The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 130 Refuting the Emperor at the Grand Court Assembly
As expected, the opening of maritime trade routes and the establishment of a naval command post caused a great uproar in the court and among the public.

Impeachment memorials flooded the court like snowflakes.

These memorials included two main points: opposition to maritime transport and impeachment of Li Xianmu, accusing him of spreading heresy and misleading the public, and demanding severe punishment.

"These scholars are truly ruthless when they start cursing. I'm even a little curious, Xianmu, are you really that heinous?"

Zhu Di laughed loudly and pushed the memorials in front of Li Xianmu. The stack was almost half a person high. "These are all memorials impeaching you. A mere fifth-rank official, to be impeached by so many people, including many high-ranking officials of the second and third ranks, you are the first person in the history of the Ming Dynasty to do so."

Aren't you even a little bit panicked? This is going against the entire world!

The ministers of the Wenyuan Pavilion also looked at Li Xianmu with complicated expressions. He had offended so many people, yet he acted so nonchalantly. He was truly audacious.

Li Xianmu calmly replied, "Under the rule of a weak and incompetent ruler, I would naturally be flustered, but under Your Majesty's rule, I am not flustered. This is a great thing that benefits the country and the people. The more these people oppose it, the more it proves that this matter is correct."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Di burst into laughter again, "Good! You remain calm even if Mount Tai collapses before you, you're a tough guy, worthy of the bloodline of my Zhu family."

Upon hearing the emperor mention the Zhu family, all the cabinet ministers knew that Li Xianmu was definitely out of danger.

"Your Majesty, some ministers in these memorials have suggested that we try it first, and if it is truly beneficial to the country, then we can implement it. I think there is some merit to this suggestion."

Hu Guangjin said.

Zhu Di was somewhat moved by these words, for they were indeed the words of a wise and prudent person.

"I believe it is unnecessary."

Li Xianmu immediately retorted: "If maritime transport is being implemented for the first time, it is understandable to try it out."

But the Yuan Dynasty had been conducting maritime trade for decades and it had proven to be without problems. How could the barbarians accomplish something that our Great Ming Dynasty could not?

If, during the trial, someone deliberately sabotages the operation, or if bad luck strikes and the ship sinks due to strong winds, does that mean we should abandon maritime shipping altogether?
Shipping is bound to have bad luck and shipwrecks, which is something no one can control. All we can do is choose safer routes and select the most suitable weather for departure; the rest is up to God's blessing.

"I believe there's no need to discuss this further!"

Hu Guang made a remark, but unexpectedly, Li Xianmu immediately retorted with a barrage of words. The two already had old and new grudges, and Hu Guang angrily said, "The cabinet ministers have the responsibility to offer advice and serve as His Majesty's advisors. Scholar Li, you are acting so arbitrarily. Are you treating the cabinet as your personal fiefdom?"

This question is quite weighty.

"Scholar Hu, there's no need to pretend to be so aggrieved. His Majesty has entrusted us cabinet ministers with important military and national affairs, so we should have carefully considered our words before speaking."

These local officials' memorials were already filled with ulterior motives. If you don't think things through and casually offer advice to His Majesty, you will betray His Majesty's trust and even utter such sinister words.

"In the court and among the people, who doesn't know that you, Hu Guang, are at odds with me? Your attacks on maritime transport, and then on me, are exactly what you've been planning!"

After Li Xianmu finished speaking, the emperor and all the cabinet ministers changed color. No one expected that the two would have such a serious conflict in front of the emperor.

This is going to be difficult to handle.

Hu Guangfang's statement was quite inappropriate, and Li Xianmu's response was even more inappropriate. How can such a thing be said without evidence?

Hu Guang remained completely calm, even feeling a sense of delight at seizing the opportunity. He immediately stood up, pointed at Li Xianmu, and shouted sternly, "Before His Majesty, how could Scholar Li so easily slander a minister?"
You, Li Xianmu, are not the only one in this world who are devoted to the country!
"Your Majesty, Li Xianmu has framed and slandered ministers in Your Majesty's presence. I deserve to die a thousand deaths. I beg Your Majesty to do me justice."

Hu Guang knelt on the ground, weeping, and said, "I am a loyal subject with a heart full of devotion. What I said just now was merely following the proper order. Even if there were some mistakes, who can be without fault in everything?"

"To have been so slandered by Li Xianmu, if he is not severely punished, who will dare to speak out in the future?"

Zhu Di's expression was also serious. "Li Xianmu, do you know your mistake?"

A fierce glint flashed in Hu Guang's eyes. In the end, the emperor still gave Li Xianmu face, only asking about the mistake instead of punishing him.

"His Majesty.

My father often said, "Be lenient with others when you can." He also often said that forgiving your opponent will reduce your opponent and increase your friend.

