The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 71 The Basics of Civil Service
Early in the morning, the Duke's Mansion was very lively.

“Take two steps!” Ma Xun held a carrot in his hand and shook it in front of Wangcai, “Take two steps. If you can’t do it, stretch your head!”

Facing Wangcai's laziness, Ma Xun took a step forward helplessly, "Is this okay? It's right next to your mouth, and you're not willing to leave?"

Wangcai is not sick, nor is he old and frail. He is simply lazy and doesn't want to move around.

Ma Xun was completely defeated and stuffed the carrot into Wangcai's mouth. "You are better at lying down and having few desires than me. I found you a female donkey, but you didn't want it. I found you a female horse, but you thought they ate too much and they even robbed your stable."

You can't be so pure and abstinent. He is almost three years old. Other donkeys would be in a hurry to solve physiological problems at this age.

But Wangcai is different. He either likes to stroll in the yard or be lazy. Whenever Ma Xun goes out, he will follow to join in the fun.

It didn't do any serious work, and Ma Xun was so angry that he almost made it work as a millstone.

Everyone in the Prince's Mansion is used to all this. The Prince's Mansion always quarrels with Wangcai whenever he has the chance. Even though he talks a lot, he dotes on Wangcai more than anyone else.

Just when Ma Xun was still persuading Wangcai to make progress, He Da arrived and said, "Uncle of the King, Lord Yang Xianyang is here."

Ma Xun nodded slightly, "Let him in."

When Yang Xian entered the Duke's Mansion, he felt a little embarrassed for a moment. This was not a normal way to entertain guests because Ma Xun was feeding the donkey.

However, Yang Xian was in high spirits. "My Lord, I haven't seen you for a long time. How are you doing?"

The straightforward Ma Xun said, "We just met a few days ago, right? Didn't we meet once during the Chinese New Year?"

Yang Xian was anxious. His uncle really didn't know how to be polite. They were obviously getting along very well and felt that they had met too late, so how could they only meet once?

However, Yang Xian smiled and said, "I talked to Brother Liu about the uncle the other day, and Brother Liu was full of praise for him."

In terms of relationships, Yang Xian and Liu Bowen had a good relationship. At least they were brothers in distress who had once worked together to barely fend off Li Shanchang's attacks.

Ma Xun laughed, "That's rare. My father-in-law never praises anyone in front of me. Could it be that he praises me in private in front of outsiders?"

Yang Xian was speechless for a moment. He didn't know what this uncle of the emperor meant.

According to today's social etiquette, it is unlikely to praise someone in person, especially elders seldom praise younger people in person. It is normal to praise younger people in front of friends.

As a shrewd and experienced person, Yang Xian didn't know what to say for a moment. He felt unsure in front of this uncle of the emperor.

According to normal etiquette, when he came to visit, Ma Xun, the uncle of the emperor, should have received him in the main hall. But now, they were just chatting in the yard, which seemed to be a neglect.

But it is wrong to think that this is looking down on people. Maybe the king's uncle thinks that Yang Xian is his own man, so he doesn't care about empty formalities. After all, many people know that Ma Xun doesn't like red tape.

Yang Xian looked at Wangcai and praised him, "This is Wangcai, right? I have heard your majesty praise Wangcai many times. He is indeed a majestic beast!"

"You're flattered by the word 'Shenjun'." Ma Xun was full of smiles, "But he is indeed smart. Other donkeys can't compare to my Wangcai."

As expected, praising the uncle of the emperor is useless, as he may not appreciate it. But praising the uncle of the emperor for his love of donkeys is a way to please him.

The emperor and the empress were even happy when they praised the donkey. This was not simply a matter of loving the donkey and loving the dog on it.

Seeing that Ma Xun seemed unwilling to have a deep conversation, Yang Xian naturally would not give up. He was also willing to take the initiative to guide the topic, and even thought in his heart that he should take the lead.

Everyone knows what this uncle of the emperor is like. Because of the relationship with the queen, everyone is willing to respect him. But this is only respect for his status, not his ability. He has been wandering outside since he was young, and he doesn't have much real talent. Even if he has some medical skills, they are just minor skills, and it is difficult for him to occupy a high position in the government.

As for Yang Xian, he also respected Ma Xun's identity. Since he had followed Zhu Yuanzhang through the chaotic times, he naturally had enough confidence, even pride.

