The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 115 The Beginning of the Conspiracy
Since the decree to move the capital was issued, all government offices in the capital have been busy, and the people of the capital are also quite anxious.

The imperial court sent emissaries several times to inform the people that Nanjing was also one of the capital cities, and that the government offices of the Five Ministries, Six Departments, various temples, and the Censorate were still located in Nanjing. Only then was this trend barely suppressed.

The common people aren't stupid. Fengyang is still Zhongdu, but who in the world cares?

What's the point of keeping all the government offices in Nanjing if the emperor isn't here anymore!

Just like during the Tang Dynasty, the status of Luoyang, the eastern capital, was elevated because Emperor Gaozong Li Zhi and Empress Wu Zetian spent most of the year in Luoyang.

The following day, shortly after Li Xianmu entered the Eastern Palace, he saw Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi return with a frown.

"Your Highness, what has happened in the palace?"

This highlights the disadvantage of Li Xianmu's insufficient official rank; he was unaware of what was happening in the palace.

Having the title of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet would save a lot of trouble and allow for more relaxed arrangements.

Zhu Gaochi sighed, "It's not a big deal, but it's very troublesome. Duke Yansheng Kong Gongjian has come to the capital to impeach Kong Chenglin, the magistrate of Qufu, for five major crimes."

Li Xianmu was immediately startled. "Your Highness, how can something that involves the Duke of Yansheng be a trivial matter?"

After the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, the status of the Duke Yansheng was significantly elevated through the bestowal of this title by Zhu Yuanzhang.

He was a first-rank civil official, ranking first among civil officials, and his residence, the Duke Yansheng Mansion, was a mansion no less prestigious than a prince's mansion.

Zhu Gaochi suddenly realized that the Li family was a prominent Confucian clan, and Li Qi was a sage who was honored in the Confucian Temple, which was why Li Xianmu paid more attention to this matter.

"The whole story is like this..."

Let's go back to an hour earlier.

When the Duke Yansheng came to the capital to pay homage to the emperor, Zhu Di received the Duke Yansheng, Kong Gongjian, in the Huagai Hall.

Zhu Di asked very politely, "There have been no mistakes in the sacrifices to Confucius in Qufu, have there?"

This was a routine inquiry. No one in the world dared to cause trouble in Qufu. Anyone who did would be taught a lesson by the imperial court.

But no one expected that the Duke of Yansheng would bow deeply to the ground and angrily accuse, "Your Majesty, I wish to impeach Kong Chenglin, the magistrate of Qufu, for five major crimes."

Upon seeing this, Zhu Di, who had been relatively relaxed, immediately sat up straight, looking somewhat dazed. Even the Crown Prince, the Prince of Han, and a group of cabinet ministers who were serving him were mostly stunned for a moment before instantly becoming alert.

It should be noted that Qufu Magistrate Kong Chenglin was an elder of Kong Gongjian's grandfather's generation. What exactly happened that made the Duke Yansheng personally come to the emperor to impeach him?

This is not an easy matter.

Zhu Di frowned instantly and said coldly, "Duke Yansheng, what crime do you intend to accuse the magistrate of Qufu of?"

Kong Gongjian listed them off one by one as if they were his own treasures: "Kong Chenglin has five major crimes."

Firstly, Kong Chenglin embezzled tens of thousands of coins and grain by taking advantage of the Qufu tax revenue.

Secondly, Kong Chenglin violated the imperial court's regulations by appointing his cronies and henchmen to official positions in Qufu.

Third, Kong Chenglin's forced buying and selling of official property led to the loss of official assets.

Fourth, Kong Chenglin ordered officials to forge contracts and seize the government land in the west of the city for his own use, establishing a manor.

Fifth, Kong Chenglin used unused materials for the construction of the mausoleum and roads.

As for his other gambling addiction, keeping prostitutes, acting tyrannically, and bullying men and women, I will not go into further detail.

Kong Chenglin, in collusion with the Shandong Provincial Governor, has committed countless evils in Qufu over the years. Driven by greed, he has disregarded the law and formed cliques of wickedness; he is truly the most heinous villain in the land. Your Majesty, I implore you to dismiss him from his post and restore justice to Qufu.

These crimes would have been enough to warrant execution ten or eight times over for anyone else, but since he was Kong Gongjian's elder, he only asked the emperor to dismiss him from his post. Besides, he was a member of the Kong family, and killing him would not look good.

After Kong Gongjian finished speaking, Zhu Di's face turned extremely ugly. Confucius was not only a person who lived more than two thousand years ago, but more importantly, he was a memorial tablet, a tool of the Ming Empire's rule, and a necessity for ideological propaganda.

So Zhu Yuanzhang was disgusted by the Confucius family so many times, but in the end he still reluctantly granted them the title of Duke Yansheng, and greatly improved their political status.

Within this ruling order, the imperial court revered the descendants of saints, who, with their extraordinary qualities and moral standards, served as excellent role models and exemplars for the entire world, thus strengthening the ideology of the Ming Dynasty.

But now there are scoundrels among the Confucian school, and bad people have appeared among the descendants of the sage. How can we still show respect for the sage? Instead, it has a negative effect.

