The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 174 Model Student

When doing business, you must have the right attitude to do business. Although he didn't get up early, Ma Xun managed his time very well and can be called a master of time management.

The prefect of Yingtian Prefecture had probably just finished his court session and was probably rushing back to the government office.

How could Ma Xun, the superior, be the one waiting? He could be a little late, otherwise waiting too long would cause psychological burden to others.

Wangcai came strolling over, and Ma Xun immediately sat on the donkey's back, "Why are you so busy all day? The mule can't be relied on, and the donkey is also not moving."

Wangcai's four legs were twitching vigorously as he trotted forward.

He Da smiled and said, "Uncle, I don't think there's any rush. Wangcai will definitely have offspring. He has finally figured it out. His wives and concubines are now ready to share the same bed."

Ma Xun felt relieved all of a sudden, "That's true, if you work hard, there will definitely be good results."

In the past, Wangcai only cared about eating and drinking, and didn't have much other thoughts. He was also extremely protective of his food and would not allow other horses or donkeys to eat his food, but now he is much more generous.

I guess it’s because the family’s conditions have improved, and we can eat delicious food and drink spicy drinks. The things that were once considered treasures have now become commonplace.

They arrived at Yingtian Prefecture while chatting and laughing. Wangcai no longer needed to be tied to the horse stone. Since not all the guards in the family could enter the government office, there was naturally someone to look after him.

"Your humble servant pays respect to Lord Xu."

"Your Highness is here to see the governor."

What to call this person also depends on the occasion and status. Now in formal occasions, it is fine to call Ma Xun "Uncle of the King", "Duke of the King", or "Governor". It depends on whether he is a civil servant or a military general, and whether the relationship is close enough.

Ma Xun sat directly in the main seat and looked at the prefect of Yingtian Prefecture, "The scholars who are going to take the exam should have arrived. Have there been any cases against the scholars recently?"

The prefect of Yingtian Prefecture immediately replied, "My Lord, although some scholars are jealous of each other and have some conflicts, fortunately there are no serious cases."

That's good. Some intrigues and verbal conflicts are okay, as long as they don't escalate to fights, and certainly not lead to lawsuits involving murder.

Ma Xun continued to ask, "Then have any scholars reported fraud? Or have officials and gentry suppressed and bullied scholars?"

The prefect of Yingtian Prefecture said in a somewhat flattering tone, "There are occasional rumors on the streets, but the Duke of Zheng and his son followed the Duke's orders to investigate them. Most of them were groundless accusations, and those who spread the rumors were punished by the Duke."

I didn't expect that Chang Mao did something. He was right to beat someone this time. I have to praise him when I go back!
The prefect of Yingtian Prefecture continued, "This is the first time the imperial court has held an imperial examination to recruit scholars. The whole government and the people are watching closely, and the government offices at all levels dare not delay in their work."

Ma Xun could be said to be quite satisfied with this answer, as this was what he wanted to see.

Things are done without delay and a reputation for fairness and justice is created, which can reduce a lot of rumors and gossip and prevent people from making irresponsible remarks.

As for whether some failed scholars will cry out for the injustice of the court and the cheating in the imperial examination afterwards, it depends on the situation at that time.

If there is substantial evidence, then it would be easy to deal with. But if there is no substantial evidence and he is just venting his emotions, then Ma Xun will not be polite, because false accusation is a serious crime in the Ming Dynasty.

Sometimes, failure to pass the exam is simply due to lack of talent and knowledge. There are always people who are better than you, and it is impossible for the entire court to be on high alert just because of a few failed students' cries.

It seems that Yingtian Prefecture has done a good job in their work, which needs to be affirmed.

Keep up the good work, these are just some temporary achievements. We cannot be complacent now. We must wait until the examination is successfully concluded before we can truly breathe a sigh of relief.

After the matters in Yingtian Prefecture were arranged, Ma Xun instructed the people of Wucheng Bingmasi, "It was only my arrangement that the sons of the nobles went to patrol the streets. You should take over these tasks now."

The commanders of the Five Cities Army would certainly not dare to have any objections, as this was already within their scope of responsibility.

Ma Xun continued, "From tomorrow on, the Wucheng Military Department will take over the Imperial Examination Hall and send soldiers to patrol. They must take good measures to prevent fire and theft. Drinking water and other supplies must also be arranged."

There is a reason for saying this. The imperial examination consisted of three sessions, and students went directly into the examination room after entering the Imperial Academy.

These examination rooms are only about 1.5 meters wide, 2.2 meters high, and 1.5 meters deep. They have a built-in flat bench and a flat table without drawers.

This meant that the candidates could only take three consecutive exams in such a small examination room, each lasting three days. During the break, they would lay the flat table flat and curl up to sleep.

The food was brought in by the students in advance, and the drinking water was from the well in the Gongyuan.

It can be said that such an exam is torture for many people. If you just want to get your name on the list of successful candidates, you need to go through such hardships.

After arranging these things, Ma Xun went home. He didn't need to worry about the specific implementation.

As soon as I got home, I saw Deng Zhen. This little flatterer was very enthusiastic, "Uncle."