Although I do not possess the magnanimity of my late father, I am unwilling to make enemies with the other officials. Even until now, I was still hesitant about whether to reconcile with Hu Guang. After all, we are both in the Wenyuan Pavilion, and if we have personal grudges, wouldn't that affect state affairs?

But now it seems unnecessary.

Some people are truly wolves in sheep's clothing!

Li Xianmu reached into his robes and took out a letter. He said in a deep voice, “Your Majesty, this is a letter between Hu Guang and the Henan Provincial Governor. The two are fellow townsmen from Jiangxi and are related by marriage. This letter is enough to prove that Hu Guang’s attack is malicious!”

The hall fell silent.

The cabinet ministers were stunned and greatly surprised.

Hu Guang was utterly horrified.

The emperor's brows furrowed more and more deeply.

Zhu Di took the letter, glanced at it twice, and then angrily threw it at Hu Guang, shouting, "Take a good look at it, what else do you have to say?"

Hu Guang picked up the letter in disbelief. It was indeed his handwriting, and it was indeed a letter he had sent to the Henan Provincial Governor.

Before he could even apologize, he asked, "I clearly said that all correspondence should be destroyed, so why did this letter end up in your hands?"

Hu Guang knew he was finished. The idea of ​​a Beijing official acting as a protector for a local official was something that every dynasty had always been extremely wary of.

Because this could be suspected of forming a faction.

He was simply baffled as to how Li Xianmu knew about these things.

"If you want others to know, you have to do nothing unless you do it yourself!"

Li Xianmu had long suspected that local officials and officials in the capital would collude, and those who were already dissatisfied with him naturally became the focus of his surveillance.

But of course he wouldn't say it out loud, as that would make him seem too powerful. "There are not only heartless people like you in this world, but also righteous people and chivalrous heroes. If someone can't stand your dirty deeds, they will naturally take action!"

Having said that, Hu Guang knew there was no more to say.

"I am guilty."

He kowtowed deeply, saying, "Your subject is guilty."

Zhu Di glanced coldly at Hu Guang and said sternly, "Get out of Jiaozhi. I never want to see you again."

Most of the officials demoted during the Yongle reign went to Jiaozhi and Yunnan, such as Xie Jin. Hu Guang went to Jiaozhi, and unless something unexpected happened, he would never be able to return in his lifetime.

Hu Guang initiated the attack, but ended up in such a sorry state after only a few words, which is truly lamentable.

Zhu Di also lost interest in discussing matters.

He was quite fond of Hu Guang, but he never expected Hu Guang to treat his favor in this way.

"The cabinet drafts an edict to severely reprimand these officials who submitted petitions, saying that they are not allowed to interfere in matters of state."

The officials received their orders and returned to the Wenyuan Pavilion.

Yang Shiqi glanced at Li Xianmu every now and then, and felt a pang of unease in his heart. Hu Guang might have brought this upon himself, but Li Xianmu's methods were undeniably ruthless.

If Hu Guang hadn't said those irreversible words, he wouldn't have ended up in exile in Jiaozhi. Once the maritime trade issue was resolved, the letter wouldn't have been a big problem; at most, it would have been just a few complaints.

But Hu Guang uttered those critical words, and Yang Shiqi even suspected that Li Xianmu had induced him to say them.

Looking back now, since Li Xianmu entered the court in the sixth year of the Yongle reign, every official who harbored ill will towards him, who had criticized him, and who could be called his political enemies, has met with unexpected misfortune. Some of the Nine Ministers were even forced to retire.

A chill ran through Yang Shiqi's heart.

It seems that only he, through his connection with the Crown Prince, managed to reach a reconciliation with Li Xianmu to some extent.

Li Xianmu could feel everyone's eyes on him, but he didn't care. He believed that a shameless person like Hu Guang should be dealt with severely and thoroughly crushed.

If there are people opposing you everywhere in the court, how can policies be implemented?

Hu Guang was just the beginning.

Emperor Yongle is still on the throne. Once he outlives both Yongle and Zhu Gaochi and his seniority is doubled, he will show all his opposing ministers what cruelty is.

……

Hu Guang, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, was demoted to Jiaozhi for colluding with the Henan Provincial Governor. Naturally, the Henan Provincial Governor was also exiled.

Along with the Henan Provincial Governor, many other officials from Henan were also demoted.

The emperor's ruthless measures instantly brought local officials to their senses. The current river transport interest groups were still very weak, having neither coerced millions of canal workers nor formed an alliance of interests with officials in the capital, nobles, or the imperial family.

The emperor merely waved his big stick slightly, and they immediately scattered like birds and beasts.

The Maritime Affairs Office was thus established in the capital. The emperor was quite dissatisfied with the officials recommended by the Six Ministries, believing that they had no maritime experience, so he directly left the position of Second-Rank Commissioner vacant.

Zheng He was appointed as the Left Junior Secretary, a third-rank official, to oversee maritime affairs!

