The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 324 Dissatisfaction
As soon as Li Xianmu left the palace after court, many people surrounded him, anxiously saying, "Grand Chancellor, how could you agree to His Majesty's conquest of Luchuan? Isn't that a waste of lives to fill that wretched place?"

"It's better to send the emperor on a northern expedition than to attack Luchuan; at least fewer people will die."

Apart from military officers with vested interests, most civil officials in the court opposed the campaign against Luchuan, which is why Li Xianmu's Luchuan policy was able to be implemented smoothly.

Conquering the grasslands would at most waste food and supplies; the Mongols wouldn't dare to confront the Ming army head-on. But attacking Luchuan would cost lives for every mountain and river they fought.

Upon hearing this, Li Xianmu spread his hands and sighed, "You all know this. We have already advised him and explained all the reasons, but His Majesty is determined to do his own thing and won't listen. What can we do?"
He has only just assumed power; should the first thing he does be to completely negate him?
Wouldn't that be far too arrogant?

Yu Qian has now been promoted to the position of Minister of Anti-Corruption, a high-ranking official of the second rank. After Wang Gen's death, he officially became one of the leading figures of the orthodox school of Neo-Confucianism.

Upon hearing this, he immediately became somewhat dissatisfied with the emperor and complained, "The Ming Dynasty has countless things that Your Majesty can practice on, so why did Your Majesty have to choose this one?"
Are the lives of Ming soldiers so worthless, so easily wasted?

Those around him fell silent upon hearing this, before expressing their dissatisfaction and turning their gazes toward Li Xianmu.

Li Xianmu looked around at everyone and sighed again, "Everyone should do their own job well and try their best to help His Majesty succeed. As for any other complaints, let's not say anything more."

After saying this, Li Xianmu turned around, got into the carriage, and left.

Yu Qian and the others were dumbfounded. Thinking of the Grand Secretary's helplessness, they looked back at the palace and felt even more dissatisfied. "The Grand Secretary has served five emperors and was an important minister of four. There is nothing in the world that the Grand Secretary does not know, and there is nothing that the Grand Secretary would do wrong. Now that His Majesty has a different opinion from the Grand Secretary, I am afraid that this matter will not end well. It is just a pity for our Ming soldiers, who will die in those towering mountains in vain."

Some people already sensed something was amiss and tugged at Yu Qian's embroidered robe, whispering, "We're in front of the palace gates, so let's keep quiet. What if someone overhears us?"

Yu Qian's eyes darkened. He was not a pedantic scholar after all. He nodded slightly, and the group immediately got into their cars and left. However, the uneasy atmosphere that had just gathered did not dissipate. It lingered over the palace and became increasingly gloomy.

Yu Qian and the others were unaware that the conversation that had just taken place in front of the palace gates had quickly reached the emperor's ears through Wang Zhen.

“Your Majesty, I really can’t listen to this anymore. They even said that since the Grand Secretary has already advised against it, Your Majesty should not insist. As long as the Cabinet issues a draft, Your Majesty should just act as usual and treat it as a human seal. Why should you have your own ideas?”

Wang Zhen knelt before the emperor, adding fuel to the fire, attempting to provoke the young emperor's most sensitive nerve.

He succeeded.

Zhu Qizhen, who had just thought he had won a great victory, was suddenly filled with rage. He felt that Li Xianmu was like a mountain, like the sky hanging over his head, pressing down on him so that he could hardly breathe. It was as if all matters of the Ming Dynasty did not need to be asked of him, the emperor, as long as Li Xianmu was there.

Yes.

He acknowledged that Li Xianmu was indeed capable, but throughout history, none of the powerful ministers were lacking in ability; they were all renowned prime ministers with numerous achievements.

But behind these achievements was a puppet emperor!
He, Zhu Qizhen, the legitimate emperor, would never be a puppet emperor. He wanted to become a sage ruler like Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong, to suppress the northern barbarians and sweep away the southern barbarians like his father, so that all his ancestors would know that he, Zhu Qizhen, was not a useless coward, but a hero of the Zhu family!
What Li Xianmu could do, he could do too, and even better. Today's events have further fueled Li Xianmu's ambition to achieve great things.

He said sternly, "How dare you look down on me like this? Mr. Wang, you are right. An emperor without achievements will be looked down upon by his subjects. It is one thing for the Grand Secretary to reprimand me, but others also dare to despise me like this."

