Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2670 Stopping the Imperial Mausoleum, Consolidating the Empire

Li Xiang stepped down and walked to Fang Xuanling, Di Renjie, and the others, looking down at these elderly ministers who had become increasingly frail in recent years.

"You say this is for personal gain? You're wrong! What I want is to build an impregnable empire for future generations!"

"Digging this river is currently a difficult, arduous, and potentially fatal endeavor! But if we don't dig it, future generations will forever suffer from this division and the difficulty of changing their fortunes! I understand this calculation clearly!"

Li Xiang helped the elderly ministers to their feet, then straightened up and addressed all the ministers, declaring resolutely, "My mind is made up regarding the river opening! Ju Wu!"

"Your subject is here!" Ju Wu, then serving as Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works, bowed as he set out.

"The construction of the imperial mausoleum will be suspended, and all budgets for manpower and resources related to the mausoleum will be redirected to the canal!"

The canal project is a matter of great importance for generations to come.

But he was also well aware that most of the ministers who had just spoken out were expressing their opposition.

Therefore, he realized the seriousness of the matter.

For the sake of future generations, the imperial tombs may not need to be repaired, but the canal project must be put on the agenda.

Even if it's to be done slowly, over several generations, we still need to let him be the one to start.

"what?"

Upon hearing the emperor himself announce the suspension of construction on the imperial mausoleum, all the officials in the court were astounded.

At this moment, whether they were civil officials or military generals, they all gasped in disbelief, unable to believe their ears!

Suspend the construction of imperial mausoleums? This...this is simply an unprecedented and absurd thing. Which emperor doesn't start building his mausoleum as soon as he ascends the throne?

This is a matter of utmost importance concerning one's posthumous dignity and the dignity of the dynasty!
Fang Xuanling, Di Renjie, and others were also stunned at this moment. Although they hated the Grand Canal for draining the people's manpower, they never thought that the emperor would voluntarily suspend his own mausoleum in order to promote the project!

Fang Xuanling, the Minister of Rites, was the most shocked at this moment!
Ignoring the commotion among the civil and military officials, Li Xiang glanced at Fang Xuanling and Di Renjie, the two ministers of the Six Ministries, before finally fixing his gaze on Zhuge Liang, the Minister of Works, and continued speaking with unwavering resolve.

"Issue my decree:"

"From this moment forward, all construction projects related to the imperial mausoleum are suspended indefinitely! All materials already collected are to be sealed on site, and all craftsmen and laborers already assigned are to be reassigned to the canal project!"

"Furthermore, all the money, grain, and materials originally planned for the construction of the imperial mausoleum will be prioritized for the needs of the canal! In particular, the medicines needed for the prevention and control of epidemics will also include the rations of the laborers and the warm clothing for them!"

"In addition, I hereby announce to the world: the Grand Canal is vital to the nation's destiny and the benefit of all people. For the sake of peace and security in the south, I am temporarily suspending the construction of my own mausoleum. I urge all officials to work together to overcome this difficult time! As long as the Grand Canal remains unfinished, my mausoleum will not be moved!"

"His Majesty!!!"

Fang Xuanling knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face. "Your Majesty, please reconsider! This...this violates ancestral rules and damages the majesty of Heaven! The historians of the future will be like knives, and I fear...I fear there will be criticism, Your Majesty!"

The ancients placed great importance on what happened after their death, especially those with high social status.

After all, in ancient China, there was a tradition of "treating the dead as if they were alive," which considered properly handling the deceased's funeral arrangements an important ritual for maintaining family order. Funeral ceremonies were not only about burying the deceased, but also carried the symbolic meaning of continuing the family bloodline.

Almost every emperor undertook a major construction project to build his mausoleum during his reign. The most famous example is Qin Shi Huang, who mobilized a vast amount of manpower and resources for this project, incurring costs comparable to several other major projects of the same period.

In fact, the reason why Qin was called the "tyrannical Qin" in later dynasties was largely because the corvée and military service during that period were too harsh. When Qin Er Shi (the second emperor of Qin) took this to an even higher level.

Further down the list, Emperor Wu of Han, from the Qin and Han dynasties, was equally impressive. Even while waging war at Dasi, Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che, did not forget to construct his own imperial mausoleum.

Maoling took 53 years to build, involved tens of thousands of people, and consumed one-third of the country's annual tax revenue at the time.

Furthermore, the Qianling and Zhaoling Mausoleums of the Tang Dynasty, and the Thirteen Tombs of the Ming Dynasty, all demonstrate the importance that the ancients placed on their afterlife.

Looking at the officials kneeling on the ground, wailing over an unfinished mausoleum, Li Xiang thought of the nameless laborers struggling in mud and disease on the canal construction site once the canal project was actually launched.

A complex mix of emotions welled up inside him, a mixture of resolute determination, compassion, and a touch of the coldness unique to emperors.

He walked up to Fang Xuanling and other officials, looking down at them. Li Xiang's voice was deep but seemed to carry a penetrating power.

"Ancestral rules? Imperial authority? Minister Fang, tell me, is it more important to lie in a cold, luxurious underground palace and be criticized by future generations, or to make this living canal, which can nourish the vast land and protect countless people, open to navigation as soon as possible?"

Li Xiang straightened up, his voice carrying imperial authority, resounding throughout the warm pavilion.

"My mind is made up! Only when the canal is open can the country be secure and the people live in peace! The land I leave behind is not in the yellow earth below, but on this great river that runs through the north and south!"

"When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. Even if I die in the future, I'll just be a pile of bones, no different from anyone else. How can a pile of bones compare to millions of ordinary people?"

"Let the fragrance of rice blossoms and the sight of countless sails along the banks of this canal serve as a tribute! If future generations have any complaints, let them point at this river and curse me! I can bear it!"

He looked at Zhuge Liang, who was the Minister of Works, his eyes burning with a resolute flame.

"Kongming, I have given the Ministry of Works all the manpower, money, and materials for the construction of the mausoleum! If there are any problems with the canal, I will hold you responsible! Next, draft a plan for me as soon as possible!"

The Ministry of Works officials, led by Zhuge Liang, were shaken to their core. The immense shock and the overwhelming pressure that followed made it almost impossible for them to breathe.

The emperor has suspended the construction of his imperial mausoleum!
This is absolutely a do-or-die move!

They knelt down heavily with a thud, their foreheads pressed firmly against the cold gold bricks, their voices filled with unprecedented sobs and heaviness.

"Your subject... Zhuge Liang! Obeys the decree! I will do my utmost, even unto death, to live up to Your Majesty's and the people's trust!"

Those four words, "entrusted by the people," weigh more than a thousand pounds.

After Zhuge Liang stood up, he faced the assembled officials and bowed deeply again, everything understood without a word.

He understood that the emperor's move was not only for the sake of the canal, but also to demonstrate to the world a do-or-die attitude of sharing the fate of the country, which was more inspiring than any imperial edict.

Li Xiang stopped looking at them, waved wearily, and the crowd silently withdrew. At this moment, he was left all alone in the vast palace.

(End of this chapter)