The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 159 Glory
Since ancient times, the land of China has produced many heroes. Countless sages, sages, and heroes have left their names in history. The gaps between ancient bamboo slips are filled with their unparalleled talents, and between the black and white words on the paper, one after another, towering figures leap.

A noble family is a clan that has produced officials and nobles for generations, a family that enjoys great wealth and honor!
The river of history flows on, and the wheel of time rushes by. Some are infamous for eternity, while others are remembered for their virtue. In the game, how will you guide your family through five hundred years?
What kind of family tradition will you leave them, and how will they treat this world that is destined to be transformed by your family?

He is the one who wreaks havoc on the world, boasting that he can rewrite history as the eternal victor, yet he oppresses and transforms people's thoughts until the day his illusory dream is shattered, leading to the end of everything.

It is about creating civilization, passing it on, in a continuous cycle, and endlessly renewing itself.

The system's voice, like a documentary, rang in Li Qi's ears, and a series of pictures, like a long river, unfolded before him. He even saw scenes from his past life in them.

Players often act recklessly in games, and Li Qi was no exception; in his hands, there were a hundred ways for the Ming Dynasty to die.

But now...

"This is no longer a game."

"The Li family will uphold the crown of civilization, wield the sword, stand at the pinnacle of fairness and justice, and pass it down from generation to generation, forever."

Li Qi sighed and muttered to himself, "This is both a responsibility and a right."

Li Xianmu, the second patriarch of the Li family, has gained great prestige in Jiangnan. Two generations of patriarchs have worked in Jiangnan one after another, and they have already made a name for themselves in the world. Even if they do not say it, or even if they are at odds with each other because of interests, they still have awe in their hearts. Is it not a glorious thing to be able to gain the respect of the enemy?
With a clan leader's reputation at 70, he was known to everyone in the Ming Dynasty.

Family Reputation 52 (Base reputation of 30 from the first family head Li Qi, and temporary prestige of 22 from the second family head Li Xianmu.)
Achievement points +300, Achievement points 1500, Incense points 50.

As Li Qi had predicted, Li Xianmu's dominance over Jiangnan was a tremendous achievement. After all, the three provinces of Jiangnan accounted for 60% of the country's population, and his display of power there was a display of power throughout the country.

……

Capital, imperial city.

The urgent report from Nanjing, which traveled 600 li, brought a smile to Zhu Di's face. He paced around the palace and then laughed loudly, "Xianmu has indeed not disappointed me. He has done so well in Jiangnan, subduing the enemy without killing them. He has the style of his father, Li Qi."

I should reward him handsomely and give him an even greater position.

The emperor's joy was palpable. The princes in the hall reacted differently. Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi was naturally delighted, while the scheming brothers Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui felt as if they had eaten excrement.

Li Xianmu is arguably their biggest obstacle on the road to the throne. If he is given important responsibilities again, what is the point of them fighting for the throne?

Zhu Gaosui, being cunning and wicked, quickly reported to the emperor, "Father, I think this is inappropriate."

"Hmm?" Zhu Di's stern gaze swept over, and Prince Zhao, Zhu Gaosui, shuddered. But he still forced himself to say, "Li Xianmu is still so young. His sudden promotion to a high position will surely cause dissatisfaction in the court and among the people."

Moreover, there are rumors circulating in both the court and among the people that Li Zhongwen was the same age as the Emperor and assisted him. Li Xianmu is so young; wouldn't it be more appropriate to leave him to the Crown Prince in the future? It would be just right to keep him in check.

Zhu Gaoxu, who had been standing nearby, lit up upon hearing this and immediately chimed in, "Father, what my third brother says is right. How can a father and son compete for talent in this world?"
Li Xianmu is now the Junior Chamberlain of the Crown Prince's Palace, and will be his elder brother's retainer in the future. It would be better for his elder brother to do the honor and favor of such a promotion.

During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong demoted Li Ji, the Duke of Ying, before his death, only to recall him after Emperor Gaozong ascended the throne. Wasn't that a similar treatment?

The two brothers were singing in unison, seemingly for the good of the country, the emperor, and the crown prince. However, the emperor's face turned cold as he listened, and Crown Prince Zhu Gaochi broke out in a cold sweat. He wasn't stupid; he could naturally tell that his two younger brothers had ulterior motives.

Ever since Li Xianmu defended him in the capital, there have been rumors that Li Xianmu was the top general of the Crown Prince's faction. Zhu Gaochi knew that this was something his father, the emperor, was most wary of.

The King of Han and the King of Zhao are deliberately provoking the Emperor's sensitive areas.

Zhu Gaochi knew very well how suspicious his father was, no less so than Cao Cao, the Emperor Wu of Wei.

This underhanded tactic almost always works.

If Li Xianmu hadn't been not only a subject to the emperor, but also his nephew and a favored minister, he probably would have been killed several times over.

Now that Li Xianmu is not in the capital, he is left to manage the situation alone, and his thoughts are in turmoil.

Instead of defending the emperor, he turned to the King of Han and the King of Zhao, and unusually, his voice became stern, "Second brother, third brother, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Father is still in the prime of his life. Judging from the long-lived monarchs in history, Father can rule the world for at least another thirty years. How can you already be thinking about the future?

