My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 18: The Twisted Zhu Yuanzhang
Zhu Chong felt extremely regretful. If there was a regret medicine for sale, he would definitely buy it.

Two bottles.

Why did you tell that bastard Ma Yu your true identity?
When Queen Ma left the prison, she revealed some information to him.

For example, she has decided to pardon Ma Yu and give him an important position depending on the situation.

However, Ma Yu had a prejudice against the royal family, so he asked him to use the good relationship between the two sides to resolve this conflict.

It was also for this reason that he revealed his identity.

He originally thought that Ma Yu would be shocked when he learned his true identity.

Then I tell him that the court will pardon his crimes, won’t he be grateful?
Then it will be his turn to be his lackey.

I feel happy just thinking about it.

But he was only half right.

When Ma Yu learned that his name was Zhu Chong, he was so shocked that the tea bowl in his hand dropped to the ground.

But when he reacted, he did not bow down, but pounced on Zhu Chong, knocked him to the ground and beat him with punches.

While beating him, he kept shouting things like "living beast".

Zhu Chong had learned martial arts, but the incident happened suddenly and he lost the initiative. In addition, Ma Yu was like a mad tiger, and his mind was taken away.

For a moment, I only knew how to passively defend and forgot to fight back.

And he was completely confused. What a beast?

What did I do?

Wasn't it just secretly bullying the eunuchs and palace maids? A few days ago, he went out of the palace with Chang Mao and had a free meal.

While he was eating and dashing, he was unlucky enough to be caught by patrolling police.

Originally, people saw that they were dressed in fancy clothes and it was obvious that they were not children from ordinary families, so they didn't want to make a big deal out of it.

Let them pay some money and the matter will be over.

As a result, the two dandies became more arrogant than the other.

But after all, they were not stupid enough to reveal their identities in public.

That's why he was thrown into jail by the angry officers as a lesson.

One can imagine how angry Queen Ma was when she learned about this.

Order everyone to leave them alone and let them suffer in prison.

This is what happened next.

After being punched several times, Zhu Chong finally reacted and shouted:
"How dare you scold me? You are a living beast, and your whole family are living beasts."

Seeing that he dared to talk back, Ma Yu became even more angry and said:
"You disregard human life, cruelly harm civilians, and bully men and women... You take pleasure in torturing and killing people, and yet you claim you're not an animal."

Zhu Chong was stunned again by the scolding.

Me? Taking human life lightly? Killing people for pleasure? Bullying men and women?
The one I brewed is still a virgin, okay, who am I bullying?

But he immediately thought that this guy must be jealous of my father and was deliberately looking for an excuse to take it out on me.

Thinking of this, he felt so aggrieved that he exerted force with both hands and pushed Ma Yu, who was riding on him, to roll more than a meter on the ground.

Ma Yu couldn't help but be surprised that this kid was so strong.

But it’s normal when you think about it, although few of the sons Zhu Yuanzhang raised were normal.

But putting aside their temperament, they are all very capable, and many of them are both civil and military.

Zhu Chong was the best among them. In front of him, Emperor Yongle Zhu Laosi was a real younger brother.

Although he is only twelve or thirteen years old, he has been skilled in martial arts and archery since childhood, and his fighting ability is much stronger than that of his peers.

Ma Yu looked at his small body again and thought that if he really faced off, he would not be able to last more than two rounds.

As the saying goes, a wise man never suffers a loss in front of him. The advantage has already been taken, so he should not rush to get beaten.

Another reason is that those human-like behaviors were done by Zhu Chong in his previous life.

In this life, he was strictly controlled by Empress Ma and had no chance to do those things.

It's really not right to beat him like this.

But since we have already started fighting, we must not show any weakness, otherwise we will definitely get beaten up by him.

Then just go with the flow and follow his words to put the blame on Zhu Yuanzhang.

Thinking of this, he jumped up from the ground and said in feigned anger:
"A son pays his father's debts. Your father raised a bunch of corrupt officials to make me like this. So what if I beat you up?"

"You..." Zhu Chong was still young after all, and he didn't know how to refute this kind of twisted logic for a while, so he wanted to solve it through violence in anger.

Ma Yu was startled and pretended to be righteous and said:

"You want to kill me to vent your anger, right? You're just like your father."

"And your brother Zhu Biao, the whole family teamed up to deceive me, they are birds of the same feather."

Zhu Chong argued: "Who is the same as them? I... I am avenging myself."

He is indeed a child. He feels embarrassed and wants to cut off ties with his father and brother.

Then the rest will be easy.

Ma Yu pretended to be unconvinced and said disdainfully:
"Stop flattering yourself."

"When a man gets angry, blood splatters within five steps. I won't live much longer anyway, so I might as well take someone with me to be buried with me, so your father can also feel the pain of losing his son."

Zhu Chong couldn't help but think of his ferocious face just now, and suddenly felt guilty.

This kid dared to curse my father and even curse Confucius in front of Song Lian. He even dared to hit me after knowing my identity.

