The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 162: Harmony but not in a group

Three books and six ceremonies are also the customs of traditional marriage.

Ma Xun and Liu Shuning's wedding was held in this way, but this time Zhu Biao and Chang Wan's wedding will be somewhat simplified.

Reporting to heaven, earth and the ancestral temple were things that would definitely be done, and Li Zhen and Ma Xun also went to the palace in court robes.

Li Shanchang's face was full of envy, because there are some things that can only be done by the emperor's brother-in-law and the emperor's brother-in-law.

Although he was envious, Li Shanchang still announced the decree, "We hereby select the eldest daughter of Duke Zheng as the Crown Princess, and order Duke Cao and Duke Xu to hold the imperial seal to perform the ceremony of accepting the marriage proposal and asking for the name."

Li Zhen and Ma Xun immediately knelt down, raised their hands high to receive the case and the memorial case, then expressed their gratitude and turned to leave the Fengtian Hall.

The Meridian Gate had been opened, and Li Zhen and Ma Xun had the opportunity to exit through the main gate of the palace.

Many people have already started to watch the fun, and there are many people watching along the streets, but they will not disrupt the order.

The soldiers of the Wucheng Bingmasi and the runners of Yingtianfu were all maintaining order, not to mention the personal guards of the Royal Guard Commandery and the Yiluansi who were following with gifts.

Li Zhen whispered, "Don't blame me, little brother. You should have been the one to preside over the ceremony."

Ma Xun understood what Li Zhen meant and said with a smile, "Brother-in-law, you are joking. The prince is the heir to the throne, how can he follow all folk etiquette?"

In fact, Zhu Yuanzhang and others had also discussed the matter of officiating at the wedding and the envoys. Generally speaking, among the people, the uncle is the eldest when the nephew gets married.

But we can't just look at folk etiquette. After all, Li Zhen is still alive, and he is the emperor's brother-in-law.

At Duke Zheng’s mansion, the door was closed, but the necessary procedures still had to be followed.

Li Zhen and Ma Xun dismounted, and Chang Mao immediately walked over quickly from the side door.

Although he had been arranged by Ma Xun to inspect the Imperial Examination Hall before, he had received some training and made some progress.

But this boy now looked nervous and his voice was trembling, "I dare to ask for something."

Li Zhen said with a straight face, "It is a virtue for the crown prince to marry a concubine. The state has a common custom, so let me perform the ceremony of accepting the concubine."

Chang Mao immediately turned around and went back to the mansion through the side door, and the middle door of Duke Zheng's mansion opened immediately.

This time it was Chang Lan who came out from the middle door. After paying her respects, she said, "I am the wife of Duke Zheng. I am ignorant of the etiquette of marriage and am not qualified to be chosen. I respectfully accept your order and dare not refuse."

Li Zhen and Ma Xun entered the mansion immediately, and the personal soldiers behind them also entered carrying the betrothal gifts.

Chang Lan had been waiting in the main hall for a long time, feeling both excited and nervous. The normally aggressive wife of Duke Zheng could not help but feel nervous at this moment.

Ma Xun looked back and saw that the betrothal gifts had been placed, and nodded slightly.

Li Zhen spoke in a loud and clear voice, "I am appointed by the emperor."

After a simple 'counting' of the betrothal gifts, Ma Xun spoke, "The match for the crown prince has been chosen. We will consult the divination and ask for the name according to the imperial decree."

Chang Lan immediately replied, "The decree states that I, Chang Yuchun's daughter, can serve as a concubine in the palace, and I dare not refuse."

Chang Mao came out of the side hall as soon as he entered it in small steps, and knelt down holding the name list with Chang Wan's birth date.

Chang Lan also spoke up immediately, "The eldest daughter of Duke Zheng, Chang Lan's daughter."

Li Zhen took over Chang Wan's birth date and time, and Ma Xun handed over the case preparation and case editing to Chang Lan.

This time, the marriage proposal and the marriage proposal have been put together, and now the engagement letter has been submitted, which means that the Crown Prince's marriage is officially settled.

"Big sister, congratulations." Li Zhen smiled and said to Chang Lan, "Wan'er also grew up under my care. This girl is worthy of Biao'er and can be the wife of my Zhu family."

Chang Lan said with a smile, "It's all thanks to my brother-in-law."

Ma Xun said with some dissatisfaction, "Sister-in-law, Chang Mao is still a little stage-frightened. After all, he is the son of a duke, and usually looks like a decent person, but why is his voice shaking today?"

Chang Mao was about to cry, "I don't know either, I just can't keep calm."

"The wedding is scheduled for April." Ma Xun said with a smile, "Wan'er's wedding dress needs to be made quickly, and Chang Mao and the others also need to practice, so they won't be unable to hold their own when the time comes."

Chang Lan naturally remembered all this, and the three Chang Mao brothers all nodded repeatedly, knowing that they really couldn't lose control at the critical moment.

Li Zhen and Ma Xun returned to the palace again to report the emperor's order, which marked the completion of the stage task.

When Zhu Biao gets married, these two will once again become the chief and deputy envoys.

There was even a reason for choosing this time to issue the engagement letter, because Ma Xun would be taking Zhu Chong and others back to Fengyang in two days.

At that time, it is also necessary to offer sacrifices to the ancestors of the Zhu family about this happy event, and choosing an auspicious day is also very particular.

