The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 25 The Crown Prince
The funeral of Crown Prince Zhu Biao was extremely grand.

As members of the royal family, Princess Lin'an and Li Qi participated in the entire process, quietly following the Ministry of Rites officials step by step to complete the procedures.

He saw the Crown Prince's officials, who looked as if they had lost their parents.

I saw that Chang Sheng, the once spirited founding duke, was now filled with sorrow.

I saw that the nobles of Huaixi were anxious and impatient.

They saw the eagerness in the eyes of the high-ranking members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Finally, he saw the aging emperor, his heart breaking, yet a cold, bloodthirsty glint appeared in his eyes.

The setting sun shone on the emperor, making him appear as if he were draped in a blood-stained robe.

Everyone is pondering: His Majesty is old and frail, what direction is the Ming Dynasty headed, and who will be the future crown prince?

With the eldest son gone, it should have been the second son's turn, but Prince Zhu Shuang of Qin was cruel and tyrannical, hardly befitting a ruler.
The King of Jin was no less cruel than the King of Qin.

Among the legitimate sons of the late Empress Xiaoci, only Prince Yan, Zhu Di, was somewhat normal. But with the elder brother alive and the younger brother established, wouldn't that render the Ming dynasty's order meaningless? The blood of former Minister of Personnel Zhan Hui and former Minister of Rites Li Yuanming is still fresh in the West Market!

This undercurrent made the sky over the capital city seem more somber, and most people in the city became much more low-key.

In particular, the great Confucian scholars of Jiangnan who had always been at odds with Li Qi all gave up their efforts and stopped trying to attack Li Qi. Instead, they focused their energy on recommending the grandson of the emperor, Zhu Yunwen.

Before Li Qi emerged, the great Confucian scholar of Jiangnan was backed by Crown Prince Zhu Biao.

The three famous fools of the Jianwen Emperor—Qi Tai, Huang Zicheng, and Fang Xiaoru, who was sent away by Zhu Yuanzhang—were all part of the civil service team that Zhu Yuanzhang prepared for Zhu Biao.

At this moment, they probably came to their senses that Li Qi's backer was the emperor, and also the brother-in-law of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, which meant he was a close relative.

However, the grandson of the emperor was not familiar with Li Qi, and the grandson Zhu Yunwen was close to scholars, which was a great opportunity.

Princess Lin'an's Residence.

Li Qi sat upright in his study, contemplating the future. Now he was somewhat glad that he hadn't played his trump card.

Zhu Biao's death signifies a complete reshuffling of the current political forces.

An unprecedented political storm will, like the most violent tornado, destroy everything in the Ming Dynasty's political arena.

"Zhu Yunwen is beyond redemption, and the Prince of Qin is cruel. Zhu Yunwen has not yet revealed that he is a fool, so making Zhu Yunwen the heir is almost the only option."

Lan Yu, arrogant and unruly, belonging to the Huaixi nobility and part of the Crown Prince's faction, had nowhere to escape and could only await his execution.

"There are still six years left in the Hongwu period. During these six years, there is only one major event, which is to pave the way for Zhu Yunwen to ascend the throne."

Li Qi unconsciously rubbed his fingers together. "Although I am not in a high position now, I have prestige among scholars. In addition, my status as a relative of the emperor makes me an important pillar in balancing the court. The emperor will most likely summon me to the palace."

How should I express my attitude?

During the Hongwu and Yongle reigns of the Ming Dynasty, the sons-in-law of the emperor held considerable political power. Mei Yin, the son-in-law of Princess Ningguo, the eldest daughter of Zhu Yuanzhang, even became one of the regents appointed by Zhu Yuanzhang to Zhu Yunwen.

Li Qi was mentally simulating the problems he might encounter when Princess Lin'an hurriedly entered from the outer room and said urgently, "My lord, a messenger from the palace has brought news that Father Emperor has summoned you to the palace, saying that there is something to discuss."

"So fast?"