Yang Xian looked at Ma Xun and asked with a smile, "My Lord, do you know what the Secretariat looks like now?"

"I don't know. I don't work in the Secretariat." Ma Xun answered directly. He really didn't want to have much contact with Yang Xian, especially when it came to government affairs. "I'm just an idle relative, how can I know those things?"

Yang Xian said patiently, "Your Majesty may not know that when Your Majesty started the rebellion, there were no civil officials accompanying him. It was not until the Southern Campaign against Dingyuan that Prime Minister Li surrendered."

Seeing that Ma Xun was silent, Yang Xian continued, "Your Majesty crossed the river to take Dangtu, and Tao An led the elders to welcome him. It was also at that time that Wang Youcheng was staying in Caishi, so he accompanied Your Majesty to make achievements."

Tao An was one of Zhu's early advisers, and served as the vice minister of the Secretariat of Jiangxi Province, but died in office in the first year of Hongwu. Wang Guangyang, needless to say, is now the right prime minister, the highest official in the Secretariat after Li Shanchang retired.

"General Deng recommended Zhu Sheng, who first proposed the three strategies of 'building high walls, storing up food, and delaying the declaration of kingship.'" Yang Xian said patiently, "Later, Duke Yue was able to humble himself and recommended Brother Liu, Song Lian, Ye Chen, Zhang Yi and others to serve Your Majesty."

Ma Xun just listened quietly. He also knew that when Zhu Yuanzhang was conquering the world, there were relatively few civil servants. Even after he established the Ming Dynasty, the civil servant group and scholars all over the world might not be on the same page with Zhu Yuanzhang.

The reason is very simple. Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang damaged the interests of these civil service groups, and these aristocratic families felt that the Mongols treated them better.

The Mongols directly farmed taxes, and these scholars naturally benefited from it. However, when Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, it became difficult for these local clans to farm taxes and abuse their power in the local area.

Yang Xian appreciated Ma Xun's patience. As a close confidant of the emperor, he should clarify the doubts and confusions for the emperor's uncle. Everyone should work together to solve the problem.

Yang Xian continued, "When Deputy General Zuo was stationed in Zhejiang, he was deceived by scholars for a time, but he also recommended Ye Dui under the advice of this humble official."

Ma Xun couldn't help but frown slightly. Yang Xian was full of vigor and vitality, which was nothing wrong because he held great power, but he shouldn't get carried away.

The situation in the Secretariat today is very special. Although military generals such as Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, and Mei Sizu hold official positions in the Secretariat, they basically do not take charge of affairs.

Wang Guangyang, the civil servant, held the highest position, but his power was limited. Yang Xian was the second-rank official, the Left Prime Minister of the Secretariat, but he was actually the head of the Secretariat.

Hu Weiyong was the second-rank official in the Secretariat, but he was the successor recommended by Li Shanchang and had a stronger base.

By the way, Ye Dui was a powerful figure and presented "One Guideline and Three Strategies for Military Affairs" to Zhu Yuanzhang.

It was suggested to stop Li Chahan's surrender in the north, annex Zhang Shicheng's usurpation in the south, and persuade Fang Guozhen to submit in the east, to make Jiankang the capital, to expand the Yangtze River for self-sufficiency, to advance across the Huai River and Huai River, to take over the Central Plains and conquer the world, or to retreat to preserve the territory and defend itself.

Some of his suggestions and advice have now all come true, but this man also refused Zhu Yuanzhang's recruitment back then and is now living a carefree life in his hometown of Zhejiang.

Ma Xun was still listening patiently. He really wanted to know what Yang Xian was up to.

He believed that no one would come to see Yang Xian for no reason, because he and Yang Xian basically had no contact with each other, and their relationship was one of non-interference.

But looking at it now, Yang Xian doesn't seem to think so. He really wants to win over Ma Xun, the emperor's brother-in-law, and work together to do something in the Secretariat.

There is fierce fighting in the Secretariat now, so it is very important for Yang Xian to win over some useful helpers.

He had always been at odds with Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong, and also had an unharmonious relationship with Wang Guangyang and others. The only person in eastern Zhejiang who seemed to have a decent relationship with him was Liu Bowen.

When one has enemies everywhere, being a close confidant of the emperor is not enough; one must continue to work hard and strengthen one's own power.

(End of this chapter)