The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 103: An imperial edict has been issued since the thirty-first year of the Hongwu reign!

Li Xianmu lifted the carriage curtain and jumped out without any hesitation or fear of returning home. He headed towards the mansion like the wind, leaving the servants in the mansion somewhat stunned.

"Wasn't that... the Third Young Master?"

"I'm not seeing things, it really is the Third Young Master."

The crowd looked at each other, and in an instant, countless voices echoed throughout the princess's residence: "The Third Young Master is back!"

"The Third Young Master is back!"

Zijuan walked in from the outer room and said in a very authoritative manner, "I understand that everyone is happy, but please be more composed. The mistress will naturally give you a reward later, so please do not delay the affairs of the manor."

Princess Lin'an, who was in the front hall, naturally heard the cheers from inside the mansion. She stood up abruptly and kept looking outside. Li Fang and Li Mao served her from the side, afraid that their mother would faint from excitement.

Li Xianmu strode into the front hall and immediately saw his mother, elder brother, two sisters-in-law, and several young nephews and nieces beside him.

"Mother!"

Li Xianmu rushed into the house, knelt down on the ground, and kowtowed with tears in his eyes, saying, "Your son is unfilial and has caused Mother worry!"

Princess Lin'an, heartbroken, quickly helped him up, tears streaming down her face as she choked out, "My Mu'er, you've lost so much weight. It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."

The family members met and enjoyed each other's company. Li Qi was buried in Beijing, and Li Fang and Li Mao had to take care of their mother, so for the past three years they had been worshipping his ancestral tablet in Yingtian and had not gone to Beijing.

"Third brother, you've had a tough three years."

“It’s the two older brothers who have worked the hardest to take care of their mother.”

"Uncle, please stop talking. Have some hot tea. You must be exhausted from the long journey. After you have some tea and food, rest for a while before we talk about this."

"Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law."

"We're all family, so let's not talk like that."

After Li Xianmu finished his meal, Princess Lin'an, though reluctant to part with him, knew she should let him rest first. It wasn't until evening, after Li Xianmu had taken a short nap for an hour, that he felt refreshed and went out again to catch up with his mother.

Li Fang and Li Mao were also present. Although they had been exchanging letters for the past three years, it was not easy to send letters, and some things could not be clearly explained in the letters.

"In these three years, many important events have occurred in the court, some of which you are already aware of. The most important ones now are the war in Annam and the affairs of the West, which your father has mentioned before."

"The Marquis of Xincheng made great contributions in Annam by capturing the retired emperor of the Ho Dynasty, Le Quy Ly, the King of Annam, as well as the crown prince, princes, generals and ministers appointed by the Le family."

Annam was transformed into prefectures and counties, comprising 48 prefectures and 180 counties, with 3.12 million households. The Jiaozhi Provincial Administration was established. After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, Jiaozhi had been independent of China for over 400 years, and was now incorporated back into the territory.

Since the Hongwu Emperor established fifteen states exempt from conquest at the beginning of the dynasty, this was a great achievement in expanding the territory by thousands of miles, truly a glorious event for the dynasty.

Influenced by Li Qi, Li's descendants were quite enthusiastic about expanding their territory.

"Of my father's seven great grievances, the third was that the Ming Dynasty could not recover the old territories of the Han and Tang Dynasties. Now that Jiaozhi has been recovered, the old territories of the Han and Tang Dynasties are only the Western Regions, the Mongol tribes, and the four prefectures of Liaodong!"

Both Li Fang and Li Mao were quite agitated when the topic came up.

"Father is truly a genius. Six years ago, he arranged a marriage for you, my third brother, with the Marquis of Xincheng. At that time, it was just a Earl's family, which was not considered very prominent among the noble families. But now that the war in Annam has broken out and Duke Zhu Neng of Chengguo has died, your father-in-law has been appointed to a critical position and won a great victory. When he returns to the capital with his army, he will surely be granted the title of Duke and put in charge of the Five Armies Commandery."

"Third brother, you must be aware of our family's current situation. The Crown Prince and His Majesty have both been very kind to our family, never missing a holiday. However, the manipulation of power cannot be replaced by such kinship and favor. Now that your in-laws have influence, it makes us feel more at ease."

The current situation of the Li family is very strange. On the one hand, there are no powerful figures in the court, but on the other hand, there are many relatives and friends. Although these relationships are finite, they are very useful. It should not be simply assumed that the Li family has lost power.

