The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 100 Will I be able to see my father if I light this incense?
The mighty Ming Dynasty never stopped for any one person; even the emperor would only observe a few days of mourning.

A group of cabinet ministers carried the imperial edict to the court officials.

Today is the grand ceremony for announcing the results of the imperial examinations. Your Majesty has already shown great favor by spending so much time on Li Qi's matter before the ceremony, but we must not let this important matter be delayed.

Li Xianmu bid farewell to his mother, dressed in mourning clothes, and followed the official in charge of rites to the outside of Fengtian Hall. On this day of announcing the results in the Golden Hall, all the newly appointed Jinshi were overjoyed. Wang Gen had gone to the Imperial Academy in the morning and then hurriedly came to the palace. At this moment, he was standing in front of all the Jinshi. He was the second-place winner of this year's Jinshi.

Li Xianmu's appearance attracted almost everyone's attention. After all, he was the first person in history to wear mourning clothes at the imperial examination ceremony. Seeing him come out of the Fengtian Hall, it was clear that he had just met the emperor.

A father who is favored by the emperor would not receive such treatment. He is the emperor's nephew, which is why he was able to enter the palace with his mother. Given the relationship between the emperor and Lady Li, even if he observes three years of mourning, he will still have a bright future upon his return.

With the officials chanting and the musicians playing the sheng, the most important event after the palace examination, the announcement of the top scholars in the Golden Hall, officially began. Li Xianmu and Wang Gen, as Li Qi's son and disciple, and as the top scholar and second-place scholar respectively, naturally received almost all the attention. No one even paid attention to the third-place scholar.

He didn't care about being ranked third in the imperial examination; in fact, he was quite happy to be ranked alongside Li Xianmu and Wang Gen as one of the top scholars in the same examination. Li Xianmu had talent that surpassed all the other students, and Wang Gen was also praised as "if he hadn't been in the same examination as Li Xianmu, he would have been the top scholar." Only he was able to become a third-ranked scholar because of his looks, and besides, in terms of appearance alone, he was not as good as Li Xianmu.

Getting a top-ranking scholar title for free and being directly granted a seventh-rank official position is already the happiest thing in the world. What more could one ask for?
As the master of ceremonies called out the names one by one, and announced the second and third class, some were happy and some were sad, but at least the future was different.

After the names were announced, Li Xianmu and the other successful candidates entered the palace to be received by the emperor. For many of them, this was probably the only chance they would ever have to see the emperor, so everyone was very excited.

Those ranked very high, such as Li Xianmu and Wang Gen, fared slightly better, as they had better prospects and were likely to see the emperor frequently in the future.

"You are my first group of students since I ascended the throne. You must be diligent and conscientious, and take the loyal and upright ministers of the past as your role models. In modern times, I would recommend Li Qi and Li Jinghe as my first choice. You should take them as your role models and do your best for my Great Ming. If you do not fail me, I will not fail you!"

Zhu Di valued this batch of Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) very much. As he said, the first batch of Jinshi in the Yongle era was naturally very different.

As students of the emperor, and receiving such encouragement from the emperor, the newly appointed scholars were naturally filled with gratitude.

The imperial examinations of the third year of the Yongle reign concluded with the Qionglin Banquet, which was attended by neither the top scholar nor the second-place scholar.

A grand and solemn funeral was being held at Princess Lin'an's residence. While it was grand, it was not extravagant or wasteful. Instead, a great many people came to pay their respects. In addition to relatives from the imperial family, many officials from the capital came in droves, and Wang Gen led a group of scholars to attend. If it weren't for the time limit for keeping the body in state, many more people from all over the country would probably have come.

Only when the tide goes out do we discover who's been swimming naked; only after a person dies do we know whether the world's admiration is genuine or not. A funeral made Li Qi's reputation shine brightly before everyone.

……

The Marquis of Xincheng's residence was originally the Earl of Xin'an's residence.

In November of the second year of the Yongle reign, Zhu Di recognized the outstanding achievements of Zhang Fu and his son and issued an edict to promote Zhang Fu to the rank of Military Minister who Upheld the Emperor's Righteousness and Devotion to Pacifying the Nation, Grand Master of the Palace, Pillar of the State, and Marquis of Xincheng. His annual salary was increased to 1,500 shi (a unit of grain), and he was spared two death sentences for miscellaneous offenses, while his son was spared one death sentence.

Zhang Fu's status among the nobles has risen significantly. It can even be said that among the second generation, no one else can compete with Zhang Fu. After Duke Cheng of Zhu Neng and Duke Qi of Qiu Fu, Zhang Fu is very likely to take charge of the Five Military Commissions and become the representative figure of the Ming military.

Li Xianmu left the capital on his father's orders, and naturally he had to visit his future father-in-law.

Just as Li Qi had valued, Zhang Fu did not harbor any ill intentions because of Zhang's high status. He simply encouraged him, saying, "You are still young. It is just the right time to be born after three years of mourning and at the age of fifteen. On this trip north, you must not grieve too much, lest you harm your health."

Zhang also comforted him, saying, "Lord Zhongwen was exceptionally talented, but he was envied by the heavens and died young. Xianmu should take this as a warning. You should know that great wisdom can be harmful and deep affection can lead to a short life. Your uncle and I know that you have always admired your father. But grief can harm your health, so you must take care of yourself."

Although he didn't say much, his words were full of earnest affection. Li Xianmu kowtowed to the two men and said, "I am sorry for your concern, my lords. I will take good care of myself this time. Please take care of yourselves as well. I will always keep you in mind."

