The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 304 Benefits
Li Xianmu had no idea what methods the emperor had used, but Empress Hu quickly took the initiative to abdicate and requested to go to the royal Taoist temple to practice Buddhism.

The entire court was shocked.

However, half of the court opposed the deposition of the empress, and their words were extremely strong, even verbally attacking the ministers who supported the deposition.

Now, only a handful of people strongly oppose it, while the vast majority maintain limited opposition, and their rhetoric has softened considerably.

Everyone understands that this attitude is tantamount to tacit agreement.

In particular, the court officials ignored the imminent threat of deposing the empress, and an even greater wave of demands arose within the court, urging the emperor to immediately issue an edict to restrain the anti-corruption officials and Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) of Shandong and Henan provinces.

On one hand, there were important national affairs that were right before their eyes, yet they were met with indifference and ignored by everyone.

On one side, thousands of miles away, the entire court was in an uproar, filled with righteous indignation.

The contrast is so stark and intense, especially the chasm carved out by the interplay of light and shadow, that it is truly astonishing.

The matter of deposing the empress became a bargaining chip in a transaction of interests.

Their limited opposition was intended to persuade the emperor to agree to their conditions; once the emperor relented, they could immediately abandon the empress.

As expected, after being instructed by Li Xianmu, Zhu Zhanji, who had already seen through everything, delayed for ten days before issuing an order to the anti-corruption officials of Shandong and Henan provinces, clarifying their responsibilities and scope of investigation, and prohibiting them from arbitrarily expanding their duties or causing disturbance to the local authorities.

The reason for the ten-day delay was to buy time for the Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

After the emperor issued the decree, the voices opposing the deposition of the empress vanished instantly, and the court remained silent on the matter, with no one mentioning it.

Seeing this, Empress Hu was utterly desperate and no longer held any hope. Three days later, she once again requested to abdicate and live in a Taoist temple, which the emperor granted.

It was a done deal.

Since the beginning of the second year of the Xuande reign, this major event of deposing the empress, initiated by the emperor himself, has finally been successfully carried out after more than half a year of protracted struggle and twists and turns.

The biggest beneficiary was Consort Sun, who would become the new Empress of the Ming Dynasty. The next biggest beneficiary was Li Xianmu.

He successfully maintained a close relationship with the emperor, which was one of the foundations of his rule.

Furthermore, he managed to remain unscathed even in the extremely dangerous situation of deposing an empress, which could easily ruin his reputation. This was the second foundation of his rule.

He achieved another brilliant victory in politics.

Even Li Xianmu was delighted, but when it was time for bed, his wife Zhang Wan asked in doubt, "Husband, did Empress Hu really ever go so far as to be deposed?"

If she were to be deposed simply because the emperor no longer favored her, wouldn't that be far too unfair to her?
If the emperor's principal wife can be deposed at will, who will protect the interests of the principal wives of his subjects?

Zhang Wan's question immediately put Li Xianmu, who was overjoyed, on alert. "Madam, have you heard any rumors in your circle?"

Everyone in the world has their own identity and fundamental interests derived from that identity.

In the feudal era of arranged marriages, most couples did not have much affection for each other, but the marriages were far more stable than in modern times. This was because the feudal era had a whole set of rules for marriage to protect the interests of both parties.

The protection of the principal wife was extremely strict. The status of wives and concubines was vastly different. Favoring a concubine over the wife was an extremely serious act of challenging the rules of etiquette and law. If it was taken too seriously, it could even end a politician's political career.

Zhang Wan, and most of the other mistresses in high-class mansions like her, did not crave their husbands' favor, but rather prioritized maintaining their own power and their sons' inheritance rights.

But the emperor's behavior now makes them deeply uneasy, because the emperor occupies the source of the world, and every move he makes will become a "precedent" that people will follow.

Li Xianmu keenly sensed a trend emerging among these women, so he asked directly. Zhang Wan nodded, "Although many people don't say it, the occasional hints that many are dissatisfied."

As a seasoned feudalist fighter, Li Xianmu quickly realized that this discontent, to a greater extent, could even impact the entire current system.

Every system must protect the interests of its class.

Men and women are the same; once their core interests are violated, they will inevitably resist.

Of course, most of the time, women are not able to resist because of their natural constitution, so their resistance always fails, while men always succeed.

