My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 9 Doing the opposite

After reading the entire letter, Zhu Yuanzhang was silent for a long time.

He did not have much feeling about the last point of view that "Confucius and Mencius are the basis, Guan and Xunzi are the application".

As an emperor who came from the grassroots, he didn't care about family or children.

Only those who can govern the country well are good.

In particular, he himself was very disgusted with Mencius's thoughts, and naturally did not like the views that promoted Mencius.

Compared with this view, he prefers Ma Yu's evaluation of Guanzi and Confucius.

Guanzi was a ruler and a pragmatist. Everything he did was for the purpose of governing the country, and everything else was just a tool.

Confucius and his disciples were scholars and idealists who regarded the great principles as everything and believed that when the great principles were practiced, the world would naturally be in great order.

He believes that this evaluation fully reveals the essence of Confucianism.

but……

Zhu Yuanzhang thought silently in his heart.

Confucianism’s loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness are essential for governing a country, so we still have to use Confucianism.

Many people have proposed to us to restore the imperial examination system.

The imperial examination must have a standard reference. I originally wanted to use Zhu Xi's Annotated Collection of Four Books as the only standard for the imperial examination.

It seems that this consideration is biased.

How can the country be governed well if a group of corrupt scholars who can only talk nonsense can be managed?

It would be better to get a few sets of more practical classics.

As to whether or not to use the ideas of Guanzi and Xunzi, this matter remains to be discussed.

From the above, we can see that Ma Yu is not the kind of person who only studies hard, he does have some talent.

No wonder the girl wrote this letter.

It is such a pity to execute such a great talent so easily.

Moreover, his knowledge is so profound, how much more knowledgeable should his elders be?
I can't even think about it.

If this offends his elders, that would be a real loss.

Thinking back to what Empress Ma wrote in the letter, because he was wrongly imprisoned and sentenced to death as soon as he arrived in Yingtian, Ma Yu had a deep prejudice against the Ming Dynasty.

Although he changed his mind after Zhu Biao's persuasion, he still had some complaints.

When he thought of this, Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes showed a cold murderous intent.

He almost caused the Ming Dynasty to lose a great talent in governing the country. He deserves to be killed.

Zhao Erhu, who was guarding the gate, couldn't help but shudder. Oh no, His Majesty is angry.

Zhu Yuanzhang had no time to pay attention to the leader of his imperial guards. He was still thinking about how to deal with those corrupt officials.

There must be severe punishment.

When we get back, we'll peel all the daylilies. We'll see whether you are thick-skinned and fearless, or whether our knife is sharper.

Thinking of this, he took out the memorial about the Ming Dynasty Law again and added a few paragraphs to it.

Officials who embezzled more than 60 taels of silver were to be put to death regardless of their status.

Depending on the amount of corruption and other circumstances, punishments such as beating to death, beheading, beheading, slow slicing, and skinning were also set.

As for the confiscation of property and exile, the extermination of three clans, etc., those are all part of the package and nothing can be left out.

Only after he finished writing all of this in one breath did he feel a little better.

In the past, you officials used the law to harm the people, but today we will do the opposite.

There are two types of punishments used for the people and officials. As long as the people do not rebel, the punishment will be in accordance with the Confucian requirement of prudence.

As for the officials, Zhu Yuanzhang showed his white teeth.

All these abolished corporal punishments will be arranged for you to see if you still dare to be corrupt and break the law.

The more he thought about Zhu Yuanzhang, the happier he felt, and a smile appeared on his face unconsciously.

But in Zhao Erhu's eyes, this smile was too terrifying and creepy, and he was so scared that his legs became weak.

After putting the memorial that had been approved for the second time into the secret box, Zhu Yuanzhang picked up Empress Ma's letter again.

As a husband and wife, he knew Empress Ma too well. Since he wrote this letter, he had already made his attitude clear.

I hope Ma Yu can be pardoned and given an important position.

Zhu Yuanzhang also agreed with her opinion, but he felt that it was too hasty to let him go.

Firstly, Ma Yu was resentful towards the Ming Dynasty. If he was released like this, who knew whether he would be willing to be used by the Ming Dynasty.

Secondly, we also need to confirm his true level so that we can know what kind of treatment to give him.

Thirdly, we have to think of a suitable reason and find a suitable opportunity to release him.

After all, this is the first case of impersonating a royal relative since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, and everyone in the world is watching.

If we just raise it high and put it down gently, where is the royal dignity?
Thinking of this, he wrote a reply to Queen Ma.

However, he did not mention Ma Yu at the beginning, but instead described his situation in Kaifeng in detail.

He also advised Queen Ma not to be too tired and to rest more.

There is not a single word to express missing you, but every line reveals one meaning: I miss you.

It was not until the end of the letter that he briefly mentioned Ma Yu.

Keep him under control and don't let the news leak out.

