The Ming Dynasty: My sister, Empress Ma

Xu Da, courtesy name Tiande, is the Duke of Wei, Right Chancellor of the Central Secretariat, the first meritorious official of the founding of the Ming Dynasty, and the foremost military general. He is currently 39 years old.

In later generations, this age would be considered the prime of life, but in today's terms, it would be considered a senior figure.

Chang Yuchun was only 39 when he died.

When Xu Da arrived at the Ma residence, Ma Wenyuan couldn't possibly put on airs, so he naturally had to personally go out to greet him.

"This humble general pays his respects to the Duke of Wei."

The main gate of the Ma residence opened, and Ma Wenyuan, dressed in a Confucian robe, bowed.

Before last year, he was called Duke of Xin, but last year he was renamed Duke of Wei.

Ma Wenyuan's current status is somewhat awkward. Logically speaking, he is a proper scholar, the kind who could pass the imperial examination.

But in reality, he was a military officer, so he could only refer to himself as "this humble general".

"Alright, I've known His Majesty since we were both lowly. In the past, I even called His Highness 'sister-in-law' in private. Since you are His Highness's brother, then you are my brother."

Xu Da was not tall, less than 1.8 meters. He had a thin face with prominent cheekbones, unlike the usual burly faces of military generals. On the contrary, he had a refined and elegant demeanor.

Xu Da patted Ma Wenyuan on the shoulder, stepped into the courtyard, and said as he passed Ma Wenyuan,

"We are brothers, there's no need for these formalities."

Xu Da came alone today, without any attendants or relatives, as if he were simply dropping by for a visit.

Xu Da's voice came from behind the screen wall.

"I just finished reporting to the Emperor and came straight here from the palace. I didn't come here for anything else, I just wanted to see you."

If someone familiar with Xu Da were here, they would probably be quite surprised.

This is quite different from the seriousness that Wei Guogong usually displays.

Ma Wenyuan quickly caught up with Xu Da.

Xu Da suddenly stopped and looked back, scrutinizing Ma Wenyuan once more.

Xu Da only stopped after making Ma Wenyuan feel a little uneasy. He asked, "I heard you were in Guangdong before. Are you getting used to life in Yingtian Prefecture?"

"It's a habit, thank you for your concern, Duke of Wei." Ma Wenyuan did not take advantage of the situation and still addressed him as Duke of Wei.

Xu Da currently holds no official position in the army; he can either be addressed as Duke of Wei or as Right Chancellor.

As for calling each other brothers?

Ma Wenyuan felt it was still a bit inappropriate; he didn't have that much face.

Xu Da did not correct him again, but simply said,

"Why would you even consider joining Dingchen's group? Aren't you a scholar?"

"I eat the emperor's food and bear the emperor's worries." Ma Wenyuan's answer was concise.

"Even if you're just trying to gain experience, you should learn from Wei Xue."

Xu Da, as if he hadn't heard Ma Wenyuan's words, continued, "Dingchen's road is not easy to travel. The natural barrier of the Yangtze River at Qutang Pass is quite troublesome."

I suffered a loss under Zhao Pusheng back then; if it weren't for Liu Ji, I might have lost.

Ma Wenyuan ignored him and continued to flatter him.

"The Duke of Wei has won every battle; how could he possibly lose?"

Although Xu Da didn't say why he came, Ma Wenyuan didn't believe that this guy was just bored and making a fuss, simply coming to see him.

"Many people will die. Back then, Zhao Pusheng burned Bo Ren's flagship, and none of his eight hundred personal guards survived. Aren't you afraid?"

Xu Da said with a smile, "Otherwise, I'll go and talk to the Emperor. Wait a year, and next year you can come with me to the north to gain experience."

Ma Wenyuan understood; they wanted to test his capabilities.

If Xu Da had realized he was a fool, Zhu Yuanzhang probably wouldn't have sent him to Shu.

He will most likely remain in Yingtian Prefecture, living a precarious life as a minor official.

Its main purpose was to produce offspring for the Ma family and to relieve the Empress's boredom.

This was an opportunity that Ma Wenyuan had worked so hard to obtain, so how could he possibly give it up?