Most importantly, because of Princess Lin'an's existence, the Li family ultimately had the means to reach the Emperor directly, which could deter many people with ill intentions.

After the two brothers finished speaking, they noticed that Li Xianmu had a slight frown.

The two brothers were immediately uneasy. Outsiders did not know much about Li Xianmu's intelligence. They only knew that Li Xianmu had surpassed scholars from three hundred prefectures and won the top scholar position at the age of twelve. However, the two brothers had personally witnessed Li Xianmu's extraordinary growth as a child!
"Third brother, is there anything wrong with this matter?"

"It's not that there's anything wrong with it, it's just that Annam won't be pacified so easily. I'm wondering if the court will be held back by Annam and delay the process of moving the capital."

After all, it was easier to mobilize troops and supplies from Yingtian to conquer Annam.

Li Fang and Li Mao were immediately startled upon hearing this. They naturally knew that Li Xianmu's return to the capital was for the purpose of relocating the capital.

"We are all unaware of such a momentous matter; we must leave the decision to His Majesty."

After a moment's thought, Li Xianmu turned to Princess Lin'an and said in a deep voice, "Mother, I need to go to the palace to see His Majesty."

As a member of the imperial family through marriage, Li Xianmu's advantages became fully apparent at this time. Many ministers would not be able to enter the palace without reason, but Li Xianmu, as a nephew, could enter the palace to visit his uncle without going through the formalities of the court.

Princess Lin'an readily agreed, saying, "Alright, tomorrow I will write to Consort Wang, and once we receive a reply from the palace, I will bring you into the palace."

After Empress Xu passed away last year, Consort Wang is now in charge of managing the affairs of the six palaces. In addition to Consort Wang, the most favored concubine in the palace is Consort Quan from Korea, who also managed the affairs of the six palaces for Zhu Di in history.

……

The next day.

Li Xianmu first went to the Ministry of Personnel. After he became the top scholar in the imperial examination, he was granted an official position. Now, he was only in mourning for the end of his term and could resume his official post. There were only two top scholars in the Ming Dynasty, and he was the emperor's nephew. Naturally, no one would dare to cause trouble. All the procedures were completed smoothly.

Princess Lin'an's situation is also going smoothly. Although Consort Wang is now prominent in the palace, it is because she is cautious and prudent, which has earned her Zhu Di's trust. Although Empress Xu has passed away, her sons have long since come of age, leaving no room for her family, as a powerful maternal relative, to grow.

Naturally, she dared not obstruct or neglect the matter. After Princess Lin'an sent the letter, she quickly relayed the news to Zhu Di. Upon hearing that Li Xianmu had returned to the capital the day before, Zhu Di immediately ordered Princess Lin'an to bring Li Xianmu into the palace. He even canceled a meeting with the Ministry of Rites and left the matter to the Crown Prince.

Three years later, Li Xianmu stepped into the palace again. For a moment, he felt a strange sense of emotion. The emperor was still majestic and magnificent, and he was still dignified and solemn. Having been the emperor for so long, he felt more at ease than he had been three years ago, and every gesture he made exuded a profound sense of nobility.

"I am here to pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

Li Xianmu, having fully inherited Li Qi's fine character, said with tears welling in his eyes, "Your Majesty remains healthy and well."

"Xianmu, get up quickly. There are no outsiders here. Just call me Uncle."

"Thank you, Imperial Uncle."

"I have lived in Shuntian Prefecture for many years. It is not as prosperous as Yingtian in Jiangnan. Spring, summer and autumn are all good, but winter is really bitter and cold. You have observed three years of mourning for your father. Your filial piety is sincere and I am very pleased. Now that you have returned to the capital, you will train hard in the court and strive to inherit your father's mantle as soon as possible."

Although Zhu Di's words were simple, it was precisely these ordinary and understated words that warmed people's hearts. Li Xianmu knew that the emperor truly cared about him, and for a subject, the emperor's trust and favor were more important than anything else.

"My nephew originally planned to wait until after the Qingming Festival to pay his last respects to his father before returning to Yingtian from Beijing. However, while communicating with his senior brother, he heard that some ministers in the court opposed the relocation of the capital, which put his uncle in a difficult position."

