My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 113 Untitled
Marriage?

Empress Ma was very surprised: "Didn't you say you'd wait two years? Why did you change your mind?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, "If we don't find a way to ease the tension, I'm afraid you and the children won't recognize us anymore."

"You're just trying to fool me." Empress Ma knew he was lying, but she was still very happy inside.

He then asked with concern, "What about Wang Baobao?"

Zhu Yuanzhang then recounted Ma Yu and Zhu Shuang's analysis, as well as their strategy of sowing discord:
"After careful consideration, it is indeed as Ma Yu said, Wang Baobao is now a stray dog."

"It's not worth our time to try and win them over. Let Shuang'er try his divisive tactics."

Empress Ma was not optimistic about this strategy: "Although Wang Baobao has established a separatist regime, at this critical moment when the country is on the verge of collapse, they shouldn't be so foolish as to fight amongst themselves, right?"

Zhu Yuanzhang scoffed, "The closer a country is to its demise, the more frequent its internal strife becomes. If the Yuan Dynasty had been able to unite as one, there would be no Ming Dynasty today."

"Furthermore, don't forget what happened in the twenty-fifth year of the Zhizheng era."

When Emperor Zhizheng first ascended the throne, he also worked hard to govern the country and wanted to make a difference.

However, the Yuan Dynasty was already terminally ill, and all its reforms failed until the appearance of the One-Eyed Stone Man.

Seeing that despite his hard work, the world was still in a terrible state, he completely gave up and indulged in wine and women all day long.

His crown prince, Ayushiridara, wanted to usurp the throne and become emperor himself.

Thus, the father and son began to fight amongst themselves.

Local warlord Bolot Timur supported Emperor Zhizheng and led his troops into the capital to purge the court of corrupt officials.

Ayushiridara's power was eliminated, and he fled the capital alone.

Here comes the funny part: after Bolod Timur entered the capital, he placed Emperor Zhizheng under house arrest and kidnapped Empress Qi for half a year.

What has happened in the past six months? Feel free to use your imagination.

Not only that, Bolat Timur also took Queen Qi's daughter into his harem...

As for Ayushiridara, after he fled the capital, he gained the support of Wang Baobao.

Why did Wang Baobao support a crown prince?

The reason is simple: Wang Baobao's maternal uncle and adoptive father, Chaghan Temur, and Bolot Temur were enemies.

Chaghan Temur was loyal to the Yuan court, but the Yuan dynasty at that time could no longer tolerate a loyal minister.

Bolotemur and others kept framing him and even led troops to seize his territory.

The two sides could be said to have a deep-seated hatred for each other.

After Chaghan Temur's death, Wang Baobao inherited his father's legacy, and one can imagine how much hatred he felt for Bolot Temur and others.

Now that Bolod Timur supports Emperor Zhizheng, Wang Baobao will support Ayushiridara.

In the twenty-fifth year of the Zhizheng era, Wang Baobao defeated Bolod Timur and returned to Dadu with Ayushiridara.

Ayushiridara believed that his time had come and demanded that Wang Baobao depose his father, Emperor Zhizheng, and become emperor himself.

Wang Baobao also realized that this crown prince was no good, and decisively refused.

Therefore, the two became enemies.

It can be said that Wang Baobao and Emperor Zhizheng and his son had a deep-seated hatred for each other.

A warlord who has a grudge against both the emperor and the crown prince certainly has room to sow discord.

"We have already given orders to Tiande and Siben to temporarily suspend the attack on Beiyuan, especially Wang Baobao, in order to cooperate with Shuang'er's divisive tactics."

"With the news of the arranged marriage, we think it's not impossible for it to succeed."

Empress Ma nodded and said, "In that case, there is indeed some possibility."

Zhu Yuanzhang added, "Besides, even if it doesn't work out, it won't matter to us; we won't suffer any loss."

Empress Ma nodded, finally understanding Zhu Yuanzhang's plan.

The arranged marriage was a win-win situation.

One reason was to ease tensions with Ma Yu, and another was to sow discord between Wang Baobao and his minister.

She didn't say anything about it; after all, it was good that he had the intention.

"But I'm afraid Yu'er's health isn't suitable for marriage."

Zhu Yuanzhang had already considered this point, and said:

"Let's arrange the marriage first, and then we can hold the wedding ceremony a couple of years later."

In fact, he did not want Ma Yu to marry Guanyin Nu too early.

He was well aware of the power of pillow talk; what if Ma Yu revealed some secrets that brought Wang Baobao back to life?

Therefore, it would be best to get engaged first, and then have the two get married after Wang Baobao's power has been completely eliminated.

