The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 150 Discusses the Officials
The six departments bowed their heads, and the students remained silent.

Having said this, Li Xianmu had gained an absolute advantage. Unless Jiangnan truly harbored rebellious intentions, at the banquet, in terms of the overall situation, reason, and right and wrong, everyone would have to submit to Li Xianmu!

Li Xianmu placed his left hand on the hilt of his sword, a cold smile playing on his lips, and stepped down from the head of the table.

Seeing the officials' silence and sullenness, he couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Just now at the dock, the officials from Jiangnan appeared humble, but it was merely a facade. Now, with his repeated pressure, the officials from Jiangnan wanted to retaliate, but he suppressed them again.

After several rounds of this, it became like a spring that had lost its elasticity, finally unable to gather or concentrate its force.

Although it is still too early to completely subdue Jiangnan.

On the surface, he already exerted a certain oppressive influence on the people of Jiangnan. They could not be described as "respectful," but a little "fear" was enough!

Li Xianmu, with his hand on the hilt of his sword, looked around at the students of Jiangnan and said proudly, "I originally intended to drink and chat with you all at the banquet and show our joy, but now it seems that will not be possible!"
After all, I am entrusted by the Emperor to inspect the Jiangnan region and investigate illegal activities. How can I be on good terms with lawbreakers?

"Today's event has come to an abrupt end, but I have something to say. Please listen carefully and consider it thoroughly when you return home."

What kind of sarcastic remarks could be made?

This son of Li Zhongwen was sharp and ambitious, and even a brief encounter with him made him seem unapproachable.

"You are all outstanding officials in Jiangnan. I previously said that the Ming Dynasty has 30 million people, and even half of the country is in your hands. How could that be an exaggeration?"
The Marquis of Yongchang earned his family's wealth and honor through military exploits during the Jingnan Rebellion, and also gained the Emperor's favor, being appointed to guard Jiangnan. His prestige was truly extraordinary.

A hint of nostalgia appeared on the face of the Marquis of Yongchang. Li Xianmu then pointed to the hereditary military officers at the table, still proudly saying, "Although you may not have hereditary titles, the official positions you hold that can be passed down to your descendants are all thanks to the blood and sweat of your ancestors and fathers. The Ming Dynasty has been very kind to you."

Can the kindness of our ancestors be passed down forever?
Are it rare for the descendants of princes and nobles to become just ordinary people?
Where are the founding dukes and marquises, and even the high-ranking officials of the second or third rank, now? If you have gained wealth and status, you should hold on to it tightly, so as to be worthy of your ancestors and for the prosperity and good fortune of your descendants!
Those who love gold and silver are already extremely wealthy, and those who love power and position are already extremely noble, yet they are still not satisfied. They have no loyalty to their superiors and no compassion for their inferiors.

They are neither able to fulfill their duties nor share the burdens of the ruler.

He was stationed in Jiangnan, yet he failed to report the sorcery; he was responsible for defending Nanjing, yet he allowed evil magic to run rampant!
His Majesty bestowed upon me the Shangfang Sword and ordered me to tour the south of the Yangtze River. This shows that His Majesty already has doubts about you. You are indignant that you cannot trust your noble relatives. How can you know the pain in His Majesty's heart?

The Jiangnan region is wealthy, and the gleaming silver has blinded you. But you don't know that today's gains and riches are all at the mercy of the Emperor's will. Tomorrow, they will turn into swords and spears. When disaster strikes, don't regret your actions!
"Take care of yourself, take care of yourself!"

These words made the nobles and military officers, led by the Marquis of Yongchang, break out in a cold sweat and feel utterly ashamed. Unlike the civil officials, these military officers and nobles truly depended on the imperial family for their survival.

These words, spoken by Li Xianmu, were quite convincing. After all, he was a descendant of Li Shanchang, one of the six founding dukes. He must have heard Li Zhongwen Gong mention the decline of that once-illustrious duke's mansion more than once when he was young.

In Li Xianmu's view, the Marquis of Yongchang and others were truly ungrateful. The current emperor and the late emperor had different personalities. The emperor treated his brothers who had followed him through thick and thin with exceptional kindness. Throughout history, there are very few emperors who have been so benevolent.

These nobles and military officers never thought of repaying the emperor's kindness; all they cared about was drinking the blood of soldiers. Although this was a chronic problem with the Ming Dynasty's garrison system, these people, who had no sense of shame, were also implicated.

Li Xianmu stopped looking at the group of nobles and military officials and turned to look at the civil officials. A hint of sternness appeared between his brows. If the military officials and nobles were ignorant and had never heard the teachings of the sages, it would be normal for them to go down the path of leading beasts to devour people. But these scholars, who were learning about benevolence, filial piety, loyalty and righteousness, recited the principles of the relationship between ruler and subject, and chanted the four lines of Zhang Zai, were full of wicked thoughts and desires. That was really unacceptable.

"You are all entitled to the emperor's bounty and should be loyal to him. You have all read the books of sages and made vows to bring peace and prosperity to the world before the sages. The court entrusted Jiangnan to you in order to protect the land and its people and to ensure the stability of the country. However, the practice of sorcery originated in Jiangnan and has spread throughout the world, which greatly disappoints Your Majesty."

Li Xianmu's voice gradually calmed down from its previous arrogance: "I will investigate whether any of you harbor treacherous intentions, and I will also investigate whether any of you have ulterior motives."

