The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 319 Alone
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Li Xianmu walked to the center of the main hall.

He looked around at everyone in the hall, his heart churning with endless emotions.

Li Xianmu's gaze fell on Wang Zhen, and Wang Zhen immediately felt a tightness in his body, guessing that Li Xianmu was about to start scolding him.

I suddenly felt uneasy.

Upon seeing the Empress Dowager's menacing gaze upon him, he regretted coming here today.

This is not about going out of one's way to be humiliated.

"Wang Zhen! How did you come to be so prominent?"

Wang Zhen didn't understand what Li Xianmu wanted to say, so he could only bite the bullet and answer, "I served in the Inner Study Hall and was given important positions after Your Majesty ascended the throne, which led to my current glory and wealth."

Li Xianmu coldly laughed, "So you're just a lucky opportunist!"

Wang Zhen's expression changed drastically. He stood tall and pointed directly at Li Xianmu, shouting angrily, "Li... Grand Secretary, you've gone too far!"

The group of Neo-Confucian scholars in the hall erupted in cheers and clamor, dispelling the hall's chill and making Wang Zhen's face even more unpleasant.

The other officials in the hall couldn't help but applaud in their hearts, for the emperor had been criticized since ancient times.

"The Ming Dynasty has tens of millions of people, but only a few hundred sit in the palace. How did you all get to stand before His Majesty?"
Did it grow an extra head, or extra hands and feet, or perhaps some extraordinary power?

"None of them."

He pointed to the nobles and royalty, saying, "The imperial relatives and nobles stand here because of the legacy of the previous emperors and because of the existence of the Ming Dynasty."

He then pointed to the civil officials, "And you? You've studied diligently for ten years, passing the imperial examinations step by step, and finally stood before His Majesty."

Is this simply how it is naturally?

During the Zhou Dynasty, all officials in the court were hereditary dukes and ministers. Later, many talented people came from the scholar class, so the hereditary system of official positions was abolished.

However, this was followed by hundreds of years of aristocratic clans, whose noble lineage monopolized all the good official positions.

Until the Song Dynasty, people all over the world believed that only those who could announce their names as the top scholar outside Donghua Gate were true heroes.

My Great Ming Dynasty was no different!

Only then did the people in the hall realize what Li Xianmu wanted to say.

"Since the beginning of my illustrious career, all those I have employed have been outstanding individuals among the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) who are skilled in practical matters. Now, each of the nineteen ministers in the court has a solid track record of achievements and has made contributions in their respective departments."

The Minister of Taxation of the Ming Dynasty, who had previously been in charge of the former Ministry of Revenue's Tax Department, keenly sensed that there were errors in the Shaanxi tax system in the eighth year of the Xuande reign, and personally led a team to thoroughly investigate and rectify the situation in Shaanxi.

The Minister of Anti-Corruption personally investigated cases such as the Gansu case involving sham disaster relief and the Yellow River case in two provinces.

The Minister of the Maritime Transport Office has handled the money and grain without a single mistake in the past fifteen years.

There are others, but I will not list them all.

The people named by Li Xianmu all proudly puffed out their chests, and the other nineteen ministers also shared in the honor, none of them being nepotistic.

Even though they don't belong to the same camp as Li Xianmu, they are still the best in their respective camps.

None of those who were able to be pushed out by their respective factions to compete in factional strife under Li Xianmu's command were cowards or useless.

"To become an official, one must first become a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination); to become a high-ranking official, one must first become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the metropolitan examination); to enter the Hanlin Academy, one must first pass the second-class examination and then take the examination again. Each level and each stage is designed to select the most outstanding talents. Only when talents gather can the Ming Dynasty prosper."

The people I have employed are known to the late emperors, who also praised them.

No one refuted.

For thousands of years, although bloodline inheritance and ancestral protection have been prevalent, the world ultimately values ​​talent above all else.

After three hundred years of the imperial examination system during the Song Dynasty, the idea that only those who passed the imperial examinations were on the right path had taken deep root in people's hearts, and this was further promoted by Li Qi and Li Xianmu for forty years.

The status of officials who passed the imperial examinations rose higher and higher.

It already resembled the later practice of "all advancement requires examinations".

The talents selected through the imperial examinations were by no means the kind of bookish, pedantic people that later generations imagined; they were simply limited by their perspectives.

The Ming Dynasty valued policy essays, which were extremely practical. Any scholar who passed the imperial examination in the second rank was far better at writing essays than later civil servants.

Moreover, every civil servant can connect Confucian theory with practice, bridging the gap between the theoretical and the practical.

It's just a pity...

The Confucian theory itself has problems, which is why it has restricted these talented people.

Li Qi and Li Xianmu have been tirelessly working to reform the most fundamental Confucian theories. Once this is changed, the vast number of talented people in China will naturally be able to gather tremendous power.

"And you..."

After his long speech, Li Xianmu turned his gaze back to Wang Zhen, saying, "And you are nothing but a sycophant, a sycophantic fellow. How could you possibly be worthy to sit in the hall with us?"

