The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 96: Want to find the emperor's ancestors

If the emperor summons you, you have to go.

When I arrived at Wuying Palace, I not only saw Zhu Yuanzhang, but I didn't expect that Li Zhen was also there.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you." Ma Xun saluted formally, "I pay my respects to the Marquis Enqin."

Zhu Yuanzhang said cheerfully, "I originally wanted to ask you to come over. You have made progress. This is a great achievement."

Li Zhen nodded in agreement. He also felt that Ma Xun had made progress, which was a great achievement.

It’s just that these people seem to have a relatively low definition of success, and they obviously don’t have high expectations for Ma Xun.

Zhu Yuanzhang also talked about business, "This time, we will confer titles on the kings until the tenth one."

“Old Ten?” Ma Xun was stunned for a moment, “Old Ten is also crowned king?”

It's no wonder Ma Xun was surprised. The tenth son, Zhu Tan, was the son of Concubine Guo Ning and was only six months old. The eighth son, Zhu Zi, and the ninth son, Zhu Qi, were only a little over one year old.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "This is the first time we are conferring titles of nobility. As long as they are our sons, we will confer titles of nobility on them all, and our daughters will all be conferred titles of nobility on them all at once, and princesses will all be conferred titles on them all."

This is consistent with Zhu Yuanzhang's characteristics, he always loves his children.

This is why many systems in the newly established Ming Dynasty were imperfect and many things required a process.

In the future, Zhu Yuanzhang might stipulate that princes and dukes could only be crowned kings or appointed as crown princes when they were ten years old, but now there are not so many rules.

However, this was also the first time that the Ming Dynasty had a centralized ceremony to confer titles on kings, so the scale was a bit larger.

The second round of conferring the title of king would have to be in the middle of the Hongwu period. This would not necessarily be done immediately when one is ten years old. If one misses this opportunity, one might have to wait for more than ten years.

Ma Xun asked, "What are the titles for the Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Brothers?"

"Prince of Tan, Prince of Zhao, Prince of Lu." Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile, "Since they are to be crowned as kings, they should all be crowned at once. After the crowning, we should prepare to crown the meritorious officials."

Ma Xun also suspected that Zhu Yuanzhang was the one who made the rules himself and was breaking them.

The compilation of "Record of Ancestral Instructions" began last year. Although it is still being improved, some major issues have definitely been decided long ago.

It is better not to argue with Zhu Yuanzhang about these things now. He is the emperor, so naturally he is the one who makes the decision.

Seeing that Ma Xun and Li Zhen both accepted this statement, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "Then you go to Wenhua Hall and discuss this matter with Biaoer."

Ma Xun was a little surprised, "The prince is now starting to govern the country?"

The main reason is that Wenhua Hall is special. It is where the crown prince works. Working in a palace has a different meaning.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and explained, "It's not really governing the country, just looking at the memorials that have been reviewed and some minor matters. Your nephew has the ability, so there's no need to worry about it."

Then Zhu Yuanzhang said to the young eunuch, "Send the sedan chair."

The palace was too big to ride a horse in. So walking on two legs would be a bit tiring. Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xun had no problem, but Li Zhen was old enough to be treated better.

Li Zhen did not refuse, because the Wuying Hall and Wenhua Hall were too far apart and he was tired from walking.

"Brother-in-law, what has Bao'er been doing these days?" Ma Xun asked curiously, "I've been eating and drinking with the Huaixi people these days, but Bao'er hasn't been there much."

Li Zhen smiled and said, "I asked him to take care of the patient, so I didn't allow him to go out."

Ma Xun was stunned for a moment. He had never heard that Li Zhen was sick.

Seeing that Ma Xun seemed to have misunderstood, Li Zhen explained, "Bao'er is different. It's not good for him to get too close to some people in Huaixi, so he pretended to be sick."

Ma Xun was relieved, "That's true. I wanted not to go, but it's hard to refuse favors. They are all close relatives."

Li Zhen said with deep feeling, "That's right. Bao'er is your Majesty's nephew and now has a deep foundation in the army. How can he stay with the Huaixi people all day? This is inappropriate."

Ma Xun is an honest person, and Li Zhen is also an honest person. They both know their limits.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying often sighed that although there were only two relatives in the family, they were both worry-free. There were no emperors or empresses like them who did not have to worry about their in-laws.

As soon as Li Zhen got off the sedan chair, Zhu Biao walked out of Wenhua Hall, "Uncle, Uncle."

"Your Highness, Li Zhen (Ma Xun) pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Zhu Biao complained, "My aunt and uncle are being so polite again. After all, I am a junior. How can I accept the courtesy of the elders?"

Li Zhen smiled and said, "Your Highness, this is in the Wenhua Palace. If it was in the side hall, I would be more presumptuous."

This is the job title when it comes to work. How can the prince express his closeness and just agree to it directly? It still depends on the occasion. When he arrived at the Wenhua Hall, he saw a few familiar faces. For example, Song Lian and Wei Guan, they were also Zhu Biao's "teachers" who were responsible for explaining the classics to him.

These people are not only good at reading, they can also handle some official affairs.

"Uncle, you have also met Wei Jijiu." Zhu Biao smiled and introduced, "This is Song Shi, who taught me to read a long time ago."

Ma Xun smiled and said politely, "I have long heard that Master Song is a great scholar of our time and has extensive knowledge and talent. It's a pity that I didn't have the opportunity to learn from him. It's really a pity."

Not only Song Lian did not believe this, but Li Zhen and Zhu Biao also did not believe it.