Empress Ma was unaware of his thoughts, but she still agreed with his suggestion to get engaged first.

Ma Yu is already quite young, and coupled with the aftereffects of her hunger strike, she is indeed not suitable for marriage.

We should at least wait until the condition stabilizes before making any decisions.

So the matter was settled.

Of course, an arranged marriage is not that simple; at the very least, the parents have to meet the couple.

Empress Ma then ordered Guanyin Nu to be summoned to the palace.

Aruwen and Guanyinnu were both surprised, wondering why she was summoned to the palace for no reason.
Arruwin, being well-informed and knowledgeable about royal procedures, quickly understood the reason behind it.

The fact that the Empress summoned a woman of marriageable age to the palace without any apparent reason strongly suggests that it was an arranged marriage.

In other words, someone has taken a liking to Guanyin's slave.

Or perhaps the royal family wanted to win over her brother, Wang Baobao, by arranging a marriage.

But whatever the reason, as a surrendered official, he couldn't stop it; he could only offer these words of advice:

"The Empress is a kind and compassionate person. You don't need to worry about your safety. Go quickly."

Guanyin Nu also knew that she had no choice but to follow the eunuch to the palace.

Then she noticed that Empress Ma was looking at her strangely, as if she were being examined.

Even the future Crown Princess and Princess of Yan viewed themselves with scrutinizing eyes.

When the Empress spoke up and praised her as a good girl, everyone's attitude towards her became even kinder.

She has no airs at all.

This puzzled her greatly, but she dared not ask and could only keep it to herself.

Empress Ma was generally satisfied with her niece-in-law.

He has a decent appearance and is well-mannered; his only flaw is that he is a little overweight.

However, being fat is good; it gives you the strength to give birth and raise children.

With that in mind, she casually found a pretext to finalize the matter:
"How old are you?"

Guanyin Nu replied in a low voice, "Your Majesty, it's fourteen."

Empress Ma smiled and said, "Good, good, the age is just right."

Consort Chang smiled and chimed in, "Yes, she's about the same age as my cousin, and they're a perfect match, a match made in heaven."

Even if Guanyin's slave was stupid, he could tell what was going on.

This is an arranged marriage.

She immediately forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, I am of humble appearance and fear I am not qualified to serve Duke Xu. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your order."

Empress Ma was not surprised by her reaction at all, and smiled:
“Since ancient times, marriage has always been about matching social status. Your family background is extraordinary, and my nephew is no ordinary person either.”

"As for feelings, they're something that develop over time. You'll definitely like my nephew once you get to know him."

Guanyin Nu said, "Marriage is a major event that requires the arrangement of parents. Although my parents are no longer here, I still have my elder brother."

"This matter still needs his consent."

Empress Ma smiled and said, "Oh, then write a letter to your brother about this."

"It would be even better if we could invite him to Yingtian for the wedding."

Guanyin Nu's expression changed. What she said sounded reasonable, but it was actually a veiled attack.

If he writes a letter to Wang Baobao to discuss the marriage, his brother will definitely be suspected if the news leaks out.

As for inviting him to Yingtian, isn't that just a way of persuading him to surrender?

But this time it was she who first mentioned Wang Baobao, and now that she refuses to write a letter, Empress Ma will probably be very angry.

After all, he was only fourteen years old. Faced with such a big event, he was flustered and at a loss for what to do.

Consort Chang noticed her embarrassment and stepped in to smooth things over:

"The Marquis of Henan is your maternal grandfather and the eldest member of your family in terms of seniority. It would be more appropriate for him to step forward."

"He will probably agree to the marriage."

The title of Marquis of Henan was conferred by the Ming Dynasty after Aruwen surrendered.

Guanyin Nu quickly seized the opportunity and said, "What Miss Chang said is very true. I will go back and discuss this matter with Nagaqi Obo before reporting back to Your Majesty."

Empress Ma said in an irrefutable tone:
"His Majesty has already agreed to the marriage decree, and the decree will be issued soon. Go back and tell the Marquis of Henan to prepare for receiving the decree."

Guanyin Nu was shocked. She thought this was a request for her opinion, but it turned out to be just a notification.

The crucial point is that the emperor himself issued the decree to bestow the marriage, leaving virtually no room for reversal.

She was naturally unwilling to accept this, but she didn't know how to object.

Empress Ma knew that she couldn't accept it right away, so she didn't say anything more.

He bestowed upon her a large quantity of jewels, jade artifacts, and precious silks, and then ordered his eunuchs to escort her out of the palace.

Consort Chang personally saw her off, and on the way she advised her:
“Actually, you know in your heart that you have no chance of returning to the grasslands.”

