The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 191: The Door Blocked by a Man of Both Literary and Martial Power

Ma Xun and Liu Shuning went out, and Wangcai followed them with kicks and clatters, without the need to be led.

Liu Shuning was still a little worried, "Husband, is this matter difficult for the King of Qin to handle?"

"It's not easy to say. Ordinary people have many things to pay attention to when it comes to marriage, not to mention that he is a prince." Ma Xun said truthfully, "When it comes to the country, many things can only be done with the overall situation in mind."

Ma Xun naturally understood this principle, and the saying that there is no selfishness in the royal family is not just a casual remark.

Those who are of noble birth are indeed rich and powerful, but there are many things that are beyond their control and they can only put the country first.

It was normal to marry nobles, and the Han and Tang dynasties also had the custom of marriage. In order to gain power, Cao Cao married his three daughters to Emperor Xian of Han one after another.

Such things are common in history, and many people later also emphasized the importance of marrying well-matched families and strong unions.

Liu Shuning became even more worried. "If that's the case, what should we do?"

"If you can reason with him, he will talk. If not, he will throw a tantrum." Ma Xun gave his answer directly, "The second brother is stubborn. If this matter doesn't go his way, there will be trouble later."

If Zhao Min really became the Princess of Qin, she would be locked up in the cold palace, eating stale fruit with a broken bowl, and would also be buried with Zhu Chong.

In order to make things difficult for the emperor and disgust people, Zhu Chong and Deng might secretly build the dragon bed and make the queen's crown and clothes. By then, there would be nothing they would not dare to do.

The young couple continued chatting, and many passers-by also found it quite interesting.

Although the current customs are not as conservative as those in the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty or the Qing Dynasty, there are rarely so-called ladies walking around the streets casually.

As for walking side by side after getting married, that was even more rare. It was just that Ma Xun had some sense and didn't often walk hand in hand with Liu Shuning like they did at home.

Otherwise, before other people think it's "indecent" or "heretical", Liu Shuning herself would be overwhelmed.

Seeing Ma Xun, Hua Gao was still very surprised, "Uncle, when did you come back?"

"Just got back." Ma Xun said with a smile, "Marquis Guangde, do you want to check the palace talisman?"

Hua Gao smiled and joked, "Unless the higher-ups have issued an order not to allow you to enter the palace, there is no point in checking the palace talisman."

Others could enter the palace only after obtaining an imperial decree and a palace token, but Li Zhen, Ma Xun and others were not allowed to enter the palace unless they received a clear imperial decree.

Ma Xun smiled and said to Liu Shuning, "You go talk to me first. I'll chat with Guangde Hou here."

Hua Gao was naturally eager to get it. Although he had received the secret book compiled by Ma Xun before, his wives and concubines were still not pregnant.

This made Hua Gao very anxious. He was already 59 years old. Most of his peers at this age had grandchildren running around everywhere, but he didn't even have a son. How could he not be anxious?

Liu Shuning took Wangcai into the palace first. It was most important to talk to the queen first.

Hua Gao said in a low voice, "Uncle, Lao Tang is fighting a muddled battle."

Ma Xun didn't know how to comment, so he could only say, "Maybe he's just trying it out, it's no big deal."

Hua Gao disagreed and said, "Now is a good time. The river water will rise soon. Although our navy has powerful ships and cannons, we are still upstream!"

When Zhu Yuanzhang was conquering the world, most of his navy had small ships, which were often crushed by the large warships of the Yuan court and Chen Youliang. At that time, he could only rely on gunpowder and fearlessness to blow up the ships.

But now the situation has changed. The Ming Dynasty's warships and cannons are so powerful that they have almost no rivals when they roam the rivers and seas.

But no matter what, even if the ship is big, we still have to consider wind and waves. It is not so bad now in the dry season, but in the flood season, the pressure of going upstream will be great.

After all, Hua Gao was a general with countless military achievements in his early years, and he was also born in the Chaohu Navy, so he naturally understood the gains and losses of naval battles better.

Ma Xun asked with concern, "Marquis Guangde, does this mean that this battle is not going well?"

"It all depends on whether Fu Youde can make a breakthrough in the north. If he enters Sichuan first, Lao Tang will have an easier time." Hua Gao complained, "Why is it so difficult for Lao Tang to be promoted to Duke?"

In fact, the Huaixi nobles all understood that although Tang He was not given a position as Duke when the meritorious officials were first conferred titles, he would be conferred the title of Duke sooner or later, and everyone had no objection.

But no one expected that Tang He would be so lame when leading the army. Maybe Fu Youde ate too much of the Manchu-Han banquet prepared for him.

Hua Gao looked around and said, "Uncle King is in such a hurry to come back, is it because of something in the court?"

Ma Xun did not hide the fact that although Hua Gao was not the most important noble in Huaixi, he was still an old friend of Zhu Yuanzhang. Even if he was showing off his seniority based on his achievements, it would not be annoying.

"I have been very ill these years, and I have been reluctant to do anything the superiors have assigned me." Hua Gao said with some embarrassment, "Uncle, I can only help shout a few words this time and protect you from being bullied."

Hua Gao is self-aware. He has made many contributions in the past, so the emperor can tolerate him showing off his seniority now, but he cannot just show off his seniority all the time.

