My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 22 Exposed
Zhu Yuanzhang returned to the palace angrily and went straight to Kunning Palace.

Empress Ma was sitting in the pavilion, checking Zhu Gang's learning progress with a book in her hand. In the distance, Zhu Di and Zhu Su were playing with a group of little kids.

Seeing him come in, Zhu Gang turned around and saluted: "Dad, you're back."

Zhu Yuanzhang had a stern face and walked to sit in front of Empress Ma without saying a word.

I look very unhappy.

Zhu Gang also became reserved.

The brothers Zhu Di and Zhu Su also realized that something was wrong, and hurriedly brought a group of little kids over to pay their respects.

Zhu Yuanzhang was furious when he saw how dirty and dusty they both looked.

"Look at what you look like. Do you still have any royal manners?"

Zhu Di and Zhu Su were as frightened as quails, lowering their heads and not daring to speak.

A few little kids wanted to cry but didn't dare.

Empress Ma said kindly, "Hurry up and admit your mistake. Don't do this again in the future."

Zhu Di and Zhu Su quickly admitted their mistakes and never dared to do it again.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and ignored them.

Empress Ma tried to smooth things over, saying, "Third brother, take your brothers and sisters down to clean up."

As if Zhu Gang had been pardoned, he would have quickly taken everyone away.

Then Empress Ma calmly dismissed the eunuchs.

When there were only two people left in the garden, she raised her eyebrows and said sideways:
"Why, you think I haven't taught the kids well enough? Why don't you teach them yourself?"

Zhu Yuanzhang felt bad, but he didn't care about being angry, and apologized quickly:

"Oh, no, no, if anyone dares to say that my sister's teaching is not good, I will be the first one to disagree."

"We were all irritated by Ma Yu. We just made a slip of the tongue."

Queen Ma rolled her eyes at him and continued,
"What did Ma Yu say to make you so angry?"

Zhu Yuanzhang repeated what Ma Yu had just said.

The more Queen Ma listened, the more shocked she became. Isn't this exactly what they lacked the most?

She originally thought that Ma Yu might know something about this subject, but how much could he learn given his age?

Now I realize that I was totally wrong.

He has not only a superficial understanding of the subject, but has also conducted in-depth research.

And from what he said, it seems that he has a deep understanding of the administrative system.

Child prodigies are common in every dynasty, but one to this degree is probably unique.

Then I was happy, he really understood.

It was worth all the effort I put into him.

After Zhu Yuanzhang finished speaking, she exclaimed in admiration: "What a great talent."

Then she smiled and said, "I told you that you would have unexpected gains if you went there. Do you believe it now?"

Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily, "But he is so treasonous that it really makes me angry."

Here he used the word "I'm so angry" instead of "damn it", which has exposed his attitude.

How could Empress Ma not hear this? She was relieved and consoled him:
"He's still a child, having lost his parents' guidance at an early age, so he lacks awe."

"This gives us a great opportunity. If we educate them well in the future, they will surely become pillars of society."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said, "I'm afraid I'll teach someone an ungrateful person."

Empress Ma said seriously, "He values ​​his relationship with Chun'er very much, and he also values ​​Biao'er very much. It's obvious that he is a person who values ​​feelings."

"Such a person is most suitable for being befriended by kindness and loyalty. How could he be such an ungrateful person?"

"I think if we train him well, he could be the next Mu Ying."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "You don't want us to adopt him as our adopted son, do you?"

Empress Ma said angrily, "Why should I be your adopted son? Can't you be my nephew?"

"Ah?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked in surprise, "You don't really want to recognize him, do you?"

Empress Ma said sternly, "Why not? Inheriting my father's lineage will also put an end to some people's unrealistic dreams."

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head repeatedly and said, "No, no, no, he has an unknown origin. How can we let him inherit the family lineage of my father-in-law?"

Seeing his intense reaction, Empress Ma knew that this matter could not be rushed, so she said:
"I'm just thinking about it. I don't have to accept him. Why are you so excited? It's not too late to talk about this later."

Zhu Yuanzhang sat back down and said, "There is no future, even if his background is clean."

Empress Ma's heart moved, and she asked suspiciously, "You are not opposing it because he is disrespectful to you, are you?"

