The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 155 Release the Vicious Dog
The emperor was very efficient in his work. When Ma Xun went to court, he immediately heard the emperor issuing an imperial edict.

Duke Xu was ordered to preside over the first imperial examination in the Ming Dynasty, and was also ordered to escort the Prince of Qin and other princes back to Fengyang to worship their ancestors.

Everyone has accepted this. These things have been reported before, but they have been made clear now.

Ma Xun had just returned home from court and was thinking about arranging things when He Da immediately came running over and said that someone from the Royal Guard Commandant's Mansion wanted to see him.

The person sent to the military commander's office beside Ma Xun was not Mao Xiang, not Jiang Li, and not a high-ranking spy.

However, we should not underestimate these people. They are Zhu Yuanzhang's confidants and the backbone of the Royal Army Commandery.

Once the size of the 'Jinyiwei' is expanded, these people will be promoted immediately.

Especially looking at He Daxi's smiling face, I felt like I knew these people.

Ma Xun looked at He Da and asked directly, "Do you know him?"

"This is Wujiu's kid. I haven't seen him for two or three years." He Da said with a smile, "Wujiu saved my life. I even burned paper for him before."

Ma Xun asked curiously, "Fifty-nine?"

"Uncle of the Emperor, surnamed Wu." The young man who led the group, Wu Kan, said, "The accents of the uncles are quite different, and I almost got it wrong."

Ma Xun laughed, "They are my family, so I will not hesitate to order them around."

He Da said quickly, "My Lord, please don't be polite. We need to use these guys well. This is to give them experience and help them grow their skills."

This is how He Da believes. No matter if they are in a higher position or are now the king's uncle, they respect and trust people like them, and that is why they are assigned some important tasks.

Wu Kan also said quickly, "We are ordered to follow the orders of the uncle, so we naturally respect his orders."

Ma Xun said, "Go to the Wucheng Military Command later and have someone surround the Imperial Examination Hall. Check the examination halls and wells carefully, and have the people from the Ministry of Rites come over quickly."

He Da asked curiously, "Uncle, you don't want to go to the government office to do business?"

"I don't have time to go to the government office." Ma Xun said with a smile, "All things are piled up at the same time. You can go find Wenying later and ask him to arrange the troops to return home."

He Da immediately said, "Uncle, don't we need to find Bao'er?"

Look, people like He Da are "our family". Li Wenzhong is now the Duke of Cao and the Left Commander-in-Chief, but He Da still subconsciously calls him "Baoer".

But no one thinks it is a problem, this is the true "elder".

"Bao'er issued the military orders, and Wenying arranged the personnel." Ma Xun said jokingly, "You have fought for twenty years and still don't understand how to fight. No wonder you were asked to retire and come to work for me."

Wu Kan smiled and said, "Uncle of the King, Uncle He is just like my father, he only cares about business. When Hua Wei and I were fighting, His Highness scolded us for being brainless and only caring about fighting."

"Hua Wei hasn't come back yet?" Ma Xun asked with concern, "Hasn't anyone been found in Taiping Mansion yet?"

Last year, Hua Wei followed Ma Xun's advice and returned to Taiping Prefecture to look for his mother's remains. It has been more than two months.

Wu Kan replied, "They haven't come back yet. They said that a lot of old soldiers were mobilized. Your Highness has also sent people to ask the old soldiers, but many of them have been forgotten."

It’s not that they have forgotten, but many of the old soldiers who guarded Taiping Prefecture with Hua Yun back then have died.

After a brief chat, He Da, Wu Kan and others immediately started to get busy as they had a mission to accomplish.

Ma Xun looked at Xu E and said, "Go next door and ask Chang Mao to come over."

"Uncle!" In the blink of an eye, Chang Mao rushed over, "Uncle, what do you want to ask me?"

"I'll give you a job during the days I'm away from Beijing." Ma Xun said directly, "I'll assign you three people from the Imperial Guards' Office, and you'll lead them to visit the Imperial Examination Hall every day."

Chang Mao asked in surprise, "Examination Hall? What am I going to do there?"

Ma Xun said, "What are you going to do? I'm not in the capital, so you go and inspect for me! Go there with great fanfare every day, carrying a general's flag to the Imperial Examination Hall. Let the people and scholars in the capital know that you are inspecting, and that the imperial examinations in the Ming Dynasty are strict."

Then Ma Xun said, "By the way, there will be no military training this afternoon. You guys should ride your horses around the capital every day. If you see any scholar submitting a visiting card to a civil or military official, arrest him on the street!"

Chang Mao was both excited and nervous, "Uncle, isn't it a good idea to just arrest the scholar and throw him into prison?"

Ma Xun was very happy. "Who told you to throw them into prison? I told you to write down the names of the scholars and the names of the civil and military officials who received the visiting cards! You have to shout in the street that you are following my orders, understand?"

Although Chang Mao was a little confused, he was not a wise general and was just a young boy. How could he understand so many things?

But since his uncle has given him the task so formally, he must do it well.

Chang Mao ran home excitedly, "Mom, get me armor quickly!"

Chang Lan was a little annoyed, "Can you touch the sword during today's training? Wear something light!" Chang Mao and his friends always train hard. As for the content of the training, everyone knows that it is basically just queues, and they haven't touched the 'advanced' battlefield fighting yet.

