The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 18: Everyone gets married!
The Ma Mansion looked very lively with so many guests, although there were mostly women and some young boys.

Chang Mao came running over again like a gust of wind, "Mom, my elder sister is here, and my aunt-in-law is here too!"

Ma Xun immediately spoke up, "Don't talk nonsense."

Seeing that Chang Mao was still a little unconvinced, Chang Lan also said, "It's good to know it in your heart. It's not good to talk nonsense now."

Chang Mao immediately stopped talking and dared not refute.

Chang Wan was very generous and smiled when she saw Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang. But Liu Shuning, who was following her, blushed. How could she not know what was going on?

Not only were the two princes laughing, but the others also had meaningful looks in their eyes.

Chang Lan took the initiative to greet them and said, "Wan'er, you go to the inner courtyard first."

Chang Wan glanced at Liu Shuning and asked with a smile, "Mother, I haven't greeted my aunt and uncle yet."

Liu Shuning's face turned even redder, but she couldn't say anything at the moment.

"Look at the bride!" Li Jinglong, the scumbag, shouted in a childish voice, "Here comes the bride!"

Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang immediately laughed evilly. They knew something, but they didn't dare to say anything. But they could instigate Li Jinglong, because this kid didn't know anything at the moment.

Liu Shuning's face was so red that it was about to bleed, and she was pulled forward by Chang Wan.

"Niece greets aunt and uncle."

"I pay my respects to the Marquis and the King's uncle."

Li Zhen quickly spoke up, "There's no need to be polite with family members. We're just family members, so just be casual."

Ma Xun glared at Zhu Chong and the others who came up to him, picked him up and spanked him, "The child is young and ignorant, please forgive me."

Chang Wan immediately covered her mouth, and Liu Shuning said softly, "I don't dare."

Ma Xun looked at Chang Wan and said, "The prince will be here soon, and the queen will be here too. You are so proud now, but don't accuse me of bullying the prince by relying on my status as an elder."

Chang Wan immediately felt embarrassed and looked at Chang Lan, "Mom!"

Chang Lan smiled and said, "Alright, you deserve it for provoking others in front of your uncle!"

After Chang Wan and Liu Shuning left, Li Zhen smiled and said, "She looks smart, and is a good match."

"I didn't like those girls from civil officials before, but I'm a scholar, and most of these girls from military generals' families are not good enough for me." Chang Lan also said fiercely, "It's good to look at them this way, they are worthy of me!"

Chang Mao came running over again like a gust of wind, "Mom, people from the palace are here!"

Li Zhen and Ma Xun left the house immediately, along with some of the noble children in the house. Chang Lan also knew her limits, so she didn't follow them out, but went straight to the inner courtyard.

Ma Xiuying and Zhu Biao got off the carriage one after another, and they were obviously very satisfied with the large number of people at the gate of Ma's mansion.

"Prince, you are of noble status, so you should take care of everyone in the front hall." Ma Xiuying gave the order directly, "Take your uncle to recognize some people. He is not in the capital, so he doesn't know many people."

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Don't worry, mother. I know what to do."

Ma Xiuying smiled and nodded, then walked majestically towards the inner house, which was her home ground.

Zhu Biao looked at Li Zhen and asked with a smile, "Uncle, is there anyone who hasn't arrived yet?"

Li Zhen smiled and said, "The people who were supposed to come didn't come, but the gifts arrived. Some people who weren't supposed to come also came."

Hearing the conversation between Zhu Biao and Li Zhen, Ma Xun also laughed. It is true that you may not know who has come, but those who have not come will definitely be recorded.

Zhu Biao took out the template of the crown prince, who was gentle, elegant, and smooth as jade, and looked like a graceful young man.

Ma Xun has also gotten used to all this. It is normal for him to behave differently in front of people and behind others. Who doesn’t have a personality?

Just as Ma Xun got to know the representatives of these noble families again through Zhu Biao's introduction, a maid came over quickly and asked Ma Xun to go to the inner house.

Seeing Ma Xun coming, Ma Xiuying took Chang Lan's hand and said, "Now that my brother has moved out, I'm afraid he'll be bullied. Look at him, it's not an exaggeration to say he's a scholar."

Chang Lan also said quickly, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I will definitely take care of him as my own brother and will never let anyone bully him." Ma Xiuying was very relieved. Her right-hand man was also very famous among the nobles. Not to mention some female relatives, even many prospective dukes and marquises did not dare to provoke him.

