The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 177: Steal half a day’s leisure

If Zhu Biao really took the imperial examination, it might be difficult for him to pass the exam and become a scholar, let alone a juren.

However, this does not deny his talents. He could understand some articles and it is normal for him to point out some problems.

Especially since he has a special identity and pointed out the problems in the article, it is naturally more convincing.

As for creating momentum for his nephew, Ma Xun feels at ease and comfortable with it. This is not forced promotion. His nephew is capable in himself and his achievements certainly need to be publicized.

When you do good things, you should praise and boast about them, and let more people know about them. There is no need to hide them.

There was actually not much to do in supervising the exam. The only difference was that Crown Prince Zhu Biao came to the examination room.

The imperial examination ended peacefully, and Ma Xun did not need to worry about things like marking the papers, as Zhu Biao would organize officials to mark the papers.

It will take a few days to announce the results. Normally it will take at least half a month, and then the results will be posted to announce which students have passed the exam.

After nine consecutive days of examinations, the scholars have probably reached their limit. Now they need to take a good rest, and maybe they will be anxiously waiting for the announcement of the results.

Seeing Ma Xun coming back, Liu Bowen asked with a smile, "Are you really not going to organize the examination?"

Ma Xun answered confidently, "I am not good at writing, and the prince knows this. So he will organize the examination, and I will only be responsible for posting the list."

The task of the examiner was nothing to Ma Xun, because a lot of the tasks that he was supposed to do were divided up.

On the other hand, as the examiner, he also did a lot of things that he shouldn't have done. A series of things before the exam were arranged by him.

So now I can almost be considered to have retired successfully, and I can breathe a sigh of relief.

For the next imperial examination, Ma Xun felt that he would definitely not be able to be the chief examiner anymore, and there was no need for him to always be the chief examiner of the imperial examination.

Liu Bowen looked at Ma Xun with a smile and said, "You don't need to be the chief examiner anymore, but I think after the examination, you may be burdened by your reputation."

Ma Xun was stunned for a moment and then asked, "It's just a poem, is it necessary to be so serious?"

Liu Bowen said sternly, "Just a poem? Think about it yourself, is there any poem in the Ming Dynasty that can compare with "Linjiangxian"? Going back a little further, how many poems and lyrics were there in the Yuan Dynasty that were worth passing down?"

After careful thought, Ma Xun suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Zhu Yuanzhang kept adding fuel to the fire. In the final analysis, it was to make the Ming Dynasty seem not only about military power, but also about civil governance.

"There are still many good poems in the Yuan Dynasty. Zhang Yanghao and Ma Zhiyuan are both very good." Ma Xun said, "Speaking of Yuan opera, there are many classics."

Liu Bowen nodded and said, "Han Fu, Tang poetry, Song Ci, Yuan opera. Every dynasty has its own literary style. I don't know what the Ming Dynasty is like now."

Ming novels account for three of the four great classics.

Shi Naian probably just died, but Luo Guanzhong would complete his master's posthumous work and also write "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

However, what Liu Bowen said does make sense. Every dynasty has some iconic literary works.

It is not to say that there were no good poems in the Yuan and Ming dynasties, but there were more good poems, which can be regarded as the court's achievements in culture and education.

The more Liu Bowen looked at Ma Xun, the more satisfied he felt. "Your Majesty's intentions are very simple. It is difficult for civil officials and scholars to win their hearts. For many things, Your Majesty can only use more methods to show favor and win people's hearts."

Ma Xun also had some understanding of this. Whether it was the intentional elevation of the position of Duke Yansheng or the dispatch of officials to visit great Confucian scholars who were unwilling to take up official positions, part of the reason was to win the hearts of the people.

Ma Xun said seriously, "I know some people are thinking of running north, wanting to go to Mobei to eat the wind and sand and drink horse milk."

Liu Bowen did not comment on this. "Those people knew what was good and what was bad when they went there. They always thought they would be treated well by the Mongols. People are most afraid of greed."

That's exactly the case. If it is true that he was stupid because of reading too much and was just blindly loyal to the emperor, then it can be barely justified.

There is no need to talk about national justice at this time. All those people have in their minds is loyalty to the emperor and serving the country. To them, Zhu Yuanzhang and the Ming Dynasty are traitors who caused their country to be destroyed and their families to be ruined.

But the reality is that many of them feel that the treatment given to them by the Ming Dynasty is not enough, and they think that it is in their interests to be under the rule of the Mongols.

That is a different matter, and such people are everywhere, not only in the north, but also in the south where there are many old people and young people left over from the Yuan Dynasty.

These people are the most difficult to deal with because they have some status.

They are either landlords, scholars, or officials. They control a certain level of productivity and have a certain social status.

Because these people have certain demands, while ordinary people care more about whether they can live a stable life and just want to know whether the taxes they have to pay are heavy.

After chatting with Liu Bowen for a while about the "general situation in the world", it was time to take a rest. Naturally, there was nothing much to say about all this.

Ma Xun didn't care about being burdened by his fame. As long as he wanted to be idle, ordinary people couldn't do anything to him. Chang Mao was not an ordinary guy. He ran over excitedly and said, "Uncle, we have found a place for an outing."

