The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 143 The Minister of Words
Last night's torrential rain washed away all the restlessness and glitz of the capital. Although there was water seeping into the streets, the wind was quite refreshing.

No secrets stay hidden forever. The Crown Prince was hastily brought back from Nanjing, and several others entered the palace without stopping.

The ministers who entered the palace to pay homage to the emperor today were all filled with unease, already anticipating that this would inevitably be a political earthquake, and that the crown prince might be deposed after today.

The King of Han will ascend to the throne and succeed to the throne in the future.

As for the officials who also entered the palace yesterday, who among them could turn the tide and save the collapsing edifice?

Unless the Black-Clad Chancellor Yao Guangxiao and the Duke of England Zhang Fu give their full support.

But this was impossible, especially since Duke Zhang Fu of Yingguo was a nobleman. His willingness to not support the Prince of Han as the crown prince was already the greatest support he could give to the crown prince. He would never advocate for the crown prince in front of the emperor.

The entire officialdom of the capital, and indeed the two capitals and thirteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty, fell into an eerie silence.

Compared to the matter of succession, even the matter of sorcery seems to have lost its appeal.

Even though all five ministries and six departments were on duty as usual, almost no one had the mind to pay attention to the affairs of their respective departments.

Politics concerns the fate of everyone.

The current crown prince enjoys high prestige among civil officials, and if he is deposed, many people will be affected.

Many others who secretly switched allegiance are waiting anxiously.

Everyone was waiting for news to come from the palace.

Even though I already guessed the truth, I still hope that things will settle down as soon as possible, because waiting is just too agonizing.

Even high-ranking officials like the Ministers of the Six Ministries were extremely anxious about it.

As early as after the first northern expedition, when the emperor deliberately found fault, two ministers were imprisoned. Although they were later released on bail, this incident showed that if the crown prince were to collapse this time, chaos would inevitably break out throughout the country.

Many officials have already made up their minds that if the emperor really intends to depose the crown prince, they will remonstrate with him to the death!

They waited until the Embroidered Uniform Guards left the palace and until the palace envoys left the forbidden area.

The decree concerning the deposed crown prince has still not been issued!

Those memorials were hidden deep in their bosoms, and even the officials who wanted to remonstrate to the death were at a loss.

A moment later, the message from the palace spread throughout the city.

The emperor didn't mention the crown prince at all!

He only severely reprimanded the provincial officials for not reporting the sorcery, which was an act of deceiving the emperor. Their intentions were despicable. All civil and military officials in Jiangnan were demoted one rank!
For civil and military officials in Jiangnan, this was undoubtedly a huge political disaster, requiring at least three years, or even ten years, of work experience.

On ordinary days, it would surely be in an uproar.

At this moment, almost everyone was plunged into a state of utter confusion.

what happened?
"Rumors are circulating that the Prince of Han looked unusually grim when he left the palace. Something must have happened in the palace yesterday!"

It was obvious to everyone that something was bound to happen in the palace.

"It is said that Li Xianmu pleaded with the emperor with tears in his eyes, which persuaded the emperor and the crown prince to reconcile!"

“Li Xianmu is exceptionally talented and deeply trusted by His Majesty, so he is somewhat credible.”

"If we enter the palace today, we will know the inside story."

Inside the Forbidden City, in the Wenyuan Pavilion.

A group of cabinet officials had already gathered in the cabinet.

The events that occurred in the palace yesterday were naturally known to Yang Shiqi and others, who were also Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet. In fact, the edict issued today was drafted by them.

The pavilion was filled with excitement, and almost everyone wore an undisguised joy on their faces, bowing deeply to Li Xianmu.

"Without a wise and discerning ruler, Your Highness would surely..." Yang Shiqi was speechless, only able to let out a deep sigh.

Yang Rong was the second youngest member of the cabinet, unlike Yang Shiqi who aspired to be the most senior. Therefore, he had no prejudice or jealousy towards Li Xianmu. At this moment, he naturally replied, "Without a wise and insightful person, His Highness the Crown Prince would be in grave danger this time."

This great achievement of Mingda benefits the nation and the world. From this day forward, Mingda's influence will spread throughout the land, his prestige will soar, and he will truly be worthy of the title of a renowned minister.

Everyone in the cabinet praised Li Xianmu without reservation.

Li Xianmu remained calm and shook his head, saying, "You are all too modest."

I am a loyal subject of Your Majesty, so why do I gain prestige by advocating for the Crown Prince?

This accumulated prestige is nothing but a burden to me.

From this day forward, I will avoid any appearance of impropriety with the Crown Prince.

Why is that?

Upon hearing this, the cabinet members were initially taken aback and were about to speak up to offer advice, but as soon as they opened their mouths, they fell into a deep silence.

Li Xianmu took in everyone's expressions and nodded to himself. Indeed, the cabinet was full of exceptionally intelligent people.

