The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 79 From then on, he became distinguished.

The officials entered the palace at the first light of dawn, and now the daylight is bright. The Fengtian Hall is almost finished with its reconstruction, and it still retains the same high-pitched eaves as before. The golden light shines on the rows of golden glazed tiles, making it even more magnificent and resplendent, showing the noble and holy figure.

The court officials left the palace like a flowing weaving procession. The events of today's grand court assembly were truly earth-shattering and unsettling. Such a scene was probably not seen even once in ten years. Acquaintances discussed the events in the palace in twos and threes.

Li Qi and Zhang Fu walked together outside the palace. Zhang Fu looked quite excited. "Brother Jinghe's demeanor in the palace is truly admirable. He is indeed a great man."

Upon hearing this, Li Qi humbly smiled and said, "I am merely a scholar of literary talent and empty talk. Wenbi, you are the real hero and great man, wielding a three-foot sword and immediately achieving fame and success."

Three days from now, my brother intends to host a banquet at his residence. If Wenbi is available, he may bring his wife and children, and we can have another long chat.

Although Zhang Fu was a military general, he was a shrewd man. He knew that Li Qi's family had been exonerated today and would naturally invite many guests to celebrate. Moreover, he probably also hoped that Zhang Fu could meet Li Xianmu. So he immediately cupped his hands and said solemnly, "Brother and Princess, how could I refuse your invitation? I will definitely bring my wife and children to visit you tomorrow."

After they finished speaking, the two began to chat and laugh about anecdotes from the court.

……

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During these three days, the capital was in turmoil, and the officialdom and the literati were naturally shaken.

With the change in the Mandate of Heaven logic of the Ming Dynasty, it was natural that everything from top to bottom had to be renewed, and all government offices were busy presenting congratulatory memorials to celebrate the greatness of the Ming Dynasty.

Fortunately, this is the Ming Dynasty. If this were the Han Dynasty, the local prefects would be presenting auspicious omens to the court by now. Even if we don't need to engage in such superstitions, all departments would still have to honestly clean up all the traces of the Yuan Dynasty.

In the capital, the most popular topic was naturally the exoneration of Li Shanchang. The Hu Weiyong case had implicated one duke and twenty-one marquises, but now the only duke had been exonerated, which was truly big news.

Naturally, some people in the city had doubts, arguing that if there was no problem, why not restore the title? But the imperial decree was very comprehensive.

"Although the Korean government has made mistakes and overstepped its bounds, it is considered that it has not committed any major offenses and has made great contributions to the founding of the country, so it is exonerated."

This makes it very clear that Li Shanchang had some minor faults, but his contributions were also significant, so those minor faults can be overlooked.

As compensation, Li Fang and Li Mao were given hereditary official positions. Li Fang was awarded the hereditary title of Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, while Li Mao was awarded the hereditary title of Commander of the Banner Guard. In the Ming Dynasty, this was a common honorary title bestowed upon the families of meritorious officials.

The exoneration of the Li family was not merely a ceremonial act; the imperial court also returned a large amount of their property. The former ducal mansion was partially demolished due to exceeding the prescribed limits, and many other properties, such as farmland and shops, were also returned. It can be said that the Li family became extremely wealthy overnight.

What ordinary people were talking about was of no concern to the powerful and wealthy. What they valued more was that Li could now hold office normally and would no longer be subject to restrictions.

Look at Li Qi's previous status among scholars, his favor with the late emperor, and his universally recognized status as a great Confucian scholar, yet he was only ever a fifth-rank Grand Secretary.

Although he was qualified to be an advisor to the emperor, he could only offer suggestions and had no real power. He had no influence over the Six Ministries, the Censorate, or the various temples.

Moreover, there was no Grand Secretariat during the Hongwu era. Even if Grand Secretaries were to serve as advisors, it was not a fixed rule. Generally, the emperor would only summon Grand Secretaries to ask them a few questions when he had doubts. At other times, Grand Secretaries could not offer their opinions casually.

The Nine Ministers not only had the power to offer advice to the emperor, but also had the authority to implement it. The difference between the two was so great that they were simply incomparable.

Now that Li Qi has been exonerated, many people speculate that he will rise directly to the position of one of the Nine Ministers, becoming one of the nine giants in the Ming Dynasty's civil service system, given his background and influence.

These rumors and speculations circulated in various mansions and government offices.

Today, Li Qi opened the gates of the princess's residence to the public and invited all the guests to enter. Looking at the guests coming and going, Li Qi and Princess Lin'an smiled at each other.

Both husband and wife still remembered that when they returned to the capital from Jiangpu eleven years ago, the late emperor's decree clearly stated that they were not allowed to form alliances with noble families, so they really did not.

The princess's mansion, which had never hosted a banquet before, was now opening its gates wide to invite guests from all directions, which truly gave her a sense of pride and triumph!

Once a person dies, they are truly dead and can no longer care about what happens to those who come after them. Zhu Yunwen didn't care about what he had said to Zhu Yuanzhang about reducing the power of the princes, and Zhu Di didn't care about slapping his father in the face. So, Princess Lin'an naturally didn't have to abide by the original decree anymore.

When people leave, the tea grows cold; this is truly the case!
After glancing at it a few times, Li Qi said, "My wife, I will go out to greet the guests. You should go to the inner hall to receive the greetings from the noblewomen."

