The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 301 Great Aspirations

The air was thick with the stench of blood.

A sense of bleakness pervaded the air.

The official robes of the Ming Dynasty have always been regulated.

However, officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau were not included in this list.

They had official robes unique to the Anti-Corruption Bureau: wide-sleeved robes with a black background and twenty-one bright red stripes embroidered on them. Black symbolized solemnity and authority, while the twenty-one red stripes represented the two capitals and nineteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

Solemn and dignified.

When heads fell to the ground and blood splattered everywhere, each crimson stripe seemed to flash with a blood-red light.

The world fell silent.

Unbeknownst to them, the officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau had already become distinct from and alienated from the traditional scholar-official class.

They were still scholars, not like the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Eastern Depot, but they were not accepted by the scholar-official class. They were all scholars, yet they were doing the most corrupt things in the past, and witnessed the dirtiest, darkest, most decadent and depraved aspects of the scholar-official class.

They are outcasts within this system, mutually exclusive with everyone else, trapped in a vast, isolated island, and even losing their sense of identity.

Who exactly are they?
In his confusion, Li Xianmu wrote a magnificent essay in the capital – "On Enlightenment"!
Using "righteousness" and "brightness" as a starting point, the principles of the philosophy of mind were explained, which inspired these scholars who had fallen into confusion, and then awakened more people. The Anti-Corruption Bureau was never an outlier, but a group of pioneers who truly practiced the philosophy of mind.

“Killing is just the surface; punishing evil and promoting good is the real essence.”

In the words of the Ming Cult, "Pity the people of this world, for they suffer many afflictions; to do good and eliminate evil, only for the sake of light!"

Li Xianmu personally visited the Anti-Corruption Headquarters and wrote the eight characters "Treading through the eternal night, guarding the light" in the headquarters. He also presented the headquarters and the anti-corruption offices of various provinces, prefectures, and counties with a plaque inscribed with the four characters "Upright and Bright" and gave these four characters to every official of the anti-corruption office, both high and low.

The effect is excellent.

Lost sheep need God's salvation, while scholars caught in moral and practical dilemmas need a theory that can unravel all of this.

Li Xianmu became their savior in their spiritual world at this time.

The philosophy of mind gained a group of the most steadfast believers.

As the stench of blood dissipated, the anti-corruption officials, clad in their black and red uniforms, rallied. Having embarked on this path, they were determined to fight to the very end.

This newly established department, a supervisory organization personally selected and built by Li Xianmu, with its own system established and guided step by step, has finally gotten on the right track he wanted.

After the Gansu case ended, before anyone else could react, before everyone's attention could turn back to the matter of deposing the empress.

The cabinet issued another document, and the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief responded positively. Elites from the anti-corruption bureau in the capital gathered in Henan and Shandong, uniting with officials from the anti-corruption bureaus of the two provinces to investigate another major case!
This is a major case that has been shelved for eight years.

Li Xianmu had received a warning from Li Qi, and knew in advance that the Yellow River might breach its banks in the eighteenth year of the Yongle reign.

At the time, because preparations were being made for the northern expedition, and because Li Xianmu did not yet hold as much power as he does now, he only made preparations in advance to deal with the Yellow River breaching its banks, without investigating the details.

Because preparations had been made in advance, the impact of the disaster was minimal, so the emperor did not pay much attention to it, and the matter was eventually dropped.

But Li Xianmu always kept this matter in mind, after all, he knew best that if he hadn't made preparations in advance, the Yellow River's breach would have inevitably caused widespread displacement of people.

So they have been investigating in secret.

Now, his renewed investigation into the Yellow River breach case is an attempt to strike while the iron is hot and, following the Gansu case, to reveal another fact to the world.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau decides who to investigate, and they will investigate that person!

The Anti-Corruption Bureau is in Li Xianmu's hands. They're corrupt, so how dare they oppose me?

Threats and intimidation.

Holding a sharp blade, he stood proudly above all his ministers.

The official story is that someone reported that the Yellow River's breach was a man-made disaster, not a purely natural one, and that the funds for repairing the Yellow River dike were embezzled and misappropriated, which led to the dike's substandard quality.

Yu Qian, who personally handled the Gansu fake disaster relief case, was once again dispatched to Henan to preside over this major case involving the Yellow River in both provinces.

Kaifeng Mansion.

