Chapter 49: Stopping the Marriage Pressures, Starting the Baby Pressures!

The food was ready, following the usual custom: the adults sat at one table, and the children at another.

Naturally, Zhu Biao was seated at the adults' table. Originally, Li Jinglong could have leveraged his young age and junior standing to be held by Li Zhen, but the boy stubbornly refused. Happily holding his bowl and chopsticks, he squeezed in right next to Zhu Di and Zhu Shuang.

Li Zhen was in high spirits and said, "It is still our youngest brother who is thoughtful, bringing back so many good things from his expedition."

Ma Xun smiled and replied, "Brother-in-law, please don't poke fun at me. I wasn't out fighting a war; I was simply sightseeing. Since there was nothing much to do, I just picked up some local specialties along the way."

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately chimed in, "What do you mean there was nothing to do? You saved Old Chang—that is a massive contribution! Little Brother, did you manage to find the *tangerine peel* you mentioned earlier?"

Ma Xun quickly asked with concern, "Have the imperial physicians examined it?"

Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly answered, "They have, and they also inquired about its medicinal properties. Who would have thought the world could be so full of wonders? We had never even heard of such a fine remedy before!"

Ma Xun was not particularly surprised by this. At this stage, tangerine peel was only known to a select few in Guangdong; historically, it was not officially recorded in local gazetteers until the Wanli era.

Given that it was only recognized in small localities at present, it was nothing out of the ordinary. With the vastness of the realm, varying local customs, and the poor communications and slow transmission of information in this era, it was hardly worth mentioning.

Ma Xun smiled and said, "That is good. Later on, I will consult with the imperial physicians again to see how it can be best compounded."

Zhu Yuanzhang beamed with joy. There were some people he did not trust among the imperial physicians, but he placed absolute trust in his young brother-in-law.

Knowing that his own half-baked knowledge was not professional enough, Ma Xun intended to discuss things thoroughly with the physicians and inquire about the optimal methods of administration, as he was more than willing to trust the professionals.

Ma Xiuying gave Zhu Yuanzhang a sideways glance. Her younger brother hadn't even rested yet, and here he was, rushing and pressing him already!

"Little Brother, have some goose," Ma Xiuying said, placing a goose leg into Ma Xun's bowl. "Old Chang's fall from his horse really frightened your brother-in-law. The northern campaigns cannot do without him."

Zhu Biao joined in playfully, "Wan'er is probably already waiting. As soon as Uncle returns to the estate, she will surely insist on kowtowing to him."

Before Ma Xun could speak, Zhu Yuanzhang declared, "She should indeed go kowtow to your uncle. Just hearing about it sounded perilous; if it weren't for your uncle being there, Old Chang truly would have been done for."

Everyone present seemed to share this sentiment, though Ma Xun accepted the praise with a calm conscience. Had he not been there, Chang Yuchun indeed would not have survived.

With a hint of worry, Ma Xun looked at Zhu Yuanzhang and asked, "Brother-in-law, with General Xu away and General Chang away as well, Wang Baobao will surely set his sights on Lanzhou, won't he?"

Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled humorously and said, "You, oh you! Even without your sister and me, you would still manage to thrive. With your cautious temperament, you are always thinking of self-preservation and always assuming the worst of people."

Ma Xiuying unhappily nudged Zhu Yuanzhang with her elbow, clearly displeased with such a remark.

Zhu Yuanzhang hastily corrected himself, "Lanzhou has veteran generals stationed there, and Guanzhong has a massive army as well. Tiande will rest for a short while before heading to Qingyang; what could possibly go wrong?"

Ma Xiuying added, "When you step out of the palace in a couple of days, Wenying's wife will bring Mu Chun to pay their respects to you, and we shall see what you have to say then. You are simply too full of worries, insisting that Wenying remain in Qingyang!"

Ma Xun smiled and replied, "How could she possibly question me about state and military affairs?"

Li Zhen also asked with a smile, "Did you see Bao'er?"

Ma Xun said with a sigh of emotion, "I did! People always said Wenzhong was exceptionally handsome, and I used to find it hard to believe. But once I truly saw him, I realized what they said didn't do him justice. He was very affectionate when he saw me, but unfortunately, military affairs were too urgent."

Both Li Zhen and Zhu Yuanzhang laughed. When it came to a truly striking appearance, Bao'er certainly took the crown!

"You sound so old and solemn!" Ma Xiuying laughed. "Both Bao'er and Wenying are quite a bit older than you, yet you are increasingly acting like a senior."

Li Zhen smiled and corrected her, "Our younger brother is naturally their senior; would Bao'er dare not acknowledge his uncle?"

Ma Xiuying remarked, "Our younger brother used to be rather fair, but being out on this trip has made him tanner. Fortunately, he has grown much sturdier, and his hair has grown longer. In a couple of months, it will be just right for him to marry."

Zhu Yuanzhang hastily chimed in, "Bao'er is handsome, and our little brother is also quite dashing. Moreover, he loves children. Once our little brother has an heir of his own, I daresay the child will be no less impressive than Bao'er or Jinglong."

The entire room burst into laughter, leaving several children at the other table utterly bewildered, completely failing to understand what the adults were discussing.

