The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 171 The Emperor Helped Me Become Famous
Ma Xun didn't want to be a talented scholar, but at this time he had no choice.

Ma Xiuying looked at the complete version of "Linjiangxian" with great pride and said to Zhu Yuanzhang, "Look at the poems written by scholars. The rise and fall of dynasties are just a topic of conversation and jokes. The tragic and heroic poems are really soul-stirring!"

Zhu Biao also praised him and said, "Uncle is a man of high moral character and broad mind, but you should be less indifferent and free-spirited. You just look down on the secular world too much."

Ma Xun was even more embarrassed. This was Yang Shen's business, what did it have to do with me!
But at this moment, it was useless for him to say anything, because Yang Shen had not been born yet.

Once I find Luo Guanzhong, I have to deal with him. If it weren’t for the Three Kingdoms, how could I become a plagiarist!

Ma Xiuying looked at Ma Xun with some worry, and finally chose to keep silent after wanting to say something. Ma Xun's personality was sometimes twisted, and everyone knew this.

It's unrealistic to expect him to change too much, not to mention that some twists and turns like this are harmless.

As long as the person doesn't run away, it's fine. The more Ma Xiuying looks at her younger brother, the more she likes him. Only the Ma family can have such a talent, and it is because his father taught him well that his younger brother is so promising.

Ma Xiuying's pride is understandable. Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao were also proud, and Li Zhen also praised her constantly.

The reason is very simple. It is that Ma Xun is multi-talented and is second to none in terms of moral character and literary talent.

It is naturally a good thing to have such a relative. When educating your children and grandchildren in the future, you can let them emulate Ma Xun. This is the best role model.

There is a debate about whether or not to continue large-scale construction. This matter can be put aside for now and discussed again in the court.

Back in the courtyard, Liu Shuning's eyes were almost full of stars. "I knew earlier that my husband was eloquent, and I also knew that my Ma family has a long tradition of poetry and literature, but I didn't expect you to be so talented."

"A minor thing, a minor thing." Being admired by his lovely wife made him secretly happy, but Ma Xun still said, "I always think that poetry is a minor thing, and governing the family and the country is the real thing."

Liu Shuning expressed a different opinion, "My husband, you are generalizing a bit. If there were no poems and classics, how could we talk about the inheritance of the Han people?"

Ma Xun thought it made sense, but he still said, "These things still need the right people to do them. Brother-in-law and Biao'er are not suitable to be poets. It's okay in prosperous times, poems can be exchanged for wine in brothels."

"Husband, are you envious of Liu Sanbian?" Liu Shuning said jokingly, "With your talent, there must be some courtesan who would like to ask you to write poems and become famous."

Liu Yong is indeed the object of envy of many people.

After failing the imperial examinations many times, he lingered in brothels, where singing girls and musicians supported him.

Ma Xun couldn't help laughing, "That's an exaggeration. Good works come from bad careers. If Li Bai and Su Dongpo had had smooth careers, they might not have created many of their masterpieces."

Being busy with government affairs, some talented people may really have no time to write poetry.

The young couple chatted and laughed and went to bed early. Ma Xun went to bed early and got up early this time as he had to go to court.

All the officials have lined up outside the Fengtian Gate, and now the order for court proceedings has been settled. It finally has the semblance of a formal dynasty, and is no longer a mess with signs of a makeshift team everywhere.

"Duke Xu."

"Uncle Guo."

"When did the Duke come back?"

There were still many people greeting him along the way, and Ma Xun just responded with a few words in response to most of them.

When Xu Da, Chang Yuchun and others were not in the capital, Ma Xun stood at the head of the military ranks with dignity, and no one thought there was anything wrong.

Even now in the court, it seems that only Li Shanchang, the Duke of Korea, is nominally ranked slightly higher than Ma Xun.

The old fox Li Shanchang smiled and nodded slightly. He had always wanted to get closer to Ma Xun.

I originally thought that even if we couldn't be good friends or acquaintances regardless of age difference, we should still be allies on some issues.

But who knew that this country boy was so stubborn and slippery? It was because of the emperor and empress that Li Shanchang didn't dare to use any of his tricks, so he couldn't control Ma Xun at all.

This time, the prefect he had arranged in his hometown was captured by Ma Xun, and he had to prepare to apologize when he went to court.

There is nothing we can do about it. It's because the officials he promoted were corrupt and committed crimes.

Li Shanchang felt depressed when he thought about it. He had followed Zhu Yuanzhang for twenty years, and many talented people had been suppressed and had no power to fight back.

But Ma Xun seemed to be Li Shanchang's victim. This was the third time he had fallen into Ma Xun's hands.

The first time was when he was forced to retire due to illness, the second time was when he wanted to ask for a title for Emperor Shengzong of Tang and was scolded, and the third time was when his trusted aides were to be questioned.

It cannot be said that Ma Xun is Li Shanchang's nemesis, but based on the current situation, as long as Li Shanchang, the number one civil servant, encounters Ma Xun, he will be in trouble.

Although he had some thoughts in his mind, he still had a smile on his face and looked very friendly.

Li Shanchang was a seasoned man who was not one to show his happiness. When the court was in session, Ma Xun was the first to report, "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to escort His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin back to Zhongdu, and now I am returning to Beijing to report back."