Ma Xun laughed, "It's no fun for Marquis Guangde to say that. I'm the uncle of the king, the duke of the state, how can I be a scoundrel!" The old man who had survived the turbulent times said directly, "Our friendship is not that deep, so why would you have the time to talk to me? Are you blocking here just for the civil servants who are leaving the court to see?"

No wonder Zhu Yuanzhang could tolerate Hua Gao's disobedience in recent years. The main reason was that this old guy knew the emperor's bottom line too well.

Anyway, he was jumping on the emperor's bottom line and had a clear understanding of some situations. He was just an old man without children and no one could do anything to him.

Ma Xun did not hide it and whispered, "I'm afraid if we get into a fight, we won't be able to resist. If there are really too many people, please help me hold them back."

It’s no wonder that Ma Xun is cautious. The main reason is that he is worried about being alone and weak. It would be terrible if he was attacked by a group of people.

They would not beat up Song Lian and Tao Kai, let alone an old man. But if the other side had more people and was young and strong, they would not dare to beat Ma Xun, but they would stop him.

Hua Gao said confidently, "I am in control of the situation so it won't get out of hand. If the prince-in-law really starts fighting, I will stop them. You can hit whoever you want, and I will definitely vent your anger."

Controlling the situation so that it doesn't get out of control is not only about worrying about making a big fool of oneself or being punished by the emperor, but also about leading things in the direction of "personal revenge".

As for taking sides, it is very common for people from bandit dens to want to take sides. The Chaohu navy at the time was not a monolithic entity, but had four or five small factions within it.

Hua Gao said proudly, "Old Chang likes to scold people, and no one dares to fight him. Old Tang is the same. He dares to smash people's doors when he is drunk. It's only because Tiande and Baoer are too humble that those people dare to take advantage of them."

In the eyes of people like Hua Gao, there is really nothing to be afraid of from the civil servants. Even if it is Duke Han Guo Li Shanchang, so what? You are in charge of internal affairs, and I am in charge of fighting. We are not in the same system.

Now that the Grand Marshal's Office and the Secretariat have been separated again, the separation of military and political affairs is more thorough, so there is even less to worry about.

Those scholars just bully honest people. They never dare to talk to people like Chang Yuchun and Tang He. When they encounter unreasonable people like Chang and Tang He, they will just give in.

Ma Xun said proudly, "Marquis Guangde, I am a doctor, and my Ma family is a family of scholars who have a long tradition of farming and studying. I am not a scoundrel, otherwise my sister will say that I am damaging the family tradition."

Hua Gao couldn't help but look at Ma Xun, and Ma Xun also looked at Hua Gao, and the two of them laughed at the same time.

We are all the same, why pretend to be cultured?
"Meet Duke Xu."

"Duke Xu, I am honored to be here."

Ma Xun stood at the entrance of Fengtian Gate with his big horse and golden sword, blocking the side door for civil and military officials to enter and exit. Only those with titles and civil officials of the third rank and military officials of the fourth rank and above were allowed to enter and exit. Other ranks could only enter through the two Que gates and exit through the two Ye gates.

"Master Song, long time no see!"

Ma Xun suddenly shouted, "I heard that my Baoer made a mistake and was punished by Master Song. Is that true?"

Song Lian's scalp suddenly went numb. How come the king's uncle came back so quickly?

Ma Xun's words also made the civil and military officials who were leaving the court stop immediately. This was not just about watching the fun, it also involved political affairs.

Song Lian quickly explained, "Why did Duke Xu say that? Duke Cao and I had a disagreement and we just had a few arguments in the court."

Ma Xun nodded slightly and breathed a sigh of relief. "Since I came to the capital, in addition to the kindness of the Emperor and Empress, I have also been taken care of by Duke Cao. If my Bao'er is not polite and offends you, please forgive me. He is a general and has a quick temper."

No one else knew how to respond. Among the generals of the Ming Dynasty, Xu Da and Li Wenzhong were the most stable and reasonable.

On the other hand, Uncle Ma used to be relatively reasonable. After all, he was an educated man. He just didn't care much about small details.

But now, he seems to care less about both the greater good and the smaller details, and is becoming more and more like the domineering in-laws described in some history books and novels.

Song Lian quickly said, "I dare not."

So what if he was the prince's mentor? Although Song Lian was a great scholar with high prestige in the scholar circle, in the officialdom, he was the head of the Hanlin academicians, the Zhizhigao, responsible for drafting imperial edicts, and the emperor's adviser.

This is the "secretary" who is more trusted by the emperor, but does not have much real power.

Ma Xun found a new target and waved his hand, "Minister of Rites, don't leave. I just came back from the Imperial City. Let's discuss the ceremony."

Tao Kai couldn't avoid it and said quickly, "Uncle, I still have some business to deal with."

"Oh?" Ma Xun put his hands behind his back and slowly walked towards Tao Kai, "When was I, the Minister of the Central Secretariat, deposed by His Majesty?"

Tao Kai quickly apologized, "I spoke out of turn, please forgive me, Duke."

The benefits of holding multiple positions came to light. Even though Ma Xun was not in charge of specific matters, he was "capable of both civil and military affairs". He was nominally the second-in-command of the Grand Marshal's Office and the third-in-command of the Secretariat.

Wang Guangyang is now nominally the highest official in the Secretariat, but Hu Weiyong, who is nominally ranked fifth or sixth, holds the real power.

But no matter what, Ma Xun wanted to discuss the matter, and Tao Kai, Song Lian and others had no way to refuse!
(End of this chapter)