The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 289 Li Qi
High above, amidst swirling clouds and mist, all that could be seen was a wisp of fluffy material, drifting and shifting, pure white and pristine.

Li Qi stood with his hands behind his back by the sea of ​​clouds.

"Mu'er, do you remember the scenery you saw last time you came here?"

Li Xianmu gazed at this otherworldly scene with a kind of fascination.

Deep within the sea of ​​clouds, the rolling mists all flowed backward. Looking beyond the mist, one could see a ray of light, scattering gold and color, rising and falling in the thickest parts, only to vanish in an instant.

Ten thousand rays of golden light, magnificent and dazzling.
Li Xianmu murmured, "The mist and clouds rise, the sky and the sun and moon are of one color, it is a blessed land of gods, where no filth of the human world can be seen."

One of the greatest blessings for a living person is to witness the realm of immortals. The second greatest blessing for a living person is for their father to become an immortal or a god, so that they may meet again someday.

“Father, you are even more dignified and imposing than last time.”

If my father was like Mount Tai when I last visited, this time he is like the sky that stretches to the horizon.

"You have something on your mind, and you want to ask your father a question?"

They trod on white clouds, with strong winds swirling around them, the fierce winds lifting the hems of their clothes.

Li Xianmu immediately composed himself, his tone revealing an unprecedented sense of bewilderment, "My son entered officialdom in the sixth year of Yongle, and it has been twenty years since then. He has climbed step by step to a position above ten thousand people, but the higher he is in the world, the more confused he becomes."

When his son was only a fourth or third-rank official, he acted without restraint, dominating Jiangnan, killing corrupt officials, and even oppressing the Duke of Yansheng's mansion, thus shattering the sanctity of the descendants of the sage. But now that he has reached a position second only to the emperor, he feels increasingly constrained and hesitant in his actions.

I ask my father to enlighten his son.

"Do I need to explain this to my father?" Li Qi turned his head to look at Li Xianmu, and after a long while, he said again, "You should know that it's because you are too close to the emperor now."

When you're working below the emperor, he'll always be your ally. But when you get closer to him, you'll gradually discover that it's the emperor who's hindering you.

Lion Camel Ridge lies at the foot of Ling Mountain, and the deepest darkness of the Ming Dynasty is also close to the emperor.

The deepest, strongest, largest, and most stubborn disease of the Ming Dynasty, like a malignant tumor clinging to the bone, all originated from the emperor. Even the scholar-officials, a group that has always been criticized, didn't they also exist to maintain the autocratic regime?
Li Xianmu felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

He had naturally had such thoughts and vaguely knew what his father was thinking, but such thoughts were too rebellious. Wouldn't that mean that the emperor was the greatest scourge to the world?
"The most perfect dynasty in the world is one with a wise and virtuous ruler who always cares about the common people, such as the ancient sage kings recorded in Confucian classics."

"But didn't Father once say that the system is the most important thing?"

"That's because people can never be relied on, so we can only rely on the system, hoping to achieve a certain balance between the system and people, so that the system can curb people's greed and people can correctly implement the system."

Li Xianmu paused. After ten years of instruction from Li Qi, Li Xianmu was not the kind of person who was blindly loyal, but some fundamental things could not be changed.

That is—the attitude towards imperial power.

Modern Chinese people have no sense of awe for this thing, but only a desire to destroy it. In online novels, most ancient martial arts novels have a climax in which the emperor is killed.

Every modern person is full of rebellious spirit, and no one is willing to be subordinate to others. There is only one reason why they don't go out on their own: they are not confident.

People like Zhuge Liang simply don't exist in modern society.

Although Li Xianmu was not blindly loyal, he naturally harbored thoughts of loyalty to the emperor and serving the country. Now, upon hearing his father's words, which could be described as treasonous, he was naturally shocked.

Because he still remembered that his father, on his deathbed, was telling him and his family to ensure the Ming Dynasty's prosperity for five hundred years. How could things have suddenly changed now?
Li Xianmu looked around at his surroundings. Could it be that his state of mind had changed so much after becoming an immortal?
Li Qi immediately noticed Li Xianmu's bewildered expression and chuckled softly, "Do you feel that your father has changed so much that you can hardly believe it?"

Li Xianmu readily admitted, "Yes."

"As a father, I have never changed. I have always had this attitude, but I just didn't say it before."

