Ming Dynasty: Empress Ma and I swapped clothes!

Chapter 2 Farmland, the Path to the Imperial Examination

In the blink of an eye, we arrived at the farmland.

The house and the fields are almost connected; you can get there in the time it takes to take a walk and digest your meal.

Carrying a hoe, Ma Xiuying worked hard in the field alongside her father, Ma Xiulin.

The Ma family has had only one son per generation for three generations.

Great-grandfather gave birth to Old Master Ma, who then gave birth to Ma Xiuying's current father, Ma Xiulin. Finally, he became the only son, bearing the responsibility of continuing the Ma family line.

It was precisely for this reason that he was able to sleep until this morning; in other farmers' homes, he would have been whipped with willow branches long ago.

Only children are just that arrogant.

"Hey!"

After finishing their farm work, the whole family rested in the shade of the willow tree.

Ma Xiulin rarely praised him, saying, "No wonder he's my son, he's so smart. He got the hang of farm work in just two or three days, he's quite capable."

Just as Ma Xiulin was getting into the conversation, Old Master Ma glared at him.

He shrank back, immediately burying his head in the sand like an ostrich, stammering and falling silent.

Old Master Ma, his face dark, snorted coldly, "What kind of skill is farming?"

"Good boy! Remember this, Wen: of all professions, only being an official is noble."

As he shared his life experiences, Old Master Ma earnestly advised, "The current emperor established our Great Ming Dynasty, and three years have passed since then, and the country has been at peace for a long time."

"And those great generals in the temple, they are all reincarnations of the Martial Star in the heavens, and they are extremely capable."

When Old Master Ma spoke of these things, he was just as eloquent as the storytellers in the county. But then he narrowed his eyes, and with a regretful expression, he changed the subject, saying, "But in the end, the world is still ruled by scholars. The war has been fought for enough, and it's time for these scholars to govern the world."

"This principle remains unchanged throughout history, regardless of the dynasty!"

"Sir, all other pursuits are inferior; only studying is superior."

After thinking for a moment, Ma Xiuying corrected him.

Grandpa Ma wasn't annoyed when he heard this; he just chuckled.

Ma Xiulin, however, interjected: "If you're not going to be an official, what's the point of studying?"

The next moment, he was given a severe scolding by Old Master Ma, who was staring at him, almost to the point of physical violence: "Young man Wen! Being an official is being an official, and studying is studying. These are two different things. But you still need to study, and you still need to be an official. Once you become an official and wear an official hat, you will have people willing to listen to you if you study, understand principles, and speak the truth."

These words pleased Ma Xiuying even more, and upon hearing them, she nodded solemnly: "I'll do whatever you say, Master!"

Looking at his grandson, however, Grandpa Ma muttered to himself, scratching his head, "You little rascal, when did you become so sensible?"

The previous Ma Wenxiang was not lacking in intelligence, but his later lifestyle habits, coupled with the Ma family's pampering, made him naturally more lively, but not as gentle, obedient, and sensible as the current empress.

The work in the fields is finished.

That afternoon, Grandpa Ma led Ma Xiuying to a private school run by a scholar in the village.

This scholar is a former top scholar.

The Ming Dynasty has not even participated in its first imperial examination, but good news keeps coming in.

Especially for Old Master Ma, who had once been a military household member, he could roughly figure out the court's next move.

The imperial examination system was inevitable, and scholars becoming officials was an inevitable trend. By preparing their grandchildren for the exams in advance, they were on the right track, and everything else would be much easier.

"Sir, I'm entrusting my grandson to you from now on. If he dares to disobey, beat him to death, and we promise not to interfere."

Grandpa Ma said with a serious expression, his tone conveying his earnestness. He was worried that the Ma family's doting nature towards their grandson might affect his studies.

"You flatter me, sir."

Scholar Wang chuckled softly.

The village school was small and not luxurious; it was just an ordinary wooden house surrounded by a bamboo fence, and the family lived at roughly the same standard of living as the Ma family.

But within the village, they were basically considered to be in the upper class.

Grandpa Ma then gave Ma Xiuying a few more words of advice. Although it was the same few words that the old man repeated over and over again, Ma Xiuying felt a warm current welling up in her heart and felt very comfortable.

People only learn to cherish what they have after they lose it.

And such gentle words are the warm memories she lost for countless years.

"Grandpa, don't worry, I will study hard and do my best in my studies."

At this moment, as Ma Xiuying looked at the old man in front of her, it seemed that she was also recalling her relatives from when she was a merchant in the Ma family, as well as her own grandfather.

The past is just like this moment.

……

Reassured, Mr. Ma left.

Next, many wealthy families in the village sent their children to the private school.

In just over an hour, the private school, which had been quiet at first, became quite lively.

It wasn't a chaotic mess; everyone was sitting in their respective seats in the school building, though the sounds of reading and recognizing characters were somewhat uneven.

Yet, in this rural courtyard, there was a sense of tranquility and peace, which was very fitting for the setting.

On Ma Xiuying's small table were books such as the Three Character Classic, the Mirror of the Mind, the Classic of Filial Piety, and the Analects, all designed to help children learn to read and write.

"Never mind, let's just treat this as a review to learn something new."

Thus, the Empress, together with a group of peasant children, began the first step of the imperial examination at the beginning of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, as if to rise from humble beginnings once again.

Retrace the route Zhu Yuanzhang took when he traveled all over the country.

……

Now, let's turn to Ma Wenxiang's side.

He'll be living a life of luxury.

"Your Majesty, would you like to eat more?"

Inside the Kunning Palace, a table was laden with delicious dishes sent from the mountains. Although most of them were vegetarian and few were meat, the skills of the palace chefs were no joke.

Ma Wenxiang had never tasted such delicious food before. Once he started eating, he couldn't stop. He only intended to eat until he was about 70% full, but in the end, his stomach was round and full, and the empty plates in front of him were piled up one after another.

Su Qing'er's heart trembled as she watched. Putting aside how well her empress ate, wasn't she afraid of overeating with so much food?

"belch."

After letting out a satisfied burp, Ma Wenxiang revealed a contented smile.

It's not too full yet, it's barely touching the edge of being full.

As a health expert in later generations, Ma Wenxiang believed that this range was just right.

His current physical condition, while not to the point of being critically ill, is absolutely not what one would call "healthy," and doesn't even qualify as sub-healthy.

There's no problem if you eat in moderation, live a healthy life, and have good habits.

However, Empress Ma was already exhausted and overthinking, and the occasional political disagreements with Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, caused her to become angry and harm her health.

Over time, this has also led to many symptoms such as palpitations.

Therefore, for Ma Wenxiang at this time, physical health and a cheerful mood are of paramount importance. The two are mutually dependent and go hand in hand, which is the true way to maintain good health.

Ma Wenxiang wasn't greedy; he thought that if he lived another thirty years, he would barely make enough.

To know.

Historical records indicate that Empress Ma passed away only about ten years ago, in the third year of the Hongwu reign.

This was an absolute huge loss for Ma Wenxiang.

He's already so old, almost forty, what's wrong with indulging in some material pleasures?