Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 647 Tribulation
“I understand what Brother Deyu means. But why me? Why do you want to push me up?” Li Tinggui asked.

"To put it nicely, the reason I chose to promote you is because I believe you are a rare talent, even if we have different political views," Li Erzhan said.

"To put it more bluntly?" Li Tinggui couldn't help but laugh.

"It can't be called unpleasant, it can only be called straightforward," Li Erzhan said with a smile.

"Then please be frank, Brother Yu," Li Tinggui gestured for him to speak.

"To be frank, there are two reasons why I chose you." Li Erzhan held up two fingers. "First, I don't know who Zhang Haogu prefers, but I think he should also appreciate you. Second, although we have a history, I know that you are a pragmatic gentleman, and once you're promoted, you won't be solely focused on scheming or harboring thoughts of revenge. So, by recommending you, I can both cooperate with Zhang Haogu and avoid future retaliation."

"Is Brother Deyu praising me, or is he pointing me out?" As the noise around him grew louder, Li Tinggui lifted the curtain and saw that they were indeed about to leave the palace.

“Brother Shengzheng,” Li Erzhan retorted, “isn’t what I said the truth?”

"You flatter me too much," Li Tinggui waved his hand and said, "I really have no intention of taking revenge on anyone, but I'm not exactly a gentleman either."

“Brother Deyu, you are too modest,” Li Erzhan said with a smile. “You undoubtedly deserve credit for defending us last time. But who could have predicted such a sudden change in the world? I believe you will return with a complete success on this mission. When that happens, I will take the opportunity to resign from my post as the Minister of Rites and, together with Zhang Haogu, promote you to the position of Minister of Rites.”

Li Tinggui shook his head. "It's not that easy."

“Easy! Even if I step down, I’ll still have a voice with His Highness,” Li Erzhan said. “If you value your reputation and don’t want to be seen as one of my henchmen, I can stay out of the limelight and have someone else recommend you.”

"Sigh." Li Tinggui gave a bitter smile. "That's not what I was talking about. I was talking about welcoming the envoy and expressing gratitude."

"What's so difficult about that? It's not like you're asking to use your silver tongue to persuade the imperial envoy to go back. His Highness has already taken all the responsibility upon himself. All you need to do is politely invite the imperial envoy into the Muhua Pavilion, and then ask His Highness to go to the outskirts of the city to welcome him, receive the imperial decree, and express his gratitude. Isn't that all it takes?" Although Li Erzhan regretted not having the opportunity to advance further, he had to admit that the king's decision to withdraw gracefully was indeed wise.

“That’s true, but if that Imperial Envoy Yuan wants us to hand over Jiang Hongli and Jin Jingrui, how am I supposed to respond?” Li Tinggui stared intently into Li Erzhan’s eyes.

"Brother Shengzheng, is this why you invited me to sit in the carriage?" A subtle smile of "I knew it" appeared on Li Erzhan's face.

“Brother Deyu is right,” Li Tinggui nodded. “I just want to know your opinion on the Jiang and Jin matter?”

"Let's hear your thoughts first, Brother Shengzheng," Li Erzhan asked bluntly. "Do you want these two people to die, or do you want them to live?"

“It’s not a matter of whether we want to or not, the key is that these two can’t be killed now.” Li Tinggui was about to explain, but Li Erzhan nodded directly: “Okay, I agree.”

"Huh?" Li Tinggui didn't expect Li Erzhan to agree so decisively.

“I say, I agree,” Li Erzhan said. “Both Brother Shengzheng and Minister Park said that these two should not be killed, so I agree with you. The Uijinbu will not kill these two. You can rest assured now.”

"Then, what if His Highness gives you an order?" Li Tinggui pressed.

"If even the joint remonstrances of Minister Park and Brother Seongjeong cannot dispel His Highness's filial piety of concealing the truth from his relatives, then I will have no choice but to obey." Lee Er-chan did not care about the life or death of Jiang and Jin; he only wanted to avoid getting involved with them.

Regardless of his attitude on other matters, Li Erzhan's consistent stance on China was unwavering support and advocacy. He even faced hostility and exclusion from the king for promoting this policy. Therefore, Li Erzhan wasn't worried about what the imperial envoy would do to him after arriving in the capital; he could simply present his previous memorials, and he would be safe. There was no need for him to resort to murder to win the crown prince's favor at this time. Conversely, if the regent crown prince gave him a death order, Li Erzhan would have no choice but to obey; otherwise, after the envoy returned home, he might face retribution.

Therefore, Li Erzhan had already made up his mind to avoid killing if possible. If the regent prince insisted that he kill someone to silence them before the imperial envoy arrived in the capital, then he would try his best to distribute the responsibility for the killings among others.

