The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 3: Moving People with Emotion, Living in My Home

At midnight, the bright moon shone brightly in the sky, illuminating the farmhouse courtyard.

The candlelight flickered in the study.

The Li family has not had a good time lately. Now that the major case in the capital has come to an end, it is the perfect time to write a letter to the emperor to plead for leniency.

and.

Li Qi glanced at Princess Lin'an's lower abdomen, a faint smile in his eyes. Princess Lin'an was already carrying his child, a double guarantee that he would surely be able to return to the capital this time.

"I humbly acknowledge that Your Majesty possesses divine virtue and wisdom, able to discern the past and present, to know what came before and after, to distinguish right from wrong, to differentiate between loyalty and treachery, and to have the wisdom of a sage ruler while harboring a heart full of compassion for your children..."

The guilty woman, along with her husband and son, sincerely prayed to Heaven to bless their father, the Emperor, and to grant the Ming Dynasty eternal prosperity.

Princess Lin'an recited the words on the paper again, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed softly.

If we only consider the ornate language, this article is nothing special, but it contains a deep and sincere filial piety.

“The ancients said that those who do not shed tears while reading ‘The Untamed’ are unfilial. I did not believe it before, but now that I have read this article by the Prince Consort, I realize that writing with emotion is the way of utmost sincerity.”

Seeing Princess Lin'an's tearful expression, Li Qi knew he had made the right move.

Zhu Yuanzhang was an almost invincible superman in terms of spirit and ability. In most matters, he viewed the world with a rational to the point of ruthlessness.

But in reality, he is a person of deep feelings and strong emotions.

Because of his childhood experiences, he had an almost obsessive affection for his own people, and in his heart, his own people were Empress Ma and his blood relatives.

This flaw became Li Qi's breakthrough point; he used emotion as a sword to stab Zhu Yuanzhang.

If Li could awaken Zhu Yuanzhang's paternal love, she would have taken one step out of the abyss.

"My father is a man of deep feelings and true character; only love can sustain our family."

It's impossible for a single letter to change everything, of course, but it would be a good start.

Li Qi's gaze was deep and unfathomable. The reasons for the current state of the Han State government were complex, with many political enemies playing a role in its downfall. However, the fundamental reason was the rift that had developed between Zhu Yuanzhang and Li Shanchang.

The Hu Weiyong case occurred in the thirteenth year of the Hongwu reign, but it wasn't until ten years later that Li Shanchang was suddenly accused of treason.

This is because the relationship between the emperor and his ministers was very good ten years ago, and Zhu Yuanzhang was unwilling to investigate further. However, ten years later, the emperor and his ministers became suspicious of each other, so Zhu Yuanzhang decided to investigate.

The emperor's thoughts were like leaves rustling in the wind, or cicadas chirping in the summer.

On the surface, it remains unknown to others, but in reality, those ministers who are always trying to understand the emperor's mind see it clearly.

The jackals keenly sensed the subtle change in the emperor's attitude, and swarmed forward, engulfing the Han State government.

Those people were able to take advantage of the emperor's changing attitudes, and so was Li Qi.

Since the Han state government had been destroyed, he was left with only one identity: the emperor's good son-in-law, a loyal minister of the Ming Dynasty, and a man who would help his father solve his problems.

The power struggle between the emperor and his ministers is not just a contest of political maneuvering. Now, Li Qi is using kinship as an arrow; let's see if the emperor will fall for it!

Princess Lin'an held the letter, tears streaming down her face, and choked out, "I must deliver this letter to my father as soon as possible. I miss him, and he must miss me too. Besides, I'm pregnant, and he will surely feel sorry for me."

Of the four family members, only three, including Li, were actually exiled. Princess Lin'an came here because she followed the custom of marrying into her husband's family. She was still a first-rank princess, and theoretically, no one would dare to stop her if she sent her maids out.

Most people are unaware of this matter and even believe that Princess Lin'an was implicated and lost favor.

After wiping away her tears, Princess Lin'an sobbed, "Tomorrow I will have Xiaohe take a message to the capital to find my sixth sister, and then have her send it to the palace to be presented to my father."

The sixth sister mentioned by Lin'an was the emperor's sixth daughter, Lin'an's biological sister, Princess Huaiqing.

This is why Li Qi said that Princess Lin'an was the key to breaking the deadlock. She had too many connections in the capital, and even in her current situation, she could easily deliver the letter to the emperor.

