The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 116 Strange Movements of the Southerners
Kong Chenglin said that the Duke Yansheng was lawless in Qufu, and the laws of the country and the way of heaven had disappeared. There was no distinction between right and wrong, black and white.

Zhu Gaochi sighed and said, "The memorial stated that the Duke of Yansheng sold the official positions granted by the court with a price tag and made a considerable profit."

Li Xianmu listened quietly. The Duke Yansheng's mansion was the real aristocratic family, with many privileges.

The Confucius Temple was not just for the Duke Yansheng, but for a series of officials, ranging from the lowest rank of the ninth grade to the highest rank of the third grade.

With a population of up to thirty, the structure of this Confucius Temple, in terms of sheer numbers, rivals that of the Imperial Clan Court of the royal family.

These officials of the Confucius Temple, following the instructions of the imperial court, selected virtuous gentlemen from among the descendants of Confucius. The Duke of Yansheng reported this to the imperial court, which then approved it.

But in reality, it was just a formality; even during Zhu Yuanzhang's reign, the Duke Yansheng's report was never rejected.

Zhu Gaochi was no fool; after a moment's thought, he knew that the magistrate of Qufu was probably not lying about this matter.

Seeing that Li Xianmu did not comment, Zhu Gaochi continued to talk about the matters reported in the memorial, of which the buying and selling of official titles was only one of them.

The most egregious act was disregarding the imperial decrees, imposing arbitrary labor and servitude on anyone in Qufu County, even forcing respectable young men into slavery, causing widespread resentment among every household. With tens of thousands of people under his control, he continued to oppress the people every year, which was truly inhuman.

Zhu Gaochi sighed in the end, "Kong Chenglin said in his memorial that if there was even the slightest falsehood, he would be willing to be punished in return!"

This statement carries considerable weight; it signifies a complete willingness to fight to the death with the Duke of Yansheng.

Upon hearing this, Li Xianmu simply asked Zhu Gaochi in a low voice, "Does Your Highness think that even if all of this were true, the court would change its national policy of honoring Confucius?"

Zhu Gaochi immediately replied decisively, "Of course not!"

The status of Confucianism and Confucius, through the worship and reinforcement of successive dynasties, has long been deeply rooted and unshakable. This is one of the legitimate reasons why the court could gain the loyalty of Confucian scholars throughout the country.

If Confucius's position is shaken, what will become of the Confucian disciples?

What will become of the ethical principles and social norms built upon Confucianism?
Even if what the Duke Yansheng did is true, it will not change the court's national policy of respecting Confucianism and Confucius, nor will it change the system of the Duke Yansheng. In other words, nothing will change.

After Zhu Gaochi finished speaking, he immediately realized what was happening and, recalling the emperor's expression, understood.

"When Father Emperor entrusted this matter to Zheng Ci again, I advised Chen Ying, and Father Emperor agreed. Mingda, are you going to leave the palace for Dali Temple now?"

Li Xianmu nodded. This matter was of utmost importance, and he needed to go to the Dali Temple to discuss it with Chen Ying before he could feel at ease.

Before leaving, Zhu Gaochi suddenly asked, "Mingda, what do you think will happen to the Duke Yansheng in the end?"

After a moment of silence, Li Xianmu asked seriously, "What the princes did back then was a hundred times worse than what the Duke of Yansheng did. How did the late Emperor and Your Majesty deal with it?"
Why must Your Highness ask about this matter?

Ultimately, it only leads to a lack of clarity in one's own thoughts.

Zhu Gaochi froze on the spot at these words, then smiled bitterly. Yes, the princes had gone even further than the Duke of Yansheng, yet they were only given a minor punishment as a warning.

He repeatedly caused trouble in his fiefdom, which led to Zhu Di demoting him to a commoner.

The Duke Yansheng's position was even more secure than that of the other princes. If the other princes were still safe, how could the Duke Yansheng be in trouble?

“Mingda’s words are always incisive, leaving me speechless.”

"It's simply because His Highness the Crown Prince is a gentleman."

After saying this, Li Xianmu bid farewell to Zhu Gaochi and left the palace for the Dali Temple.

……

"Kong Gongjian is Confucius's only direct descendant. Since the court has bound him to the ethical principles and the Confucian school, he cannot afford to fail in this matter, and his position cannot be shaken. All methods of handling this matter must be within this framework to achieve the desired outcome!"

Inside the Dali Temple, Li Xianmu spoke in a deep voice to Chen Ying, sharing his views.

After a moment of silence, Chen Ying slowly said, "I thought you, Xianmu, would be like your father and not like the Duke Yansheng's family. I didn't expect you to be so protective of them."

"Uncle Chen, you misunderstand. I also do not like the Duke Yansheng's family. But since there is nothing more I can do, I don't need to think about it and cause myself trouble."

Li Xianmu rarely revealed a hint of sinister malice, "Just as my late father wanted to punish the princes, but he couldn't, so he could only ignore them."

The Duke Yansheng's mansion seems unshakeable, at least for now, so it must be allowed to exist. After all, my father's spirit tablet is enshrined alongside Confucius in the Confucian Temple.

The Li family is the real stakeholder, since among the sages who are enshrined in the Temple of Confucius today, only Li Qi has direct descendants.

Currently, within the Confucian Temple system, only the Kong family and the Li family have truly benefited, gaining at least 20 points of family prestige. As for the Duke Yansheng's mansion?

