The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 247 Plot
Distracted by Li Xianmu, Zhu Gaochi suddenly had many thoughts in his mind.

"I remember you once said, Xianmu, that the best way to govern the remote border regions of the empire, which are constantly plagued by rebellions, is to establish the Mu State Duke's Mansion as the permanent governor of Yunnan."

It is thanks to your idea that I am preparing to have the Duke of Wei and the Duke of Han guard Nanjing.

Now I have a new idea.

The emperor's words shocked the seven people in the hall, excluding Li Xianmu. Where in the Ming Dynasty were there any Dukes of Wei and Han?

The next moment, everyone turned their attention to Li Xianmu.

Zhu Gaochi then realized what was happening and laughed, "I plan to restore the titles of Xu Da and Li Shanchang's descendants, and then send them to guard the ancestral land in Nanjing and protect the Xiaoling Mausoleum."

They really want to restore his title!

The Li family is already so prominent. If they were to be restored to the title of duke, wouldn't they become the most powerful and influential family in the Ming Dynasty?
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Li Xianmu waved his hand and said, "Don't look at me, everyone. My elder brother Li Fang is the eldest grandson, and the restoration of the title will not fall on my head."

Everyone knew, of course, that Li Xianmu wouldn't accept the title. This wasn't the early days of the dynasty; in the current political arena of the Ming Dynasty, how could one survive in the civil service circle with a title? At most, one could only hold a sinecure.

Your Majesty truly dotes on the Li family. When the late Emperor exonerated the Li family, it was already a slap in the face to the founding emperor. Now Your Majesty wants to restore the Li family's titles, which is truly a further slap in the face to the founding emperor.

But when he thought of how the Li family had supported the emperor for two generations and risked their lives to protect the crown prince's position, he immediately lost all his thoughts. This was what the Li family deserved.

Zhu Gaochi laughed, and after a while he waved his hand and said, "I remember you once told me, Mingda, that the frontier is a frontier, and the sea frontier is also a frontier."

The Jiaozhi Provincial Administration has always been restless. If it weren't for the fact that it is now located in Nanhai City in Jiaozhi, which allows for trade by sea, I would have even considered abandoning it.

Is it possible to send a Duke to Yongzhen now?

Otherwise, even with sea supplies, the court would still expend a great deal of manpower and resources. For the next ten years, I will focus on domestic affairs and suppress military campaigns; all external wars will essentially be halted.”

Li Xianmu pondered for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "I think it's feasible, but the court needs to appoint another general to guard the area within two hundred li around Nanhai City."

The Provincial Administration Commission, the Garrison Commander, the Garrison General, and the Commandery were sufficient to guarantee the political stability of Jiaozhi.

Political checks and balances are everywhere.

Preventing local powers from becoming too powerful was one of his responsibilities as a central minister.

"Which duke should be sent?"

Li Xianmu calmly replied, "The Duke of Yingguo, who is stationed in the capital, naturally cannot go. The Duke of Dingguo comes from the Xu family, and the Duke of Wei is already stationed in Nanjing. Therefore, the Duke of Dingguo should naturally stay in the capital."

Only the Duke of Qi and the Duke of Cheng remain. Which one does His Majesty favor?

Zhu Gaochi pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Let the Duke of Qi go."

Everyone in the hall immediately tensed up. Everyone knew that the Duke of Qi's mansion had always been in cahoots with the Prince of Han. Back then, the first Duke of Qi, Qiu Fu, had suggested several times that the Prince of Han be made crown prince.

Guarding Jiaozhi was certainly a major matter for the dynasty. The Mu family was practically local tyrants in Yunnan, no less powerful than a royal family. However, it was also true that the Mu family had almost no political influence in the capital and was excluded from the core of the Ming Dynasty's politics.

This is a tacit political rule: if you have great power in the local area, you shouldn't even think about getting involved in the central government.

To compensate for their absence in the central government, the Duke of Mu's mansion actively sought marriage alliances with noble families in the capital and sent their daughters to the palace as concubines. This is how Zhang Wan married into the Duke of Mu's mansion in history.

Now, His Majesty is using this incident to prepare for the political exile of the Duke of Qi's family, in order to prevent them from colluding with the Prince of Han to cause trouble in the future.

What Li Xianmu just said...

Everyone was surprised and suspicious. Logically speaking, the Duke of England had conquered Annam three times and pacified Jiaozhi. He had extremely high prestige in Annam. It would be the best choice to let the Duke of England guard the region.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Li Xianmu immediately said respectfully.

He did it on purpose, of course. Sending the Duke of England to Annam would indeed be the best thing for him to guard Annam, but it would mean losing a very important part of his political power.

This was an outcome he could not accept.

Doing things is important, but maintaining a stable foundation that enables you to do things is even more important.

Lee Hyun-mok was able to gather such a large political force so quickly because he was not an idealist, but a very pragmatic politician.

He never demands saintly standards from his subordinates; his bottom line is very simple.

As long as it doesn't harm ordinary people, take lives, bully men and women, or dishonor people's reputations.

He can turn a blind eye to many gray areas where violations of national law are not clearly defined, as long as they don't go too far.

He knew very well who he was, which is why he always said that his father, Li Qi, was the true saint, and that he could never become a true saint.

Even though some in the hall suspected that Li Xianmu had done it on purpose, the tacit agreement between the emperor and his ministers sealed the matter, and the others, not being fools, naturally refrained from saying anything more.

After these two events, a domestic affairs conference turned into a military and political conference of the Ming Dynasty, and all the participants who made suggestions were civil officials.

...On the fifteenth day of the first month of the first year of the Hongxi reign, the Lantern Festival was held.

