The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 163 Entering the Palace
In winter, around the twelfth month of the lunar calendar, the northern canals freeze, especially the Shandong section, and all cargo ships stop sailing. The imperial court stipulated that "the sluice gates should be closed after the first frost and opened before the Qingming Festival."

After crossing the Huai River and heading north, Li Xianmu and his party abandoned their boats and switched to horses, but they were still caught in a heavy snowfall. Logically, they should have waited a few more days, as traveling at this time was quite dangerous. However, everyone in the delegation was eager to return to the capital and hoped to go back before the Lantern Festival. The New Year had already passed, and if they missed the Lantern Festival as well, the next reunion would be the Mid-Autumn Festival. They also wanted to unload their burdens as soon as possible.

The group traveled through the vast expanse of white, stretching from the north of the Huai River all the way to the North China Plain, a landscape of desolation and bleakness, truly a scene of lonely mountains, devoid of birds, and deserted paths.

Even when passing through villages in Shandong, they could see many dilapidated places. When the group rested at night and drank warm wine, they talked about what they had seen during the day as if it were just casual conversation.

"When I went to Jiangnan, I traveled by boat and did not go deep into the region. Now, although the winter was bleak, Shandong still looks quite dilapidated. Especially after returning from Jiangnan, the difference is like night and day."

"This is quite normal. Shandong was the main battlefield for the Red Turban Army and the Mongols from the end of the Yuan Dynasty. It was quite devastated. During the Hongwu era, there were many refugees who were difficult for the court to settle. During the Jingnan Rebellion, the north was also devastated. Zhili was a country with compliant people who received many good policies after Your Majesty ascended the throne, but Shandong did not receive such treatment."

Li Xianmu frowned deeply upon hearing this.

Another person said, "My cousin is a county magistrate in Shandong. In recent years, Shandong has suffered from severe natural disasters. A few years ago, there was a locust plague and epidemic in Jinan Prefecture, which reportedly left millions of acres of farmland barren."

Li Xianmu could no longer remain seated. He exclaimed, "Millions of acres of farmland are lying fallow. How many disaster victims must be suffering? How can the cabinet handle this matter..."

Li Xianmu suddenly stopped talking halfway through the conversation because he suddenly remembered that he was still observing mourning at that time and had not yet entered the cabinet.

Shandong's political status was not high in the political landscape of the Ming Dynasty because Shandong resisted fiercely during the Jingnan Rebellion, and Jinan was a bridgehead against the Yan army, which could even be said to have almost cut off Zhu Di's path to the throne.

Upon seeing this, everyone fell silent. They all knew that Li Xianmu was a close advisor to the emperor. Although he was only a fourth-rank official, he actually wielded considerable power, and the second and third-rank officials in Jiangnan treated him with great respect.

Li Xianmu frowned deeply, then suddenly asked the man who had just mentioned the locust plague in Shandong, "Did your relatives ever mention that the people of Shandong are religious?"

"In reply to the governor, of course I like it. Shandong was the base of the Red Turban Army. Liu Futong occupied Shandong as early as the seventeenth year of the Zhizheng era. The Ming Cult was widely spread among the people, this..."

He stopped speaking, and everyone stared at Li Xianmu in shock. Even the dumbest person knew what Li Xianmu was talking about. The Ming Cult and the White Lotus Cult were inextricably linked. Although the establishment of the Ming Dynasty was closely related to the Ming Cult, it was precisely for this reason that the White Lotus Cult and the Ming Cult were condemned as heretics.

Shandong is devastated, and the people are living in poverty. Coupled with the fact that they already have religious beliefs, wouldn't it be an ideal place for evil people to cause trouble? If things go wrong, there might be treacherous people causing chaos.

Seeing that everyone was quite nervous, Li Xianmu, who had been the most serious before, relaxed instead. "There is no need for everyone to be so nervous. Things have not reached the point of no return. Now that we know about the hidden danger in Shandong, we only need to report to His Majesty after we return to the capital."

As long as the lives of the people of Shandong improve, the sorcerers will be unable to incite unrest. If tomorrow is a clear day, we will travel another hundred miles to return to the capital as soon as possible.”

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

The crowd chanted in unison, their voices echoing in the dark night sky. As the night deepened, everyone except those tending the fire fell into a deep sleep, wrapped in thick clothes.

……

The thirteenth day of the first lunar month.

Despite the heavy snowfall, Governor Jiangnan and his entourage hurried back to the capital before the Lantern Festival.

The guards spotted Li Xianmu and his entourage from afar, along with the banner of the Governor of Jiangnan, and naturally dared not stop them.

The group's furry parts were covered in snow, and the capital city was also a pure white expanse, except for some dry areas inside the city gate.

Upon returning to the capital, smiles immediately appeared on everyone's faces. They cupped their hands in greeting and said, "Thanks to everyone's care these past few days, we have accomplished our mission successfully. Of course, we are most grateful to the Governor. Without the Governor, we would not have achieved such great success."

This was not just a simple compliment. This time, the imperial court sent governors to every province, but only the governor of Jiangnan was in charge of three provinces.

Everyone knew that the emperor had high hopes for Li Xianmu. Once he made a contribution, it would be a valuable asset on his resume, and he would be able to get promoted more easily than others in the future.

They were able to follow Li Xianmu to Jiangnan because they all had powerful backers.

Li Xianmu's achievements far exceeded their expectations. After returning to the capital, everyone wanted to record his merits. Their gratitude at this moment was sincere and genuine.

