The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 136 The Crown Prince Goes to Nanjing, Evil Spirits Rise in the Southeast

The Bohai Sea surged and rolled, and looking out to the horizon, the sea and sky blended into one blue. Hundreds of large ships carrying Ming Dynasty soldiers headed towards Japan. Li Xianmu stood on the dock, watching the ships depart into the distance, his eyes filled with worry.

Li Qi was also high in the sky, gazing at the departing Ming fleet. No one in the entire Ming Dynasty understood the situation in Japan better than him.

During the early reign of the previous Japanese king, Minamoto no Michiyoshi (Ashikaga Yoshimitsu), Japan was actually in the Nanboku-cho period, with one emperor in each of the Southern and Northern Courts. Compared to the Heian and Nara periods in which the Fujiwara clan lived, the emperors of this period actually had a certain amount of political power.

During the reign of Minamoto no Michiyoshi, Japan was unified. At present, Japan is in the heyday of the Shogun and has just been unified, with very few internal conflicts.

More than 100 years before the famous Sengoku period in Japanese history, this was equivalent to the peak of a dynasty. The strength that a dynasty of an island agricultural civilization could exert at its peak was even greater than that of Goguryeo during the Sui and Tang dynasties!

Zhu Di was unwilling to go to war with Japan, and Li Xianmu was also unwilling to go to war with Japan at this time, after all, the threat from the north had not yet been eliminated.

However, Japan's silver mines were something that the Ming Dynasty desperately needed, and he hoped that things wouldn't end in a full-scale war.

It would be best if both sides could cooperate.

The previous Japanese king, Minamoto no Michiyoshi, was very fond of trading with the Ming Dynasty, so he gladly accepted the title of Japanese king bestowed upon him by the Ming Dynasty.

However, according to history, the daimyo and samurai under the command of the current Japanese emperor Minamoto no Yoshimochi were unwilling to bow down to the Ming Dynasty, and would sever trade with the Ming Dynasty in the ninth year of the Yongle reign.

It wasn't until the next Shogun, Minamoto no Yoshinori, that trade relations between the two sides were restored.

Even Li Qi had no idea what outcome this mission of the Ming Dynasty would have.

“Since Mingda is so worried about the delegation, why doesn’t he go with them? If you suggest it to His Majesty, he won’t refuse.”

Wang Gen was somewhat puzzled.

Li Xianmu shook his head, looked back in the direction of Beijing, his eyes filled with profound meaning, "Senior brother, how could I not want to go to Japan to lay the foundation for a hundred-year great cause for our Ming Dynasty?"
But the capital is in turmoil right now, and I have a feeling that the Prince of Han is about to launch another attack on His Highness the Crown Prince. If I were in Japan at this time, I would be worried that something might happen to His Highness the Crown Prince.

Moreover, when I visited Uncle Chen a few days ago, I could clearly see that his energy was waning. Currently, the School of Mind is no longer dominant in the capital. If Uncle Chen is forced to retire, or even unfortunately passes away, I will need to stabilize the situation in the court even more. While the situation in Japan is crucial, my position in the court is even more critical. The Ming Dynasty is the center of everything; it would be unwise to abandon the advantage of the main trunk for the sake of branches.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Gen lowered his head in shame. "I originally said that I, your senior brother, would take on the responsibility of leading the study of mind, but I never expected that in the end I would have to put this heavy burden on your shoulders. It is my incompetence."

Li Xianmu said in a deep voice, "Senior brother, you must not underestimate yourself. You have worked very hard these past few years. It is only because my philosophy of mind is weak. The growth of a school of thought not only requires the perfection of its theory, but also the support of powerful figures in the court. In the final analysis, it is because our official positions are too low, and His Majesty still has doubts about the philosophy of mind!"

Wang Gen nodded as well.

Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism has already proven successful. Back then, Li Qi, with his profound knowledge, pried open a crack in the rigid Neo-Confucianism, allowing the School of Mind to flourish. However, it is not yet the late Ming Dynasty, and the rigidity of Neo-Confucianism and its incompatibility with society have not yet reached their end.

As Ma Sheng once said, a social system cannot be replaced until all the productive forces it can accommodate have reached their peak.

This principle also applies to the realm of ideas: an idea cannot be automatically replaced until it is perceived by the vast majority of people as an obstacle to social development.

