My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 17 Zhu Yuanzhang Can't Sit Still

After Song Lian left, Ma Yu respectfully escorted him to the prison door.

It’s not that we don’t want to send him further, but he is a death row prisoner and it is against etiquette for him to walk out of the cell without permission.

Although he enjoyed various special treatments in prison, strictly speaking it was not considered a violation.

After all, the law does not say that prisoners are not allowed to enjoy these things.

But if you walk out of the cell door, it is considered jailbreaking and is against the law.

It sounds hypocritical, but that's the line.

If you don't cross this line, everything is legal and proper. If you cross this line, you are a villain.

This is righteousness and status, what scholars care about most.

In front of Song Lian, Ma Yu naturally observed etiquette everywhere and would not take a single step beyond his authority.

Even if the other party doesn't care, he insists on doing so.

It's not to please the other person, but to avoid revealing flaws to the other person.

After all, I just acted like a big shot and even hurt Confucius in the process. I can't get too carried away.

When they parted, Song Lian looked at him with a very complicated look, as if he wanted to say something.

But in the end, he just bowed and turned away.

Zhu Biao's face was calm, but anyone who was not blind could see the joy in his eyes.

He had a lot to say, but because Song Lian was away and it was inconvenient, he just bowed to Ma Yu and left with him.

After watching the two disappear around the corner, Ma Yu let out a long sigh, and the stone in his heart finally fell.

Then a feeling of joy rose from the bottom of my heart.

This is Song Lian. With my status, I normally would never have the chance to meet him in this lifetime.

Not to mention communicating with each other face to face.

Now not only did I see him, but I also taught him a lesson. That feeling...

It’s more refreshing than eating chilled watermelon in the dog days of summer.

This trip was not in vain.

If I have the chance to return to my original world, I will definitely talk to everyone about it.

Of course, everyone will definitely think that you have gone crazy reading novels.

But so what? It’s really cool and gives me a sense of accomplishment.

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhu Chong returned to the cell again.

As soon as he came in, he said in disbelief: "You actually refuted Old Man Song."

"You didn't see his expression just now. It was amazing."

Ma Yu said with some pride: "It's just so-so. Mr. Qianxi was just caught off guard by me."

Zhu Chong said nonchalantly, "A sneak attack is also a skill. You are the first one to give him a hard time."

"Wahahahaha... Song Lian, ah Song Lian, I didn't expect you would have this day."

After laughing, he came to Ma Yu and said:
"I was surprised that Old Man Song didn't use the righteousness of a saint to pressure you."

Ma Yu said sternly, "He is an upright gentleman and would never do such a thing."

Zhu Chong shook his head and said, "You have insulted Confucius. What if he gets angry out of shame?"

Ma Yu smiled and said meaningfully, "Then don't blame me for using any means necessary."

Zhu Chong heard the hidden meaning and asked curiously, "Have you been prepared for this move of his? Tell me what you are going to do."

As the saying goes, if you don't return home when you're rich, it's like walking in fine clothes at night.

Having accomplished such a great feat, Ma Yu wanted to find someone to show off to, so he didn't play dumb and said:

"Guan Zhong and Duke Huan of Qi defeated the Rong and Di peoples in the north and resisted the Chu State in the south, thus safeguarding the orthodoxy of the Chinese nation."

"The Hongwu Emperor expelled the barbarians, restored China, established laws and disciplines, and brought relief to the people."

"You said Guan Zhongqi was young and ignorant of etiquette. Could it be that you were using history to satirize the present, alluding to the current emperor?"

This call of "Emperor Hongwu" came from the bottom of his heart, even though he was a Ming Dynasty fan and hated Zhu Yuanzhang very much.

But Ma Yu still recognized his contribution to the restoration of China.

Zhu Chong, who was standing by, was shocked and said, "You kid, you are so insidious."

Insidious, can you speak, kid?
Ma Yu glanced at him sideways and said in a long voice:
"I remember someone saying that if I could fight him head-on, he would follow my lead."

"I don't know if this still counts."

Zhu Chong's expression froze, and he said with a wry smile, "It was just a joke, Brother Ma, you're not taking it seriously, are you?"

Ma Yu nodded expressionlessly and said, "That's right, they're just kids, how can you take what they say seriously?"

Kid? What he said can't be taken seriously?
Zhu Chong felt that he had suffered the greatest insult in his life. His face immediately turned red and he looked at Ma Yu angrily.

He looked as if he wanted to rush up and tear him to pieces.

Ma Yu remained unmoved. He picked up the kettle, poured himself a bowl of water, and sipped it slowly.

Zhu Chong was even more angry, breathing heavily through his nose, his chest heaving violently. After a long time, he finally squeezed out a few words from between his teeth:

"Okay, I admit it."

"From today on, I, Li Wu... no, I, Zhu Chong, will only follow your lead, Ma Yu."

