The First Uncle of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 165: The King of Qin Rectifies the Administration of Officials

The atmosphere was very strange. The princes should have been warmly welcomed back to the imperial city, and the scene should have been very harmonious.

But now His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin looked a little panicked, and the local officials who came out to greet him were even more terrified.

The Duke of Xu seemed to be looking up at the sky, while the Prince of Jin, the Prince of Yan, and the Prince of Jingjiang all lowered their heads and looked away after a brief panic, as if it had nothing to do with them.

Zhu Chong was the one who was most wronged. Almost everyone wanted to see his next performance and how he would deal with these things.

And those people who blocked the road to file a complaint were still crying.

The third and fourth oldest are the worst. They are just watching the fun and not trying to help.

Zhu Chong hurried to Ma Xun in a panic, "Uncle, please handle these matters."

Ma Xun answered directly, "They are complaining to the King of Qin. It has nothing to do with me. I am only following orders to escort you back. I don't care about other things."

"Uncle!" Zhu Chong was about to cry, "You must have arranged this person! I have never tried the case, so I don't know how to deal with it."

"I haven't tried a case either." Ma Xun was even more straightforward. "You haven't led troops before, but now you can do it, right?"

Zhu Chong was so angry that his face turned red. After a while, he said, "My father and mother do not allow us to govern the people, nor do they allow us to make friends with officials and interfere in local politics. Uncle, I dare not intervene in this matter."

Ma Xun was stunned for a moment and still underestimated his nephew.

Zhu Chong was only one year younger than Zhu Biao, not several years younger than Zhu Gang and Zhu Di. However, no one in the court or the public was close to the King of Qin, and no one thought that he had the intention to seek the position of crown prince.

Everyone would only praise the prince for his wisdom and intelligence, saying that he managed his brothers very well. But no one thought that the King of Qin was a man with a good sense of propriety. This kid was really smart.

Ma Xun asked with a straight face, "What happened in the Imperial City? You don't care?"

Zhu Chong also said seriously, "Uncle, if I take care of this matter today, something might suddenly happen after my brothers and I are enfeoffed. Unless there is a will from my father and my brother, we must not interfere in local politics."

This guy really has a good sense of propriety. Unless it is a matter of life and death, he will not contact anyone.

Because if we start now, we can find a reason later.

So it is better to just block the source directly. There is no need to act rashly. It is not that exaggerated at all.

No wonder this was the King of Qin recognized by Zhu Yuanzhang, Ma Xiuying and Zhu Biao. The saying that the King of Qin was intelligent, stern and brave in his childhood was not just a casual statement. Even if he encountered an emergency, he could quickly find a solution.

Ma Xun asked, "So you mean to just ignore these things?"

"I can't just ignore it, but I don't know how to do it." Zhu Chong said in a flattering manner, "I will immediately send someone back to the capital to ask the emperor to issue an imperial decree, and then we can handle the case. Now, I still ask my uncle to help rescue my nephew!"

Looking at Zhu Chong who was pretending to be pitiful, Ma Xun asked, "Then send someone to the capital, and the imperial edict will be returned within two or three days. But I want to ask you, what should we do now?"

Zhu Chong asked for his opinion, "How about detaining the person first?"

Ma Xun continued to ask, "Where is he imprisoned?"

"The government office." Zhu Chong said as a matter of course, "Even if it's difficult to arrest the criminals now, these plaintiffs will be detained in the government office first. They can go to court during the trial. If it's a false accusation, they can be convicted directly."

This was also the criminal law of the Ming Dynasty. It was natural for civilians to sue officials, and civilians or officials could sue each other. However, if a false accusation was found, the person would be punished directly.

"Imprisoned in the government office?" Ma Xun asked, "They are suing officials, is it appropriate to let them go to the government office? Let the cat guard the fish and throw the mouse into the rice jar, do you think it is appropriate?"

Zhu Chong immediately said, "I will send people to take them into the military camp, and the personal army commander's office will watch over them. Although the gentry and officials will not arrest them, they will also be sent to watch over them."

Ma Xun nodded and said, "Since you know what to do, just do it. Why ask me?"

Zhu Chong suddenly felt confident, and faced the plaintiff with a dignified attitude, "This king already knows what you are asking for. If you have been wronged, this king will definitely seek justice for you."

Zhu Chong then gave an order, "Come here, take the man back to the barracks and take good care of him. I will review the case after I have finished the sacrifice."

This is also a good actor who performed well on the spot. He was obviously waiting for the order and obviously did not want to interfere, but now he has made arrangements, which are well organized and impeccable.

Everything seemed to be in good order, as if it was back on track after just a few minor setbacks.

However, it is obviously impossible for everyone to pretend that nothing happened. Some people are even just holding on at this time, and their hearts are already in a mess.

The crown prince had been to Fengyang before, and the King of Qin and others had also returned before.

It’s just that at those times they were basically offering sacrifices to the imperial tombs, so they came and went in a hurry. But this time was obviously different.

