Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 245 You’re obsessed!

It is useless to reason with an accomplished old minister like Li Shanchang.

Only by making them aware of the crisis will they think and weigh the pros and cons. Xia Zhibai actually didn't have to come, but if he didn't come, he would probably face many obstacles when he went to the south in the future. The world's population is declining right now, and there will be a lot of killing, which is not what Xia Zhibai wants.

Xia Zhibai's voice echoed in the room for a long time.

Buzzing.

Li Shanchang's face turned red.

Looking at Xia Zhibai, there was no longer any good feeling towards him.

His eyes were filled with resentment and anger.

He was the Grand Tutor, holding a high position of power and influence. How could he have ever been scolded by others?
Even Liu Ji had to be humble in front of him.

Li Shanchang sarcastically said, "Since you know that I am the head of all officials, you should know that my suggestions are also based on the country. The salt policy reform you proposed is indeed inappropriate. The salt policy reform involves all aspects of the country. How can you, a small official who has been in the court for less than two years, make decisions?"

"Don't say you have no experience in handling official government affairs. Even if you are a third-rank salt transport envoy, you are not qualified to point fingers in front of me."

"Your Majesty knows best whether I, Li Shanchang, am Sima Yi."

"No need for you to remind me."

"Don't forget who caused this mess in the South. If you hadn't invented that steam engine, these things wouldn't have happened in the South. It's obviously because of your improper storage that the South has encountered such a big problem. Now you come here to play the good guy and blame me."

"Where did you get your face?"

"This time I am the one cleaning your ass."

"It is said that young people are full of ambition and vigor, but that does not mean you can be so unbridled."

"I won't allow you to speak nonsense!"

"I, Li Shanchang, have done my duty to Your Majesty and the people. I have a clear conscience. The South is not prone to turmoil. Since you know this, how can you continue to make these stupid moves? Once the South's economy has problems, do you know how great the impact will be on the world?"

"Can you afford it?"

"You can not!"

Li Shanchang refuted Xia Zhibai with a stern face.

As the Grand Tutor of the current dynasty, he would not be frightened by Xia Zhibai's few words. Moreover, if he was frightened by Xia Zhibai's words, then wouldn't his reputation be ruined? Would anyone in the court still listen to him in the future?

He can't retreat.

No refunds are allowed.

Being in this position, you have no control over yourself.

Now that he has come forward, he can only fight to the end with determination.

There is absolutely no room for maneuver.

If he really retreated, he would be doomed to be "abandoned by his friends and relatives", and then he, Li Shanchang, would be completely finished, all alone. Moreover, he never believed that the emperor could be cruel enough to reorganize Jiangnan. Jiangnan was no different from other places in the world, with a large population, a prosperous economy, and a large number of scholars.

The salt policy alone aroused opposition from the gentry in the south.

If they really set their sights on the southern economy, I'm afraid it will cause even bigger trouble.

As a minister of the Ming Dynasty, how could he tolerate this happening?

It is indeed reasonable for Xia Zhibai to start from the interests of the court, but he is also starting from the stability of the world, so how is that wrong?

Perhaps both are right.

It's just that everyone makes different choices.

To some extent, he quite admired Xia Zhibai.

He is truly like a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger. He dares to think and do anything. However, the court is not a place. Many things involve a wide range of issues and cannot be decided so easily. Even the current emperor will weigh the pros and cons of all parties when making a decision and does not dare to act on his own.

"So in the mind of the Grand Master, the South is the only important region in the world?" Xia Zhibai said.

"Isn't it?" Li Shanchang asked back.

Li Shanchang stood with his hands behind his back and said coldly: "I know some of your ideas, but sometimes being too independent and unconventional, without considering the actual situation in the world, is essentially sensationalism."

Xia Zhibai said woodenly: "What the Grand Master said may be right."

“But it’s not right for the world.”

Li Shanchang sneered and said disdainfully: "I know that your majesty has made it his life's work to bridge the north and south, but your majesty's heart is actually just to prevent the north from rebelling. The Ming Dynasty is defending the Great Wall, and the north is the border of the Ming Dynasty. If the northerners have the intention of rebellion, it will be too harmful to the Ming Dynasty. This is why your majesty is committed to bridging the north and south."

"Your Majesty, do you really not know the importance of the South?"

"Your Majesty is from the South, and you know much more about the situation in the South than you, a northerner."

"If you really want to."

"I suggest you go south."

"Go and see for yourself how big the gap is between the north and the south."

“Only when you really see it, you will understand why some things are just not feasible.”

Li Shanchang looked at Xia Zhibai coldly and spoke rudely.

Full of arrogance and coldness.

Xia Zhibai said: "Grandmaster, it is your paranoid thoughts that will eventually hurt you."

"The Ming Dynasty has never been just half the country."

"As the current Grand Master, you have a biased mind. How can you be fair?"

"The world is like a chessboard, and the north and the south are one."