The emperor held a grand banquet in the royal gardens for the Lantern Festival, which was attended by dukes, marquises, earls, and officials of the fifth rank and above in the capital.

Empress Zhang also hosted a banquet there, and all the noblewomen of the capital who held official titles brought their daughters over eight years old to the palace to attend the banquet.

This was the first grand banquet held in the royal gardens since the new emperor ascended the throne, and all the families attached great importance to it, hoping to make a name for themselves in front of the emperor and empress.

Leaving aside the Empress's quarters, the Emperor's quarters were truly bustling with activity.

It wasn't dark yet, but the royal gardens were already brightly lit, with countless palace servants moving about and attending to guests.

At the very front of the officials were naturally a group of high-ranking nobles, with Li Xianmu, as the Right Clan Member, also standing at the very front.

In the midst of singing, dancing and drinking, Zhu Gaochi summoned Xu Huizu's son, Xu Qin, and Li Fang to the throne.

This unusual behavior naturally drew the attention of the court officials. Zhu Gaochi smiled and said, "Xu Qin, Li Fang, do you know why I summoned you here?"

"Your Majesty, we are foolish and do not know what Your Majesty's intentions are."

Zhu Gaochi first summoned Xu Qin forward and said, "The late emperor once said that the founding heroes of the country must be succeeded. I have thought about this and believe it to be true. I wish to restore the title of Duke of Wei."

This brings us to why Li Fang wanted to marry into the Wei State Duke's family. Li Fang and Xu Qin held the same rank, making them a suitable match.

They were also sent to Nanjing to deal with such a complex situation. After the marriage, they worked together to establish themselves more quickly.

And very importantly, although Li and Xu are not related by blood, Li Fang and Xu Qin are both cousins ​​of the current emperor, one from the late emperor's side and the other from the empress's side.

Xu Qin was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed to express his gratitude.

At this moment, the officials at the banquet exclaimed in surprise, because Li Fang and Xu Qin had been summoned to the emperor's presence.

Is it possible?
Before they could speculate any further, after Xu Qin stood up, Zhu Gaochi continued with a smile: "Li Fang, your grandfather Li Shanchang was a meritorious official who served the country and made outstanding contributions. Although he had some minor faults, they did not overshadow his merits. Your father, Duke Li Zhongwen, was praised throughout the world, and your younger brother, Li Xianmu, also made great contributions to the country."

In consideration of the three generations of your family's hard work and loyalty, I hereby posthumously grant you, Li family, the title of Duke of Han, a civil official who served the founding of the nation with integrity and uprightness, a hereditary title that will never be replaced.

After your title is restored, you should reflect deeply on the words and deeds of your father, Li Zhongwen, and serve the Ming Dynasty with utmost loyalty!

finally come!

Li Fang kowtowed deeply on the ground, expressing her gratitude to Heaven.

During the banquet, everyone was stunned; no one had expected that the emperor would actually restore Li's title.

Everyone turned their attention to Li Xianmu, only to see Li Xianmu and Li Maoyi walk out from their seats and respectfully kowtow on the ground!
The setting sun shone on the three brothers, but they showed no signs of loneliness; instead, they were as vibrant and energetic as the rising sun!
……

To vindicate one's ancestors and clear their name is the highest pursuit of a descendant. The restoration of the title of Duke greatly enhanced the Li family's prestige in the world. From then on, the Li family was no longer a rootless duckweed, but truly joined the ranks of a prestigious family.

[Family reputation has greatly increased, family level has been upgraded, and the family head's reputation has greatly increased.]

[Achievement Points +2000.]

[Incense offering value +100.]

[Obtained a Mystic-Rank item: Earth Fire.]

[Ground Fire: A fire starts within a 150-meter radius of the item's release point and is difficult to extinguish.]

The clanging sounds echoed in my ears. The reward for the restoration of the Li family's title was quite substantial, and it should be noted that this was only for the restoration of titles for a collateral branch that was not in the system.

They actually gave me an item, and it was an attack item. If I used it when everyone was asleep at night, everyone would die.

Although it was a one-time use item, it was powerful enough. Li Qi planned to give it to Li Xianmu the next time he went to the ancestral temple to worship.

Then I opened the current family panel:
Clan Chief: Li Xianmu (First Rank Right Clan Member, First Rank Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, Second Rank Minister of War and Grand Secretary)
Family Rank: Noble (The Lee family holds the title of Duke of Korea, with Lee Hyun-mok as the head of the family. The title is generally regarded as being controlled by the main branch of the family.)

The family was a prominent Confucian family (Li Qi was listed as one of the Ten Sages of the Confucian Temple and received offerings from Confucian scholars all over the world; Li Xianmu was listed as Minister of War. In the eyes of the world, they were an extremely prominent family of upright civil officials).

Family power level: 90 (Among the many noble families, including imperial princes, dukes, marquises, and maternal relatives in the Ming Dynasty, their power ranks fifth and is expected to be third, making them a truly top-tier family).

Clan Chief Reputation: 85
(Li Xianmu's reputation was built upon countless solid achievements over twelve years. He was the leader of the School of Mind, an idol and role model for countless scholars in the Ming Dynasty, an agent of the teachings of the sages in the world, and a model for the world in the hearts of countless people in his time.)
(Li Xianmu, who had become the de facto head of the Ming Dynasty's civil service, possessed an authority that inspired countless people to curry favor with him.)

The family model during Li Xianmu's era was nearing its peak.

Li Qi never rested for a moment. The next twenty years of the Ming Dynasty were full of upheavals, with successive emperors dying young and young rulers ascending the throne. It was truly a fascinating time.

I'm curious to know what role Li Xianmu will play in this.

Li Qi had high expectations for Li Xianmu and hoped that things would go according to his wishes.

(End of this chapter)