The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 53 Sweet pastry

After finishing a day's work, Liu Bowen left the government office and returned home. He was full of worries and seemed very helpless along the way.

He was insulted again by Li Shanchang.

Li Shanchang's ability is unquestionable. He appears to be kind and gentle on the outside, but inwardly he is extremely jealous of talented people. Anyone who offends his authority will be retaliated against.

Previously, Liu Bowen assisted Li Shanchang in improving etiquette and laws, which was why he was scolded again.

As soon as I got back home, the housekeeper said, "Master, the prince's uncle arrived this morning."

Liu Bowen was suddenly upset, "Lunch left behind?"

After adjusting his mood, Liu Bowen walked towards the main hall. From a distance, he saw his eldest son, legitimate daughter and Ma Xun talking and laughing. Ma Xun was dancing exaggeratedly, and no one knew what he was saying.

It is good this way, with the king's uncle around, the children can live in wealth and have no worries.

Liu Bowen smiled and said, "I heard you laughing from a distance, what are you laughing at?"

Liu Lian and Liu Shuning quickly saluted.

Ma Xun bowed and said, "Uncle, I was just talking to my elder brother about renovating my house. I plan to build a garden in the west, with artificial mountains and water, and then I will show off my taste."

Liu Bowen could not help but look at Ma Xun. On the one hand, he was surprised that Ma Xun changed his words very naturally. On the other hand, he wondered if this uncle of the emperor was hiding his incompetence.

Liu Bowen then said, "How to modify the house is your business, you have the final say. I am older, so it is okay for me to build a garden, but please don't break the rules."

Everyone is aware of this point. They should build a courtyard that suits their status and rank, and they must not overstep their boundaries.

Liu Bowen then looked at Liu Lian and Liu Shuning and said, "You two should leave first. I have something important to discuss with my uncle."

Liu Lian and Liu Shuning naturally had no objection and left after paying their respects. Ma Xun also wanted to leave, as he had nothing to say to Liu Bowen.

Liu Bowen looked at Ma Xun and asked, "The army will certainly attack Wang Baobao early next year. Will you join the battle?"

Ma Xun shook his head and said, "Probably not. The Queen asked me to get married and have children as soon as possible. I think I will be in the capital next year."

Liu Bowen smiled and nodded, saying, "I guess so. Now that you have military merits and have entered the Grand Commandery, that will be enough for you for now."

When this was mentioned, Ma Xun became a little worried, "Uncle, I don't know much about military affairs."

"It doesn't matter whether you are connected or not, as long as you are in the Grand Commandery." Liu Bowen said with a smile, "Do you know the origin of this Grand Commandery?"

Seeing Ma Xun shaking his head, Liu Bowen explained the origin of the Grand Marshal's Office and so on.

Ma Xun also knew something about it. The Grand Marshal's Office was set up by Zhu Yuanzhang in order to better control the army and separate the army from the Secretariat.

Liu Bowen spoke carefully and Ma Xun listened attentively, and suddenly he felt something was wrong.

Liu Bowen said seriously, "Now the war in the north is about to be settled, and the system of the Ming Dynasty's military governor's office, military commission, and military garrison is also complete. But do you know what to do next?"

Seeing Ma Xun shaking his head, Liu Bowen could only say, “Do you know that many generals now hold official positions in the Secretariat?”

Ma Xun was stunned for a moment, then said, "I know. I also know that many generals now hold civil service positions."

"After the war, these generals will be assigned to the Grand Commandery," Liu Bowen explained. "This is a good thing for both civil officials and military generals."

Seeing that Ma Xun only half understood, Liu Bowen patiently said, "You have made great contributions, but His Majesty did not let you enter the Secretariat. This is because he loves you."

Ma Xun said quickly, "But how can I manage the Imperial College when I can't even understand what I'm reading?"

Liu Bowen smiled and said, "You don't have to worry, uncle. The Imperial Academy has its own chief priests, teachers, professors, etc. You just need to look after it from time to time."

That's right. This doesn't mean that Ma Xun is asked to be the chief academic officer of the Imperial College. He is not required to teach and educate people. He is just required to secure resources for the Imperial College when necessary, or to convey the emperor's will to the teaching front line.

As a management position, Ma Xun is currently doing some things that are not particularly technical.