A group of anti-corruption officials stood solemnly in the courtyard of the Henan Anti-Corruption Bureau. All of them wore black and red official robes, exuding an air of authority and solemnity. Their hands, tucked into their sleeves, tightly gripped a token resembling an imperial command arrow. They listened attentively to the instructions given by Yu Qian, the chief anti-corruption official of Henan and Shandong provinces.

After investigating the major case in Gansu, and with Li Xianmu's memorial to the emperor, he was specially promoted and rose to the rank of third-grade official, officially entering the ranks of high-ranking officials in the Ming Dynasty.

This promotion was intended to give Yu Qian sufficient authority to oversee the major corruption case involving the Yellow River, essentially a form of preferential treatment.

In the following years, Yu Qian will not be promoted any further.

But this is already an honor enough.

His career advancement was as rapid as the bright moon in the sky or the rising steam from a high mountain, something that ordinary people could neither hope for nor reach. It truly lived up to the saying, "It's easy to get an official position if you have someone in the court." If this person was also the Minister of Personnel, his promotion would be as fast as a rocket.

Yu Qian looked around at the young faces below in the courtyard and felt that they were full of vigor. The Anti-Corruption Bureau had a youthful tenacity that he had never seen in any other government office.

Each time he was involved, Yu Qian gained a deeper understanding of what his senior apprentice had once told him: "The Anti-Corruption Division should select young people and make good use of them. These young people have ideals and passion, and they are not yet fully familiar with the rules and regulations of officialdom. They are the only candidates to break through those outdated systems."

"In your future work in the Anti-Corruption Division, you must learn to utilize this vibrant, rising-sun-like power."

Before promoting him, his uncle Li Xianmu spoke with him about his plans. Yu Qian remembers he hesitated at the time, saying, "Uncle, will I be promoted too quickly, causing dissatisfaction and even accusations of nepotism?"

He would always remember his uncle saying with his hands behind his back, "There is never any such thing as promotion in this world, only the wrong appointment of people."

I promoted you because it would benefit the country. The Yellow River dike project involves officials in Henan and Shandong provinces, as well as many people in the Ministry of Works. If you are to handle this major case, you could die on the way if you are not careful.

This isn't about getting credit; it's about risking your life. Not everyone dares to do this, and not everyone has the courage to expose the darkness.

Do you think those people would leave the ledgers for you to check?
They had long since vanished completely in one accidental fire after another. It's your skill to be able to find out, and it's even more impressive to be able to report this matter to the capital in its entirety.

"If you accomplish this, no one will say anything. Even if you have to swallow your pride, they will only praise His Majesty the Emperor and me for our discerning judgment!" Yu Qian remembered his uncle walking slowly downstream along the shimmering river, with thousands of willow branches drooping over his shoulders by the willow trees.

The final voice reached his ears—"Go and do it. Those innocent people who died in the Yellow River's breach have been waiting for revenge for a long time. The burden on your shoulders is very heavy."

These words kept echoing in his mind.

The expectations of his teachers, the trust of the emperor, the innocent deaths of the people, and the pursuit of fairness and justice in this vast world—all these fueled his grand aspiration for a peaceful and prosperous world, which he had made while studying, in front of a portrait of Li Zhongwen.

These thoughts were stirring within him at that moment.

He even suddenly felt a weight on his shoulders. He recalled a sentence his uncle had said: "When you feel a heavy weight on your shoulders, it means a burden has been placed on them. My shoulders are always incredibly heavy because they carry the weight of the two capitals and nineteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty. And your shoulders..."

Under the clear blue sky, the autumn sun shone on everyone's faces. Yu Qian had his back to the sun, his face was dark, but his eyes were incredibly bright, and his voice was as loud as a song. He said loudly and clearly, "On our shoulders are the thousands and tens of thousands of wronged souls from Henan and Shandong, as well as the hopes of millions of ordinary people."

Who embezzled funds from the Yellow River dike?
Who was the big fish in this mess?

Who crawled into the anthill?

Who is the culprit for the Yellow River dike failing to function effectively?
Who are the parasites of the Ming Dynasty?
Who is it that controls the sky, preventing even the sun's rays from reaching this royal land?

Yu Qian shouted repeatedly in a deep voice, and all the anti-corruption officials in the courtyard were excited and applauded and cheered in unison. The noise was so loud that it almost shook the entire courtyard.

"No matter who he is, he must be brought to justice; no matter who he is, he must be silenced; no matter who he is, he must be beheaded."

Before I left, I paid a visit to the Grand Secretary. The Grand Secretary asked me if I had prepared everything for my journey.
I replied, "Reporting to my uncle, everything is prepared at home, except for a few changes of clothes; nothing else is needed."