The nephew immediately thought of his father's dying wish to relocate the capital, and also wanted to help his uncle, the emperor, solve his problems. Therefore, he decided to set off immediately to return to Yingtian.

Today, I asked Mother to take me to the palace. Firstly, my nephew has returned to the capital to visit his uncle; secondly, it is to relieve my uncle's predicament. How dare these mere ministers, for their own selfish interests, hinder my uncle's great cause?

Every word Li Xianmu uttered was filled with sincerity, and Zhu Di couldn't help but exclaim, "You and your son are both highly talented and loyal for two generations, which is truly a blessing for our Great Ming Dynasty."

He added, “I am very pleased that you have the heart to help me solve my problems. However, this matter is of great importance. There are many opponents in the court. Your foundation is still shallow, and you have no power, position or reputation. Even if you say something, it will only be considered childish and will not count.”

Zhu Di's words reveal the realities of officialdom: only correct words, spoken by the right person at the right time, are truly correct. Those in officialdom are accustomed to attacking others and denying their words.

Li Xianmu solemnly said, "Uncle, please look at this!"

Having said that, he reached into his robes and took out a portion—

Imperial decree!

"This is an imperial edict given to my father in the thirty-first year of Hongwu, before the late emperor passed away. The late emperor had long intended to move the capital, but unfortunately it was put on hold due to the death of Emperor Xiaokang and never came to fruition."

The late emperor had long foreseen that Jian Shuren would not move the capital, and left this imperial edict for his father in order to counterbalance the three traitors, Qi, Huang, and Fang.

But fate had other plans. The commoner abdicated and the emperor's maternal uncle ascended the throne. Unexpectedly, the decree to move the capital came into use. Was this fate?
Imperial Uncle, you are destined to be the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty!

Otherwise, why would the late emperor, knowing that the commoner Jian would not relocate the capital, still leave behind an edict to move the capital?

The thirty-first year of the Hongwu reign! An imperial edict left by his father!
"Is this really something left behind by the late emperor?"

Zhu Di felt his mouth go dry. He knew that there was an imperial edict left by the late emperor among the Li family. After all, Li Qi had taken the late emperor's edict and left in the Golden Palace, leaving Fang Xiaoru and others angry but unable to speak out. They could only watch him leave. This matter had long been known throughout the world.

But no one ever knew what was written inside. Most people guessed it was probably a decree granting him immunity from death, since Li Qi had taken it out in the Golden Palace after angering the emperor. Later, after Zhu Di ascended the throne, he didn't pay any attention to it.

But now Li Xianmu is saying that this is an imperial edict from the late emperor to move the capital?

A tremendous surprise almost instantly hit him, and joy filled his chest. He almost felt that he was truly the chosen one. Since his ascension to the throne, every time he couldn't help but want to go on a killing spree, the problem would always be miraculously solved.

Moreover, what Li Xianmu just said really struck a chord with him. He couldn't help but wonder if the late emperor really intended for him to succeed to the throne. Otherwise, how could this decree be explained?

Jianwen was born in Yingtian. He was weak-willed, easily influenced, and had good relations with the literati in Jiangnan. Just as Li Xianmu said, it was impossible for him to move the capital!
Li Xianmu said decisively, "Naturally, it was left by the late emperor. Uncle, please look, the wax seal on this imperial edict has never been opened. Only my father knew the contents of it. When my father handed the edict to me, he told me its contents. Now, only my uncle, my mother, and I know about it. Perhaps it is also in the palace archives? I don't know if such a secret edict is kept in the palace."

"Good good!"

Zhu Di excitedly stroked the sealed wax seal. "Even if there is no archive, this imperial edict is enough. Besides, everyone knows that the late emperor sent Emperor Xiaokang to Xi'an and Luoyang for inspection. Even if it is said to be a forgery, it will not convince the public. Tomorrow morning at court, I will throw this late emperor's edict in the faces of those officials who oppose the relocation of the capital. Let's see how they oppose me now!"

Zhu Di seemed to already see the officials' furious yet helpless expressions. These expressions were even more memorable than if he had actually killed them. After all, using a knife was an unfair victory, but defeating the civil officials in their area of ​​expertise brought a sense of satisfaction, like killing someone's spirit.

Li Xianmu kowtowed again and said, "Uncle, I think it is unnecessary to take out the imperial edict so soon. There are not enough people who oppose the relocation of the capital. Taking out the imperial edict now will only force them to back down."