"The Ming Dynasty is your final destination."

"Besides, you grew up in Han areas. Are you really willing to go to the grasslands to live a nomadic life? Can you endure that hardship?"

Guanyin Nu remained silent. She understood everything, but she was unwilling to accept it.

Consort Chang continued, "You must have heard about your cousin's situation. Marrying him wouldn't be a disgrace to you."

"To be honest, you might not like to hear it, but everyone actually disagrees with this marriage."

"With his talent, he is destined to become a high-ranking official or a general in the future."

"How could anyone agree to him marrying a woman who harbors resentment towards the Ming Dynasty?"

“Normally, you should marry a son of a powerful family who is of noble birth but mediocre ability.”

"And so, he lived out his life quietly and without a trace."

Guanyin Nu couldn't help but shudder; she knew the other person was right.

Her identity is too sensitive; it's unlikely she'll marry an important person.

The thought of being forced to marry an ordinary man made her even more unbearable.

Having witnessed countless heroes and great men since childhood, how could she be willing to marry a mediocre man?

This truth was indeed very hurtful to her self-esteem, but that's reality.

In the past, she would have exploded long ago, but since being captured and becoming a prisoner, she has learned to think more humbly.

Compared to the worst-case scenario, marrying Ma Yu might not be such an unacceptable choice.

She had heard too much about Ma Yu and knew about his talent.

Such a person should marry a princess or a woman of high status; it's impossible for him to marry Wang Baobao's sister.

But knowing is one thing, accepting it is another, she said stiffly:
"If that's the case, why did His Majesty and the Empress bestow this marriage upon us?"

Consort Chang smiled and said, "There's nothing I can do; he fell in love with you at first sight."

"His Majesty and the Empress could not dissuade him, which is why this marriage was bestowed upon them."

Love at first sight? Me?
Guanyin Nu said incredulously, "I have never had any contact with him, so how can you say that?"

Consort Chang said, "The word 'fate' is so mysterious. Sometimes, just one glance in a crowd can break your heart."

As she spoke, she seemed to have thought of something, and a happy smile appeared on her face.

Guanyin Nu couldn't understand how someone could fall in love at first sight after just one glance?

This is too frivolous.

Consort Chang did not try to persuade her further, but simply said, "Go back and think carefully about what I said."

"My cousin is a really good person. I hope you two can have a happy ending."

Despite her disdain for this well-intentioned advice, Guanyin Nu still expressed her gratitude.

Then he left the palace without looking back.

Consort Chang could naturally see through her thoughts and couldn't help but shake her head.

This girl is still too young and doesn't understand reality. Marrying her cousin is the best way out for her.

Hopefully, she will soon understand her situation.
-
Aruwen was drinking at home when he saw Guanyin Nu return with so many things, which further confirmed his suspicions. However, he still asked, "What did the Empress say when she summoned you to the palace?"

Although Guanyin Nu was somewhat shy, she recounted the events and then asked:

"Nagaqioboge, what should we do?"

Aruwen asked in surprise, "Are you sure they want you to marry Duke Xu, Ma Yu?"

Guanyin Nu nodded and said, "It is him. Do you have any way to refuse this?"

Aruwen remained silent for a moment before asking a question that was cryptic:

"You really don't want to marry him?"

Guanyin Nu said firmly, "I don't want to. If I get married, I will never have the chance to go back to find my brothers again."

Aruwen sighed, "Do you think you still have a chance to leave?"

Guanyin Nu said, "Once my brother defeats the Ming Dynasty's Northern Expeditionary Army and regains his footing, he will definitely find a way to rescue me and bring me back."

Aruwen smiled wryly and said, "Silly child, the greater your brother's power, the more the Ming Dynasty will value you, and the harder it will be for you to leave."

"Moreover, according to the latest news, your brother attacked Lanzhou but failed and was defeated by Xu Da's strategy, suffering heavy losses."

Guanyin Nu was shocked: "Ah? Is my brother alright?"

Aruwen sighed and said, "He saw the opportunity early and escaped back to Karakorum under the protection of his personal guards."

"Now the Yuan army has been completely driven to the grasslands."

"The Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun have also been captured by the Ming Dynasty. It will be difficult for your brother and his men to take them back."

Guanyin Nu breathed a sigh of relief, and then said:

“As long as my brother is still alive, there is a chance. I believe in him.”

Aruwen shook his head helplessly and said, "The Ming Dynasty will not give you this opportunity."

"We can only accept the arranged marriage; we cannot object."

Guanyin's servant fell silent; he was at the mercy of others, like a fish on a chopping board.

Once the imperial decree was issued, she had no choice.