Zhu Yuanzhang flatly denied it: "No, it's not true. Don't accuse me."

Empress Ma had no idea what was going on and was both amused and confused for a moment.

These two people really dislike each other.

However, the idea of ​​recognizing her relatives was just an occasional thought and had not been decided. Seeing that Zhu Yuanzhang was so opposed to it, she did not say anything else.

Then we talked about destiny:
"Although Ma Yu was disrespectful to his elders, he was truly knowledgeable. His explanation of destiny opened my eyes."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and did not respond.

Queen Ma knew that he was angry and couldn't bring herself to do that, so she confirmed Ma Yu's interpretation.

However, the fact that he did not object showed that he quite agreed with it.

So she continued, "Two of these points in particular touched me the most."

Zhu Yuanzhang finally said, "Which two points?"

Empress Ma said, "First, what is recognized by all the people in the world is the will of heaven."

"As the old saying goes, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world."

"During the chaotic late Yuan Dynasty, many heroes emerged, but you were the only one who attached the greatest importance to military discipline and pacifying the people."

"So after we established ourselves in Yingtian, the people quickly won over."

"Even when Chen Youliang came out in full force and everyone in the world believed we were doomed to fail, the people in the rear were still willing to believe in us."

“Do the people really think we can win?”

"No, they want to believe we can win."

In response to the Battle of Poyang Lake, Zhu Yuanzhang levied double the amount of money and grain on some wealthy areas in the country.

The people had no complaints at all and took out their stored grain from their homes, allowing him to successfully raise enough food and fodder.

Although he later returned the excess collection to the people through tax exemption.

But under the circumstances at that time, everyone was still willing to support him, wasn't it because he treated the people well?

Everyone hopes he can win.

There is nothing more touching than personal experience.

Thinking back on this, Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but feel moved and said:

"That's why after the Ming Dynasty was established, we stipulated that the tax rate for good farmland should be 10%, and the tax rate for poor farmland should be 120%. "

This tax rate is considered low in all dynasties.

Empress Ma was also very pleased and said, "This is why the people support you, and this is the reward they deserve."

After a pause, she continued:

"Secondly, Mencius's teachings are for the ruler to see."

"We used to think that Mencius's thoughts were meant to teach everyone, but now we think that's not the case."

"The ruler regards his subjects as dirt, and the subjects regard their ruler as an enemy," Mencius said to King Xuan of Qi.

"The people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important. This was said to King Hui of Liang."

"Mencius contains many such statements, but if you look closely, you'll find they were all addressed to the rulers of various countries."

"Repay kindness with kindness, and repay evil with justice. This is human nature and does not need to be taught."

"Mencius explained this human nature to the rulers of various countries."

"Lest they truly believe they are supreme and act recklessly, ultimately being abandoned by their own people."

"It's not uncommon in history for monarchs to be abandoned by their people for this reason."

The same words, when spoken by different people, have different effects.

When Ma Yu said this, Zhu Yuanzhang felt that it made some sense, but he found it hard to accept in his heart.

At this time, Queen Ma repeated it in a different way, which made him think.

Of course, it's a bit unrealistic to say that he would change his mind.

After all, he is already forty years old and his thinking has been fixed. It cannot be changed by just a few words.

But at least he is willing to think about this problem seriously, which is also a change.

Queen Ma did not disturb his thoughts. In fact, she was also reviewing what Ma Yu had said.

And showed a thoughtful expression.

After a long time, Zhu Yuanzhang came back to his senses and saw her deep in thought, so he asked:

"What did you think of again?"

Empress Ma said, "I was thinking about all that Ma Yu had learned."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up and he asked, "But what did you find?"

Queen Ma nodded and said, "He initially guessed your intention to move the capital through clues and analyzed the results."

"Later, combined with past history, it was inferred that the Red Book and Iron Certificate were unacceptable."

“In every subsequent conversation, he used history to illustrate his point.”

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly realized and said, "He is a historian."

Empress Ma said, "That should be the case, but what I want to talk about is not the classics he studied, but his way of studying history."

"He has talked about history many times before, but I never thought about it in this way."

"But the way he explained the changes in destiny gave me a clue."

"If my speculation is true, then his way of writing history is astonishing." "It is unprecedented."