Wang Zhen could no longer contain himself and angrily shouted, "The position of the Grand Secretary is lofty, but can it be greater than His Majesty's?"

"I was personally appointed by His Majesty as the Grand Secretary of the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the late Emperor stipulated that the Directorate of Ceremonial was in charge of approving imperial seals. Now, the Grand Secretary has humiliated me in this way. Is he dissatisfied with His Majesty?"

Although his words were solemn, there was an undisguised panic in them.

Wang Zhen was a smart man, and he clearly sensed that something was wrong; Li Xianmu's hostility towards him was too deep and too great.

He couldn't understand it, but he could see it.

"When did the late Emperor ever say that the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs controlled the imperial edicts? The power to approve imperial edicts belongs to His Majesty himself. Now that His Majesty is young, the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager should handle it. If the two emperors are unwilling, there are plenty of talented court officials in the palace. Why should it be your turn?"

Li Xianmu questioned Wang Zhen in a stern voice, "Wang Zhen, how many characters do you know? Have you ever managed the affairs of a department? Can you transfer to a prefecture? You know nothing about the affairs of the court. Among those who are favored, you can be considered incompetent. How dare you call yourself the one who approves red decisions!"
If the imperial edicts of the Ming Dynasty truly fall into your hands, then the day of the nation's demise is probably not far off.

Wang Zhen was completely stunned by Li Xianmu's barrage of words. He hadn't expected Li Xianmu to be waiting for him there. He racked his brains but couldn't come up with a retort.

He knelt directly before the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor, and began to cry and plead, which was met with cheers from the hall, making it quite comical.

Li Xianmu's fighting prowess shocked everyone in the hall.

The logic is clear and the organization is well-defined.

They disregarded the emperor's and others' trust and focused solely on Wang Zhenxing's identity to launch a severe attack.

"Prime Minister, Mr. Wang has served me very diligently, so..."

"His Majesty!"

Li Xianmu interrupted Zhu Qizhen directly, saying, "Please allow me to explain the reasoning to you: if you let hunters farm, the land will become barren; if you let farmers fish, there will be nothing; if you know people well and use them wisely, you will prosper, but if you use the wrong people, you will decline."

Since Wang Zhen serves His Majesty so diligently, let him serve in the inner court and take care of His Majesty's daily needs. But how can he be allowed to interfere in important court affairs?
Prime ministers must rise from local government positions, and valiant generals must emerge from the ranks of soldiers.

The practice of approving imperial edicts is a strategy employed by prime ministers. However, our dynasty does not have a prime minister; power resides with the emperor.

How can Your Majesty hand it over to a eunuch now?

"Never before in history has such an absurd thing been heard of! Scholars throughout the land study diligently, yet they become the lackeys of eunuchs. Isn't this utterly shameful!" Although he was speaking to the emperor, he was actually addressing the Empress Dowager and everyone else.

This is already a reprimand of the emperor!
Zhu Qizhen's expression changed. Children hate being scolded by their parents and elders, but he was just a child, and no one cared.

Moreover, Li Xianmu is the current emperor's great-uncle, a figure of his grandfather's generation, a regent minister appointed by the late emperor, and a veteran minister renowned throughout the land who served four reigns. With such a status, no one would find it inappropriate for him to reprimand an emperor who is still a child.

Li Xianmu did not stop.

"Wang Zhen once wrote a memorial to the throne, saying that the Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet are now old and there is a need to fill the vacancies."

Upon hearing this, Yang Shiqi and Yang Pu, who were seated in the positions of Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, slightly opened their eyes, then slowly closed them again, remaining expressionless. Everyone in the hall listened attentively.

"Whether the four Grand Secretaries in the Cabinet are capable of governing is not something Wang Zhen is qualified to propose. As for the Cabinet itself, even if replacements are needed in the future, the power lies with the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Cabinet officials themselves, not with Wang Zhen, a mere eunuch."

Wang Zhen remained silent.

He knelt on the ground without saying a word, only putting on a pitiful act.

The hall was completely silent, except for Li Xianmu's voice.

"Your Majesty is young and inexperienced. You should think more about the right principles and stay away from evil. The Ming Dynasty is vast and has countless talents. How can we let Wang Zhen stand in front of Your Majesty?"

"Princes are descendants of the royal family; dukes and marquises are descendants of meritorious officials; scholars are successors of sages."

They may be born into nobility, be descendants of meritorious officials, or be talented individuals. These are the people Your Majesty should rely on, trust, and be able to inherit the grace of the world!
Rather than some sycophants and incompetent fools!

On behalf of all the dukes, princes, and scholars of the realm, I plead for Your Majesty!

Li Xianmu's purpose is now crystal clear: he wants to suppress Wang Zhen!

Now the Empress Dowager is in charge of the government, but neither the Empress Dowager nor the Empress Dowager are easy to meet with outside officials. Only Li Xianmu occasionally enters the palace and pays his respects in the Huagai Hall.

Therefore, communicating between the inside and outside is the job of the Cabinet and the Directorate of Ceremonial.

In the past, the two had kept to themselves and kept to themselves.