Liu Bowen pondered for a moment and asked, "Uncle, do you want to go to the Secretariat?" Ma Xun immediately shook his head and said, "I don't want to go there. It would be best if I don't go to the Grand Commandery either. I'll be free."

Liu Bowen could only say, "If the world is stable, it would be fine for the uncle to think so. But now it seems that the world is just beginning to be settled, but there are still many things to do. It is difficult for the uncle to not do anything."

Afraid that Ma Xun didn't understand, Liu Bowen said, "Your Majesty deliberately let the uncle enter the Grand Commandery instead of the Secretariat. First, it is to set a rule for the transfer of officers in the army in the future, and second, it is because you don't want someone to bother you."

Ma Xun also said helplessly, "That's true. I am so cautious and prudent, but I have received countless visiting cards and invitations, many of which are from the Secretariat and the six ministries."

"Prime Minister Li is from Huaixi," Liu Bowen said with a smile, "Prince's uncle had been in contact with many Huaixi people before, but he was not among them. Prime Minister Li will probably not be happy."

Ma Xun said without much concern, "He is a civil servant, unlike me."

Liu Bowen said sternly, "Uncle, why do you think His Majesty chose my daughter to be his wife?"

Seeing that Ma Xun was silent, Liu Bowen said, "Your Majesty, you should know that when your Majesty established his foundation in Nanjing, there were many brave generals, but not many civil officials, right?"

Seeing Ma Xun nod, Liu Bowen said, "Now it is said that the people of Huaixi and the people of Zhejiang are fighting, which is not an exaggeration. But do you understand why they are fighting, uncle?"

Ma Xun thought about it carefully and shook his head.

Liu Bowen was speechless for a moment, then he said, "It's too early to talk about this now. It doesn't matter if the uncle doesn't understand the affairs of the court. With Her Majesty the Queen protecting you, no one can mess with you."

If you think about it carefully, it would be better if your son-in-law doesn't understand state affairs, so he doesn't have to get involved in some disputes.

But then he felt it was unrealistic. Even if Ma Xun was unwilling to participate in government affairs, there would always be people who would find ways to guide and deceive him.

The status of this uncle of the emperor is special, so naturally he is one of the people worth winning over in the eyes of many people.

The world has now been conquered, but there are still many struggles to come.

The struggle between civil officials and military commanders, the struggle between Huaixi nobles and Zhejiang civil officials, and the struggle between southern scholars and Yuan Dynasty surrendered officials.
Perhaps we should think more about the struggle between the literati and the imperial power, and between the imperial power and the power of the prime minister!

This is just the beginning. Today’s Ming Dynasty is in a state of disrepair and many rules and regulations need to be formulated and improved.

If you can seize the right to speak at this time, you will have more power in the court in the future.

They may even set rules that will affect the Ming Dynasty, leave a name in history, or leave some blessings for future generations.

In the next few years, there will be no shortage of open and covert struggles, intrigues, and perhaps even so-called party struggles.

Liu Bowen did not say too much, as he was worried that Ma Xun would not understand or digest what he said. It was also because some things could be mentioned later, so there was no need to rush now.

He originally wanted to stay for dinner, but Liu Bowen kept serving him tea, and the shameless Ma Xun could no longer stay and had to leave in shame.

As soon as he arrived at the door of his house, Chang Mao jumped out and said, "Uncle, General Xu and Prime Minister Li have sent people to invite you to a banquet tomorrow."

Ma Xun thought for a moment and said directly, "Go to Prime Minister Li and tell him that I will attend a banquet at General Xu's house tomorrow. As for Chang Sheng, go to General Xu and tell him that I will attend the banquet on time tomorrow."

Chang Sen was eagerly looking forward to it, waiting for the task to be assigned.

There are really no plans. Ma Xun feels that after returning to the capital, he actually eats at home less often.

Ma Xun thought about it carefully after returning to the house, and then wrote something quickly and handed it to Xu E, "E, I want to send a letter to the palace, can you help run errands?"

Xu E smiled and said, "Master, if you want to enter the palace, just go ahead. Who can stop you?"

"That's different. I'll be scolded if I go." Ma Xun said, "I'll write a letter, so my sister won't be able to scold me."

Xu E could only say, "Then I'll have someone deliver the letter right away."

Everything is fine, Ma Xun feels that what he did is absolutely safe!

(End of this chapter)