"This is the way of governing the Ming Dynasty. If everyone in the world is like the Grand Master, adhering to the principle that the south is precious and the north is unimportant, then the Ming Dynasty's north-south reconciliation will never be completed no matter how long it takes, because it has already left a deep impression in the minds of the people." "That is, the south is important and the north is unimportant."

"And that's the real hubris of the South."

"As a minister of the Ming Dynasty, since we know the differences in the south, we should take it as our responsibility to reduce the differences in the south. However, in the eyes of the imperial tutor and other important officials of the court, they don't take it seriously at all. They just regard the north as a buffer zone between the court and the northern barbarians, and don't care about the millions of people in the north at all."

"They even openly mentioned the South again."

"This is just a huge irony."

"What's even more shameful is that you, Grand Master, have repeatedly spoken up for the South and offered advice and suggestions to the South. Through your own methods, you have made the South superior to the North. Many of the differences between the North and the South are actually fabricated by you."

"Weren't you the ones who pushed the North and South apart?"

"Just because the economy in the South is developed, and because you are from the South, you can ignore the situation in the world?"

"Private interests outweigh public interests."

"These are the ministers headed by the Grand Master!"

Li Shanchang waved his sleeves and sneered, "No matter how you slander and fabricate, the fact is that the South is better than the North. Even the nomadic tribes know that if they go to places with abundant grass and water, the economy in the South will naturally attract more people to follow them. This is the natural law of the world."

"How can human beings stop it?"

"You have a lot of passion, but you don't use it in the right way."

"These crooked ways can indeed make you stand out, but they can also make you fall into them, to use a Buddhist saying."

"You're obsessed!"

Xia Zhibai nodded and sighed, "Now that the world is so divided, how can you not be attached to it?"

"Since the Grand Master has made up his mind."

"I won't persuade you any more. I won't change anything."

"I came here today just to persuade the Grand Tutor. If Your Majesty really decides to change the salt policy, if the Grand Tutor steps in, perhaps the problem in the south can be solved quickly, at least it won't cause public outcry in the area. However, the Grand Tutor doesn't seem to care."

"Then let the people be the judge."

"The right and wrong, merits and demerits, should be judged by future generations, and should come from the mouths of the people."

"I always believe that if I put the people first and the world first, the people will give me the most resolute answer."

"I am resigning."

Xia Zhibai bowed respectfully to Li Shanchang.

Without saying anything else, he just left.

Without stopping at all.

Li Shanchang stood in the house, watching Xia Zhibai leave, but his face was gloomy. After waiting for a long time, Xia Zhibai was no longer outside the house. Li Shanchang came to his senses. He withdrew his gaze, and his face was not relaxed as before, but became very heavy.

He did reject Xia Zhibai's suggestion.

But he had to admit that Xia Zhibai's words had a great impact on him.

It made him feel more threatened and uneasy.

Especially when Xia Zhibai said "Sima Yi", he was even more shocked. He had actually had a premonition a long time ago and had even been deliberately avoiding it, but there were some things he could not retreat from, and he had no way to retreat. He knew how he had come to his current high position.

But he had no choice.

Just like Xia Zhibai said, sometimes, even if you don't want to, the people behind you will push you forward. He has long been tied to the group of heroes in Huaixi. With so many people involved this time, can he really sit back and watch? Can he really turn a blind eye?
impossible.

a long time.

Li Shan let out a long sigh.

At this time, Li Qi walked over quietly and whispered, "Father, what did Xia Zhibai say?"

Li Shanchang regained his composure and said solemnly, "Nothing. He hopes that I will step back and even ask me to help him persuade others to end the South incident as soon as possible to avoid getting too many people involved."

"Who are you, father?" Li Qi asked tentatively.

Li Shanchang frowned, looked at Li Qi coldly, and said, "I will not be moved by Xia Zhibai, but what Xia Zhibai said is not without reason. The current situation in the world is complicated, and no one can predict what will happen next."

"The emperor's mind is hard to predict."

"Should I go back then?" Li Qi asked.

Li Shanchang said coldly: "You must go back, and the sooner the better."

"Delay brings change."

"Now that Xia Zhibai has been so blatant and revealed so many confidential matters, I'm afraid he has already obtained the tacit approval of His Majesty. I will fight for the matter of the south with the court, but that's all. I can't get myself deeply involved."

"The world of Ming Dynasty is about to change!"

"Dad, is it that serious?" Li Qi was a little confused.

Li Shanchang snorted coldly, "It's more serious than you think. What happened in the South this time was a stupid move. It was forcing Your Majesty to take action. Now that Your Majesty has stopped the Northern Expedition, the meaning is self-evident. It means that you must concentrate on solving the problem in the South once and for all."

“The good times in the South are coming to an end.”

"Do not."

"You leave tonight."

"Also, remember to ask Princess Lin'an to write more letters to His Majesty."

Done.

Li Shanchang looked up at the sky and whispered, "As for the rest, it depends on how cruel your majesty is."

(End of this chapter)