The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 109 The Grand Court Assembly
Some rumors leaking from the palace caused considerable anxiety among many people.

Since Li Xianmu returned to the capital, the situation in the capital has been gradually shifting, which is really illogical. How could someone of low rank and position stir up trouble?
With the grand court assembly imminent, the heads of the five ministries, six departments, and the Censorate are all purging their internal affairs to avoid being implicated in matters within their ministries.

News came from the south that Marquis Zhang Fu of Xincheng had pacified the affairs of Jiaozhi and was preparing to return to the capital. At that time, a large number of dukes and marquises would be promoted in the court, and the emperor's power would rise again with the help of the military. The proposal to move the capital would then be greatly favored by the emperor. Therefore, the officials who opposed the relocation of the capital had decided to launch another attack on the emperor at this grand court meeting.

Princess Lin'an's Residence.

Before dawn, the blue light of the lamps lit in the mansion filled the already lush green courtyard. Flowers bloomed in succession from the pavilions and landed at the end of the corridor. The plaque above read "Green Jade Spring Red," displaying a free and unrestrained style.

"Qing'er, today is the grand court assembly, and we need to attend court early. I am not feeling well, so I will not disturb my mother. After 3:00 AM, please go to my mother's room and inform her for me."

As Li Xianmu was giving instructions, he heard a knock on the door from outside, followed by the voice of the maid Dujuan, "Young Master, the mistress has sent someone to say that you should go to the front hall after you get up."

Li Xianmu smiled helplessly upon hearing this. A mother worries about her son even when he is far away. This is his first time attending the Grand Court Assembly, and his mother is worried about him.

After getting ready and putting on his official robes for court, Li Xianmu stepped into the main hall and saw his mother, Princess Lin'an, sitting dignifiedly. He respectfully kowtowed to Princess Lin'an and then heard his mother say gently, "Mu'er, you have been back in the capital for several days and have been traveling around. You must be doing something important. I know that you are burdened with the task of carrying on your father's legacy."

But the imperial court is extremely dangerous; before you act, please remember your elderly mother at home.

Princess Lin'an spoke with a touch of sentimentality, for only at his age did she truly understand the meaning behind Su Dongpo's poem about washing a baby.

Everyone raises children hoping they will be clever, but I have been misled by my own cleverness all my life. I only wish my child were foolish and dull, so that he may rise to high office without disaster or hardship.

Li Xianmu was silent for a moment, then kowtowed again, "Your son is unfilial."

Mother, please allow your son to speak.

My father's life was almost perfect, the only thing he lacked was his descendants. He once said that he was his son's stepping stone and ladder to success, and that he would send his son straight to the top and make him a true saint.

Becoming a sage is too difficult. The difficulty lies not in spreading the Way to the world, but in the time and effort required to cultivate one's reputation. Even if one's knowledge is unparalleled in the world, people will never recognize a sage at the age of twenty. Even if Confucius and Mencius were reborn, they would not achieve anything before the age of forty.

The son doesn't want to go that road!

The father has already sent his son straight to the top, and the son must stride confidently across the world, achieving great things that his predecessors could not accomplish, and making a name for himself that his predecessors could not achieve!
"Fame, power, prestige—my son wants it all! I'd rather fight and be defeated than live in defeat!"

After saying this, he walked out of the mansion, leaving Princess Lin'an standing there in a daze, as if she had returned to the twenty-third year of Hongwu's reign, when her husband Li Qi had said something similar—"My ambition is to achieve great things for ten thousand generations and to be famous throughout the world. I would rather die speaking out than live in silence!"

Li Xianmu had just finished his impassioned speech when he left the front hall and walked very fast, as if he were fleeing.

Before dawn, with no stars or moon, a servant boy carried a lantern, illuminating a patch of light at his feet. He felt both boundless pride and endless frustration.

"ten thousand years is too long, fight for now!"

He kept repeating this to himself, “Plan before you act, but don’t lose your ambition. If you don’t fight for what’s in this world, it will just slip through your fingers!”

The servant lifted the curtain of the carriage.