To have direct access to the Emperor's ears is itself an immense power!

……

Autumn of the twenty-third year of Hongwu.

As leaves turn yellow and fall in the capital, a sense of sorrow arises.

With the Huai'an Marquis's mansion, which had long since passed away, also being investigated and its property confiscated, the uproar surrounding the major case finally subsided.

Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard was still arresting Hu Weiyong's accomplices, this was no longer the main political issue. The emperor and his officials shifted their focus from the major case to the reshaping of the power structure.

Fengtian Temple.

Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty did not review the memorials, but instead read a letter repeatedly.

"We humbly beseech Your Majesty's divine power and virtue, your ability to discern the past and present, to know what came before and after, to distinguish right from wrong, to differentiate between loyalty and treachery, and to possess the wisdom of a sage ruler while harboring a heart full of compassion for your children... This sinful woman, along with her husband and son, sincerely pray to Heaven to bless Your Majesty and to grant the Ming Dynasty eternal prosperity."

After a long while, he gently wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye, then put away the letter sent by Princess Lin'an on the table, suppressed his normal human emotions, and said coldly, "What kind of sinful woman's words are these? Who told her to call herself that?"
We are the emperor, and our children are of imperial blood. If our husbands’ family commits a crime, how can our daughters be implicated?

Besides, there's my grandson...

Wang Jinghong.

The head eunuch, who had been silently serving Zhu Yuanzhang, deliberately ignored the emperor's slightly reddened eyes and quietly knelt down, saying, "This servant is here."

"Although Lin'an was exiled to Jiangpu, she was still a wife who followed her husband's lead. I only demoted Li Qi to a commoner, but I did not strip her of her princess title. All her rewards and annual salary must be sent to her on time."

Zhu Yuanzhang paused after speaking, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, and said as if casually, "Send someone to check if Li Qi is really confessing his sins and working hard every day, and whether he truly has any intention of repenting. Report back truthfully."

"According to the order."

The shrill sound lingered in the empty hall, carrying the eerie chill unique to the imperial palace.

……

The next day.

The autumn frost grows heavier in the early morning, hanging like white sails.

An uninvited group of guests arrived at Li Qi's family's courtyard early in the morning. Li Qi's family was awakened by the sound of galloping horses, and then heard a knock on the courtyard gate.

They hurriedly put on their clothes, and the yamen runners from Jiangpu County government rushed into the courtyard.

Li Qi and Princess Lin'an naturally knew that they had come so early on purpose, to make things difficult for Li Qi's family.

Princess Lin'an was so angry she laughed, but remembering what her husband Li Qi had said the night before, she restrained the urge to argue with these clerks.

"If Heaven intends to destroy someone, it first makes them mad. A mere magistrate of Jiangpu County dares to participate in a struggle of this level. Since he intends to snatch chestnuts from the fire, he should be prepared to die!"

This time, the Jiangpu County yamen runners were exceptionally thorough in their vandalism, especially after the Jiangpu County magistrate arrived, who arrogantly declared, "Search this place carefully, and don't let any suspicious things slip by."

The yamen runners of Jiangpu County smashed things even more vigorously, until the sound of galloping horses came from not far away.

Everyone in the courtyard turned their gazes in that direction.

Princess Lin'an immediately recognized it as a palace flag, and said with a smile, "Husband, someone from the palace has arrived."

Li Qi glanced at the courtyard and house, which looked like it had been robbed, and chuckled softly, "To be able to catch a thief red-handed, it seems that heaven is protecting the Li family."

The palace envoy arrived without an imperial decree, and according to her status, the princess could not come out to greet him. Li Qi walked outside the courtyard and saw a group of more than a dozen people surrounding a eunuch dressed in blue, who looked somewhat unfamiliar.

He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "This humble subject, Li Qi, pays his respects to the angel. May I ask your honorable name, angel?"

The Jiangpu County yamen runners who were vandalizing the place were stunned.

When Zhao Cheng, the magistrate of Jiangpu County, looked up, he saw the cold smile on Princess Lin'an's lips, as if she were looking at a dead man.

He broke out in a cold sweat almost instantly!

Why would someone from the palace come here?

Wasn't it said that after the treason case was exposed, his whole family was executed, and His Majesty despised him, so he was exiled to die here?
Eunuch Chen was naturally astute; he knew what had happened at a glance.