So what if they still see me as a child?
Isn't it just that they think I'm not capable of governing this country or handling those thorny issues?
They dare not touch Luchuan, but I will do it anyway, so that the whole court will know that I am the Emperor of the Great Ming Dynasty, and I will be invincible!
"We'll see how they dare to speak so arrogantly before me then!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Wang Zhen said with a fawning smile. "Many officials are delighted with Your Majesty's power. They actively participated in the campaign against Luchuan. These are all loyal ministers. If Your Majesty uses them, you will surely achieve a great victory."

"Oh?" Zhu Qizhen became interested; people were already starting to side with him so quickly. "Who are they?"

Wang Zhen first named a list of nobles, which Zhu Qizhen didn't pay much attention to, as nobles were the foundation of the imperial family. Then Wang Zhen named the ministers of the nineteen ministries and the governors of the nineteen provinces, which piqued Zhu Qizhen's interest.

He wasn't stupid. Every policy needs someone to implement it. The reason why Grand Secretary Li Xianmu's power is so great today is because his foundation is too deep. Not only does he have a large number of disciples and followers in the court who obey his orders, but he also has a large number of fellow villagers, clansmen, and like-minded people in the local areas, as well as various schools and societies established around the philosophy of mind.

If Li Xianmu agrees to the same order, it will be implemented quickly in the local area; if Li Xianmu disagrees, then it will take a long time, and delaying it for a year or two is the least of the problems.

Before launching the campaign against Luchuan, Zhu Qizhen knew that Li Xianmu would not deliberately hinder the campaign and would do his best. However, he was worried that Li Xianmu's subordinates would cause trouble, so he insisted on getting Li Xianmu's approval in the court meeting before launching the campaign against Luchuan.

He's very smart!
Wang Zhen looked at Zhu Qizhen with some confusion, wondering why the emperor suddenly laughed triumphantly and didn't react to his words.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became somewhat awkward and strange.

……

"Father, are we really just going to watch the emperor step into that huge pit in Luchuan?"

Li Fusheng was somewhat anxious. "That wretched place, I'm afraid it would take hundreds of thousands of troops to be thrown in before you could even see a splash. If tens of thousands of people were thrown in, they would drown immediately."

"Calm down!"

Li Xianmu reprimanded in a stern voice, "I have said it before: if you always want to do things perfectly, you will never accomplish anything."

"That's what my father taught me."

Li Xianmu recalled the emperor's words in the palace and sighed, "This matter is destined to be unstoppable. The emperor will definitely be able to implement his own ideas. Only after the emperor fails will I have a reason to oppose his subsequent proposals in order to prevent greater losses."

"Does Father also believe that His Majesty the Emperor is destined to fail?"

"Military objectives may be achieved, but political objectives will be completely lost, and in the end, a defeat may be achieved."

"A failed victory?"

Did we win against Luchuan, but suffer heavy casualties? Or did we only win in name, gaining face in reality?

Li Fusheng was very clever and immediately understood the meaning behind his father Li Xianmu's words.

Such events are not uncommon in history. The Song Dynasty's victory over the Western Xia was a case in point; the Song Dynasty won the war, but in return, it paid tribute to the Western Xia in exchange for the Western Xia becoming a vassal state of the Song Dynasty.

"When does Father plan to make his move?" Li Fusheng had already embarked on his official career.

"When the first wave of defeat reports arrive, I will submit a memorial to Your Majesty, requesting that you stop this war that should not have happened!"

"Then I understand, son. In this Luchuan war, a large amount of grain and fodder will likely need to be drawn from Nanjing. Should we send a message to the Duke's Mansion to ensure that they guarantee the logistics?" The Li family is quite prosperous now. There is no need to elaborate on Li Xianmu. The Duke's Mansion in Nanjing is also a prominent and powerful family. Together with several other duke's mansions, they maintain the stability of the entire area south of the Huai River.

The previous Duke of Korea, who was also Li Xianmu's elder brother, passed away in the seventh year of the Xuande era. The current Duke is Li Xianmu's nephew.

Although he was a prominent hereditary duke, the emperor dared not utter a word in the face of his powerful third uncle, Li Xianmu.

Moreover, he was a duke.

In modern times, the Korean public only dared to be trembling with fear and obey orders. Faced with the letter from the Lee family in the capital, he dared not utter a single word of dissent.

During festivals, people from Nanjing would be sent to the capital to offer their congratulations. Also, some sons from collateral branches of the family would come to the Li residence to pay their respects if they wanted to take the imperial examinations in the capital.

Today, the Li family can be considered a large and prosperous clan.

Li Xianmu pondered for a moment, then said, “Send a letter to Nanjing, urging them to prioritize national affairs and not to harbor any ulterior motives.”

"My son understands, and will send the message to Nanjing immediately."

The king of hell is easy to see, but the devil is difficult to deal with.

