The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 204 Duke Yansheng has submitted a letter of surrender; what about you?
With just a few words, the atmosphere in the Fengtian Hall had become tense and ready to fight.

Li Xianmu appeared calm, yet uttered murderous words: "My fine head is right here; who will chop it off?"
With just one sentence, he escalated the conflict, declaring to the entire court: You want to attack me, and just as you wish, I will respond. The outcome will be judged by others.

"Vice-Host Li".

"Vice Censor" and "Junior Censor" are both respectful titles for the Right Censor-in-Chief, especially within the Censorate. Now, the one who is publicly criticizing Li Xianmu is a censor.

In fact, he is still considered Li Xianmu's subordinate.

Li Xianmu glanced at Liu Guan, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, who was as still as a meditating monk. It seemed that Liu Guan was the backer of these censors today.

The censor held a tablet in one hand and pointed at Li Xianmu with the other, saying sternly, "The Duke Yansheng, a descendant of the sage, died at the hands of traitors because of you, causing turmoil throughout the land."

Confucius made great contributions to the world, and his descendants should be respected. The Duke Yansheng only made some minor mistakes, so why should we stand by and watch him die?

No matter how eloquent you are, this is an undeniable fact.

Disrespect for the sacred way—this is your sin!

These righteous and authoritative words immediately elicited a chorus of responses and applause from the Censorate.

The sound waves surged like the sea, creating a great atmosphere in the Fengtian Hall, and the others also turned their heads to look.

"So this is the sin you all speak of in your hearts and on your lips," Li Xianmu laughed loudly. "Truly a laughingstock."

The Duke Yansheng was by nature cruel, tyrannical, greedy, and obsequious. He was ignorant of the sacred way, had no concern for the people, and disregarded moral principles.

Driven by insatiable greed, he indulged corrupt officials, squandering the lifeblood of the people of Qufu, taking every last penny and using it like dirt.

These words sent chills down the spines of everyone in the hall. The insults were so harsh, almost comparable to the historical reputation of Emperor Yang of Sui. Even Zhu Di, who harbored deep resentment towards the Duke of Yansheng, felt uneasy.

“He is harmful to the country, a disgrace to the sages, a flaw in the white jade of Confucius, and a descendant of incompetence and worthlessness.” Li Xianmu did not stop, his voice becoming more and more arrogant, “He is truly a useless piece of trash who is of no benefit to the country and no hope to the family. Even if he was born into the lineage of a sage and has flawless blood, his belly is nothing but a treacherous villain!”

Li Xianmu surveyed the crowd with pride, and then solemnly declared, "His death has contributed more to the Ming Dynasty than his entire life!"

"Pfft."

Someone in the hall couldn't hold back and burst out laughing, and instead of silence, a loud burst of laughter followed.

The laughter was extremely joyful, but it sounded quite grating to those who were attacking Li Xianmu.

The imperial court is a solemn political occasion. Such unrestrained laughter is a veiled political statement, indicating that these people at least do not agree with attacking Li Xianmu by using the matter of the Duke Yansheng.

Li Xianmu's remarks actually contain two key arguments:
First, the Duke Yansheng himself had serious moral problems and violated more than one national law. He should have died long ago and was not worth saving at all.

Secondly, the Duke Yansheng is a disgrace to Confucius. Such a person has nothing to do with the way of the sage and should be killed to uphold the law of the country.

This is a normal thought for modern people, but people in ancient times did not think this way, or rather, Confucian society did not think this way.

Legalism emphasizes that no distinction should be made between relatives and strangers, or between the noble and the lowly; below the emperor, all should be judged according to the law.

However, Confucian law emphasizes a strict hierarchy, different social statuses, and even different applicable punishments.

Under the patriarchal system, men were sentenced to much harsher penalties than women for the same crime. Except for crimes such as adultery, most crimes did not involve the death penalty. For most crimes other than the death penalty, women were not imprisoned, but were taken back to the family by their husbands, fathers, or other male family members for care.

For example, most ordinary people were accused of treason, or even actually joined a rebel army, or committed great disrespect. Many of them could be pardoned, but educated scholars were certain to die.

For example, the matters being discussed at the current grand assembly.

Princes and nobles have legal privileges. If the princes of the vassal states can break the law and act tyrannically, they can only be reprimanded. So the Duke Yansheng can naturally do the same. Zhu Di was not actually unaware of the Duke Yansheng's tyrannical behavior in Qufu, but he simply did not care.

Just like what Zhu Di said when Li Xianmu returned to the capital, it doesn't matter whether the Duke Yansheng lives or dies, there's no need for you to get yourself into trouble.

As Li Xianmu had expected, someone else immediately stepped forward and said, "Even if the Duke of Yansheng made some minor mistakes, it would only cause some suffering to the people. Why should he have to suffer such a tragic death?"

What you said, Vice-Chancellor Li, is nothing more than a minor flaw in a fine jade.

No one is perfect, and nothing is flawless.

If there are faults, correct them; if not, strive to improve. Why have things come to this?

Li Xianmu clapped his hands heavily again, making a loud sound, "Good!"

Even now, they still dare to argue that it was a minor mistake or fault. How wonderful that they would consider surrendering to thieves a minor fault.

He truly lives up to his title of Duke Yansheng. After the fall of the Song Dynasty, he surrendered to the Jin Dynasty; after the fall of the Jin Dynasty, he surrendered to the Yuan Dynasty; after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, he surrendered to my Great Ming Dynasty. Now, even a small White Lotus Rebellion bandit has come, and he's willing to surrender to it.

"Are you all so eager to whitewash the Duke Yansheng because you also harbor thoughts of one day turning to the enemy and pledging allegiance?"