When officials and nobles arrived, they naturally had to bring their wives with them. There was a distinction between the wives and the wives; normally, the wives were not allowed to see anyone.

But Li Qi and Princess Lin'an are special cases. This is the princess's residence, and Lin'an is the true master. In this world, there is no rule that one should not pay respects to the master when entering a residence. Li Qi thought for a moment, "Before the banquet begins, I will bring all the guests to pay our respects to you."

Princess Lin'an was of a very high status; she was a true eldest princess, only a few months younger than Zhu Di.

All the princes had to address her as "Imperial Sister" or "Imperial Aunt," while nobles and officials had to respectfully call her "Elder Princess."

Back in the Jianwen era, Li Qi, as the husband of Princess Lin'an, was the head of the clan and held a high position. He was able to survive through the Hongwu and Jianwen eras entirely because of the powerful influence of Princess Lin'an's status.

In the present Ming Dynasty, only the Emperor and Empress have a higher status than her, so she only needs to sit there and wait for everyone to come and pay their respects.

Princess Lin'an responded and went to the inner hall, while Li Qi went to the main hall. He couldn't possibly greet guests at the main gate; the princess's residence was not a small or insignificant household, and that was something for juniors to do.

There were many guests today, including Li Qi's friends and many members of the royal family, such as Princess Huaiqing, the younger sister of Princess Lin'an. The mansion was naturally very lively.

When Zhang Fu arrived with his wife, he was also shocked by the bustling scene. This kind of crowded scene represents the current public's recognition of the Li family. The Li family is really very different after being exonerated.

The couple went to the inner hall and the main hall respectively. The pavilions and towers of this huge princess's mansion were all exquisite, and Zhang's eyes sparkled with admiration.

She naturally knew why she had come today. When Zhang Fu first told her that Princess Lin'an intended to marry into his family, she was quite surprised, as it seemed like a completely unrelated thing. But after meeting her today, she realized that Zhang Fu had indeed climbed the social ladder.

However, she wasn't entirely without confidence. Her father-in-law, Zhang Yu, was posthumously granted the title of Duke of Rong and ranked first among the meritorious officials of the Jingnan Campaign. He held a great position of favor with the emperor. If there was no successor in the family, this favor might be lost in the future. But her husband was an extremely capable man. With this favor, his future prospects were limitless. He might even be able to sit on the throne of the Five Armies Commandery.

Now that her sister-in-law has entered the palace and is quite favored, Zhang Shi is already showing signs of rising to prominence.

Moreover, the one being married is the young master, not the eldest son who will inherit the family business in the future, so the two are quite well-matched.

Thinking of this, her tension lessened a bit, and she planned to take a good look at this Sage Li's son later to see if he had any of Sage Li's heroic bearing.

Upon entering the inner hall, one sees a woman dressed in luxurious attire, exuding an air of elegance. The headdress and clothing she wears are all precious items reserved for royalty, immediately revealing her to be Princess Lin'an, the mistress of this residence.

She stepped forward two steps and gave a curtsy, saying, "Your humble wife, Zhang, of the Marquis of Xin'an's residence, pays respects to Your Highness, the Princess."

Princess Lin'an's eyes lit up, and she stepped forward with a smile in her eyes. "Madam, please don't be so polite. We'll be family from now on. Please sit here." After saying that, she subtly looked at Madam Zhang, and then a few sincere smiles appeared in her eyes.

Princess Lin'an had seen Zhang Fu before; he was handsome. Now, this Zhang woman also had beautiful features. Although she didn't have the same charm as the women of Jiangnan, she was still considered to be of superior appearance. Although it is said that one should marry a virtuous wife and take concubines based on their looks, the principal wife should be dignified, generous, and able to manage the affairs of the inner quarters.

Lin'an also remembered her husband saying that for Li Shi, the importance of a legitimate son was greater than Mount Tai, and the principal wife should also be carefully chosen. However, since her husband had decided on the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Xin'an's family, she had no reason to object.

Zhang was also aware of Princess Lin'an's words. The marriage between the two families was actually a done deal between Li Qi and Zhang Fu. Whether they looked at it or not would not make a difference. Taking a look beforehand would only put both sides at ease.

Seeing that Princess Lin'an was not arrogant, Zhang felt a little more at ease. She thought that when her daughter married into the family, she would at least not be mistreated or bullied too much.

For a woman confined to her chambers, if she couldn't marry a good husband or enter a blessed household, simply surviving was a luxury. Over the years, Zhang had heard countless tales of sinister affairs within those grand mansions.

If her daughter were to suffer such a fate in the future, she really wouldn't know what to do. This dignified princess's mansion was not one she could easily enter. Even if her daughter died in the courtyard, she wouldn't even have the right to collect her body.

Born into her husband's family, she will die a member of his family.

Princess Lin'an was unaware that in just a short while, the woman before her was already overwhelmed with thoughts, even contemplating the worst possible outcome.

"Zi Hua, go and bring the young master here."

Li Xianmu was still young. Although boys and girls were not allowed to sit together after the age of seven, he did not need to be so discreet in front of his elders. Even if he ate in the inner hall, it was not considered impolite.

Zi Hua then went to Li Xianmu's place.

In the front courtyard, Xie Jin and others also arrived and were talking with Li Qi, Zhang Fu and others.

(End of this chapter)