The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 158 Today is different from the past

Liu Shuning is pregnant, and Ma Xun will soon have a child.

This is a big deal, definitely a big deal for Ma Xun, and even bigger for Ma Xiuying.

The brother and sister went to the palace to offer sacrifices to Prince Xu with happy smiles, and then Ma Xun immediately prepared to return to Suzhou.

Fortunately, he was not a "court official" and did not have to attend court every day. He was assigned a lot of tasks, but these were all done by his subordinates, so he did not need to keep an eye on them all the time.

What's more, this time I'll only be back for a few days, so it won't delay anything.

Ma Xun did not forget to tell Li Zhen. Let’s not talk about other families for now, but Li Zhen, his brother-in-law, must be notified.

This is not only a respect for Zhu Yuanzhang, but also a respect for Li Zhen, an elder with outstanding virtue. After all, Ma Xun has been taken care of by Li Zhen since he came to the capital.

Get married and have children.

After these two major events were completed, Ma Xun's "status" was elevated. From now on, he would no longer be just a simple "little brother", but would be treated as an adult.

"Uncle, we need to take a break." He Da said, controlling the horse, "If we keep running like this, we'll miss our place to stay."

Although he was eager to go home, Ma Xun was willing to follow suit. "Then rest here. If we miss this opportunity, we will miss it forever. Let's rest for one night at the post station ahead and leave tomorrow."

He Da immediately arranged for people to go to the post station ahead. The horses did not need to be changed, but the people and horses needed to rest.

The people at the post station prepared hot water, and Ma Xun took a hot bath directly and prepared to go to bed comfortably.

"Uncle of the Emperor." He Da came again and said, "According to the speed, if we set out at noon, we will be in Suzhou by tomorrow evening."

Ma Xun knew what was going on. "You go and make the arrangements. I will definitely be able to get up by then."

Although they didn't need to travel day and night, it was still good to return early. Ma Xun and his men all had two or even three horses, so the consumption of horses was not great.

He Da felt relieved, knowing that everyone else would surely be able to get up. However, his uncle loved to stay in bed and sleep late all year round. Now, it was often the case that everyone else in the mansion had finished breakfast, but the uncle had not yet gotten up.

Seeing He Da was about to leave, Ma Xun asked, "Except for our family, are all these people who came out with us from the Imperial Army Commandant's Mansion?"

Although there is no Feiyu clothing now, there is "Keqi crown clothing".

This time, many of the people who followed out were wearing cross-legged hats with golden colors, skirts and jackets with colorful flowers that ward off evil spirits, belts with bronze sunflower flowers, black boots, carved crowns and square-top scarves, jackets with eagle and kite flowers on the chest and back, wide flat silk edges of various colors, and ivory carved Tengba shoes.

People dressed like this are usually officers at the rank of captain or attendant of ceremonies.

Especially the people who followed out, they were basically young and looked capable, and they were probably all "upright", which was the standard for true pro-troops.

He Da said, "I asked the leaders, most of them are from the Imperial Guards, and they like to whisper and inquire about information."

Although he was born into a military family, people like He Da naturally don't like "spies".

"It's all arranged." Ma Xun scratched his head. "There's no need to investigate the case now. If you arrange for people to come so early, I'm afraid they won't be able to leave later."

He Da asked in confusion, "Uncle of the State, why can't you drive him away?"

"The Queen's opinion is fine, but the key is the Majesty's opinion." Ma Xun explained, "These people are under my command now, and in the future they will be used to investigate the officials and supervise the nobles."

He Da immediately complained, "Uncle of the King, you can't take this job. Yang Xian was the one who did this before, and the brothers in the army don't like them. You are the uncle of the King, the Duke of the Kingdom, how can you be a spy!"

Yang Xian had a bad reputation, not only because he was 'Yang the Rebel', but also because he was one of Zhu Yuanzhang's early spy chiefs.

He Da continued, "There are also Mao Xiang, Jiang Li, Song Zhong and others. These people are not good people. They like to eavesdrop and get information. If you say something casually, they will report it."

Where is this?

When the Royal Guard Commandery became the Embroidered Uniform Guard, these people became omnipresent.

However, Ma Xun didn't care much about it. A man of integrity has nothing to fear.

The main reason was that he felt that an institution like the Jinyiwei should exist. Supervising officials was one thing, but the most important thing was that the Jinyiwei was also responsible for collecting military intelligence.

Not only does it collect domestic military intelligence, it also collects intelligence from countries outside the Ming Dynasty.

At most, the Jinyiwei should not be too domineering. If these people have too much power, they might create some false cases and wrongful convictions.

After chatting about some things with He Da, Ma Xun fell asleep peacefully.

When there is nothing to do, he can sleep as long as he wants. Now that he has something to do, Ma Xun wakes up early.

Spitting out the white foam in his mouth, Ma Xun looked at the toothbrush and said, "It needs to be improved. It's a pity that the toothpaste can't be made."

Wangcai came over leisurely, looking full. "You haven't moved yet, you are not motivated." Ma Xun patted Wangcai on the head and boasted, "If you are more motivated, each of my children will be matched with a donkey."

Wangcai twitched his ears twice and walked away. Seeing its twitching tail, the horse became annoyed.

