The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 167: Legality and Humanity
After bathing and fasting, Zhu Chong and others began to prepare for the sacrifice.

Ma Xun was also not idle. He led officials from the Ministry of Rites and local officials from Fengyang to inspect the Ming Imperial Mausoleum.

According to Zhu Yuanzhang's plan, Zhongdu Fengyang had three cities: inner, middle and outer, with a total area of more than 50 square kilometers.

Just taking the Zhongdu Imperial City as an example, it is one-third larger than the Forbidden City in Beijing.

As for the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum project, it has been officially underway for five years, and the originally humble earthen tomb has now become a huge mound.

The rudiments of a huge cemetery have now taken shape on this originally inconspicuous piece of land, with the Red Bridge, Lingxing Gate, Brick City Tower, Shinto Road, Imperial Bridge, and Xiandian all rising from the ground.

Zhu Chong looked at the food the craftsmen were eating carefully and asked, "Is this what the craftsmen eat?"

Fengyang prefect Chen Fengchang immediately replied, "Your Highness, Prince Qin, Prime Minister Li has already ordered the daily food for the craftsmen, and all logistics have been allocated."

Zhu Chong didn't know what to say for a moment, because theoretically, the construction of Zhongdu was in charge of Li Shanchang, the first civil official of the founding of the country.

This was indeed the case. After Li Shanchang retired and returned to his hometown, he made use of his remaining energy to arrange the construction of Zhongdu.

But now Li Shanchang is very happy in the capital and continues to hold power. The younger brothers he promoted have become the decision-makers in the Secretariat.

"That's how craftsmen are." Ma Xun said, "Your Highness is kind, but there are too many craftsmen and the consumption is high. It's enough for them to be well fed."

Zhu Chong didn't say anything more. The food of the craftsmen seemed hard to swallow to him, but since his uncle said that this arrangement was fine, then there must be no problem.

If he were to be honest, Zhu Chong didn't think he was more kindhearted than his uncle. Even if the brothers were tied together, it would be a problem.

In my father's words, the Zhu family was able to sit on the throne because they were cruel, while the Ma family was too kind-hearted and could only be queens at best, and could not bear to see the sufferings of the world.

Having said that, Li Shanchang was really capable. He was worthy of being the top civil servant and the logistics manager during Zhu Yuanzhang's conquest of the world.

He is no longer in Fengyang, but things here are arranged in an orderly manner. He has not neglected the various important projects in Zhongdu because he is busy exercising power in the capital.

This is the real skill. Ma Xun thought he was far from capable of it, as this was a project involving hundreds of thousands of people and countless amounts of money, food and supplies.

After a careful inspection, he found that there was no problem. Ma Xun looked at the official from the Ministry of Rites and asked, "The day after tomorrow, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin will offer sacrifices to the imperial mausoleum. Is there any special ceremony?"

The official from the Ministry of Rites immediately replied, "Duke Xu, all the ceremonials have already been set. If there is any change, it will only be the change of the officials accompanying the sacrifice."

The others looked at Ma Xun, because everyone originally thought that the person to be worshipped must be Ma Xun.

But this time it was different. Liu Ying and Wang Wen were now worshipped together with the emperor, while Ma Xun, the emperor's brother-in-law and duke, was one of the officials who watched the ceremony and offered sacrifices, just like other officials.

Zhu Chong originally wanted to persuade her, but after thinking it over he decided it was best to keep quiet.

Not only did my father and mother give instructions, my brother also reminded me many times. When I was in Fengyang, my uncle made the decisions on all matters, big or small.

Especially when it comes to matters of etiquette, even if my uncle suffers himself, he will not lose the reputation of the royal family.

Even if he did something that elevated the royal family and degraded himself, it wouldn't be surprising.

Ma Xun nodded. He thought this arrangement was the best. After all, he was a member of the Ma family. Although he was the emperor's brother-in-law, it was not easy for him to interfere in the affairs of the Zhu family, especially when it came to the elders of the Zhu family.

There is nothing self-degrading about this; it is just a matter of fulfilling one's duty. It is just to let the people of the world know that the royal family values benevolence, righteousness, and filial piety, and this is for the purpose of better educating the people.

Morality is advocated in all eras, and especially now that the troubled times have just ended, the restoration and reconstruction of ethics and morality has become even more important.

When talking about the sacrifices to the kings, people all over the world think of the royal family’s undying gratitude, their charity and benevolence, which can really bring blessings to future generations.

Otherwise, think about Liu Jizu and Wang Ganniang. They were able to foresee that Zhu Yuanzhang would become very successful. Didn’t they just want the Zhu family to repay their kindness?

So some things were not Ma Xun being modest, but rather cooperating with the emperor's administration.

Now that things have been settled, everyone knows what to do next.

The fast was over, Zhu Chong and others changed into crown robes, and Ma Xun also changed into court robes. The three great princes of the Ming Dynasty and the most special one, Prince Jingjiang, began to worship their ancestors.

All officials participated in the sacrifice, and these are things that everyone should do.

After the formal sacrifice, Ma Xun called Zhu Shouqian over. "Before, we were kings and subjects, but now it's different. You are the eldest son of the Zhu family. Your grandfather and grandmother are also buried here. Go and add soil."

Zhu Shouqian glanced at Ma Xun and whispered, "My mother said that my family's heir has changed."

Ma Xun couldn't help but feel annoyed, and he didn't know what Zhu Wenzhen's wife, Xie, was mumbling in front of the children every day.