Zhu Di forcibly suppressed his anger and ordered his men, "Order Zheng Ci, the Minister of Justice, to investigate this matter."

The fact that the emperor directly dispatched one of the Nine Ministers demonstrated the importance the emperor attached to this matter. The Duke of Yansheng was also very satisfied and happily left the palace, preparing to return to Qufu to see the unfortunate magistrate of Qufu.

After recounting the whole story, Zhu Gaochi, the Crown Prince's general, sighed and said, "It is truly lamentable that a descendant of a sage could be so morally corrupt."

After he finished speaking, he saw Li Xianmu frown deeply, and he was immediately startled. He knew that Li Xianmu was always resourceful, so was there something he didn't know?

"Mingda, is there something wrong with this?"

Li Xianmu smoothed his furrowed brows, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "This is just a guess at the moment. I wonder if Your Highness the Crown Prince would allow me to participate in this case? If not, could you involve Minister Chen of the Court of Judicial Review?"

Zhu Gaochi was even more surprised. Although the matter of the Duke of Yansheng's mansion was important, it was still just the impeachment of a mere county magistrate, not a major military or national affair. The fact that the Minister of Justice was already taking it seriously, and then the Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review was added, it was practically a joint trial by the three judicial departments. "Mingda, is it really necessary for the Duke of Yansheng's mansion to make such a fuss?"

Li Xianmu said softly, "If it's just limited to this, then it won't come to that. But if the magistrate of Qufu also files a counter-suit against the Duke Yansheng later, then it will come to that."

A countersuit against the Duke Yansheng?!

"Surely not. Would the magistrate of Qufu really dare to do such a thing? To disregard the reputation of the Confucian school?"

Zhu Gaochi felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing these words. Right now, it was just the Duke of Yansheng impeaching the magistrate of Qufu, but if Kong Chenglin filed a counter-accusation, it would be a mutual attack between members of the Kong family. If the trial was not handled properly, it would make the whole world laugh at them.

The Confucian school has become a laughing stock; how can the imperial court expect to benefit from this?

The emperor would be the one to lose face!
Not only the emperor, but also the scholars are disgraced. After all, in the official propaganda of the court, the descendants of sages are moral exemplars, and all scholars are devoted to them. But this incident is a shock to the common people. Li Xianmu shook his head and said, "I can only hope that it is not so. If it is, then this matter is not simple."

He didn't say the second half of his sentence, which could very well be a counterattack against Li Xianmu and the Northerners.

Zhu Gaochi was quite worried after Li Xianmu's words, but since he didn't know what would happen next, he could only put it aside for the time being.

Then they asked about Li Xianmu's visit to the Eastern Palace that day, because although Li Xianmu had responsibilities in the Eastern Palace, he was not required to go to the Eastern Palace to perform his duties every day.

Li Xianmu cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, the relocation of the capital is in full swing. His Majesty has led a group of people to Beijing first, while Your Highness will be left to guard Nanjing."

After the capital is moved, Your Majesty will begin the northern expedition against the Mongol tribes, and the Crown Prince will undoubtedly remain in charge of the country the following day.

A few days ago, Your Majesty hinted to me that you might take me to the front lines during the northern expedition. Therefore, after some time, I will leave the capital and will no longer be able to stay by the Crown Prince's side.

Therefore, there is something I need to remind the Crown Prince.

Your Highness, please inform all your close officials that the Crown Prince is the regent and cannot overstep the Emperor's authority. They must not fail to show the proper respect to the Emperor; otherwise, if someone with ulterior motives speaks ill of them before the Emperor, their lives and fortunes will be out of their own hands.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaochi immediately tensed up, realizing that Li Xianmu was hinting at his struggle for the throne, and that the person with ulterior motives was naturally the Prince of Han, who would inevitably target those around him.

"Mingda, I have learned a lot."

After hesitating for a moment, Li Xianmu said, "Scholar Xie is a good friend of my father and has taken good care of me. He is quite talented, especially in governing the country with his literary skills, but he is quite naive in politics and does not reflect on his own shortcomings."

In the past, with my late father's guidance, I was able to remain at ease. However, only three years after his death, I lost the emperor's favor. I spoke to him about this some time ago, but how can one easily change one's nature?
If things go wrong, Your Highness, please demote him to a remote post, so that he cannot return to the capital for more than ten years. This would be a way to protect him.

My elder brother, Wang Gen, possesses unparalleled talent, worthy of being a prime minister, yet he is also quite straightforward. He has been deeply indebted to my late father, and thus is willing to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to the study of Neo-Confucianism. Currently, he is largely ostracized within the cabinet. If Your Highness the Crown Prince were to extend kindness to him, or even save him from dire straits, he would gladly go through fire and water for Your Highness without hesitation!

Zhu Gaochi understood. Li Xianmu was leaving the capital, but he was worried about Xie Jin and Wang Gen. Wang Gen was more talented and could be used by the Crown Prince. Xie Jin could send him away.

Zhu Gaochi hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "If I can lend a hand, I certainly will."

He often had little say in the matter.

