The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 189 I Will Protect My Nephew

Zhu Di was checking the reserves in the arsenal, while Zhu Chong and Zhu Gang were also responsible for checking the production and distribution of military equipment.

Ma Xun, who treated everyone equally, did not forget Zhu Shouqian and asked this boy to take people to check the replacement of military equipment of Zhongdu Liaison Office.

Life was indeed not easy for these nobles, because there was always something to do no matter what the weather was.

He had to go to the parade ground whether it was sunny or cloudy, and to handle various military affairs on rainy days. He could only rest at night.

Don't count on taking a holiday, because you have to set aside at least one hour every day to study. This is the person arranged by Zhu Biao, who came to Zhongdu specifically to educate Zhu Chong and others.

Ma Xun naturally supported this very much. Zhu Chong and others would be granted fiefdoms in the future, and their main responsibilities would be military affairs. However, these people could not just be military generals. Reading was also very important.

Reading can help one gain knowledge; people like Zhu Chong should not have become warriors.

It was useless for Zhu Chong and others to complain. They even felt that being in their hometown of Zhongdu was worse than being in the capital.

Although I only had about ten days of vacation a year when I was in Beijing, it was better than now when I have a lot of things to do almost every day.

As spring comes and flowers bloom, some people's eyes are opened. Those nobles look no different from ordinary people, and it is not said that the emperor's son is farming with a golden hoe and a silver axe.

Ma Xun stood on the ridge of the field, carefully watching his embarrassed nephews plowing the fields.

Some people could not afford the conditions and had to use human power to pull the plow, but Ma Xun did not need to let his nephews experience this. They just had to learn to hold the plow and lead the ox.

Princess Qingyang came over and said, "Uncle, let the brothers take a break."

Ma Xun asked with a smile, "How is the construction of King Mengcheng's mausoleum going?"

Princess Qingyang smiled and said, "Uncle Emperor, please show mercy and repair my father's tomb."

Princess Qingyang's father was Zhu Chongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang's cousin.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "That's good. I'll take your sister-in-law to visit her old neighbors. She doesn't know many of them. She doesn't like the wealthy and powerful families like us. I think she looks down on people like us who walk barefoot."

Although Xie Zaixing had known Zhu Yuanzhang for a long time, his family was much better off, so his two daughters could indeed think highly of themselves, as they were from a well-off family after all.

Princess Qingyang nodded. She knew that Ma Xun had a grudge against Xie Cuiying, and now he also had a grudge against the wife of Duke Wei.

But Princess Qingyang still did not forget the important matter, "My brothers are tired too, let them rest for a while."

Ma Xun finally let go and shouted towards the field, "If your sister hadn't felt sorry for you, she would have let you plow the field for another half an hour. Rest for a while and drink some water."

Zhu Chong and others, who were barefoot, loosened the plow casually, but realized something was wrong the next moment.

They looked carefully in the direction of the ridge, and one by one they quickly picked up the plow and hoe and walked along the ridge to the ridge.

Ma Xun was very satisfied with the performance of Zhu Chong and others. They should cherish the production tools. If they are farming, they should act like farmers. They can't just pretend to do it and act like they are playing games.

Several princes and dukes sat on the edge of the field in an untidy manner, but fortunately they still had some sense of propriety.

My uncle is very clean, so he washes his hands before and after meals. If they want to drink water, they can only drink boiled water or brewed tea. If anyone dares to drink raw water directly, my uncle will make them the bitterest herbal tea, saying it is nourishing.

Looking at his nephews who were eating snacks and drinking tea, Ma Xun felt very disappointed. "Fortunately, you are in the royal family. If you were in the common people's house, you would starve to death!"

Zhu Chong swallowed his snack and said, "Uncle, I know about this. Father said that even if we brothers eat shit, we can't get warm food. Even if we beg for food, we have to be led by uncle to get a bite to eat."

Princess Qingyang and Princess Fucheng couldn't help laughing, because they had vaguely heard what Zhu Chong said.

Ma Xun jumped up and said, "I have never begged for food, don't talk nonsense. Look at other people. A family of three can cultivate an acre of land in less than a day, but you four haven't even cultivated half an acre in two days!"

Zhu Chong and others were immediately speechless. They now had a deeper understanding of the difficulty of farming.

Ma Xun continued, "Look at the ordinary people. They just eat a bite in the fields at noon. You provide tea and fruits here. Can ordinary people eat them?"

Zhu Chong and others continued to eat and drink to their heart's content. They were now at the age where they could eat their fathers out of money, and there was endless work to do every day. Naturally, their appetites grew when they were tired.

Now they not only have a new understanding of the difficulty of farming, but also seem to understand why their father and mother are so frugal.

Regardless of whether they have a new understanding deep in their hearts, Zhu Chong and others now have some new views on cherishing food.

There is no idle land in the world, yet farmers still starve to death.

In the past I just thought it was a poem, nothing more than a scholar expressing his sorrow for the passing of time, but now I seem to understand it vaguely.

Zhu Shouqian swallowed the snack, looked up and said, "Uncle, please spare my mother!"

Ma Xun said unhappily, "I can't make the decision on this matter. I need your Majesty's order."