"You have a good relationship with your maternal grandfather and uncle, your mother is the eldest princess of the Ming Dynasty, you have half of the Zhu family blood in your body, and you are even the head of the Imperial Clan Court, in charge of the genealogy of the Ming Dynasty royal family."

The royal family trusts you greatly, and several emperors have relied on you.

It's perfectly normal that you feel a deep affection for the Ming Dynasty, as it is your home.

It's normal for you to want to be loyal to the emperor; it's only human nature.

Li Qi spoke these words calmly and gently, which calmed Li Xianmu's heart. His mind was as firm as iron, and almost nothing could shake him, except for his father, whom he regarded as a god.

If his father were to truly reject his current path, he wouldn't even know how he should face the court officials and the people, as well as the three generations of Ming emperors who had placed such high hopes on him, and the current emperor.

"These are not actually contradictory."

"Let me give you an example. During the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, it was natural to severely suppress those who rebelled. The country had been in turmoil for a long time and finally had a chance to recuperate. There was also a group of wise and virtuous rulers and ministers. It wouldn't be better to replace them with someone else."

By the end of the Tang Dynasty, the world had long suffered from chaos and turmoil. What value did the Tang Dynasty, which was barely clinging to life, have?

You can naturally pledge allegiance to the Ming Dynasty now. After all, the emperor sitting above you today, while not exactly a saintly king, is still one of the best among all the kings, emperors, and monarchs throughout history.

Do you remember what I told you back then: what should be relied upon to govern the world?

"People and systems, namely rule by people and rule of law, complement each other. We must not only create good systems, but also select good people."

Li Xianmu naturally remembered it clearly.

"It's easier said than done."

Although Li Qi came from modern society and was educated from childhood that the rule of law is greater than the rule of man, as an adult, he naturally has his own thoughts.

Rules are certainly extremely important, but that does not mean that people are unimportant.

“From a purely personal point of view, Zhu Zhanji was perfect. You could find very few emperors more suitable than him.”

Li Xianmu, however, was not happy at all. "Then there's a problem with the system."

There was a hint of lament in his voice, "So the problem my son is facing now cannot be solved unless the system is changed, but the system cannot be changed now."

"Yes, right now, royal affairs are simply unsolvable."

Li Qi said without hesitation, "Why do I want my family to maintain integrity? It's to tell you that the only solution to this problem is to be pure and spotless from the very beginning."

Li Xianmu remained silent.

He had no choice but to remain silent. Li Qi revealed a cruel reality: unless the royal family did not commit any crimes, the emperor would always protect them if they did. And once the emperor started to protect them, it was not just one family or household; the law of the king, the law of the king, was the law of the royal family. As the Son of Heaven, the emperor had the final right to interpret all matters.

"After all I've said, what are your thoughts?"

Li Xianmu remained silent, gazing at the churning sea of ​​clouds. After a long while, he slowly spoke, "The emperor's power is too great, and too taken for granted. Mortals should not have such power; it should be the authority of the gods."

The incense gods of ancient China were all embodiments of justice and accumulations of various fine virtues. Most of the proverbs related to gods were positive, such as "There are gods three feet above your head."

People believe that gods are just and impartial, capable of discerning good from evil, and this is precisely a spiritual refuge for people after they have lost hope in the dark reality.

"That's well said. So, what are your plans?"

"wait."

"Oh?"

“My father once sent a message that the emperor died in the tenth year of Xuande’s reign.” Li Xianmu’s throat was a little dry. “The emperor’s offspring are not numerous. The next emperor will probably be the child in Consort Sun’s belly.”

He was only eight years old when he inherited the throne.

How can an eight-year-old child govern the world?
"I am the son of a deity. There are gods watching over us, and perhaps only the Li family in this world truly has a deity watching over us at all times. Who in this world is more suited to wield power than the Li family?"

Li Xianmu spoke more and more fluently, and in one breath, he said everything that would surely cause a great uproar if spoken to outsiders.

Although he had long planned to seize power after Zhu Zhanji's death, his mindset then was completely different from now.

At that time, he simply felt that Empress Dowager Zhang, Consort Sun, and the young emperor were all incapable of ruling the country, so he naturally had no choice but to take over.

And now...