But she wasn't one to accept her fate, and after a while she said:
“I’m going to find Ma Yu and explain things to him.”

Aruwen called out to her, saying, "Do you think you won't have to get married if it's not for Ma Yu?"

"The Ming Dynasty's decision to bestow a marriage upon you at this time is most likely an attempt to sow discord between your brother and the Yuan Dynasty."

“Even without Ma Yu, there would have been Zhu Yu or Xu Yu.”

Guanyin Nu then realized what was happening, and her expression changed drastically:

"What should I do?"

Aruwen advised, "Accept it. At least Ma Yu is a decent person, better than marrying just anyone."

Guanyin Nu asked incredulously, "Na Ga Qi O Bo Ge, what... what are you saying?"

Aruwen emphasized, "You're usually so smart, how could you act so foolishly this time?"

Do we have the ability to refuse?

"The only reason they're willing to consult with you is because Ma Yu likes you."

"If it weren't for his influence, there wouldn't have been this summons at all; it would have been an imperial edict directly."

Seeing that even her only support was advising her in this way, Guanyin Nu was on the verge of tears.

Without saying anything more, she lowered her head and ran back to her room.

Feeling frustrated, Aruwen picked up a wine jar and began to gulp it down.
-
Ma Yu was the last to know about this.

He was also very surprised when he learned that Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to bestow a marriage upon him.

Didn't we agree to wait a few years? How come the marriage was suddenly arranged?

After learning the reason from Zhu Shuang, he couldn't help but laugh.

Zhu Yuanzhang really didn't let any opportunity slip by.

However, to be fair, this hunger strike actually had an unexpected effect.

Empress Ma and Zhu Biao both underwent a fundamental change in their attitudes towards him.

To put it bluntly, they have finally stepped into the role of 'relatives'.

Now even Zhu Yuanzhang's paranoia has been cured, and we should try to ease the tensions between the two sides.

No wonder people say that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

As for whether or not to agree to this, is there even a need to consider it? Of course, I'll marry him.

Since their last meeting, he had given Zhu Shuang a comprehensive understanding of her situation.

In terms of lifestyle habits, he is definitely a Henan native.

Moreover, he was well-versed in poetry and literature from a young age and was skilled in archery and horsemanship.

In Zhu Shuang's words, "If you two fight in the future, you'll be the one who gets beaten up."

Ma Yu's biggest concern is still temperament.

Overall, it's not bad; it doesn't have the bad habit of treating human life like dirt.

The only downside is that he's a bit spoiled.

But that's normal. As Wang Baobao's younger sister, it would be abnormal if she didn't have a bit of a spoiled princess's temper.

As long as one's nature isn't inherently bad, this minor flaw can be corrected.

What? You're saying he's just being delusional and doesn't care about the other person's feelings?
Stop joking around, don't you even know what era we live in?

Not marrying her would be truly pushing her into a fire pit.

"If she had any conscience at all, she should thank me," Ma Yu thought to herself.
-
An unexpected person intervened to stop the marriage.

That was Tao Kai, the newly appointed Minister of Rites.

The matter of bestowing a marriage must go through the Ministry of Rites. After Empress Ma met her niece-in-law, Zhu Yuanzhang asked Tao Kai to draft the imperial edict.

Tao Kai was very puzzled. Wasn't the plan to use her to win over Wang Baobao?
Marrying her to a prince would have been the most suitable arrangement, so why was she suddenly betrothed to Ma Yu?

At this time, the two were still in their honeymoon period, and Zhu Yuanzhang unusually offered a few more words of explanation:
"Wang Baobao is nothing but a stray dog; he's not worth our effort to win him over."

"Besides, this was personally designated by the Empress, so we can't refuse her request."

Then, the matter of sowing discord was briefly mentioned again.

Tao Kai still felt it would be a real shame to give up on winning over Wang Baobao.

But upon hearing that Empress Ma had personally intervened, he knew that the matter was already settled and had no choice but to abandon his own ideas.

Then he discussed a plan to sow discord with Zhu Yuanzhang.

Finally, it was decided that not only should the news of the arranged marriage be spread, but a letter should also be written to Wang Baobao to announce the good news.

The key is to kill someone by destroying their spirit.

Soon the imperial decree of marriage was issued, and Aruwen stepped forward to receive it.

Even though Guanyin Nu was unwilling, she had no choice but to accept it.

The only thing that made her happy was that the imperial decree said she could get married after she came of age.

That is, two years later.

She now desperately hopes that her elder brother can win a major victory within the next two years and then find a way to rescue her.

In fact, the emperor's sudden bestowal of a marriage shocked the officials of the Ming Dynasty the most.

