The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 232 The Next Place
As Li Xianmu alighted from his carriage in front of the palace gate, he happened to see Jian Yi, the Minister of Personnel, also alighting. The two exchanged a glance, bowed to each other, and showed no sign of anything amiss.

Later, there were also six other ministers, censors, and several Hanlin scholars. The Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet were not here, but were on duty in the Hall of Literary Glory.

Most people were confused, not knowing what had happened. The emperor had suddenly summoned his ministers. Zheng Huan, the Minister of Rites, looked around and then walked to Li Xianmu's side, asking in a low voice, "Mingda, do you know what's going on?"

The two traveled together, and Li Xianmu quickly and quietly told him what had happened at the Nanjing Imperial Academy. Zheng Huan was first surprised, and then his eyes showed undisguised joy. "This is our chance to break through the law against poor families."

Li Xianmu nodded and said, "That's what I think too. A law that has been suspended for three years has been unable to be implemented and has finally led to this result. As long as we seize this point and attack hard, we can succeed today!"

This time, it will be difficult for Jian Yi and his group to delay any longer.

Zheng Huan quickly went through all his thoughts and then keenly realized, "His Majesty had been in a state of neither supporting nor opposing before. This time, it can be considered that he has put His Majesty in a difficult position, letting His Majesty know that if he continues to let things go unchecked, the court will lose the support of many scholars from humble backgrounds. His Majesty has no choice but to agree."

“While it is true that His Majesty’s previous understanding was insufficient, we cannot say that. His Majesty cannot be at fault in this matter,” Li Xianmu sighed softly. “When the time comes, we can simply pin the blame on Jian Yi and those Hanlin scholars.”

“No problem, we can work together in the palace. Are we going to get rid of Jian Yi this time? You’ve been in the position of Minister of Revenue for almost three years. Are you interested in taking the position of Minister of Personnel again?”

If Jian Yi is removed, Li Xianmu will have the opportunity to become the Minister of Personnel. Given his current position, he can only become the Minister of War or the Minister of Personnel.

After the removal of the prime minister, the Minister of Personnel was undoubtedly the most important official in the Ming Dynasty, a true celestial official, far superior to the Minister of Revenue.

The Minister of War was far inferior, even to the Minister of Revenue, because during this period, the Five Military Commissions held real power.

Historically, it was after the Tumu Crisis that Yu Qian consolidated military power, essentially centralizing the authority of the Five Military Commissions within the Ministry of War. He then served as the Minister of War to assist Emperor Zhu Qiyu, which is when the power of the Minister of War truly became formidable.

Li Xianmu pondered for a moment, “It’s no problem to kick Jian Yi out, but the position of Minister of Personnel is probably out of the question. Since the beginning of this year, His Majesty has asked me about the state’s grain and silver reserves no less than five times. I think His Majesty is restless and wants to launch another northern expedition.”

If His Majesty decides to launch another northern expedition, I will either be the Minister of Revenue in charge of logistics, or the Minister of War in providing troops and weapons; in short, I must serve the northern expedition. It's impossible for the Minister of Personnel to put me in that position at this crucial moment.

Zheng Huan was startled upon hearing this. This was the first time he had heard that the emperor wanted to launch a northern expedition, but Li Xianmu would not make such a claim without reason; it must be true.

“Minister of War.” Zheng Huan asked thoughtfully, “Mingda, do you think it’s necessary to transfer to the Ministry of War? Civil officials can’t enter the Five Military Commissions. If you want to be involved in military affairs, becoming the Minister of War is a sure thing.”

"That depends on what Your Majesty thinks." Li Xianmu stopped in his tracks, as the two of them had reached the next step outside the Hall of Literary Glory. They both fell silent and then entered the hall. As soon as they entered, they felt a refreshing coolness wash over them, all the heat from the outside room vanished, and they even felt more refreshed. Behind the large pillars, basins filled with ice were emitting a sizzling coolness.

The rest of the group followed closely behind. A group of people were already waiting in the hall, namely the Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet. As soon as Li Xianmu entered, he saw Yang Rong wink at him. Li Xianmu quietly extended his palm and then made a fist. The wariness in Yang Rong's eyes immediately disappeared, and he nodded slightly.

Most people were unaware of what had happened and, fearing to anger the emperor, found places to sit down and dared not whisper among themselves, instead asking those around them questions.

Zhu Di quickly returned to the Hall of Literary Glory, still wearing his usual court attire, followed by several eunuchs. He sat casually on the throne, the anger he felt upon receiving the memorial had largely disappeared, but his cold and solemn expression still told everyone that His Majesty was not in a good mood.

The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat stagnant, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, or even the sound of dust floating in the air.

Each of the eunuchs had a few sheets of paper in their hands. They came down and distributed a copy to each attendee. Zhu Di coldly said on it, "This is a memorial submitted by Wang Gen, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites in Nanjing. As for what happened, you can read it yourselves and then we'll talk."

Wang Gen's memorial was concise and to the point, and the officials present quickly read it all, gaining a clearer understanding of what had happened at the Nanjing Imperial College.

After reading this one, the eunuchs did not stop; they began distributing them again.

"These are the memorials submitted by the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, along with documents attached to Wang Gen's memorials by the students of the Imperial Academy and those scholars who burned books. What a grand spectacle! You should all take a good look!"

Anyone could hear the emperor's suppressed anger.

No one dared to speak. They looked at the documents in their hands, which were basically the same, except that they were pointing fingers at different people and taking different positions. As a result, their feelings of liking or disliking differed. However, what happened at that time, especially the "burning of books and severing of reason," was very clear.

The already extremely quiet Huagai Hall fell even more silent. The officials who had just learned of this incident were stunned and dumbfounded. How serious was it to burn the Four Books and Five Classics in public in the Imperial Academy?
If this had happened before the School of Mind had achieved its current status, when Neo-Confucianism independently dominated the ideological pinnacle of the Ming Dynasty, what these students did would be no less significant than students at the Central Party School burning Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory inside the school and loudly proclaiming that they would never study them again.

In modern society, this would mean a complete loss of career prospects, with no trace of the person in official circles. In ancient society, however, it was quite possible that the book would be burned in the morning and the person would be nowhere to be found in the afternoon.

Now that the School of Mind has become a competitor, the situation is not so serious, but it is still a major event that can shock the court and the public, especially when the psychological struggle is in full swing.

"Have you all finished reading?" Zhu Di's cold expression slowly faded. "You are all my most trusted ministers. Tell me, why did this happen, causing the court to lose face?"

(End of this chapter)