The Ming Dynasty: The opening scene features Zhu Di angrily accusing him of illegitimate succession.

Chapter 77 The Whereabouts of My Nephew

Upon receiving a positive answer, Lin Yue, who had been feeling drowsy, calmed down considerably. He paused, completely ignoring Zhu Di's question, and inexplicably started talking about industrial issues.

"In Jiangnan, Your Majesty intends to establish factories and build large-scale industries such as textiles, glass, and iron smelting."

But they must keep the wealthy merchants in check, preventing them from acquiring more land, and they are absolutely forbidden from interfering in government affairs...

He was halfway through his sentence when Lin Yue suddenly waved his hand slightly.

"Forget it, let's focus all our efforts on developing industry, building as many workshops as possible!"

Zhu Di could still understand up to this point, but he was somewhat confused by what followed.

Terms like "class," "factory," "science and technology," "productivity," "Industrial Revolution," and "little Japanese devils" were used.

These unheard-of words, spewing from his mouth, sounded utterly incomprehensible.

The Yongle Emperor believed that Lin Yue was talking nonsense while seriously ill.

However, Zhu Di found this even more admirable. Lin Yue was clearly on his deathbed, yet he still spoke eloquently, reciting all the advice he had in mind.

From taxes in Jiangnan to frontier defense, from the ills of civil officials to the advantages and disadvantages of industry and commerce, his words, though seemingly incoherent, were all to the point, and every sentence was relevant to the people and the Ming Dynasty.

Even on his deathbed, he was still thinking about the rise and fall of the nation. Lin Boyan's noble character was truly admirable.

The problem is, why can't he say a few more words about his beloved nephew, the Jianwen Emperor? This is a crucial issue for him!

Zhu Di stood before the bed, his brows furrowed, his expression shifting repeatedly, like the inner monologue of a domineering CEO.

Lin Yue's eyelids were heavy, and he mumbled incoherently.

"Anyway, I'm going to die soon, so it's up to you whether you listen to these words or not. I just hope that the people of the world will never suffer the national calamity of Jia Shen again."

And let me tell you, whether Emperor Jianwen is dead or not is none of my business.

Zhu Di was overjoyed and immediately asked, "What happened to Emperor Jianwen?!"

As a result, Lin Yue's head tilted to the side and he remained motionless.

Zhu Di was shocked. "Don't die now! If you're going to die, tell me where Emperor Jianwen is!"

He quickly checked Lin Yue's breathing and pulse, and found that he was still alive. He was temporarily relieved, thankfully, this only clue had not been lost.

In the fourth year of the Jianwen Emperor's reign, the Jin Chuan Gate Incident occurred, and the Nanjing Palace was engulfed in flames. The whereabouts of the Jianwen Emperor, Zhu Yunwen, became a mystery, and for six hundred years, various theories have been proposed for him.

The official history of the Ming Dynasty records that "the emperor set himself on fire in the palace," but the "Biography of Emperor Hui" in the History of Ming states that "a fire broke out in the palace, and the emperor's whereabouts became unknown. The Prince of Yan sent an imperial envoy to retrieve the bodies of the emperor and empress from the fire, and they were buried eight days later on the day of Renshen."

There are many discrepancies between the Ming Veritable Records and the History of Ming. Whether Emperor Jianwen actually died or not is also a matter of ambiguity in historical records.

However, we can judge from the behavior of the Yongle Emperor that the Jianwen Emperor was most likely not dead, or at least his body was not found.

Stepping outside the palace, the wind howled, and Zhu Di's face showed deep thought.

Lin Yue's audacity in beheading two officials and gathering 100,000 people during his trip to Jiangnan was truly outrageous. Given his character and integrity, his sudden mention of Emperor Jianwen before his death was certainly not without reason.

I had heard rumors that Emperor Jianwen had fled overseas. Since Korea borders the Ming Dynasty and has always protected Jianwen's former officials, could he really have fled to Korea to try to restore the Ming Dynasty?

Lin Yue's crimes, his achievements in flood control, and the Suzhou prefect's defection to the enemy were all trivial matters in Zhu Di's eyes at this moment. Only the question of "whether Emperor Jianwen was in Korea" was of utmost importance.

Zhu Di pondered the geographical location of Korea and the list of former officials of Jianwen.