"Bang..." The bowl in Ma Yu's hand fell to the ground and broke into pieces.
-
On the other side, after walking out of the cell, Song Lian remained silent except for the necessary greetings.

Empress Ma could understand his feelings and did not force him to speak. Instead, she ordered someone to send him back to the palace.

And they also thoughtfully approved two days of leave for him.

Afterwards, the mother and son returned to the imperial city under the escort of the Guard Bureau.

There was a curfew at night during the war, but the Guard Bureau had the privilege to act at night.

Moreover, because of their special identities, they often carry out secret missions, and no one dares to interrogate them carefully.

After returning to the palace safely and sending everyone away, the mother and son began to discuss what had just happened.

Zhu Biao said with a hint of excitement, "Before, I only knew that Ma Yu was an extraordinary scholar, but I never thought he could refute Master Song."

Queen Ma was also very surprised. She knew that Ma Yu was capable and had some unique inheritance.

But force can defeat skill. In front of a great scholar like Song Lian, any tricks or techniques are useless.

But the result was completely beyond her expectations.

Ma Yu gave everyone a surprise.

He actually refuted Song Lian and left him speechless.

Along the way, she kept recalling the whole process and gradually understood Ma Yu's method.

All the novel ideas that came before were actually just a cover.

The real killer move was that Confucius could not go to Lu to fight.

Then Song Lian fell into a vicious circle: attacking Guan Zhong was equivalent to attacking Confucius.

No matter how capable he is, as long as he cannot break out of this vicious circle, he will only be beaten unilaterally.

Because any rebuttal on his part would be an attack on Confucius.

This is also the reason why Song Lian rarely spoke again after that.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but praise again: "Young people are formidable."

But then she changed the subject and said, "But first he disrespected your father, and now he's attacking Confucius."

"It shows that he lacks awe in his heart, and we must guard against this."

When people who lack reverence come to power, there is a small chance that they will usher in a new era, but there is a greater chance that they will cause great damage to society.

Zhu Biao disagreed: "I don't think he has no fear. I think he knows he will die, so he becomes fearless."

Queen Ma did not refute. Some people would be terrified when facing death, while others would let go of all their worries.

These two types of people are the most abundant in troubled times, and she has seen too many of them.

"You have a point, but we can't take it lightly. We must carefully examine him before deciding how to use him."

Zhu Biao nodded in agreement, but he was more concerned about another issue:
"Can I continue to look after Xun Zhishu from now on?"

But Queen Ma shook her head and said, "No."

Zhu Biao asked in surprise: "Ah, why?"

Empress Ma said calmly, "Now it's no longer a question of whether 'benyong' is right or wrong. We'll make a decision after your father returns."

Zhu Biao knew his mother well, and from her tone he knew there was no room for negotiation. He did not argue any further, but said disappointedly:

"I see."

Queen Ma did not explain too much. As the crown prince, he had to go through a lot before he could grow up.

Disappointment and loss are also experiences in themselves.

Then she began to write a letter to Zhu Yuanzhang, telling him in detail what had happened in the past few days.
-
Kaifeng.

Zhu Yuanzhang found that the letter was particularly thick this time, and he vaguely guessed that the matter might be related to Ma Yu.

As soon as I opened the letter, I confirmed my thoughts.

He was very happy to see Ma Yu attacking Confucius.

Not only are Mencius's ideas extremely rebellious, but even Confucius is a hypocrite.

We say that Confucianism can be used but not valued, and it is indeed so.

To truly govern the country, we have to rely on the Legalists.

As to whether the Ming Dynasty law should be severe or cautious in punishment, the scale in his heart tilted again.

Read on.

Shang Dynasty ritual vessels? Or oracle bones inscribed with inscriptions?

He stood up suddenly, and because he was too excited, he accidentally bumped into the table, and the memorials, documents and other items on it fell to the ground with a "clatter".

Zhao Erhu, who was outside the door, heard the noise and thought something had happened.

With a clang, he drew the sword from his waist and rushed in.

When he saw the situation clearly, he immediately knelt down and apologized.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't want to pay attention to him and shouted, "Get out, get out! No one is allowed to come near without my order."

After Zhao Erhu left, he didn't pick up the things on the ground and looked through the letter again.

It’s true, it’s actually a ritual vessel from the Shang Dynasty.

The process of discovery was truly magical. In the absence of any clues, we relied on our imagination to find clues.

Such wisdom... What a pity that such great talent cannot be used by me.

However, Ma Yu is also a talented person. Although he cannot compare with his elders, he was able to successfully set a trap for Song Lian, which shows that he has learned some skills.

He could be considered for pardon.

As for whether the Shang Dynasty ritual vessels were real or fake, he naturally would not believe it so easily.

But even if there is a one in ten thousand chance that it is true, it is still worth his careful consideration.

It can even be said that this matter is as important as the Northern Expedition.

He had already made up his mind about how to deal with Ma Yu.