They will certainly still have many complaints, and I can even guess what they will say.

"I have retrieved the late emperor's decree; can they still object?"

"It's nothing more than the changing times. Back then, the late emperor had to move the capital because of the circumstances, but now there's no need to move the capital because the circumstances have changed. These are the kinds of things they're saying."

"Straight bitch!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di immediately cursed. Li Xianmu's mere speculation was enough to ignite his anger. "These civil officials are all good at talking. If they had even a fraction of Jing He's temperament, I wouldn't bother with them."

"Actually, my nephew came to the palace this time to ask my uncle, you are the greatest general of our time, you must know about the Annam war. It won't be pacified so easily, there will definitely be setbacks. What should we do if the Annam war breaks out again?"

The pacification of a region cannot be achieved through a single war. Historically, the Mu family guarded Yunnan, and two-thirds of the family heads died in wars in order to keep Yunnan within their territory. Ban Chao of the Han Dynasty spent his entire life quelling rebellions in the Western Regions, thus maintaining the territory of the Western Regions.

Annan will not be an exception.

Zhu Di was aware of this, but he did not hesitate and declared firmly: "Naturally, we will send a large army to punish them again. How can our Celestial Empire allow a small country to humiliate us? If anyone is not convinced, we will send a large army to them. Not an inch of the land of the Great Ming will be yielded!"

"My uncle's spirit truly soars above the clouds!"

Li Xianmu first praised it, and then said: "The Xiping Marquis's mansion is guarding Yunnan and is already overwhelmed with the rebellions in places like Luchuan. If we ask it to resist Annam with all its might, it may not be able to do so. At that time, we will still have to transfer troops from the capital, just like this time when we conquered Annam."

"It is certainly faster to send troops from Yingtian by both water and land, and transporting provisions is also simple. However, if the capital were moved to Beijing, the journey would be five thousand li, and the enormous waste and resources involved in the transportation would be unimaginable."

Zhu Di frowned slightly. "The dredging of the Grand Canal between the North and South is why I proposed moving the capital. Transporting goods between the North and South by water should not be a big problem."

Li Xianmu smiled slightly. Why would he suddenly suggest that moving the capital would make the conquest of Annam inconvenient?
Isn't this an opposition to moving the capital?
That's not true at all!

He certainly wouldn't oppose moving the capital.

However, if an imperial edict from the late emperor could only accomplish one thing—relocating the capital—wouldn't that be too wasteful?

Li Xianmu would always remember what his father had told him about the events after returning to the capital. Almost every matter was carefully planned. Except for Yang Jing, Zhan Hui, Li Yuanming and others, those were just incidental actions. The real purpose was to achieve a change in the underlying political landscape.

By killing Yang Jing, the old customs of the Yuan Dynasty were brought to the attention of the court for the first time, which led to the later rectification of the Hu customs.

The affair between Zhan Hui and Li Yuanming further promoted changes in the family property system of the Ming Dynasty.

As for the Yuan History Case, it goes without saying that it completely changed people's understanding of the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Li Xianmu was deeply influenced by Li Qi's philosophy of doing things, and he wanted to make the most of everything. Was moving the capital just moving the capital?

With the late emperor's decree in place, we cannot lose this round no matter what.

That leaves only three possible outcomes: medium win, big win, and huge win/extra big win!

"Uncle, after the capital is moved, the population of Beijing will increase dramatically. Based on the historical population of capital cities, it may even reach one million. Beiping cannot produce so many things. At that time, they will definitely be transported from the Jiangnan region. If military supplies are also allowed to pass through, then Beijing itself will have problems."

Therefore, at that time, supplies would still need to be sourced locally from Jiangnan. Once the capital is moved to Beijing, the court's control over Yingtian would inevitably be much weaker than before. Thus, my nephew believes the time has come to launch another heavy crackdown on the Jiangnan gentry, and the proposal to move the capital presents that opportunity!

Zhu Di suddenly stood up and paced around the hall, carefully considering Li Xianmu's words. After a long while, he slowly said, "You mean to lure the snake out of its hole and catch them all in one fell swoop?"

"Exactly."

Li Xianmu's face was full of smiles. "Those nephews who agreed to move the capital may not know what they are thinking, but those who oppose the move must be treacherous. After all, the most serious border threat to our Great Ming has always been the Mongols. Now that the border king has moved inland, the northern border is weak. To oppose the move at this time is a crime deserving of death!"