The marriage of the eldest nephew was proceeding in an orderly manner, and there were no surprises or special things. After all, this pair of childhood sweethearts was almost betrothed. Time was also very fast. As soon as he finished Zhu Biao's engagement, Ma Xun immediately began to prepare for his return to Fengyang.

Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying naturally would not leave the palace, but Zhu Biao led a number of officials out of the city to see them off.

Zhu Biao, who had just completed his engagement, looked very happy. "Uncle, thank you for taking care of the two children."

Ma Xun smiled and said politely, "Your Highness, you are too kind. This is what I should do."

Zhu Biao said with some concern, "Although the second brother and his friends have some experience, they have never traveled far, let alone served as a member of the Linmin Council."

Ma Xun knew what Zhu Biao was worried about. In fact, Zhu Chong and others had returned to Fengyang before, but they only went back to offer sacrifices.

This time it was different. Zhu Chong and others returned to Fengyang and began to prepare to do things.

Training troops, reviewing military affairs, observing people's livelihood, etc., these are what Zhu Chong and others should do.

This is certainly not as much as Zhu Biao's power, and Zhu Chong and others will not have much actual power.

Ma Xun asked quietly, "If I really notice something wrong, what should I do?"

"Uncle has the answer in his heart, why ask me?" Zhu Biao said with a smile, "Although uncle will definitely not make things difficult for us, you will not turn a blind eye to some things, right?"

Ma Xun also laughed at this. There was really nothing wrong with saying this. He also thought so in his heart.

Zhu Biao also continued, "But uncle might be in trouble at that time. You are not close to the Huaixi people. If you really offend them, it will be difficult for you to get along with them in the future."

Ma Xun didn't care much about it and said, "There are always insincerities in life. Besides, it's enough to have a few close friends. You don't need friends everywhere."

Zhu Biao might not believe what others said, but when Ma Xun said it, it seemed very convincing.

After all, Ma Xun is somewhat 'out of the ordinary', and this does not mean that he is different from others in terms of talent and virtue.

But in many cases, Ma Xun seemed "unsociable", even though he seemed to be close to Chang Yuchun and was also friends with Xu Da, Tang He and others.

However, these were only a few Huaixi nobles who moved around more frequently. He did not rely on Ma Xiuying's relationship to make friends with people everywhere.

After all, this uncle of the king seemed to prefer being a craftsman or a doctor rather than being a bossy person and having a lot of friends and relatives.

Even if someone is regarded by some as a natural noble of Huaixi, he would not hide his sense of distance from some people, or think that they are not the same kind of people.

Ma Xun said to Zhu Biao earnestly, "What I am most worried about is the administration of officials. Whether it is local officials or nobles, once these people do evil, the people will have no way to survive."

Zhu Biao didn't find it strange at all, as his father hated corrupt officials, and his uncle seemed to be the same.

Perhaps it was because of his background, or more likely because he had experienced the turbulent times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and knew how difficult it was for the people to make a living, so he naturally hated those corrupt officials.

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Don't worry, uncle. If we find out that there are corrupt officials and lawless nobles, the court law will not forgive them, and my parents will not let them off easily either."

"The second brother and his friends will be the same in the future. I am not saying that princes are guilty of the same crime as common people." Ma Xun said directly, "But if they don't improve their moral character, it will be difficult for everyone in the future."

Sure enough, what my uncle cares most about is the conduct of the second and third children, so he has always been strict with them.

Thinking about it this way, the second brother and the others will definitely undergo ideological re-education when they return to Fengyang. I guess it won't be easy for these guys when they return to their hometown.

However, Zhu Biao did not object or feel distressed. In fact, both Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao hoped that Zhu Chong and others could become capable and virtuous kings who could guard a region and protect the people.

Everyone has very high expectations for these princes. After all, the chaotic times have just ended and there are still many things to do.

This also means that these princes will still have a very important role to play in the future, and they should not become good-for-nothings and just eat, drink and have fun.

In recent years, Zhu Yuanzhang liked to let the princes return to Fengyang. Of course, it was not just for ancestor worship, but also to let the princes know the difficulties of his entrepreneurship and to let these princes know that people's livelihood is not easy.

Although many people know what the Zhu family's background is and what kind of life they lived in the past, he still hopes that Zhu Chong and others have a true understanding.

It’s a pity that up to now, Zhu Chong and others may not really understand Zhu Yuanzhang’s previous living conditions, and don’t know what the people are really like.

Or it is because these princes are really too rich. Although they are not to the extent of "Why not eat meat porridge", the worst situation they can think of may be the best living condition in the eyes of many ordinary people.

Looking at the somewhat messy team, Zhu Biao suddenly said, "Why don't you let your uncle arrange the crossing of the river? The second brother doesn't seem to be capable of it."

Ma Xun smiled and said, "I don't have this ability either, so let the second brother show his ability. It's nothing more than spending more time, and practicing will always lead to improvement. If he messes up once, he will learn his lesson."

Zhu Biao didn't say anything more, because Ma Xun's thoughts were easy to guess.

In the final analysis, it is to train Zhu Chong. The prince will have many opportunities to train, but he does not always have the opportunity.

Now it seems that he is just making trouble for some ordinary soldiers, but if you think about it again, one incompetent general can tire out the entire army. Now he is just making trouble and wasting time.

After all, Zhu Chong will most likely lead an army in the future. If he doesn’t hone his skills, the soldiers will lose their lives!
(End of this chapter)