Find out his background thoroughly, confirm his level of knowledge, and it would be best if you can find out his identity.

As for pardoning him, we'll talk about it after we get back.

After finishing everything, he put the letter in a secret box and asked the guards to send it back to Yingtian at an express speed of 800 miles.

Afterwards, he hosted a banquet to entertain Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, and made an exception by bringing out a jar of wine.

"This is the fine wine presented to us by the false emperor Mingsheng of Daxia. He said it is a specialty of their country."

"I know you've been working hard in the army and haven't had a drink in months, so I brought a jar for you to try."

Chang Yuchun couldn't take his eyes off the wine jar:
"Haha...it's still the senior who understands our Lao Chang's preferences the best. Let's not go home until we're drunk today."

Xu Da was quite tempted, but he still said rationally:
"Thank you for your generosity, Your Majesty, but this place has only just been pacified. As military commanders, we are not suitable for drinking."

Chang Yuchun yelled, "Tian De, you're just worrying about nothing."

"The nearest Yuan troops are in Shandong, hundreds of miles away. Can they fly over here in a day or a night?"

Xu Da continued, "The Supreme Ruler is here, and we cannot afford to slack off."

Hearing him say this, Chang Yuchun muttered a few words and no longer mentioned drinking.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded in satisfaction at Xu Da's restraint, then smiled and said:
"Boren has a stubborn temper and refuses to submit to anyone. Only you, Tiande, can control him."

That's why he asked Xu Da to restrain Chang Yuchun to prevent him from causing trouble due to his recklessness.

It can be said that under Xu Da's command, Chang Yuchun was Chang Shiwan.

Without Xu Da's restraint, he wavered between being a super god and a super ghost.

"Don't worry, we're here, you can drink without worry."

"But this is just once. From now on, until we return victorious, you must not drink a drop of alcohol."

Xu Da did not insist any further and said gratefully, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. I will not be polite then."

Chang Yuchun was overjoyed and quickly took the wine jar. He slapped the seal open and immediately the aroma of wine filled his nose.

He took a deep breath and shouted, "Good wine, good wine."

Xu Da's throat also rolled. The rich aroma of wine and the long aftertaste also aroused his thirst for alcohol.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and introduced: "According to the envoys from Daxia, this wine is brewed with water from a sweet spring in Luzhou, Sichuan."

"Only that spring can produce such fine wine. If you use the same brewing method but draw water from another source, it won't taste this good."

Chang Yuchun nodded repeatedly and said, "That's how winemaking works. Even if they come from two adjacent springs, the wine they brew will taste different."

"It's just that most people can't tell the difference."

He was quite pleased with himself when he said this, because he was one of the few people who could tell the difference. This made Zhu Yuanzhang and Xu Da laugh.

This Boren is straightforward, reckless, and sometimes a little silly. In private, he is completely different from what Chang Shiwan should be like.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but recall how the two met.

At that time, Chang Yuchun was dressed in rags and looked lazy, saying that he wanted to seek refuge.

Zhu Yuanzhang particularly disliked such lazy people and wanted to drive them away.

Chang Yuchun begged and insisted on following, and when they chased him away, he lay on the ground and several people couldn't catch him.

When I beat him, he would kneel down and kowtow, saying how pitiful he was and asking me to take him in.

At that time, Zhu Yuanzhang was still a righteous young man. He could not bring himself to kill an innocent citizen, let alone one who came to him for refuge.

I can only let him follow me like this.

Soon after, Zhu Yuanzhang decided to attack Jiqing Road (Yingtian) and chose Caishiji as the landing site.

However, the Yuan army was defending the river, and the Red Turban Army could not defeat them no matter what they did, and was on the verge of failure.

Zhu Yuanzhang was extremely anxious. Seeing Chang Yuchun next to him, he said:

Didn’t you say that you are very brave and can help me win?

He just said it casually, but Chang Yuchun didn't say anything, immediately asked for a small boat and rushed up.

Then he jumped onto the shore alone and used his unparalleled skills to carve out a small landing space for the navy.

This is how we won the great victory at Caishiji.

This battle can be said to have saved Zhu Yuanzhang's army and also opened up the situation for the subsequent attack on Jiqing Road.

Only then did Zhu Yuanzhang realize that he had made a mistake, and from then on he trusted Chang Yuchun even more.

Shortly thereafter, the two families made a marriage engagement.

That is the marriage between Crown Prince Zhu Biao and the future Crown Princess Chang.

Many years passed, and he had become the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, while the two of them were one the general and the other the deputy general.

They can all be said to have achieved success and fame.

Thinking back on those days now, I feel a different kind of emotion in my heart.

Zhu Yuanzhang was also a little excited, picked up the wine bowl and said:

"Come, brothers, let's drink a bowl of wine together to celebrate the past."

Xu Da's heart was shaken, and he was also a little excited. He raised his wine bowl and said, "Cheers to the Lord."