"Strictly speaking, it should have been me going to propose marriage on your behalf, but your brother-in-law insisted on sending the second prince and the others instead," Li Zhen complained with mild grievance. "Though the second prince and his brothers are juniors, your sister was afraid you might be bullied, so she had imperial princes deliver the betrothal gifts for you."

Ma Xun smiled and said, "I am hardly someone who can be easily bullied."

Zhu Yuanzhang refused to believe it. "With your meek and cautious disposition, if someone merely gives you a sideways glance, you back away three paces. Unless you are driven to the absolute limit, you wouldn't even throw a punch. Your martial arts have always been mediocre simply because you lack ruthlessness!"

Ma Xiuying gave a light cough, and Zhu Yuanzhang instantly lowered his head to pick up food and eat.

Ma Xiuying then stated, "You will be married next year—wed at the beginning of the year, and add an heir to our Ma family by the end of the year. If you don't know how to raise a child, send him to the palace, and I will raise him for you."

Ma Xun immediately panicked. "Putting aside how rushed this is, how could I possibly have my sister help raise the child?"

"Do you and your future wife know the first thing about raising children? I wouldn't rest easy if outsiders raised him!" Ma Xiuying looked at Zhu Biao and said, "In our Zhu and Ma families, the primary heir of the eldest branch is always raised by the elders."

Li Zhen also chimed in anxiously, "I was worried about this earlier; since Bao'er has returned, he naturally cannot live in the palace. If he were to take Jinglong away with him, what reason would I have left to live? At home, it is always the elders who raise the young; that has always been the rule."

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately followed up, "Brother-in-law, you should live right here in the palace and frequently visit the estate to take a look. That way, your daughter-in-law will have it easy and won't need to pay her respects to you every single day."

Since Li Wenzhong was frequently away, Li Zhen living in the palace meant just that—living in the palace—yet how could a father not miss his own son? But alas, his young brother-in-law simply couldn't bear to part with this brother-in-law and insisted on keeping him in the palace.

Outside the palace stood the Enqin Marquis Estate, where Li Wenzhong's wives and concubines resided. Whenever Li Wenzhong returned, he lived at the Enqin Marquis Estate as well.

Ma Xiuying continued, "I haven't raised a child in many years; I must get my hands on one to raise first."

Nearby at the children's table, Zhu Shuang looked puzzled. *Wasn't I raised by the Empress?!*

Ma Xun hurriedly said, "Sister, if I truly have an heir, I will hire a few experienced nannies to help tend to him. There is no way I am sending him to the palace."

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at Zhu Biao and commanded, "Speak!"

Zhu Biao had no choice; having dodged for a long time without escape, he finally said, "If Uncle truly gives me a cousin, Mother can often go help tend to him. If I have an heir of my own, the very first one will be raised right beside Father and Mother."

*Damn it!*

After all that talk, it turned out that Zhu Yuanzhang and Ma Xiuying were putting pressure on Zhu Biao.

And Li Zhen was singing right along with them, invoking the "tradition" of the Zhu, Ma, or Li families, insisting that a grandfather ought to raise the eldest grandson of the primary branch.

Zhu Yuanzhang was delighted. He picked up a goose leg and handed it to Zhu Biao, saying, "You said this right in front of your aunt's husband and your uncle. This is a rule within our family, and you are not allowed to go back on your word!"

Though everything seemed happy and harmonious on the surface, Ma Xun still felt a lingering sense of pressure. He wasn't even married yet, and they were already badgering him to have children.

Zhu Biao naturally felt the pressure as well. His uncle hadn't even married yet, and he was being urged to have children; meanwhile, Zhu Biao hadn't even sent out betrothal gifts yet, and his parents were already itching to hold grandchildren.

Zhu Yuanzhang beamed with triumph and said to Zhu Biao, "I have already thought of the generation characters for your offspring."

Then, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Ma Xun and said, "Little Brother is no outsider; as your brother-in-law, I have thought of it too. I am now the Emperor, and your nephew will be the Emperor in the future. In the end, we are all family."

Ma Xun's heart skipped a beat. *Surely it's not the periodic table of elements, is it?*

Zhu Yuanzhang continued, "Regardless of your other children, the primary heir of the eldest branch must be named according to the rules. Once people hear it in the future, they will immediately know which family he belongs to!"

*It really is the periodic table!*

Even though Zhu Yuanzhang hadn't cobbled that system together publicly yet, he had clearly been pondering it for a long time in his heart—otherwise, all of his sons wouldn't have names sharing the wood radical.

The theory of the five elements generating one another had also been decided long ago; it was simply that Zhu Biao's generation had not been given generation characters yet.

Ma Xiuying smiled and nodded, urging him, "You will be twenty-one in the new year; it is time you put some thought into this! I know Tiande and Boren both want to take you out to fight wars, and you want to go too, don't you?"

Seeing Ma Xun nod, Ma Xiuying immediately stated, "If you want to go, that's easy to arrange. First give me a nephew, or else you stay right here in the capital!"

Ma Xun scratched his face. *Are they really rushing people to have children this intensely?*