The Ming Dynasty: My sister, Empress Ma

Ma Wenyuan has always been a man of his word.

He went to the Duke of Cao's mansion that very day.

When Li Zhen heard that Ma Wenyuan had arrived, she personally went to the door to greet him, looked him up and down, and a rare smile appeared on her face.

"What are you doing here, kid? Need money again?"

Li Zhen was very close to Ma Wenyuan, and he valued this younger man highly.

Ma Wenyuan also smiled.

"Brother-in-law is joking. This time it's not about borrowing money, it's about some good news."

Li Zhen raised an eyebrow and let Ma Wenyuan into the main hall.

The maidservant quickly served tea. Li Zhen leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and waited for him to speak.

Li Zhen always kept a high and mighty attitude towards outsiders.

But he was much more relaxed with younger people like Ma Wenyuan, treating them like family.

"Brother-in-law, have you heard of my physics academy?"

"I heard you invited Liang Yin down from Shimen Mountain, didn't you?"

Ma Wenyuan waved his hand.

"Mr. Liang is in charge of classical studies, and I am in charge of the study of things, but there is no one to take care of the eating, drinking, toileting, discipline, and medical care of the more than two hundred children in the school..."

At this point, Ma Wenyuan glanced at Li Zhen, wanting to see his reaction.

Li Zhen did not respond.

Ma Wenyuan leaned forward.

"Brother-in-law, you're just sitting at home doing nothing anyway."

"I heard that you get up early every morning, take a walk around the yard, sunbathe in the yard, take a nap at noon, and then just wait until night to go back to sleep."

Li Zhen nearly choked on her tea, put down her teacup, and glared at him.

"What business is it of yours how I live my life?"

"I dare not interfere."

"But I'm thinking, brother-in-law, with all your skills—you've managed supplies, troops, and thousands of people—don't you feel stifled staying home sleeping?"

Ma Wenyuan said with a smile.

Li Zhen leaned back in her chair, pondered for a moment, and then asked in return,

"Are you asking me to be your housekeeper?"

"What butler? It's the head butler."

Ma Wenyuan corrected him in a serious tone.

"Besides classes, you're in charge of everything else at the school. Liang Yin is in charge of classical studies, I'm in charge of the study of things, and you're in charge of both of us. So, you're still my superior."

"In a sense, this is equivalent to the headmaster of an academy."

Li Zhen snorted, "You're quite good at keeping accounts."

Seeing that he didn't immediately refuse, Ma Wenyuan knew he had a chance and moved closer.

"Brother-in-law, let me speak from the bottom of my heart. Of the more than two hundred children in the school, half are orphans of fallen soldiers, and the other half are children of meritorious officials."

"Chang Yuchun's son, Tang He's son, and Liao Yongzhong's son are all in there."

"If these children are left unsupervised and go astray, it won't just be a disgrace to me, Ma Wenyuan, but to the imperial court. If my brother-in-law helps me keep these children in line, His Majesty will also feel honored, won't he?"

Li Zhen remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Don't try to intimidate me with His Majesty's name."

"I'm not using His Majesty to pressure you; I'm trying to reason with you."

Ma Wenyuan's smile remained unchanged.

Li Zhen put down her teacup, looked at Ma Wenyuan's smiling face, and after a long while, finally said something.

"I wasn't wrong after all. You're better than Bao'er. At least Bao'er can't beat you when it comes to shamelessness."

Ma Wenyuan took it as Li Zhen praising him and replied without batting an eye,

"Shall I send a car to pick you up tomorrow?"

"No need," Li Zhen smiled. "I'll go myself. I want to see what kind of mess you've made of your school."

To be honest, Li Zhen really wanted to go out and get some exercise; staying home and sleeping all day wasn't a good idea.

Just then, Li Jinglong also poked his head out.

"Grandpa, Uncle, where are we going?"

"I'll take you to a great place," Ma Wenyuan said with a smile, rubbing Li Jinglong's head.

"Really?" Li Jinglong's eyes lit up. He liked his uncle, so he naturally believed it without a doubt.

Li Zhen frowned. "What can Jinglong do at school?"

"The school has elementary classes, all with children this age. It's reassuring to have your own grandchildren around, isn't it?"

Li Zhen thought about it and felt satisfied.

He naturally wanted his grandson to be successful.

He wasn't very capable when he was young, which made his son's later life very difficult.

Now that she has the ability, Li Zhen naturally wants to lay the foundation for Li Jinglong as soon as possible.

Therefore, Li Zhen quickly replied, "Yes, Grandpa will take you tomorrow."

Li Jinglong jumped up with joy.

……

That very evening, the news reached the palace.

Ma Xiuying was having dinner with Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao in Kunning Palace.

Halfway through the meal, a eunuch came to report that the emperor's brother-in-law had gone to the residence of Duke Cao and invited Duke Cao to take charge of the Gewu Academy, to which Duke Cao agreed.

Zhu Yuanzhang paused for a moment, put down his chopsticks, and looked at Ma Xiuying.

"Your brother certainly knows how to find people. Even with your brother-in-law's temper, he managed to get him to cooperate?"

Zhu Yuanzhang knew that his brother-in-law, Li Zhen, had long been unwilling to serve as an official.

He never expected to be invited by Ma Wenyuan to find a new job.

Ma Xiuying smiled and served him a bowl of soup.

"My younger brother may not have any other skills, but he's thick-skinned. You know what kind of person my brother-in-law is; he's easily swayed by kindness but not by force. He's especially bad at refusing to talk to younger people."

"If Wen Yuan had put on airs with him, he would have kicked him out long ago. Wen Yuan must have gone to beg him with a smile, and my brother-in-law couldn't refuse, so he agreed."

Zhu Yuanzhang thought about it and agreed.

My brother-in-law is the kind of person who doesn't give face to anyone in the imperial court, but he's especially soft-hearted towards his own family.

"Alright." Zhu Yuanzhang picked up his bowl and took a sip of soup. "He's been idle for so many years, his bones are practically rusted. Let him go and take care of the children, get some exercise, it's better than him staying cooped up at home."

Ma Xiuying smiled and said,

"My brother-in-law isn't that old yet, but staying cooped up at home all day has made him sick. Going to school and spending time with the children will be more lively and good for his health."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted.

"Your brother's school has attracted all my relatives; my fourth and fifth brothers went there too."

Zhu Biao spoke up at this point as well.

"It would be good for the fourth and fifth sons to learn from their uncle. They are both going to be enfeoffed, and you might not feel comfortable having them learn from others, Father."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him, said nothing more, and continued eating with his head down.

That's indeed the case; Old Zhu is a very vigilant person.

Suddenly, Old Zhu abruptly changed the subject, seemingly mentioning schools, and thus he also brought up the topic of the imperial examinations.

"Some people in the court are talking about preparing for next year's imperial examinations, but I think it's better not to hold them again."

This year marks the first imperial examination of the Hongwu reign, but Zhu Yuanzhang is already thinking about the next one.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Biao shook his head without hesitation.

"That's not appropriate. The imperial examination system is for selecting officials for the country. I still think it shouldn't be stopped."

"Look at the kind of officials selected this time through the imperial examinations!"

Zhu Yuanzhang scoffed, "That Wu Bozong is a top scholar, isn't he? He doesn't think about how to serve the Ming Dynasty all day long, he just thinks about making friends."

……