Obviously he is not afraid of death.

I am a porcelain, and I cannot clash with him, who is a clay pot.

Even if you win, you will still suffer a loss.

Thinking of this, he quickly took a few steps back and said:

"If someone wants to hit you, don't spit blood at them."

Seeing that he was frightened, Ma Yu also breathed a sigh of relief, but pretended to be unbelieving and said:

"Then why were you so angry just now? Don't try to explain yourself. Today it's either you or me."

Zhu Chong was anxious and angry. He said, "Ma Yu, don't go too far. Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"

Ma Yu knew that he could not continue to act, otherwise if Zhu Chong was pushed into a corner, he would be the one who would suffer.

So he said doubtfully, "You really don't want to harm me?"

Zhu Chong quickly said, "Why would I harm you? My mother said she was ready to pardon your crime and let me get along well with you."

Ma Yu asked in disbelief, "Your mother? Empress Ma?"

This was not a pretense. He never expected that Empress Ma would actually pardon him, a criminal.

He was also a criminal who insulted Zhu Yuanzhang.

How can this be.

Zhu Chong said proudly: "Yes, my mother is the current queen. Now you believe it, don't you?"

Ma Yu found it even more incredible: "I pretended to be your mother's relative and even cursed your father, and you can forgive me for that?"

Zhu Chong himself also found it a little unbelievable, but still said:

"Then I don't know. I've been in prison the whole time and don't know what's going on outside."

"My mother just told me that I would pardon you."

"What?" Ma Yu exclaimed again:
"Your mother is here too? Just now?"

Zhu Chong said, "Yes, it's right around the corner. You didn't expect it, did you?"

Hiss...Ma Yu took a breath of cold air.

Shit, I thought I was maneuvering back and forth in a desperate situation, playing with a bunch of ancient people in the palm of my hand.

Unexpectedly, I was the one being played.

Indeed, never underestimate the wisdom of the ancients. The only thing they lack compared to us is a few hundred years of knowledge.

But even so, his mind still felt messy.

I never thought that I would be the focus of the royal family, have a good chat with Zhu Biao, and even miss the chance to marry Empress Ma...

This is simply magical.

But he also had doubts. Based on his previous behavior, could he be pardoned?
Does Zhu Baopi have such a broad mind?

Ma Yu had made preparations long ago. He waited a few days before the execution and committed suicide to avoid suffering.

Wait... I almost forgot, Zhu Yuanzhang is not in Yingtian at this moment.

It is highly likely that Empress Ma handled daily government affairs.

Then it is not impossible for her to forgive herself.

But she was only the queen after all, and the one who really had the final say was Zhu Yuanzhang.

"I'm afraid your father needs to agree to this. Given his personality, will he forgive me?"

Zhu Chong seemed to have thought of something, and a strange smile appeared on his face:

"You don't understand. Trust me, it's right. My mother said she would pardon you, and she will definitely pardon you in the end."

Ma Yu naturally knew that Empress Ma held a special place in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart, but he still found it a little unbelievable. Zhu Chong saw his concerns and said:

"Besides, you provided the court with clues about the Shang Dynasty ritual vessels. This merit is enough to pardon you."

Although Ma Yu still didn't believe that Zhu Yuanzhang was so kind, Zhu Chong's solemn oath forced him to believe it.

Besides, Queen Ma’s reputation is recognized by history.

If she really wants to protect herself, it is not impossible for her to succeed.

After all, on the Internet, she is called Zhu Yuanzhang's scabbard.

At this moment, Ma Yu gradually calmed down and began to sort out everything from the beginning.

Zhu Chong was imprisoned in prison. Although Empress Ma said she didn't care, how could she really not care?

There must be spies in the prison protecting him secretly.

The words I said to Zhu Chong would naturally reach her ears.

Moving the capital, red seal and iron certificate...

Anyone with normal IQ will definitely check their background.

Zhu Biao came to see me, probably because he couldn't find any clues and came to get information in person.

My performance exceeded their expectations, so they let Song Lian test me?

But is it necessary to make such a big fuss?
That’s Song Lian.

Ma Yu had limited information and could not figure out many things.

But there was one thing he was sure of.

No matter what Empress Ma's plan was, she definitely wanted to find out more about herself by asking Song Lian to come over.

Then I accidentally taught them a hard lesson.

From Queen Ma's perspective, the changes and original meaning of "benevolence", Guan Zhong and Duke Huan of Qi, are all irrelevant.

But the characters and ritual vessels of the Shang Dynasty were different.

In feudal times, the meaning of this thing could be big or small, depending on how it was used.

But it is obvious that its appearance is too important for the newly established Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Yuanzhang's personality was a bit complicated. On the one hand, he was extremely confident.

Other founding emperors would add a layer of destiny to themselves.

For example, there are things like the son of a dragon, conception by stepping on a big footprint, and a rainbow piercing the sun.

The lightest form is a room filled with red light for three days.

This is to show that one is born extraordinary and has a destiny.