……

This matter naturally caused a great uproar in the court, and during the grand court assembly, there was a constant stream of opposition!
"Your Majesty, the late Emperor said that eunuchs should not interfere in politics. The Han and Tang dynasties were both ruined by eunuchs. How can we appoint eunuchs as officials in the outer court!"

There was a chorus of agreement in the court.

In the early Yongle period, the chief eunuchs of the twelve inner court offices were all of the fourth rank, but they were all inner court officials serving the emperor and had no real power.

Zheng He, as the Grand Eunuch, led a fleet on voyages to the Western Ocean, which was already the pinnacle of a eunuch's career.

This was the first time a eunuch had served as an official in the outer court, which touched a raw nerve with almost everyone.

Zhu Di's trust in eunuchs was very evident; he entrusted many important matters to them.

Throughout history, eunuchs have never usurped the positions of officials in the outer court.

Even Li Xianmu strongly opposed it.

But standing in the queue, he saw the emperor's expression and knew that opposing it would be futile; the emperor would definitely push it through.

This was not the first time the emperor had encountered opposition from his ministers, but he was not afraid.

"I have made up my mind!"

Zhu Di's voice was resolute and cold, "Any further..."

"His Majesty!"

Seeing that the situation was getting out of control, Li Xianmu quickly stepped out of the ranks and loudly interrupted the emperor, "Your subject has a memorial to present!"

Upon seeing that it was Li Xianmu, Zhu Di's expression softened slightly as he asked, "What do you have to report?"

"Your Majesty, throughout history, eunuchs have frequently interfered in politics, and most of them have brought disaster to the country and the people. However, there have also been virtuous eunuchs like Gao Lishi and Yang Sixu. I believe that what Your Majesty and your ministers are holding is actually the same thing, but they have not said it outright."

Zhu Di pondered for a moment, "You say that I and all of you are one word, what makes you say that?"

"Your Majesty wants to appoint Minister Zheng as the head of maritime transport because there are no ministers in the court who are skilled in maritime transport. Minister Zheng has traveled to the Western Ocean twice, covering thousands of miles, and is very knowledgeable about shipping. Therefore, Your Majesty wants to entrust this important national matter of transporting grain to Minister Zheng, which is a move for the benefit of the country and the nation."

His Majesty was quite indignant, believing that his ministers did not understand the reasoning behind the argument.

Zhu Di's expression softened completely, and he said irritably, "Of all the officials in the court, only you, Li Xianmu, know what I mean. If any of you were of any use, you wouldn't have forced me to resort to such a desperate measure."

When the emperor said that they were not as good as a eunuch, the courtiers in the hall were both angry and anxious, but they did not know what to say in rebuttal. They could only mutter some nonsense such as "it is just a laborious matter" and "it is of no benefit to the country".

Then they turned their expectant gaze to Li Xianmu.

They simply didn't believe that Li Xianmu, no matter how loyal he was to the emperor, would allow a eunuch to ride roughshod over them.
If he really does that, then the Li family's reputation will be ruined.

Li Xianmu sighed inwardly, realizing how difficult it was to be a good official like him who served the country and its people.

If there's no reward of absolute power in the future, then it really won't be worth it.

"Your Majesty, while Master Zheng is indeed a man of great talent, there have been many eunuchs throughout history who were known for their virtue. However, the reason why the ministers oppose him is because there are far more unworthy eunuchs."

The reason for this is that I will not attack you because of your physical disability.

Your Majesty, I would like to ask you, is it better for the Ming Dynasty to select talents through the rigorous imperial examinations, or to choose ordinary people from the marketplace at will?
Are the learned officials better suited to govern the Ming Dynasty, or are the illiterate eunuchs better?

Eunuchs always brought chaos to the world. Leaving aside their character, their experiences alone show that very few eunuchs were truly capable.

Zhu Di's brows furrowed more and more deeply.

The courtiers were greatly encouraged by this.

As expected, even Li Xianmu opposed it.

"Your Majesty wants to appoint Zheng as the Grand Secretary, but the most dangerous thing in this world is setting a precedent. If the practice of allowing eunuchs to serve as officials in the outer court starts with Your Majesty, will the entire court be filled with eunuchs in the future?"

Zhu Di waved his hand and shouted, "This is alarmist talk! How could it be?"

"Will the one who started this practice have no descendants?"

Li Xianmu said with emotion, "If Your Majesty sets a precedent, I fear that future rulers will not follow suit."

Zhu Di was speechless. Although he trusted the eunuchs, he knew that they were far inferior to civil officials. If eunuchs could really replace civil officials, then the government would have used eunuchs all along.

"Let's assume that what you say makes some sense, but what about the maritime administration?"
This was proposed and established by you, Li Xianmu. If it fails to achieve the effects you described, I will hold you accountable.

Zhu Di felt somewhat embarrassed.

(End of this chapter)