Chang Lan also said affectionately, "I used to think that Your Highness was knowledgeable, maybe he learned it from the Guo family. Now I know what family tradition means, and the King's uncle is obviously well-educated. Some of us military generals have family backgrounds, but how can we compare with Your Highness's family."

Xu Da's wife, Xie, thought that Chang Lan was too flattering. How could the Ma family be considered a big family?
Seeing Ma Xun coming forward, Ma Xiuying said with a smile, "Wan'er, you two come here."

Chang Wan immediately pulled Liu Shuning forward, and then stood obediently beside Chang Lan, leaving Liu Shuning and Ma Xun standing together.

Ma Xiuying smiled even more happily, "They look like a couple. I am also happy that my younger brother has moved to a new house. I have already given your brother-in-law a reward, so I will give you a hairpin, take it."

After saying this, Ma Xiuying took off her hairpin. Many noble ladies' eyes turned red because that was a real phoenix hairpin.

After Ma Xun took it, he said awkwardly, "Sister, is this a bit heavy?"

Ma Xiuying smiled and said, "It's not heavy, it's yours."

Ma Xun stopped being hypocritical and handed it to Liu Shuning, "I dare not refuse the Queen's reward."

Liu Shuning's pretty face was red with blood, and her long eyelashes kept trembling. "Your Highness, I thank you for your great grace."

Ma Xiuying was very happy and encouraged, "I am older and have some status. I don't have high expectations for you. Just live a good life and continue my Ma bloodline. If you still have some ability, please contribute more to the Ming Dynasty."

The Queen made such a direct statement. Needless to say, Liu Shuning's reaction was obvious, and the other noble ladies couldn't help but think too much.

They all knew the status and prestige of the queen. The queen's brother was naturally regarded as Tang Monk's meat by some people. If he could marry the queen, he would be even richer.

But this uncle of the emperor had just come to Beijing, and many people had only seen him for the first time. But now, Liu Bowen from East Zhejiang had actually swallowed the meat of Tang Monk in one gulp.

Your Majesty the Emperor and Your Highness the Empress, please also take a look at us Huaixi people!

The emperor and the empress were still as decisive as ever, and they would not allow others to question some of the things they had decided.

Ma Xun is a man after all, so it is enough for him to show his face slightly in the inner house, but he still has to go to the front yard to entertain the guests.

After the housewarming banquet, Ma Xun sat in the main hall and asked, "Are all of you from the palace?"

The leader, a middle-aged man with a missing arm, said, "Uncle, we are not. We used to be soldiers, and after we became disabled, we shamelessly asked Your Majesty to give us a job."

Ma Xun thought about it carefully and asked, "Remember the Queen said, you are He Da?"

He Da nodded and said, "Hey, I am He Da."

"You are confused!" Ma Xun said bitterly, "You should have stayed in the army because of the injuries you suffered during the conquest. If you had a military post, you could have left some benefits for your descendants."

He Da immediately smiled and said, "I have a military position, and I gave it to my son after I became disabled. Now I am working in the Prince's Mansion to make a living, and I am not a burden to my son."

"Okay, you are the housekeeper and the guard." Ma Xun was relieved. "What about you? You are Moth, right?"

A woman immediately said, "My Lord, I am a moth, and I was taken in by Her Majesty the Queen when I was in He County."

Ma Xun said, "You and Uncle He will be in charge of the affairs of the mansion. The first thing to do is to find a way to get married for the men and women in the mansion who have not yet married. We don't care about those things in our mansion. We will talk about it after they get married."

He Da immediately said, "Uncle, most of the people in our palace are married. Even those who came out of the palace, many of them haven't found a husband yet."

Xu E also said with some embarrassment, "For these matters, I'd better trouble my uncle to help me find some suitable ones."

Ma Xun immediately had a headache, "I'll go find Mu Ying and ask, I won't delay you."

Xu E and the others were naturally happy. Some servants in the Ming Dynasty basically did not sign a contract to sell themselves. Although the so-called home-born children were not excluded, the law prohibited the buying and selling of people.

If a wealthy family killed a slave, they would be punished.

"Uncle He, go get Mu Ying." Ma Xun immediately urged, "Go ask Sister-in-law Chang, I don't know how to be a matchmaker."

Ma Xun's house is in a good location, surrounded by dignitaries and officials, making it convenient to visit them.

(End of this chapter)