu Biao many looks, but the big boy pretended not to understand and kept using his eyes to signal that he understood better.

My brother-in-law, whom I thought was the most reliable, kept talking to Baoer and was unwilling to help.

Ma Xun really had no choice. The emperor was winking at him, but the queen had already glared at him several times before.

I'll be more obedient since I was warned in advance. If you two are having a quarrel, don't involve me. I really can't afford to offend you!
(End of this chapter)