The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 181 Don’t be such a bully
Zhu Yuanzhang, who had cultivated one and a half acres of land, felt refreshed. He was a very energetic person, and of course he was happy because he was doing what he liked.

However, not everyone felt very good. For example, Ma Xun felt sore in his back.

Farming is really tiring. I have been bending over all day and now I can hardly recover.

Zhu Yuanzhang pointed at Ma Xun with disdain, "The second son and his friends don't know how to farm. How are you going to teach them to farm when you return home?"

Ma Xun had already thought of a countermeasure and said, "The Yihui family is there, and the Wang family brother is there, they all know how to farm."

Zhu Yuanzhang was speechless. If he really let Liu De and Wang Wen guide Zhu Chong and others in farming, there would be no problem at all.

By then, Ma Xun would not be being lazy, but making the children of the Zhu family recall the bitter past and appreciate the sweet past, so that they would know how hard their ancestors worked and understand how rare life is now.

Ma Xiuying couldn't stand it any longer, "Little brother, you are a little too delicate now."

Zhu Biao helped to speak up, "Mother, my uncle just doesn't know how to farm. If we really want to enjoy life, let alone the nobles, even many wealthy families are better at enjoying life than my uncle."

Now, not to mention Ma Xiuying, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't say anything more. Because Ma Xunzhen was not the kind of person who lived a luxurious life, he was even a frugal type.

If they said a few more words, Ma Xun would probably become more frugal. That would be bad, as they didn't want Ma Xun to suffer.

Li Zhen tried to smooth things over by saying, "It doesn't matter if you don't know how to farm. I am now the emperor's uncle, and I just need to take care of the court's affairs."

Zhu Yuanzhang originally wanted to say that what Ma Xun was doing was not a big deal, but when he thought of Ma Xiuying's presence, he gave up.

My sister is becoming more and more narrow-minded. There is nothing wrong with her, but she cannot say that to Biaoer and my younger brother.

And there is Ma Xun, who relies on the fact that the Queen is his sister and has now learned to make small complaints. Who knows, he might start whispering in front of the Queen someday.

Can't afford to offend. These two siblings are the same. They are scholars, but they are narrow-minded. They are not at all like the Zhu family who have been farming for generations and are simple and honest.

Liu Shuning, who was brought to the palace, couldn't help feeling nauseous. Ma Xiuying no longer cared about her brother at this time. Her sister-in-law and the nephew in her belly were more important.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Ma Xun with a smile, "You are good at ordering people around. The Chang family's boys are busy all day long."

"If they can be less worried in the future, Biao'er will be relieved." Ma Xun said with some concern, "Those guys are too straightforward and irritable, and they haven't learned the caution in Brother Chang's heart at all."

Zhu Yuanzhang could only agree with this statement that Xu Da's caution and humility came from within.

Chang Yuchun, on the other hand, appears rough on the outside, but he is a man of good sense on the inside.

As for the three boys from the Chang family, they are now somewhat like "nephews like uncles" and have the same bad temper as Lan Yu.

Zhu Biao didn't particularly care about this. "It is a blessing for the court to have an uncle like my uncle. But the three from the Chang family won't cause much trouble."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it and it made sense. "That's true. They still have someone they are afraid of. Now they are afraid of Lao Chang and their eldest sister. There is no need to worry about them making trouble."

The second generation of nobles don’t have to worry too much. Most of them grew up with Zhu Biao and know the methods of this eldest prince.

This is not only because they grew up together and know the difference in status, but also because Zhu Biao has a high prestige among this group of guys.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Ma Xun and asked with concern, "What do you think of the second brother?"

"They are dutiful and sensible, but they don't know much about the suffering of the people." Ma Xun said, "I think the second sons should also care about them. They are all princes, and they feel bad too."

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally understood what Ma Xun meant, and could only say, "I also know that some things are not good. Although my parents spoiled me when they were alive, they could also treat me equally. Now that there are several children, I can only bear with it."

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally knew that he was biased, because his son Zhu Biao meant something different to him and his feelings for him were naturally deeper.

Apart from that, naturally, the current situation is that he has to be partial.

Ma Xun could understand, but still said, "I know these things in my heart, and there are too many examples in history books."

These words really hit the nail on the head for Zhu Yuanzhang. There were too many examples in history of emperors deposing the eldest son and enthroning the youngest son, or of emperors being partial to the prince and causing him to lose his balance.

These are all lessons from the past. Such things must never happen to Zhu Yuanzhang. Moreover, his eldest son is extremely outstanding in all aspects and is much better than his other sons.

Ma Xiuying reminded, "I know you love your nephew, but you have to be sensible."

Ma Xun couldn't help but complain, "I think my eldest brother-in-law is okay. The second brothers all respect him. The second brothers often say to my face that I am biased, so I can't say anything."

"My uncle likes me the most!" Zhu Su couldn't wait to show off his presence and said proudly, "My uncle also likes me the most. My second brother and the others are not happy."

