The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 17 Verbal Battle at Fengtian Hall

Before dawn, the court officials had already gathered in front of the palace with torches in hand. When Li Yuanming, who had long since retired, appeared, all the civil and military officials looked at him sideways.

Something big is about to happen!
As the eastern horizon turned a pale white, the court officials entered the capital!

As the Nine Heavens Palace opened, the Divine Emperor descended upon the towering steps with thunderous roars.

The attendant eunuch shouted, "Speak up!"

Li Yuanming stepped forward from the ranks, kowtowed, and said, "Your subject Li Yuanming impeaches the Imperial Son-in-Law Li Qi for attacking the Sage and going against the Sage's Way, causing widespread resentment and harming the state. He should be severely punished as a warning to others!"

Most civil officials remained silent on the matter, as the conflict between Li Yuanming and Li Qi was none of their concern.

The military officers and nobles had different thoughts. No one would have thought that the Li family would be able to fight their way back to the capital and make such a big splash.

The power of the Korean government has already been divided up, with a large portion falling into their hands, and they are unlikely to relinquish it.

The emperor's majestic voice descended from the head of the table: "Summon the imperial son-in-law, Li Qi, to the palace!"

Li Yuanming felt relieved. It seemed that the emperor's protection of Li Qi was not as exaggerated as he thought; otherwise, he should have prevented the two from meeting.

Because this will inevitably be a fierce battle, and Li Qi could not possibly be his match.

If Li Qi loses, he will surely lose the emperor's favor, and the Li family, which has just begun to show signs of improvement, will once again be plunged into the abyss.

If Li Yuanming loses, his lifelong reputation will be ruined, and both his status as a Confucian master and his leadership among scholars will be destroyed.

Although this struggle is not a matter of life or death, it is destined to crush the other person underfoot, preventing them from ever rising again.

The hall was filled with the gentle fragrance of sandalwood, which drifted straight upwards in the silent space.

……

At Princess Lin'an's residence, palace officials and others were inside.

Princess Lin'an straightened Li Qi's court attire, saying, "Your Highness, this is your journey..."

She wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't, only saying, "Come back soon, Mu'er and I will be waiting for you."

Li Xianmu stretched out his hand, babbling incoherently. He couldn't speak yet, but he already showed innate intelligence.

"Mu'er, watch as your father paves a glorious path for you."

Li Qi, with a solemn expression, offered incense in the hall for the seventy-three members of the Li family who had perished.

Walking into the courtyard, one sees towering walls surrounding the blue sky.

A gentle morning breeze brings a refreshing feeling, but my mind is filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Since his arrival in this world, he knew that the Li family harbored many grudges. Even with the emperor's protection, a slight misstep could lead to his demise.

Therefore, they proceeded cautiously, calculating every step and every move.

After months of plotting to assassinate Yang Jing, the Minister of Justice, he learned that the Ministers of Rites and Personnel were accomplices, and dared not relax his guard for even a moment.

But he was not a schemer like Chen Ping, and ultimately decided to fight Li Yuanming openly and honestly.

Today, we are finally seeing the results.

“Once the two traitors are beheaded, the revenge for the Li family will be mostly avenged, and you can finally rest in peace.”

Without further hesitation, he strode out of the princess's residence, accompanied by a palace attendant. He boarded the carriage and turned around to see Princess Lin'an with her three sons, waiting at the gate, their eyes filled with worry, but their faces showing a gentle expression.

He looked away, lowered the carriage curtain, and said, "Let's go!"

……

Since his transmigration, this wasn't Li Qi's first time in the palace, but it was his first time attending court. As he stepped up the bluestone steps, gazing at the majestic Fengtian Hall, Li Qi adjusted his crown and, under the watchful eyes of the assembled officials, entered the hall without looking away to pay his respects.

Zhu Yuanzhang concealed the smile in his eyes and said to Li Yuanming, "Minister Li, now that Li Qi has arrived, please repeat what you just impeached so that Li Qi can hear it clearly."

Li Qi's gaze fell on Li Yuanming, and he calmly asked, "I wonder what Mr. Zishan impeached just now?"

Li Yuanming looked back and said loudly, "Li Qi, His Majesty appointed you as the Ambassador of Customs and Traditions to safeguard the Ming Dynasty, not to rebel against the Heavenly Order, corrupt the moral order and human relations, or to attack the Sage, defy the Great Way, and cause the world to lose its order and the Yin and Yang to reverse. If this continues, wouldn't the country cease to be a country?"

"Li Qi, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Li Qi bowed to the emperor, remaining calm, and said, "Your Majesty, in the past few months, I have made great achievements in reversing old cases in the Ministry of Justice, and there has been no opposition in the court."

Li Yuanming is probably senile.

All the officials were amused by this remark; the very first exchange was so exciting.

However, the crowd agreed with what Li Qi said. Previously, when Li Qi was appointed as the Commissioner of Customs and Morals, he was allowed to inspect various government offices in the capital. At that time, they thought Li Qi would act recklessly.

