My aunt is Queen Ma

Chapter 59 The Knife Handle (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The Confucian scholars' decision to take sides greatly accelerated the unification of the Ming Dynasty.

This was clearly a good thing, yet Zhu Biao showed no joy on his face:
"Judging from your words, Confucianism will inevitably have some kind of purpose in the end, which may not be a good thing in the long run."

Ma Yu countered with, "Oh, why?"

Zhu Biao knew he was being tested, and said seriously:
“You said before that the combination of Confucian scholars and clans ensured that imperial power did not extend to the county level.”

"Although I think this statement is an exaggeration, their existence did indeed affect the implementation of the imperial decrees."

"Considering what you said today, I'm afraid their demand is truly to prevent imperial power from extending to the county level."

Ma Yu shook his head and laughed, "That makes sense, but it underestimates their appetite."

"In fact, they never concealed their political demands from beginning to end."

Zhu Biao slowly said, "The emperor and the scholar-officials govern the world together."

Ma Yu shook his head again: "No, no, no, it's not co-governance, but rather the emperor ruling by doing nothing."

Zhu Biao's expression became very serious.

The so-called "rule by doing nothing" actually means that the emperor should not interfere in affairs and should leave everything to his ministers.

Taking a deep breath, he asked for advice:
"What should we do?"

Ma Yu shrugged: "Why wouldn't you take a benefit that's offered to you? If you want to seize power, you'll have to see if your father agrees."

Zhu Biao's expression softened considerably, and he continued to ask:

"Confucian scholars are indeed needed to govern the country. If this continues, they will inevitably control the government. Is there any way to break this deadlock?"

Ma Yu shook his head and said, "There is no way to completely solve this problem, but we can postpone this time as much as possible."

Zhu Biao's eyes lit up, and he pressed for an answer: "How do we do it?"

Ma Yu smiled and said, "Think about it yourself."

"Huh?" This answer was truly unexpected, and Zhu Biao couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Ma Yu said solemnly, "Do you know why I didn't tell you directly last time what kind of land and population management system the Ming Dynasty could use?"

"Because even if I told you, your father wouldn't listen."

"You should know his temper very well. No matter what others say, he will habitually refute them."

"If I tell him my method, there are likely to be two different reactions."

"The first option is to set aside my method, then investigate and think for yourself, and finally prove whether my method is really feasible."

"The second type is the habitual fault-finding, trying to prove that my method is wrong."

"No matter which possibility it is, it's better for me to say nothing and let him investigate and think for himself first."

"I will tell him my method after he has figured things out and has his own ideas."

"On the contrary, he is more able to make comparisons calmly."

"Just like now, after careful consideration, he chose to emulate the Song Dynasty."

"Once the general direction is set, the rest becomes simple."

Zhu Biao said knowingly, "I understand."

"So this time you still won't tell me the specific method, but instead let us investigate and think about it ourselves."

Ma Yu said, "Yes, this is the best way."

"Actually, the most valuable thing for people is the ability to think independently; nine out of ten people lack this ability."

"Ordinary people lack independent thinking skills, so the impact is not significant."

“If those in positions of authority are lacking, it will be a disaster.”

"As the crown prince, you must have the ability to think independently and not easily believe anyone's advice."

Even if the person is reliable and their strategy seems reasonable, you should still have doubts in your mind first.

"Because everyone has their own stance, their policies are based on their own stance."

"It's correct from his perspective, but it might not be the case for others."

"Just like the various schools of thought in ancient China, they summarized new ideas based on what they saw, heard, and learned."

"These ideas are excellent and offer solutions to a range of problems."

"But the differences between them are enormous, and there are even fundamental conflicts."

"In actual implementation, the differences are even greater."

"When you, as someone in a position of authority, hear a suggestion, the first thing you should consider is the person's position."

"Then we'll see if his suggestions are universally applicable."

"If it is fully popularized, what benefits will it bring, and what adverse effects will it cause?"

"If these things cannot be done, just look at the consequences of Wang Anshi's reforms."

These words sounded incredibly old-fashioned, and given his age, they seemed quite strange.

But Zhu Biao listened very attentively, and finally bowed solemnly, saying:
"Thank you for your guidance, cousin. I have learned a lot from it."

After chatting for a while, Zhu Biao got up to say goodbye.

Upon arriving at the Qianqing Palace, they discovered that their usually diligent father was not there.

Only after asking the eunuchs did I learn that they had gone to Kunning Palace.

He understood the reason after a moment's thought.

Because Ma Yu and Zhu Yuanzhang had a falling out, they always discussed matters through Empress Ma or Zhu Biao.