Even I, the crown prince, don't think that far ahead, but my second and third brothers certainly do. Do they expect Mingda to only accumulate merit without ever being promoted for thirty years?

Zhu Gaochi's words, which struck at the heart of the matter, immediately changed the expressions of the Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao.

"Brother, don't talk nonsense. We didn't mean that. These are just some rumors circulating in the court and among the people. The book says that listening to both sides leads to enlightenment. Father should at least hear the voices of the people."

Zhu Di's expression was indescribable.

“Mingda is in the Eastern Palace. He was sent to me by my father. We haven’t seen each other that many times, but I remember Mingda saying that everyone in the world is my father’s subject. This is not like the Zhou Dynasty, where there was no such thing as ‘my subordinates’ or ‘not my subordinates’.”

I, my second brother, you, my third brother, and all those in the Eastern Palace, the Han Prince's Mansion, and the Zhao Prince's Mansion—we are all subjects of Father Emperor. Our lives and fortunes are all bestowed upon us by Father Emperor; we have nothing else. Do not forget that before Father Emperor, there is still a distinction between us as subjects.”

The Prince of Han and the Prince of Zhao stared at Zhu Gaochi in shock. This was a Zhu Gaochi they had never seen before; he was not as kind as before, but rather had a sharp edge.

Only Zhu Di was not surprised. He was one of the few people who had seen Zhu Gaochi display his talents. It was precisely because he knew that Zhu Gaochi was not a person who had nothing but benevolence that he made up his mind to appoint Zhu Gaochi as the crown prince.

"What you're saying, elder brother, makes no sense at all. You've learned some fancy words from those civil officials and you're using them on your own brothers first."

Zhu Gaoxu interrupted, "I don't have that kind of..."

"Alright, second brother."

Zhu Di rubbed his head, clearly somewhat helpless. "Noisy, noisy, you're giving me a headache. Get out of here, all of you. I don't want to see the three of you. You've really caused me trouble."

The Prince of Han was somewhat disappointed, knowing that his attempt to whisper in the emperor's ear had failed again. He hadn't expected the Crown Prince to be so eloquent. Was this a case of "one who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black"? Had he learned something from Li Xianmu?

Zhu Gaochi was not completely at ease. On the surface, he had blocked the slander of the Prince of Han, but no one knew whether the emperor had any lingering doubts or whether the Prince of Han's words today would have any negative impact on Li Xianmu.

Zhu Di watched the three brothers walk out of the palace and sighed deeply. Now that things had come to this, how could he not see what the Prince of Han was thinking?

He was indeed still hesitant, but reason told him he shouldn't do that.

He felt somewhat unwell and a little irritable.

"If only the Empress were still here, or if only Li Qi were still here."

It wasn't that Empress Xu and Li Qi were wiser than Zhu Di, but rather that they had enough ability to influence Zhu Di to make the final decision.

……

While the capital city was shrouded in turmoil, Jiangnan had completely broken free from the undercurrents.

The imperial edict from the capital fully endorsed Li Xianmu, who had already dominated Jiangnan, and now the emperor had further defined his actions.

To put it bluntly, at this special time, the entire Jiangnan region bowed down at his feet.

As orders were issued from the Jiangnan Governor's Office, the core of the three provinces of Jiangnan shifted from the Six Ministries to this location, and those with foresight had already foreseen the future.

Although the current governor is only temporarily appointed, he will inevitably become a permanent official in the future, just like the inspector in the Han Dynasty. In the future, the governor will be the head of a province or even several provinces.

"In this campaign, more than 1,300 scholars in Southern Zhili were stripped of their academic titles, of whom 653 were willing to donate grain to the court to atone for their sins."

The remaining donors are unwilling to donate because there are too many to cover, and they hope the governor can be lenient.

Li Xianmu listened quietly, and then slowly said, "Even Buddha needs swift and decisive measures. If we let them off so easily, how can we demonstrate the majesty of the court?"
Strip all the remaining people of their official titles. As for the scholars who donated grain, record their names and keep an eye on them in the future.

"Staring?"

"They've suffered such a huge loss, do you think they can just swallow this insult? If they can't afford to offend me, can't they at least afford to offend the common people?"

Li Xianmu did not trust their character.

"This……"

The officials in the yamen hesitated to speak.

What they really wanted to say was that it was all destined, and it was all in vain. Now that you, Governor, are in Jiangnan, nothing will happen, but once you leave, trouble will surely arise.

All taxes in history were eventually levied on the people because they were the easiest to bully.

Even the much-debated title of "Mining Supervisor and Tax Commissioner" in later generations is often misunderstood because many people believe it refers to someone sent by the Wanli Emperor to collect mining taxes.

When these mining tax inspectors arrived in a place, they would point to an empty area and say that there was a mine there, and then demand that the people pay mining taxes. Moreover, since they could not afford to offend the powerful gentry, they would specifically target the weak, causing widespread anger and resentment.

"No need for further explanation, this pavilion naturally understands."

Li Xianmu waved his hand, "That's why we need to keep an eye on them. Even though we can't reach them completely, we still need to let them know that our organization is paying attention, as a deterrent."

"Gather the provisions as quickly as possible. The imperial army will soon be marching south. All civil and military officials in Jiangnan must accompany me to welcome the Duke of Ying!"

(End of this chapter)