The moment he spoke, the entire hall fell silent.

Those who had argued with Li Xianmu were all speechless. Zhu Di, on his throne, craned his neck, seemingly wanting to speak but unable to. Zhu Gaochi's fat face twitched, and everyone in the hall froze, stunned. A breeze swept through the hall; although it was summer, it felt like an ice cave.

"You...you...what did you say?"

The censor trembled and stammered out a sentence. He thought he must be going crazy and was hallucinating. What did he hear?
Li Xianmu laughed loudly, his laughter so unrestrained that it sounded like a triumphant song in the silent palace. Then, suppressing his laughter, he took two steps forward and shouted, "Since you didn't hear me clearly, I'll say it again!"
The Duke Yansheng has submitted a letter of surrender!

"enough!"

Zhu Di could no longer sit still and abruptly stood up from the throne. He never expected Li Xianmu to say such a thing; his ability to cause trouble far exceeded his imagination.

"This part must not be recorded!" Zhu Di stood up and first shouted at the historian who was recording the events in the palace, then addressed the ministers: "Forget about this matter. If anyone hears it from his mouth in the future, they will be executed without mercy!"

The officials in the hall all bowed their heads deeply, and no one responded, but this matter could not be stopped.

"Xianmu, you've really lost your temper!"

Zhu Di was genuinely shocked this time. Even if it were true, you couldn't say it out loud.

These words were extremely damaging to the system of the Duke of Yansheng. The officials in the hall, who had been watching the drama unfold, were now all silent.

The Duke Yansheng has submitted a letter of surrender!
If Li Xianmu hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have thought it was strange; he even thought that the Duke of Yansheng respected the Mandate of Heaven. But now that Li Xianmu had said it, the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

After recovering from his shock, Zhu Di also felt that something was wrong with the Duke of Yansheng, but traditional values ​​still made him stop Li Xianmu.

"It was my fault!"

After expressing his feelings, Li Xianmu knew that now was not the time to talk about these things. The people's hearts had not changed to that extent, and Zhu Di did not have the courage to change the reality of respecting Confucius and Confucianism.

He naturally knows when to stop while he's ahead.

Anyway, the effect of his words was almost unbeatable. The censor who had just attacked him was now questioning his existence.

Now comes the main event: the big shots are about to take the stage.

Li Xianmu clenched his fist lightly inside his sleeve, wondering who would be the first to go down.

"The Duke Yansheng is a descendant of a sage, and it is only right that the court respects him. Xianmu, please do not repeat what you just said."

Zhu Di was trying to make amends for Li Xianmu. After all, while those shocking words had caused the lower-ranking officials to back down, the high-ranking officials in the court were qualified to discuss matters of state.

It could easily become a handle for attacking Li Xianmu; a single insult could make Li Xianmu suffer greatly.

Zhu Di surveyed the assembled officials in the hall.

Left Censor-in-Chief Liu Guan coughed lightly, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, Li Xianmu spoke insolently. As a court official, he harbored improper thoughts and even insulted the Duke Yansheng's authority."

This is such a grave offense that I believe he is unfit for his current important post and should be demoted and sent out of the capital, pending further investigation and a change of heart.

Zhu Di's gaze was complex. "Xianmu, do you have anything to say in your defense?"

Li Xianmu remained calm and even smiled slightly. "Your Majesty, my late father taught me that if a son does not advise his father when he makes a mistake, thus causing his father to commit a grave error, it is unfilial of him as a son."

I have pondered this: if one day our Great Ming Dynasty were to perish, who would be willing to die for it?

Zhu Di, Zhu Gaochi, and others all changed their expressions drastically, and the officials in the hall also exclaimed in surprise. No one knew why Li Xianmu had suddenly said this.

But Li Xianmu's next sentence made everyone understand. He calmly said, "The Duke of Yansheng will definitely not do it, but my Li family will definitely do it. As for others, I don't know."

Since the Duke Yansheng would betray us sooner or later, wouldn't it be perfectly reasonable for me to eliminate him centuries in advance?

Today in the Fengtian Hall, Li Xianmu has made so many astonishing and earth-shattering remarks that the ministers have become numb to them. However, upon hearing Li Xianmu's words, the ministers still find them absurd.

"My Great Ming Dynasty will last for a thousand generations, how could it..."

"Who can you fool?" Li Xianmu shouted sternly, "There has never been an immortal dynasty!"

"Is that your reason for letting the Duke Yansheng die? Who can say for sure what will happen hundreds of years from now?"

"But the Duke Yansheng was right. At the end of the Song Dynasty, the end of the Jin Dynasty, and the end of the Yuan Dynasty, three times already, no matter who ruled the Central Plains, they would treat the Duke Yansheng with respect. And the Duke Yansheng has never been buried alive for any dynasty or country!"

Faced with irrefutable facts, even the most stubborn person could no longer stand firm and could only retreat step by step. These people had only one thought in their minds: it's not that we are incompetent, it's just that the Duke Yansheng is too incompetent, making it impossible for us to stand up for ourselves.

Seeing that Li Xianmu was pressing closer and closer by seizing the fact that the Duke of Yansheng had surrendered to three dynasties, and that his troops were already suffering repeated defeats, Liu Guan, the Left Censor-in-Chief, knew that he could not let Li Xianmu continue like this.

He immediately stepped forward and questioned Li Mingda in a loud voice: "Li Mingda, how can you talk about people in the present with future events? You say that the Li family will die for their country, but others may not."

"Among all those present in this hall, is it only you, Li Xianmu, and your family, who are loyal, virtuous, and wise ministers?"

(End of this chapter)