His Majesty has dispatched me to inspect the Jiangnan region. While the matter of sorcery is of paramount importance, I will also examine all other matters, such as land, household registration, finances, and military equipment. If any of you have any issues, report them to me beforehand, and I may show leniency. However, if you wait until I personally investigate, don't blame me for being ruthless!

The crowd's faces grew increasingly pale, knowing that Li Xianmu would not leave Jiangnan anytime soon. The emperor was truly extremely dissatisfied with Jiangnan this time, even sending people down to investigate everything, trampling the dignity of Jiangnan's civil and military officials.

"Please take care of yourselves. I'll take my leave now."

After speaking to the civil and military officials of Jiangnan, Li Xianmu left. So much had happened today that everyone was stunned and speechless.

All the officers of the delegation followed behind him. The Imperial Guards who had captured the dozen or so men pushed one of them onto the dirty ground, then turned and followed the rest of the group away.

During the banquet, Marquis Yongchang sighed deeply, bowed to the six ministers, and left without saying a word.

The officials from Jiangnan wore strange expressions, a mixture of anger and bewilderment. The atmosphere at the banquet was oppressive; every word Li Xianmu had spoken that day echoed in their minds. Like a dark cloud pressing down on the city, the enraged emperor, though two thousand miles away, unleashed his supreme power upon Jiangnan, making it hard for them to breathe.

……

As Li Xianmu and his entourage headed outside, the deputy envoy of the mission approached and hesitantly asked, "Governor, are we really going to conduct a thorough investigation of Jiangnan this time?"

"The deputy envoy thinks we shouldn't investigate?"

The deputy envoy hesitated and said, "But what if something really goes wrong?"

Li Xianmu didn't speak, but just narrowed his eyes.

The deputy envoy immediately shuddered and explained, "Your Excellency misunderstands. What I meant was, what if we really find out about the White Lotus Sect? That's a capital offense. There are some things the Embroidered Uniform Guard can do, but we can't. Your Excellency should understand what I mean."

Li Xianmu certainly understood.

What are the things that the Embroidered Uniform Guard can and cannot do? It's things that trample on political rules.

For example, why do people like the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard always meet with a bad end? Why do cruel officials in history always suffer tragic fates?
Because these two types of people always trample on political rules and use power beyond the rules to carry out political struggles, which is indeed very effective, but also very attractive to hatred.

If things are done according to the rules, no one can say a word against it.

For example, when it comes to handling major cases, Li Qi has an excellent reputation, which makes people convinced of his abilities.

As for the difference between cruel officials and capable officials, one example makes it very clear—Hai Rui!
Hai Rui was a typical capable official, but he was extremely strict in his work, even to the point that the family of former Grand Secretary Xu Jie was humiliated. Yet no one would call him a cruel official.

Because Hai Rui followed all the rules in everything he did; he was just unapproachable.

When you trample on the rules, you become everyone's enemy, and everyone's enemy never ends well.

Even emperors are not immune to this. Zhu Yuanzhang trampled on political rules countless times, so the emperor treated his ministers like dirt, and the ministers treated the emperor like an enemy. If the throne had not been hereditary and there had not been successors, Zhu Yuanzhang would have been eliminated countless times long ago.

Emperors can have successors who uphold their ancestors' legacy, but cruel officials cannot.

According to Li Xianmu, the White Lotus Sect is now openly suspected by the emperor, but this matter may not actually exist. If Li Xianmu really finds out the problem, he will have to act in accordance with the law.

That's where the big problem comes in.

If the fabricated story of colluding with the White Lotus Sect were to cause the deaths and ruin of countless people, and if a massive purge were to be launched in the Jiangnan region, resulting in a bloodbath, it would inevitably incur resentment.

In the vice envoy's view, Li Xianmu came from a prestigious family, achieved the highest honors in the imperial examinations at the age of twelve, and won the title of the top scholar in the country. His father, Li Zhongwen, was listed in the Confucian Temple and was considered a sage with extremely high prestige among scholars. He had also served in the Hanlin Academy, the Grand Secretariat, and the Crown Prince's Palace, and twice defended the Crown Prince. With such a resume, he was simply born to become a leader of civil officials.

If one is careless and becomes a cruel official, it will inevitably affect one's future reputation.

"I am aware of what Hanlin Zhao said, but I have no choice but to obey the imperial decree." Li Xianmu said with a smile, "If the civil and military officials of Jiangnan are sensible and take the initiative to share the burden of the court, then so be it. But if they are truly stubborn and do not see the truth, then I can only disregard my own life in order to live up to the expectations of the people and the emperor!"

The deputy envoy's face fell, and he sighed inwardly, hoping that the civil and military officials of Jiangnan would cooperate, otherwise he would also be implicated.

Li Xianmu was known for his courage and competence, and he was famous in the court and among the people. He had always been able to accomplish great things steadily, whether it was moving the capital, opening up the sea, or securing the position of crown prince. Therefore, he was praised for his ability to do so.

After they finished speaking, the two walked straight out without stopping. As soon as they stepped out the door, a cool evening breeze greeted them.

The warm, murky aroma of wine dissipated from the banquet, and the vibrant golden sunset caught Li Xianmu's eye. He looked up and saw a clear blue sky, the light of which was already fading in the west. The blazing sun, like molten gold, hung low on the vast, boundless horizon, dyeing the thin clouds in the sky a burning orange-red and a magnificent crimson.

"Please don't let me down."

Li Xianmu turned around and looked at the pavilions and towers with their high-pitched eaves, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)