A child's personality when he grows up is largely determined by his family. This Xie must have said some weird things in front of Zhu Shouqian.

"Your grandfather and grandmother are buried there. Do you want your cousin to go and pay respects first?" Ma Xun said even more angrily. "Let me ask you, has His Majesty ever issued an order to change the family background?" Zhu Shouqian was stunned for a moment, then said, "It seems not."

"It seems not?" Ma Xun became even more annoyed. "Your grandfather was posthumously named the King of Nanchang, and you were named the King of Jingjiang. What else do you want? Among all the kings of the Ming Dynasty, except for your Majesty's branch, there is only your branch. What else do you want?"

Zhu Shouqian was a little scared. He usually relied on Zhu Yuanzhang's favor, so he was a little willful.

This child was so willful that in history he was unwilling to be a vassal, and Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't stop losing his temper. It was only then that Ma Xiuying had to go and persuade him.

It was such a willful and reckless character that he came belatedly to express his gratitude despite the persuasion of his subordinates. Zhu Yuanzhang burst into tears when he saw it and kept saying that the child was too young.

He is a real "child". A teenager may not be sensible, but he is still a good child with pure innocence and kindness.

After he became a feudal lord, he committed lawless acts repeatedly and was deposed and reinstated by Zhu Yuanzhang. He refused to change and even wrote poems to satirize Zhu Yuanzhang.

Sometimes when I think about it, I feel helpless for Zhu Yuanzhang.

Few of his descendants are easy to deal with. Although there are some who are both virtuous and talented, they are very rare.

Most of them have some abilities and skills, but their moral standards are not high. This is a typical case of "talent but no morals".

Perhaps Zhu Yuanzhang also felt that the troubled times had just ended, and he hoped that these clan members would be able to help defend the country, and he also believed that he and Zhu Biao could control these descendants.

However, some things may have exceeded his expectations. After these royal family members let themselves go, their behavior simply exceeded the worst limits that Zhu Yuanzhang could imagine.

This naturally made Ma Xun feel a sense of crisis. The task of educating these princes and grandchildren was a long and arduous task.

Zhu Chong and others were gloating over Zhu Shouqian's misfortune. Seeing Zhu Shouqian being taught a lesson, they were all glad that they would not be criticized.

After all, he is my uncle. Sometimes his words and actions are exactly the same as my mother's. I feel pressured when I see him.

Even though the Queen Mother usually doesn't beat or scold, she is more frightening when she lectures. She even leaves people alone without saying a word, which is the most frightening thing. It's even worse than beating them!

After the three conscious brothers paid homage at the imperial mausoleum, they immediately followed Liu Ying and Wang Wen to pay homage to Liu Jizu and Wang Ganniang.

These were all genuine rites for the younger generation, not to mention the princes and grandsons of the emperor. Liu Ying and Wang Wen could not help crying when they saw this, and felt that the royal family's grace was too great.

Some civil servants were frowning. Although Liu Jizu and Wang Ganniang had done great favors for Zhu Yuanzhang, they were still his subjects after all.

It’s just that these people can’t say much now. Some things are not easy to bring up in person, so they can submit a memorial later.

There is no need to argue with the king's uncle at this time. The main thing is to tell the princes about the tragic past of the Zhu family.

Although Zhu Chong and others knew about these things, it would not necessarily improve their moral standards, but at least they would know that today's life is not easy to come by.

When the sacrifice was over, Zhao Dayong immediately said, "Your Majesty, the King of Qin, His Majesty has ordered you to try all the cases in Fengyang, with the King of Jin and the King of Yan as assistants, and Duke Xu as an observer."

Zhu Chong quickly asked, "Why am I the presiding judge? Shouldn't your uncle be the presiding judge?"

Zhao Dayong held up the imperial edict and said, "Your Highness, how dare I speak nonsense."

Zhu Chong once again felt like the sky was falling. Zhu Gang and Zhu Di didn't feel much better either. They had never dealt with such things as trying a case before!
Zhu Chong quickly called for help, "Uncle, where should we start trying these cases?"

"Why don't you read the files?" Ma Xun asked, "Why don't you read the case files first? What are the reasons for these cases? What are the plaintiffs suing for? What evidence do they have?"

Although Ma Xun had never tried a case, he still knew some of the procedures, so he could only give his nephews some guidance.

Ma Xun then warned, "Whether you are trying a case or investigating a case, the most taboo thing is to have a preconceived idea. Since you are trying a case, you should be fair and strict. Although legal principles are nothing more than human feelings, the law is there after all!"

Zhu Chong nodded repeatedly and said, "I will definitely review these cases carefully and will not favor anyone."

"You are right to think so, but you have to understand that the Fengyang prefect is involved. He is Li Xiang's man." Ma Xun said with a smile, "There are also some nobles and your Majesty's old neighbors. You have to withstand these relationships and pressures."

Zhu Chong's face changed immediately. Zhu Gang and Zhu Di were glad that they were just observers and did not need to do such an offensive thing.

If someone is offended, it is my second brother who is offended, and it is my uncle who is offended. It has nothing to do with them.

Zhu Chong started to worry, "Why are so many people involved? What should we do?"

The first trial involved many powerful people, which was indeed a great pressure for Zhu Chong.

But Ma Xun doesn't care about that. Now that the case has appeared, it's time to investigate it!

(End of this chapter)