The cabinet ministers snapped out of their daze and looked at Li Xianmu, a hint of respect and admiration slowly rising in their eyes.

There is an old saying that heroes and outstanding individuals are as numerous as carp crossing a river, like white flowers in the waves.

However, most of these talented individuals are confident in themselves and determined to move forward; very few are willing to retire gracefully.

It turns out that taking a step back is actually moving forward.

It's easy to say, but who wouldn't be willing to bravely climb to the top and go against the current?

With such a favorable situation, who would be willing to back down?
But often, taking a step back can open up a whole new world, while blindly moving forward can only lead to a crushing defeat.

Now that Li Xianmu has just rendered great service to the Crown Prince, he is above everyone else in the Crown Prince's heart.

Anyone with eyes can see that with Yao Guangxiao in the court now, Li Xianmu cannot surpass this prime minister in black.

Given Li Xianmu's age, the Yongle reign was merely the beginning of his career. The next reign would be the time for him to truly shine. With his merit in saving the emperor today, and considering the bond between the two generations of the Li family and the crown prince, his status in the next reign would be unimaginably high.

But Li Xianmu was willing to back down.

We must distance ourselves from the Crown Prince!
We must actively erase this friendship!

Was he afraid of getting too involved with the Crown Prince?
How can it be!

Everyone asked themselves honestly: Li Xianmu had already risked everything by pleading with His Majesty on behalf of the Crown Prince yesterday.

It is said that even Princess Lin'an entered the palace, which gives you an idea of ​​the deadly danger that followed yesterday.

Li Xianmu withdrew now only because he was not blinded by righteous indignation and remained rational. One of the biggest reasons he was able to persuade the emperor yesterday was that the emperor believed that Li Xianmu was more on his side than on the crown prince's side.

If Li Xianmu loses his position today because of his favor to the Crown Prince, then what he loses is the Emperor's trust.

"Mingda is not yet twenty years old, yet he possesses such profound wisdom, which truly makes us ashamed."

Yang Shiqi deeply admired Li Xianmu, but also felt a secret delight.

Now, in the Crown Prince's Chamberlain's residence, Li Xianmu has already strode past everyone, dominating them by several levels.

Although they admired Li Xianmu's ability and courage, in life, geniuses are always unwilling to be subordinate to others.

Not wanting Li Xianmu to steal the limelight, he also wanted to make a great contribution to the Crown Prince.

Now that Li Xianmu has retired gracefully and is no longer involved in the struggle for the throne, this gives them a chance. After all, the Prince of Han's ambition to seize the throne has not stopped, and this war has not ended!
Li Xianmu naturally took in everyone's expressions, and their guesses also fell into his mind. He couldn't help but shake his head with a sneer.

How could he possibly retire at the height of his career!

In the East Palace.

Only Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi, who had already cooperated with Li Xianmu several times, understood why Li Xianmu was distancing himself from him. It wasn't because Li Xianmu was afraid, but because of him.

Zhu Gaochi sighed and said to the Crown Princess, "Mingda is deeply trusted by the Emperor. He distances himself from me simply because he doesn't want me to become the target of public criticism anymore."

My father's suspicions will not be dispelled. If this happens once, it will happen again. The more Mingda distances himself from me, the more he will be able to protect me.

Alas, how could I not know?
However, being the crown prince comes with many inconveniences.

Crown Princess Zhang choked with sobs and sighed, "A long road tests a horse's strength, and time reveals a person's true character. A strong wind reveals the sturdiness of the grass, and turbulent times reveal true sincerity. Only in such difficult times can we truly know the sincerity of a person."

The couple looked at each other, recalling their ordeal, and a moment of silence fell over the Eastern Palace.

Li Xianmu and his entourage headed towards the Huagai Hall. Although the matter of the Crown Prince had come to an end, the matter of sorcery had not yet stopped.

"The officials of the provinces are deceiving Your Majesty, which is ultimately a serious matter that is harmful to the country. There should be a set of regulations. I absolutely do not want this to happen again."

At this moment, not only cabinet ministers, but also high-ranking officials of the court, such as the ministers of the six ministries, were present in the Hall of Literary Glory, respectfully listening to the imperial instructions.

Almost everyone could sense the intense killing intent emanating from the emperor's words.

As silent as a cicada.

This is the most fitting description of each minister at this moment.

Almost everyone could understand the emperor's anger at this moment. This matter of sorcery, in which officials from various provinces and prefectures conspired to deceive the emperor, can be considered the most important political event since the founding of the Yongle reign.

"Your Majesty, I have a question."

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw Li Xianmu, who had been the subject of the legends yesterday. Even Emperor Yongle, Zhu Di, looked over curiously and said, "Speak your mind if you have any questions."

"Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, the Embroidered Uniform Guard has investigated everything, both inside and outside the capital, and reported everything. How could this matter of sorcery have escaped their notice?"

