The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 83 of the "History of Yuan" was supervised by Li Shanchang.

In the Heavenly Palace, on the Huagai Hall, the very heart of the Ming Empire, a few words were enough to ignite a murderous intent.

Li Qi spoke softly, yet every word carried a sharp edge, as if to dissect Li Zhigang's heart, lungs, liver, and gallbladder!

The emperor, still not satisfied, ordered all nine ministers to draw their swords and slay the demons to bolster the momentum.

Judging from the hearts of the people, this shows that the ruler and his subjects are of one mind, united in purpose, and the situation is magnificent!

Xie Jin said with great emotion, "What Lord Jinghe said is absolutely right. I also believe that the evil of this matter is beyond description. Therefore, as soon as I discovered it in the Hanlin Academy, I immediately reported it to Your Majesty. I am determined to be irreconcilably opposed to such a rebellious act!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Juren, the Left Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review, immediately replied, "I do the same. That is, as soon as the Hanlin Academy sends a memorial to the Court of Judicial Review, I immediately take the memorial to the palace and inform Your Majesty."

Li Qi had already figured out the logic and reasoning behind the Yuan Dynasty history, so Xie Jin and Zhao Juren didn't waste any words and simply chose sides decisively.

After these two, no one else offered any other opinions, simply repeating the words of their predecessors: take sides.

Even if some people think it's going too far, under the general trend and with everyone speaking with one voice, not completely agreeing is simply a complete disagreement!

Li Zhigang finally snapped out of his daze amidst the voices. He carefully considered the matter and realized that he was indeed involved. If all the editors were to copy the three clans, he would happen to be one of them.

Faced with the threat of death, his mind became clearer than ever before, and he was determined to find a way out of the predicament.

Got it!

Excitement gleamed in his eyes. He had found the fatal flaw. He could hardly contain his excitement and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, I have a question for Li Qi."

"allow."

Li Zhigang turned to face Li Qi, his face flushed. The others in the hall were curious about what Li Zhigang had thought of that made him so bold. Then they heard Li Zhigang utter the shocking words, "The Prince Consort just said that Song Lian, Wang Yi and others harbored treacherous intentions, but the whole world knows that the supervisor of the Yuan History is your father, Li Shanchang!"

If Song Lian and Wang Yi harbor treacherous intentions and their crimes are unforgivable, then what about your father? He too is unforgivable!

As soon as he finished speaking, he stared intently at Li Qi, his eyes even showing a hint of excitement. He wanted to see a dramatic change in Li Qi's expression. In this debate, he had ultimately won.

But he was disappointed. Li Qi showed no urgency whatsoever; instead, there was a hint of a smile in his eyes.

Smile?

He thought he was seeing things. How could Li Qi possibly be laughing in such a critical moment? He looked closely and saw a clear hint of sarcasm on Li Qi's lips.

His cheeks, which had been flushed with excitement just moments before, instantly turned deathly pale. A sense of foreboding filled his heart; there must be something important he had overlooked. But no matter how many times he tried to recall it, he couldn't find it.

Of everyone present, apart from Xie Jin, Chen Ying, and Zhu Di, everyone else was shocked by Li Zhigang, as if they were meeting him for the first time. They never expected that he could turn the tide in such a desperate situation and corner Li Qi with just one sentence.

Then everyone quickly turned their attention to Li Qi, only to find that Li Qi showed no sign of panic and remained calm and composed.

Zhu Di said in a deep voice, "Li Qi, did you hear what Li Zhigang said just now? I have always been impartial. What explanation do you have? Speak it out quickly."

"Your Majesty, Song Lian and Wang Yi are merely literary scholars who are engrossed in classical texts, and that is why they were appointed as chief officials."

My father, however, was different. When the History of Yuan was being compiled, it was the first year of the Hongwu reign. My father was personally appointed by the late emperor as the first meritorious official in the founding of the Ming Dynasty, ranking alongside Xiao He. He was the prime minister of the entire Ming Dynasty. At that time, the Ming Dynasty was determined to launch a northern expedition to recover the Han people's land. My father was stationed in Nanjing, responsible for collecting grain and supplies, transporting logistics, and overseeing government affairs.

After Li Qi finished speaking, everyone understood his line of thinking. The key to this explanation lay in whether the emperor believed it and was willing to let it go.

Upon further considering Li Qi's relationship with the emperor, they fell even more silent.

"When the late emperor toured Bianliang, my father stayed behind to guard Yingtian."

At that time, he led the officials in formulating the rites for the suburban altars and ancestral temples. The late emperor bestowed upon my father the privilege that all matters could be handled flexibly without seeking permission. My father subsequently determined the official system of the Six Ministries, the mourning clothes for officials and commoners, the rites for paying homage to the Crown Prince, the titles of the gods of mountains and rivers throughout the land, the enfeoffment of princes, and the rewards and honors for meritorious officials. No matter how small the matter was, the late emperor entrusted my father with it. At that time, my father was not only ordered to supervise the compilation of the "History of Yuan", but also responsible for compiling the "Instructions of Emperor Taizu" and the "Collection of Rites of the Great Ming".

As far as I know, my father once said: The history of the Yuan Dynasty is a trivial matter and of no use to the military and the country. Although Song Lian and Wang Yi lacked both literary and military talents, they were still great scholars of the world. If they could not even compile the history of the Yuan Dynasty, then they would truly be of no use.

Therefore, although my father was ordered to supervise the construction, he didn't really take a second look at it. This treasonous act had nothing to do with my father.

Seeing how Li Qi could sophistry, Li Zhigang's eyes turned red. He even disregarded his impropriety in front of the emperor and sternly rebuked him: "Li Qi, don't try to shirk your responsibilities here. Your father is a compiler of the Yuan History. No matter what, you can't escape responsibility!"