Just like when Zhu Yuanzhang was handling a major case, Zhu Biao didn't want to kill so many people, but he couldn't stop him at all.

The crown prince of the Ming Dynasty had no power.

After saying this, Li Xianmu prepared to leave the East Palace, but then paused. "Your Highness must take care of your health. This is a protracted battle, and it may not be decided for ten years. You may even fall into a disadvantageous position. But as long as you persevere, you will see the rainbow after the storm."

His Highness has already taken the first step on this path.

Zhu Gaochi nodded slightly; he understood.

Although the position of crown prince is a target, why do princes keep trying to get it? Because it is indeed the natural and legitimate heir to the throne.

Especially given Zhu Di's impending northern expedition, to put it bluntly, if Zhu Di were to suddenly die abroad, Zhu Gaochi would have a perfectly legitimate reason to ascend the throne.

As Li Xianmu walked out of the East Palace, he pondered the matter of relocating the capital. His Li family would naturally have to move as well. His eldest and second eldest brothers both held official positions, so it didn't matter. His only concern was for his mother, Princess Lin'an.

Compared to Yingtian, Beijing's climate was too dry and the winters too cold. Just as Zhu Di liked Beijing, he was worried that his mother would not be able to adapt to Beijing. If she suffered from health problems due to the change in environment, it would be a great loss.

On the one hand, he was thinking about what Zhu Gaochi had just said about the Duke of Yansheng's lawsuit, and he was preparing to pay attention to it to see if it was really as he guessed.

"If my guess is correct, then this will be a difficult situation."

Li Xianmu frowned deeply. "The accusations made by the Duke of Yansheng are likely to be true, but the Duke of Yansheng himself is certainly not clean."

We need to send someone to Quzhou as soon as possible to secure our backup plan, in order to avoid being caught off guard.

After a moment's hesitation, Li Xianmu went to Wang Gen's residence, as he needed to discuss this matter with Wang Gen.

This is not just a major event concerning Confucianism.

It also concerns the reputation of scholars from both the North and the South.

……

Only three days after the Duke Yansheng arrived in the capital, Zhu Gaochi was quite eager to have him summoned to the Eastern Palace. As soon as Li Xianmu entered the Eastern Palace, Zhu Gaochi’s first words were, “Kong Chenglin, the magistrate of Qufu, has indeed filed a counter-accusation against the Duke Yansheng!”
Li Xianmu's gaze sharpened slightly; this matter was no simple affair. "Your Highness, please tell me in detail what happened in the palace."

Things are not complicated.

Zhu Di entrusted this matter to Zheng Ci. Since it involved the Duke of Yansheng, Zheng Ci dared not neglect it. He selected capable generals and was about to go to Qufu to investigate when the magistrate of Qufu had already submitted his memorial.

So, Zheng Ci was summoned to the palace again in a daze to deal with the matter.

In his memorial to the throne, Qufu Magistrate Kong Chenglin also accused the Duke of Yansheng of five major crimes. His accusations were even more shameless and filthy than the Duke of Yansheng's accusations against Kong Chenglin, and were filled with poignant and tearful words.

"Emperor Taizu Gao revered the sages and established the Duke Yansheng Mansion, intending to set an example for the world. However, Kong Gongjian was morally corrupt and was truly unfit for such a great responsibility."

The magistrate of Qufu was a hereditary position held by the Confucius family. He was always appointed and guaranteed by the Duke Yansheng and had the power of life and death. Therefore, the Duke Yansheng always treated the magistrate of Qufu with condescension and order, and the magistrates of Qufu throughout the ages flattered and obeyed him.

The so-called magistrate of Qufu was nothing more than a watchdog for the Duke Yansheng.

However, I believe that although I was recommended by the Duke of Yansheng, I am still an official appointed by the Emperor. Whether it is the Duke of Yansheng or myself, all the grace and explanations come from Your Majesty, so we cannot show favoritism or tolerate the perversion of the law.

Over the years, I have never flattered Kong Gongjian in matters such as marriage and land ownership among the people of Qufu. However, I never expected that I would become a thorn in his side and a thorn in his flesh. He hates me to the bone and even went to the capital to frame me in front of the emperor.

After returning to Qufu, Kong Gongjian spread rumors among his relatives and followers that I would soon be going to the capital to be punished. I have no choice but to argue my case and expose Kong Gongjian's five major crimes to Your Majesty!
So that Your Majesty may be fully aware of this person's wickedness, treachery, and wickedness, I have already reported this charge to the Shandong Provincial Judicial Commissioner, but he fears that this involves the Duke of Yansheng's residence and has thus refrained from reporting it!

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.

The "Confucian Dispute Case" that erupted in the sixth year of the Yongle reign was originally just an inevitable consequence of the Duke Yansheng system. Neither the Ming emperor, nobles, officials, nor the Duke Yansheng's mansion truly took it to heart. But at that moment, no one realized that the revered position was not reserved solely for the Confucian family; the wheels of fate had begun to turn, and the Duke Yansheng's thousand-year-old wealth and power were beginning to crumble. — *China: The Ming Dynasty*

(End of this chapter)