The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 165 The Ninth Year of Yongle, Second Item Information
When Li Xianmu ran towards the backyard, the head maid of Princess Lin'an's room was already waiting for him outside. Seeing him rushing over, she hurriedly went up to him and said, "Young master, you must be freezing. Come in and have some hot water. The princess has been waiting for you for a long time."

As he spoke, he reached out and took off Li Xianmu's cloak.

Li Xianmu calmed down a bit, dissipated some of the chill from his body, and quickly walked into the house, where he saw his mother looking out somewhat restlessly.

A mother worries when her son travels a thousand miles; this is the essence of the saying.

Upon seeing Li Xianmu enter, Princess Lin'an's eyes immediately reddened. She stepped forward and grabbed Li Xianmu's arm as he was about to kneel down, crying out, "My son, my son!"

"Mother, your son is unfilial."

"Serving the Ming Dynasty is not unfilial; it's just that your mother is worried about you. These are just a woman's words, my son, don't take them to heart."

"Mother!"

Looking up at Princess Lin'an from the heavens, Li Qi was filled with emotion. As she grew older, she became more and more righteous and understanding. She was no longer the little woman he had known when he first arrived in the Ming Dynasty. Now she truly possessed the majesty of a Ming Dynasty princess.

"Drink some hot tea to warm yourself up, so you don't catch a chill."

"This is your favorite food, eat more, look how thin you've become."

Li Xianmu was both amused and exasperated. How could he have lost weight in Jiangnan? But he knew it was just his mother's concern for him.

"Actually, it's fine to come back next spring."

"Missing his mother, he rushed back. His colleagues were also eager to return to Beijing to reunite with their families."

Li Xianmu explained that he knew his mother would be very happy to see him return so quickly.

One major reason why the governor, a temporary post, became a permanent official was that he was too far from the capital. Because the time spent away was too long, his family was initially allowed to accompany him to other places, then he stayed in the local area for several years, and finally he directly established his own government and became the direct superior of the provincial governor and the other two provincial administration commissioners.

……

Inside the Li Clan Ancestral Hall, Li Xianmu knelt anxiously on a prayer mat. He had missed the appointed time; his father had said he would come on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

But he couldn't get in touch with his father, so he had to try.

"The Supreme One understands the profound mystery, the Ancestral Gods are above, the first day of the first month, Yin and Yang communicate with the underworld."

On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, Li Xianmu, a descendant of the Li family, respectfully requested his ancestor to bestow a divine decree to protect his descendants!

Li Xianmu looked solemn, holding a jade token in his hand.

Li Qi pondered for a moment, then realized that the restrictions of the Heavenly Mirror were quite severe; it could only be used on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

It was indeed late on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, but Li Xianmu was in Jiangnan at the time and was indeed unable to come.

"Let's see what information is available first, and whether it's worth using incense points once."

With a wave of his hand, Li Qi quietly brought the mirror, carved from a single piece of spirit jade, into his palm. It was as warm and smooth as the first rays of the warm sun.

A thin mist-like haze quietly spread across the mirror's surface.

A map of the Ming Dynasty was displayed before Li Qi, with the two capitals and thirteen provinces vividly presented to him.

There is only one purple message.

Li Qi clicked on it with a thought, and then he froze on the spot, his scalp tingling.

This message is...!
The time of Zhu Di's death!
These specific future events, which will have a profound impact on history, were not to be revealed by Li Xianmu beforehand.

Without any hesitation, and no longer looking at the white and blue information, Li Qi pointed his finger, and the treasure mirror instantly blazed with purple light, all the other information disappeared, leaving only that purple light that seemed to cover the sky.

"20 incense points consumed, 40 incense points remaining."

Inside the ancestral hall.

Li Xianmu first had a thought in his mind that told him he was indeed late, but in the end his father still bestowed the divine decree.

The jade slip in my hand felt familiarly warm, then a faint purple light flickered outwards, and finally, the light flowed like water, covering the surface of the jade slip.

The next instant, six large purple characters appeared on the jade slip.

[The Emperor died in the twenty-fourth year]

"Clang!"

Even with Li Xianmu's intelligence, it was as if he only heard a thunderous roar, which startled him so much that he dropped the jade slip to the ground. He also understood why his father had still delivered the divine message to him at the wrong time.

This matter is of paramount importance, potentially even influencing the future plans of an entire family. The phrase "[Emperor's Death]" needs no explanation, and "[Twenty-Four Years]" must refer to the twenty-fourth year of the Yongle reign!

Li Xianmu felt his hands trembling. This was true glimpse into the secrets of heaven, capable of determining life and death. This was the true power of an immortal. Even though he had long known that his father was the only true immortal in the world, he was still shocked at this moment.

"The emperor will pass away in the twenty-fourth year of Yongle's reign, so there are still fifteen years left." Li Xianmu frowned slightly after doing a quick calculation.

His maternal grandfather, Zhu Yuanzhang, lived to the age of seventy. He originally thought that his uncle, Zhu Di, who was always on the battlefield and had many injuries, might only live a few more years. Unexpectedly, he lived to a very old age.

"It seems I don't need to rush into promotion. I still have fifteen years, enough time for me to perfect my official career during the Yongle reign. I can transfer to all six ministries, serve in all six central ministries, and even serve as governor of all the provinces."