The royal family kings, led by the King of Qin, will be "resident" in Fengyang. They may be training troops, inspecting troops, offering sacrifices to the imperial tombs, or inspecting people's livelihood and rectifying the administration of officials. Ma Xun looked at the huge construction site and fell into deep thought, "When did this start?"

"The imperial edict was issued last year, and construction is only about to start this year." Zhu Chong said with some anticipation, "By then, this place will be just like Yingtian Prefecture, how magnificent it will be!"

The political situation has changed dramatically after the success of the Northern Expedition last year, after analyzing the pros and cons of building the capital in Guanzhong, Luoyang, Bianliang, Beiping and other places.

Zhu Yuanzhang also believed that Yingtianfu was too far from the Central Plains to control the whole country. Bianliang was also a place with declining people's livelihood and was surrounded by enemies.

Zhu Yuanzhang had always thought about moving the capital, but the situation was not yet clear, and making Yingtianfu the capital was only a temporary measure.

As Fengyang was Zhu Yuanzhang's hometown, he naturally attached great importance to it. Not only did he build the Ming Emperor's Mausoleum, he also planned to build a city and palace here, with the same shape and specifications as the capital, which was Zhongdu.

Ma Xun said somewhat disapprovingly, "The capital city has not been built yet. It's a bit of a waste to build a city in Zhongdu now."

"Uncle, you can't say that, can you?" Zhu Chong retorted, "This is the imperial city, how can we not build it?"

Ma Xun explained, "I mean, we can build it, but it can't be the same as the capital. The two places are close to each other, and Fengyang's population is not that dense. If it is built, can it be supported?"

Zhu Chong asked in confusion, "Why can't it be sustained? Father is already relocating people, and the population of Zhongdu will definitely increase."

"Can hundreds of thousands or millions of people be relocated?" Ma Xun asked directly. "The people's livelihood in the north is still being restored, and wasteland is being reclaimed everywhere. What our Ming Dynasty lacks most now is people. We can discuss this matter later. Anyway, I think it's not appropriate to build it during construction."

There is no problem in the construction, returning home in glory is the dream of many people.

However, it would not be appropriate to build Fengyang into a city of the same specifications and level as Yingtian Prefecture.

Zhu Chong whispered, "How can I say anything about this matter? Just let my father and mother make the decision. My brother may also be able to discuss it."

"If we really start a quarrel, I will have to hold you back." Ma Xun looked at Zhu Chong with satisfaction and said, "And the third and fourth brothers, you should study the people's livelihood in your hometown during this trip. If something happens, you have to help me."

Not to mention Zhu Chong, even Zhu Gang and Zhu Di's faces suddenly changed and their calves began to cramp.

Normally, I don't dare to talk much when I see my father, and I stay away from things like government affairs. But what is my uncle doing now?

Not only does he not think of good things for them, but he also drags them to disobey his father's will. How could he do such a thing to his nephew?

Ma Xun didn't care and said, "It's a little shabby now, but it's habitable. You guys prepare to take your seats, and I will lead all the officials in paying respects."

Zhu Chong and others had no objection. According to Zhu Yuanzhang's regulations, once a vassal king arrived in a city, officials not only had to go out of the city to welcome him, but all officials were also required to pay homage to him.

Ma Xun, the Duke of Xu, still has some status, because except for Zhu Chong and others, he has the highest title.

After Zhu Chong and others took their seats, the three princes began to rest, but Ma Xun obviously had no way to rest.

Ma Xun asked Zhao Dayong, "Are the clues and evidence of those cases detailed?"

Zhao Dayong said with great certainty, "Don't worry, my uncle. These cases are ironclad and cannot be overturned! There are still some clues that are not realistic enough and have not been investigated, so we have not reported them yet."

"That's good." Ma Xun nodded and said, "Send someone to the capital, and visit the prince at the same time."

Zhao Dayong did not have much objection, as he was Zhu Yuanzhang's confidant. However, he was sent to Ma Xun's side because it was the prince's will.

To be a minister of the Ming Dynasty, one must learn to be flexible and know when to listen to the emperor and empress and when to follow the orders of the crown prince. These are skills that must be mastered.

However, working for the King of Qin or the Duke of Xu is another matter. First of all, you need the clear order from the emperor or others.

Since this is an ironclad case, Ma Xun can naturally rest assured. The first shot after returning to Fengyang cannot be a dud.

This is not to establish authority for the nephews. There is no such thing as a new official making three big moves upon taking office.

This was just for the purpose of better moral education, and it was just to cooperate with Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao in rectifying the administration of officials. It was also a warning to those nobles.

Things don't seem to be too difficult and may be easy to do, after all, they are now solid cases.

But someone needs to do it, especially since everyone didn't care much about administration and laws before, so someone needs to take the lead.

Officials were accustomed to the rampant corruption from top to bottom during the Yuan Dynasty, nobles were accustomed to being domineering and breaking the law, and gentry were accustomed to exploiting the tenants.

It is because everyone is used to things in the past and always thinks that nothing will change even in the Ming Dynasty now.

Then let’s give it a try. The princes of the Ming Dynasty who are upright and unafraid of the powerful have made their debut and are here to rectify the administration of officials!

(End of this chapter)