"Hahahaha!" Li Tinggui was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed. "Truly worthy of you, Li Deyu."

“Brother Shengzheng, you flatter me,” Li Erzhan said with a slight bow, speaking without any shame. “I am merely doing my best in serving the king.”

"Heh," Li Tinggui glanced at the bustling street outside the car window, lost in thought, and said nothing more.

About fifteen minutes later, the sound of wheels rolling on the ground gradually subsided. "Master, the Prince of Guangchang Prefecture, the Ministry of Rites is approaching," Li Tinggui's coachman reminded him.

"Okay! Stop the car." Li Tinggui shouted in response, and jumped out before the car had come to a complete stop.

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"To the Southern Camp." After leaving the Ministry of Rites, Li Erzhan returned to his sedan chair. As he entered, he could still hear the shocked and arguing voices of the officials, but he was no longer bothered. What was the point of saying so much? Could it possibly stop the Heavenly Army from marching into Hanyang?

"Yes." The lead sedan bearer, after confirming that Li Erzhan was seated securely, turned to the other bearers and shouted, "Lift the sedan!"

After a brief feeling of being lifted, Li Erzhan's sedan chair was raised smoothly by four bearers.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city streets, Li Erzhan finally had the chance to quietly reflect on the events of the day.

Although Li Erzhan had long been preparing to leave officialdom, if he really had the opportunity to return to the central government and retain power, he would promptly adjust his course and change course.

Is there still a possibility that he can seize power? Li Erzhan believes there is. Although the king was still issuing orders and maintaining a balance of power before, once the imperial envoy arrives in the capital, the highest authority in Joseon will inevitably transfer from the Crown Prince Regent to the Imperial Envoy. Whoever can get close to the Imperial Envoy and gain his trust will be able to secure a place in the Joseon court under his supervision.

So how could one approach the Imperial Envoy? The most convenient option was undoubtedly to meet the envoy who would receive the imperial envoy. If the king hadn't acted unilaterally but instead delegated the matter to his subordinates, Li Erzhan would certainly have volunteered as the Minister of Rites. However, the king had actually assigned this post of envoy to express gratitude to Li Tinggui. This appointment seemed normal, but it wasn't entirely reasonable. Considering the king's decree and subsequent arrangements, Li Erzhan even felt that the king was intentionally trying to sideline him.

Thinking about it this way, Li Erzhan's thoughts went a bit astray—at the Hezhengtang meeting just now, who benefited and who suffered losses?

Li Tinggui was appointed as the Imperial Envoy to express gratitude, which would allow him immediate contact with the Imperial Envoy. However, Li Erzhan believed that it would be difficult for Li Tinggui to use this position to ingratiate himself with the Imperial Envoy and seize power. This was because Li Tinggui must have offended Xu Guangqi, the current Minister of Rites who was in charge of the supervisory council during his campaign to clear his name in the 47th year of the Wanli Emperor's reign. It would be considered gentlemanly for Imperial Envoy Yuan, who was recommended by Xu Guangqi, not to reciprocate the favor, but rather to take the opportunity to thoroughly persecute Li Tinggui; how could he possibly promote him?

Zhang Wan was indeed promoted, but given his current position, becoming the Military Commissioner was to be expected. Even without today's events, Zhang Wan would likely have been promoted anyway. It's customary for the Military Commissioner to concurrently serve as a senior official in the Border Defense Department, so it's not considered a significant advantage. If someone deliberately ostracizes him, he might actually be relegated to a remote post in future changes because of this concurrent position—it's also common practice for senior officials in the Border Defense Department to be sent to manage border regions. Back then, before being appointed "Grand Marshal of Five Circuits including the Capital Region, Two Lakes, Two Western Regions," Jiang Hongli first held the title of Senior Official in the Border Defense Department.

Park Seung-jong was undoubtedly being suppressed, but why would the king bring in Yoo Hee-bum to suppress and counterbalance him? The three kingdoms had been fighting for so many years; the king couldn't possibly be unaware that Yoo Hee-bum was a frequent guest of Park Seung-jong. Logically and emotionally, Li Erzhan felt the king should elevate himself to suppress Park Seung-jong.

Was it because she and Park Seung-jong went to greet the Crown Prince that the King was disheartened? No, the King was still unconscious at that time and had no chance to access that information. Otherwise, the King wouldn't have asked who invited the Crown Prince.