Therefore, throughout history and across the world, it has always been men who have changed the world.

But that doesn't mean women aren't important.

Beyond the vast rural areas and large cities, young women are also a secondary force in family finances and life.

The relationship between husband and wife, and between wives and concubines, is related to the entire property system and the stability of the whole society. If it makes nearly half of the women in society feel uneasy, it will inevitably have far-reaching consequences.

In the simplest terms, if the system no longer protects them, they will inevitably seek a system that can better protect them.

This systemic change will unleash tremendous energy and destructive power, and Li Xianmu has not yet prepared a contingency plan to deal with such a sudden change.

After going through countless possibilities in his mind, Li Xianmu still couldn't find a good way to make amends.

In fact, Zhu Zhanji's deposition of the empress had a very bad impact; otherwise, Li Xianmu wouldn't have gone through such a long and complicated process to finally accomplish it.

In the end, Li Xianmu could only frown slightly and say, "Madam, there is no need to worry too much. His Majesty the Emperor is different from others. He is the only one who stands above all others."

Zhang Wan knew her husband very well. Seeing that even Li Xianmu couldn't give a clear explanation, she immediately knew that there was no better way to explain the matter.

I went to sleep fully clothed, filled with deep worry.

Li Xianmu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. His wife Zhang Wan's problem today made him realize something very cruel.

By deposing the empress today, the emperor has trampled on many established customs. This is not the first time, nor will it be the last.

The oppression of the legal wife's power may not cause irreparable damage, but what about the others?
"The system protects the emperor's interests the most, but it is also the emperor who damages the system the most and hurts it the most every time."

Li Xianmu increasingly understood his father Li Qi's attitude towards imperial power. It was truly dangerous for such supreme power to be in the hands of mortals with emotions, desires, greed, and other vices.

"You can't rush it."

Li Xianmu sighed softly, "It can't be rushed."

……

The matter of deposing the empress in the capital has come to an end.

The cases involving the Yellow River dikes in Henan and Shandong provinces have also been uncovered, as has the case in Zhaocheng. It turns out that the perpetrators were not bandits, but a local tycoon in Shandong known as "Li the Great Philanthropist."

This philanthropist, Li, was a cousin of the Vice Prefect of the Shandong Provincial Administration Commission. He was wealthy, generous, and had extensive connections in Shandong, navigating both the legitimate and underworld circles, and his business was very large.

Part of their business involved contracting projects for the imperial court, such as repairing the Yellow River dike and dredging waterways—projects that were incredibly lucrative. Unexpectedly, they encountered the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and even more unexpectedly, Zhao Cheng uncovered their schemes. Deciding to go all the way, they contacted their friends in the underworld to create a false impression and ambush Zhao Cheng.

Because he genuinely employed bandits to do this, he believed it to be flawless and foolproof, and after destroying the evidence, he no longer cared.

To everyone's surprise, the imperial court reacted so strongly, refusing to believe that Zhao Cheng had truly died at the hands of the bandits. They even flew into a rage and dispatched the Shenji Battalion of the Capital Garrison to suppress the bandits.

The bandits in the surrounding area where Zhao Cheng died were suffering terribly. Under such pressure, the bandits who were unjustly punished naturally took the initiative to investigate who had intercepted and killed the imperial official.

Once investigated, the target becomes clear.

Then came the imperial court's siege and attack on the mountain. The bandit leaders never dreamed that killing a minor official would provoke such a severe retaliation from the imperial court. This was something that had never happened before.

The saying goes that prostitutes are heartless and actors are unrighteous. Those who are out in the world are all disloyal and unrighteous people, and it is reasonable for them to stab each other in the back. Under such overwhelming circumstances, the bandits who gathered and roared were tied up by their subordinates and sent to the government army camp before they could resist to the end.

Before the Imperial Guards could interrogate him, he spilled the beans, explaining the whole story clearly. That's how Li the Philanthropist came into the Imperial Guards' sight.

The rest is very simple.

Arresting Li the philanthropist, and then using Li the philanthropist to arrest a group of Shandong officials connected to him, is called "pulling up a radish and bringing out the mud."

If Shandong cracks down on these cases, those in Henan will be exposed.

As for interrogating Li the Great Philanthropist, it was very simple. This kind of pampered rich man was the most cowardly. With just a little intimidation, he confessed everything.

