The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 185: The royal family is not making progress, so beat them!
For Zhu Chong and others, a time of pain and happiness began.

When my uncle returned to Fengyang, it naturally meant that someone would come to look after them, take them to work in the fields, and inspect people's livelihood.

But on the other hand, he could now train his troops and command the Fengyang Liaison Office to conduct real military training.

"Uncle!" Zhu Chong smiled happily, "I thought you would wait until the results of the imperial examination were announced before coming back."

Ma Xun smiled and said, "I thought so too, but your father thought it was unnecessary. He was afraid that you would make trouble in your hometown, so he asked me to come back first."

Zhu Gang retorted unhappily, "How can we make a fuss? If we really want to make a fuss, we are still from a noble family."

Zhu Di immediately said, "Uncle, the Fengyang prefect has been skinned and stuffed with straw, and his skin is hung in the small temple in front of the government office for public display. I went to see it, and no one dared to fool around."

Looking at Zhu Di's excited expression, Ma Xun felt that this kid was really something.

Skinning and stuffing with straw was a form of torture, and no one dared to cheat in this matter. However, Zhu Di went to see human skin.

"I'm too lazy to look. It's bad luck." Ma Xun said unhappily, "I asked you to investigate the matter. How is your investigation going?"

Zhu Di immediately said, "After the last trial, many people filed complaints."

Zhu Chong glared at Zhu Di in dissatisfaction, and after pushing the fourth brother aside, he said, "Uncle, now some evil gentry may know that the law is strict, and they will take the initiative to release some deceived tenants and slaves, and return the land they have seized by trickery."

Although Zhu Di was dissatisfied, he could only stand aside at this time. With his second and third brothers around, he, the fourth brother, really had no say in these matters.

Especially since many things are arranged for the second brother to coordinate, it is natural for him to report now.

This is the rule. Although the Prince of Yan is powerful, he is useless at home. He can only bully the fifth child. The prerequisite is that he cannot let his father, mother, and uncle see it, otherwise he will definitely be criticized.

Ma Xun was in a good mood and praised, "That's how it should be. If you accumulate wealth through hard work and diligence, then that's a skill. If you take it by trickery and plunder, then it's not only unscrupulous, but you should also be punished by the law."

What else did Zhu Chong and the others have to say? At this time, they could only nod their heads to show their approval.

Although some things seemed to have nothing to do with them, Zhu Chong and others also had some different experiences.

In the past, they were princes, and were flattered and fawned upon wherever they went. That was because of their status.

But this time when I returned to Fengyang, it was different. I did some things and met some people.

Now some people are praising these princes for their youthful bravery, wisdom and fairness, which are things they have never experienced before.

In the final analysis, the praises they received in the past were only because of their identities, but now, in addition to their identities, they are praised more for what they do.

This was different for Zhu Chong and others. It was something new and unprecedented, and it also gave them a lot of sense of accomplishment.

Putting aside the pleasure that power brings, it turns out that doing things in a down-to-earth manner can really gain the recognition of the people.

Even among the things they do, many do not require them to do it themselves and do not require much effort.

But the people still praised them, and the old neighbors of the emperor's family were just for now. Occasionally, when they went to the countryside to visit the fields, some people knew their identities and were terrified, but they also praised them sincerely.

Looking at the excitement of his nephews, Ma Xun was in a very good mood.

Sometimes young people just lack some affirmation and encouragement, and sometimes what they need is respect.

If the current experiences could foster kindness in Zhu Chong and others, then Ma Xun would feel that it was all worth it.

If they could understand the hardships of people's lives and do less cruel and costly things, it would truly be a blessing for the country.

Ma Xun was in a good mood. His nephews performed well, so they should be rewarded. "This time I will control the garrison, and you three will serve as generals under me."

Although it was just a "moderation" like playing house, and just a "general" like playing around, it was enough to excite Zhu Chong and others.

Fengyang is the Zhongdu, with a different status.

Therefore, the chief of Fengyang Liaison Office was a second-rank garrison commander, which in other places would be a commander-in-chief, that is, the military chief of a province.

This is one of the three departments, together with the governor and the censor, and is a real frontier official. Moreover, the censor is a third-rank official, which is not as high as the commander-in-chief.

Especially now that military generals are powerful, many local policies also need to be coordinated with the military. It is not an exaggeration to say that the commander-in-chief holds the power of life and death in a province.

Zhu Chong immediately volunteered, "Since my uncle is the chief governor, I will be the deputy governor."

"Uncle, give me a commanding officer." Zhu Di also said first, "I am in charge of the cavalry, give me the authority of the cavalry commander!"

Zhu Gang was very unhappy, "Let me choose the job first, then it will be your turn."

Ma Xun looked at them cheerfully, and suddenly said, "I am only in charge of the Liaison Office. How come I, the Duke of Xu, was demoted to a Liaison Office of the second rank after all your trouble?" Zhu Chong and the others were stunned for a moment, and then said flatteringly, "Who is the Liaison Office? It's all up to your uncle to decide who is the Liaison Office!"