As soon as the words were spoken, a rather childish voice came from outside, "Is Brother Xianmu leaving the capital?"

Then a girl of about six or seven years old flashed in from outside the door. She was wearing a white cloth jumpsuit with a silver snow fur vest over it. She looked like the lucky doll in the portrait. This was Zhang Fu's eldest daughter, who was engaged to Li Xianmu. In history, she married the Duke of Mu and died in childbirth.

Li Xianmu gave her a deep look. He knew that Zhang Wan usually liked to wear red dresses or emerald green clothes, but today she was very quiet. Even her vest was not brightly colored. Whether it was because of what she was taught at home or because she was very meticulous, she always made people feel more favorably towards her.

"By my father’s dying wish, I must escort his coffin northward to bury him in Shuntian Prefecture."

“Shuntian Prefecture, I know, that’s where my father came from. But wasn’t my late uncle born in Yingtian Prefecture? Why was he buried in Shuntian Prefecture?”

This is probably a question that many people are wondering about.

From the moment Princess Lin'an announced Li Qi's last wishes, this question lingered in everyone's mind: why was Li Qi buried in Shuntian Prefecture, which was far too far from the capital?

The reason is actually not that hard to come up with.

Firstly, although Li Qi is a member of the Li family after his transmigration, his hometown in his previous life was Xuanhua Prefecture, which was located around Shuntian Prefecture.

Secondly, the Ming Dynasty was bound to move its capital, and the Li family would inevitably have to move north with it. Especially after their titles were restored and their descendants flourished, there would be a great many of them. If their tombs remained in Nanjing, then every time there was a sacrificial ceremony, a huge number of people would have to travel to Nanjing, which would be too much trouble.

It should be noted that even the tomb of Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor, was frequently visited by ministers by the emperor because it was located in Nanjing. Thirdly, although Li Qi was unsure when Zhu Di would prepare to move the capital—historically it was in the nineteenth year of the Yongle reign, and this emperor certainly wouldn't wait until then—regardless of when, even if Yingtian remained the capital, Zhu Di would not reside in Nanjing; the crown prince would oversee the country there most of the time.

After Zhu Di relocated the five princes of the border regions to the interior, the responsibility of defending against the Mongols fell on his shoulders alone. A northern expedition was inevitable. Once the Grand Canal was dredged, he would immediately move the capital to Beijing, at which point Beijing would effectively assume the important duties of the capital.

In that case, he can simply have his grave located in Beijing.

Nanjing has the Ming Xiaoling Mausoleum, where Li Shanchang was also located.

The Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty in Beijing, which began with the reign of Emperor Zhu Di, are where the ancestral tombs of the Li family begin.

Two generations of filial sons, just in time!

These reasons were naturally not something Li Xianmu would tell outsiders. He simply said in a gentle voice, "My father once calculated that Shuntian Prefecture was the place where the Li family would prosper. He had already chosen his burial site before he passed away."

Zhang Wan was still young, so she actually believed it and exclaimed in shock, "My late uncle is truly amazing!"

Zhang Fu and Zhang Shi couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. Although Li Xianmu was only six years older than Zhang Wan, their mentalities were on completely different levels.

The thought that such an outstanding person would become his son-in-law filled Zhang Fu with a sense of pride.

"Wan'er, come here."

Upon hearing the sound, Zhang Wan rushed into Zhang Shi's arms, while Li Xianmu calmly discussed matters of state with Zhang Fu. This composure made Zhang Fu admire him even more, and he thought of his unworthy sons, none of whom could even come close to Li Xianmu's level, and he sighed for a moment.

After Li Xianmu left the Marquis of Xincheng's residence and returned to the Princess's residence, several days later, the heavy coffin was carried away from the Princess's residence by laborers and headed towards the dock.

This journey north is two thousand miles. The Grand Canal, built during the Yuan Dynasty, has not yet been fully dredged. After traveling by water for a while, we will have to travel by land. By the time we arrive in Beijing, it will probably be springtime.

There were many guards escorting the coffin. Li Xianmu sat in the carriage closest to the coffin and saw mountains and rivers, sunset, winter, and snow. The further north they went, the deeper the desolate and bleak scenery became.

He was born in Yingtian, so naturally he had never seen the heavy snow in the north, which, according to legend, could drown people and freeze rivers. He gradually saw it all along the way.

Having experienced the local customs and traditions, he deeply understood what his father had once said: the North is a bitterly cold place, and if the imperial court does not use its power to suppress it, it will inevitably lose to the South. However, not an inch of the North's land can be ceded.

The relocation of the capital is inevitable!

……

Li Qi tore through the deep darkness, ripped open the crack between heaven and earth that was gradually closing, and turned his gaze back to the world. Countless bubbles floated and sank before him, with human figures appearing among them.

He reached out and popped one of the bubbles, and immediately, as if on a whirlwind, countless events that had happened in the past few days flooded his mind.

"So that's what happened. Zhu Di was truly a man of his word."

"Xianmu escorted the coffin northward."

His gaze fell on Li Xianmu.

The night is deep.

Li Xianmu was still awake. He gazed at the bright moon and twinkling stars above him, and it seemed as if he saw his father there.

He reached into his robes and stroked a stick of incense, something his father had left him alone.

This incense is unbreakable, and it always emits a faint, refreshing fragrance.

"If I light this incense, will I be able to see my father again?"

Li Xianmu's eyes were somewhat hazy, carrying a hint of trepidation as he approached his hometown. He hugged himself tightly and curled up.

"Sigh, go to sleep."

Li Xianmu fell asleep, a smile on his face.

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(End of this chapter)