Moreover, most of the conversations took place in Kunning Palace.

To prevent leaks, Zhu Yuanzhang replaced all the eunuchs there with the most reliable people.

He went to Kunning Palace ahead of time this time just to wait for my return.

Firstly, it was a habit; secondly, it was relatively safe there; and thirdly, it was a good opportunity to listen and discuss things with Empress Ma.

Thinking about this, Zhu Biao was both amused and exasperated.

These two seem to be destined to clash, as they can't stand each other and are always trying to make fun of each other.

Also no one.

Afterwards, Zhu Biao went to Kunning Palace and met Zhu Yuanzhang and Empress Ma, who were already waiting there.

I relayed Ma Yu's words from today in detail.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened most attentively and also gained the deepest understanding, as evidenced by his frequent nods.

Zhu Biao naturally knew the reason.

My father was very diligent. Even on the battlefield, he would find time to read. It is no exaggeration to say that he had read ten thousand books.

However, he lacked a renowned teacher and was unable to connect what he had learned together.

No, to be more precise, people with this ability are extremely rare.

Ma Yu's appearance filled this gap.

He was able to connect the knowledge his father had acquired to find patterns that had been obscured by history.

It was precisely because of this that his father, who valued his reputation the most, was so tolerant of Ma Yu and allowed him to keep crickets.

But?

It seems he's gotten used to the crickets now, and he seems to enjoy it.

For example, right now, when he learned that Ma Yu said he was pretending to befriend Confucian scholars, he was very unhappy:
“Slander, this is blatant slander against us.”

"Hmph, if it weren't for the fact that he's still useful, we definitely wouldn't let him off the hook."

Empress Ma and Zhu Biao: "Hmm... Let him be smug for a few days, then we'll settle the score later."

After the joke, Empress Ma said with a serious expression:

"The threat posed by the Confucian scholar group is also very real, and we cannot ignore it."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned cold: "Let's see who dares to take the lead."

Empress Ma said, "We are not afraid of what they might do within two or three generations, but it is difficult for future generations to have as firm a control over the court as we have."

"This problem cannot be solved by killing; we must come up with an effective method."

"You're very knowledgeable, you should think about this carefully."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and said, "This matter is not urgent; we have plenty of time to resolve it." "Let's first take a closer look at the situation and see if we can find a solution."

Empress Ma said, "There's no rush, just keep it to yourself."

"This is probably why Yu'er didn't tell us the method directly."

Zhu Yuanzhang said unhappily, "Whose side are you anyway? Why do you always side with outsiders?"

Empress Ma laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I'll call him over and give him a beating to vent your anger."

At this moment, Empress Ma noticed that Zhu Biao looked thoughtful and asked:
"Biao'er, what are you thinking about?"

Zhu Biao said thoughtfully, "I'm wondering why we're not afraid of Confucian scholars seizing power now."

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Have you figured out the reason?"

Zhu Biao nodded and said, "I have some ideas. Now the court is not really relying on Confucian scholars, but on the meritorious officials who fought alongside you to conquer the country."

"Few of the meritorious officials were Confucian scholars, so they had little sense of identification with Confucianism."

A smile appeared in Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes as he pressed for more information, asking, "Is there anything else?"

Zhu Biao thought for a moment and said, "I'm wondering if we can maintain this situation for a longer period of time."

"But the blessings of a virtuous person will last for three generations, while the sons of meritorious officials are born with power and are easily corrupted."

“At that time, they will not only fail to check the civil officials, but will also hinder the court.”

"So relying on them for a long time doesn't seem feasible."

Zhu Yuanzhang said approvingly, "I'm very pleased that you could think of these things."

"However, we did not grasp the essence of the problem. In fact, our real reliance is on military power."

"As long as we hold military power, no matter how much trouble the Confucian scholars cause, they cannot escape our grasp."

"If you think about it from this perspective, doesn't the problem become much simpler?"

Zhu Biao's eyes lit up, and he said happily, "Yes, yes, I understand. Thank you for your teachings, Father."

There are many ways to seize military power, and it is much simpler than maintaining the purity of the meritorious clique.

What? You're asking why someone with military power isn't afraid of civil officials seizing power?
Let's ask the soldiers about their big swords first.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued, "Ma Yu once said something very good: there is nothing new under the sun."

"The problems we face today are similar to those in history."

"When you have free time, try reading more history books; you might find the answer."

"Yes." Zhu Biao readily accepted the instruction.

After chatting for a while longer, he took his leave.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhu Yuanzhang finally couldn't hold back his smile any longer:
"Haha... Look, this is our son, just as smart as us."

