The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 186 The Future of the Ming Dynasty is Entrusted to You
The imperial edict was sent to Jiangnan by express courier at a speed of 600 li, and the Ministry of Rites' regulations were also delivered to various provinces.

The debate banquet must be stopped immediately!
The provincial governors, judicial commissioners, and military commanders are to immediately restore order in their respective provinces and prevent any larger-scale unrest!
The provincial education commissioners should reassure the scholars of their respective provinces and make the court's earnest teachings clear!
Faced with out-of-control public opinion, the central government of the Ming Dynasty acted swiftly and decisively, demonstrating its ability to clean up the mess cleanly, which also revealed its fear of what might happen next.

The four provinces of Zhejiang, Shandong, Hubei, and Shaanxi were the most affected, with scholars suffering injuries and deaths in all of them.

In Zhejiang, in particular, long-standing grievances and conflicts erupted all at once, and according to rough estimates, the number of scholars killed or injured reached several hundred.

One of the Four Talented Scholars of Jiangnan was injured in the battle, and if he did not recover well, he would be unable to participate in the imperial examinations.

His future was almost ruined.

Therefore, when the imperial edict arrived in Zhejiang, it was impossible to suppress the overwhelming public sentiment. It was only after the county yamen runners were dispatched and the three provincial government offices arrived to suppress the unrest that it was finally stopped.

After the chaos among scholars in various regions gradually subsided, the imperial court quickly issued an edict—

Starting with the imperial examinations after the eleventh year of the Yongle reign, Li Qi's commentaries on the Four Books and Five Classics in the first volume of the "Records of the Transmission of History" will be considered as interpretations with the same validity as the "Collected Annotations on the Four Books," allowing scholars to freely choose one of them to answer the questions.

This decree was expected by many; punishing both sides equally is the best way to resolve this chaos.

Those conservative proponents of Neo-Confucianism were naturally devastated, while the students of the School of Mind cheered for the emperor's wisdom.

This event was not merely a change in the imperial examination system; it had a far more profound impact on the entire nation.

For example, some farming and scholarly families that have always passed down the teachings of Neo-Confucianism have even keenly sensed the changing situation. Neo-Confucianism seems to be gradually declining, while the School of Mind is flourishing. So they have begun to try to gradually change their stance and have their younger generations study the "Records of Transmission".

For example, Li Xianmu will no longer be fighting alone in the future, but will be able to gain a large number of new forces in the foreseeable future.

For example, Li Qi's status was completely on par with Zhu Xi's, and even slightly surpassed Zhu Xi's because he was closer to the contemporary Ming Dynasty.

From the perspective of the School of Mind, this upheaval in the literati was a resounding victory. Even if it was not something to celebrate, it was still enough to bring comfort to everyone.

Before the people of the world could recover from such a momentous event, an imperial edict arrived from the capital, announcing that the court was about to launch a second northern expedition to conquer the Oirat Mongols, and that the imperial decree was being sent to all the provinces.

Many people suddenly realized that His Majesty's anxiety about the chaos in the scholarly circles was also related to the Northern Expedition.

Last year, Duke Zhang Fu of England returned victorious from Annam. Now, the imperial court has a large army in Japan to assist King Minamoto no Yoshimochi in quelling a rebellion in Japan, but the Ming Dynasty does not feel like it is in the midst of war as it used to.

It wasn't until the emperor was about to personally lead another expedition that people across the land once again felt the impending storm that shook the entire nation.

Indeed, only the nomadic tribes of the grasslands were the Ming Dynasty's only true enemy!
This time, Li Xianmu naturally accompanied Zhu Di on his northern expedition once again. Among those present was Zhu Zhanji, who had been appointed as the Crown Prince.

Zhu Di's favorite grandson, a grandson who truly resembled him in every way.

……

“Xianmu”.

Inside the military tent, Zhu Di beckoned Li Xianmu and Zhu Zhanji to come forward, and then laughed loudly, "Xianmu, on the journey to the north, I entrust my grandson to your care."

"Your subject will not fail in this mission and will swear to defend the safety of the imperial grandson to the death," Li Xianmu said solemnly.

"I am at ease entrusting the future of the Ming Dynasty to you." Zhu Di smiled, then turned to look at Zhu Zhanji, "Grandson, stay with your uncle and don't run around. If you have any questions, ask your uncle. He is an all-knowing genius."

"Grandfather, I understand."

Zhu Zhanji's childish face tightened as he imitated an adult, secretly tilting his head to look at Li Xianmu, whose name he had heard countless times from his father, mother, grandfather, and many others.

Marching is a tedious task, let alone for Zhu Zhanji, who was only thirteen years old. He thought that fighting was an exciting battle with swords and arrows, but in reality, fighting was just a tedious march, repeating mechanical actions day after day, and he soon felt tired.

Li Xianmu noticed his mood and found him. Zhu Zhanji was sitting on a small mound outside the camp, gazing at the grassland in the distance that was just beginning to turn green.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Uncle?" Zhu Zhanji, who was in a daze, was startled. When he came to his senses, he saw Li Xianmu sitting on a rock below him, smiling at him.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince is getting a little bored."

"Yes, fighting is nothing like I imagined. This is only my second time on the battlefield, Uncle, so I don't feel much..."

He hesitated, unsure how to describe his current feeling. "Disappointment?"