Do you think His Majesty the Emperor will believe your sophistry?

Upon hearing this, Li Qi paused for a moment, then looked at Li Zhigang as if he were a fool. If the emperor didn't believe him, why would he say such a thing?

The emperor is the referee in almost everything, and a referee with great power. So the key to the debate is to persuade the emperor. But the matter of the Yuan Dynasty history was actually a game played by the emperor and Li Qi together. What did Li Zhigang have to win?
"Does Minister Li think that the most disappointing thing about the Yuan Dynasty's treason case is the dereliction of duty?" Li Qi sneered, "Then you are very wrong. The real pain point of this matter is that there is a large number of people who miss the previous dynasty and even go so far as to smear our dynasty's legitimacy in order to miss the previous dynasty. It is these traitors who are being investigated!"
The investigation targets treacherous and malicious individuals!

The investigation should focus on the source of the heart; that is, even if someone has made a mistake in this matter, as long as it can be proven that it was not their true intention, then there is no fault.

My father never received any favors from the Yuan Dynasty and had long been dissatisfied with its tyranny. He was a meritorious official of Emperor Taizu Gao and made great contributions to the establishment of the Ming Dynasty.

Would such a person smear my Great Ming Dynasty to whitewash the previous dynasty?

"You're such a fool! Do you think His Majesty would be like you?"

Li Qi's words struck Li Zhigang's heart like a hammer blow. These words were quite cruel, because they could kill!
It's also a betrayal of the heart!

To call a second-rank official a fool would be a recipe for a war to the death, and this almost foreshadowed that Li Qi believed Li Zhigang was finished.

"I think Li Qi's words make a lot of sense."

Zhu Di knew it was time for him to speak up. "What angers me most about this treasonous act in the Yuan Dynasty is that Song Lian, Wang Yi, and others, who are clearly officials of my Great Ming, eating my Great Ming's salary and enjoying the glory bestowed upon them by the late emperor, are loyal to the previous dynasty."

If they truly had backbone, why did they choose to serve in the government instead of dying for the Yuan Dynasty?

The emperor's words shattered all of Li Zhigang's hopes. He collapsed in the hall, his face deathly pale and covered in cold sweat. He knew he was finished, and everyone present knew he was finished.

"However, what Li Zhigang just mentioned about Li Shanchang reminded me that the compilation of the Yuan History was not limited to Song Lian and Wang Yi. I remember that there were more than twenty people involved by name. Among them, there must be innocent people like Li Shanchang. Li Qi, Chen Ying, and Zheng Ci, when you three investigate this case, you must distinguish between them and not implicate the innocent. What I want to kill are those with treacherous intentions, not innocent people!"

As soon as Zhu Di finished speaking, almost everyone in the hall knelt down and shouted, "Your Majesty is wise!"

The joy on everyone's faces and voices was almost visible to the naked eye. Their previous hesitation was because although the chief editors of the Yuan History were Song Lian and Wang Yi, the compilers of the Yuan History were not just these two. The vast majority of them were from the south. What if they were implicated?
Now that the emperor has said these words, they are relieved, because this actually represents the emperor's attitude: the problem lies with some people, not everyone!

As for who's at fault? That's up to the investigators! And the Emperor!

It now appears that the issues involving Song Lian and Wang Yi have been defined.

Many of those who compiled the History of the Yuan Dynasty were from Zhejiang, such as Hu Han, Tao Kai, Chen Ji, and Gao Qi. Compiling history has always been a prestigious job, and Song Lian and Wang Yi, who were in charge of compiling history, naturally wanted to bring their own people along. But now that they are being investigated, they will all be investigated together.

The emperor already had some prejudice against Zhejiang literati because of Fang Xiaoru, and now with the Yuan history incident, these people probably can't escape punishment.

As for people from other places, the fact that they would likely survive this storm has put everyone at ease.

Although they were all literati from Jiangnan and had once resisted together when they were hit by the provincial quota system, now that things had come to this, they still had to quickly sever ties.

Even in central Zhejiang, there is a distinction between eastern and western Zhejiang; how much more so in Jiangxi and Zhili (Hebei), which are ultimately different.

"This is such a heinous crime, and it should be punished with the death penalty. Do you all agree?"

"Your Majesty is wise beyond reproach!"

"Zheng Ci and Chen Ying, you two are in charge of the punishment of the winter, what crime do you think you should be punished for?"

Zheng Ci and Chen Ying almost simultaneously exclaimed in a deep voice: "Treason!"

"Your Majesty, he should be punished for treason."

According to the Great Ming Code, anyone who plots treason shall be executed by slow slicing. Grandfather, father, son, grandson, brothers, and those living with him, regardless of surname, uncles, aunts, brothers, or their sons, regardless of place of origin or age, and any male, whether disabled or sick, shall be beheaded. Mothers, daughters, wives, concubines, sisters, and the wives and concubines of sons shall all be enslaved, and their property shall be confiscated and turned over to the government.

It can be said that once this crime is committed, the entire family and clan will be wiped out.

Zhu Di watched the entire play and even personally performed two scenes. Now that the play was finally coming to an end, he straightened his posture and solemnly said, "Issue my decree: the ringleader and accomplices in the Yuan History Case shall all be punished for the crime of treason. Li Qi shall preside over the trial, with Zheng Ci and Chen Ying assisting him. Do not let any of them go free. We must eradicate evil completely!"

"I will obey your orders!"

The officials all rose and went out of the hall. When they reached the front of the hall, they turned back to look into the hall. The emperor was sitting, and Li Qi was standing. His face was solemn, and he was filled with murderous intent.

Today's matter.

Are the ruler and his ministers a suitable match?

How perfect!

(End of this chapter)