Zhu Yuanzhang's face was full of smiles. "I trust your work, my uncle. The princes are young and inexperienced, and it is thanks to your care that we are able to take care of them."

Li Shanchang was even more helpless, as he had the means to deal with Ma Xun.

But the two great gods behind Ma Xun are too powerful, and no means can be used.

There are many people who have similar ideas. They all emerged from the turbulent times. Those who can stand in the court are all capable.

Even though they looked down on Ma Xun, they knew that he was someone they couldn't afford to offend. It wasn't because of his own abilities, but because of the empress behind him.

Just look at the emperor's attitude, other ministers do these things as a matter of course. But when Ma Xun does these things, the emperor will affirm and praise him in every way.

Ma Xun reported again, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin is enthusiastic and upright. Previously, local people stopped him on the road to complain. His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin was ordered to investigate the case and found that the prefect of Fengyang and the centurion of the garrison had violated the law."

"The Ministry of Justice and the Secretariat have also informed me of this matter. Everything will naturally be handled according to the law." Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Li Shanchang and said, "Duke Hanguo, what do you think?"

Li Shanchang immediately stepped out of the class and knelt down, "I made a mistake in my recommendation, please punish me, Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang said without comment, "No one is perfect. You recommend talents to help the country. But the people you recommend should be talented and virtuous, otherwise it will cause chaos. There are corrupt officials in the imperial city, so you can imagine the situation in other places."

Not to mention Li Shanchang, some other officials were also a little nervous, fearing that Zhu Yuanzhang would use this matter to drastically rectify the administration of officials.

The emperor's thoughts were hard for others to guess. Zhu Yuanzhang's face was filled with joy in an instant. "When the emperor's uncle crossed the river, he recited "Linjiangxian". There are many learned people in the court. My dear ministers, please help me take a look."

Ma Xun's face turned red with embarrassment. This was his brother-in-law helping him to become famous.

From now on, Ma Xun will have more buffs, almost making him a perfect man.

When it comes to filial piety, Ma Xun's experience of carrying a coffin for thousands of miles is almost known to everyone in the world, and no one can say that they are better than him in filial piety.

In terms of loyalty, he refused to inherit the title of King Xu, worked diligently for the emperor, and treated the empress and the prince. Who could be more loyal than him?

In terms of ability and character, people all over the world only know that after saving Chang Yuchun, Ma Xun rushed thousands of miles and captured Qingyang, which Xu Da had been fighting for months without success. They also know that this uncle of the king loved his soldiers like his own sons and saved the dying and the wounded.

Now, a poem "Linjiangxian" is obviously of very high standard at first glance. There were few people in the Ming Dynasty court who had the ability to create such a masterpiece.

Ma Xun was loyal, righteous, benevolent, filial, and capable of both literature and martial arts. Therefore, it was well-known that he held high positions in the Grand Marshal's Office and the Secretariat. It was also natural for him to be in charge of the Imperial Academy and preside over the first imperial examination of the Ming Dynasty.

Even though many people know that being able to write poetry does not necessarily mean real talent, the current situation is that Ma Xun is presiding over the imperial examination, and no one can complain.

This was not only because of the emperor's trust, but also because the Ma family was a family of poetry and literature, and the queen's family had always been well versed in farming and reading.

Some people even suspect that Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang was too lucky.

The ministers had no right to comment on the empress, but it was really hard to find fault with the prince-in-law who was 'picked up'.

With such a living example, future ministers will have to improve their moral standards. Otherwise, when Ma Xun comes to attack the moral standards of these people, there will be no way to deal with it.

Zhu Yuanzhang is also very proud now, as his brother-in-law is making him proud.

Looking at the appearances of those civil officials who claimed to be well-read and knowledgeable, they were all obviously shocked.

Although poetry does not represent real talent, it is really difficult to write such poetry without a certain level of literary skills.

As for the ghostwriting issue, it is even more ridiculous. If those people really had such literary talent, they would have created excellent works long ago and their names would have spread all over the world by then.

Ma Xun was accustomed to being in the limelight. As the emperor's brother-in-law, he had no way of keeping a low profile.

After leaving the court, Li Wenzhong ran over happily and said, "Uncle, you have kept this secret from me and made me suffer so much!"

Ma Xun knew what Li Wenzhong meant and quickly said, "Bao'er, you misunderstood me."

"Before, I boasted that I had some talent and often walked around in a scholar's robe. Now it seems that I am just showing off my skills in front of an expert." Li Wenzhong said with a smile, "I studied with the queen when I was young. No matter how I think about it, I shouldn't think that my uncle is not talented enough."

Li Wenzhong is a man of both literary and martial talents. It might be a little difficult for him to debate with great scholars, but he will definitely be able to understand them and will not have any major problems quoting from classics.

"I'm not very interested in poetry. I like reading history." Ma found an excuse and said, "Let's talk about history books next time. That's interesting."

Li Shanchang suddenly appeared and said with a smile, "My uncle, the History of Yuan Dynasty has been compiled. Would you like to help correct it?"

Song Lian also popped up and said, "I am compiling the History of Yuan Dynasty in accordance with your majesty's order. The text is simple and the content is mostly copied from historical materials. However, time is tight, and I am afraid there are many errors and confusions. I would like to ask the uncle to help guide me."

I shouldn't have any literary fame, and let these flies target this rotten egg of mine!
(End of this chapter)