The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 98: Family members don’t talk behind each other’s backs

After finishing some official business, Ma Xun would definitely go to Ma Xiuying. After entering the palace, he had to go and see her and talk to her no matter what, otherwise he would definitely be blamed.

Ma Xiuying was very happy to see Ma Xun, "I heard that you went to court early in the morning. You have really made progress."

"My nephews want to be crowned kings, so I have to pay attention to them." Ma Xun complained after finishing his business, "My brother-in-law is the one who makes life difficult for me. When he saw me coming to court, he was busy arranging tasks for me."

Ma Xiuying chose to just listen to Ma Xun's complaints, she still hoped that Ma Xun could do more. If she really followed Ma Xun's words, this kid would be lazy again.

Seeing that Ma Xiuying was not fooled, Ma Xun said, "Sister, was Lao Wu really crowned the King of Wu?"

"Why?" Ma Xiuying laughed, "Do you think the King of Wu is too powerful, or do you think the fiefdom is not good?"

King Wu, this was the title of Zhu Yuanzhang before he became emperor. Theoretically, the fief of King Wu was in Zhejiang, basically Hangzhou.

There were three Kings of Wu in the Ming Dynasty in history. The first one was Zhu Yuanzhang before he became emperor.

The second was Zhu Su, but was later changed to King of Zhou. The third was Zhu Biao's third son Zhu Yunhuan, who was named King of Wu, but was deposed by Zhu Di.

Ma Xun could only say, "If the fifth brother is crowned the King of Wu, then he is the King of Wu. I am just worried about what titles Biao'er's descendants will have in the future. My brother-in-law gave all the good titles to his nephews. What will Biao'er do in the future?"

Ma Xiuying said indifferently, "Your brother-in-law only has ten sons now. How many titles can they have? Besides, no one would complain if he gave good titles to his sons. How can he leave a few for his grandsons?"

Ma Xiuying probably underestimated Zhu Yuanzhang's long lifespan and fertility. Ten was just the beginning, and it was by no means Zhu Yuanzhang's limit.

"I went to Wenhua Palace to see Biao'er earlier. He seemed to be handling government affairs very well." Ma Xun said, "It's just that Master Song and his men are too worried. I think the people in East Zhejiang are getting more and more anxious."

Ma Xiuying said nonchalantly, "Let them get anxious. I heard you want your father-in-law to retire?"

"I think he is ill and old, so he needs to go back to his hometown to spend his remaining years." Ma Xun replied, "Sister, do you think this can be done?"

Ma Xiuying continued to ask, "Does your father-in-law want to go back?"

Seeing Ma Xun nod, Ma Xiuying said, "If your father-in-law still wants to go back by the end of the year, you can submit a petition then. It's good for him to go back, which is good for him and you."

Letting Liu Bowen retire and return home would definitely be a loss for Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying. After all, Zhu Yuanzhang was the kind of person who would squeeze the urine out of a toad. If he had the ability and capability, he should have continued to work for the court.

However, Liu Bowen's retirement was indeed more beneficial to Ma Xun, as at least he would not have to get involved in the troubles of the people in eastern Zhejiang.

Ma Xun naturally smiled happily after getting Ma Xiuying's guarantee.

Seeing Ma Xun's bright smile, Ma Xiuying didn't know what to say. Her brother was too smart and could always easily get out of trouble. He not only tried to avoid the troubles in front of him, but also the troubles that had not yet appeared.

Ma Xun, who took the initiative to go to court, did his job, completed his tasks, and also participated in some unexpected political affairs.

He came to court before dawn and returned home in the evening. This was a new experience for Ma Xun, but it was the norm for other civil and military officials.

Seeing Ma Xun coming back, Liu Shuning asked, "Does my husband have any plans for tomorrow?"

Ma Xun thought about it carefully and said, "Something's wrong, and nothing's wrong, but what's the matter?"

Liu Shuning said, "My father sent someone to tell us that if we have time, we can go over there."

"Then go ahead. I'll go to Jiming Mountain the day after tomorrow." Ma Xun also said decisively, "I guess it's because I went to court, and someone went to bother my father-in-law."

Liu Shuning was a little worried, "But what did my husband say in the court?"

"I had a few arguments with someone because of a political disagreement." Ma Xun smiled and said to comfort him, "It's not a party dispute or anything like that. It's just that those people think I don't support them."

Liu Shuning breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "That's nothing. I think those people thought that my husband should help them build momentum in the court. Since they failed, they went to bother my father."

Ma Xun nodded seriously, "I think so too. They don't dare to bother me, so they go to my father-in-law. But it's difficult for my father-in-law. It's hard to refuse the relationship with my colleagues, and it's hard to convince me."

Hearing Ma Xun say this, Liu Shuning also laughed. Her father was now in a dilemma.

On the one hand, Ma Xun is not easy to convince. On the other hand, he not only has to consider the friendship among colleagues, but also his own political ideas, which are in conflict.

However, Liu Shuning obviously would not worry too much, because her father and husband are quite similar in some aspects of their personalities.

As one of the founding heroes of the Ming Dynasty, although Liu Bowen had political ideas and ambitions, he also chose to recognize the times and was willing to give up power and retire while the going was good.