Li Xianmu was well aware that some of the people there were even sent by the Duke of England, which was only natural.

Moreover, going to Jiangnan was not a risk-free opportunity to gain prestige. As he said in Jiangnan, if he failed, the worst outcome for him would be to return to the capital in disgrace to become a respectable official. But those who followed him to Jiangnan would not be able to get away so easily.

Those who are willing to take risks deserve to be rewarded.

"I am unworthy of such high praise. After returning to the capital, we will all go back to our respective offices to hand over our duties. There will no longer be a distinction between superiors and subordinates, and I will no longer be the governor. I am not worthy of the title of governor."

All the officials and staff of the governor's office on this trip were originally on official assignments. After returning to the capital, they would return to their respective offices to hand over their duties. Li Xianmu, however, would present the emperor with his official credentials as governor, and after the handover, he would no longer be the governor. "Governor, you are too modest. You will surely have a bright future. How could a mere governor's post be worthy of you?"

Although the emperor had the support of the emperor, Li Xianmu was able to suppress the people of Jiangnan and make everyone obey his orders. He accomplished his mission and gained a good reputation. His ability to manipulate events so effectively made everyone admire him and wish they could immediately submit to his command.

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, everyone took their leave and headed to the yamen to hand over their duties.

According to custom, these officials dispatched to other regions could get a few days of temporary rest after returning to the capital to hand over their duties, in order to relieve the fatigue of the journey and avoid exhausting themselves. It was a kind of humane benefit.

Li Xianmu watched the crowd leave happily, but he couldn't feel happy at all. He paused for a moment before heading towards the palace.

Because of the heavy snow, the emperor exempted his officials from attending court. Li Xianmu looked up and saw the trembling white snow falling down from the palace gate.

After verifying their identities and entering the palace, they gazed into the distance along the palace path.

Beyond the palace gates, towering palaces rise at the horizon.

The golden glazed tiles of the past are now covered with a layer of pure white snow, while the vermilion palace walls remain unchanged.

White walls and red snow.

It seems to remain unchanged forever.

All I could see was dazzling white, behind which seemed to lie a heavy, oppressive black.

Li Xianmu still felt little joy. He preferred the time in Jiangnan, when he was awe-inspiring and supreme, and no one dared to disobey him!

He wanted to transform Jiangnan into what he envisioned, and then he would make it happen.

Within this palace, however, he was insignificant, and more than one person was above him.

"A true man should wield power over the world when awake and rest his head on the lap of a beautiful woman when drunk; how can he remain subservient to others for long?"

A multitude of somewhat rebellious thoughts raced through Li Xianmu's mind. He slowly exhaled and headed towards the Huagai Hall.

……

The matter of entering the palace had been announced in advance. As soon as Li Xianmu entered the square in front of the palace, he saw a plump figure lingering in front of the palace. He recognized it as Zhu Gaochi at a glance and hurriedly ran towards him, lifting the hem of his robe.

Zhu Gaochi also saw Li Xianmu and waved excitedly.

Li Xianmu ran up the steps and saw that Zhu Gaochi's face was red from the cold. His heart warmed instantly, and his earlier thought of "not being willing to be subordinate to others" vanished.

There's nothing wrong with having a wise ruler and virtuous ministers. It's impossible for someone to usurp the throne. I just hope to restore the prime minister system of the Han and Tang dynasties.

"Your Highness, why are you waiting outside the palace in this freezing weather?"

Zhu Gaochi grinned and pulled Li Xianmu toward the side hall. As soon as they entered, the rising heat from the floor heating system immediately enveloped them, making the temperature quite comfortable. The eunuchs guarding the doors on both sides quickly closed the doors after the two entered, cutting off the wind, snow, and cold.

“I was only out for a short while. I was happy to hear that you, Mingda, had returned. Be careful of what has happened in the capital these days. Also, I want to remind you to be careful of the Prince of Han. He now sees you as a thorn in his side. When you went to Jiangnan, he slandered you to the Emperor.”

Li Xianmu's expression hardened. Without the Crown Prince saying anything more, he knew that the Crown Prince was covering for him. He said in a low voice, "Thank you, Your Highness, for speaking well of me before His Majesty."

"There's no need for us to stand on ceremony. Your return to the capital today is perfectly timed. Father Emperor has summoned my two brothers and me to discuss matters. Prince Gu has been breaking the law in the capital, which has worried Father Emperor. Such matters within the clan can only be discussed with us."

Upon hearing the name Prince Gu, Li Xianmu frowned slightly. As the saying goes, "It is easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature." Of the several people who were deposed during the Jianwen reign, only Prince Zhou truly transformed into a virtuous prince. In fact, his excessive virtue made Zhu Di somewhat uneasy, and he would occasionally give him a few warnings.

The others, however, continued to do as they pleased, and even became more and more outrageous, determined that Zhu Di would not do anything to them. After all, Zhu Di rose to power by pacifying the country, so how could he follow the old path of Emperor Jianwen abolishing the princes?
Li Xianmu did not respond. Most of these princes were his uncles, and he was a junior with a relatively low status, so he had no say in this matter.

Moreover, he didn't believe the emperor would allow these vassal kings to run rampant; no one could infringe upon the emperor's authority!
Zhu Gaochi only complained to Li Xianmu because he was having a headache, and Li Xianmu echoed his sentiments.

After going around the screen, the view suddenly opened up.

(End of this chapter)