Now, Li Xianmu has suddenly risen up.

As it stands, the reason is that Wang Zhen attempted to influence the cabinet, which angered Lee Hsien-mu, resulting in Lee Hsien-mu's most severe retaliation.

Wang Zhen naturally thought of this as well, and he somewhat regretted reaching out to the cabinet.

But upon further reflection, after Li Xianmu's reforms, the cabinet became the undisputed core of Ming Dynasty's administration, and the various ministries had lost any possibility of competing with the cabinet.

Without reaching out to the cabinet, everything will ultimately be nothing but a mirage.

In the once silent hall, as Li Xianmu spoke each word, some frivolous voices gradually rose. The School of Mind immediately responded, and the hall was soon filled with clamor.

With Wang Zhen suddenly gaining power, how could those who had no choice but to rely on him not feel resentful?

As members of the imperial family and of noble status, they naturally felt humiliated to have to perform such a grand ceremony before Wang Zhen. This was especially true for scholars who had spent years studying diligently, not to become lackeys of a eunuch.

If it weren't for Li Xianmu, they would have accepted it, but today, with Li Xianmu's identity as the one who launched the attack, Wang Zhen will surely suffer great harm.

"Wang Zhen!"

Before anyone could think any further, a furious rebuke came from the head of the table.

It's the Empress Dowager!
Wang Zhen, who was already prostrate on the ground, trembled and kowtowed, shouting, "Your servant is here!"

"What you just said is absolutely right. Do you have anything else to say?"

"You servant..."

"You don't need to say anything more!"

The Empress Dowager immediately interrupted Wang Zhen before he could speak, and Wang Zhen paused, dumbfounded.

"My lords," the Empress Dowager said solemnly as she looked around at everyone, "the current emperor is young and the stability of the court is largely due to the efforts of you ministers. I have seen the draft proposals put forward by the cabinet on many occasions."

I am aware of the prime minister's abilities.

The so-called "red robes" were not modified; all major policies of the imperial court were drafted by the chief ministers and others.

Wang Zhen wanted to interfere in court affairs…

Every word the Empress Dowager uttered was a verdict against Wang Zhen. In this dispute between Li Xianmu and Wang Zhen, the Empress Dowager once again sided with Li Xianmu without hesitation.

This was something Li Xianmu had anticipated, but ultimately it was different.

In this setting, with all the officials present, victory carries a completely different significance.

The blow wasn't just to Wang Zhen, but also to the Emperor and Empress Dowager. In this situation, the Emperor, as a child, was fully exposed.

Li Xianmu obtained even greater authorization from the Empress Dowager, further compressing the power of the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, to the point that they could no longer even hold onto the power to approve imperial edicts.

As the victor, the most obvious benefit is that Li Xianmu can form a cabinet completely unrelated to the Directorate of Ceremonial, which will enable him to firmly control the outer court!

The previous system of the inner palace – the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs – the cabinet was simplified to the inner palace – the cabinet, which excluded political enemies from the decision-making process, a major victory.

Li Qi, high above, saw the overwhelming prestige surging like a tidal wave, almost transforming into purple mist as it rushed towards Li Xianmu and the entire Li family.

With the entire court watching this event, Li Xianmu has truly reached the pinnacle of power among the officials of the Ming Dynasty.

At this moment, he had obtained even greater power authorization than Zhang Juzheng in history.

The Grand Empress Dowager, Li Xianmu, together with the Grand Empress Dowager, constituted the complete power of the emperor, the prime minister, and the ministers.

Among the ministers, Li Xianmu was almost at the top, having reached the level of Zhuge Liang.

Going further up the hierarchy, one would either be the Duke of Zhou, who had the endorsement of the former emperor and could legitimately rule the world as regent, acting on behalf of the emperor.

Either they were like Yi Yin or Huo Guang, who seized power and cultivated influence through political struggles, reaching a point where they could depose and install emperors.

In short, it's a regency!

But those are things that can only be encountered by chance.

With the Empress Dowager and the Empress Dowager around, such matters would never be his turn. He is now at the pinnacle of power.

Wang Zhen collapsed to the ground, like a dog whose spine had been removed.

"Five years!"

Lee Hyun-mok silently calculated in his mind that once he took control of the cabinet, he would have five more years to build an unbreakable ruling coalition!

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet at the palace, Wang Zhen entered through the Donghua Gate and arrived at the Jinshen Hall. All the princes, ministers, and officials went to pay their respects. Wen Zheng Gong sat upright and looked directly at him. When Wang Zhen entered the hall, Wen Zheng Gong sternly rebuked him. The emperor defended him, and Wen Zheng Gong then reprimanded the emperor. The emperor said nothing more, and all the officials cheered and applauded. Wang Zhen trembled and could not stand, and dared not speak. The Empress Dowager praised him and entrusted Wen Zheng Gong with important state affairs, and the court was thus temporarily at peace.

A contemporary praised him, saying, "If the Ming Dynasty were to face a collapsing sun, only the Grand Secretary could mend it with his own hands!" — *The Official History of the Confucian Scholars*

(End of this chapter)