The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 213 Family Precepts
Before long, the group entered the courtyard from outside.

This was the first time that Li Shufeng and the other women in the clan had entered the ancestral hall. They followed behind their mothers, curiously and quietly observing the furnishings in the courtyard.

"cough."

Li Xianmu coughed lightly, and the children immediately fell silent. Li Xianmu glanced down and saw that the Li family was now quite large.

Of course, the credit mainly goes to Li Fang and Li Mao. Both of them have two concubines. Over the past ten years, Li Fang has had ten children, including three legitimate sons, two illegitimate sons, two legitimate daughters, and three illegitimate daughters.

Li Mao had seven children: two legitimate sons, three illegitimate sons, one legitimate daughter, and one illegitimate daughter.

This was actually against the regulations of the imperial court, as the Ming Dynasty had clear laws regarding the taking of concubines.

Officials and commoners could only request to take a concubine if they were at least forty years old and had no children.

Regardless of rank or status, officials were required to be at least forty years old and childless before taking a concubine. However, in reality, Hai Rui was probably the only person in the entire Ming Dynasty who actually followed this law.

The imperial court generally doesn't investigate such matters unless the people complain, and few people from top to bottom abide by this rule. Naturally, Li Fang and Li Mao don't compromise themselves in this regard.

But Li Xianmu was different. As the head of the Li family, he would never give his political enemies any credit for any mistakes. He strictly abided by the laws of the Ming Dynasty. The laws of the Ming Dynasty stipulated that one could not take a concubine, so he did not take one.

Fortunately, with the help of his biological father using magical gadgets, he had two sons and two daughters, which can be considered as a prosperous lineage.

His children are all still young; only his eldest son and eldest daughter are present, and they are only four years old. Li Fang's eldest son is already seventeen or eighteen years old and is about to come of age.

“I know that according to custom, women are not allowed to enter the ancestral hall, but if my Li family is just beginning to prosper, let’s establish this rule from here.”

Regardless of gender, everyone will be required to participate in ancestral worship in the future. Li Xianmu looked around at everyone. "As for the family precepts, not only the children of the Li family, but also the wives and even concubines who marry into the family in the future must listen to and abide by them."

Anyone who disobeys will be expelled from the clan without mercy, even if he is the clan chief's eldest son. If necessary, he can be beaten to death in the clan!
have you understood? "

Everyone in the courtyard shivered; they never expected the clan leader's first words to be so harsh.

"We understand," the group replied.

Li Xianmu nodded slightly and said slowly, "Don't think this is cruel. Being cautious and prudent is the way to survive."

As you all know, the Li family was once the most prominent family in the Ming Dynasty. However, we suffered a misfortune and were wiped out overnight. Fortunately, your grandfather saved us from being punished.

Now, the Yinya Mansion is gradually becoming more prominent, and it is about to be listed as a holy descendant.

This is the newly established Li family, so we regard your grandfather as our first ancestor.

The Li family regarded Li Qi as their first ancestor, which was actually quite normal in this era, just as the Ming Dynasty also worshipped Zhu Yuanzhang as the main figure.

Li Shanchang is certainly an ancestor, but the Li clan arose because of him and also perished because of him. The current Li clan was created by Li Qi. There is a clear distinction between the two.

Li Xianmu sighed, "It is a miracle that the Li family was able to rise again. Those important officials who were killed in history, even if they were later exonerated and exonerated, the decline of their families was inevitable."

If this happens again, the family will most likely be forever trapped in this quagmire. That's why I keep telling you these things, just in case you repeat the same mistakes.

Now that you all know what I mean, I will briefly explain the family precepts that must never be disobeyed.

"Eldest brother, second brother, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, you all need to remember this. Some of the children are still young and might not remember it. When you get back, have them copy it down at least once a month. It needs to be ingrained in their bones; they must never forget it!"

Li Fang and the others nodded solemnly.

Li Xianmu pondered where to begin, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the children before he spoke: "The first rule of the family precepts is harmony within the clan."

A large family like ours cannot be killed off by outsiders in a short time. This is what is meant by a centipede that dies but does not fall down. Only by first destroying itself within the family can we be utterly defeated.

Since ancient times, domestic unrest has inevitably led to disaster, and domestic unrest often stems from jealousy.

Concubines are jealous of the principal wife's status, while the principal wife is jealous of the concubines' beauty and favor. As a result, all sorts of underhanded tactics are employed in the inner quarters.

The legitimate son is jealous of the eldest legitimate son, the illegitimate son is jealous of the legitimate son, the foolish are jealous of the intelligent, and the unambitious are jealous of the promising. They plot against each other, frame each other, and seize by all means and tricks.

They eventually started attacking and killing each other.

The victors, smug and self-satisfied, eye the next target; the defeated, resentful and bitter, their anger spreading throughout the courtyard. A once beautiful home has become a filthy, resentful, and shameful place. These words sent chills down the spines of almost everyone in the courtyard; the mere thought of that scene was terrifying.

“My eldest and second sisters-in-law are both gentle people, so before my eldest and second brothers’ concubines entered the family, I asked my mother to take a close look at them. They are not competitive or aggressive, which is good. Those who are competitive and too shrewd and calculating, even if they have stunning beauty, must not enter the family and ruin the family’s reputation.”

