The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 74 The Ming Dynasty Wants to Move Its Capital

Li Qi bypassed the Fengtian Hall, which was under reconstruction, and followed Hong Bao, the Grand Eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department, into the Huagai Hall.

The emperor was reviewing memorials in the hall, which were scattered all over the table and the floor. Xie Jin and the other attendants and scholars looked helpless. When Li Qi entered, they all took their leave from the emperor.

As Xie Jin passed by Li Qi, he whispered, "I wonder why His Majesty is angry. Jinghe, be careful."

Li Qi could roughly guess the reason for Zhu Di's displeasure.

Recently, the retrial of Hu Weiyong's case has caused a great uproar in the capital. There are voices of opposition from both the court and the public. The reasons are also quite good. The Hu-Lan Party case was handled by the late emperor himself, who even wrote the "Record of Traitorous Party Members". If he is wronged, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the late emperor's virtue?
Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was aimed at Liu Bang; these people's target was Li Qi. They didn't know that Li Qi's life was nearing its end, and they were worried that Li Qi would rise to power and become a high-ranking official. Therefore, they did not want Li Qi to be able to escape his criminal record.

Most people probably thought that this was the reason that displeased the emperor, but Li Qi felt that this was only the superficial reason.

The real reason might be that the actions of the court officials stirred up Zhu Di's inner unease, but the exact reason remains to be seen.

Upon seeing Li Qi enter, Zhu Di immediately threw the memorials at him, saying, "Jinghe, take a look at these memorials opposing the retrial of Hu Weiyong's case. I really want to arrest and behead all of these people. They are so blatantly forming factions."

Li Qi opened the memorial and saw that it was indeed in the style of a typical Ming Dynasty civil official, showing signs of the factional struggles that would follow in later generations. Upon hearing the emperor's last words, he immediately understood and realized that the emperor was indeed feeling uneasy. He closed the memorial, pondered for a moment, and smiled, "Your Majesty has already grasped the essence of a wise ruler. If killing people could solve the problem, then such things would have disappeared long ago after the Hongwu reign."

He then weighed the memorial in his hand, placed it back on the emperor's desk, and said:
"Your Majesty is a wise and talented ruler. As soon as you ascended the throne, you realized the imbalance in the court. However, Your Majesty also knows that there are many good ministers from the south, such as Xie Jin, Yang Rong, Yang Shiqi and others. Therefore, you feel that you are in a difficult position."

In fact, the same thing happened when my father was alive. This was a difficult choice, and it wasn't just troubling Your Majesty.

Zhu Di came from Beiping and became emperor in Yingtian Prefecture, but after only ten months, he already felt deeply uncomfortable. He could clearly feel that the source of this discomfort was a void of control!

It's like walking on cotton, not knowing what it means to have your feet on solid ground.

Although he was the emperor, he did not feel a real sense of rule in Yingtian. This was not his familiar territory, and even if he replaced everyone inside and outside the city, he still felt uneasy.

"Jinghe understands me."

Zhu Di sighed, “My ministers who were once in my princely residence are good at wielding swords and spears, but they are not capable of governing the country. There are not many capable northerners in the court, but there are indeed many good ministers in the south.”

But with so many southerners, things like clearing your family's name have become obstructive, with some even flexing their muscles before the emperor—truly despicable!

Upon hearing this, Li Qi was completely certain of his suspicions: Zhu Di's unease had been triggered by the joint petition from the Fang faction.

Zhu Di was an extremely suspicious emperor. Since ascending the throne, he had witnessed the power of the Jiangnan literati in the court and had become extremely suspicious. Just then, the Fang faction jointly submitted a petition to resist the exoneration. This was the first major thing he had done since taking office, and it was met with opposition.

These coincidences led Zhu Di to believe that this was not directed at Li Qi, but rather a show of force against him, the emperor!

If Zhu Di were the emperor in history who ascended the throne through mass killings and whose power base was unstable, he would certainly have unleashed a reign of terror in response to this incident to deter those who dared to harm him.

Zhu Di, who now holds the throne legitimately, is anxious but still able to control himself. Li Qi naturally cannot allow Zhu Di to return to the evil path of rampant killing.

"Those who offer advice are mostly just trying to make things difficult for their fellow ministers. They are all from the Zhejiang region. They have matters to attend to regarding the Yuan Dynasty, which are not difficult to handle. As for the matters that Your Majesty is worried about, there are also ways to resolve them."

Upon hearing about the Yuan Dynasty history, Zhu Di knew that the matter of the Fang faction was indeed not difficult to resolve, and no one knew that Li Qi had this trump card in his hand.

"Jinghe, you are truly a leader among men of our time. You have a solution to this dilemma faced by the southerners. Tell me quickly."

Zhu Di stood up from his throne and walked to Li Qi's side, carrying two prayer mats. He tossed one to Li Qi and casually said, "Sit down and talk slowly."

Li Qi understood Zhu Di's personality, so he sat down without any ceremony. "Actually, this method was something Father Emperor thought of when he was still alive: moving the capital!"

Zhu Di's bottom had barely touched the prayer mat when he heard the words "relocate the capital." He immediately jumped up, then slowly sat back down. But his mind was completely filled with the magical power of the words "relocate the capital," and he was oblivious to the world around him.

“Jinghe, this matter of relocating the capital is of utmost importance. The world is currently exhausted, and the people are dying out…”

Despite his overwhelming desire to move the capital, Zhu Di knew that this was a truly momentous event for the nation, and a single misstep could shake the very foundations of the country.

Li Qi knew that Zhu Di was already tempted, but he was just holding back his emotions. However, given Zhu Di's current anxious state, he definitely wouldn't be able to hold back for long.