Then they rumbled away, leaving only the lanterns in front of the princess's residence still swaying slightly, dispelling the darkness in front of the gate.

A group of ministers carrying lanterns were already lined up under the city wall outside the palace gates, and the nobles were discussing the war in Annam.

"Now that the Marquis of Xincheng has returned to the capital, he will surely be granted the title of Duke. The Zhang family will become the leading family among the meritorious nobles of the Jingnan Campaign."

"Hey, His Majesty's number one general back then was the late Duke Rong, Zhang Yu. Now the Marquis of Xincheng has been promoted to Duke. It's really important that his descendants are successful."

"I heard that His Majesty intends to select the younger sister of the Marquis of Xincheng to enter the palace. In the future, the Zhang family will be related to the imperial family by marriage, and their status will be far beyond that of other families."

"It's a pity that the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Xincheng was betrothed to Li Jinghe's youngest son when she was only three years old. Such foresight is truly remarkable. Could he have foreseen this situation back then?"

"Who knows? I've never heard of Li Jinghe being able to read faces and make predictions."

The nobles were all puzzled, while the civil officials were also gathered in twos and threes, whispering among themselves.

When Li Xianmu arrived, he attracted the attention of a group of people around him.

"That is Li Xianmu. Yesterday, the palace envoy entered the Ministry of Personnel and he was transferred to the Eastern Palace. His Majesty even personally bestowed a name upon him. After three years, His Majesty and the Crown Prince still trust him very much."

"He supported the emperor's relocation of the capital as soon as he returned to the capital. How could we not trust and respect him?"

“Li Jinghe’s son really does resemble him. When Li Jinghe first returned from exile in Jiangpu, he was also like this, holding a blade and charging forward, full of youthful vigor.”

“Li Jinghe was already thirty years old back then, and that was during the Hongwu era, which is very different from now.”

The matter between Li Xianmu and Hu Guang had gradually spread by then, and an imperial decree was issued from the inner palace, transferring him to the Eastern Palace. He was now considered a prominent figure in the capital.

However, what is most noteworthy is his unequivocal support for the emperor's relocation of the capital.

No one was surprised by Li Xianmu's stance, because his father, Li Qi, had supported moving the capital. It was only natural that Li Xianmu would inherit his father's political views and legacy after entering officialdom.

However, many people were filled with doubt and curiosity. Li Qi was a towering tree, capable of withstanding most storms, while Li Xianmu was just a young man who had not yet come of age, of low rank and low status, like a slender blade of grass. A small storm would probably be enough to make him fall to the ground!

How dare Li Xianmu participate in such a turbulent political vortex as the proposal to move the capital? In the eyes of many, this move by Li Xianmu was quite ambitious!

After Li Xianmu got out of the carriage, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Xie Jin and others came over and chatted with him.

“Mingda, those people are the ones who are most opposed to moving the capital. The one leading them is Li Shimian. If you take a clear stand at the Grand Court Assembly, they will definitely attack you.”

Li Xianmu nodded slightly without turning his head and said, "I know. I've investigated these past few days, and quite a few of them are quite interesting."

I'm even somewhat wondering whether Li Shimian will continue to insist on moving the capital after learning the truth.

Xie Jin and Chen Ying exchanged a glance. The truth?

What truth?
Li Xianmu remained silent, and many people were misled by his vague and generalized remarks.

His father taught him that "sometimes political struggles don't need to be viewed in such a grand way; the outcome can be determined from some extremely small things," which is why Li Xianmu had a unique perspective.

Before any further questions could be asked, the palace gates were already wide open, and the officials, under the coordination of the officials of rites and the eunuchs, lined up to enter the palace, after which began what could be described as a long wait.

As dawn broke, the first rays of sunlight fell upon the bright glazed tiles of the palace, refracting a vast expanse of golden, dazzling light. In the eyes of the assembled officials, the light danced and shimmered, radiating crimson and purple hues.

"Ascend the throne!"

The eunuchs chanted the hymns repeatedly, and the officials entered the hall. After shouting "Long live the Emperor!" three times, the grand court assembly began in accordance with etiquette.