Since his father-in-law called him, Ma Xun accompanied Liu Shuning back to her parents' home.

Liu Shuning went to visit her sister-in-law and nephew, and Ma Xun drank tea and chatted with his two older brothers-in-law.

Liu Lian said jokingly, "My uncle is very busy with official duties, so it's a bit difficult to meet him now." "I'm busy dealing with important matters in the court. Someone has come to complain about me. I'm ready to listen to your teachings." Ma Xun smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, is it Master Song who has come, or is it Master Wei who has said something wrong about me?"

Liu Lian did not hide it, "It was Master Song. He came to sit for a while yesterday and said that you talked about some things in front of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince that were not quite reasonable."

Ma Xun asked calmly, "Oh? It's unreasonable?"

Liu Jing smiled and said, "Father responded vaguely, asking my elder brother to learn the meaning of the scriptures, and Master Song had no way to continue the conversation."

An old hand is an old hand. As a representative of the civil servants in eastern Zhejiang, Liu Bowen’s current situation is actually quite embarrassing, and some things are hard to say.

After Li Shanchang, Wang Guangyang and Yang Xian fell one after another, everyone knew that Hu Weiyong from Huaixi was temporarily in charge of the Secretariat, and they all felt that Liu Bowen from eastern Zhejiang was the most likely to enter the Secretariat.

However, he has never been close to the emperor, and now he has a son-in-law like Ma Xun, so some people in eastern Zhejiang have begun to doubt Liu Bowen's current position.

After all, he seemed to have no influence on Ma Xun at all, and he didn't even try to persuade Ma Xun. Occasionally, one could even see Ma Xun suppressing people from eastern Zhejiang.

Ma Xun just chuckled at this, these things are indeed difficult to talk about.

Liu Jing asked with concern, "Brother, now that the generals are back, are they still discussing the expedition to Mingxia?"

Ma Xun asked quickly, "Does my uncle want to join the army?"

Liu Jing said somewhat embarrassedly, "I gained a lot of experience while following the army last year. I also realized that although the military books I read since childhood are useful, many things still need actual combat to be fully understood."

Ma Xun immediately understood that Liu Jing wanted to go to the war with him, "Uncle, if you really want to go to the war, is there no place for you to go in the army now?"

Liu Jing did not hide it, "Because of you, General Xu Da has taken good care of me, and General Mu Ying has also taken good care of me, but it's unlikely that they will go to fight Mingsheng this time, right?"

Ma Xun felt obliged to do so and said, "Then I will go back to the Grand Commandery and find a suitable position for my uncle so that he can go with us on the expedition."

Ma Xun had the confidence to say this because he was the right governor of the Grand Governor's Office. Although Liu Jing was a relative, he also had certain abilities.

This is indeed nepotism and favoritism, but if Liu Jing is capable, it can also be called promoting the virtuous regardless of nepotism.

Liu Jing smiled and said, "This is the best. I read some military books and strategies before, and I always thought I could command the world's troops. After joining the army, I realized that I was short-sighted and should have more experience."

Liu Lian just drank tea without saying anything. He and Liu Jing had different interests and hobbies. One liked to read the Four Books and Five Classics, while the other liked to read military books and strategies.

Ma Xun said cheerfully, "Uncle, I also want to go to war. We can't fight next summer, but if we fight Yuanzhu in two years, we can go together then."

Liu Lian acted like an elder brother-in-law and said, "It's a good thing that the uncle is willing to share the worries of His Majesty. This is also what you should do. But since you and Shu Ning haven't made any moves yet, how can His Majesty and Her Royal Highness the Queen rest assured!"

Liu Jing also urged, "This is a big deal, we have to hurry up, my brother and I are still looking forward to someone calling us uncle."

If Ma Xun wants to go to war, that's fine, many people are willing to take him with them.

But everyone can see clearly that whether Ma Xun can set out with the army depends on whether the Queen agrees.

It is relatively easy to chat with the brothers Liu Lian and Liu Jing, because Liu Lian seems to be a traditional Confucian disciple, but he is not pedantic at all and does not just talk about nonsense and discuss scriptures and doctrines.

Not to mention Liu Jing, who was originally interested in military strategy and had also been on expeditions with Ma Xun, so they had a closer relationship.

So even if Liu Bowen did not leave the court, Ma Xun would not feel bored or uncomfortable at all in Liu's mansion, because there was someone to talk to him about everything.

The little old man came back and coughed.

Ma Xun quickly stood up and said, "My son-in-law greets my father-in-law."

Liu Bowen nodded slightly and complained, "My uncle is really busy. He hasn't come over for a cup of tea for a long time."

I have already married a wife, and I have no plans to inherit your knowledge and skills. There are a lot of things to do, big and small, so how can I expect you to come and visit me whenever I want?

However, Ma Xun quickly said, "This is my fault. I will definitely visit you more often in the future."

"It's best if you don't come here often. If you come here often, Master Song and his men will come here often too." Liu Bowen said gently, "They can't enter your uncle's house. If they want to come to my house, I can't stop them."

Liu Bowen knew very well what kind of person his son-in-law was.

Don’t take these seemingly impolite words to heart, and no one will really care.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "That's true. I really don't like interacting with Master Song and others. They have too many thoughts!"

(End of this chapter)