Moreover, he himself was very clear that now that this matter had been exposed, he was doomed to die. Not only him, but with the court's current attitude, his whole family would die, and even some of his relatives would be implicated.

Since that's the case, it's better to confess sooner rather than later; maybe then you can get a quick and painless death.

After all, both are forms of death, but the pain of being slowly sliced ​​to death and being beheaded are completely different.

After Li the philanthropist was arrested, many officials lost all hope, knowing they had nowhere to run. After all, this is not modern times hundreds of years from now, where one can flee abroad, hide their identity, and continue to live a carefree life.

Now, only the Ming Dynasty exists in the world. In such an extremely closed society as ancient times, coupled with the household registration and travel permit system, no outsider could hide. They had no choice but to wait for death.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard made great contributions, and the Anti-Corruption Bureau was not to be outdone. Starting from Henan, they uncovered another line of investigation, different from that of Li Dashan.

However, none of these achievements could bring joy to the Anti-Corruption Division at this time.

……

The officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau were not only colleagues, but also comrades-in-arms. When the truth about Zhao Cheng's death was revealed, a deep sorrow swept over everyone.

This is the first colleague to die on the road to fighting corruption since the establishment of the Anti-Corruption Division.

Only now did these officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau understand what it meant to "tread on darkness" and why the Anti-Corruption Bureau had to have the will to "sacrifice for the sake of the people".

Because they are truly at war with darkness at all times, and most of the people they face are sinners destined to die, these people are very likely to resort to desperate measures.

Their situation was even more dangerous than that of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Yu Qian summoned a group of officials from the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Facing the young but somewhat weary faces, Yu Qian raised the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand high.

"His Majesty sent us an imperial edict, and Lord Shouzheng also brought us some words."

"Let's start by talking about His Majesty's decree."

Zhu Zhanji was very satisfied with the work of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, believing that it was almost the most capable among all the departments of the court at the time.

In his imperial edict, he greatly praised the work of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, giving it high marks, which greatly eased the mood of the Anti-Corruption Bureau officials.

After reading the emperor's decree, Yu Qian took out a letter from Li Xianmu.

"The Prime Minister has something to say."

"Having heard about your actions while in the capital, I am deeply moved. Recalling the events in Zhao City, I wonder what I should say to be worthy of your merits and contributions?"

"Corruption is a chronic problem of our nation. Every dynasty has perished because of it. How can our nation last for thousands of years? Only by fighting corruption, constantly fighting it, and never stopping, can we achieve this. That is why I had high expectations for you all when I established the Anti-Corruption Bureau, and you have not disappointed me."

"The matter of Zhao City is something I deeply regret. I had thought such a thing would happen, but when it actually happened, I was filled with extreme anger. How could I dare to do this?"

Who dares to commit such an offense!

I assure you all that no one involved in Zhao Cheng's death will survive!
Everything, everything, will be buried with Zhao City!

"The dead are gone, and the living must always look forward. What was Zhao Cheng thinking before he passed away?"

What about us strangers?
Zhao Cheng practiced the Great Way with his life. If we forget these things, wouldn't that be a betrayal of him?

Every magnificent undertaking is paved with the blood of martyrs. If there were no defenders of the faith and no defenders of the cause, would there still be a sun in this world?
Where does the light in this world come from?
Are you really going to hand over the world we fought for, and even paid for with our blood, and the entire Ming Dynasty, to those parasites you caught?

If the sacred path ceases to exist, we too will perish in the abyss of darkness.

Yu Qian's voice was unhurried, yet it gradually seemed to carry the sound of thunder.

The sound reverberated in the courtyard and reached the ears of everyone present.

At that moment, it was as if everyone saw Li Xianmu before them; they even felt as if they had seen Li Zhongwen Gong.

The saying goes, "One can know a person by reading their words."

Reading texts cultivates knowledge.

The disciples of the School of Mind have already sketched out a picture of a sage from the classic texts of the School of Mind.

But at this moment.

Suddenly a thought arose—

The most revered Confucian scholar I have ever heard of in modern times is Li Zhongwen.

The scholar I have ever met who practiced the sacred way the most was Shouzheng Gong.

Life has many paths, but righteousness and justice stand at the end of the road, watching over them.

(End of this chapter)