“No.” Li Xianmu said directly. Zhu Zhanji was stunned. Before he could speak, Li Xianmu continued, “Because governing a country is more boring than fighting a war. Day after day, year after year.” “Ah?” Zhu Zhanji was so shocked that he opened his mouth wide. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. “Uncle is the first person to say that governing a country is boring.”

"I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince enjoys cricket fighting?"

Li Xianmu suddenly changed the subject, and Zhu Zhanji blushed slightly upon hearing this, but still nodded.

"Cricket fighting is great. It's a very rewarding thing to watch the crickets tear and pounce until they finally win. I imagine His Highness the Crown Prince must have been very excited then."

"Uncle really understands. There's nothing more exciting than victory. I thought war was like that too, but it turns out it's not."

"That's a misconception of His Highness the Crown Prince. Fighting a war is not much different from cricket fighting. This tedious marching is actually a way to build up strength for the final victory. During the first northern expedition, we marched for months until we finally won a great victory on the banks of the Onon River. Can you really determine the winner in a cricket fight right away?"

Zhu Zhanji fell into deep thought, and only after a long while did he break free and solemnly say, "Uncle is right. I was too hasty."

This is the principle of military strategy: "A ruler should not raise an army out of anger, nor should a general wage war out of resentment. Act only when it is advantageous, and cease when it is not. Anger can turn to joy, and resentment to pleasure; but a lost nation cannot be restored, and the dead cannot be brought back to life. Therefore, wise rulers are cautious, and good generals are vigilant; this is the way to secure the nation and preserve the army."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is indeed intelligent and wise," Li Xianmu praised.

"Both His Majesty and the Crown Prince want me to teach His Highness the Grandson, but I see that His Highness has extraordinary talent, can draw inferences from one instance to another, and does not really need my teaching. After thinking it over, I only have one thing I can teach His Highness the Grandson."

Zhu Zhanji was still young, and when praised by Li Xianmu, a super talent who had achieved fame at a young age, passed the imperial examination six times in a row, and was renowned throughout the world, he was secretly delighted and quite proud.

"Please speak, Uncle."

"Throughout history, there have been hundreds of emperors, including tyrants, foolish rulers, mediocre rulers, wise rulers, and sage rulers. Among these rulers, some were very intelligent, some were of average talent, and some were incorrigible. Your Highness, what kind of person do you think is suitable to be what kind of ruler?"

Zhu Zhanji frowned slightly and pondered, "Naturally, the intelligent become wise and sage rulers, the ordinary become mediocre rulers, and the unruly become foolish and tyrannical rulers."

Li Xianmu smiled slightly and asked in return, "Is that so?"
Does Your Highness the Crown Prince think Qin Shi Huang was mischievous or intelligent? Was Emperor Wu of Han mischievous or intelligent? Was Emperor Yang of Sui mischievous or intelligent?

Putting Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, two emperors whose merits far outweighed their faults, together with Emperor Yang of Sui, a bastard who died at the age of one, is arguably the worst portrayal of the two emperors. But when making examples, it's natural to choose such well-known figures. All three are famous tyrants in ancient China, which is quite fitting.

Li Xianmu's question left Zhu Zhanji speechless.

Throughout history, Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han have been described as tyrannical, but no one has called them weak. They both created unparalleled achievements, such as unifying the six kingdoms and defeating the Xiongnu. These great achievements are difficult to erase for thousands of years.

Emperor Yang of Sui's actions before ascending the throne were quite remarkable, but after ascending the throne, he seemed to have been possessed and became a different person.

Zhu Zhanji remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with difficulty: "They are intelligent, but these three are all born with tyrannical personalities. Therefore, the more intelligent they are, the greater the harm they pose to the world. Normal intelligent people..."

Li Xianmu did not react to Zhu Zhanji's rebuttal, but listened to Zhu Zhanji with a smile before quietly asking, "Then what does His Highness the Crown Prince think of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang?"

He ushered in the Kaiyuan Era, one of the greatest golden ages in history, and also caused the An Lushan Rebellion, a cataclysmic event that nearly brought the Tang Dynasty to its zenith. The Tang Dynasty reached its zenith because of him, and it also faced irreversible destruction because of him.

Zhu Zhanji was truly speechless now. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was an emperor capable of silencing anyone holding the following viewpoint:

"If he had become emperor, he would definitely have been a wise ruler." "If he had lived a few years longer, I can't imagine how glorious his reign would have been."

Whenever this viewpoint is raised, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang is brought up, with the saying, "A child prodigy may not necessarily be a great adult."

Zhu Zhanji was stumped by the question. Even seasoned officials had repeatedly run into obstacles, let alone a young man like him. "Uncle, what do you think is the reason?"

"What Your Highness just said is only half right. To become a wise and sage ruler, one must indeed have innate wisdom, which mediocre people cannot achieve."

But more importantly, it requires a steadfast commitment to good governance.

Li Xianmu slowly said, "Just now I said that governing the country is a very boring thing. This is not nonsense, but the truth. In fact, I didn't say it seriously enough. It is actually a very frustrating thing."

If His Highness keeps losing at cricket fighting, he might not want to play anymore.

Governing a country is something that will never see a day of victory.

This was a viewpoint that Zhu Zhanji had never heard before.

"Please enlighten me, Uncle!"

(End of this chapter)