Even though Li Qi had anticipated this, he still found it unbelievable. Princess Lin'an was also very nervous, wondering what major event it was.

Li Qi said in a low voice, "I suspect that Father has already decided to establish an heir apparent. The people who may be chosen as heir apparent have no connection with me."

Therefore, she summoned her husband to the palace to ask for his opinion. Princess Lin'an trembled upon hearing this, gripping Li Qi's hand tightly. "My lord, this is not something we can get involved in."

Li Qi already had a general plan in mind. He patted Princess Lin'an's hand and said, "Don't worry, I understand the outcome. You stay home and take good care of Mu'er. After this, I will probably devote myself to the literary world and pay less attention to state affairs."

After saying this, Li Qi left the princess's residence and followed the palace envoy into the palace.

In the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yuanzhang's usually expressionless face showed obvious signs of aging and decline. Li Qi dared not look at him for long, and after greeting him, he knelt on the ground to listen to the imperial instructions.

"Li Qi, do you know why we summoned you to the palace?"

"Your Majesty, I am unaware of this matter. Please enlighten me."

"Your reputation among scholars has soared. We have some doubts about the world and would like to ask you, a great scholar of our time, to answer them."

Upon hearing this, Li Qi felt a cold sweat instantly soak through his body. He immediately said with tears in his eyes, "Your Majesty's praise is too much for me to bear."

According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, Li's family should have been exterminated, but my father spared our family out of kinship and did not hold the criminals accountable. He even granted them official positions, which is an immense favor.

"Your Majesty, I owe all my modest reputation today entirely to your grace, so that I may not become a lonely ghost in the Yellow Springs, but instead be famous in this world."

The atmosphere in the hall lightened somewhat after Li Qi's words.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a long time, and Li Qi dared not raise his head. After a long while, the emperor sighed and said, "The sage once said, 'Pride goes before a fall, and humility brings benefit.' These are truly golden words of wisdom."

If your father, Li Shanchang, had possessed your current insight, the relationship between the emperor and his ministers would not have deteriorated to this point.

We've thought about it for a long time and still don't understand why your father, knowing that Hu Weiyong was causing trouble, didn't report it to us.

You are his son, you must know what he's thinking. Can you tell me why?

Upon hearing this, Li Qi broke out in a cold sweat again.

Since his transmigration, he had been wondering why Li Shanchang knew about it but didn't report it.

After all, given the relationship between Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong, they must have noticed something.

Ultimately, the most reasonable explanation is that Li Shanchang was dissatisfied with Zhu Yuanzhang and did it on purpose.

There were many unjust cases during the Hongwu reign, such as the Empty Seal Case. However, when Zhu Yuanzhang killed Hu Weiyong, Li Shanchang, and Lan Yu, it was at most a matter of not showing any leniency towards them. It was not truly a case of wronging these three people. Those who were implicated and had their homes confiscated were the ones who suffered the most.

"Hu Weiyong is cunning and treacherous by nature, and has the ability to deceive others. Father is old and senile, and is far less wise and decisive than Your Majesty. Your son is constantly reminded of this, and I urge Your Majesty to make a wise decision."

"You don't need to cover for him. We've known him for decades. He's just petty and power-hungry. We removed him from his position as prime minister, and he's unhappy with us now!"

Li Qi felt that if he continued talking like this, he would bring up the emperor's hatred, which would be really bad. Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang stopped talking on his own.

"We summoned you to the palace because we have important matters to discuss with you. You are the son-in-law of the emperor in Lin'an, a powerful relative of the dynasty, and possess extraordinary talent. You are destined to be a pillar of the Ming Dynasty in the future."

We'd like to ask you, to whom do you think the future of the Ming Dynasty should be handed over?

"what?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's words were so direct that even Li Qi, who was prepared, was stunned and didn't know how to respond.

The next moment he came to his senses, immediately kowtowed, and said tremblingly, "The imperial dynasty and the state have their own systems in place, why should a subject speak presumptuously?"

(End of this chapter)