"Something's going to happen!"

The hall fell silent for a moment. At the grand court assembly, civil and military officials lined up, with princes, dukes, and relatives standing at the very front on the left, looking towards the ranks of civil officials. The matter of relocating the capital had caused quite a stir, so how could this matter be absent from the grand court assembly?
"I have this note!"

Li Shimian immediately stepped out of the queue. As soon as Zhu Di saw him, his head started buzzing, and he remembered how Li Shimian had made him so angry that he couldn't eat.

"There are widespread rumors in the capital that Your Majesty intends to move the capital. Your Majesty is to declare that this is a rumor. Moving the capital would be detrimental to the country and the nation and is absolutely unacceptable!"

Li Shimian, full of vigor, immediately launched an attack on the emperor. After all, it was obvious to everyone in the capital that the rumors were spread by the emperor himself. Asking the emperor to refute them now would be like slapping the emperor in the face.

Normally, Zhu Di's face would have been filled with anger, but today he was just there to watch the show, and his gaze had unconsciously fallen into Li Xianmu's eyes.

Li Xianmu, holding his tablet, stepped forward and said with great emotion: "Just as Scholar Li proposed the matter of moving the capital, I also have a memorial to present. It is harmful to the country and the nation if the capital of the Great Ming is located in Yingtian. I request Your Majesty to move the capital to Beijing to protect the Great Ming Dynasty!"

This tit-for-tat memorial immediately excited the assembled nobles and ministers. They were in for a good show; the infighting among the civil officials was simply entertaining, and they didn't care whether or not the capital was to be moved.

Li Xianmu glanced at the group of nobles, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, indicating that he was indifferent to their affairs.

Want to stay out of this? We'll force you into the fray in no time!

The emperor's somewhat pleased voice came down from above, "The memorials of the two ministers are so incompatible that I am at a loss as to what to do. Why don't you two debate it first, and then we can decide what to do?"

Li Shimian was eager to get started. He had wanted to debate with Li Xianmu on the main road that day, but Li Xianmu left after saying two inexplicable things. Today, he finally had the chance.

Li Xianmu, however, was in no hurry to produce the late emperor's decree. Instead, he said leisurely, "Since Scholar Li says that moving the capital would be detrimental to the country, and he is older than me, then let Scholar Li speak first."

There was obvious sarcasm in those words, and everyone could tell from the tone that Li Xianmu didn't take Li Shimian seriously at all.

Li Shimian didn't care about Li Xianmu's attitude. He was an upright person who only recognized reason, right and wrong, truth and falsehood.

After Li Xianmu finished speaking, he stepped forward and said to the emperor and the ministers in the hall: "The primary harm of moving the capital to Beijing is the difficulty of obtaining food supplies. The country's food supplies rely on Jiangnan and Huguang. If the capital is established in Yingtian, it will arrive in no time. However, if the capital is established in Shuntian, the food supplies will be transported over a thousand miles, which will be difficult to sustain. The losses along the way are unknown. Is such a wasteful move not harmful to the country?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shimian stared intently at Li Xianmu. If Li Xianmu dared to say that the canal was open and that transporting grain was cheap, he would immediately fill in the rest of the sentence.

Li Xianmu naturally wouldn't mention the canal. In many people's imaginations, especially Yang Guang's fans, they believed that once the canal was open, north-south transportation would be smooth, and ships could travel downstream, which was simply like a dream.

In fact, even after the canal was opened, many sections still required boatmen to help the boats navigate on land because the riverbed was too high to pass through.

Moreover, the maintenance of the canal was so difficult that the imperial court even set up a special Grand Canal Transport Commissioner to manage it, and the manpower required was said to be "a million canal workers". Li Shimian deliberately dug a pit here and waited for him to fall in. Li Xianmu was naturally not going to fall for it.

He paid no attention to Li Shimian's questioning and simply said, "The Southern Dynasties of Song, Qi, Liang, and Chen must not have had the difficulty of transporting grain. After the Song Dynasty moved south, it relied on grain from Suzhou and Huzhou, and the capital was known as the 'Never Sleeping.' It also did not have the difficulty of transporting grain to the north. I suppose these dynasties were all very prosperous." Li Shimian was stunned. He did not expect Li Xianmu to act in such an unconventional way.

