The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 49 A Famous King of the State
At the end of March in the first year of the Jianwen reign, Li Qi was released from confinement. His original duties were not revoked, so he naturally returned to the court.

In the Fengtian Hall, Zhu Yunwen was eloquent and full of vigor, while Qi Tai and the other two were riding high, dressed in red and purple. The Prince of Yan was feigning madness in Beiping, which to some extent dispelled Emperor Jianwen's suspicions.

At the imperial council meeting, the second round of measures to reduce the power of the princes was formally proposed, and Li Qi sat quietly in a corner.

Qi Tai frowned slightly as he looked at Li Qi, who was participating in the Imperial Conference as a Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall. He secretly regretted that he had forgotten to dismiss Li Qi. Wouldn't it be bad if the news leaked out?
It was only at this moment that Zhu Yunwen remembered that Li Qi was still a Grand Secretary, and he also knew that Li Qi had an imperial edict left by his grandfather to restrain Qi Tai and others.

Therefore, seeing that Li Qi no longer objected to the arrest of the Prince of Dai, the Prince of Qi, and the Prince of Min, the matter was left unresolved.

However, Li Qi could not possibly remain completely silent. The entire process of the imperial meeting would be recorded. Although he did not know whether it would be passed down to future generations, Li Qi would not gamble on it.

Moreover, he aspires to be a saint.

Therefore, he always strictly regulated himself according to the requirements of a sage, including every word and deed that would appear in history books.

The reason for not speaking up for the three kings is simply that they are not worth speaking up for. How can a saint as noble as the clouds in the sky keep speaking up for villains whose hands are stained with blood?
Moreover, King Zhou reformed himself after being exiled, while Kings Qi, Min, and Dai remained unchanged. In Li Qi's mind, this made a big difference.

……

Zhu Yunwen's mission to capture the four princes went very smoothly. Faced with a righteous court, these princes actually had no ability to resist.

Not to mention the King of Qi, the King of Min, and the King of Dai, even the nine great border kings were nothing more than a decree!

Zhu Yunwen's attempt to reduce the power of the princes in history resulted in him losing his own throne; he was utterly incompetent!
The emperor successively stripped four princes of their titles, his fame resounding throughout the land.

These four kings were all lawless individuals. Although the other kings were shocked, honest men like the King of Xiang and the King of Shu did not take it seriously.

Throughout this process, Li Qi remained silent, which made Zhu Yunwen increasingly satisfied.

When they set their sights on Prince Zhu Bai of Xiang, Li Qi, who had remained silent all along, finally spoke up after a long silence.

"Your Majesty, I disagree with the decision to punish the Prince of Xiang. Since the court intends to reduce the power of the princes, those previously punished were princes who had committed many illegal acts since the Hongwu era. Princes with a clean reputation should not only not be punished, but should be rewarded to set an example for the people and to prove that the court's reduction of the power of the princes is for the greater good and to seek the well-being of the people."

Li Qi looked expressionlessly at the assembled officials and the emperor, and said softly, "It is my duty to offer advice to Your Majesty. This is just a humble suggestion from your subject. Whether it is adopted or not is entirely up to Your Majesty's discretion. I bow again."

After saying that, he retreated back behind the crowd again, as if the scene from just now had never happened.

Li Qi's calm demeanor made Fang Xiaoru and the others feel somewhat uneasy. They had expected Li Qi to continue his angry outburst, and they had originally planned to kick him out completely this time.

It seems that the previous confinement made Li Qi realize that this was no longer the Hongwu era!
"The purpose of the discussion before the Emperor is to allow all the ministers to speak freely. Although Minister Li's words just now represent only one perspective, I will not listen to or believe them blindly. I will consider them carefully."

Li Qi's eyes were filled with confusion. Even though he had traveled through time and was now standing in the imperial conference, he still did not understand why Emperor Jianwen wanted to reduce the Prince of Xiang's power.

