The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 84: Not to destroy Zhejiang East, but to rebuild it!

For students from eastern Zhejiang, the biting cold wind swept through Yingtian again, and the vast, cold winter seemed to have returned to the capital.

The Yuan History Case, like a lightning bolt that ripped across the sky, descended upon the world in the blink of an eye.

Who would have thought?

Who could have predicted that?

Who could believe that there could be such a madman, so rampant, committing such a heinous crime without any attempt to conceal it, acting as if no one else is around?

But then I realized that this matter had truly remained unknown for thirty-four years.

If we were to rewrite the Yuan Dynasty history, it would likely be buried forever in piles of paper, never to see the light of day again.

Now that the truth has come to light, His Majesty has unleashed his furious wrath and will punish all those involved for treason.

Song Lian and Wang Yi's blood relatives have already been imprisoned and questioned. Once their identities are verified, they will be executed in the autumn. Such a certain crime has been decided, and there is little room for discussion other than sighs and hatred. Most people's attention has been focused on the Department of Punishments.

Who else is involved? That's what almost everyone is concerned about. This is a heinous crime of treason, and once someone is implicated, their entire family will be doomed!

Inside the Dali Temple, Li Qi, Zheng Ci, and Chen Ying were discussing how to handle the case. Ji Gang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was also in the room, waiting for orders.

Zheng Ci and Chen Ying were both uneasy because of Ji Gang's presence; the pressure exerted by the several commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard during the Hongwu era was simply too great.

Many people think that the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard is the emperor's sword, and that he does whatever the emperor tells him to do, and that he is acting on the emperor's will. But that is a very naive view.

The commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard was also a subject, and a human being.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard is more like a vicious dog. In most cases, he does obey his master, but he also has his own ideas. He will take the initiative to bite his political enemies, and he will even use his master's power to do things because of his master's trust in him!
Zheng Ci and Chen Ying were terrified that their words would offend Ji Gang, and that they would be imprisoned and eventually die in the imperial prison.

"Commander Ji, Minister Zheng, and Jiying."

Song Lian and Wang Yi were both leaders of the Dongming Academy school, and Fang Xiaoru was also a member of the Dongming Academy. Most of the scholars who compiled history came from Zhejiang and belonged to this lineage.

In my opinion, this school of thought has serious problems. It should be our primary target for investigation. We should immediately send people to eastern Zhejiang to swiftly seize their books and other valuables!

Chen Ying, being from Hebei, didn't have much of a feeling about it, but Zheng Ci, being from the south and even though he was from Fujian, how could he not know about the renowned Dongming Academy?
After hesitating for a moment, he said, "Isn't Lord Jinghe worried that his actions will be criticized as settling personal scores?"

Li Qi knew why Zheng Ci said that.

The Dongming School was a key member of the Zhejiang School, as anyone familiar with the early Ming Dynasty knows.

This was a powerful political faction led by Liu Bowen that once held sway over the Ming Dynasty, but was later suppressed by Li Shanchang's Huaixi faction.

Perhaps it shouldn't be said that it was Li Shanchang who suppressed it, but rather Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang sensed that Liu Bowen looked down on him, after all, Liu Bowen had already become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) during the Yuan Dynasty!
Liu Bowen later lost power, partly due to Zhu Yuanzhang's indulgence.

The Huai-Xi School disappeared after the Lan Yu case, while the Zhe-Dong School rose again with its strong Confucian influence, even becoming a force that could influence the fate of the nation.

Li Qi, who had traveled through time, also knew that the Zhejiang East faction had always been very powerful in the Ming Dynasty. Wang Yangming was also a scholar from Zhejiang East. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, they were able to create the Qi-Zhe-Chu faction, and through Wei Zhongxian, they had killed or rendered useless the scholars of the Donglin Party.

Given Li Qi's background, his current suppression of the Zhejiang East faction might lead some to believe that this is a recurring grievance between Huaixi and Zhejiang East.

Li Qi narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "Those who can say such things are better off not entering officialdom, lest they be unaware of what happened when their families are destroyed."

Upon hearing this, Ji Gang couldn't help but burst out laughing. This was Li Qi's sarcasm. The ashes of the Huaixi nobles have been scattered for so many years, and there are hardly any descendants left in the Huaixi faction. Who still cares about that stuff?

Zheng Ci also felt somewhat embarrassed, realizing he had misspoke, and quickly tried to make amends: "What Duke Jinghe just said makes a lot of sense. Let's start the investigation from Dongming Academy. What do Commander Ji and Minister Chen think?"

Ji Gang glanced at the expressionless Li Qi, pursed his lips, and finally waved his hand modestly, saying, "His Majesty has ordered the three of you to preside over this case. I am merely assisting him under orders. The three of you can make the decision."