The First Madam and the Second Madam looked at their mother-in-law, Princess Lin'an, in surprise. They hadn't expected such a thing to happen. Seeing Princess Lin'an nod and smile, they quickly thanked Li Xianmu.

Li Fang and Li Mao blushed. As the older brother, they felt embarrassed that even something as simple as taking a concubine required their younger brother's help. Although they were used to being ordinary people, they still felt a little ashamed.

“Since the Zhou Dynasty, it has been said that the eldest son is the one bestowed by Heaven to inherit the family business. The dynasty also has clear laws to distinguish between the eldest son and the illegitimate son. This is called the son being valued because of his mother.”

After saying this, Li Xianmu's gaze swept lightly over everyone in the courtyard, observing each person's expression. He was quite satisfied after seeing it. "It's normal to have differences; it's the natural likes and dislikes of human nature."

There's an old saying that parents love their youngest child the most.

In most families, parents tend to favor the successful one who is also good at talking and has a sweet tongue.

But everything should be done in moderation.

Because they were born out of wedlock, they were bullied and beaten, treated like servants. How many children raised like this could regard their family as home and not as enemies?
Mencius said that if a ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat the ruler as an enemy. If this is how rulers and subjects should treat each other, how much more so should parents and children treat each other?
A kind father makes a filial son; if the father is not kind, how can the son be filial?

In the Li clan, parents should be loving. If parents are not loving, the clan will take the child away and find someone else to register the child. If no suitable person can be found, the clan will raise the child.

If a legal wife mistreats her illegitimate children, and the evidence is conclusive, she should be divorced.

After these words were spoken, the expressions of the First Madam and the Second Madam did not change much. Neither of them were the type to be harsh. After all, they were wives carefully selected by Li Qi for his two sons. Putting aside other aspects, they were both extremely gentle in character.

The children in the courtyard were all kneeling on the ground, not only the illegitimate children but also the legitimate children.

These illegitimate sons and daughters were always close to their third uncle, Li Xianmu, because, apart from formal occasions, the gifts they received were no less than those given to legitimate children.

"Humans are not plants or trees, how can they be without feelings?"
Even when dealing with strangers, one should have some compassion; how much more so with one's own children?

What I'm talking about isn't some grand philosophy, but rather something that comes from the human heart. Our Li family is the ancestral home of the philosophy of mind, so we should follow our true nature and not be like those hypocritical moralists who think that everything is perfect just because they say "preserve heavenly principles and eliminate human desires."

"Get up, all of you."

The scene of the family precepts being read aloud today was indeed quite unexpected for everyone. They had thought it would be a very serious and solemn occasion, but unexpectedly, Li Xianmu spoke as if it were a casual conversation, which had a rather earnest and instructive tone.

But these words resonated deeply with people.

"What I was talking about just now was people. Harmony among relatives starts with people. If people are virtuous, jealousy will not arise. If people are fair, resentment will be less likely to occur. Now I'm still talking about harmony among relatives, but this time it's about money."

"As the old saying goes, money is the root of all evil. A gentleman is guided by righteousness, while a petty person is guided by profit. Countless brothers, fathers and sons, relatives and friends were once inseparable, but in the end, they all failed because of profit. But it is precisely because of this that we must face it head-on. Even a hero can be brought down by a penny. In this world, if you want to live well, whether it is a country or a family, you absolutely cannot do without money."

"When the granaries are full, people know honor and shame. If an ordinary person is driven to starvation by a harsh government, even if he rebels, can we blame him?"

In a family, the main branch of the family is prominent and prosperous, enjoying fine food and wearing luxurious clothes, while the family members suffer from hunger and cold and struggle to survive. How can such a family not fall into ruin?

Money held in one's hands is not real money; it becomes a source of trouble and covetousness. Distributing money to relatives, friends, and neighbors, enabling the elderly, the widowed, and children to survive, and helping relatives and friends through hardship, transforms what could potentially bring disaster into a blessing that will protect the family in the future. Helping millions, and knowing that even one person will feel gratitude in the future, is a joyous thing.

Li Xianmu patiently explained the fundamental principles of a family's survival.

"Since we've come up with money, it just so happens that we've come up with the next family motto: We, the members of the Li clan, must have upright conduct and act with integrity."

In this world, many people are merely wearing human skin, but inside they are wolves and beasts. My Li family will never allow such people to appear.

Over the years, I've heard that many nobles have been lending money at exorbitant interest rates, seizing property from the people, and making money through various means. I've also heard that some people want to get our household involved in these activities.

I'll give you a direct answer today: No!

Li Xianmu's eyes turned cold as he scanned everyone. "If you want to make money, you can buy more land and shops, or even find people who don't take the imperial examination route to do business."

But if money is tainted with death, ruining the reputation of the household and clan, then the consequences would be unforgivable.

Li Qi looked at this scene and suddenly his brow furrowed. He had never considered this matter before. There were many things about the future that he could not say, but salt making, soap making, and glass making were things that time travelers could do. They shouldn't be considered as changing the course of history, right?

If they could produce these things, wouldn't the Li family have a stable way to make money?
(End of this chapter)