Li Xianmu was quite aware that if he didn't explain himself clearly, many people would speculate about his intentions, and if he did something on purpose, that would be bad.

Even if he was vying with the emperor, he would never joke about matters of state.

"Assisting the Sage".

Li Xianmu called out to his son, who was about to leave. Li Fusheng turned back and asked, "Father, is there anything else you need?"

Li Xianmu gazed at his eldest son, on whom he had placed high hopes, and fell into deep thought.

Li Fusheng was born during the Yongle era. During the Xuande era, he achieved the top rank in the first class of the imperial examination. Li Xianmu demoted him to the top rank in the second class. After passing the examination again, he once again ranked first and entered the Hanlin Academy.

Nowadays, the Hanlin Academy is a highly confidential place with close ties to the cabinet, and is known as the "mini cabinet". Those who can enter here are the most outstanding talents with a bright future.

According to rumors, anyone who was transferred from the Hanlin Academy was being groomed as a "Grand Secretary of the Cabinet".

During the imperial examination in the first year of the Zhengtong era, Grand Secretary Li Xianmu clearly stated that "Prime Ministers must rise from local government positions, and valiant generals must emerge from the ranks of soldiers."

To govern the nation's affairs, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet must have served as both a local official and an assistant minister in the court, possessing both a broad vision and practical experience in handling all government affairs.

The Hanlin Academy was precisely the place that could overlook the whole country. Serving here allowed one to see the miscellaneous affairs of the two capitals and nineteen provinces of the Ming Dynasty through the Grand Secretariat, as well as the miscellaneous affairs of the nineteen ministries of the court.

Keep these things in mind, then go to the prefectures and counties to gain experience, understand the hardships of the common people, and comprehend the contradictions and pain points between the imperial court and the local governments. Only then can you truly be of great use when you enter the cabinet.

Of course, the number of Grand Secretaries in the Cabinet is limited, and judging from the experience of recent years, the replacements are not frequent. Most of them aspire to serve as the Minister of one of the nineteen ministries, or as the Provincial Governor or Provincial Treasurer, becoming a powerful regional official.

The Hanlin Academy still holds a significant advantage in the competition for these official positions, but unfortunately, its entry requirements are too high, leaving most people only able to look on with envy.

"Your Excellency, it's time for you to leave."

Li Fusheng was taken aback, then quickly realized what he meant, "Father! Do you mean I should be sent to a prefecture or county?"

“You are not young anymore. You have learned a lot over the years while serving in the Hanlin Academy and the Grand Secretariat. It is time for you to go to the local areas to gain experience. Let me see if there are any vacancies in the prefectures where you can take on the role of prefect.”

A county magistrate is too low a rank, a prefect is too high a rank, and a governor is just right.

"Your son will obey your command, Father!"

Li Fusheng was very excited. Staying in the capital was certainly good, but he had long wanted to go to the provinces to benefit the local people and also wanted to see with his own eyes how the new policies had been implemented in the provinces over the years, and what difficulties the central government was unaware of.

Most officials in the capital were naturally unwilling to be transferred to other places. Apart from a few wealthy areas like Jiangnan, other places were far from comparable to the capital, which was supported by the entire nation.

Having gotten used to living in big cities, no one wants to go to a poor, remote place where life is inconvenient.

Moreover, in officialdom, once you go to a remote and impoverished place, you might never be able to come back in this lifetime.

But Li Fusheng, being a top-tier privileged son, naturally had no such concerns. Once he was assigned to a local post, his only goal was to accumulate merit, do more work, and gain experience, so that he would naturally be promoted in the capital.

Li Fusheng left with great delight. Li Xianmu sat in the hall, slowly sipping tea, his eyes sparkling as he faced the growing emperor and the people gradually gathering around him.

For the first time, he felt a sense of being out of control.

"A young emperor and an old, powerful minister."

Li Xianmu spread out his hands, which were gradually aging, with wrinkles creeping onto them. Some time ago, a white hair appeared on his head, which was plucked out, but he knew he was no longer young.

"old."

It's time to consider the issue of succession.

Ultimately, his gaze fell upon his eldest son, Li Fusheng, as the choice between a successor capable of preserving his legacy and one who could carry on the family tradition.

Li Qi, high above the heavens, naturally heard his son's sigh. In his eyes, although Li Xianmu was beginning to age, his life force was still very strong. Judging from his current vitality, living to eighty years old would not be a problem, and he was far from the end of his life.

at least.

Since the lifespan of the royal family is difficult to change, Li Xianmu calculated Zhu Qizhen's lifespan and concluded that it would not be a problem for Li Xianmu to outlive the brothers Zhu Qizhen and Zhu Qiyu.

(End of this chapter)