Ma Xun asked curiously, "Didn't you go to the mountains with Chang Mao? I don't feel comfortable with him doing it alone after arranging these things." Deng Zhen replied, "Uncle, don't worry. Wang Bi and the others will go with you. It won't be difficult to choose a place for the outing. My sister came to talk to my aunt, and I followed her."

Seeing this boy holding Wangcai in a familiar manner, Ma Xun thought it was normal for a moment, "Is your father doing well in Xiangyang now?"

"I learned skills from my uncle, and my mother asked me to come more often." Deng Zhen said sweetly, flattering, "My uncle's medical skills are well known in the world, but I didn't know that his poem could overwhelm the world's scholars."

Ma Xun is a little numb now. He doesn't mind if there are too many lice and he doesn't worry if there are too many debts. He just lets people say whatever they want.

There's no need to worry about Yang Shen coming out to grab the copyright, as he won't be born until nearly 120 years later.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "That's too much, it's a bit exaggerated."

Deng Zhen has his advantages. He might be the "most annoying" type among some students. He is a good student in the eyes of the head teacher, and he even tells tales occasionally.

Having such a classmate might make you hate him with gnashing teeth, but as a class teacher, you would like such students.

Ma Xun took a sip of tea and asked, "How was your training during the time I was away from the capital?"

Deng Zhen answered honestly, "Even if we wanted to be lazy, we couldn't. Brother Baoer sent people to watch us, and Brother Wenying also sent people to urge us to practice."

Although these noble families seemed to have some confidence and self-confidence, they felt that it was enough to learn in their own mansions.

But when they were sent to study under Ma Xun, they lost some of their freedom, and many things had to be done according to Ma Xun's arrangements.

This is what the guys in Deng Zhen are doing now. They have to do drills on time and go to the camp for training at regular intervals. It doesn’t matter even if Ma Xun is not in the capital.

Because Li Wenzhong and Mu Ying are in charge of the arrangements, they naturally won't keep an eye on these guys, but the officers they arrange can perform these tasks well.

Even if the officers did not dare to punish them at that time, they could still record the performance of these noble children. Once Ma Xun, the king's brother-in-law, came back, these noble children would be in trouble.

Deng Zhen started to tell tales, "Uncle, during the time you were away from the capital, Chang Mao was the laziest."

Ma Xun was not surprised at all and asked directly, "Is he using force to cheat and cheat?"

Deng Zhen nodded and complained, "He is good with the broadsword and is also a great rider. Every day after the parade, he would clamor to practice military equipment."

"He'll definitely get a beating later." Ma Xun laughed. Chang Mao was the type who would tear the roof off the house if he wasn't beaten for three days. "He's not lazy, is he? Does he go to the Imperial Examination Hall often?"

Deng Zhen became more serious and quickly took out a booklet from his sleeve. "They shouldn't be lazy. I asked the guards to stand on the street when we were training in the camp. I wrote down a lot of things. Please take a look, uncle."

It can be said that Deng Zhen is using the tiger's skin as a banner, or it can be said that he likes to "scheme opportunities".

However, Ma Xun would not feel disgusted by this, because Deng Zhen's scheming and so on did not step on others to get to the top, and he did not do anything to harm others for his own benefit.

Ma Xun took the book with a smile and glanced at it. "You don't need to go to the streets tomorrow. The government officials have started to handle these matters."

Deng Zhen didn't feel like he was being abandoned. They had been showing off their power in the capital for some time, but none of them had formally accepted their fate, and everyone knew it.

This is just helping my uncle. It is because they are the sons of nobles that others dare not make a fuss.

It is normal for him to retire now after completing his mission. Some things should be done by the court.

Ma Xun didn't feel impatient when chatting with young boys like Deng Zhen. He even felt that chatting with such boys was a relatively relaxing thing.

It is naturally impossible for Deng Zhen and the others to be completely free of thoughts, but their thoughts are relatively simple, and it is not complicated to get along with them.

The most important thing is that there are not too many conflicts of interest, which naturally means that getting along with each other is simpler and there are fewer intrigues. This is one of the most comfortable ways of getting along with each other.

While we were chatting, Mrs. Deng came over and said, "Niece greets uncle."

Ma Xun smiled and nodded, saying, "The second brother has made great progress this time. I will help him become famous in a few days. I, the King of Qin of the Ming Dynasty, am fair and kind. I have punished many corrupt officials and local tyrants in my hometown."

Mrs. Deng blushed and said quickly, "Uncle is back in Beijing, and your niece is just here to pay her respects. Why should you talk about other things?"

Liu Shuning and Chang Wan were laughing beside them. It was normal for Deng to come to meet Ma Xun. After all, she had just returned to Beijing. Since she was here, she must meet this elder. This was the etiquette.

But it is obviously impossible to say that she had no other thoughts, as the marriage between Crown Prince Zhu Biao and Chang Wan had already been settled.

If nothing unexpected happens, Zhu Chong's marriage will have to be considered at the end of the year. After all, he is only one year younger than Zhu Biao.

(End of this chapter)