A low chuckle even rang out in the hall, especially among the nobles who laughed heartily. They found listening to two scholars arguing more interesting than listening to actors perform in the garden.

Li Shimian immediately snapped out of his daze and retorted, "Li Hanlin, don't think you can refute me with some strange words. Our dynasty has unified the world, how can it be compared to a dynasty that only controls half of the country?"

Li Xianmu narrowed his eyes slightly, "Since Scholar Li knows that our dynasty has more than half of the country, why is he so resistant to transferring grain to the north?"
Could it be that the million-strong army on the northern border of our Great Ming Dynasty are all made of bronze and iron, capable of resisting powerful enemies without needing to eat food?

"Emperor Taizu Gao implemented the garrison system, where a million-strong army had its own military farms and did not need the court to supply them with money and food. However, after the capital was moved to Beijing, the only ones supplying food and fodder were the 100,000 imperial guards in the capital. Therefore, the imperial guards in Yingtian were far superior to those in Shuntian. If Li Hanlin does not even know such a thing, he should not humiliate himself here!"

Li Shimian delivered his long speech almost in one breath, full of passion and fervor, as if he intended to conquer the world. Immediately, shouts of encouragement and admiration rang out throughout the court.

How should Li Xianmu respond?

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Li Xianmu remained calm. "In March of the second year of Yongle, the Mongols attacked Liaodong, captured 10,000 people, and plundered various garrisons."

In July of the second year of the Yongle reign, the Mongols entered Xifengkou, bypassed it, and plundered thousands of people.

In May of the third year of the Yongle reign, the Mongols again attacked Liaodong.

The fourth year of Yongle...

In September of the fifth year of the Yongle reign, the Mongols attacked the imperial capital in Beijing, but failed to capture it. They then plundered 5,000 people and left triumphantly.

Where is the large garrison army that Scholar Li mentioned?

Words pale in comparison to the stark reality of these bloody statistics!
"If the Imperial Guards do not move with His Majesty to the temporary capital in Beijing, who will defend against the Mongols?"

In the Fengtian Hall, Li Xianmu's voice echoed, carrying the clear and passionate tone of a young man, "Will the north eventually fall after the Mongols knock on the gates time and time again?"

"Absurd! You only need to choose one..."

"Cough cough!"

Seeing that Li Shimian was about to utter some treasonous words due to his delirium, coughs immediately rang out, and the hall fell truly silent.

Even a man as upright as Li Shimian broke out in a cold sweat, and even the nobles who had been laughing all along fell silent.

With such weak defenses in the north, whose problem should we turn to?
The problem naturally lies with the emperor sitting on the throne. In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, there were nine border princes to defend against the Mongols, and in Liaodong there were the Prince of Ning and the Prince of Liao, plus the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Gu. They were more than capable of dealing with the Mongols, but now they are all gone.

Beijing, also known as Yan, can it really seal off another person?
During the Tang Dynasty, the An Lushan Rebellion was triggered by the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. During the Song Dynasty, the Liao Dynasty occupied the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun and then suppressed the Song Dynasty for a hundred years. The Yuan Dynasty used the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun to suppress the world. The current emperor of the dynasty has even conquered the whole country from the Yan vassal state.

History has proven that whether a general or a king was appointed in Yan, it was a source of chaos. Anyone who dares to mention this matter is truly courting death!

Li Xianmu actually dug a pit here, that's too cunning!

However, Li Shimian and the other ministers were clearly not so easily persuaded. He quickly retorted: "The Annam rebellion was quelled by the army, and the same can be done to conquer the Mongols. Moreover, since the Battle of Buyur Lake, the Mongols have long lost their Yuan Dynasty ways. Our Great Ming can also open trade and so on. There is no need to be enemies with the various tribes. To move the capital just for defense is like throwing the baby out with the bathwater!"