It is true that this journey is fraught with peril, with only a slim chance of survival.

But in the eyes of someone like Lao Zhu, young people who haven't experienced battle are not worth using.

Zhu Wenzheng was like this, Mu Ying was like this, and Li Wenzhong was also like this.

So Ma Wenyuan had no choice but to go, whether he wanted to or not.

Simply being a good writer is not enough; those three people mentioned earlier were all skilled in both literature and martial arts.

Which essay was poorly written in this imperial examination?

But in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, it was all just theoretical knowledge, so which one could catch his eye?

Ma Wenyuan could not accomplish what he wanted to do without the emperor's support.

Therefore, he smiled and declined.

"Your Majesty's words are law; how can they be changed overnight?"

In fact, Ma Wenyuan was already prepared to accept the subsequent tests from this renowned general of the time.

Unexpectedly, Xu Da did not put any test into it; he simply waved his hand and skipped the topic.

They started chatting about family matters.

When the time was almost up, Xu Da left.

"If you come back alive, remember to visit my house."

These are the words Xu Da left behind before he departed.

They came in a hurry, and they left in a hurry.

It really felt like they were just there for a casual look around.

……

The residence of the Duke of Wei.

After leaving the Ma residence, Xu Da went straight home.

Just around the corner, in just two steps, are two adjacent houses, some even sharing the same wall.

As soon as Xu Da returned home, he saw his wife, Xie, leading their son and daughter to greet him.

Xu Da had a son and a daughter, but his son died young.

The son's name is Xu Huizu, and he is the same age as Li Jinglong.

My daughter is older; her name is Xu Miaoyun, and she is nine years old now.

Xu Da was always very happy to see his two children.

Like most fathers, he cuddled with his son and daughter for a while.

Finally, Xu Da looked at Xie Shi.

This is his wife who has shared his hardships, and he cherishes her dearly.

"You've worked hard these past few days," Xu Da said with a smile.

Xie asked,

"How many days are you planning to stay this time?"

Xu Da replied with an awkward smile, "Two or three days, I guess. Next, I'll be going north to train troops."

This is the essence of the saying that one cannot have both family and country.

Madam Xie shook her head.

"If Bo Ren were still alive, you wouldn't have to work so hard."

Suddenly, Xie became curious again.

Did you go see it?

When Chang Yuchun was mentioned, Xu Da started looking for other things to do to distract himself. He was currently touching his daughter's face in his arms when he heard the following words and asked in return,

"What are you looking at?"

Mrs. Xie was getting a little anxious.

"Your Highness's younger brother."

"I've gone," Xu Da replied casually, his attention still focused on his daughter. "She's getting prettier and prettier."

Xie pressed for an answer.

"How is it?"

Xie didn't even have time to let Xu Da enter first.

"It's alright."

Xu Da bypassed the Xie family and went inside on his own.

However, Madam Xie continued to press, "Didn't you test him?"

What will the exam be about?

Xu Da was getting annoyed. "What's wrong with you, woman?"

"If he goes to the battlefield and comes back alive, isn't that enough?"

Xie pursed her lips.

"I said you have really low expectations for young people these days."

Xu Da was not interested in arguing with her, and just played with his daughter by himself.

"If you want to know these things, go next door yourself."

Xu Da had something else to say: a single county could harbor talents capable of governing the country.

Whether it's governing a country or waging war.

If one can seize the opportunity, even a humble peddler can rise to great heights.

From Liu Bang's Pei County group to the current Huaixi group, aren't there plenty of people like this?

Even if one's talent is truly lacking, as long as one experiences enough and survives each time, one can at least become a qualified general, if not a famous one.

Therefore, Xu Da wouldn't test anything; he only needed to know that Ma Wenyuan wasn't afraid of death.

"Did someone move in next door?"

Xu Miaoyun, nestled in Xu Da's arms, suddenly asked.

"Yes, you should call him uncle." Xu Da chuckled.

Xu Miaoyun nodded, having formed some ideas of her own.

Her small mind couldn't think of too many things.

Xu Miaoyun felt that since she had to call him uncle, his family must have a daughter.

I should be able to go to his house to play, right?

I'm really not fun.