Zhao Cheng steeled himself and stepped forward to ask questions. Eunuch Chen ignored him and shouted in the courtyard, "I am here on His Majesty's orders. His Majesty said that the princess is merely following her husband's lead, and her title has not been stripped. His Majesty also said that the princess has the blood of the imperial family. How can the princess be punished for the crime committed by her husband's family? How dare you lowly servants act in such a way?"

Deathly silence!

Almost everyone knelt down instantly.

Eunuch Chen ignored him and instead bowed to Li Qi, saying, "Your Highness, please don't stand on ceremony. My family name is Chen. I have come on His Majesty's orders to deliver an oral message to Princess Lin'an. I wonder where Your Highness is now?"

"Please, Eunuch Chen, His Highness is in the hall."

After exchanging pleasantries, Li Qi welcomed everyone into the courtyard, saying, "The courtyard has been bullied by some scoundrels; I hope you won't take offense, sir."

Li Qi caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye that one of the Imperial Guards, who were tasked with monitoring his family outside the courtyard, was leaving in a hurry.

His eyes darkened; he knew this was a mission to deliver a message, but he didn't know whose house it was.

Zhao Cheng knelt in the courtyard, unsure whether to leave or stay.

At this moment, his face was ashen, and endless fear filled his flesh and blood. He trembled with fear, his bones and muscles ached, and even yellow soup dripped from his mouth.

This was a high-stakes gamble; a win would bring immense wealth and the chance to avenge past wrongs, but it now appears that a loss is inevitable.

After entering the hall and paying his respects, Eunuch Chen first surveyed the harsh and chaotic surroundings, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes, which he then noted down.

Then they bowed to Lin'an and said, "Your Highness, we are here on His Majesty's orders to deliver your annual salary and the customary Mid-Autumn Festival rewards."

His Majesty specifically instructed us to keep an eye out and see if Her Highness needs anything. He said that because you have the blood of the imperial family flowing through your veins, you cannot be neglected by ordinary people.

Li Qi frowned almost imperceptibly and looked around, trying to investigate whether the information in the letter was true.

wrong!

Li Qi became increasingly vigilant. Given Zhu Yuanzhang's personality, how could he possibly do such a thing openly and honestly? He must have been investigating in secret.

This is a two-pronged approach: openly probing to lower my guard, and then secretly investigating.

Such investigation and testing will inevitably take a long time.

However, this was expected, as the child in Princess Lin'an's womb was a solution.

Now that the matter of the Jiangpu County Magistrate has occurred, Princess Lin'an's life can no longer be guaranteed, and the Emperor has no choice but to recall them ahead of schedule.

Thinking of this, as he met Princess Lin'an's gaze, he glanced at the study out of the corner of his eye, and Lin'an immediately understood.

She raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears and said, "I do have something I hope you angels will tell my father when you return to the palace to report."

"Please follow me, everyone."

After saying that, she got up and went to the study. Eunuch Chen and his entourage had no choice but to follow. The courtyard was small, and they only walked a few steps.

It was called a study, but it was just a cramped woodshed with a window, and the wood smelled musty from being soaked in water.

Lin'an sighed and said, "When I was ordered to leave the capital, it was too hasty. I did not take any valuables with me, let alone the classics, histories, philosophical works, or the words of sages. My husband suddenly realized his mistake in Jiangpu and has a heart that yearns for the sages, but he is distressed because he has no books. These days he can only annotate the Great Learning word by word. If Father Emperor could bestow the way of the sages upon me, I would ask for nothing more."

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Chen's gaze fell on the two open books on the desk, which were being held down by the inkstone.

This is……

Books annotated by Li Qi?
"Is this what His Majesty wants?" Eunuch Chen's eyes lit up.

Li Qi and Princess Lin'an exchanged a glance.

Princess Lin'an felt relieved; her father was indeed very concerned about whether her husband was truly studying diligently and reforming himself.

Li Qi had anticipated this situation, after all, it was a result of his gradual manipulation of the situation.

From the day he used the Earth-rank item [Great Confucian Inheritance], Li Qi was determined to break out of his predicament through academic pursuits. So he devoted himself to reading and annotating every day, neglecting to eat or sleep, and doing nothing else.

This was naturally done for those monitoring him.

After using the [Great Confucian Heritage], he immediately gained a vast amount of Confucian knowledge. With the added wisdom of hundreds of years of descendants, he is now a grandmaster capable of establishing his own school.

