The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 199 What is there to pity about the likes of Duke Yansheng!
After Li Xianmu refused to consult the emperor, the atmosphere of unease in the tent grew increasingly heavy.

Just as Li Xianmu thought, asking the Emperor would be an attempt to shift the blame. The Emperor knew what the Duke of Yansheng had done and would certainly be happy for that scoundrel to die here, but he couldn't say anything.

The reason Li Xianmu's subordinates made this suggestion was because they realized that Li Xianmu seemed genuinely unwilling to reclaim the title of Duke Yansheng, which made them uneasy, so they mentioned it to the Emperor.

"Your Excellency, what is there to hesitate about? In any case, the only right thing to do is to bring back the Duke Yansheng!"

"is it?"

Li Xianmu finally broke free from his reverie. The hesitation on his face vanished, and he calmly looked at everyone in the tent. His eyes shone as brightly as the stars in the sky at that moment!

"Is bringing back the Duke Yansheng the right thing to do? I don't think so!"

“A bandit, a White Lotus sect bandit, can force the mighty imperial court to concede by capturing the Duke of Yansheng!”

"If we take the Duke Yansheng today, and then take the Duke Yansheng again tomorrow, and take all the vassal kings, and the court still has to make concessions, does that mean the court has to keep making concessions forever?"

"How is this any different from the six states ceding territory to Qin and adding fuel to the fire?"

Some things cannot be compromised; some things cannot be backed down from; some things...

Someone always has to sacrifice!

“If the White Lotus sect is allowed to return to the mountains, Shandong will never be peaceful, the court will never be stable, and the people of Shandong will suffer again. Now, we only need to sacrifice the Duke of Yansheng to eliminate future worries.”

Li Xianmu's voice remained calm, yet it was as firm as steel, carrying an undeniable resolve.

"Your Excellency, please be careful with your words! That's the Duke Yansheng!"

"So what if he's the Duke Yansheng?" Li Xianmu said sternly, "A servile and obsequious person like him, even if he dies, what's the harm in it!"

The tent was silent. Everyone was dumbfounded and speechless. Even the Marquis of Shouchun, who was among the military officers, did not know what to say.

That's a really harsh statement—"Even if you die, what's there to regret?"

During the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing almost caused Tang Jian's death, and even said, "Tang Jian is no match for you." Tang Jian then fought with Li Jing for the rest of his life, which can be described as the highest form of contempt.

At this point, everyone knew that Governor Li Xianmu had made up his mind not to exchange for the Duke of Yansheng.

Their expressions varied: some were worried, some were amazed, and some were still puzzled.

But no one was trying to persuade them anymore.

After spending this time together, they had come to understand Li Xianmu's personality quite well. He liked to listen to advice, but once he made a final decision, he almost never changed it.

Resourceful and decisive!
He has exceptional execution skills, making him almost the perfect candidate for prime minister.

The White Lotus Sect envoy was brought in again from outside. As soon as he entered, he sensed that something was wrong in the atmosphere inside the tent. Everyone's faces were solemn. He looked at the Shandong governor sitting at the head of the table.

"Take this letter back to your damned leader. The Duke Yansheng should have died for his country in Qufu. It is a disgrace that he is still alive. If you want to kill him, then kill him. To die for the Ming Dynasty and rid it of traitors is a worthy death."

Our Great Ming will never accept any enemy's coercion, regardless of their status. Only by dying for our country can we repay the boundless grace of Heaven!

The White Lotus Sect envoy, pale-faced, stumbled out of the Ming army camp, his face filled with despair and utter disorientation.

Upon returning to the mountain, the Duke Yansheng was already being held in the hall. He looked haggard and thin, naturally due to not eating well. Upon seeing the White Lotus Sect envoy return, he immediately asked excitedly, "Can I go back now?"

He believed the court would eventually replace him.

He even became somewhat smug and said, "If it weren't for me, you would probably have been wiped out by the imperial court this time."

The White Lotus Cult Leader unfolded the letter and glanced at it briefly. His face instantly changed, turning ashen and his body went limp. The people in the hall who were eagerly waiting immediately knew something was wrong. The White Lotus Saintess quickly snatched the letter, glanced at it once, and collapsed into her chair, utterly dejected.

"You actually refused."

"what?"

Many White Lotus Sect elders stepped forward to look, and all of them had the same expression: lost, dejected, and hopeless.

"They actually just stood by and watched the Duke Yansheng die."

"Nonsense!" the Duke Yansheng exclaimed, "In the entire Ming Dynasty, no one has ever dared to stand by and watch me die! No one!"

He broke free from the crowd, rushed forward, and snatched the letter. He read it word by word, his face growing paler with each reading, then turning a deep rage that tinged with purplish-red and black hues. He angrily exclaimed, "Li Xianmu! How dare you!"

"how dare you?"

"I am a descendant of a sage!"

"I am the Duke Yansheng. Even the Emperor would not dare to issue such an order. How dare you defy His Majesty's will?"

"This man..."

"Hold this piece of trash down!" The White Lotus Sect's holy maiden's fair face was filled with disgust. Immediately, two people rushed out, pinned her down, and gagged her. Only then did the White Lotus Holy Maiden say, "Master, it was my mistake, it was..."

"This has nothing to do with you." The White Lotus Sect Leader waved his hand, somewhat helplessly. "What you said makes a lot of sense. If it weren't for Li Xianmu at the foot of the mountain today, I believe your plan would have succeeded. I should have thought of that long ago."