After a long silence, Emperor Yongle said to Hou Xian, who was standing beside him, "Issue an edict to the Liaodong Commander to closely monitor the envoys traveling to and from Korea, and to detain and interrogate any suspicious persons."

Hou Xian bowed and agreed, but Zhu Di was still preoccupied and walked slowly.

If Emperor Jianwen is indeed in Korea, he must immediately send troops to pursue him, and he must not allow this hidden danger to shake his Ming Dynasty.

Upon returning to the West Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, Zhu Di immediately issued an order: "Summon Zheng He immediately!"

Zheng He entered the palace under cover of night, and the two had a secret talk in the Qianqing Palace.

Inside the Qianqing Palace, candlelight shone brightly, and a silk map of Liaodong was spread out on the emperor's desk, clearly showing the mountains, rivers, and seas.

Zhu Di pointed at the map of Liaodong, his eyes sharp.

"How long would it take to assemble a full fleet for deployment, even with the nationwide mobilization of ships and the selection of elite naval forces?"

Zheng He bowed and stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the map, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, we will surely be able to gather them within two months."

Zhu Di suddenly raised his eyes, his eyebrows slightly arched: "Two months? Are you sure that's feasible?"

"Your Majesty, please allow me to speak," Zheng He replied calmly, his tone steady. "The Nanjing Longjiang Shipyard currently has twenty seagoing vessels, and the Taicangwei Naval Base has one hundred and fifty ships, all of which can be converted into seagoing vessels. We only need to call upon craftsmen to repair and reinforce them, and they will be more than capable of serving a great purpose. It can be completed in one month."

On the naval front, each thousand-household garrison along the coast is equipped with ten warships and one hundred standard-bearers. The elite naval forces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian have long been trained on the sea frontier. If more than ten thousand elite soldiers can be mobilized, they can be assembled within ten days.

According to the unearthed inscriptions by Hong Baoshou, Zheng He's first voyage was not in the third year of the Yongle reign, as commonly stated in historical records, but rather in the first year of the Yongle reign.

"In the Yongle era, he was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Inner Transport Treasury and was granted the former name... He rode in a huge ship of five thousand liang, named Dafu, etc... He was sent by imperial decree to various foreign countries in the Western Ocean to pacify and persuade distant peoples."

The "seven voyages to the Western Ocean" mentioned by later generations were actually just large-scale overseas tribute trade organized by the Ming Dynasty. The actual private actions may have been far more extensive than imagined.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di's tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Very good. This voyage is ostensibly to inspect the coastal areas and demonstrate the power of the Ming Dynasty, but in reality, it is to investigate the whereabouts of Emperor Jianwen."

"Your Majesty, I understand," Zheng He replied with a bow. "After the fleet heads north, I will use the pretext of trade to dock at Korean ports and secretly investigate the whereabouts of Jianwen's former officials. All envoys, monks, Taoists, and refugees will be thoroughly investigated."

Zhu Di spoke solemnly, saying in a deep voice, "This matter is of utmost importance and must not be leaked in the slightest."

Two months later, the fleet set sail from Taicang, and you were appointed as the chief envoy, with full authority over all matters.

If it is confirmed that Emperor Jianwen is in Korea, bring him back at all costs. If he resists, kill him without mercy!

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Zheng He knelt on both knees and answered the order in a loud voice.

Just after Zheng He left, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall. Ji Gang entered with a thick stack of scrolls in his hands. The scrolls, made of brocade, still had some ink stains on them, indicating that they had just been sorted out.

"Your Majesty, regarding the assassination attempt on Lin Yue at the post station while he was managing flood control in Jiangnan, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has conducted an overnight interrogation and has already determined the details."

Ji Gang knelt on one knee, holding the case file high with both hands.

"The assassin was a post station worker from Huating County. He revealed that the mastermind behind the assassination was Shen Zhonghe, a local gentry from Songjiang, and Wang Ji, the magistrate of Huating County. Shen Zhonghe was a classmate and fellow townsman of Li Zhigang, the Minister of Rites, during the Hongwu era."

Zhu Di frowned and asked, "Li Zhigang? Is he really involved in this matter?"

"Your Majesty," Ji Gang replied with a deep voice, bowing his head, "Shen Zhonghe hoarded large tracts of land in Huating County and secretly monopolized water conservancy resources. After learning that Lin Yue had killed the magistrate of Wu County, he bribed a post station worker to set fire to the post station and assassinate Lin Yue when he passed through it."