Li Xianmu pondered his future career path, then realized something even more crucial, and his gaze turned icy cold. "I thought that as long as I persisted for a few years, the Crown Prince could directly ascend the throne. At that time, one would be the Emperor and the other a Prince, and the Prince of Han would not be able to cause any trouble. But now it seems that this path is blocked."

We must crush the Prince of Han's hopes of seizing the throne as soon as possible and drive him out of the capital!

Previously, Li Xianmu had always adhered to the principle of maintaining harmony between relatives and friends, and had only acted passively in response, because the Crown Prince held the high position and time was on their side. But now that he knew the Emperor had only fifteen years left to live, he could no longer allow the Prince of Han to take action!

"I thank my father for the divine decree that I will surely bring prosperity to our family, bring peace to the world, and live up to my father's expectations."

After saying this, Li Xianmu kowtowed four more times, put the jade slip into his pocket, and then walked out of the ancestral hall.

……

The annual Lantern Festival is naturally quite lively, but it's not nearly as lively as it is in Nanjing, for no other reason than that it's too cold.

During the Lantern Festival in Nanjing, the fragrance of cosmetics permeates the entire city along the Qinhuai River. Countless people release lanterns along the Qinhuai River and its tributaries within the city, and vendors can also operate their businesses.

But Beijing only has biting cold winds and snow that's either deep or shallow, which melts into muddy water, and the water flowing into the city has already frozen.

Princess Lin'an's residence did not celebrate the Lantern Festival, because Li Qi had passed away on that day, which was the anniversary of his death. The family simply had a reunion dinner, which was quite joyful. It was a happy day after all, and there was no need to put on a somber atmosphere.

After dinner, the family sat in the main hall, with a brazier at their feet, which was very warm, and they were lost in memories.

No one will forget that day when dazzling fireworks rose into the night sky and the princess's mansion was adorned with red silk to celebrate Li Xianmu. Then the red turned to white. Several years have passed, but it seems like it was just yesterday.

"Your father would surely be pleased to see how successful you all are now."

"It's all thanks to my father and mother; we are simply blessed by our ancestors."

Li Xianmu gazed at the starry sky and said, "Yes, we are all blessed by our parents, so we should never forget how hard our parents worked to bring us this wealth. Look at the nobles in the capital, those who indulge in cockfighting and dog-walking are considered the better ones. There are those who bully men and women, commit crimes, lend money at exorbitant interest rates, and even harm people's lives at the drop of a hat, completely forgetting the glory of their ancestors."

"How pitiful and hateful! If there are such unworthy descendants in the Li clan, I will punish them severely. I would rather kill or imprison them within the clan than let them tarnish the honor of my ancestors and father!"

Their voices were cold and clear, yet full of seriousness. Li Fang and Li Mao exchanged a glance, then solemnly said in unison, "That's exactly right."

The children involuntarily shivered, looking at their elders with some confusion, not understanding what had happened.

Only Li Fang's eldest son, who was surrounded by several elders, heard the whole thing. He looked helplessly at his younger siblings, who were still quite young, and thought to himself, "They're still playing around. Things won't be easy for them in the future."

……

The Lantern Festival holiday passed quickly, and the capital returned to its usual busy rhythm. All government offices opened for business, and Li Xianmu entered the palace on the third day.

In just two days, his actions in Jiangnan had spread almost throughout the capital. Now he was a celebrity in the entire capital's officialdom, and his reputation had increased significantly. His achievements were truly remarkable.

However, Li Xianmu believed that it was not that simple. The fact that the news spread so quickly throughout the capital could not have been spontaneous; rather, it was being pushed by someone. This was because among these opinions was an extremely dangerous one: "When Li Zhongwen Gong put the Crown Prince on the throne, Li Xianmu now has the qualities of his father and will inevitably become the leader of the civil officials. With his assistance, the Crown Prince's position is as solid as a rock, and those with ulterior motives have absolutely no chance."

On the surface, this is a denigration and contempt for the Prince of Han, implying that he is a malicious person. However, in reality, it is a slander against Li Xianmu and the Crown Prince. Such remarks linking Li Xianmu and the Crown Prince have existed for a long time, but now the threat has been amplified.

Although Li Xianmu did not know who was behind it, he guessed it was the Prince of Han, or at the very least the Prince of Zhao. Of course, he could not rule out his political enemies who were jealous of him. But no matter who it was, Li Xianmu had only one goal: the Prince of Han!
It doesn't matter who attacks him; as long as the Prince of Han is eliminated, the Crown Prince's faction will be the victor in this struggle for the throne.

Wealth and wealth are found in danger.

Li Xianmu, however, saw this sudden rumor circulating in the capital as a good opportunity—a good opportunity to completely eliminate the Prince of Han.

With a resolute mind, Li Xianmu entered the palace. The snow in the palace had been cleared away, but some places had melted and frozen, and the eunuchs were working hard to shovel it away, so Li Xianmu walked quite slowly.

Upon entering the Hall of Literary Glory, Li Xianmu glanced around. The Crown Prince and the Prince of Han were not there, but all the members of the Cabinet were present. They greeted Li Xianmu as he entered. Since the Emperor had not yet arrived, they were all quite relaxed.

"We have all heard of Mingda's triumph in Jiangnan this time. He is truly magnificent and awe-inspiring, just like Li Zhongwen in Zhejiang back then."

"If any of the officials in Jiangnan had a conscience, they would praise you, Mingda. If I were the governor of Jiangnan, I would not have let them off so easily!"

As the group chatted and laughed, they heard footsteps approaching and immediately stopped and fell silent.

(End of this chapter)