"Furthermore, if we move the capital to Beijing, the northern border will be directly exposed to the northern barbarians. Wouldn't that put His Majesty's throne in a disadvantageous position?"

"If even gathering all the troops in the land to the capital still presents difficulties, then my Great Ming Dynasty may truly be left with only half its territory!"

After these words were spoken, it became a matter of each side having their own reasons, and it was difficult to say which was more important. Li Xianmu naturally had other plans, but there was no rush. Li Shimian alone was not enough.

"Li Hanlin just said that it is not good for the country to be located in Yingtian. The advantages and disadvantages of the temporary capital in Beijing have just been refuted. But I don't know what disadvantages Yingtian has?"

Li Shimian began to fight back.

"Since ancient times, the choice of capital city has set an example for future generations. If the capital is Chang'an, then the Western Regions are controlled; if the capital is Luoyang, then all directions are controlled; if the capital is Beijing, then Liaodong and Mongolia are controlled."

Chang'an had fallen into disrepair since the Tang Dynasty, and its transportation was a hundred times more difficult than that of Beijing. Moreover, the sandstorms outside Yumen Pass had long since erased the glory of the Silk Road. Although Luoyang was located in the center, its current power lay not in the east or west, but in the north and south. Although Yingtian was located in the Yangtze River and had the strategic advantage of a tiger crouching and a dragon coiling, it was a place where the imperial aura had been dim since ancient times. Controlling the north from the south was extremely difficult, while controlling the south from the north was easy.

If one day our Great Ming Dynasty were to fall to a foreign enemy, it would surely be from the grasslands or Liaodong, not from Jiaozhi. Do you all agree?

This is inevitable.

If it weren't for the protection of primeval forests, miasma, and mountains, the Ming Dynasty would have scattered all the dust from Southeast Asia long ago.

Everyone in the hall now understood. Li Xianmu had only said one thing: for the long-term stability of the Ming Dynasty, it was necessary to establish a power balance with the north. Without dealing with the north, the Ming Dynasty would never be able to maintain its peace.

For the sake of long-term military objectives, money and food are secondary; everything should serve the greater good.

This involves a person's governing direction, and is not just about discussing the right or wrong of a single event!
Li Shimian realized this and immediately lost interest in debating. It was impossible to persuade someone with such a complete set of logic!
Zhu Di knew it was his turn to speak, and said in a deep voice, "What the two ministers just said has been heard by all of you. I wonder what your thoughts are?"

The emperor's words immediately stunned almost everyone in the hall. What was the emperor about to do?
Doesn't he know that if he asks this question, eight or nine out of ten of the court officials will oppose moving the capital?

Instead of trying to avoid this kind of scene, he actually took the initiative to come forward?
crazy? !
As expected, almost instantly, a large number of people in the court knelt down, shouting in unison, "Your Majesty, please declare to the world that moving the capital is not an option!"

Countless people, like a tidal wave, knelt on the ground, holding their scepters, causing even Zhu Di to tremble. This was the power of a sea of ​​people; countless voices gathered together could shake the heavens!
But what shocked Li Shimian and everyone else was that, excluding military officials such as nobles, only about 70% of the civil officials in the court requested the relocation of the capital, while the remaining 30% did not express their opinions at all!
"Your subject approves of Li Xianmu's proposal to move the capital!"

Hu Guang, standing among the officials, sighed, but thinking of the future wealth and glory, he resolutely stepped out of the ranks and stood behind Li Xianmu, despite the murderous glares of his many Jiangxi colleagues.

However, the fact that he called Li Xianmu by his name still revealed his resentment.

Although he cut himself off from Jiangxi, he was not without prestige. After all, he had become the top scholar in the imperial examination in the second year of the Jianwen reign, and a group of people followed him and stood out from the crowd together!
"Your subject also approves of Li Hanlin's proposal to relocate the capital!"

Xie Jin, Chen Ying, Wang Gen, and other members of the Neo-Confucian school, as well as officials from the north, all stood behind Li Xianmu. Most of them were low-ranking officials.

These people's choices were already known; they were the political legacy Li Qi left to Li Xianmu, his natural allies.