Zhu Yuanzhang was different. He never added these things to himself. Even in his enthronement edict, he directly said that he was originally from a farming family.

To put it bluntly, he doesn't believe in fate at all.

I won the world, and it was all through my own ability.

To be honest, he does have the qualifications and confidence to do so. He started with a bowl, which is lower than any founding monarch in history.

And the one he was fighting against was not a weakling.

His opponents were also very strong, stronger than the enemies faced by most founding monarchs.

In his previous life, Ma Yu and his friends had calculated that the strength of Zhu Yuanzhang's opponents was so strong that they could be ranked among the top three in history.

Of course, this statistic was made privately by a group of enthusiasts and is not accurate.

But it does not hinder the fact that he comes from a humble background and has strong opponents.

Anyone else would probably be as confident as he is.

But while he is confident, he also desperately desires to gain recognition from more people.

Therefore, I stepped into many pits.

For example, he was tricked into recognizing Zhu Xi as his ancestor, but later he came to his senses and let the matter go.

For example, he attached great importance to orthodoxy, and in order to prove this, he would rather acknowledge the orthodox status of the Yuan Dynasty.

In order to send the "Great Yuan" away as soon as possible in terms of legal etiquette, he urged Song Lian to compile the History of Yuan in eight months.

Because writing the history of the previous dynasty is equivalent to putting the final nail in the coffin.

The previous dynasty has been destroyed, and the legal system has come into my hands.

This resulted in a consequence that the History of Yuan Dynasty is the worst quality of all official histories.

It didn't even sort out the official system of the Yuan Dynasty.

Although this is related to the fact that the Yuan Dynasty did not establish a stable system of etiquette and law from beginning to end.

But you are so hasty and a little too anxious, it's hard not to be criticized.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang's personality appears very twisted.

This is also the reason why people think that he has been disguising himself.

Of course, Ma Yu didn't care whether he was disguising himself or not.

What he was concerned about was that given how much Zhu Yuanzhang valued the legal system, it was really possible that he would pardon him because of the oracle bone inscriptions.

After all, apart from the imperial seal, there are probably few things that can better prove the legal status than oracle bone inscriptions.

If Zhu Yuanzhang killed himself, how could he explain to the world the process of discovering oracle bone inscriptions?

It was obtained from a criminal who pretended to be a royal relative, and that criminal was beheaded?

Isn't this ridiculous?

Zhu Yuanzhang not only had to pardon himself, but also had to confer a great title on himself.

Only in this way could he openly transfer the political attributes represented by the oracle bone inscriptions to the Ming Dynasty.

It seems that I really can't die.

But Ma Yu did not show any joy, but rather looked a little confused.

What this means is that I may have to live here for a very long time and never see my family from my previous life again?
suicide?

He just gave up after thinking about it.

Survival is human instinct.

He had acted fearlessly before because he believed he was doomed to die.

But now that he knew he could survive, how could he possibly bring himself to commit suicide?

The thought that he might never be able to go back and would have to live under Zhu Yuanzhang's rule.

He couldn't laugh at all.

Zhu Chong, who was standing by, rubbed his blue eyes and was surprised to see that Ma Yu didn't look happy at all:
"Why aren't you happy at all?"

Ma Yu looked at him with complicated eyes and sighed heavily:

"You don't understand, you don't understand."

If someone dared to talk to him like this under normal circumstances, Zhu Chong would have exploded long ago.

But after going through so much, he has become immune to the sting in Ma Yu's words, or you can say he has gotten used to it.

If you don’t understand, then you don’t understand. What’s the big deal?

When I get out, I will study hard and see if you still show off.

Thinking of his previous promise, he quickly came over and said:
"The bet we made earlier..."

Ma Yu originally wanted to say forget it, but swallowed the words back when they came to his lips.

This Zhu Chong is not a good person. Although he has not yet turned into a humanoid, the history books have recorded how serious the consequences will be if he goes astray.

I will probably live in the Ming Dynasty for a long time, so how can I watch him harm the people?

No, I have to keep a close eye on him.

So he sneered and said, "You are just like your father. Forget it, just pretend it never happened."

Zhu Chong's face suddenly darkened: "You...Okay, okay, I, Zhu Chong, will keep my word."

"I want to see how brave you are to order the prince of this dynasty."
-
Just as Ma Yu was thinking about how to face Zhu Yuanzhang and how to spend the rest of his life.

Zhu Yuanzhang returned to Yingtian Prefecture.

Zhu Biao led his ministers to the dock to welcome them.

After the ceremony, Zhu Yuanzhang glanced around but did not see Song Lian.

I guessed what was going on.

The old man probably hasn't recovered from the blow yet.

Thinking of Ma Yu, he wished he could go to the prison to see him immediately.

But he was not in a hurry and decided to deal with the important matters first.

Afterwards, he led his ministers back to the palace.

After dealing with Li Shanchang and other foreign ministers, he dismissed his attendants and said to Madam Ma:
"Sister, I miss you so much."

(End of this chapter)