Li Xianmu had never forgotten the time his father said to him with a smirk but unusual seriousness, "One day, the descendants of the Li family will surely overthrow the Confucius Temple, rescue Confucius, and stop a bunch of parasites and leeches from sucking the blood of a saint."

Father's will is the direction Li Xianmu is heading, and the direction the Li family is heading. One day, the Li family will take care of the Duke Yansheng's mansion!
After a wry smile, Chen Ying asked again, "His Majesty has entrusted this matter to Zheng Ci and me. What do you think we should do?"

"We can only protect the Duke Yansheng, and we must find a reasonable reason. If I were to do it, I would say that the magistrate of Qufu only came forward to impeach his superior after being impeached himself, and such an accusation is invalid according to the laws of the Ming Dynasty."

As for whether the Duke Yansheng actually committed such an act, it's likely he did. His Majesty can only issue an edict reprimanding him, just as the other princes were punished according to the law.

When discussing his opinion on how to deal with the Duke Yansheng, Li Xianmu also felt somewhat aggrieved and helpless. In this vast Ming Dynasty, the only people who could evoke such feelings in him were the royal princes and the Duke Yansheng's mansion.

Having spent over twenty years immersed in the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, Chen Ying quickly found the relevant law of the Ming Dynasty. A relaxed expression appeared on his face. "I didn't expect you, Xianmu, to be so proficient in the law of the Ming Dynasty. You were able to find the flaw and deal with this matter so quickly. You are truly a genius."

After the emperor's instructions were completed, Chen Ying asked again, "However, Xianmu, I do know your temperament quite well."

It's not worth making such a big fuss over Jinghe's place in the Confucian Temple, let alone taking the initiative to cover up for the Confucian school.

Surely there are other, more important matters at play?

Li Xianmu nodded slightly and smiled, "Uncle Chen is right. There are indeed other more important details involved."

I suspect that the Southern School of Confucius is behind this case of mutual accusations among the Confucian disciples, and behind the Southern School of Confucius…”

Upon hearing this, Chen Ying's expression gradually turned serious. "Are you saying that there are Southern literati involved behind this?"

The story of the Southern School of Confucius is a long one.

At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, when the Jurchens were about to conquer Qufu, Kong Duanyou, the 48th generation Duke Yansheng, was unwilling to fall into the hands of the barbarians. So he followed Emperor Gaozong of Song south and re-established the Kong family in Quzhou, Zhejiang.

From then on, there were two branches of the Yansheng Duke family, one in the north and one in the south. According to orthodoxy, the southern branch was the main direct line.

After the Yuan Dynasty, Kublai Khan originally wanted to send the Southern Zong back to Qufu to serve as the Duke Yansheng, but at this time the matter of relinquishing the title occurred, so the title of Duke Yansheng continued to be held by the Northern Zong.

Thus, Bei Zong served as the Duke Yansheng for the subsequent Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

The Northern School became increasingly prominent, while the Southern School faded into obscurity, even falling into ruin during the Ming Dynasty, to the point that even the family temple could not be repaired.

Li Xianmu said in a deep voice: "I remember that two years ago, in the fourth year of Yongle, Minister of Rites Hu passed through Quzhou and instructed Xiao Xiantuo, the assistant prefect, to build the Southern Clan Ancestral Temple. However, because the title of nobility had not been restored and the sacrificial land was still subject to government taxes, he was unable to repair it himself, and it has been damaged year by year in the past two years."

Chen Ying's eyes flickered slightly, and Li Xianmu's voice echoed softly, "Back then, the Southern Sect relinquished the position of Duke Yansheng because the Northern Sect had rendered meritorious service in guarding the tombs. However, a hundred years have passed, and the two sides are in such different situations. Doesn't the Southern Sect regret it?"

They are all descendants of Confucius, and the Southern School is even the true main lineage. Are the Southern School really composed entirely of sages detached from worldly affairs, who don't want a share of the Confucian sacrifices?

Li Xianmu's voice was like a seductive serpent demon in the darkness.

Chen Ying sighed, “How could I not think about it? Although scholars and officials are ashamed to talk about profit, it is impossible to move an inch in this world without money.”

Moreover, the inability to even repair the ancestral temple is an utter disgrace, making it unbearable for them to remain in this world.

Li Xianmu said leisurely, "Zhejiang is the second richest place in the world after Southern Zhili. The great families of Zhejiang can easily improve the lives of the Southern Branch of the Kong family by just a little bit of their wealth. They can even afford to repair their ancestral temple and make the Southern Branch's reputation even more renowned."

Chen Ying continued, "Therefore, it is perfectly reasonable for them to join forces with the Southern literati to attack the Northern School of Confucius, and then attack the entire Northern scholar class, making the Northern scholar class lose face."

The two had spoken so frankly that their guess was probably pretty accurate.

"To verify this speculation, we'll have to wait and see what public opinion will follow."

Li Xianmu said thoughtfully, "After you, Uncle Chen, report this matter, His Majesty will probably not issue an edict directly, but will instead have the ministers and the cabinet discuss it again."

This discussion will not be simple. If only I could attend the meeting, I could face all the high-ranking officials and see who was in charge of this matter.

Was it only Zhejiang, or did scholars from all over southern China participate?

At this point, Li Xianmu felt somewhat helpless. His status and official position were too low, making it impossible for him to participate in these important national affairs.

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Ying said seriously, "You may be able to attend the meeting, but you will need His Highness the Crown Prince's help."

If His Majesty were to learn of today's speculation, he would surely agree to your participation in the discussion, or at least allow you to attend as an observer.

(End of this chapter)