The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 112 Who in the world doesn’t know you?
What could Li Shimian say?
The only appropriate course of action is to be trembling with fear, sweating profusely, and bowing one's head in submission!

What can the ministers below do? Can they utter a single wrong word?

Despite his deep dissatisfaction with Li Xianmu, the current situation is so favorable that even Prince Zhu Gaoxu of Han knows to keep his mouth shut in order to save his life.

The nobles all watched this scene with smiles on their faces, their mouths practically agape. If it weren't for the inappropriate occasion, they would have burst into laughter and mockery long ago.

Unexpectedly, the civil officials who always prided themselves on being upright and honest were actually even more despicable than these roughnecks!

They truly dare to claim to be the offspring of sages and to masculinize the virtues of gentlemen!
Since the Song Dynasty, the distinction between civil and military officials has become increasingly clear, with very few people rising to the rank of general or prime minister, a situation that became even more pronounced after the Ming Dynasty.

When the Jingnan Rebellion came, a group of uneducated military men were ostracized and despised by civil officials. Only a few nobles like Zhang Fu had a voice among the civil officials and were respected.

Li Xianmu will be the son-in-law of the Marquis of Xincheng in the future, which means he is part of the nobility. The nobles naturally feel close to him, and now that he has humiliated the civil officials, their goodwill towards him has only grown stronger.

Among the crowd, Xie Jin kept giving him meaningful glances, signaling that it was about time. He couldn't afford to offend everyone, or he would face great difficulties in his future career in officialdom.

Li Xianmu also felt that the time was almost right.

"I have already said a lot when I debated with Scholar Li in the hall today, and I have said a lot more just now. Why do I say so much?
"It's a matter of moving the capital; it shouldn't be discussed in the first place."

Li Xianmu made a shocking statement, deeply moved, saying: "My late father once said that our Great Ming Dynasty has never lacked geniuses. All my colleagues in the court are the best of the best selected from among thousands of people."

Once one enters officialdom, one's ability depends not only on intelligence but also on one's vision. If one's vision encompasses the world, one is a rare talent and worthy of being a prime minister.

If one focuses on a single policy, one is merely a busybody, preoccupied with trivial matters.

Today I want to say that if one doesn't even have the vision to plan a single strategy, and only focuses on one's family, what need is there for one to enter officialdom?

Cultivating oneself, regulating one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world—the state is above the family; this is the teaching of the sages.

Isn't today's debate in the hall just that simple?

Ministers like Li Shimian, despite their loyalty and integrity, lacked vision. They were preoccupied with economic matters and failed to view the world as a game of chess, acting more like merchants than officials.

Ministers like Censor Su and Hanlin Wang harbored treacherous intentions and disregarded the well-being of the nation. Such people have never been few and far between; they are parasites on the dynasty, difficult to detect in ordinary times, and even enjoy excellent reputations and are praised by scholars.

They spout the words of sages and the virtues of sages, yet their hearts are filled with self-interest. Today, in the court, scholars like Li Shimian are leading the charge, undoubtedly having been greatly misled.

If the truth had not come to light today, I, Li Xianmu, would likely still bear the infamy of bewitching the emperor among the scholars of the world.

If it weren't for the exposure of such treacherous schemes, I, Li Xianmu, would likely be blocked on the main road by you indignant officials and scholars, unable to defend myself.

Those who are preoccupied with personal gain gain fame throughout the world, while those who serve their country and people are remembered with infamy for eternity. Isn't this the truth of the matter today?

The hall had fallen completely silent.

What Li Xianmu said may sound a bit alarmist, but it is also something that is very likely to happen.

Because there are too many people in the court who oppose moving the capital today, and a large number of people is a force. If it weren't in the court, but in the scholarly circles, Li Xianmu wouldn't be able to explain himself even if he had ten mouths.

If Li Xianmu wanted to break the deadlock of moving the capital, revealing it to the world today in the Golden Palace was the only viable option.

Unless he doesn't participate in the relocation of the capital!

Like most of the court officials, he pretended to be neutral, only opposing when it mattered most, "following the trend".

But Li Xianmu said from the beginning that he would carry on his father's legacy!

Zhu Di's gaze softened slightly. Li Xianmu was indeed a more trustworthy person compared to the current ministers, possessing a kind of courage that was willing to sacrifice himself for the great cause of the country and for the emperor.

"Xianmu is right!"

Zhu Di clapped his hands and said loudly, "Isn't this the truth of the matter?"

I have treated you all with sincerity. Since I ascended the throne in the first year of Yongle, I have never implicated you in major cases such as the Yuan History Case. However, some treacherous people have betrayed my trust and fed my sincere heart to the dogs.

It seems that I have been too kind in the past, and these villains have taken me for a weak and easily bullied person.

I want to tell you, you are wrong!
I ascended the throne amidst blood and fire, having killed more people and seen more blood than all of you combined. I possess the heart of a bodhisattva, yet also the ruthlessness of a thunderbolt!

With each word the emperor spoke, the faces of the officials in the hall grew paler. As they looked at the emperor, it seemed as if a vast sea of ​​blood was surging towards them, like the waters of the Canglang River or the ocean, threatening to engulf them all!

