The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 50 A Heroic Farewell to Death
The dark, imposing imperial army surrounded the Prince's residence just in time, catching everyone off guard.

The warm sun shone on the gleaming weapons and crossbows, then turned towards the Prince's mansion. When the reflected light fell on the streets and alleys, the scholars and common people of the entire Jingzhou city were stunned into silence.

Can't believe it!

incredible!

Even though Emperor Zhu Yunwen had already shaken the world by stripping four princes of their titles and made everyone see the ruthless methods of this new emperor, no one could have imagined that one day the Prince of Xiang's mansion would be surrounded by the imperial army.

The Prince of Xiang was nearly thirty years old. He had no children, no soldiers, no relatives or friends, and had never broken the law. He spent his days reading, writing, and cultivating Taoism.

Perhaps only Qin Er Shi (Hu Hai), that fool who even killed a princess, would have stripped such a vassal king of his power.

But reality is right before our eyes: the imperial army has surrounded the Prince's mansion, and weapons powerful enough to breach the city walls are aimed at it. Judging from the situation, the mansion could be breached at any moment. Li Jinglong is going to take the Prince of Xiang back to the capital to be punished!
The Prince of Xiang's mansion was in complete chaos. Everyone in the mansion was clueless as to how such a terrible disaster had befallen the Prince's family.

Inside the main hall, the Prince of Xiang held the imperial edict handed in from outside, his hands trembling with anger.

"Privately printing paper money?"

He suddenly burst into laughter, but his voice was filled with sorrow, "My good nephew, is he unwilling to even use a decent reason to frame me?"

How can the people's hearts be appeased by the crime of privately printing precious paper?
This is a blatant insult to me!

Everyone in the Ming Dynasty knew that paper money was worthless, and whether privately printed paper money could even be worth its cost was another matter entirely!
Princess Wu looked at Prince Xiang's demeanor, her face ashen. She had been married to Prince Xiang for over a decade, and she knew all too well how fiercely he was humiliated by the court. He would never admit his guilt so easily.

as predicted.

Zhu Bai smiled sadly and said, "Throughout history, ministers who encountered tyrannical rulers all died to prove their loyalty. Those who did not wish to die were humiliated by prison guards and thugs. I am a descendant of Emperor Gaozu, a noble of the imperial family. I may die, but I will never allow my body and blood to be dishonored!"

Wu, also weeping, held Zhu Bai's hand and said, "When we were newlyweds, we made a promise: 'You shall be the rock, and I shall be the reed. The reed is as resilient as silk, and the rock will never move.'"

Today, calamity befalls us; if you wish to go to the Yellow Springs, I will follow you. We will meet again in the Yellow Springs, and there will be no more words of farewell!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Bai was already in tears. "My wife, I have wronged you. If there is an afterlife, I wish that you will not be born into the royal family, but will find peace and happiness."

Wu nestled into Zhu Bai's arms, her voice choked with sobs, yet each word was spoken with unwavering resolve, like molten iron: "If there is an afterlife, I will still marry you, take your hand, and journey with you through mountains and seas, facing life and death, fortune and misfortune together."

Zhu Bai personally set the magnificent palace ablaze, laughing loudly. His voice held no joy, but rather a hint of exhilaration.

"Xilulu!"

A white horse leaped into the courtyard and knelt before Zhu Bai. Tears streamed from its large, intelligent eyes, and the horse neighed incessantly, as if pleading with Zhu Bai to ride it away.

Upon closer inspection, the palace was ablaze with fire, the wooden buildings and the hanging prayer flags burning fiercely.

"You should leave quickly!"

Zhu Bai patted the white horse's head, his voice filled with reluctance, "Go find a new master."

The white horse, however, was quite intelligent and refused to leave. Zhu Bai squatted down and said tearfully, "Are you also willing to die with me?"
What a fine horse!
"I once thought you could accompany me across the battlefield, but it's a pity that you have such a thousand-mile ability. Then accompany me on this last journey." After saying this, he mounted his horse and reached out his hand to the queen. After the couple mounted their horses, the white horse straightened its body, raised its head high, and looked proudly at the surging flames.