In the early Han Dynasty, the Huang-Lao school of thought replaced the Legalist school of thought of the Qin Dynasty because people at the time believed that Legalism could no longer rule the empire.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the New Text School of Confucianism replaced the Huang-Lao School of Daoism. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Old Text School of Confucianism replaced the New Text School of Confucianism.

The biggest obstacle to the development of the School of Mind was that Li Xianmu had not yet proven to the emperor that it could make the Ming Dynasty greater than Neo-Confucianism. If he could not prove this, the emperor and the entire royal family would not use their enormous administrative power to abolish Neo-Confucianism and provide political support for the School of Mind.

"Senior brother, next year, I will recommend you to His Majesty as the chief examiner for the imperial examination in the ninth year of Yongle's reign. The examination questions for this year represent an important stage in the development of my philosophy of mind. You must combine my philosophy of mind to propose the most crucial examination questions for our Great Ming Dynasty, and you must also be able to hit the mark with His Majesty's thoughts."

Wang Gen nodded heavily, "Junior brother, don't worry. Over the years, I have gained quite a reputation."

Li Xianmu sighed deeply. The restrictions imposed on him during the Yongle reign were too great. Zhu Di was a truly ambitious and capable emperor. Even if such an emperor trusted someone the most, he would not allow them to become the sole ruler. Li Xianmu's desire to have administrative power second only to the emperor during the Yongle reign was nothing short of a pipe dream.

Therefore, helping Zhu Gaochi ascend the throne was something he had to do. Once Zhu Gaochi died and Zhu Zhanji came to power, he would be the emperor's maternal uncle, a veteran of three reigns, the son of a sage, the leader of the School of Mind, a great Confucian scholar, a leader of the literati, and the ruler of Jiangnan. At that time, he could do whatever he wanted!
……

Li Xianmu truly sensed some unusual movements by the Prince of Han.

Shortly after Zheng He's mission departed for Japan, His Highness the Crown Prince was suddenly dispatched to Nanjing to offer sacrifices at the Xiaoling Mausoleum. This was a matter of course for the dynasty, but Li Xianmu sensed something unusual about it.

Because Hanwang has been far too quiet for the past six months!
He never even attacked the crown prince in front of the emperor, which is very unusual and illogical.

As the emperor grows older, the chances of the Prince of Han winning the succession struggle will become smaller and smaller. He must complete this task while the emperor's favor towards him is still relatively high, because he is currently illegally staying in the capital as a prince and should have returned to his fiefdom immediately!

"If a dog that used to bark a lot suddenly stops biting, it just means it has become more dangerous."

Inside the Eastern Palace, facing Zhu Gaochi who was about to depart for Nanjing, Li Xianmu's expression was extremely serious, as if a storm was brewing.

Zhu Gaochi, who had thought it was just an ordinary sacrificial trip, couldn't help but feel nervous. His chubby face turned pale, and he asked hesitantly, "Xianmu, is it really that nerve-wracking?"

In previous years, the Emperor could personally visit the Xiaoling Mausoleum to offer sacrifices. Now that the capital has been moved, sending the Crown Prince there seems perfectly reasonable, doesn't it?

Li Xianmu frowned and said in a deep voice, "It is precisely because it is so reasonable that it is even more possible to manipulate things from within."

If something is too unusual, wouldn't you become wary?
Because this matter seems so reasonable, you went there with a relaxed attitude. But once you fall into the trap, there will be no turning back!

Do you remember what I told you before?
The most dangerous thing about being the crown prince is being too far away from the emperor!

Have you forgotten the emperor's suspicions about you when he returned from the last northern expedition?

Does Your Highness think that will be the last time? A trip to Nanjing will inevitably involve observing the government there, since there is a whole set of government offices in Nanjing!
This will inevitably arouse the emperor's suspicion!

The rebuke Emperor Yongle gave Zhu Gaochi upon his return from the northern expedition in the seventh year of Yongle's reign was a nightmare that would haunt him forever.

"Please teach me, Xianmu!"

Li Xianmu shook his head with a gloomy expression. "The only option now is to deal with things as they come. If there is any unusual news, Your Highness, please write to me as soon as possible so that I can handle things for you in the capital."

Zhu Gaochi was somewhat disappointed, but he also knew that Li Xianmu was not a god and could not possibly guess what kind of conspiracy the Prince of Han was plotting.

"Xianmu, don't worry, I will keep an eye on these unusual things while I'm in Nanjing."

Li Xianmu gave a few more instructions, still somewhat worried, before leaving the Eastern Palace.