Zhu Shouqian could only lower his head and continue to eat snacks. He had never suffered such grievances before. But now he had to endure the grievances. Some of the tricks he used before were not only ineffective, but would be dealt with even more miserably.

Even his mother, who taught him the tricks, can only wear coarse cloth clothes now and is busy washing clothes, cooking, and delivering meals to the fields every day.

If Zhu Shouqian resisted, he would be beaten. If his mother dared to express dissatisfaction, she would be prepared to use family law.

Ma Xun was relieved when he saw these guys. "You only eat one or two meals like this in a year. Ordinary people can't even eat snacks like this once or twice in a year."

Zhu Di couldn't help but emphasized, "Uncle, not to mention after returning to Fengyang, even after leaving the capital, we ate steamed buns mixed with bran and soup with only leaves along the way."

Zhu Chong and others also nodded quickly, and their uncle chose to forget some things again.

I thought I would just eat some unpalatable civilian food and know what the people eat.

Who knew that was just the beginning, not to mention that every meal would be like this. In short, within ten days or half a month, the food of Zhu Di and others would fall from the sky to the ground one or two times.

They eat whatever tastes bad, just like now, the staple food is white flour steamed buns, with some cakes as snacks.

In order to make it easier to swallow, it is served with "Pearl Jade White Jade Soup". The name sounds good, but it is actually just cabbage stalks, rice crust and tofu.

My uncle was quite humane. He thought that rotten tofu was unhealthy and was worried that his nephews would get sick after eating it, so he "mercifully" chose old tofu, but it still didn't have any greasy smell!

Ma Xun thought that it was enough to just listen to these complaints, and there was no need to take them to heart. Having a bad meal occasionally was nothing.

Sometimes he would respect people like Zhu Chong, but it was obvious that most of the time he just treated them as ignorant kids.

Ma Xun pointed at the fields and said, "I'll give you three more days at most. If you don't plant seeds, you'll miss the farming season. I don't care whether you get up early or go to bed late, but you must finish the farm work within three days, and you are not allowed to ask for help."

Zhu Chong and others looked at each other in dismay, feeling worried, but they could not muster the slightest thought of resistance. They could only blame their bad luck for having such a torturous uncle.

The key point is that this uncle's words are so profound that it is impossible to refute them. Otherwise, he is disloyal and unfilial and does not know how to share the worries of the court.

What makes it even more difficult to resist is that this uncle can be really cruel when he gets angry, but he also does not hide his love and expectations for his nephews.

After a brief rest, Zhu Chong and others could only start working again with their heads down.

We definitely can't rely on others. Wang Wen and Liu Ying can only give some guidance. The work must be done by Zhu Chong and others personally.

Ma Xun, standing on the ridge of the field, looked around and said, "Take Wangcai out. He can eat some grass after the dew has dispersed."

He Da reminded quietly, "Uncle, Wangcai probably doesn't like green grass."

Donkeys generally don't have high requirements for fodder, but Wangcai is not an ordinary donkey. After two years of pampering, this lazy donkey has started to be picky about food.

"Take it over and try, maybe it will be willing to eat it." Ma Xun was not confident, but he was willing to give it a try, "It's not like it's stupid, it's sensible after all."

The princes and nephews had some spoiled and arrogant personalities, which were caused by the emperor. And this uncle of the emperor was sometimes also overly arrogant and hypocritical to the people and things he cared about.

Ma Xun felt that everything was going well now. His nephews were training soldiers diligently and farming industriously.

This is the best possible scenario, and this is what he hopes to see. Bringing these clan members back to Fengyang is just to hope that they can grow.

Just when Ma Xunzhi was feeling full of pride, at such a seemingly harmonious moment, a warhorse came galloping over, and the knight who jumped off the horse stumbled over.

"Report to Duke Xu, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has urgently ordered the Duke to return to the capital."

Ma Xun didn't ask the reason and immediately shouted, "He Da, prepare to return to Beijing."

"Second brother, everything will remain the same during my absence." Ma Xun said as he looked at his bewildered nephews working in the fields, "I will come back in a few days and punish anyone who dares to slack off!"

General He threw the reins to the other guards and immediately rushed to the horse tied on the side of the road. Since the king's uncle was returning to Beijing, he would definitely bring the guards with him.

When they were a little further away from the fields, Ma Xun asked, "Why did the prince summon me back to the capital?"

"The Minister of Rites requested that Wang Baobao's sister be made the Princess of Qin," the knight quickly replied, "Many officials in the court agree with this, and Your Majesty is somewhat moved."

Ma Xun's face also changed. Tao Kai and his people were really cunning. They really had no intention of giving up.

The knight continued to answer, "It was what happened yesterday. Duke Cao argued in front of the emperor and was attacked by the Minister of Rites and others."

"They are bullying Baoer because he is an honest man and because he has studied!" Ma Xun was annoyed. "They are attacking him in groups. I want to see what they have to say!"

The knight couldn't help but look at Ma Xun. When did Duke Cao become an honest man?

I heard that although Duke Cao was "attacked by many people", he did not lose the upper hand. He was a general who made the Yuan people terrified. How could he be an honest man!
(End of this chapter)