If the Shang Dynasty ritual vessels were real, this contribution alone would be enough to spare his life.

As for how to use him, we will talk about it later.

Zhu Yuanzhang then reviewed the reasoning process again and memorized it.

Then he came to the military map, recalled the books he had read, and roughly determined the location of the capital of the Shang Dynasty.

However, the historical records are rather vague, and he determined the scope to be two places.

Don’t be surprised why there are two places, because the capitals of Xia, Shang and Western Zhou dynasties were not fixed.

The capital will be moved according to actual needs.

Therefore, there are great differences in the descriptions of the capitals of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties in historical books.

If you don’t understand this point, you will think that historical records are too unreliable and there are such big conflicts.

Only those who understand this point will realize that the capital described in historical records is not from the same period, so naturally it is different.

The two places circled by Zhu Yuanzhang were one somewhere in Shaanxi and the other in Zhangde Prefecture, Henan.

Later, Zhangde Prefecture was renamed Anyang.

After determining the two approximate locations, Zhu Yuanzhang could no longer sit still and immediately called Xu Da and Chang Yuchun over.

"We are going to Zhangde Prefecture."

Xu Da was shocked and said, "Your Majesty, please think twice. Zhangde Prefecture is on the front line and the battle is dangerous."

"As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. You are the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, how can you put yourself in danger?"

Chang Yuchun also said: "Yes, if anything happens to you, even if I die, it will not make up for it."

Xu Da couldn't help but glare at him and said, "If you don't know how to speak, you don't have to."

Zhu Yuanzhang naturally knew that his old brother was worried about his safety, but he also had reasons to go.

Moreover, these two people were the ones he trusted the most, so he did not hide anything from them.

He pulled out the pages of letter paper with the oracle bone inscriptions and handed them to them, saying:
"You'll know it at a glance."

It was actually related to the Empress's letter. Both of them were surprised and took it and read it together.

When Xu Da saw the ritual vessels and characters of the Shang Dynasty, he stood up in shock.

Chang Yuchun, who was caught off guard, staggered and said angrily:
"Why are you so startled?"

Xu Da ignored him and asked excitedly: "Sir, is this true?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Since my sister has written to me, it is very likely to be true."

"And regardless of whether it's true or not, such a big deal is worth a personal trip."

Xu Da shook his head and said, "This matter is indeed of great importance, but for the Ming Dynasty, it can only be regarded as icing on the cake."

"It's really not worth the risk."

Chang Yuchun rubbed his head and said, "Yes, besides, the ritual vessel is buried underground and won't be lost for a while. It won't be too late to look for it later."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "Poyang Lake is so dangerous that we are not afraid. What is a mere Zhangde Prefecture?"

Xu Da said: "We were forced to take the Poyang Lake expedition. We had no choice but to make a desperate bet."

"Now that unification is imminent, there is really no need for you to take such risks."

Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang still wanted to go, he suddenly remembered the information he had received before and said quickly:

"According to the intelligence I received, there is an epidemic near Zhending Prefecture, and it is likely to spread to Zhangde and other places."

"We are not afraid of the Yuan army, but we cannot be afraid of the epidemic."

During peaceful times, even the smallest epidemic was a major event and the emperor had to deal with it personally.

But in times of war, various epidemics were very frequent and were no longer considered a big deal.

Only major disasters that affect several states or even provinces deserve their special attention.

But this does not mean that the epidemic is not dangerous. It is better to avoid it if possible.

So after confirming the authenticity of the news, Zhu Yuanzhang had to give up the idea.

"Well, we can only wait and send someone to look for it later."

Seeing his disappointed look, Chang Yuchun said, "How about sending someone to investigate first?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and said, "No, such a big thing cannot be leaked."

"If the Yuan Dynasty learns of this, it will likely affect the Northern Expedition."

Although the Mongols don't care about these things of the Han people, it doesn't mean that they are unaware of their influence on politics.

Even if I can't get it, I can't let you, Zhu, get it for free.

It is very likely that a large army will be mobilized to cause sabotage in Zhangde Prefecture.

If they find it, there will be no place for crying.

However, with such a big thing happening, Zhu Yuanzhang had no intention of staying in Kaifeng any longer.

Besides, Ma Yu is hiding many secrets, so it’s time to go back and meet him in person.

So he said to Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, "I plan to return to Yingtian in the next two days."

"I originally wanted to hold a departure ceremony for you before returning, but now I have to give up."

Xu and Chang were afraid that he would run to Zhangde Prefecture out of frustration, and they were eager for him to respond to the emperor as soon as possible.

When I heard that he was leaving, I was so happy.

He quickly said some polite words and then happily sent him away.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not angry. How could he not know what his old brother was thinking? He just felt a little amused.
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Ma Yu in the Yingtian Prefecture prison doesn't know that he is about to face the ultimate boss.

(End of this chapter)