At this moment, everyone remembered a fact that had been gradually overlooked in recent years: the current emperor, though nominally inheriting the throne, is in fact creating it!
Among the second-generation emperors of all dynasties, this man's experience was second only to that of Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin!

"Ji Gang!"

The emperor finally uttered that terrifying name: Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
"Drag all these people down from the palace! As for the imperial prison interrogation, behead them, confiscate their property, and exile them!" The cold, stern voice shattered any remaining hope. Ji Gang, his embroidered spring knife at his waist, excitedly proclaimed, "Your subject obeys!"

As the Yongle reign entered its sixth year, a major case was about to unfold in his hands, and vivid blood would bloom in the capital, mingling with the flowers that bloomed in the warm spring!
Li Xianmu also silently closed his eyes. Although he did not want the Embroidered Uniform Guard to interfere too much in the affairs of the court, the Li family did not yet have the power to deal with the officials. It was inevitable that they would have to use the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he could only let it go for the time being.

But Li Xianmu also became wary. In the end, the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Li family, and he himself, were not on the same page and could not work together.

Ji Gang is a vicious and vindictive man, difficult to befriend, and may even become an adversary one day. We must now gather his weaknesses so that we can act swiftly and decisively when it is necessary for him to die!

One by one, the officials were taken away on the spot by the Imperial Guards who came to the palace. All the officials in the court were silent. One-sixth of the civil officials were taken away one after another. Almost everyone felt their scalp tingle, fearing that they would be the next to be taken away.

Huang Huai felt somewhat dazed. Many of the people on the list were from eastern Zhejiang, and it was he who had given the list to Li Xianmu.

now……

He was under immense psychological pressure, even feeling as if he were about to collapse, and a strong sense of self-blame arose within him. If he had been able to completely suppress the matter of moving the capital, he wouldn't be in this predicament today.

Many people turned their attention to Li Xianmu, who had just returned to the capital and had already accomplished such a major feat. Even the Yuan History Prison had not generated such a stir when Li Zhongwen was in power.

From this day forward, who in the world will not know Li Xianmu?!
He truly rose to power by stepping on the blood of countless scholars.

But they can't use this to blame him, because he was treading on nothing but black blood.

Look at the young officials in the court, including Li Shimian, who all look up to Li Xianmu. This incident not only did not damage his reputation in the slightest, but also won him the respect of many officials who were just starting out in their careers.

From this day forward, the more upright and ambitious young officials in this hall will surely gravitate towards him.

Because in the eyes of these upright scholars, his actions were the model set in the classics of sages.

Li Xianmu, however, always kept his father's teachings in mind—

"Meanness is the passport of the mean, and nobility is the epitaph of the noble.

Most officials in this world are corrupt and opportunistic, but among them there are always those who speak up for the people, those who are upright and serve the country, those who have a strong sense of righteousness, and those who are fearless and undaunted.

These people encountered setbacks everywhere in the officialdom, and even died violent deaths. In that gilded sky, the distorted reflections of the dead floated everywhere.

Gather these people, protect them, and lead them. This is what you will do in the future. This path is difficult, but it is the only way to save the country and its people!
If even the Li family, blessed by the gods, cannot do this, then the world is truly doomed.

He was young then and did not understand why his father was sometimes sad and pessimistic and sometimes full of strength. But when he took the real Li family from his father and stood in front of thousands of people, he finally understood.

This world is so bleak; noble people rarely survive, always sacrificing themselves for great causes and becoming shields for the despicable. Take Li Shimian, for example. If it weren't for me, he would have faced the emperor's wrath and become a victim of the proposal to move the capital. But he was truly a selfless person; he was just too foolish and was used by those with ulterior motives.

In that gilded sky, the distorted reflections of the dead floated everywhere.

What a beautiful yet poignant image!

Faced with the immense and overwhelming weight of human nature, who can contend with it?
Perhaps only the Li clan, blessed by the divine, with their power that transcends the mundane world, like the immortals who are touched by a celestial being in legends, can maintain their purity and thus resist the depravity of this world.

The Imperial Guards stopped their arrest.

The eunuch's eerie voice signaling the end of the court session echoed throughout the hall.

After the emperor said no more, she drifted away leisurely.

The tense atmosphere in the hall gradually dissipated, life returned, and a different kind of expression appeared on everyone's face.

Someone glanced at Li Xianmu and then hurriedly left.

Some people were sweating profusely and their legs felt weak.

Someone else walked up to Li Xianmu's side and sneered, "Cousin, you're really impressive today. I'm quite envious."

Li Xianmu bowed sincerely, saying, "Your Highness the Prince of Han is too kind. I must thank Your Highness for agreeing to the proposal to move the capital."

The King of Han's face immediately turned ugly. He snorted coldly and left with a flick of his sleeve.

Upon seeing this, Zhu Gaochi became even more curious. It seemed that his younger brother was not sincere either. What method did Li Xianmu use to make the Prince of Han speak in the hall?

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.

In ancient times, Gan Luo was appointed prime minister at the age of twelve, yet he was merely a figurehead. Li Wenzheng, at the age of fifteen, not yet twenty, boldly spoke at court, questioning the nine ministers—many of whom were older and more powerful—yet they remained silent, unable to utter a word. Truly, he possessed a talent beyond compare, a genius of unparalleled brilliance! —From *The Official History of Confucian Scholars*

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