The Li family has been known for its sincerity and loyalty since the time of the sage Li Qi. How could Li Xianmu, who is called the Little Sage, be the kind of person who hesitates and cherishes his reputation?

The Ming emperor probably also wanted the Duke Yansheng dead, so Li Xianmu naturally wanted to get rid of the Duke Yansheng for the emperor, even if he had to be punished after returning to the capital.

It's no wonder they were defeated by such a loyal minister.

It's a pity that such a loyal minister served a dog of an emperor and protected those corrupt officials; he is both admirable and hateful.

The Duke Yansheng struggled on the ground, tears streaming down his face. He had a strong will to live and didn't want to die. He wanted to fight for his life and prove his worth. He didn't want to die here. He had endless wealth and honor; he was the Duke Yansheng, bestowed the title by the imperial court...

"Pfft."

A warm sensation invaded his abdomen, followed by the excruciating pain of the blade twisting. He looked down in disbelief and saw a knife stabbed into his abdomen, which had even been rotated. Blood gushed from the fist-sized hole, instantly soaking his clothes and the ground. The cloth was removed from his mouth, but he could no longer speak; only countless drops of blood gushed from his throat.

His eyes were wide open as he stared at the White Lotus Sect Leader at the head of the table, overwhelmed by boundless resentment—

I am the Duke Yansheng, a descendant of a sage, from the only thousand-year-old aristocratic family in the world. I have the noblest bloodline in the world. Even the royal family is not worthy to be compared with me. How could I die at the hands of such lowly commoners?

A thief!

"Pah! I've disliked him for a long time. Did he think we couldn't see the contempt in his eyes?" The White Lotus Sect elder drew his knife. "What a thousand-year-old nobleman, a descendant of a saint, he's nothing but this. He'll die with a single blow."

Everyone looked at them with disdain. The process of getting along with the Duke of Yansheng was a process of demystifying the thousand-year-old aristocratic family. These high-ranking members of the White Lotus Sect, who came from the bottom, could hardly imagine that there could be such shameless, arrogant and useless people in this world.

Killing the useless Duke Yansheng was a great relief.

“Master, Holy Maiden, since the imperial troops are unwilling to negotiate, and being trapped in the mountains means certain death, then the only way is to go down the mountain and fight it out. We’ll see how many of them make it through.”

"Yes, Master, you and the Holy Maiden are the key. We will cover your escape. The mountains are densely forested now, so we can hide in advance. Then we will lure the pursuers away. As long as there are fewer people, there is still hope of escaping."

Everyone chimed in, saying that in the current situation, the main force was definitely not going to leave, but there was still a chance for a small group to escape under the cover of night.

Throughout history, no one has ever been able to completely surround a place, let alone a mountain. Even besieging a city would be extremely difficult.

The White Lotus Sect Leader and others were trapped here because they were worried about their fellow sect members.

If we really want to escape, we have at least a 30% chance of success!
"Brothers!" The White Lotus Sect Leader hesitated for a long time, "I, Tang Shengzong, swear that I will avenge you all for today's humiliation in the future."

"The Eternal Mother!"

The crowd bowed their heads in unison, their voices tinged with sorrow, and cried out, "The Wise King has descended!"

"Save us from suffering and distress!"

Like a song or a melody, it floats out.

……

At dusk.

The White Lotus Religion followers launched a desperate charge, but the Ming army, which was always ready, steadily responded under the command of the Marquis of Shouchun.

"It's just like a moth drawn to a flame."

Li Xianmu stared at the White Lotus Sect members who were risking their lives, his eyes suddenly sharpening as he said, "They're not like moths to a flame, but they're moving out at dusk. Who are they protecting!"

The Marquis of Shouchun was suddenly startled. "You mean, Governor, the White Lotus Sect leader is going to escape?"

"The reason for launching the attack at dusk is that the mountain is too dangerous at night. A slight misstep could lead to a fall off the cliff. Therefore, we need to take advantage of the sun while we are still out to leave the most dangerous part of the mountain. Once we reach a slightly safer place, we will sneak away under the cover of night. So the White Lotus Sect Leader must want to escape. Immediately disperse all the scout cavalry and make sure that no one escapes!"

Countless cavalrymen were dispatched, and the White Lotus Cult Leader and the Holy Maiden, who were hiding among the soldiers, were utterly horrified. They knew that their plan had been discovered, and now the chance of escaping had dropped to a mere ten percent.

Whether they can escape depends entirely on luck and whether God will protect them.

Clearly, fate was not on their side. When the galloping horse circled the White Lotus Cult Leader, he knew that all was lost.

A sad smile.

Without hesitation, he immediately slit his own throat.

The others also died; in an instant, none of them survived.

Li Xianmu rode up on his horse and said softly, "Even a thief has more backbone and the courage to die than the Duke Yansheng."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The White Lotus Rebellion, which occurred in Shandong in the sixteenth year of the Yongle reign, was caused by years of natural disasters that led to the hardship of the people's lives. Shandong officials colluded to arbitrarily exploit the people, and the people, unable to bear the burden, took the opportunity to rise up in rebellion. However, at this time, the Ming Dynasty still had a strong central government and a large number of honest and capable people such as Li Xianmu. The White Lotus Rebellion was easily suppressed.

This uprising dealt a significant blow to Shandong's economy and people's livelihoods. Following the uprising, the Ming government implemented a policy of "light taxes and levies," a result of the Shandong people's resistance and also proof that the Ming central government maintained its rationality. —From *Five Hundred Years of the Ming Dynasty*

(End of this chapter)