The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 201 Courtroom Relationship Between Emperor and Minister
I still vividly remember the magnificent scene when he left Beijing in the sixteenth year of the Yongle reign.

At the young age of twenty-five, he held the official title of Right Vice Censor-in-Chief, a second-rank official, and wielded the Imperial Sword. After returning from Jiangnan, he gained prestige in officialdom and a reputation among scholars after the debate between his heart and reason.

When he left the capital, more than a thousand people came to see him off.

Those who broke off the willow branches even destroyed the ten-mile-long willow grove beyond repair.

At that time, the sky was blue and the flowers were fragrant. Everyone believed that with Li Xianmu's abilities, he would be able to quickly quell the chaos in Shandong and restore stability to the province. After that, he would return to the capital and be promoted to Minister or Left Censor-in-Chief, which was a sure thing.

But no one expected that an accident would happen!
As expected by the emperor and his ministers, Li Xianmu indeed made great contributions in Shandong, quelling the White Lotus Rebellion and restoring Shandong.

But no one expected that he would be so audacious as to commit such a terrible disaster.

When the Duke Yansheng was kidnapped, he didn't even bother to ask the court before giving up, causing the death of a direct descendant of Confucius, revered by scholars throughout the land!

In the eyes of countless scholars, the death of the Duke Yansheng was a shocking event. To put it more bluntly, the Duke Yansheng's death violated the ethical principles of "respecting Confucius and valuing Confucianism" throughout the world.

Li Xianmu's actions were tantamount to a betrayal of the Confucian school!
Among them, Li Xianmu dealt with Shandong officials without any mercy. Since ancient times, there have been many officials who have wielded the imperial sword, but no one expected that Li Xianmu would actually use it!
Last time in Jiangnan, Li Xianmu was clearly very restrained.

This time, half of the officials who were rank 7 or above and had passed the imperial examinations were killed. In addition, there were his subordinate officials and clerks. Li Xianmu, who had never been involved in bloodshed, actually went on a killing spree in Jinan, leaving mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Not to mention the court officials, even Emperor Zhu Di was somewhat shocked.

His return to the capital was not as grand as when he left, but many people still came to greet him. They were the true backbone of the Neo-Confucian school, as well as some young scholars with passionate hearts.

"Junior Censor".

"Hard."

One by one, people came forward, each saying only two sentences, yet it seemed as if they had said a great deal.

Li Xianmu looked around at the crowd that had come to greet him, took a deep breath, and realized that no one can stand alone against the world; one must always have like-minded people to support each other along the way.

He didn't make any grand pronouncements, but simply said in a low voice, "Please believe me."

Trust me, I won't do anything without a reason.

"We have traveled a long and dusty journey, and the weather is quite cold. We have prepared a banquet to welcome the Junior Inspector and help him wash away the dust of his journey."

"I need to go to the palace to meet the Emperor first. I won't drink the wine yet. I'll drink the celebratory wine when I'm promoted to the Seven Ministers."

"Is it in such a hurry? Perhaps..." The banquet was a pretext; the real purpose was to discuss how to extricate Li Xianmu from these troubles.

“No need.” Li Xianmu naturally knew their intentions. He shook his head slightly, his eyes calm, and said softly but firmly, “In this Great Ming Dynasty, it is ultimately His Majesty who makes the decisions. Those ministers’ clamor will not amount to anything.”

"Young Master, please be extremely careful. May your future be prosperous and everything go smoothly."

May your future be prosperous and everything go smoothly!

Everyone bowed respectfully in hushed tones.

The wind was howling.

The wind howls.

Her clothes fluttered in the wind.

……

Li Xianmu never expected that the person who came to the palace gate to welcome him into the palace would be Hong Bao, the chief eunuch who served the emperor.

As the two walked through the palace corridor, Hong Bao whispered, "Young Master of Ceremonies, the Princess of Lin'an visited His Majesty a few days ago, and His Majesty seemed to have a good attitude towards her."

Li Xianmu's heart skipped a beat, knowing full well why his mother had entered the palace. "Thank you for reminding me, Eunuch Hong."

Li Xianmu followed Hong Bao closely into the Huagai Hall.

But beneath the large pillar, the Crown Prince's plump body was kneeling. When he saw Li Xianmu approach, he blinked.

Li Xianmu received the signal that the Crown Prince meant there was no major problem and that the Emperor had no intention of blaming him. He nodded slightly and then walked toward the Emperor.

Emperor Zhu Di sat imposingly on his throne.

"Your subject, Li Xianmu, Right Vice Censor-in-Chief and Governor of Shandong, has returned to the capital to report and pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Li Xianmu kowtowed in the hall, but the emperor did not speak until a long time later, when the emperor's voice finally rang out, carrying a hint of imperceptible helplessness, "Xianmu, you..."

The emperor hesitated, then said, "You've done most things very well in Shandong, and killing those Shandong officials isn't a big deal, but..."

Li Xianmu felt much more at ease.

Zhu Di sighed heavily and said, "The Duke Yansheng is different. Why didn't you report this matter to the court beforehand?"

Li Xianmu immediately replied, "Your Majesty, if I report this to the court, Your Majesty will have no choice but to reinstate the Duke Yansheng, regardless of your own thoughts."

"I did not wish to put Your Majesty in a difficult position, therefore I have dared to provoke you!"

Whether Zhu Di wanted to save the Duke Yansheng or not, he certainly didn't. He wished the shameless Duke Yansheng would die. Li Xianmu's actions were to get rid of a major nuisance for him.