As he stepped out of the East Palace gate, Li Xianmu turned back to gaze at the Crown Prince, wondering if he could truly leave Nanjing unscathed.
……

Just as the Crown Prince's ship was sailing towards Nanjing, a rather strange thing was happening in Yingtian Prefecture.

On the vast land of the Ming Dynasty, there are various projects almost every day, such as road construction and bridge building.

Some of them were built with direct funding from the imperial court and the central government, some were built by local officials, and some were built with funds from local tycoons.

Road construction is relatively less dangerous, while bridge construction is extremely dangerous; it is no exaggeration to say that every bridge construction project inevitably results in death.

In ancient times, there was no systematic engineering discipline, so it was impossible to find specialized engineers to build such structures.

Therefore, whether it was the government or the wealthy, when building bridges and roads, they would only look for craftsmen with skills passed down through generations, whose families had been stonemasons and carpenters for generations. Society generally believed that only these people could build bridges as safely as possible.

In this era where barriers between industries are as formidable as chasms, and even in the ancient world where becoming an apprentice required first serving as a disciple for several years.

Furthermore, after the Yuan Dynasty, all the people were divided into various household registrations such as artisan households and farmer households.

Ordinary people actually regard stonemasons and carpenters as professionals, much like Taoist priests and Buddhist monks.

Most people believed that these carpenters and stonemasons were better at repairing and building things than ordinary people, not because they possessed superb skills, but because they possessed some kind of magical magic.

For example, there is a folk legend that a carpenter can write the name of a living person on a piece of paper, then drive the paper into a wooden stake. Afterward, the carpenter will be divinely aided, and the soul of the person whose name was written on will be taken away, becoming the source of the carpenter's power to perform magic. This is a kind of magic possessed by carpenters.

For most educated people, this is of course absurd, but ordinary people just believe in these things.

Not to mention the common people in ancient times, even in the 21st century, there are still a large number of people who believe in these folk legends, to the point that the government has to crack down on feudal superstition.

In the Jiangnan region today, evil spirits and strange winds are everywhere. At this time, news suddenly came from the capital that His Highness the Crown Prince was coming to Nanjing to pay homage to his ancestors. Local officials were both excited and fearful.

……

Let's go back two months.

Zhejiang Provincial Administration Commission, Shaoxing Prefecture, Kuaiji County.

Following its usual plan, the county government recruited a bridge-building team from across the county, and the project was ultimately won by the highly skilled stonemason Wu.

The bridge repair could not be done by Wu the stonemason alone, so he quickly gathered a group of people who had worked with him for many years.

February 13th was a fine day, perfect for starting construction. Stonemason Wu, along with two apprentices, were observing suitable locations for breaking ground at the site where they planned to begin work.

“Master, Master, this old man insisted that I bring him to find you. I couldn’t stop him. He said he has something very important to tell you.”

Wu the stonemason looked at the newcomer with surprise, realizing he didn't recognize him, and asked in confusion, "May I ask what business you have with me, sir?"

The old man spoke mysteriously, "It's inconvenient to talk here with so many people around. Let's go over there and talk."

Wu the stonemason wasn't worried that the withered old man could harm him, so he followed the old man to the side, avoiding others.

The old man first sighed deeply, then a look of resentment rose on his face, and he said angrily:

"I am Wang Deyou from Wangjia Village. Alas, my family is unfortunate. None of my three sons are filial. They abuse me at home every day. I have heard that you are a famous stonemason in the surrounding area. You must be proficient in the secret art of calling back souls. I want you to seal the names of my three sons on wooden stakes and call their souls to be suppressed under this bridge. This will also help you. You will not need to take the lives of other innocent people to complete this bridge. What do you think?"

Having worked as a stonemason for so many years, Wu was naturally aware of these folk tales. But as a true expert, he knew, of course, that they were all false.

These so-called secrets are nothing but the figments of the imagination of a group of ignorant people.

He immediately shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? I don't know any of those harmful secret techniques!"

"I won't tell anyone about these things. Please help this old man. You are the best stonemason in the surrounding area. I've heard that there have never been any injuries or deaths when you repair bridges and roads. How could you not know these secret techniques?"

Old Man Wang didn't believe what Stonemason Wu said at all, thinking he was just making excuses.

Upon hearing this, Wu the stonemason knew that this was a rather stubborn old man, and that there was no reasoning with him. He immediately grabbed Wang the old man's arm and said sternly, "Come with me to see the magistrate right now. Spreading such rumors and inciting the public will not be spared!"

(End of this chapter)