Huang Huai sighed and stepped forward amidst the shocked gazes of everyone, including his cabinet colleagues. "Your Majesty, I also agree with Li Hanlin's proposal to relocate the capital!"

A group of Zhejiang literati followed suit, instantly shocking those kneeling on the ground!

Ministers from other regions were also shocked!
The eastern part of Zhejiang has actually split up. Huang Huai, one of the leaders of the eastern part of Zhejiang, actually agreed to move the capital. What benefits did Li Xianmu give him?
After Huang Huai stepped forward, about 20% of the civil officials in the palace were standing behind Li Xianmu!
Compared to the 70% who opposed moving the capital, the majority was still very weak, but this was already an outcome far beyond everyone's imagination!

Moreover, these people all said they agreed with Li Xianmu's proposal to move the capital, which was clearly an attempt to bolster Li Xianmu's power!

"cough!"

A heavy cough echoed through the hall. Before the thousands of people sat a monk in black robes. He slowly stood up and said, "Li Hanlin's proposal is very much in line with the current situation of the Ming Dynasty. The capital should be moved!"

Li Shimian was practically numb.

Why would Prime Minister Yao Guangxiao, dressed in black, offer his opinion on such a matter?

In this world, people occupy different positions. Someone like Yao Guangxiao, whose voice alone is louder than that of millions of people!

The moment he spoke, a tremendous force gathered around Li Xianmu.

"What Li Hanlin said makes sense. Your subject also requests that the capital be moved!"

Two earth-shattering voices resounded in the hall at the same time, drawing everyone's attention. It turned out that the Crown Prince and the Prince of Han spoke at the same time!

Even Zhu Di was stunned. He knew about the Crown Prince, but what was going on with the Prince of Han? Was Li Xianmu really that powerful?
All the officials of the Eastern Palace were stunned. The Crown Prince had never told them that he would agree to move the capital in court today.

But there was no time to think it over. Yang Shiqi and the others quickly responded and, amidst the strange looks from their fellow villagers and colleagues, unanimously agreed to the proposal to move the capital.

Even some of those who opposed moving the capital now regretted their decision, never expecting such a bizarre situation to arise.

There are almost no neutral people in the court!

There were fewer people opposed to moving the capital than one might have imagined, while the number of people in favor of it far exceeded expectations.

While a 30/70 split is still a significant advantage, the previous prediction was a 10/90 split, or even a 00/10 split!
Li Shimian looked at Li Xianmu with a somewhat bewildered expression.

At this moment, Li Xianmu had countless people behind him. He was still thin and looked like a young man, but he already had the momentum to soar into the sky!
Li Shimian didn't speak, but his expression clearly said, "I don't understand."

Li Xianmu pointed at the ministers kneeling on the ground and said sternly, "Scholar Li, you are full of patriotic fervor, yet you are here to prevent His Majesty from moving the capital, thinking yourself the savior of the world. But do you know why these people kneeling behind you are trying to stop the relocation of the capital?"

Li Shimian declared proudly, "Naturally, it is for the sake of the nation and its people!"

"The nation and its people."

Li Xianmu seemed to have heard something amusing, his voice full of sarcasm, "Today I'll show you what these officials in the court really are, their mouths full of talk about the nation and its people, but what's in their bellies!"

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.

Since the Five Dynasties period, when Shi Jingtang ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun to the Khitan, the region had been outside the central government of the Han Chinese for approximately 500 years. Furthermore, since the Jingkang Incident in the Northern Song Dynasty, the entire North China region had been under the rule of foreign ethnic groups for nearly 250 years, even witnessing the harsh reality of "Han people speaking the language of barbarians while cursing the Han people from the city walls." The Ming Dynasty actively implemented a policy of north-south integration. After Emperor Taizong moved the capital, Beijing and its surrounding areas emerged as the "land of kings," naturally becoming the core territory of the Ming Dynasty. This played an indispensable role in bringing North China, Northeast China, and the grasslands under Han Chinese rule. —From *Five Hundred Years of the Ming Dynasty*

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