"Haha." Chang Yuchun laughed and said, "I toast to you, too."

The three of them picked up their bowls and drank them all, making the atmosphere even more lively.

Let’s reminisce about the past and envision the future together.

Before I knew it, half an hour had passed and I had finished a five-jin jar of wine.

Three and a half pounds of it went into Chang Yuchun's stomach, and he was already completely drunk.

Zhu Yuanzhang drank a pound of liquor, and since he had a low alcohol tolerance, he was also drunk.

Xu Da always maintained restraint and only drank about half a pound of wine, and was the most sober.

After the banquet, he asked Zhao Erhu to help Zhu Yuanzhang back to his room to rest.

After Chang Yuchun was properly settled, he changed his clothes and inspected the defense with his personal guards.

What Xu Da didn't know was that not long after he left, Zhu Yuanzhang, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened his eyes.

There was no trace of drunkenness.

How could he really let himself get drunk in such a dangerous place?

It's not that he was on guard against Xu Da and Chang Yuchun. At this time, he didn't suspect them.

Now the only people he truly trusted were Li Shanchang, Tang He, Xu, Chang and a few others.

What he was worried about was that Kaifeng had just been captured not long ago, and who knew if there were any ambitious people secretly plotting against it.

In this situation, how could he possibly get drunk and lose consciousness?

If he didn't even have this little bit of vigilance, he wouldn't be alive today.

After lying in bed for a while, he called Zhao Erhu and asked about the situation of Xu and Chang.

He was not surprised at all to learn that Chang Yuchun was drunk and Xu Da took people to patrol the city.

This is in line with their personalities.

Seeing that he had no intention of continuing to sleep, Zhao Erhu ordered people to prepare some sobering soup and helped him change his clothes.

Afterwards, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered someone to bring him the book "Guan Zi" to read.

Many people think that Zhu Yuanzhang came from a humble background and probably did not receive much education.

On the contrary, he had read as many books as the old scholar and had beautiful handwriting.

But he also has a shortcoming, he likes to show off his knowledge.

For example, when he wrote letters to enemy leaders, he particularly liked to show off his knowledge and compare ancient humans with modern people.

Wang Baobao was one of the victims.

Zhu Yuanzhang often wrote letters to Wang Baobao. When he was weak, he would say nice things to him, and when he was strong, he would use all kinds of pressure and threats.

Wang Baobao was so angry that he had no choice.

But sometimes showing off your knowledge inappropriately can bring you trouble.

Originally, he and Zhang Shicheng did not have much conflict of interest, and the two sides lived in peace.

Zhu Yuanzhang's main enemy at that time was Chen Youliang.

He was afraid that the two would attack him from both sides, so he wrote a letter to appease Zhang Shicheng, hoping that the two sides could maintain peace.

However, in his letter he compared Zhang Shicheng to Wei Xiao.

Who was Wei Xiang? He was a warlord in the late Western Han Dynasty and early Eastern Han Dynasty. He first defected to Liu Xiu, but later rebelled and was suppressed by Liu Xiu.

Comparing others to Wei Xiao, isn't this a blatant humiliation?

Zhang Shicheng came from a salt merchant family and was the kind of person who would never give up a favor and would never give up a grudge.

You stinky beggar dare to humiliate me, this matter is not over.

As a result, friction arose between the two sides. Later, Zhang Shicheng's younger brother Zhang Shide was captured by Zhu Yuanzhang and chose to commit suicide in prison.

Zhang Shicheng may have some shortcomings, but he really has a deep brotherly love.

From then on, he and Zhu Yuanzhang would fight to the death.

He never bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang until his forces were eliminated.

It can be said that the deep-seated reason for the conflict between Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhang Shicheng was the warlords' mutual annexation.

But the trigger was that letter with an inappropriate metaphor.

Closer to home.

Zhu Yuanzhang knew his shortcomings, so he particularly liked reading and always carried a large number of books with him.

Influenced by Li Shanchang, he read a lot of Legalist books, and it can even be said that he was greatly influenced by Legalist thought.

As the founder of the Legalists, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally had a copy of the book "Guanzi" with him.

It's just that he used to pay more attention to the ideas of the Qin and Jin legal schools, that is, the school of Shang Yang and Han Fei, and did not pay much attention to the Qi legal school (the school of Guan Zhong).

Now, influenced by Ma Yu's saying "Confucius and Mencius are the basis, Guan and Xunzi are the application", he began to re-examine Guanzi's thoughts.

The more I look at it, the more I feel that it is indeed very practical.

Many of Guanzi’s strategies can be fully applied to the current Ming Dynasty.

This made him pay more attention to Ma Yu.
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Just when Zhu Yuanzhang was studying "Guanzi", Zhu Biao and Song Lian had a conflict.

It all started with his study of "Guanzi" and "Xunzi".

(End of this chapter)