"boom!"

The gates of the Prince's mansion were blasted open. When the army outside saw the mansion on fire, Li Jinglong panicked. He was only ordered to capture the Prince of Xiang and had no grudge against him. He never intended to force the Prince of Xiang to his death.

As soon as he rushed in, Li Jinglong roared with bloodshot eyes, "Prince Xiang! No!"

Prince Xiang, Zhu Bai, with his arm around his princess and a bow in his other hand, saw Li Jinglong and his soldiers rush in and immediately shouted in a sorrowful and angry voice, "Li Jinglong, go back and tell the emperor that I am innocent and will never admit to any crime!"
The emperor, in order to weaken the power of the princes, deliberately framed me. I have no way to defend myself, nor do I wish to argue further. To be humiliated by your hands has satisfied him. I will now go to the Yellow Springs to meet Emperor Gao and Emperor Xiaokang and plead my case to them!

Having said that, he spurred the white horse, which, quite intelligently, charged straight toward the already crumbling fire and leaped high over the towering flames.

Looking at the Xiang Prince, who was determined to die a heroic death, Li Jinglong felt his legs go weak, a chill ran through his heart, and his vision went black. "It's over, it's all over now."

Prince Zhu Bai of Xiang turned to look at everyone, his deep voice echoing from the fire, striking a chord in everyone's hearts: "No one can falsely accuse me! Even if he is the emperor!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire main hall collapsed in the fire, extinguishing the last glimmer of life. Li Jinglong staggered back two steps, feeling a little breathless.

How did things get to this point?
He doesn't understand.

He spread his hands, somewhat fearful, for his hands were stained with the blood of the Prince of Xiang!

If he becomes prominent because of this, will history record the saying "The Prince of Xiang sheds blood, and Jinglong becomes noble"?

If this were the blood of the Prince of Dai or the Prince of Qi, he could at least find some solace in it. But this was the Prince of Xiang, a wise and virtuous prince who had never made a mistake!

But what does this have to do with me? I'm just following the emperor's orders.

"Duke, what should we do?"

Li Jinglong snapped out of his reverie, stared at the raging fire before him, gritted his teeth, and said sternly, "What else can we do? Return to the capital and report to His Majesty."

By the way, let's pass this matter on to Fang Xiaoru and his group. These civil officials are the worst; they'll definitely be able to handle it properly. Besides, they were the ones who came up with the idea in the first place, so there's no reason for me to take the blame.

Probably no one could have imagined that a small spark, ignited in Jingzhou, would soon pierce the sky and transform into a prairie fire in Beiping that was powerful enough to overthrow the Jianwen Emperor's regime!

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.

During the Jianwen era, the Prince of Xiang was falsely accused of counterfeiting paper money. Enraged, he and his queen parted with a bitter farewell, sprinkling their tears on the ground, which became wet, followed by blood. Dressed in their finest clothes, they burned his palace and his concubines, then mounted a horse, took a bow, and leaped into the flames to their deaths. The entire palace followed suit. —From the Epitaph of the Prince of Xiang

……

During the Jianwen reign, the princes were frequently deposed. The princes of Zhou, Min, Dai, and Qi were all deposed and reduced to commoners. The Prince of Xiang was also implicated. None of the court officials dared to speak out. Only Qi argued in court and pleaded for the princes of Zhou and Xiang. Jianwen did not listen and instead reprimanded him.

When the Prince of Xiang died, the people mourned him. A song was composed: "A foot of cloth can still be sewn; a peck of millet can still be pounded, but the bloodline of Emperor Gaozu cannot be tolerated." Another song went: "Emperor Gaozu left twelve ministers, only Li Qi remained loyal to the state." — *The Official History of the Confucian Scholars*

(End of this chapter)