As it turned out, Li Qi only frequented the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review, and the cases he overturned were all minor ones, like the one involving Liu San Niangzi.

Cases like Liu San Niangzi's only attract the attention of scholars and ordinary people.

For those imperial relatives, nobles, military generals, and high-ranking officials who had nothing to do with it, it was just a joke.

This was naturally Li Qi's deliberate act; he wasn't crazy enough to want to make himself an enemy of the world.

The case of Liu San Niangzi clearly targets Li Yuanming, who, on a larger scale, represents a clan in the countryside, and further back, a great Confucian scholar of the traditional school of thought, and the literati.

He did not directly and widely attack the high-ranking officials in the court, so many of them chose to stand by and do nothing.

If it weren't for the fact that Minister of Personnel Zhan Hui already had a grudge against Li Qi, he would have simply kept quiet and not confronted Li Qi at this moment.

This is the art of struggle: to make as many friends as possible and as few enemies as possible.

"you!"

Li Yuanming never expected that Li Qi, who had politely addressed him as "Mr. Zishan" in the previous sentence, would directly call him "Li Yuanming senile" in the next.

Zhu Yuanzhang suppressed a laugh and said, "Since you two have a disagreement, let's discuss the reasons and debate the classics to see who is right and who is wrong. With all the officials in the hall as witnesses, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

coming!

The situation has finally reached this point!

The officials in the hall were all invigorated. Li Yuanming was a great Confucian scholar of the time, and Li Qi had risen to fame since returning to the capital, known as "a genius of heaven." How exciting it would be for these two to duel!

Li Qi remained noncommittal, saying, "Li Yuanming, you're getting old, so you should be the one to start by listing the regulations."

Li Yuanming's face twitched, suppressing his anger, and he immediately resorted to the tactic of labeling, "Every case that the Imperial Son-in-Law has overturned is quite disappointing."

Our dynasty takes Zhu Xi's philosophy as the foundation of the nation.

The case of Liu San Niangzi was decided in accordance with the sacred principles, as has been the case since ancient times. Li Qi, you have defied the world's will, abandoned the sacred principles, and lost the people's support, implicating the court and even causing your own downfall. Is your heart not deserving of condemnation?

Li Qi countered, "I will not even mention that the case of Liu San Niangzi occurred within the clan of Mr. Zishan. Did you coerce the officials into the trial?"

Since Mr. Zishan speaks of the case of Liu San Niangzi as following the sacred way, why don't you explain to me what sacred way it was?

Li Yuanming instinctively felt that Li Qi's question might be a trap, but this was what he was going to say anyway. After frowning, he still said, "Since the prince consort has asked, then please listen to what I have to say."

Since ancient times, Confucianism has emphasized the importance of kinship. After witnessing the chaos during the Song Dynasty, Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi called on brothers to help each other.

Self-interest is the root of all evil. If brothers have private property, it will sow discord among them and lead to the breakdown of the family. All property should belong to the clan. This is exactly what Zhu Xi advocated.

After the establishment of our Great Ming Dynasty, the property of each household was also public. Even after the division of households, when Liu San Niangzi's deceased husband passed away, it was reasonable for her to take away the inheritance for the sake of the entire clan.

However, the case of Liu San Niangzi that you, the Prince Consort, changed has completely destroyed these sacred principles. If every member of the clan were like Liu San Niangzi, wouldn't the family be wiped out?
The nation is the foundation of the nation. If the nation itself ceases to exist, how can the Ming Dynasty survive?

The previous official's judgments were all in accordance with the sacred way; what is the meaning behind the prince consort's change of judgment?

After hearing this, everyone in the court began to whisper among themselves.

“What Mr. Zishan said is not wrong. Zhu Xi did say that. How can Li Qi refute it?”

"However, there aren't many clans in the world that can fully implement the concept of communal ownership of clan property, right? At least it's not possible in my clan."

“We can’t reach the level of a sage, but since we’ve taken this to a whole new level, we still have to listen to the sage.”

Li Qi narrowed his eyes slightly; Li Yuanming had indeed said that.

However, he had used the teachings of a great Confucian scholar and was a time traveler, so his understanding of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was definitely superior to that of Li Yuanming.

Listening to the discussions among the courtiers in the hall, Zhu Yuanzhang, who had read "A Study of Mongolian Customs," felt a sense of exhilaration as he watched this scene, as if he had transcended the mundane world.

In the past, he would have thought Li Yuanming was right, but now Zhu Yuanzhang knew that Li Qi could not lose.

Today's scene is a trap set for the great master who is an expert in Cheng-Zhu philosophy. It's Li Yuanming's bad luck that he jumped into it willingly.

Unbeknownst to His Highness's ministers, the Emperor at the head of the table could no longer suppress the smile on his face.

What Zhu Yuanzhang didn't know was that Li Qi's goal was not just to defeat Li Yuanming.

He also wanted to kill Li Yuanming!

as well as--

Minister of Personnel, Zhan Hui!
(End of this chapter)