Everyone was baffled as to why the marriage was suddenly arranged without any warning.
To be honest, everyone initially thought Ma Yu would marry a princess or something.

Why did they marry Wang Baobao's sister to him?

But regardless of everyone's reaction, the decree has already been issued, and the matter is now settled.

Next comes the gift-giving.

The day after the imperial decree for the marriage was issued, a long line of people came to deliver gifts outside the Marquis of Henan's residence.

Even top dignitaries like Li Shanchang, Chang Yuchun, and Tang He sent people over with congratulatory gifts.

Although they already knew that Ma Yu was enjoying great favor with the emperor and held a high position in the Ming Dynasty, this scene still shocked Aruwen and Guanyinnu.

As for Ma Yu's family, they received even more gifts.

Arwen's side mostly received gifts from the steward, while Ma Yu's side mostly received gifts from the head of the family himself.

When the head of the household is not home, the most important person comes.

Even though Ma Yu was 'sick,' he still had to personally handle this matter.

Fortunately, everyone knew he was not in good health, so he sat for a while and then left without staying any longer.

Some are happy and some are sad.

Wang Baobao was furious at this point.

He attacked Lanzhou for a long time without success, and was then defeated by Xu Da's strategy of exhausting the enemy, losing more than 80,000 men in one battle.

Losing all the land south of the Yellow River also meant completely losing its foundation in the Central Plains.

Fortunately, when he retreated from the Central Plains, he abducted a large number of people.

Upon returning to Karakorum, he conscripted all able-bodied men into the army.

Including the remaining 10,000-plus main force, a new army of 70,000 men was formed.

Then they intensified their training, preparing for the next battle against the Ming army.

However, he also knew that with his small force, he could not defeat the Ming army.

So they sent a letter to Emperor Zhizheng, who was stationed in Yingchang, inviting him to come to Karakorum so that they could join forces to fight against the Ming army.

However, at this moment, rumors began to spread.

Wang Baobao's base is in Henan and Shanxi, but now he has lost more than 60% of his forces and cannot replenish them.

Once his army is wiped out, he will have no place in the Yuan Dynasty court.

Therefore, he wanted to preserve his strength.

The invitation to Emperor Zhizheng was merely a ploy to find someone to shield him from harm.

There were even rumors that he intended to use his last remaining strength to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty.

Not only that, rumors were also circulating about Emperor Zhizheng.

Because of the events of the 25th year of the Zhizheng era, Wang Baobao offended both the emperor and the crown prince, who wanted to seize his military power in revenge.

Upon hearing these rumors, Wang Baobao immediately concluded:
"It's a divisive tactic by the Ming Dynasty; we must not fall for it."

He not only reassured his subordinates in this way, but also wrote a letter to Emperor Zhizheng and his son, telling them that he had no ulterior motives.

Emperor Zhizheng quickly replied to him, praising his loyalty on the surface but making no mention of going to Helin. Instead, he invited him to lead troops to Yingchang.

Wang Baobao was naturally unwilling to go, not because he didn't want to join forces with Emperor Zhizheng, but because he knew that Yingchang could not be defended.

Karakorum, being far from the Central Plains and having been managed by the Mongols for hundreds of years, was the most suitable place to be the site of the decisive battle.

The Ming army's attack on this area was a costly and distant expedition.

Even if they can't defeat the Ming army in a direct confrontation, they can still wear down the Ming army's logistics.

He wrote another letter to Emperor Zhizheng to persuade him.

However, the more this was the case, the more Emperor Zhizheng and his ministers doubted him, and they refused to go no matter what.

Just then, news arrived that the Ming emperor had bestowed a marriage upon Guanyin Nu.

Moreover, the person to whom the marriage was arranged was Ma Yu, the Empress's nephew.

Ma Yu's reputation had long reached the ears of the Yuan Dynasty's emperors and ministers, who all knew of his special status.

This is clearly an attempt to win them over.

The key point is that Zhu Yuanzhang's handwritten letter to Wang Baobao was also "unexpectedly" intercepted by the people of the Zhizheng Emperor.

Now they had no choice but to be suspicious.

Emperor Zhizheng dared not go to Karakorum.

When Wang Baobao received this news, he was shocked, angry, and worried.

However, there was absolutely no way to resolve the issue.

As the saying goes, good fortune never comes in pairs, but misfortunes never come singly.

Just then, Emperor Zhizheng suddenly passed away.

With the support of his ministers, Crown Prince Ayushiridara finally ascended the throne he had long dreamed of.

However, before he could even rejoice, he received a military report.

Li Wenzhong led his army to attack.

(End of this chapter)