The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 2 The Emperor's Brother-in-Law

In the second year of the Hongwu reign, Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying posthumously conferred the title of King Xu on Ma Taigong and built a shrine on the east side of the Taimiao. It was Ma Xiuying who personally enshrined the spirit tablets at that time.

There is a cemetery in the north of Jiagou Town, on the left side of Fengshan Mountain and the right side of Guishan Mountain in Suzhou. This is the Tomb of King Xu. However, now it is just a fenced area, and no tomb or temple has been built.

At this moment, inside the post station, a dark and thin young man was feeding a skinny donkey with a worried look on his face.

"Eat, you only know how to eat! We are in big trouble now!"

The skinny donkey raised its head, brayed twice, and then continued to eat with relish.

"If I were not the queen's half brother, I would have been skinned and shredded, and even chopped into pieces. You are doomed to be cooked into donkey meat and roasted! Dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground, understand?"

The skinny donkey didn't care and continued to eat with relish. It was a rare opportunity to have such delicious fodder.

Ma Xun became even more worried. "How could this old man be the Queen's father? Didn't they say that the Queen had no brothers or sisters? How could this old man, who was fleeing and carrying a murder case, still have the mind to marry and have children?"

Thinking of this, Ma Xun became even more worried, because his brother-in-law was suspected to be Emperor Hongwu!
Ma Xun touched the head of Skinny Donkey Wangcai and said sadly, "Hey, if the old man is really Prince Xu, will the Queen recognize me as her half-brother? If she does, will there be a chance for me to be granted a title of nobility and a military officer?"

The next moment Ma Xun shook his head, "It's unlikely, she is a virtuous queen. I have no merit, and I am his half-brother, or to put it bluntly, an illegitimate child. It's good enough that they can recognize me, how can they arrange an official position for me!"

But think about it, it's not absolute. In this era, people don't care about mistresses, and this child is not kept outside the house.

"You know what ancient times were like. When a person died, they couldn't just find a random place to bury him. Mountains had owners, and so did lands. No wonder the emperor conferred the title of Marquis of Yihui on Liu Jizu."

If I had known earlier, I would have found a place to bury the old man quietly. Fallen leaves return to their roots, fallen leaves return to their roots. But now, look what happens, he is directly controlling me!

It would be fine if the identity was recognized, but if it was not recognized, it would be worse than death!
Even if it was just feeding a donkey, there were several guards with knives standing not far away. I changed into some nice clothes, and I didn't have to worry about food and accommodation for the next two days, but who knows if this will be the last dinner!
As they were talking, a burly middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and big eyes strode into the post station.

It is about 300 kilometers from Suzhou to Yingtian Prefecture, and Zhu Yuanzhang spent a day and a night rushing there.

When Zhu Yuanzhang saw the young man feeding the donkey, he was stunned.

He was tall and thin, with messy short hair, and the brocade robe he wore was so loose that it looked ill-fitting, and it was obvious that he had just borrowed it.

Zhu Yuanzhang stepped forward and asked with a smile, "Are you Ma Xun?"

Looking at Zhu Yuanzhang, who had a strong aura, Ma Xun asked cautiously, "Who are you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said vaguely, "You can't even recognize your brothers?"

Ma Xun immediately complained, "It's strange that I recognize him. I met a few outsiders before, including Wu Zhong and Wu Ju. They didn't even dare to recognize me. Who knows where I am from!"

Wu Zhong and Wu Ju, Ma Xiuying's cousins, are the two sons of Ma Xiuying's uncle.

Ma Xun looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked carefully, "You look like an important figure, why didn't I see you the other day?"

Zhu Yuanzhang patted Wangcai's head and said, "I was not in Suzhou before, and I hurried back. This donkey is two years old. Was it the one that dragged the coffin of Prince Xu back?"

"It has suffered a lot and it hasn't grown up yet." Ma Xun said with some distress, "Brother, if something goes wrong, you can take the donkey away. It is smart and intelligent, don't let anyone kill it for meat."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Ma Xun and asked, "What could be wrong?"

"I don't even know who this old man is, how come he's related to the Emperor and Empress?" Ma Xun complained immediately, "You must be an important person, maybe you can have a say in front of the Empress, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately shook his head and said, "I have no say in front of the Queen. Since you said you didn't know the identity of the ancestor, why did you send him back?"

"It's not like the fallen leaves return to their roots and rest in peace. After all, he is his son." Ma Xun said, "Brother, I really didn't want to curry favor with the royal family. I just wanted to bury the old man in the ancestral tomb, but I didn't expect someone to catch him. I was just keeping it a secret, don't blame me!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, "Not killing you is too light! How can we touch the tomb of the Xu King's ancestors so easily!"