Empress Ma also looked pleased; this child was truly pleasing to the eye from every angle.

Just then, the chief eunuch Sun Fu suddenly came to report:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, good news... General Chang's good news..."

Zhu Yuanzhang jumped up from his chair and said excitedly:
"Send it over quickly."

God knows how worried he was these past few days. After all these days, finally some intelligence has come back.

And it's good news.

Sun Fu carefully presented the memorial, which Zhu Yuanzhang snatched away and quickly scanned.

"Haha... Good, good, Boren and Siben have not disappointed us."

Empress Ma leaned over and glanced at it, and was also overjoyed:

"By conquering the Yuan capital and wiping out the enemy forces in Yan and Yun, the Yuan Dynasty will never be able to rise again, and the world will be at peace."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded repeatedly and said, "Yes, the world is at peace. Bo Ren and Si Ben have made tremendous contributions, and we should reward them handsomely."

Afterwards, the couple read the battle report again in detail and calculated the dates, and they were even more incredulous.

In just twenty-three days, they recaptured the Yan Yun Mountains.

"Bo Ren and Si Ben are truly the Wei Qing and Huo Qubing of our great Ming Dynasty."

Empress Ma said, "When Yu'er said that it would only take more than twenty days to conquer Shangdu, I didn't believe it."

"Now it seems that I was too short-sighted."

Zhu Yuanzhang subconsciously said, "He was just lucky and guessed right."

Although he said that, he couldn't help but have a new understanding of Ma Yu.

Although he was physically weak and had not systematically studied military strategy, he seemed to have some understanding of military tactics.

If there's anything you're unsure about in the future, you can ask Biao'er for his opinion.
-
News of the resounding victory spread quickly, causing a global sensation.

Anyone with a modicum of knowledge knows the significance of this battle.

Although they had previously captured Dadu, it cannot be said that the Yuan Dynasty had no chance of turning the tide.

After all, their base is the grasslands, and they still control the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, so they have the opportunity to make a comeback at any time.

With the fall of Shangdu, the Ming Dynasty regained control of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, a natural defensive line, and thus seized the initiative in the war.

There was no possibility of the Yuan Dynasty turning the tide.

The world is at peace.

The officials of the Ming Dynasty had every reason to be happy, for their rights were now guaranteed once the Ming Dynasty gained control of the country.

The people had long been weary of war, and now that unification was imminent and a peaceful world was finally coming, how could they not be happy?

As details of the battle were revealed, Chang Yuchun and Li Wenzhong's prestige reached new heights.

They marched for twenty-three days, covering more than two thousand li.

This is simply divine intervention.

Some people are already searching for portraits of the two men, intending to hang them in their homes to ward off evil spirits.

Ma Yu got the news from Zhu Shuang.

Even though I already knew the outcome of this battle from history, I was still genuinely happy when it actually happened.

Zhu Shuang felt a mixture of joy and regret, as he had missed out on such a brilliant battle.

Ma Yu reassured them, "In a few years, you can go on expeditions whenever you want, so they won't get all the credit."

Zhu Shuang sighed, "In a few more years, the world will be at peace, and there will be no place for me to use my talents."

Ma Yu smiled and said, "The world is too big. Don't limit your vision to this corner of the land beneath our feet."

Zhu Shuang raised an eyebrow and said, "You want the Ming Dynasty to emulate the Han and Tang dynasties?"

Ma Yu countered, "Why not? We should not only emulate the Han and Tang dynasties, but also surpass them."

"This is the task that history has entrusted to the Ming Dynasty."

Zhu Shuang asked doubtfully, "Don't try to fool me. What mission has history given me? I've never heard of it."

Ma Yu said, "From the perspective of civilization, making it more glorious and splendid is the common task of all groups under this civilization."

"The same is true of Chinese civilization."

"It's just that the time span of civilization is too long, far exceeding the lifespan of a dynasty."

"This requires a relay race from all dynasties to complete."

"Because of the changing times and different environments, the tasks of each dynasty were also different."

"As the newest dynasty in Chinese history, the Ming Dynasty naturally has its own mission."

Zhu Shuang was completely confused and simply gave up, saying:
"I don't understand what you're saying. If you have something to say, go find my dad or my brother. Don't talk to me about this."

"My goal in life is to have fun."

Ma Yu didn't say anything more, saying it was too early to talk about it now.

Let's unify the country first, sort out the internal problems, and then talk about other things.

Moreover, his biggest concern right now is Chang Yuchun.

Hopefully, history will not repeat itself.

(End of this chapter)