But he doesn't want to fully reveal it yet.

On the one hand, they didn't want to attract too much attention, after all, it's unreasonable for a pampered son to suddenly become so learned.

On the other hand, he wanted to tell a story for the emperor and for the Ming Dynasty, and to establish a persona for himself.

A pampered son of a nobleman, whose family suffered a great upheaval and fell into ruin overnight, experienced profound enlightenment amidst life and death, rise and fall. He devoted himself to learning and studying the ways of sages, eventually achieving enlightenment in Jiangpu and becoming a sage-like figure in the Confucian school.

Li Qi couldn't even imagine how much prestige this character would bring to his family in the future.

For a person's vision to be fully developed and widely circulated, it needs to have a "complete trajectory of progress" and leave behind enough "interesting anecdotes".

Even if he cannot become an official and enter a career in government, he should still leave a deep enough mark on history.

Throughout my life, I, Li Qi, have never been inferior to anyone!

Although the study in the courtyard was cramped and simple, it was filled with traces of human activity. The inkstone on the desk and the porcelain cup next to it seemed to allow us to see glimpses of the past.

Eunuch Chen picked up the book filled with annotations. "Your Highness, may I take this book back to the palace to report to His Majesty?"

"Please do as you please, Father-in-law."

Then Princess Lin'an handed another letter to Eunuch Chen, and said in a mournful voice, "Eunuch Chen, you have seen my current situation. Only after leaving my father did I realize how many wolves and tigers, how many hardships and dangers there are outside. I am afraid that my life is not long. This is my last letter, which I present to my father. I hope you will present it to me."

Eunuch Chen trembled and quickly said, "Your Highness is too kind. This servant will return to the capital immediately to consult His Majesty and ensure that Your Highness is not in any danger."

Eunuch Chen was terrified. His gaze swept over Princess Lin'an's lower abdomen. If he came here and the pregnant princess died here, he would have no choice but to die with her.

He sent men to guard the small courtyard, and then personally rode off towards the capital, taking with him the book filled with annotations and Princess Lin'an's last letter.

The couple stood side by side watching Eunuch Chen leave.

Looking into the courtyard again, Zhao Cheng, the magistrate of Jiangpu County, and all the county yamen runners of Jiangpu were all hanging their heads in fear.

Zhao Cheng's smile was more like a grimace than a cry, but he still forced himself to step forward and said, "Your Highness, Prince Consort, I have offended you in the past. I hope you will be magnanimous and not hold it against me."

Li Qi raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Why is Magistrate Zhao so deferential at first and then so obsequious? Doesn't that make one laugh?"

A strong will to survive kept Zhao Cheng smiling obsequiously. "I was blind to your greatness before, but now I know your true name. I hope you will not blame me, Your Highness."

But at this point, things were beyond Li Qi's or anyone else's control. Li Qi calmly said, "Does Magistrate Zhao still remember what I once said? One day, you'll regret it."

Zhao Cheng collapsed to the ground in despair, overwhelmed by endless regret.

People were kneeling in the courtyard, and Imperial Guards were kneeling outside. Everyone was pale-faced, trembling with fear, and sweating profusely.

The autumn wind swirled willow leaves onto the book pages, pressing down on a line of text—

The deceased have no treasures, but benevolent relatives are treasures.

Exiles have nothing to treasure except their beloved family members.

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.

By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decreed:

Your father, Li Shanchang, betrayed your benefactor and plotted rebellion, a crime deserving of no pardon. However, considering that Lin'an is the bloodline of the imperial family, I cannot bear to implicate him. Therefore, I have exiled you to Jiangpu to observe your future conduct.

Having recently read the letter from Lin'an, I was deeply moved by your sorrowful and earnest words. I also observed your commentary on the Great Learning, which clearly demonstrates your profound understanding of the meaning of "treating benevolence and kinship as treasures," revealing your sincere repentance.

In the past, the Duke of Zhou executed Guan and Cai but spared Kang Shu, thus limiting their crimes to themselves and not disqualifying their successors. Now that you have purified your heart and turned to learning, how could I begrudge you a path to rebirth?
I hereby order you to return to the capital with your family. However, you must remember the following: First, you must not interfere in court affairs; second, you must not associate with meritorious officials; and third, you must devote yourself to learning and not neglect your studies.

So be it! —Imperial Edict Ordering Commoner Li Qi to Return to the Capital

(End of this chapter)