He opened the case file and took out the confessions and evidence.

"This is Shen Zhonghe's confession. He admitted that he had asked someone to send a letter to Minister Li to complain. Although he did not explicitly mention the assassination attempt, he asked Minister Li to intervene in Lin Yue's water management."

Another courier identified that before the assassination attempt, Shen Zhonghe had shown letters to Minister Li and the magistrate of Huating County, saying that "Minister Li has his own arrangements," before he dared to take action.

Meanwhile, some of the local gentry arrested by Lin in Qingpu had said they had a past relationship with Minister Li. Upon investigation, it was found that they had engaged in land annexation.

.

Zhu Di took the confession and read it for a long time.

Zhu Di didn't have a bad impression of Li Zhigang. After all, among the many former officials of Jianwen, Li Zhigang was one of the most proactive in aligning himself with him. It was Li Zhigang who took the initiative to propose the elevation of Beiping to Beijing, which shows that he was quite loyal to the country and shared the emperor's burdens.

Zhu Di remained silent for a long time, his expression shifting between light and dark.

But he also knew that Li Zhigang had always been good at making connections and opportunistic, and if such a big incident was not thoroughly investigated, there might be future troubles.

However, at this crucial moment when preparations are underway to set sail to track down Emperor Jianwen, the Ministry of Rites is in charge of rites and sacrifices. Li Zhigang is familiar with the established system, and there is a concern that there might be unforeseen circumstances if we were to act rashly against him.

However, Emperor Yongle quickly made up his mind to investigate thoroughly.

He was the emperor who legitimately entered the country during the Jingnan Rebellion. Did he really have to bow down to his ministers for the sake of merely maintaining the stability of the court?

Li Zhigang was not like the Prince of Ning in the northern desert, who had the Three Guards of Doyan and the Three Guards of the Princes, commanding 30,000 troops. Emperor Yongle needed to handle him with caution.

The Yongle Emperor threw the confession back onto the table and said in a deep voice, "Send Shen Zhonghe to the capital for severe interrogation and a thorough investigation!"

"Your subject obeys the decree!" Ji Gang bowed and accepted the order.

Zhu Di stared at the files on the table, his mind in turmoil.

The assassination of Lin Yue implicated Li Zhigang, who was in turn involved in major events such as Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean and the relocation of the capital to the north. It was a case of one thing affecting the whole situation.

Emperor Yongle picked up Ji Gang's memorial and read through the details of Lin Yue's flood control efforts, the people's praise, the local officials' fear, and even the rumors that the people built a shrine for him. Ji Gang had recorded everything without omission.

Zhu Di sighed deeply, praising Lin Yue's noble character: "Truly a man of integrity and uprightness!"

The people praised him as a benevolent ruler and erected a shrine in his honor. This was the kind of minister the Ming Dynasty needed, but alas, he did not live long!

The closer one is to losing something, the more one appreciates its value; this was exactly the feeling Zhu Di was experiencing at that moment.

Today seems to be a turbulent time, as Zhu Di has just finished dealing with many matters.

That evening, Xia Yuanji's memorial was delivered again.

The memorial mainly discussed the strategy for water management in Jiangnan. Its main content was similar to that of Lin Yue's, both focusing on "drawing water from Songjiang into Liu and digging deep into Fanjiabang".

"There is no other way to solve the floods in Jiangnan than this method..."

""

As Zhu Di looked at the memorial, he once again lamented the untimely death of Lin Yue.

"Bo Yan is a man of exceptional talent, loyal to the country and its people. Why must he leave me?"

Even on his deathbed, he remembered to tell him about the whereabouts of his nephew, the Jianwen Emperor. This was no ordinary act of loyalty.

Lin Yue is an extremely loyal subject.

The following day at court, the officials continued to impeach Li Zhigang, and the outcry was deafening.

After the censor finished speaking, Zhu Di decisively shouted.

"Li Zhigang committed crimes including bending the law for personal gain, confiscating farmland, withholding disaster relief grain, colluding with local authorities, and assassinating an imperial envoy. The evidence against him is irrefutable!"

His official position must be immediately revoked and he imprisoned; a thorough investigation of his associates is necessary!

Emperor Yongle's sharp eyes swept over his ministers.