Was it because Yoo Hee-bun was the first to present the manifesto and displayed a stance of full support for the king? That's possible, but I had been a coward the whole time and hadn't shown the slightest disloyalty. Considering the circumstances at the time, it would have been better for me to suppress Park Seung-jong. Even if Yoo Hee-bun had to be used to counterbalance Park Seung-jong, I could have also served as regent. So why didn't the king use me and instead publicly make those remarks targeting me?
After much deliberation, Li Erzhan came to a conclusion that even he found somewhat amusing—Yoo Hee-fen was the Queen's brother, while he and Park Seung-jong were the Crown Prince's maternal and great-grandfather-in-law, respectively. Rather than considering personal relationships, he and Park Seung-jong were closer to the Crown Prince, while Yoo Hee-fen was closer to the King. Therefore, the King's promotion of Yoo Hee-fen to counterbalance Park Seung-jong and suppress him was an attempt to regain power after the Celestial Empire revoked the guardianship.
"A fool's dream." Li Erzhan laughed and shook his head, it was hard to tell whether he was mocking himself or being sarcastic.

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The Southern Outpost was the southern outpost for training the military governor's troops, primarily responsible for the defense of the southern suburbs of Hanyang and monitoring key land routes. Its location was in the Longshan area, south of Chongnyemon Gate and north of the Han River. After leaving the city and beyond the gates, it would only be about four li (approximately 2.5 kilometers) to reach it. However, Li Erzhan's sedan chair ultimately failed to cover this short distance.

"Stop! Get out of the sedan chair!" A loud shout pulled Li Erzhan out of the quagmire of chaotic thoughts.

"What are you doing! Are you looking for death? Do you know whose sedan chair this is?!" The sedan chair was surrounded by several times the number of people, but the sedan chair bearers did not panic much.

Li Erzhan remained calm and didn't even open the sedan curtain.

"Is this the palanquin of Prince Li Erzhan of Guangchang Prefecture?" The masked man at the head of the group asked, his voice trembling slightly, but his eyes were very firm.

"You know that, yet you still won't move!" The lead sedan bearer suddenly panicked. These masked men had so clearly called out the names of the passengers in the sedan, so they were obviously not ordinary rioters.

Sure enough, the masked leader immediately shouted, "We've been looking for you! Li Erzhan, I know you're inside. Come out now, or we'll shoot arrows!" After he shouted this, the masked men gathered around the sedan chair also began to make a commotion.

"It really is a case of misfortunes never coming singly," Li Erzhan sighed self-deprecatingly. "Let's get out of the sedan chair."

The sedan bearers, led by the "master," hesitated.

"Lower the sedan chair." Li Erzhan knew from the commotion outside that he was definitely not going anywhere now.

"Yes." The lead sedan bearer then called to the other sedan bearers to help him lower the sedan chair.

The sedan chair landed slowly, and Li Erzhan, dressed in the robes of a first-rank civil official, stepped out. His bright red attire stood out starkly against a backdrop of earthy gray.

"Which one is speaking?" Li Erzhan stood between two carrying poles, tilting his head back and looking around at the crowd.

"Me!" Cui Mingji stepped forward, revealing himself firmly.

"Who are you?" Cui Mingji had a coarse gray-black cloth tied around his face, and Li Erzhan couldn't recognize him at all just by looking at his eyes.

“Never mind who I am, from this moment on, you, Li Erzhan, are our prisoner!” Cui Mingji said.

"Heh." Li Erzhan sneered. "Do you know where this is?"

"Southern suburbs of Hanyang! Another two li will take you to Nanbieying," Cui Mingji said.

"How did you know I was going to Nanbie Camp?" Li Erzhan narrowed his eyes, his expression changing slightly.

"Never mind that! Go back to your sedan chair." Cui Mingji pointed to the sedan chair behind Li Erzhan.

"So," Li Erzhan said without moving, "you called me down just to see my old face?"

"Stop talking nonsense! While I still have patience, get back here!" Cui Mingji drew back the bowstring, trying to threaten Li Erzhan. But the next moment, the lead sedan bearer flashed in front of Li Erzhan.

"Make way." Li Erzhan patted the sedan chair carrier on the shoulder.

"Master!" The sedan bearers turned around, but did not move away.

Li Erzhan smiled at the sedan bearers, then strode over the poles and stood to the side of the sedan chair. "Kill me then."

"Don't think I wouldn't dare!" Cui Mingji released his grip and shot an arrow without an iron tip right to Li Erzhan's feet.

"Go ahead and do it if you dare." Li Erzhan wasn't intimidated at all. Instead, he extended two fingers and tapped his heart. "But before that, let me remind you. The capital is under martial law right now. Even if you control me, don't think you can control the capital by seizing the training camp. Of course, if you leave now, I can pretend nothing happened."

(End of this chapter)