Ma Xun felt even more aggrieved, "He's not over there. I was quite far away. I didn't know he was also trapped."

Zhu Yuanzhang did not comment, and then asked, "The queen is from Xinfengli, and your surname is Ma, why don't you think you are the queen's brother?" Ma Xun knew that the man in front of him must have been sent to investigate the case, so he was more cautious, "Didn't they say that the queen has no brothers? There are many people with the surname Ma in the world, how can they be related to the queen. And there is a big age difference, how can they be siblings."

"Since you know that the queen has no brothers or sisters and is from Xinfengli, why did you come back with the coffin? If not to look for your relatives, what else could it be?" Zhu Yuanzhang stared at Ma Xun with sharp eyes. "From the way you talk, do you think you have read books?"

Ma Xun answered cautiously, "I have read it, but I don't understand its meaning and my handwriting is not good."

After looking at Ma Xun's hair, Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Have you ever been a monk?"

"How can I be so lucky as to be a monk? I can't make a living without a certificate." Ma Xun scratched his messy hair in embarrassment, "Brother, am I calling you that correctly?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "If the queen recognizes you, it's correct for you to call her that. There's no difference in generation."

This is a big shot. He is of the same generation as the queen and he also knows something about her family background. That's amazing.

Zhu Yuanzhang stopped smiling and asked, "How many years have passed since our ancestor passed away? He is the only one who has returned?"

"It's been ten years." Ma Xun said with a smile, "The coffin is almost ready, fortunately we can clean it up. I don't know where the old man buried my mother's remains."

Zhu Yuanzhang was startled and asked quickly, "How old are you this year?"

Ma Xun answered honestly, "Twenty."

Zhu Yuanzhang felt even more distressed. When his father-in-law ran away, he had Ma Xun. But he died a few years later. At that time, Ma Xun was only a ten-year-old child, all alone.

In fact, when Zhu Yuanzhang saw Ma Xun, he felt that there should be no mistake. It is not known whether Ma Xun looks like Ma Taigong, but he looks very similar to the queen.

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a gentle voice, "Why did you come back only this year? You should have come back a few years ago."

"Isn't there a war going on? I finally saved some money to buy a donkey and just came back." Ma Xun smiled and said in a flattering way, "Brother, I was begging for food in Fujian before. There are many mountains over there, and there are not many wars. You must be a government official. We can find out by sending someone to investigate."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "We must send someone to investigate. They may be on the way."

"Yes, yes, yes. When we get there, just say little wild horse. Many people will know about it." Ma Xun continued to flatter, "Brother, I really am not trying to curry favor with the royal family. There must be some misunderstanding."

Looking at the thick joints of Ma Xun's fingers, Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Do you know martial arts?"

"I need to know a little bit about guns and sticks, otherwise I won't be able to save my life." Ma Xun said truthfully, "There was some chaos in the past few years. I am waiting for the world to be peaceful, and then I will come back."

During the chaotic times at the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang's enemies were not just Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, but also Fang Guozhen who occupied Zhejiang, and He Zhen who actually ruled most of Lingnan.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked again, "You came back alone? You are twenty years old and still haven't got married?"

"Others look down on me, and I look down on others, too." Ma Xun said vaguely, "It's better to have no family or career, no burden. If you really want to be beheaded, please take Wangcai away with you."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at the skinny donkey, which should be "Wangcai". His wife's brother was plain, "He looks like he has a good physique. There must be someone who knows his worth and wants to marry him, right?"

Ma Xun thought about it carefully before saying, "That's probably because they don't know what I'm worth, and no one wants me to be their son-in-law."

Zhu Yuanzhang then asked, "Are there any benefactors or enemies?"

"I don't have any enemies, but I have many benefactors." Ma Xun said seriously, "I have been to the east and west for a while, otherwise I wouldn't be alive today."

Zhu Yuanzhang was so distressed that he trembled, "Have you ever begged for food?"

Ma Xun immediately said in disgust, "You are so boring! How can you beg for food? I am eloquent and strong, and I can eat wherever I go!"

Zhu Yuanzhang understood it better, "Isn't this begging? You are really related to the emperor. You can't be a monk, and you can't beg for food."

"How can I compare? I traveled around when I was little, and when I grew up I went to the temple to make a living." Ma Xun became more cautious in his words and actions, "You, my elder brother, should also be careful with your words, don't hurt me!"

He is timid and has no big ambitions, but he is filial and loyal. What a great brother-in-law!
(End of this chapter)