Chang Mao was very proud. "My uncle gave me a military order to inspect the Imperial Examination Hall every day and to inspect the capital every day!"

Chang Lan was surprised. "Is this really the job your uncle gave you? Isn't it just another case of spreading rumors between the two sides?"

This was Chang Mao's "criminal record", spreading rumors between the two sides. If Ma Xun and Chang Yuchun hadn't had a good relationship, Chang Mao might have succeeded.

Chang Lan thought about it carefully and asked again, "Does your uncle really let you do these things?"

"I was asked to go to the Imperial Examination Hall, and he also said that he would give me people from the Imperial Guards' Office and the Five Cities Military Department, and that I should go there with great fanfare." Chang Mao said proudly, "Others can only go to the capital for inspection, but my uncle still likes me the most!"

Chang Mao had reason to be so proud, because his uncle Lan Yu treated him like the apple of his eye and basically obeyed him in everything.

Although Ma Xun, the "fake uncle", has a lot of nephews, he obviously treats Chang Mao differently. Even if Deng Zhen wants to show off and flatter him, he still can't replace him.

Chang Wan seemed to understand something. "Uncle asked you to go to the Imperial Examination Hall? He asked you to run around on the street?"

"If you don't believe me, go ask your uncle!" Chang Mao said directly, "I dare to talk nonsense about small things, but I dare not talk nonsense about big things!"

Chang Lan was annoyed, "What else are you afraid of? Your marriage is a small matter. You dare to lie to both sides about such a big thing. What else are you afraid of?"

At this point, Chang Mao stopped trying. He hadn't expected that his exaggerations on both sides would be exposed so quickly.

Chang Wan then added, "I will definitely ask my uncle and aunt later. My uncle trusts you and asks you to do this job, so don't mess it up."

Seeing Chang Mao happily running to flip over his armor, Chang Lan said, "Respect your uncle more in the future. Not only did he save your father, he also helped your brother in every way."

"Mom!" Chang Wan complained with a smile, "When I first met my uncle, I was very polite. Later, I respected my uncle even more. Among all the families in Huaixi, Chang Mao and I were the only ones who really respected my uncle."

"It's hard to say about that kid Deng Zhen." Chang Lan said with a smile, "Let's not talk about your uncle's ability for now, but his character is also good. He always supports Chang Mao because of the prince."

Chang Wan smiled and nodded. In fact, she also knew that Chang Mao's qualifications were average.

It was impossible to expect Chang Mao to surpass his master. As long as this kid could learn half of his uncle's conduct and abilities, the prince would be happy in the future.

When that time really comes, the future 'emperor's eldest grandson' will have someone to rely on.

The mother and daughter were still talking when a guard came running over and said, "Madam, the wife of the emperor's uncle is here."

Chang Yuchun's family didn't need to inform Ma Xun when they went to his house, and Ma Xun and Liu Shuning came directly to Chang's house. But the people in the mansion would definitely go and tell him first.

"Sister-in-law." Liu Shuning looked at him and asked with a smile, "Did Chang Mao run away?"

Chang Lan smiled and complained, "My younger brother arranged something for Chang Mao. That kid is making so much noise, I guess he is looking for armor and weapons."

"My husband is also worried that my sister-in-law might misunderstand, so he asked me to tell her." Liu Shuning said with a smile, "This is the first time the imperial court is selecting talents, and they are afraid that there will be omissions. That's why they let the young men from Huaixi go to the streets to put an end to some rumors and show that the imperial court is fair in selecting talents."

Chang Wan asked in confusion, "Aunt, what can Chang Mao and these guys accomplish?"

Liu Shuning said, "Isn't it because I'm worried that some scholars will want to join some high-ranking officials just to pass the exam? This has never happened in our dynasty, but it has happened in other dynasties."

Chang Wan roughly understood that there was no such thing in the Ming Dynasty because there was no imperial examination before.

This was the case in some dynasties in history. In order to pass the imperial examination, scholars would send their essays to dignitaries before the examination, and even stop the carriages of some dignitaries in the street.

Scholars are not necessarily aloof; they will do anything to get their names on the list of successful candidates.

Chang Lan said with emotion, "I am indeed a thoughtful person. The superiors made the right choice by choosing me as the chief examiner."

"Sister-in-law, please stop praising me." Liu Shuning complained with a smile, "My husband likes to think the worst of people. This time, he sent Chang Mao and the others to the streets to arrest people. If things go wrong, Chang Mao and the others might get a reputation as playboys."

Chang Lan said dissatisfiedly, "These people are playboys. It would be a good thing if they can do something serious now. Besides, my Chang Mao has no use for fame."

Chang Wan also nodded. It didn't matter that Ma Xun had a good reputation, because that was because of his good character and excellent moral character, which was also the result of the Queen's teaching.

But Chang Mao doesn't have to be a virtuous man in the future, as long as he doesn't break the law. It doesn't matter if he is a dandy, he can even be a little rebellious.

The most important thing is to be able to work for the prince, that's enough.

Look at what Ma Xun is doing now. Isn't it obvious that he is guiding Chang Mao in a specific direction?

Working for the emperor or the prince does not necessarily mean fighting in a war; it can also mean doing things that appear to damage one's reputation.

As long as it is beneficial to the court, that is enough.

(End of this chapter)