Because this kind of body language expresses irritability!

Everything was ready, Ma Xun and others set off again. It was very important to return to Suzhou as soon as possible.

Ma Xun, who was riding a horse, looked behind him and said, "The leader, His Majesty just wants you to escort me back?"

"My Lord, this is the commander of the Imperial Guards, Lieutenant Zhao Dayong." Zhao Dayong immediately replied, "Your Majesty has only ordered us to follow your orders and obey your orders."

The current garrisons generally have 5,600 people, and there are five thousand-household garrisons.

However, the Royal Guards Commandery is slightly different. In addition to the Qianhu Suo, it also has other subordinate institutions.

This is normal. Zhu Yuanzhang will continue to enhance the status of the Imperial Guard Commandery in the future. By then, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will be the head of the Imperial Guard, and the commander-in-chief will also be of the third rank.

This special institution will then have at least fourteen thousand households.

Ma Xun nodded and said, "After arriving in Suzhou this time, you will send five people back to Fengyang first. If you don't go back as an official, whether to relocate or seek refuge with relatives, you can decide for yourself. Can you do it?"

Zhao Dayong immediately replied, "Return to the country, uncle, I understand."

"Just check if the nobles have occupied land and find out if the nobles' children are running rampant in the countryside." Ma Xun replied, "I will arrive in Fengyang in about half a month. If I find that any nobles or landlords are breaking the law, you will stop them and file a complaint before the kings enter Fengyang!"

Zhao Dayong was not an ordinary soldier, but he couldn't help but feel frightened when he heard Ma Xun's words.

The King's uncle might be serious. He wants to show his power to all the nobles and landlords when the kings return home!
Ma Xun then said, "Suzhou is my hometown, and I will leave three people this time. Investigate whether the officials, landlords, and gentry in Suzhou have committed any illegal acts, and investigate the homes of my relatives."

There is no one left in the Ma family in Suzhou, but there are still some relatives, and they are not too far away.

For example, Wu Ju and Wu Zhong are cousins of Ma Xiuying and Ma Xun, and the Wu family is also a big family in Xinfengli.

He said carelessly, "You don't have to worry, my uncle. Who dares to act rashly in Her Majesty's hometown?"

"It's hard to say!" Ma Xun said disapprovingly, "You can tell from the capital that some noble families are quite honest, but there are many servants who bully others by taking advantage of their power."

He Da thought about it and it made sense. He said, "It seems to be true. Last time, I heard that a servant of a certain family was doing his job well. But when he turned around and saw him go home, there was still someone serving him!"

It may be difficult to understand at first, but it is easy to comprehend.

It was nothing more than someone's family being high-ranking and prominent, and the people working in the mansion seemed to have low status. But when he "got home from get off work", the servants in the mansion of the nobles actually kept servants in their own home and acted like masters.

Ma Xun immediately laughed and said, "If you don't stay in my house, you will be an old master when you go back."

"I won't live with my son." He Da said with disdain, "It's better to live in the Prince's Mansion. I can't even farm the land. When I'm older, I'll go back and take care of my grandson."

Although he was disabled, he was able to follow the king's uncle and visit the army, and occasionally get the opportunity to march.

Having fought in battles for most of his life, a man like He Da is not used to ordinary farm life. Moreover, he has always believed that he should repay the emperor's kindness, and now his biggest task is to protect Ma Xun.

Ma Xun’s riding skills have really become superb. He can now talk to people freely while riding a horse. When he returned to Suzhou two years ago, he was a little confused about how to get on the horse.

The most important thing is to revisit the old place. Two years ago, he came back, dark and thin, with messy short hair, leading a skinny donkey, dragging a nearly falling apart cart frame, and carrying an old coffin.

At that time, people hated dogs and accompanied them everywhere, carefully inquiring about the location of Xinfengli, etc.

But now it is different. He has returned with nearly a hundred elite cavalrymen, dressed in fine clothes and riding horses, in high spirits. All the people of the Wu family are waiting at Xu Wang Temple, warmly welcoming their cousin Ma Xun.

What a pity! How come the queen suddenly has such a younger brother?

If it weren't for this younger brother, perhaps our Wu family would have been chosen by His Majesty and inherited the title!
Ma Xun also greeted these cousins enthusiastically, and then helped an elder named Wu to go to Xuwang Temple.

This is Ma Taigong’s playmate, and one can tell at a glance that Ma Xun is Ma Taigong’s son.

"Uncle, I'm really sorry to trouble you to look after my father's tomb." Ma Xun supported the old man and said, "If you are willing, I will take Wu Zhong away and help him get an official position. How about that?"

The old man was immediately happy, and said tremblingly, "You Ma family are kind and righteous. The queen has also helped us a lot, and you also gave us a lot of food from your farm."

"We are all real relatives, so it's only natural." Ma Xun said with a smile, "I can't come back now, so how about letting Wu Ju be the successor? Go ask my sister for an official position, so that I can at least get a salary."

The old man was even happier because his eldest son was taken away by the boy from the Ma family to find a way out.

The youngest son is now the in-charge of the sacrificial ceremony in the Xuwang Temple, so he should also have a high rank. It is also his duty to look after the mausoleum for his cousin uncle (Ma Taigong)!
(End of this chapter)