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but feel curious: "Oh? How did he write history?"

Empress Ma explained, "When we study history, we observe the behavior of a certain person or the impact of a certain event, and gain experience from it."

"He is different. He dismembers history like a butcher cutting up an ox."

"Then we string similar things together along a timeline to find the patterns of development."

"Hiss..." Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but take a breath, and then flatly rejected it:

"This is impossible."

"China has thousands of years of history, and its historical books are as vast as the sea of ​​smoke, adding up to more than tens of millions of words."

"If a person can't read it through in a lifetime, how can he possibly dismember and connect it?"

Empress Ma said, "So I suspect his family has been studying history for generations."

"If multiple generations work together, it's possible."

Zhu Yuanzhang still refused to believe it: "If there is such a family, it is impossible that no rumors have spread."

Empress Ma said: "At the end of the Song Dynasty, many scholars were unwilling to serve the Yuan Dynasty and chose to remain anonymous."

"You know how the Yuan Dynasty ruled. They didn't care about anything except collecting taxes."

"That gives them a chance to live in seclusion."

"Although it sounds incredible, who can be sure that this won't happen?"

"And he said he had an understanding of the land system, tax collection system, population management system, and so on."

"If all this is true, it means that he has the results of his family's centuries-old research."

"Those studies are extremely important to us and to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Yuanzhang was silent.

Although he still didn't believe this kind of thing, if it was true, it would be of great help to them.

Empress Ma continued, "Putting aside the unknowns, let's just talk about this concept of destiny. Isn't it very inspiring to us?"

Zhu Yuanzhang had to admit this. After thinking about it, he had new ideas about the direction of the Ming Dynasty law.

Thinking of this, he finally said, "Probe him a little more and see how much he has learned."

Queen Ma smiled and said, "That's right."

At this point, she suddenly said, "The people outside should have noticed Ma Yu's presence by now."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly and said, "So what if you know? It's just a good chance to see who is loyal and who is treacherous."
-
When leaving the prison, Zhu Yuanzhang looked very unhappy.

This information soon reached the ears of those who were interested.

Everyone couldn't help but become curious. What exactly happened in the prison?
Why did the emperor stay there for so long and why was he so angry?

Why wasn’t the second prince released?
Was it the Second Prince who made him so angry, or was there another reason?
People from all sides showed their abilities and tried to get information through various channels.

There is no wall that is impenetrable. The news has not been leaked before, it’s just that people didn’t take it seriously.

When everyone turned their attention here and began to investigate, the truth was soon revealed.

Everyone was shocked when they learned the truth.

The second prince was imprisoned and became good friends with the imperial prisoner who pretended to be a royal relative?
Then Ma Yu's assertion that the emperor went to Kaifeng to move the capital was also spread.

Everyone couldn't believe their ears.

If they hadn't confirmed it again and again, they would have thought they were listening to a story from a book.

But when the news was confirmed, everyone became even more restless.

Considering how the prince went in and out of jail several times afterwards...

No, we must find out what happened.

They sent more people to gather intelligence.

But this time, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get any information.

Because the Guard Bureau blocked a corner of the Yingtian Prefecture Prison and did not allow anyone to approach.

Obviously, after the speculation of the capital relocation occurred, the royal family was the first to react and blocked off that area.

At this point, everyone knew that Ma Yu must be hiding some secret, otherwise the royal family would not be so cautious.

Although curious, most people chose to give up.

After all, there is no need to offend the emperor for an unknown secret.

Even the few who were unwilling to give in would only try to find out Ma Yu's identity through other means.

For example, the refugees who fled with him.

If things ended here, everyone would just be curious and nothing would really happen.

But soon everyone discovered that the emperor had changed.

To be precise, the attitude towards the "Great Ming Law" has changed.

First of all, stop having double standards.

Although we still insist on cracking down on corruption, we are no longer as harsh as before.

Secondly, he began to favor cautious punishment and rejected the heavy punishment for minor crimes proposed by Li Shanchang and others.

It also abolished most corporal punishments, retaining only lighter ones such as shaving the head and tattooing.

Compared with the past, this is a 180-degree turn.

Everyone was surprised. What had happened? Why did the emperor change his attitude so drastically?
While most people were still confused, some quick-witted people had already guessed that it might be related to the trip to the prison a few days ago.