Li Qi did not comment on Zhu Qizhen's ascension to the throne. Many people know that Zhu Houzhao was an only son and his position as crown prince was as secure as Mount Tai. However, they do not know that Zhu Qizhen's position as crown prince was only slightly less secure than Zhu Houzhao's.

Zhu Qiyu's identity is highly problematic, or rather, his mother's identity is highly problematic.

According to the Ming History, Consort Wu was a normal palace maid who served Emperor Xuanzong when he was the crown prince. However, this is completely untenable because she always lived outside the palace with Zhu Qiyu, which is very strange, since Zhu Zhanji had few children and only two sons.

In fact, the account in the Record of Sins is more in line with reality. Consort Wu was a palace maid of Prince Zhu Gaochi of Han. After the Prince of Han rebelled, she was sent to the palace as a slave and later gave birth to a prince. However, as the descendant of a disgraced official, such a status was too low and was never recognized.

It wasn't until just before Zhu Zhanji's death that he acknowledged her identity and brought the mother and son back.

Whatever the historical truth may be, this is the truth in this world. In other words, Zhu Qiyu's mother still belongs to the Prince of Han.

Li Qi calculated the time.

It's about time that the King of Han rebelled.

As for whether the situation has changed now and the King of Han will stop rebelling, that's impossible. Given the King of Han's personality, rebellion is only a matter of time. Jealousy is like a poisonous snake, constantly eroding his heart, making him unable to sleep or eat. If he doesn't rebel once, he won't be at peace even if he dies.

Moreover, the current situation in the world is much better for the King of Han than in real history. The new anti-corruption policies of the Emperor and Li Xianmu have stirred up the hearts of the people, and many nobles and officials are uneasy. This is a great thing for the King of Han.

He received more unseen assistance than in history.

Since he had thought of it, Li Xianmu gave a word of advice: "Now that you are launching a high-profile anti-corruption campaign, you must be careful of the unrest among the officials below you, and most importantly, the nobles. These people hold the reins of power and will not be easily subdued."

You are not your maternal grandfather, who possessed the lofty prestige of a founding father capable of intimidating nobles. Furthermore, the Duke of England is not currently in the capital; if anything were to happen…”

The noble families of the Ming Dynasty are rapidly declining, but that only means their ability to wage war against foreign enemies is decreasing. They still have troops at their disposal, and given the right opportunity, they could launch a rebellion in the capital.

Li Xianmu's gaze sharpened. With his intelligence, he naturally knew who his father was talking about; it could only be the Prince of Han.

"Now, many people say that my son has gradually caused chaos in the world, and the King of Han must be eager to make a move. But this is precisely what my son has deliberately allowed. My son's spies are everywhere in the King of Han's mansion, and everything is prepared."

The enmity between the Li family and the King of Han was immense; once the King of Han gained power, the Li family would be the first to suffer.

Li Xianmu naturally couldn't possibly ignore this.

"You can simply follow along."

"Now that you've come all this way, I'll give you some advice."

"When you return, you can suggest to the emperor that many departments that are too wealthy and powerful be transformed into Royal Merchants or Great Ming Merchants."

"A trading company?" Li Xianmu was a little confused.

"For example, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices has many departments that deal with merchants. The royal family has a lot of assets, real estate, and shops. The court also has many departments that do not have much power, but only serve as a complement to the Six Ministries."

"The Ministry of Works has a department for casting weapons, and the Maritime Transport Office has a department for casting ships."

"If we were to separate the weapons-making department now and establish two trading companies..."

They were respectively called the First Equipment Division of the Ming Dynasty and the Second Equipment Division of the Ming Dynasty. These two equipment divisions were responsible for developing new equipment, such as improving firearms, weapons, and armor.

The imperial court allocated funds to the Ministry of Works every year, allowing the Ministry to purchase weapons from these two trading companies to arm the Ming army.

The Equipment Division, which can secure orders from the Ministry of Industry, will have more funds for research and development, and even to expand production and create better weapons.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry reduced financial transactions and streamlined its organizational structure.

What do you think?

Li Xianmu stood there dumbfounded, completely stunned by his father's ingenious idea, which sounded absurd at first glance.

Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce.

Merchants had the lowest social status.

How could the affairs of state be left to merchants?

But imperial merchants are a different story.

He could naturally understand that his father meant that the person in charge of the Equipment Department would definitely be given an official rank!
(End of this chapter)