After all, when Ma Xun first arrived in the capital last year, he was arranged to accompany the prince to study, but he was just reading "idle books" and slacking off in the main hall, and he didn't look like he was eager to learn.

Ma Xun has plenty of time now, but he is not willing to go to Song Lian and others to ask for advice.

Otherwise, if he came to visit with his identity, Song Lian and others would be so happy, after all, Song Lian had a good relationship with the prince.

Song Lian and Wei Guan were also worried when they saw Ma Xun, because this uncle of the emperor who was in charge of the Imperial College had never paid much attention to the academy.

I originally thought that Ma Xun had read some books and we could discuss knowledge with him and we could discuss books and arguments together. We could all be scholars and Confucian disciples who could live in harmony and share similar ideas.

But looking at it now, Ma Xun has really only read a few books and cannot be considered a serious scholar.

After all, everyone can see that Ma Xun prefers to interact with nobles and is not close to scholars.

Seeing that Song Lian and Wei Guan seemed to be about to say something in front of Zhu Biao, Ma Xun took the initiative and said, "Your Highness, before the court session today, I found that the court rules were too chaotic. I have discussed it with the Minister of Rites."

Zhu Biao was a little confused, "What do you mean, uncle?"

"There is no order without rules. The court is in chaos, and the reports are in chaos. There are no rules at all." Ma Xun said directly, "Your Highness, why don't you ask the great Confucian scholars and Song teachers to discuss the rules for entering the court? It would definitely not be like this during the Tang and Song dynasties."

Li Zhen immediately chimed in, "Your Highness, I think what the uncle said makes sense. I don't attend court very often, but I know that when I do, it's too chaotic, with no rules at all."

Zhu Biao understood what he meant and said, "The Ministry of Rites must have failed. They should have summoned great scholars and doctors to discuss these matters. It's really outrageous that they didn't report such a major event in three years since the founding of the dynasty!"

In order to indirectly say that Ma Xun, the person in charge of the Imperial College, was not serious about developing culture and education, Ma Xun took the initiative to accuse these great scholars of having no rules.

The most important thing is that not only is Li Zhen, a highly respected nobleman and foreign relative, supportive, but the crown prince is also openly taking sides.

If these scholars want to blame Ma Xun, they should first put themselves in the right position and do their own jobs well.

Li Zhen also said, "Your Highness, we are ordered to come here to discuss the enthronement of the kings with Your Highness."

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Aunt, uncle, I am also discussing with Master Song about enthroning the kings according to the old system of the Tang and Song dynasties. However, some of the old systems of the previous dynasties may not be suitable for our Ming Dynasty."

Ma Xun continued, "Time has changed, and the world has changed. Naturally, we cannot follow the old system of the Tang and Song dynasties. But Your Majesty is restoring the orthodoxy of the Han people, so it is not good to disobey the old system."

This is not nonsense. It is a no-brainer to follow the system of the Tang and Song dynasties. However, starting from scratch and making your own rules is not in line with the current policy of changing customs and restoring the orthodoxy of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, the most appropriate approach now is to use some of the old systems from the Tang and Song dynasties as a framework and make some minor changes to keep up with the times.

Zhu Biao said, "I think so too, but my uncle would know it. The Li family of the Tang Dynasty was originally the Longxi Li family, and they revered Laozi as their ancestor. The Zhao family of the Song Dynasty was originally the Zhuojun Zhao family, and they were the descendants of Zhao Youmiu Wangqian during the Warring States Period."

Ma Xun and Li Zhen were both listening and didn't understand what Zhu Biao meant.

Zhu Biao continued, "The great scholars quoted scriptures and felt that it was the destiny. My ancestors should have great figures, and this is the destiny of our Zhu family to obtain the country."

Ma Xun's face suddenly changed, and he said, "Your Highness, Enqinhou and I have been ordered to take charge of the Dazongzhengyuan. How is your Majesty's clan? How should we not know!"

Li Zhen also looked very angry and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor Gaozu was from Zhujiaxiang, Tongde Township, Jurong. He has been farming for generations and his family is poor. Your Highness should also understand that this is recorded in the family tree!"

Emperor Gaozu, this is the fifth-generation ancestor Zhu Zhongba, who was posthumously honored by Zhu Yuanzhang. He was a person from the Southern Song Dynasty.

Ma Xun also said angrily, "Your Majesty, your clan has an orderly inheritance and a clear clan genealogy. My Ma family also has an orderly inheritance, dating back to the time of Emperor Renzong of the Northern Song Dynasty. Could it be that someone has found an ancestor for my Ma family as well?"

It is a common practice for many rulers to find a good ancestor for the emperor and empress to prove that it is the will of heaven, the will of the people, and to increase the sacredness of the emperor.

But now, maybe they will have to find another ancestor for me, and that won’t do!
Song Lian, Wei Guan and others began to worry. They actually found many celebrities with the surname Zhu, such as Zhu Xi, who was suitable for quoting classics and making far-fetched claims to become the emperor's ancestor.

In this way, you can get close to scholars.

It would be natural to find a scholar named Ma at that time.

But now, before the emperor and the crown prince expressed their dissatisfaction, Marquis Enqin and the king's uncle were already angry. These two outsiders seemed to care more about who the ancestors of the Zhu family were.

But no one dared to say anything, because the two people in front of them were in charge of the emperor's family tree and nine clans. If anyone wanted to find the emperor's ancestors, they had to get their consent first.

(End of this chapter)