The prime minister, however, said with a sigh, "You've forgotten one thing."

Do you all know what the Grand Secretary said I forgot to bring?

The people in the courtyard exchanged puzzled glances, naturally no one knew the answer, so they all looked to Yu Qian, waiting for him to give them one.

With deep emotion, Yu Qian slowly and solemnly said, "I asked the Grand Secretary in confusion, 'What is this that you, Uncle-Master, referring to? Please enlighten me.'"

The prime minister said, "You forgot to bring a coffin."

boom!
This sentence shocked everyone in the courtyard. No one expected it to be this sentence. What meaning does this seemingly simple sentence carry?
It's unbelievable that the all-powerful Grand Secretary would say such a thing to his own junior apprentice!

"What does the Prime Minister mean? By bringing a coffin on the journey, are you telling us that our trip to Henan to investigate the matter is with a death wish?"
I am willing to sacrifice my own blood to seek justice and clear my name!
Gentlemen, do you share this great aspiration?

After a profound silence, a wave of jubilation swept through everything, followed by a resounding echo that shook the heavens.

Each word and phrase expressed a desire to comply.

Some of the local Henan officials watching this scene felt their livers and gallbladders tremble with fear. They had never seen an anti-corruption bureau like this before, nor had they ever seen officials like these within it.

Completely different from traditional scholar-officials, their actions and words were filled with fanaticism, making them seem less like scholars and more like specially trained assassins.

"It is said that before each of these anti-corruption officials is sent out to take up their posts, they will first study at the Anti-Corruption Headquarters for two months. Perhaps they were bewitched during that time."

How could ordinary people possibly know that the officials in the Anti-Corruption Bureau have undergone specialized ideological education? In modern times, this might not be very effective, since modern information is too developed and all kinds of completely conflicting ideas are everywhere.

However, in ancient times, the entire ideological system specially designed by Li Qi and Li Xianmu had a considerable influence on people.

In particular, Lee Hsien-mu is making every effort to create a platform where these ideas can flourish.

For example, you teach someone that the world is fair, but when they enter society and see unfair things, they will quickly abandon their previous education. But what if they actually encounter a fair society?
Then he will naturally have unwavering faith in his past education!
Now Li Xianmu has told them part of the truth about this world, and then he wants them to change it, telling them that as long as they forge ahead bravely, they will definitely make the world a better place.

This is actually a lie.

But Li Xianmu, with his immense power, made it all the truth. Their efforts truly changed everything, creating a powerful positive cycle.

Li Xianmu makes empty promises—the Anti-Corruption Bureau believes—the Anti-Corruption Bureau implements—Li Xianmu delivers on his promises—the Anti-Corruption Bureau believes in and admires Li Xianmu even more—Li Xianmu's power increases—Li Xianmu makes even bigger promises—the Anti-Corruption Bureau believes in and implements…

This cycle repeats itself continuously.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau was just the beginning. Li Xianmu, as the Minister of Personnel, wanted the whole country to fall into this cycle.

At the center of this cycle is Li Xianmu, and among the tens of millions of people in the world, he is the only one.

This cycle that binds everyone to it is something even an emperor cannot sustain.

Because in this world, only Li Xianmu is 99% selfless and has only a tiny bit of selfishness.

Only Li Xianmu had the courage to wield his sword and kill everyone in the world, even the scum within the Li family, and to dig out the rotten flesh from his own clan!
No one knew Li Xianmu's grand ambition, and even fewer knew that he had devised such a magnificent and awe-inspiring plan.

But everyone saw the Anti-Corruption Bureau's determination.

Yue Fei once remarked: "If civil officials do not love money and military generals are not afraid of death, the world will be at peace."

Are civil officials now neither greedy for money nor afraid of death?
If civil officials don't love money, then those who do should die; if civil officials aren't afraid of death, then it's others who will die.

As countless complex thoughts churned and churned in everyone's hearts, unsure of where to begin, a torrent of ideas surged within them.

Heavy footsteps came from outside, followed by shouts of work chants. When everyone looked over, they saw eight strong men, shirtless, carrying a coffin into the courtyard.

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly turned their gaze to Yu Qian, who was standing at the head of the table.

They actually brought a coffin?

"My resolve to die has been made."

Yu Qian stepped forward, placed his hand on the coffin, and said loudly, "Officials from Henan and Shandong who want to bribe me will have to pass through this coffin first!"

That's all I have to say; I will never repeat myself!

(End of this chapter)