Li Qi's expression softened slightly upon hearing this.

If the Embroidered Uniform Guard were involved, it would inevitably lead to further entanglements, which was not what he wanted. This time, he wanted a precise strike. If the entanglements were too great, it would damage his reputation. After all, he was not a dirty-minded eunuch or a high-ranking official, but a saint as pure and untainted as a white cloud in the sky. He could not bear such a bad reputation.

Ji Gang's ability to read people's expressions was naturally exceptional. He caught Li Qi's slight change in emotion and felt reassured. He was indeed somewhat afraid of Li Qi. As the emperor's dog, he knew some things that even his close ministers did not. This princess's husband was extremely favored by the emperor, and most importantly, a casual remark could often lead the emperor to decide someone's life or death!

If he offended this person, perhaps he would lose his life by saying a single word to the emperor.

"Then let us do as Jinghe said, and send people from our Dali Temple, Ministry of Justice and Embroidered Uniform Guard to Zhejiang."

If these three groups of people go together to arrest someone, there's absolutely no chance of anything going wrong.

After discussing the specific steps, the group immediately ordered the arrest. This was ancient times, not modern times where they needed to discuss the arrest with you. This involved a serious crime of treason. If they could arrest you and then release you, that would be considered a good outcome. Even if they killed you in prison, it would just be your bad luck.

……

Officials from the three government offices headed to eastern Zhejiang, while turmoil was brewing in the capital, causing great concern among many students and officials from eastern Zhejiang.

However, he could not visit Li Qi at this time, otherwise it would be like admitting guilt without being asked. He could only wait for the matter of the Yuan history to come to an end.

After the three officials arrived in eastern Zhejiang, they immediately surrounded the Dongming Academy. They then escorted all the families of those involved in the compilation of the Yuan Dynasty history to the capital. After that, they ordered the local government to control the entire clan and prevent anyone from escaping.

This display of power naturally stunned almost everyone.

Song Lian and Wang Yi both came from prominent families in eastern Zhejiang, families renowned for their refined manners and etiquette, yet today they have suddenly encountered this great calamity.

The Imperial Guards bound the man, while officials from the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice directly entered the family compound to search for books. This discovery of the Yuan Dynasty history was no accident; Li Qi had deduced that there must be treasonous texts among the books in the Dongming Academy. Such a confiscation was naturally carried out extremely quickly, and given the proximity of Zhejiang to Nanjing, the report was completed in just one or two days.

Li Qi had just entered the Dali Temple from the Princess's residence when he saw Chen Ying excitedly walking towards him, her face beaming with undisguised joy. "Jinghe, guess what we found in the Dongming Academy?"

There were already quite a few people entering and leaving the yamen. As Li Qi walked into the hall, he smiled and said, "Are there some people saying that the taxes of this dynasty are too heavy, while the previous dynasty was more lenient?"

Chen Ying was taken aback, then realized that this was Li Jinghe. "Indeed, Jinghe. You are simply a god. Not to mention the history of the Yuan Dynasty, how did you know about the words hidden deep within the Dongming Academy?"

The two had already entered the hall, sitting on either side to wait for Ji Gang and Zheng Ci. After taking a sip of tea, Li Qi smiled calmly and said, "Because the events in the Yuan Dynasty were not accidental, these Zhejiang scholars truly miss the previous dynasty."

Jiying, you are ultimately a northerner and do not understand the affairs of southerners. Life was very difficult for northerners during the Yuan Dynasty, resulting in a sparsely populated area across the vast land. After the Ming Dynasty came to power, life for northerners was much better than during the Yuan Dynasty.

But the Southerners are different, or rather, the Southern ethnic groups are different.

This area was once part of the Song Dynasty. After the Mongols destroyed the Song Dynasty, they did not carry out massacres like they did with the Western Xia and Jin Dynasties. They did not even establish genuine rule here. The Mongols did not even know how to collect taxes.

During those hundred years, the powerful southern clans lived extremely well.

Chen Yingqi said, "But the Southern people had a very low status during the Yuan Dynasty, were heavily taxed, and even had the fewest number of candidates for the imperial examination."

Li Qi shook his head and said, "But what does that have to do with the powerful clans? It's the ordinary people who suffer. Those powerful clans transfer the taxes onto the people. As long as the court collects enough taxes, that's all that matters. All the officials are from powerful clans. South of the Yangtze River, they are like local tyrants."

Has the Imperial Guard forgotten the case of the usurper emperor during the Hongwu era?

