The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 31 Achieving the Supreme Position
Only after stepping out of Fengtian Hall and feeling a chill in his back from the cool breeze did Li Qi finally breathe a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had survived a calamity.

"Fortunately, I am the son-in-law of the emperor in Lin'an."

Zhu Yuanzhang in his old age was truly terrifying.

If it weren't for Princess Lin'an, Li Qi would never have risked doing this; it was truly too difficult for someone of a different surname to survive in the Hongwu era.

Li Qi strode quickly towards the palace gates.

"Fortunately, with Lin'an and Mu'er around, as long as I don't get involved in military power or associate with nobles, at most I just won't get promoted, but my life won't be in danger."

Li Xianmu's intelligence and talent had not yet been revealed among the ordinary people in the capital, but it had already spread throughout the imperial family circle.

Zhu Yuanzhang especially loved this grandson, and would often have Princess Lin'an bring him to the palace to enjoy his grandson's company. The precocious Li Xianmu knew how to please Zhu Yuanzhang, and the relationship between the grandfather and grandson was quite good.

As for the grudges between elders, it would probably be best for Li Xianmu to pretend that nothing happened. After all, he was different from Li Qi; he had half of Zhu Yuanzhang's blood in his veins.

After leaving the palace and getting into the carriage, Li Qi lifted the curtain and glanced once more at the imposing and heavy palace gate tower, which resembled a giant beast lying in wait.

"This is the heart of the world. Although it is fraught with danger, it is also full of opportunities. It can transform people from insects into dragons and make them soar into the sky."

As Zhu Yuanzhang said, his reputation will surely soar as he brings such great benefits to the scholars of the world.

Unlike in history, the uproar in the capital in the 26th year of Hongwu's reign was not ignited by the Lan Yu case, but by the outflow of the "provincial quota" policy.

First, a rumor circulated from the Ministry of Rites that the Imperial Son-in-Law, Li Qi, had advised His Majesty the Emperor a month earlier, proposing that, given the different circumstances of the southern and northern provinces of the Ming Dynasty, students from the north and south should take the imperial examinations separately, be admitted according to a fixed ratio, and then be ranked together after the admission quota was determined.

His Majesty the Emperor thought this was reasonable, and since there was a separate list, it would be better to allocate the number of candidates directly by province. So he convened a meeting of his senior officials and, after several discussions, decided to implement this throughout the country, and it was carried out in the provincial examination in the twenty-seventh year of Hongwu's reign.

Li Qi will always remember the scene from that day.

The biting cold of winter was gone, replaced by the warmth of spring in the wind. Purple Mountain was lush and green, and the banks of the Qinhuai River were filled with the fragrance of cosmetics. He was preparing to take Princess Lin'an and his son to enjoy the spring scenery outside the city.

Then, on Zhuque Avenue, they encountered a surging and furious group of Jiangnan students. Judging from their extreme anger, they seemed ready to fight.

"I am here, how dare you be so insolent!"

The noble and imposing Princess Lin'an was quite different from her usual gentle self, displaying a demeanor reminiscent of her father. Upon seeing Princess Lin'an, the scholars who had intended to approach her immediately dared not go forward.

Princess Lin'an, however, did not give up easily. She shouted sternly, "You do not bow to me, the princess. Do you look down on the imperial family and harbor ulterior motives?"

Looking at the majestic Princess Lin'an, Li Qi secretly admired her, thinking to himself, "She truly lives up to her reputation as Zhu Yuanzhang's eldest daughter. She has such a demeanor. I underestimated her before."

With this heavy label pinned on them, the scholars could only bow with their noses in apprehension.

The critical situation was brought under control by Princess Lin'an with just a few words. Then another group of scholars from the north rushed over and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Li Qi was alright.

"Li Qi, how can you sit here and hide behind women and children after offering slanderous advice? If you have the guts, come out and confront us!"

Li Qi stepped out of the carriage with a leisurely air, gestured for Princess Lin'an to return to the carriage, and then said sternly to the students of Jiangnan: "You keep saying that I am offering slanderous advice. Do you think that His Majesty and the Nine Ministers and high-ranking officials are incapable of distinguishing right from wrong, and allow my so-called slanderous advice to run rampant throughout the world?"

One sentence left everyone speechless.

"Even if it is not slander, the way of the civil service examination is based on impartiality. The capable should rise and the weak should fall, so that the court can obtain talents and the Ming Dynasty can obtain good ministers. According to your proposal, the strong are born in the south but cannot advance, while the weak are born in the north but can enter the government. Where is the fairness?"

