My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 23: Someone from My Hometown (Please Read)

It is said that the gate of the government office faces south, so if you have no money, don’t come in.

Generally speaking, people would walk around the yamen.

But today, an old man about fifty years old, with a boy of eleven or twelve years old, was wandering outside the Yingtian Prefecture government office.

He would peek inside from time to time as if something was happening.

The officials from the government office didn't want to pay any attention to them, but the old man and the young man refused to leave for a long time, so they finally couldn't help but step forward to question them.

But this question made them break out in a cold sweat.

The timid old man actually said: "My surname is Ma, and I am from Suzhou. According to seniority, the Queen should call me uncle."

Then he took out a small linen bag from his chest and pulled out two pages of paper:

"This is our guide, take a look."

Then the old man quickly pulled the young man next to him and said:
"This is Ma Ye, the Empress's cousin. We have come from our hometown to pay our respects to the Empress."

A relative of the Empress? Or a cousin?

After checking the two pages of paper tremblingly to confirm the authenticity of the pass, the officer was so scared that his legs went weak.

I was so thankful that I didn't drive them away, otherwise I would be in big trouble.

He quickly and carefully invited them to sit down in the yamen, and then went to the back hall to inform the prefect.

After the officers left, Ma Ye looked at the solemn and dignified inner hall of the yamen and said in panic:

"Eighth Grandpa, will the Queen refuse to see us?"

Master Ma was also panicking, but he pretended to be calm and said:
"How is that possible? We are relatives of the Empress, especially since you are her nephew who is not even out of the fifth degree of mourning."

"The Queen will definitely meet us."

"When the time comes, you have to behave well and please the Queen. Maybe she will keep you by her side."

"You know, my brother Ma has no children..."

"This is your chance, you must seize it."

"When you become rich in the future, don't forget me, Eighth Master."

Ma Ye was young after all, and didn't think too much about it. After hearing what he said, he felt relieved:
"Well, in the future I will definitely buy you a large house and a hundred acres of irrigated land."

Master Ma narrowed his eyes with joy:
"What a filial child."

On the other side, Yingtian prefect Chen Zizheng was worried about Ma Yu's affairs.

Too many people have been asking him for information recently.

As the prefect of the capital, his rank and authority were very high.

But those who came to inquire about the situation were more powerful than the other, and he didn't dare to offend any of them.

But this matter was a royal secret, so he didn't dare reveal a single word to anyone.

Of course, the most important thing is that he himself is actually confused.

At first, he didn't take Ma Yu seriously. He threw him into jail and never asked about him again.

By the time he received the news from his subordinates, the Guard Division had already taken over that area.

The prince also personally issued a gag order for him.

He knew very well that although the prince appeared kind, he was actually a cruel and ruthless person.

So even though I was very curious, I didn't dare to go beyond the line.

Little did he know that the situation was more serious than he had imagined, and even His Majesty was involved.

As a result, wave after wave of visitors almost broke down his doorstep.

After finally getting rid of these people, before he had time to catch his breath, his servants came running over in a hurry again.

Someone is coming from the Queen's hometown.

He subconsciously thought that someone was pretending to be a royal relative again?
But then I realized that this kind of thing that goes directly to the government office is most likely true.

He had no time to rest and hurried to the living room to receive the guest. He carefully inquired about the other party's situation and rechecked the pass.

After confirming that it was correct, he felt like crying.

This prefect of Yingtian Prefecture is really not a human being. No matter how aggrieved he feels, he still has to do what needs to be done.

While he had his men treat Mr. Ma and Mr. Ma well, he went to the palace to report the situation.

When Queen Ma learned that someone from her hometown had come to visit her again, she did not show any joy, but frowned:
"Didn't I tell them to stay home and farm and study? Why are they here again?"

As soon as the Ming Dynasty was established, Empress Ma was crowned as empress, and soon after that, people from her hometown came to claim her as a relative and ask for a title.

At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang also proposed to select a few close blood relatives to be given official positions and titles.

Moreover, since Ma Taigong had no offspring, he should have selected outstanding sons from the clan to inherit his clan lineage.

However, Empress Ma firmly opposed it, arguing that they had not done anything and granting them official titles would be harmful to them.

He also cited historical examples of external relatives interfering in politics.

In a word, not blocking it is for their own good.

Finally, they were rewarded with some money and allowed to go back.

To outsiders, Empress Ma was selfless.

As a husband, how could Zhu Yuanzhang not know her true thoughts?

To put it bluntly, I just look down on that family.

When Ma Taigong took her to escape, no one in the family came forward to help.

Mr. and Mrs. Ma died of illness, leaving her an orphan, and no one from the Ma family showed up either.

Fortunately, Guo Zixing was loyal and treated her as his own daughter, otherwise the fate of an orphan like her would be unimaginable.

Later, when Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma rebelled, no one in the Ma family was willing to come forward to help.

Isn't it just that you're afraid of being implicated?

You all stayed away when we were suffering, but now that the Ming Dynasty has taken over the world, you rush out eagerly to recognize your relatives. How can such a good thing happen in the world?

If she wasn't afraid that others would say she was unkind, she wouldn't even want to reward him with that little bit of money.

In fact, what she didn't know was that in the original history, Zhu Yuanzhang selected a pair of brothers from the Ma family's close relatives to worship Ma Taigong in the 25th year of Hongwu.

It’s a pity that this pair of brothers had no talent and disappeared quietly in the long river of history.

All we can say is that Zhu Yuanzhang proved his feelings for Empress Ma with practical actions.

But this incident also proved that her judgment was correct and that family really could not be helped.

Closer to home.

When Empress Ma heard that someone had come from her hometown again, she was naturally very unhappy.

Zhu Yuanzhang advised: "After all, they are family. Even if the bones are broken, the tendons are still connected. You should meet them."

"Also, we heard that Ma Ye is the grandson of my father-in-law's cousin, which means he is a blood relative within the fifth degree of mourning."

"It's not right for you, as an aunt, not to see her."

Queen Ma also knew this truth and said helplessly:
"Let Chen Zizheng bring them here."

Zhu Yuanzhang quickly ordered the eunuch to pass on the message, then he rolled his eyes and said:
"Call the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the others over here."

Queen Ma looked at him suspiciously and asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said: "Let them meet their cousins, so that they won't be strangers when they meet in the future."

Empress Ma said with a half-smile, "Really? I thought you were trying to stop me from recognizing Ma Yu as my relative."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked very uncomfortable and laughed:
"Misunderstanding, pure misunderstanding. Am I such a petty person?"

Queen Ma rolled her eyes and didn't bother to pay attention to him.

But she also wanted to see what the situation was with her cousin who was not out of the fifth degree of kinship.

If he could be more talented than Ma Yu... forget it, that would be too much of an insult to him.

If he had one-tenth of Ma Yu's talent, I would give him a chance to stay.

If not, go back to where you came from.

There will be another update in the evening

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(End of this chapter)