Ma Xun asked, "Is it Zhongshan?"

"Let's go to Purple Mountain." Chang Mao replied, "Brother Crown Prince is leading everyone to go for an outing. Can we still leave the city?"

There is nothing wrong with this statement. Zhongshan is obviously the best place to go. It is a famous mountain with a long history and has become a famous "scenic spot" since the Eastern Jin Dynasty.

What's more, Zhongshan is not just a mountain. Xuanwu Lake at the foot of the mountain is also an important part. This is where the Eastern Wu trained its navy during the Three Kingdoms period, and it was also where emperors of the Southern and Northern Dynasties traveled.

However, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty destroyed the Chen Dynasty and ordered the razing of Nanjing City, and Xuanwu Lake was abandoned. Wang Anshi of the Song Dynasty drained the lake to make farmland, and Xuanwu Lake disappeared for more than 200 years.

It was during the Yuan Dynasty, after two dredging operations, that Xuanwu Lake reappeared on the map of Nanjing.

Ma Xun smiled and asked, "So how do you plan to arrange it?"

"You just asked me to find a place, but didn't tell me to arrange it?" Chang Mao, who was arrested and forced to work illegally, was confused. "Uncle, are you asking me to arrange it again?"

Ma Xun looked at Chang Mao with relief and encouraged him, "Your sister is about to enter the palace, and you will have to do a lot of things in the future. Let me send someone to your house to listen to your orders and arrange for security guards around the house."

Chang Mao straightened his chest and said in a loud voice, "Don't worry, uncle. If anything goes wrong, I'll come to you with my head!"

"How can you walk with your head chopped off?" Ma Xun said angrily, "If you really come to see me with your head hanging, I'm afraid I'll be scared to death. Just do your job well. You're good at everything else, but you're too careless."

Chang Mao nodded vigorously. He was determined not to let his uncle down this time and to do the job well.

Seeing Chang Mao leaving in high spirits, Liu Shuning couldn't bear it any longer, "Husband, you can't always let Chang Mao do things. Many things should be done by you."

They are trying to pull the fat out of Chang Mao, the big fat sheep.

"I'm not bullying him, I'm training him." Ma Xun said with a smile, "Look at this kid, he's so motivated now. If I don't give him something to do, he'll be getting into trouble all day long."

Liu Shuning couldn't stand it any longer. "Chang Mao is fine. He didn't cause much trouble. He likes to wield weapons and swords, but I haven't heard of him doing anything evil or being arrogant. What trouble can he cause?"

This seems to make sense. Although the three brothers of the Chang family are not talented or capable, they are indeed restless.

But overall they are not bad, they just like to play. Bullying and arrogance have nothing to do with them. They are just a group of second-generation nobles who don't like to study and like to play.

They seem to be unmotivated, but they don't break the law. As long as the requirements for them are not too high, these people are simply representatives of model nobles.

"I like these guys the same way. Although they have status, they don't bully the weak." Ma Xun said with a smile, "It's normal for boys to be playful. It's their nature to be playful. But these guys won't be able to enjoy themselves for many more years."

Liu Shuning smiled and advised, "You don't need to worry about that. When you are an adult, you will naturally have to do things. When you were young, you played around, and no one said anything."

While the couple was talking, Liu Bowen came over and said, "Son-in-law, feel my pulse. It seems I have caught a cold."

Compared with literary fame, Ma Xun was more afraid of his reputation as a good doctor. If one cannot write articles, he is at most mediocre, but prescribing medicine indiscriminately may cost lives.

But he is recognized as a famous doctor by everyone except himself, so it is impossible for him to say that he does not understand these things.

Ma Xun carefully felt Liu Bowen's pulse and said, "He has a cold. I'll go to the Imperial Hospital to get some medicine later. Actually, he doesn't need to take medicine. He's just tired from traveling a few days ago."

You don't necessarily have to take medicine for a runny nose or a cold, as all medicines are toxic.

Liu Bowen smiled and said, "That's fine. It's troublesome to make medicine. I'll go to Master Song's residence later. Do you want to come with me?"

"I'm going to watch him edit the History of Yuan Dynasty?" Although Ma Xun complained, he still stood up. "My biggest headache is Master Song. He either looks for you or the crown prince. He and I are not the same kind of people."

Liu Bowen smiled and said, "He knows it in his heart, he just wants you to persuade His Majesty. Sometimes His Majesty is too strict with civil servants, and the way to rule subordinates should not be too strict."

Ma Xun was a little reluctant to comment on this, mainly because he did not have much say in how the emperor controlled his subordinates.

The father-in-law and son-in-law were walking with their donkey towards Song Lian's mansion.

The benefits of not having to be an official or to take care of a specific government office are evident.

Everyone in the Ming Dynasty, from the emperor to the officials, was extremely busy. Ma Xun occasionally had to keep up with them and was assigned many errands.

It's just that it's not difficult for him to take a break from his busy schedule occasionally. If he really wants to be lazy, that's fine too.

The Ministry of Personnel's various evaluations of officials and the emperor's strictness towards all officials had little to do with Ma Xun.

(End of this chapter)