"That's right, who doesn't know that the academic atmosphere in the three provinces of Jiangnan is so thriving that it surpasses all others in the world? Even those who follow us can become the top scholars in this impoverished region!"

"How can such a thing be allowed when selecting talent for the country?"

The people of Beijing also had many complaints about this, after all, they were all from Zhili, and this policy would undoubtedly make it more difficult for their descendants to pursue official careers. Li Qi smiled coldly upon hearing this.

“Fairness? Since you all talk about fairness, I, the Prince Consort, will speak about fairness today and tell the story of the grievances and suffering of the Northerners.”

Li Qi said with emotion: "Since ancient times, the nine provinces of China have often suffered from the raids of nomadic tribes in the north, such as the Xiongnu of the Qin and Han dynasties, the Five Barbarians of the Jin dynasty, the Turks of the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Liao and Jin dynasties of the Song dynasty, and the Mongols of the Ming dynasty."

If the northern border can be defended, the world will be at peace; if the northern border cannot be defended, people will be displaced and wild beasts will run rampant. In such a situation, how can one study?

He merely wields a sword and seeks the holy path amidst hardship and adversity.

Without the natural barrier of the Yangtze River, without the arduous journey of northerners, how could you southerners peacefully read the classics and sleep soundly?
Do you think you could still have the knowledge you have today if you were placed in the northern lands?
What difference is there between your actions and those of those spoiled brats who are born into wealthy families, who do not appreciate the hard-won wealth of their children, but instead sneer at the poor and destitute?
"Today you all dare to talk to me about fairness? It's utterly laughable!"

On the Vermilion Bird Avenue, the faces of the scholars from the three provinces of Jiangnan were flushed red. Being called a spoiled brat made them feel extremely ashamed.

Meanwhile, the students from the north were already teary-eyed, almost bowing to Li Qi.

"Do you think you can just talk about the division between North and South? Do you have to wait until the Five Barbarian Tribes trample the Yellow River, Fu Jian's army approaches the Fei River, the Northern Dynasties threaten the Yangtze River, the Jurchens march south to capture the emperor, Zhao Gou is searched by Jin Wuzhu, and the Song Dynasty is destroyed at Yai Shan before you will wake up?"
It is not the northerners who emerged from a sea of ​​blood who have ruined the nation, but rather scholars like you who lack a sense of the bigger picture, are preoccupied with petty gains, and are unaware of the weight of the nation's burdens and the responsibility to serve all corners of the country!

"I, the Prince Consort, have one last thing to say. Although the imperial examination is important, it is only the threshold to becoming an official. In a hundred years of life, embarking on an official career is just the beginning. You have always been arrogant, thinking that you are far superior to the northerners. But if the northerners have the opportunity to enter officialdom, are they really inferior to you?"

I don't think so, let's wait and see!

That's all I have to say. If anyone still disagrees, they can go to the capital instead of resorting to such thuggish tactics as blocking the street.

Like a jealous woman ranting in the street, completely devoid of the integrity of a scholar!

After saying this, he went straight back to the carriage without saying another word. The driver drove the carriage away slowly, and students from both the north and south made way for him.

The streets remained quiet, still reeling from Li Qi's scathing rebuke.

"Lord Jinghe is of noble character!"

Li Qi heard a loud voice suddenly come from behind him.

"Please accept my bow!"

Princess Lin'an lifted the carriage curtain and looked back.

She saw a group of northern students kneel down like a tide and bow in the direction of the carriage.

Li Xianmu's eyes widened in surprise as he exclaimed, "Father, they are all worshipping you!"

Li Qi nodded slightly and patted Li Xianmu's head.

The disciples have achieved great success. Personal reputation +10, current personal reputation 87, family reputation +5, current reputation 5.

Achievement points +200, current achievement points 550.

The breeze that brushed my face grew even more gentle, and the tinkling sound echoed in my mind.

Li Qi smiled brightly.

After today, your position of honor will be fully realized!
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.

Li Zixing lived in the world, commanding respect through righteousness, winning people over with his acts of kindness, rejecting evil with impartiality, and moving hearts with compassion. Therefore, even those scholars who disagreed with him had no grounds for rebuttal, only grumbling, "His sincerity seems feigned, but his words are very skillful," which made him a laughingstock. —From *The True Story of the Confucian Scholars*

(End of this chapter)