Li Xianmu's voice was full of doubt, as if he genuinely had questions about the issue.

As soon as Li Xianmu asked the question, a bolt from the blue struck the minds of everyone else.

As if a fog had been blown away by a gale, or as if a thick cloud had been split open by lightning, light shone down, clearing everyone's minds.

Yes, how could the Embroidered Uniform Guard not know about sorcery?
It wasn't until the Crown Prince went to Nanjing that the news of the sorcery had spread throughout the provinces of the Ming Dynasty, yet the Embroidered Uniform Guard was unaware of it, or rather, even though they knew, they did not report it to the Emperor!
It's somewhat understandable that civil officials wouldn't report to the emperor, but the fact that the Embroidered Uniform Guard wouldn't report to the emperor makes the matter much more complicated.

"what do you mean?"

Zhu Di's expression immediately turned serious. If the Imperial Guard, the emperor's personal army, were to cause trouble, a hint of malice would emanate from his brows, and his fingers unconsciously rubbed against the dragon throne.

"Your Majesty, I am not arbitrarily suspecting ministers, but this matter is too coincidental. Not long after the Crown Prince arrived in Nanjing, the matter of sorcery was brought to the attention of the Emperor, and before that, no one knew about it."

Your Majesty, I would like to know who it was that reported the matter of sorcery in Jiangnan to Your Majesty?
If he were a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, his heart would truly be despicable!

Li Xianmu's words were devastating, even bordering on framing.

In essence, what is the difference between the civil service group and the Embroidered Uniform Guard group? There is no difference; they are both bureaucratic groups!

Are civil officials bound to protect each other, and are all the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) truly loyal and dedicated young people willing to go through fire and water for the Ming Dynasty?

To put it bluntly, can you expect a group of spies from the feudal era to be good people?

Do you really think these executioners from the Embroidered Uniform Guard are idealistic underground party members? Their ideological level is 10 times lower than that of the KGB and the Military Intelligence Bureau!

Therefore, it was quite normal for the Embroidered Uniform Guards in various provinces and prefectures to collude with local officials and keep it a secret from the imperial court.

However, Li Xianmu deliberately conflated the Embroidered Uniform Guard with the Embroidered Uniform Guard in order to arouse the emperor's suspicion about Ji Gang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Moreover, Li Xianmu did have a slight suspicion that Ji Gang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was manipulating things and secretly helping the Prince of Han. After all, the conflict between him and the Crown Prince was almost public, and it was common knowledge that the Crown Prince disliked Ji Gang. It was highly likely that Ji Gang would join forces with the Prince of Han to cause trouble in the future.

After all, Ji Gang didn't need to attack the Crown Prince himself. He only needed to deliver the message to the Emperor at the right time, and then let the Prince of Han launch the final attack to achieve his goal.

Even if he failed like this, no one could find any fault with him, but now Li Xianmu has put all of this on the table.

Moreover, it completely blocked any reasons or escape routes he could find.

Which of the ministers in the palace isn't a shrewd and calculating person?
Li Xianmu's true intention was not the wine, but Ji Gang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
The antagonism between civil officials and the Embroidered Uniform Guard was almost natural.

Once Li Xianmu launched his attack, he didn't need anyone to contact him. Almost everyone just exchanged a glance and then began to advise the emperor.

They then wanted to pin the blame for this on the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

However, some things can go too far. Their eagerness to pin the blame on the Embroidered Uniform Guard only made the emperor's suspicions begin to waver. After all, he trusted the Embroidered Uniform Guard more than the civil officials.

Li Xianmu had anticipated this scene long ago.

"What you gentlemen have said is somewhat biased, Your Majesty. As far as I know, Ji Gang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, has always been good at managing his subordinates. He would never make such a big mistake. There must be some hidden reason."

Li Xianmu's words silenced the previously noisy Huagai Hall. Almost everyone looked at Li Xianmu in disbelief, unable to believe that the words exonerating Ji Gang had come from his mouth.

They even suspected that Li Xianmu had deliberately set a trap to make Ji Gang resent them.

But no one saw that after Li Xianmu finished speaking, a look of confusion flashed in the emperor's eyes, which then fell on Li Xianmu. "Xianmu, what did you mean just now?"

"Does Your Majesty not know?"

Commander Ji was quite adept at managing his subordinates. Last year, during the willow-shooting competition within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Commander Ji deliberately missed the target and then had his confidants break off willow branches to make it appear as if he had hit the branch. Within the Embroidered Uniform Guard, anyone who stood up to oppose this was demoted.

At this year's willow-shooting competition, Commander Ji once again used the same trick, with his cronies shouting that they had hit the target. This year, not a single member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard objected; everyone cheered and celebrated. With such strict control over his subordinates, how could a mistake possibly occur?

(End of this chapter)