Ma Xun looked at Zhu Chong and said earnestly, "Second brother, I know you have no bad intentions. If this word gets out, I will immediately apologize and disgrace myself, and the door of my house will never be closed again."

Zhu Chong, who was flattering the horse, continued to flatter, "Uncle is just imagining things, but father would never do that. Besides, mother and brother are also protecting you."

Zhu Gang and Zhu Di also nodded. This was not something they were saying in public, so it didn't matter if they said it in private.

Besides, they dared to say so even in front of the Emperor and the Empress.

My uncle's promotion to the rank of Taibao was simply a joke he made while speaking without restraint, and was immediately taken over by my father, the Emperor, and my mother, the Empress Dowager.

Ma Xun didn't care about that and said, "You guys should explore it first. You are still young, so don't stick to one type of soldier. You should be generals who plan and strategize."

"A general should charge into battle, like General Chang." Zhu Di immediately objected, "I still admire General Chang. General Xu is too steady in battle."

Ma Xun looked at Zhu Di and said, "You are the one who is planning your future father-in-law."

Zhu Gang also said, "General Xu, fighting is too exhausting, and I can't learn it. Anyway, you can give me any soldiers, but I just want a lot of them and they can do the work."

This is a "pragmatist". Fighting in war is naturally what he looks forward to, but he yearns even more to command thousands of troops.

Zhu Chong seemed to have no pursuits. As the leader of the kings, he sometimes had no choice and was even less able than his younger brothers to choose things that interested him.

Ma Xun looked around and asked, "Where is Tiezhu?"

"He's pretending to be sick." Zhu Chong said unhappily, "When he goes to investigate people's livelihood, he either gets a headache or a backache, and he's arrogant even when he sees his old neighbors."

Ma Xun's face immediately turned cold. This nephew of the emperor, Zhu Shouqian, had really been taught in the wrong way. Now he looked like a hopeless case.

Seeing Ma Xun getting up and walking away, Zhu Chong and others immediately felt gloating.

It would be fine if Tiezhu had other reasons for not doing the work, but he just pretended to be sick. You know, his uncle is the best doctor in the Ming Dynasty!

When Zhu Chong and others were in the capital before, they would find other excuses even if they wanted to skip school, such as taking a personal leave or being confused and playful for a moment, but they did not dare to pretend to be sick.

Looking at the tightly closed bedroom door, Zhu Gang and Zhu Di rushed out from Ma Xun's left and right sides and kicked him.

In the end, Zhu Shouqian was either the Prince of Jingjiang or a prince who enjoyed the same treatment as a prince. His rank was higher than Ma Xun's, and he was a member of the royal family, while Ma Xun was an outsider.

Zhu Gang and others did not have this concern, as they were legitimate princes and dukes, and were also Zhu Shouqian's uncles in terms of seniority.

Zhu Shouqian sat up hurriedly, and all the eunuchs and maids in the bedroom knelt down.

"I heard that His Royal Highness Prince Jingjiang was ill, and I was worried." Standing at the door of the palace, Ma Xun said, "Please allow me to diagnose His Royal Highness's pulse."

Zhu Shouqian rolled and crawled to his feet, "Uncle, I was so sick a few days ago that I couldn't get out of bed, but today I'm fine!"

This lame excuse won't work. "Since you were sick a few days ago, there must be something wrong. Your Highness, let me take your pulse!"

Zhu Chong immediately rushed forward and grabbed Zhu Shouqian's arm, "Why are you talking so much nonsense? If you are sick, treat the disease. If you are not sick, get beaten!"

Zhu Gang also said, "You are my cousin, we dare not neglect you if you are really sick. Now your uncle will treat you, if you are not sick, you will be in trouble!"

Zhu Shouqian was really about to cry. How could a young boy like him think about the future?

He just wanted to be lazy at the time and made up a random excuse. His cousins couldn't do anything to him, and even if the imperial doctors saw it, they didn't dare to say anything.

Zhu Shouqian thought he had figured out the thoughts of some people in the palace, and that these people had no faults and only merits.

But now, although this uncle is not related to him at all, he can still control him.

Especially these uncles, each of them is ferocious and vicious like a wolf or a jackal, and they are all waiting to deal with him.

Zhu Shouqian used his tried-and-true trick and immediately knelt down, "Uncle, I know I was wrong. It's a pity that I didn't have a father to teach me since I was a child, so I was lazy and hated work. I couldn't think straight and made a big mistake."

This move was a fatal blow to Zhu Yuanzhang. He admitted his mistakes, emphasized that he had no father, and implicitly expressed his temper, which was prone to extremes. Let's see if you dare to deal with me!

Ma Xun looked at Zhu Chong and said, "Go and ask His Majesty to give me a ruler."

What kind of ruler is that? It's just a stick. Zhu Chong and others have always believed that it is a stick specially used to beat the children of royal family!

Zhu Shouqian felt that he had messed up. Some of his tricks worked for his grandfather, but would have the opposite effect on his uncle Ma!
(End of this chapter)