Li Qi said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty is a famous general of this era, and you naturally know that the Northern Expeditions in the past failed because the Jiangdong gentry were unwilling to send people, money and effort to their homeland. Therefore, the separatist forces that held Jiangdong were always good at defending their territory but not good at advancing. The difficulties of the Ming Dynasty are also similar."

Throughout history, the capital of any dynasty has always been a place where the entire nation's resources were devoted to it. This was true of Chang'an and Luoyang during the Han and Tang dynasties, and Kaifeng during the Song dynasty. This was because the capital of the imperial family needed to be grand and prosperous to have the presence to command respect from all nations.
However, the capital of the Ming Dynasty was in Yingtian, which is in the Jiangnan region. It was already the most economically prosperous and culturally vibrant area in the entire Ming Dynasty, and now the entire nation's resources had to be devoted to supporting it.

The Jiangnan region is the most noble, wealthy, and culturally prosperous place in the Ming Dynasty. How could such a place, home to a sage, not develop a magnificent momentum?
But beneath this magnificent momentum lies the eternal future of the Ming Dynasty!

Therefore, moving the capital is a long-term plan for the Ming Dynasty. If Your Majesty wants to suppress Jiangnan but is unwilling to target the good officials of Jiangnan, then this is a good plan.

That would necessitate moving the capital north; this would be a way to maintain control without oppressing the people, and the only solution that satisfies both sides!

Zhu Di frowned, then slowly relaxed, muttering to himself, "To suppress power, not people?"

He is very clever. Just now, Li Qi talked about the situation in Jiangnan, and he probably understood the meaning of "using power to suppress people".

"Jinghe, do you mean that if we move the capital to the north, a city that can rival Yingtian will emerge in the north, and thus influence the entire situation of the Ming Dynasty?"

At that time, the concept of "big cities siphoning off" other cities did not yet exist, so Zhu Di's understanding was already quite good.

"That's not all, Your Majesty."

"The prosperity of Jiangnan began at the end of the Tang Dynasty. Even after several wars, as long as the country was at peace, it would quickly become rich. This is an irreversible trend."

The capital is of paramount importance. If things go wrong, wouldn't it be perfectly justifiable for the people of Jiangnan to defend their territory? And wouldn't it also be perfectly justifiable to abandon the surrounding lands?
Once the capital is moved to the north, such as to Beiping Prefecture, the place where Your Majesty rose to power.

Zhu Di's eyes lit up instantly, his heartstrings tugged by Li Qi's words. Li Qi was obviously doing it on purpose, and continued, "Then the power has shifted to Your Majesty's hands. Building the capital, defending the capital, and protecting Your Majesty's safety are the most important matters of the dynasty."

At this point, the taxes levied on these wealthy areas in Jiangnan had a completely different purpose. They had to pay money, but this money did not go to Jiangnan. Instead, it was used to subsidize the North, so His Majesty could build schools, train troops, and repair bridges and roads in the North. The people who actually benefited from this were all from the North.

As the tides rose and the south grew, the northerners naturally became weaker. Moreover, from then on, southerners had to travel thousands of miles to the north to become officials.

Once the capital is in the north, no one can use the pretext of defending the capital to deliberately favor the south.

Loyal ministers and treacherous ministers will then step forward on their own.

If his suggestions and advice do not emphasize the distinction between North and South, it shows that he values ​​the world and can be given important responsibilities. However, if his opinions are biased towards the Southerners, it shows that he is very treacherous.

In this way, the power of Jiangnan is suppressed without deliberately persecuting its people. The two-stage selection process allows both the use of their influence and the acquisition of the right individuals—truly a superior strategy!

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di was dumbfounded. He had already deeply experienced Li Qi's abilities from the matter of questioning him in the palace, but today's events had once again refreshed his understanding of Li Qi. How could there be someone in this world who was so knowledgeable and seemed to have endless wisdom in his mind?

"Jinghe's abilities are truly unparalleled throughout history. Even the wisest ministers of the past and present could not match him. He was so intelligent that he was almost supernatural. It is a pity that heaven is jealous of talent. Indeed, great wisdom is bound to bring misfortune. The ancient sages were right!"

Zhu Di was somewhat saddened. How could such a useful minister not live long?

If Li Qi knew what Zhu Di was thinking, he would probably think to himself: If he really lived a long time, you wouldn't feel at ease.

Emperors are truly unfathomable creatures.

"Regarding the relocation of the capital, Jinghe, you should write another memorial and submit it. Do not discuss these matters with outsiders. As for Fang Xiaoru's matter, you should find someone to handle it. I will cooperate with you to put on a good show and exonerate your family as soon as possible. Otherwise, if you really pass away in the future, I will not be able to give you a good posthumous reputation."

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.

In the winter of the first year of the Yongle reign, Zhu Di and his minister Li Qi had a conversation. The historical records only state that "Li Qi spoke eloquently, and the emperor laughed a lot. He sighed that Li Qi's wisdom was almost demonic. After he finished speaking, he decided to move the capital, but the ministers did not listen."

We don't know what Li Qi said, but from the subsequent relocation of the capital, we can guess that it must have been a fluent, profound, and insightful political discourse, just like all the words Li Qi left in history—simple, accurate, and philosophical.

A great thinker's blueprint for an empire was finally brought to reality in the hands of a great monarch, a period as fleeting as a shooting star, yet as dazzling as fireworks. —From *Five Hundred Years of the Ming Dynasty*

I've written 7,000 words so far, only 3,000 more to go. Brothers, wait for me! I'll definitely update before midnight! Please vote with your monthly tickets!

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(End of this chapter)