Is it really because the two were of similar age, and Prince Xiang was better than Zhu Yunwen in every way since childhood, so Zhu Yuanzhang favored Prince Xiang more, which made Zhu Yunwen jealous?

He doesn't understand.

Does an emperor not even have this much tolerance for others?

Ultimately, after a meeting, the court officials decided to send troops to hide weapons in carts filled with timber, disguise them as a caravan, enter Jingzhou City, and then bring the Prince of Xiang back to the capital to be punished.

Li Qi remained expressionless, but inwardly he was speechless. The emperor, the legitimate central court, was resorting to such underhanded tactics to punish a vassal king.

Is it so difficult to send an envoy to a vassal king's fiefdom in a dignified manner, clearly stating that someone in the court is impeaching him and demanding that the vassal king come to the capital to present his case and defend himself?
This magnificent Fengtian Hall lacks any grandeur; instead, it resembles a petty, unscrupulous merchant, which is disappointing.

Zhu Yunwen!

You have not the slightest bit of the bearing of a ruler.
Fang Xiaoru!

How dare you claim to be the foremost Confucian scholar alongside me, Li Qi, and even use your influence in Jiangnan and the power of the emperor to suppress me and obstruct my path to sainthood?
……

"A bright moon is born at sea, and the world is here."

In the Xiang Prince's Mansion in Jingzhou, under a bright moon and sparse stars, Prince Zhu Bai of Xiang raised his cup to the moon and sang aloud, reciting the famous lines of Zhang Jiuling of the Tang Dynasty, who missed his family when he was demoted to Jingzhou.

He was very handsome, and Princess Wu was by his side. They were a perfect couple. Although they had no children, they had a very good relationship.

"Father, I miss you."

Zhu Bai downed another cup of wine. Princess Wu, the wife of the Prince of Xiang, felt very sorry for him and could only comfort him again, saying, "The late Emperor has been gone for a long time. Your Highness, please don't grieve too much and harm your health."

Zhu Bai had been indulging in the arts of nature and Taoism for many years. After Zhu Yuanzhang fell ill, he was unable to visit him, and after his death, as his son, he was unable to attend the funeral. He was so saddened that he wanted to follow him in death several times.

Madam Wu secretly shed tears of sorrow. She and Zhu Bai had two daughters, both of whom died young. Later, Zhu Bai never had a child. The entire Prince's mansion was without a child. If they had had children, the situation would certainly be better than it is now.

"We are but mayflies in the vastness of the universe, a grain of millet in the boundless ocean. I lament the brevity of my life, and envy the endless flow of the Yangtze River."

Zhu Bai was probably a bit drunk. He held Wu's hand and sang loudly in the mansion. Then, his joy turned to sorrow and he wept, saying, "Your Highness, why is it that my pursuit of the Dao always yields no results? When will I be able to shed this mortal body and achieve the Dao of the Heavenly Spirit?"

Zhu Bai was fond of mountains, rivers, and Taoism, and inscribed poems on Wudang Mountain many times.

Wu gently embraced him and said tenderly, "Your Highness, shall I accompany you to Wudang tomorrow? It's late tonight, and the dew is heavy. Let's go back to our room to rest."

As she spoke, she helped Zhu Bai to the backyard.

The day after tomorrow will be the fifteenth. The bright moon will hang high in the sky, like a silver plate being draped, as if draping the couple in a robe of rosy moonlight.

The Prince of Xiang and his wife were naturally unaware that the army, disguised as a merchant caravan, was already on its way and approaching Jingzhou City. They would enter the palace the next day, and the Prince of Xiang's mansion would be destroyed in an instant.

The surging river and the towering mountains never stop for anyone, let alone the bright moon and stars in the sky.

The night watchman's drum sounded.

The night watchman's drum sounded.

As dawn broke in the east, the sky turned a pale white, and golden rays of light fell, illuminating the royal palace in the early morning.

Its daybreak.

(End of this chapter)