Princes like Zhu Chong and Zhu Su also had their limits. They first eliminated their elder brother and then conducted internal comparisons.

Zhu Biao was just an excellent brother at this time, talking to his two sisters. After all, in such occasions, the sisters were always left out. Ma Xun said, "A few days ago, Master Song and his friends were thinking about finding a marriage for the second son."

Ma Xiuying frowned and asked, "Talk about marriage? What kind of marriage are you talking about to the second son? The second son and the girl from the Deng family will get married next year, so this matter is settled."

Ma Xun replied, "That being said, Biao'er had exchanged the marriage certificate and arranged the marriage. Before that, both families knew about it."

At this moment, everyone present became serious. This was no small matter.

The two brothers Zhu Biao and Zhu Chong were almost in a "free love" relationship, but since they were well-matched and met political requirements, Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying certainly had no reason to object.

It's good to have childhood sweethearts and the couple can live in harmony. This is something that everyone would like to see, and it can also be considered a good story.

But some things cannot be viewed simply. No one else can interfere in Zhu Biao's marriage, but Zhu Chong's marriage makes people interested.

He and the girl from the Deng family have not yet been officially engaged. Even if the Huaixi nobles are spreading the news among themselves, and even if most of the civil and military officials in the court know about it.

However, since this matter has not been officially finalized, it naturally means there is room for maneuver.

Zhu Biao was also a little unhappy. "What do Master Song and the others mean? The second son is impatient and simple-minded. How upset will he be if he is not allowed to get what he wants?"

Ma Xun said directly, "He is the head of the royal family and has been doing his duty all these years. This child is very sentimental. If he is really not allowed to marry the girl from the Deng family, he probably won't dare to resist, but he will definitely be upset in his heart."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying did not say anything either. They naturally knew what kind of personalities their second sons had.

The second child is like this, he keeps many things to himself. Even if everyone can see it, he won't say anything. Moreover, he is an extremely stubborn child, once he makes up his mind about something, he won't turn back until he hits a wall.

Li Zhen also said somewhat unhappy, "Master Song is fine for doing this, but the others are easy to deal with, the matter of the second brother has been settled."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked with a sullen face, "What do they mean? Put the country first? Or do they say that the royal family has no private affairs?"

Ma Xun said, "Isn't it the same argument? If the second son insists on marrying the girl from the Deng family, he can be taken as a concubine. Can they choose someone more suitable?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smashed the teacup in his hand and said, "Asshole! You are going too far!"

Zhu Su and others were trembling with fear and dared not speak, but the adults all looked unhappy because the proposals of Song Lian, Tao Kai and others were indeed a bit too much.

Zhu Biao looked at Ma Xun and asked, "What did my uncle say?"

"I said I was going to take their daughter and granddaughter as concubines." Ma Xun said, "But they didn't continue talking about it. They were afraid that they would lose face and people would look down on them for clinging to the rich and powerful."

Everyone present was stunned by Ma Xun's words, and the atmosphere was indescribably weird for a moment.

The moment before, I thought Song Lian, Tao Kai and others were testing the emperor's bottom line, wanting to humiliate Deng Yu and suppress the Huaixi nobles.

But Ma Xun was different. He directly humiliated the civil servants who made the proposal in front of them.

Ma Xiuying didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and immediately cursed, "You! You have ruined the family tradition of my Ma family! How can you speak like that in front of those great scholars!"

Zhu Yuanzhang said, "They are willing to make the daughter of the Duke of Wei a concubine. They are willing to do things that are generous to others. Let them do it for the greater good, but look at how petty they are."

Deng Yu was the Duke of Weiguo, Zhu Yuanzhang's confidant and most trusted minister. He was the first military leader to lead troops to join Zhu Yuanzhang.

But for a man with such a sensitive identity, his daughter can only be a concubine, and a legitimate daughter at that, which is really too much.

Ma Xun said, "Brother Deng is now in Xiangyang raising military funds to support Sichuan. He is also responsible for planning the battles against Guizhou and U-Tsang. It is not right to change a planned marriage at this time!"

Ma Xiuying also said very unhappily, "Deng Yu has a peaceful personality, but they dare to provoke him. Biao'er, you are not allowed to go to the main hall these days."

Zhu Biao naturally nodded in agreement. What Song Lian and his people did was indeed not right.

Even if it's just a suggestion, it shouldn't be mentioned!
Ma Xun looked around and said, "I think they will bring this up in the court, so I have to tell my brother-in-law in advance to avoid embarrassing him."

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally understood what Ma Xun meant. In fact, he was worried that those civil servants would suddenly bring up this matter, which would catch people off guard.

If you are really persuaded or even agree to something in the court, it will be difficult to go back on your word.

Ma Xiuying said, "Since you are so shameless in front of them, you should go to court these days. You throw a tantrum when things are difficult to handle."

This method sounds very embarrassing, but it is effective and is particularly suitable for Ma Xun to do.

(End of this chapter)