"Excellent! Xianmu, you truly have your father's style!"

Zhu Di felt extremely pleased. "Heaven took away my Jinghe and gave me Xianmu. You will soon enter the officialdom. It is not appropriate to be addressed by your given name all the time."

"Since I am both your sovereign and your elder, I will bestow upon you a single character."

It's perfectly normal for an uncle to bestow a courtesy name upon his nephew, let alone the emperor. Even bestowing a surname would be an absolute favor, let alone a courtesy name. The surname of the Duke of Mu's family was bestowed by the emperor, which is the greatest honor in the world.

Zhu Di paced back and forth and said slowly, "Xian means brightness, and Mu means solemnity and beauty, so let's make it Mingda."

Li Mingda!

Li Xianmu kowtowed before Zhu Di, respectfully kowtowing three times, saying, "Xianmu kowtows to thank his uncle for bestowing the name upon him."

Princess Lin'an and Li Xianmu could clearly sense that the emperor was very happy today. The chief eunuch, who had just entered from outside the palace, could also clearly feel the emperor's state and was secretly shocked.

When Duke Jinghe was alive, he often brought joy to His Majesty, and now this young master of Duke Jinghe is the same. It seems that the Emperor's favor with the Li family will not be lost in this dynasty. We must cultivate a good relationship with them in the future.

"Mu'er, you should go back to the manor with your mother first. Don't tell anyone about what happened today. I will think it over carefully and decide what to do."

"Your Majesty, I intend to visit Grand Scholar Huang Huai."

Huanghuai?

Zhu Di was taken aback at first, but then he understood what Li Xianmu meant. His brows relaxed and he said, "Huang Huai, very well. Go and find him and see what he means. If he is also sincere, I am willing to reward him."

After saying this, Li Xianmu and Princess Lin'an slowly withdrew from the hall.

"Your Majesty's favor towards the Li family has never changed. Mu'er, your future is bright. However, in the officialdom, it's easy to dodge open attacks but hard to guard against hidden arrows. Sometimes you shouldn't be too..."

Princess Lin'an had listened in the hall for so long that she probably understood some of the things. Her son had just returned to the capital and was about to charge into battle for the emperor!
"Family ties are naturally very important, but to live in this world, one must be useful to others and be relied upon by others. Otherwise, affection will naturally diminish with each use. Only by becoming an indispensable person to the emperor can one maintain wealth and status indefinitely."

Li Xianmu saw it very clearly: even if the Li family were to regain their titles in the future, the titles would fall to the eldest son's branch of the family.

My father once said that the key is the prominence of his lineage. The Li family is currently in a very dangerous phase. As time goes by and the philosophy of mind spreads, Li Qi's historical status will rise higher and higher, but his political influence will decline.

If Li Xianmu fails to fill this void in time and allow the Li family's political influence to continue, then Li Qi's political legacy will be completely lost.

The influence of the Li family as a whole would be greatly diminished.

A prestigious family must be one that has produced officials for generations, especially the first three generations, which must not be interrupted. If the interruption is broken, the family must start counting again from the beginning.

The midday sun shone brightly on the vermilion walls of the palace, and the golden glazed tiles reflected the light.

Li Xianmu narrowed his eyes slightly.

Looking back at the soaring eaves of Fengtian Hall and recalling what was said in the hall just now, a sense of pride rose in my heart.

He will fulfill his father's ambition!

The proposal to move the capital was the beginning of everything!
There are still two or three things to come, until we completely control Jiangnan!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Countless coincidences occur every moment in this world. The rulers of empires liked to attribute them to divine mandate. The most famous example is "the one who replaced the Han dynasty was Gao of Dangtu," so Cao Cao named his empire "Wei." Such artificially created coincidences were largely abandoned in later generations, along with things called auspicious omens.

Therefore, when the imperial edict from Emperor Taizu of Ming (Zhu Yuanzhang) ordering the relocation of the capital appeared, Emperor Taizong of Ming (Zhu Di)'s shock and delight were perfectly normal and reasonable. He had even more reason to believe that he was truly the one favored by Heaven and most capable of inheriting his father's imperial legacy. —From *Five Hundred Years of the Ming Dynasty*

(End of this chapter)