Chen Ying was reminded by Li Qiyi and immediately remembered that a clerk had been running around in the vast Yingtian Prefecture, and the people sent by the court to arrest him had been unable to catch him for a long time because the powerful families in Yingtian Prefecture were protecting him.

"Although it was very difficult to pass the imperial examination during the Yuan Dynasty, the laws were lenient and the court let them go unchecked. However, after entering the Ming Dynasty, they suddenly had to abide by the laws like ordinary people. Once they made a mistake, they would be punished. Even a great scholar like Song Lian could be exiled or executed. This was unimaginable during the Yuan Dynasty."

Do you think they wouldn't miss the Yuan Dynasty?

Chen Ying thought about it and realized that he was even a little envious of Song Lian and the others. He wished he could take their place. That carefree life was something only those who had experienced it knew how great it was.

"Although it is reasonable, they never thought that they are not the only ones who want a better life, but ordinary people do as well."

Li Qi understood that in this feudal society, or in any society, rentiers would always oppress laborers.

Especially in feudal society where productivity was insufficient, as long as one was studying full-time, it meant that there were tenant farmers working to support them. The Li family now and the Li family in the future are no exception in passing down the tradition of farming and studying.

Who can change it?

Li Qi couldn't change anything. He couldn't change the inherent concepts of human nature, nor could he change the natural operation of society. All he could do was conform and try to climb as high as possible, for himself and his family, within this system, all the way to the very top.

When that time comes, perhaps I can choose my own path to give back and be a decent person as I climb the ladder!
Putting everything else aside, at least treat people like human beings. You can't just kill tenant farmers and slaves, can you? You can't do such despicable things as bullying men and women. Will you die if you don't do those nasty things that make people frown just by hearing about them?

Too greedy, too ruthless, too wicked—aren't these the very things that great clans are criticized for? The Wu-Yue Qian clan has been around for so many years, so why don't many people say anything bad about them?

What goes around comes around; ordinary people are not born with prejudice against powerful and wealthy families.

There are just too many rich people who are heartless, making one grit one's teeth with hatred just by mentioning them.

“If these families in eastern Zhejiang hadn’t been so ruthless in exploiting ordinary people, I wouldn’t be going to such lengths to put them to death.”

Li Qi sighed, “We both know how miserable the lives of ordinary people were during the Yuan Dynasty. Although the laws of our Great Ming Dynasty are strict, they are the foundation of a stable life for the people. People like Song Lian disregarded the lives of countless people for their own selfish desires. How can we let them go?”

Chen Ying gritted her teeth and said, "These literati from eastern Zhejiang really deserve to die!"

"They are indeed going to die."

A rather sinister voice came from outside the hall. Chen Ying immediately straightened up without thinking. Li Qi said with a smile, "It seems that Commander Ji has gained quite a bit from those people."

Ji Gang sat casually in his chair, picked up the iced tea on the table and drank it all in one gulp. Then he smiled sinisterly and said, "Those scholars are nothing but cowards. Once they entered the imperial prison and saw those instruments of torture, they basically confessed everything before they even lasted three rounds."

They frequently reminisced about the previous dynasty, exchanging poems and songs. This included not only those captured, but also many officials and scholars from the Imperial Academy, eighty percent of whom were from eastern Zhejiang.

Li Qi nodded slightly and then asked the question that concerned him most, "No one was killed in the imperial prison, was there?"

"Don't worry, Your Highness, things you personally instructed will naturally go smoothly."

"Then thank you very much, Commander Ji. After these people write down their crimes, they will need to be reviewed by the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review to ensure that everyone's time, place, and writing match up. We must not allow anyone to find any faults, so as not to damage His Majesty's virtue!"

Ji Gang inwardly complained about Li Qi's troublesome ways of doing things, but he didn't show it on his face and still smiled and said, "The prince consort is cautious, that's just right."

Li Qi could guess that Ji Gang was definitely cursing him, but he didn't care. What did those lackeys of the Embroidered Uniform Guard know? They relied on their power to arrest people, and their reputations were full of stains. Their only fate was to die a violent death.

He needs irrefutable evidence!

He left everyone speechless, and even those who died because of him could not blame him; this was truly impeccable.

"After Jinghe's success, the Dongming lineage of Zhejiang East will be completely wiped out, and the rest of the Zhejiang East School will also be in decline. It's like a dream."

Faced with Chen Ying's sigh, Li Qi shook his head and said, "Not so!"
I did not destroy the learning of Zhejiang, but rather rebuilt it. From then on, the learning of Zhejiang was able to break free from the shackles of the Mongol Yuan dynasty and become the true learning of the Ming dynasty.

The premise is that—

They set aside all their former pride and prayed to Li Qi, the sage of their time!

(End of this chapter)