"The floods in Jiangnan are being managed with all our might, following the strategies of Minister of Revenue Xia Yuanji and Hanlin Academy Reader Lin Yue. Xia Yuanji is in overall charge of the matter, and anyone who obstructs the effort will be punished for disobeying the imperial decree!"

Fengtian Gate was initially deathly silent, but then erupted into a clamor.

On the one hand, they were shocked by Zhu Di's handling of Li Zhigang, and on the other hand, they were surprised by his handling of Lin Yue.

There were basically no secrets in the Ming Dynasty. All the officials knew that Lin Yue had killed two high-ranking officials in the south, confiscated the property of local gentry and distributed it to displaced people, and arbitrarily gathered 100,000 laborers. Such acts of usurpation could not be considered an overreaction as treason.

But Emperor Yongle not only did not punish him, but also adopted his flood control measures, which is simply unbelievable!

Furthermore, His Majesty did not utter a word about the officials' impeachment of Li Zhigang yesterday, and did not even initiate the joint trial process of the three judicial departments. Today, he directly convicted him. Such swift and decisive measures far exceeded the expectations of the officials, especially Li Zhigang himself.

Li Zhigang stood frozen in the train, his body trembling violently beneath his scarlet official robe, his face as pale as paper.

He had previously thought that because he had actively supported Emperor Yongle and was the first to advocate for moving the capital, His Majesty should be lenient with him. But Zhu Di's stern shout was like a thunderbolt, shattering all his hopes.

Li Zhigang slowly knelt down on the ground, his forehead slamming heavily against the gold brick.

His hands trembled as he untied the jade belt from his waist, removed the scarlet court robe embroidered with intricate cloud patterns, and took off the five-beam crown he wore.

"Your Majesty, I...I deserve to die a thousand deaths! I thank Your Majesty for sparing my life!"

The uproar in the hall gradually subsided, and everyone silently watched Li Zhigang kneel for a long time without getting up.

Zhu Di's gaze was icy, and he said in a deep voice, "Take him away!"

Two guards stepped forward, helped the limp Li Zhigang up, and led him away.

Watching Li Zhigang's departing figure, Zheng Ci, the Minister of Justice, frowned deeply.

Li Zhigang was overthrown, and his goal was achieved, but an unexpected new situation arose.

Your Majesty has always been lenient and strict, and usually follows the rules when dealing with ministers. This time, you dismissed Li Zhigang without conducting any investigation and then indulged Lin Yue. Could it be that Your Majesty values ​​Lin Yue’s talent in water management and wants to use his strength to solve the floods in Jiangnan?

How can the crime of arbitrarily killing officials be lightly forgiven?

Or is it that His Majesty has long harbored dissatisfaction with the Jiangnan region and had prepared in advance to instruct Lin Yue to take action, intending to use swift and decisive measures to purify Jiangnan?

Zheng Ci thought for a long time and guessed many possibilities, but he never guessed that Lin Yue himself had made the decision on his own, because logically speaking, this was not something a normal person could do.

The impeachment of Li Zhigang at the court meeting came to an end.

Zhu Di had just changed out of his court robes and was about to rest when Ji Gang entered, bowing, his expression revealing a subtle and indescribable quality.

It was neither the ruthlessness of apprehending wanted criminals nor the solemnity of reporting bad news, but rather an extreme level of caution.

"Your Majesty, I have an important matter to report." Ji Gang bowed his head. "In recent days, a large number of people from Jurong in Yingtian Prefecture have been heading towards Nanjing City. They are coming in an endless stream along the way, and the trend is spreading."

"What?" Zhu Di suddenly looked up. "Jurong is only seventy li from the capital. Why are people flocking to the city for no apparent reason? How many are there?"

He instinctively gripped the armrest of the throne, his alertness instantly heightened.

Since the Jingnan Rebellion, Emperor Yongle was most sensitive to any unusual activity around the capital. If there were any troublemakers causing disturbances in this area, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Ji Gang's expression was subtle as he truthfully replied, "Your Majesty, I have already dispatched the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate. These people are not causing trouble, but rather... they have come to express their gratitude to Your Majesty and Imperial Envoy Lin for their efforts in controlling the floods."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Currently, the number of people gathered is close to 30,000, and more people along the way are joining in. They are all farmers from Suzhou and Songjiang prefectures and surrounding areas who have benefited from the flood control efforts."