"What is the loss of a person like the Duke Yansheng, even if he were to die ten thousand times? But you shouldn't have, you shouldn't have, gotten yourself into this mess!"

Zhu Di rebuked him, saying, "Put away your youthful impetuosity. Before you act, can't you think about your own safety, about your mother's worry at home, about me and the Crown Prince's worry about you?"

"Look at those civil officials outside who are shouting at you to fight and kill!"

"Look at those scholars!"

"Since I ascended the throne, and even including the reign of the previous emperor, I have never seen so many memorials impeaching people. They can't be contained in a basket, and my Huagai Hall is flooded. I feel fear!" Zhu Di said with exasperation, "What good is it to let a mere Duke Yansheng live? Is it worth you taking such a great risk to kill him!"

There were indeed many people who impeached Li Xianmu. Many of them did not have a good impression of the Duke Yansheng, nor did they have a bad impression of Li Xianmu. Rather, it was a concept rooted in the depths of their souls.

Just as some people question God, how can you question God's existence?

"Your Majesty taught you a lesson."

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your sincere gratitude."

Li Xianmu kowtowed deeply again, then raised his head, tears streaming down his handsome face. "But if I had to do it again, I would still do it!"

Li Xianmu's voice was resolute, carrying an air of absolute certainty.

"The Duke of Yansheng has received the emperor's favor for generations, yet he has no sense of shame and actually grovels before the traitors. He has forgotten that all his honor was given to him by the Ming Dynasty, and he has forgotten that all his glory was bestowed upon him by His Majesty."

He was a disgrace to Confucianism, a scourge to the Ming Dynasty, and a great scourge to the world.

He deserves to die!

Li Xianmu's face was filled with hatred as he spoke solemnly in the hall:

"A subject dies when his lord is disgraced; a subject is disgraced when his lord is distressed!"
He has caused His Majesty to lose face, caused the Ming Dynasty to lose face, and caused His Majesty to be humiliated. I will use my life to tell everyone that this is the Ming Dynasty, and even the Duke of Yansheng cannot cross it.

His status as a descendant of a sage was not a shield, but a heavy responsibility. If he could not uphold this responsibility, he should die!

"You..." Zhu Di was speechless, feeling both angry and pleased. He was pleased that Li Xianmu was loyal to the country and that his words and actions were in line with his wishes. He was angry that such a smart person was sometimes too stubborn and did not know how to flexibly change his bottom line.

He's practically a carbon copy of his father, Li Qi.

However, Zhu Di had to admit that what he liked most about Li Qi and Li Xianmu was their character of knowing what to do and what not to do, and always adhering to their bottom line no matter where they were, never crossing the line.

“Now that you’re all grown up, you’re becoming more and more opinionated. Even your mother can’t persuade you, so I certainly can’t argue with you either. A while ago, your mother came to the palace and begged me to help you.” Zhu Di paced anxiously in the hall. “I told her that you are my closest nephew, and I treat you like my son. I certainly won’t ignore what’s going on.”

But how can I manage this now?
Tell me, what should we do about this? The ministers in the outer court and countless others are calling for your execution.

After the news of the Duke Yansheng's death reached the capital, it was the topic of conversation at court every day, and all government offices were almost at a standstill. I couldn't suppress it no matter what.

Don't even think about getting a promotion after you come back from Shandong. You probably won't keep your current position either; at most, you'll be spared.

If all else fails, you can just get out of here and go to Jiaozhi... or go to Sichuan to avoid trouble.

"When the time is right, I will reinstate you."

Li Xianmu understood that Zhu Di's words meant he would protect him to the end.

Even the emperor couldn't possibly act against the will of the entire court, especially since the matter was inherently untenable. If he couldn't withstand the pressure, he planned to exile Li Xianmu to Sichuan.

Although it was an exile, Sichuan is the land of abundance, a truly wonderful place. It would be nice to travel and enjoy the scenery there. As long as he was safe, he could be reinstated later.

It has a similar feel to when the late emperor exiled my father and mother to Jiangpu, which is separated from Nanjing by a river.

Li Xianmu, however, felt that the situation was not that serious.

When he abandoned the Duke Yansheng, he had thought about many things. In fact, he had many ways to make the Duke Yansheng die without anyone knowing, or even to shift the blame and make the Duke Yansheng die in the chaos of war.

But in that way, the Duke Yansheng could at least have a glorious reputation.

Li Xianmu refused!

What he wanted was not to get rid of a morally corrupt Duke Yansheng, but to shake the Duke Yansheng system and the current Confucian school. If this matter hadn't been blown out of proportion, how could there have been such a storm?

To achieve this goal, he was even willing to get himself involved.

In any case, he was in an invincible position in this war. At worst, he would just lose his official post, but afterwards, those who agreed with his views would inevitably surround him.

"Your Majesty, the grand court assembly is in two days. I will present my case in court and will bear whatever storms may come my way." Li Xianmu said solemnly, "They are threatening to kill me, and I am also very dissatisfied with them."

They are quite dissatisfied with the current state of Confucianism.

In my opinion, this matter is not even worth discussing. I am not wrong, so they are the ones who are wrong.

Who is right and who is wrong will be judged by justice; they cannot be explained away by sophistry.

Zhu Di began pacing again, gazing at Li Xianmu's confident face, before finally saying slowly, "Then let's do it that way."

(End of this chapter)