So the question is, what exactly happened in the prison?

In other words, what did Ma Yu say to the emperor that could change his mind?
After leaving the court, Liu Bowen immediately called his eldest son Liu Lian and asked: "I asked you to investigate Ma Yu's situation. Did you find anything?"

Liu Lian shook his head and said, "You told me not to touch the Yingtian Prefecture prison, so I can only start with the refugees who have fled."

"Except for knowing that he appeared in Xuzhou two or three years ago, we know nothing about his situation before that."

Then he asked curiously, "What happened?"

Liu Bowen did not hide anything and told Zhu Yuanzhang about his changes, saying:
"I suspect it was that trip to the prison that changed His Majesty's attitude."

Liu Lian was surprised and asked, "Wasn't Your Majesty very angry when he came out from there?"

Liu Bowen said, "Because he was angry, it means he said something that Your Majesty did not like to hear."

"Your Majesty was very angry at the time, but after coming to his senses, he agreed with what he said."

Liu Lian was amazed. "So many people have tried to persuade His Majesty to no avail, yet he managed to convince His Majesty? How on earth did he do it?"

Liu Bowen shook his head and said, "That's exactly what I want to know."

"Given His Majesty's temperament, the first thing he should do upon returning to Yingtian is to execute Ma Yu and maintain the dignity of the royal family."

"But he didn't care for more than ten days. This is not normal."

"I personally went to the prison a few days ago, and the Second Prince hasn't been released yet..."

"Looking back now, this matter is full of weirdness."

"I was so preoccupied with government affairs that I neglected these things."

"If we had noticed the abnormality earlier, we might not have to be so passive."

Liu Lian consoled him, "Who would have thought that little beggar was hiding such a big secret?"

"What should we do next? Continue to investigate?"

Liu Bowen pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No need. Your Majesty will surely know about such a big commotion."

"If we investigate now, not only will we find nothing, but we will also anger His Majesty."

At this point, he said optimistically: "At least for now, his ideas do not conflict with ours."
-
Li Shanchang was not optimistic at all. He was very angry and nervous.

Even when the emperor suppressed him before, he didn't have this sense of crisis.

Given his position, he can stay safe as long as he doesn't rebel.

This little suppression was just the emperor reminding himself that he had crossed the line. There was nothing to be surprised about.

But now the emperor's thoughts are heading in a different direction from his, which is what he cannot tolerate.

We have to figure out what happened.

When he got home, he called Li Zhong and asked him if he had found any useful information.

Li Zhong said helplessly: "Apart from the previous ones, no further information can be found."

"It's mainly the people from the Guard Bureau who won't listen to any advice or advice."

Li Shanchang's face was filled with anger, and he said, "Guardian Division, ask Shi Jianrang to come and see me."

Li Zhong was shocked and said, "Ah... This is not good. He is a captain of the Guards."

The Guarding Division is not very large at present, and the leader is just a captain.

Li Shanchang said, "Humph, so what? Without me, how could he be where he is today?"

"Don't even mention him. If it weren't for me, there wouldn't be a Guard Bureau."

Zhang Shicheng was the best at using spies in the late Yuan Dynasty, and Zhu Yuanzhang, as his number one enemy, suffered greatly from him.

At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang's number one general, Hu Dahai, was killed by Zhang Shicheng's spies.

How high was Hu Dahai's status at that time? It was equivalent to Xu Da after the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Some even say that if Hu Dahai had not died, Xu Da's position would have been his.

This shows how strong Zhang Shicheng's ability to use spies is.

For this reason, Zhu Yuanzhang was forced to set up his own spy organization, which was the predecessor of the Gongwei Division.

Li Shanchang is also one of the leaders of this organization. He is involved in all the work including personnel recruitment, training and dispatch.

Later, when the Ming Dynasty was established, Zhu Yuanzhang reorganized this organization into the Gongwei Division.

And take back all the power of this institution and do not allow any outsiders to touch it.

Li Shanchang naturally understood the sensitivity of the matter, and from then on he no longer asked about the affairs of the Guard Bureau.

This time he really felt the crisis, so he resorted to this desperate measure.

(End of this chapter)