The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 93 Never Going to the Palace Again

"When the Ministry of Rites sends examiners to the provinces, please take with them my new decree: next year's spring examination will be held on the fifth day of the first lunar month!"

boom!
The emperor's words immediately caused the assembled officials, who had been listening attentively to the imperial edict with their heads bowed, to look up at him in disbelief. They were all speechless, unable to believe what they had just heard.

The imperial examinations should be held earlier than scheduled!

Moreover, it was two months ahead of schedule, which is no small matter.

"His Majesty!"

"His Majesty!"

Everyone spoke up, not to object, but to find out why. But this was just Zhu Di's sudden idea, so what reason could there be?

Zhu Di waved his hand domineeringly and said, "There is no reason. This is my decision. Just do as I say. Four months is enough time for even the candidates from the far north to come to Yingtian. I don't think there will be any problem."

The emperor's domineering attitude left everyone speechless, but they knew that this matter could not be stopped. Moreover, upon closer examination, the problem was not that big. Talented people would not fail the exam just because it was a few days earlier.

The Grand Secretary of the Cabinet immediately wrote the imperial edict, which was then taken back to the Ministry of Rites by the Minister of Rites and distributed to the provincial ministries of rites. After the power was transferred to the Six Ministries, the Minister of Rites had great power and responsibility.

Li Qi had fallen silent ever since Zhu Di announced the early commencement of the imperial examinations.

He looked up at Zhu Di, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, and Zhu Di happened to be looking at him as well.

Their gazes met in the air.

Li Qi could see the smile in Zhu Di's eyes, even a hint of pride, as if to say, "Li Qi, how do you think I did this?"
You think you won't live past winter, or until the spring imperial examination? So what? I can't change your life or death, but can I change the timing of the spring imperial examination?
I will definitely let you see the scene of Li Xianmu becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination!

Li Qi once thought he had cultivated a truly calm and composed mindset, but as it turns out, the only thing in this world that can truly touch one's heart is "truth".

Sincerity, true intention, and genuine care.

Li Qi suddenly felt his eyes sting and his eye sockets redden slightly. He took a deep breath and then kowtowed to Zhu Di, his voice slightly choked with emotion, "Your subject kowtows to thank Your Majesty for your grace, and wishes Your Majesty a thousand years of life and ten thousand years of peace."

"It is my only regret that I can no longer serve Your Majesty."

Zhu Di was also somewhat moved. He stepped forward and helped Li Qi up, then sighed deeply, “Since I entered Yingtian after the Jingnan Rebellion, you have made many contributions, but I have given you too little in return. There are many things that cannot be said, and I do not want to keep them in my heart forever. Let this matter be a small repayment. As your subject and I have been ruler and subject, I should do something.”

These were Zhu Di's sincere words. They were not mentioned during the Jingnan Rebellion, as the two were not yet familiar with each other at that time. After the Jingnan Rebellion, if we were to say who made the greatest contribution, Zhu Di would first recommend Li Qi.

Moreover, Li Qi's contributions were so great that they surpassed those of everyone else, even the entire court combined. However, he could not openly acknowledge most of these contributions, which is why he couldn't even bestow any honors upon Li Qi.

This has always been a regret in his heart.

This scene puzzled everyone in the hall, who couldn't understand what the emperor and his minister were doing. Could it be that changing the time of the imperial examination was related to Li Qi?
"minister……"

Before Li Qi could finish speaking, his body went limp and he collapsed, with bright red blood flowing uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.

Zhu Di's hand trembled, and he immediately roared at Hong Bao, "Quickly, go and fetch the imperial physician!"

Hong Bao disregarded everything else and rushed out of the hall. This scene completely stunned everyone else, especially Xie Jin, who was Li Qi's good friend but had no idea about Li Qi's physical condition. It was clear how well Li Qi had kept it a secret.

The others stared at the scene before them speechless. The emperor was no stranger to this kind of behavior, and everyone present was extremely intelligent. They could immediately guess that this was not the first time.

What exactly happened to Li Qi?
They all had their own guesses, after all, the unstoppable vomiting of blood and sudden coma were clearly incurable diseases.

Then they suddenly realized that Li Qi hadn't attended court for a long time. Oh, I see!

Was it like this when it came back from eastern Zhejiang?

The emperor and his minister really kept this a secret!

Zhu Di waved his hand weakly and said, "I will not keep you any longer. You may leave the palace now."

Zhu Di no longer asked them to keep it a secret; there was only a short time left, and it was no longer necessary.

Although Xie Jin was anxious, he knew that it was not appropriate for him to stay here, so he could only visit later.

After leaving the Fengtian Hall, the group looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Li Qi was a legendary figure during the Yongle reign. Despite having served the emperor for the shortest period, he quickly rose above the other officials involved in the Jingnan Campaign, even surpassing Yao Guangxiao. He was truly a legendary figure.

Moreover, Li Qi was not very old; he was only in his forties, not even fifty. Theoretically, he should have had many years left to live and play a greater role in the Yongle reign, perhaps even becoming the de facto prime minister in the Ming Dynasty, which lacked a prime minister. In fact, many people already referred to him as the prime minister. But no one could have imagined that his health had deteriorated to the point of no return, and that he didn't have much time left. This was truly absurd.

Li Qi is an important part of the current political power of the Ming Dynasty. If something happens to him, who will take his place in the political landscape?

"I should have realized it sooner!"

Suddenly, Xie Jin angrily slammed his fist on his head, drawing everyone's attention. He was so engrossed in his frustration that he didn't notice anything amiss.

Looking back now, Xie Jin realized that Li Qi had been making various preparations all along.

Li Qi did not participate in the initial work on the history of the Yuan Dynasty, nor in the subsequent compilation of history; he left the entire responsibility to Xie Jin.

He then went to eastern Zhejiang and facilitated a reconciliation with the local literati. He did not try to control them, but instead gained their goodwill.

There are many such things, all of which are efforts to prepare for the political situation of the Ming Dynasty after his passing. Li Qi's illness last time was already very unusual, and it's laughable that he didn't even notice it.

It wasn't just that he was slow to react, but also because he had never imagined that such a thing could happen.

Amidst these complex thoughts, a group of people left the palace. Since the emperor had not instructed them to keep it a secret, they naturally wanted to tell their friends about it as soon as possible.

Therefore, before the sun rose the next day, the news of Li Qi's serious illness had already spread throughout the entire Ming Dynasty officialdom.

Even news spread that Princess Lin'an was taken into the palace and stayed there overnight without leaving. According to the news from the palace, Li Qi had been unconscious for two days and had not woken up, and could only be kept alive by some water and rice.

The emperor at the court assembly remained as majestic as ever, seemingly unaffected, but everyone could see a slight weariness in his eyes.

Li Qi is far too important. He carries the weight of both the Northern and Eastern Zhejiang factions. If something were to happen to him, the newly established exchanges might begin to split again.

Moreover, he was the spiritual leader of countless scholars throughout the world, and the weight that a sage of his time possessed was unimaginable to most people.

If the Ming Dynasty were likened to a ship, then Li Qi would be one of the heaviest ballast stones!

He was not one of the nine most prominent civil officials in the Ming Dynasty; he was previously ineligible for a fifth-rank or higher official position due to his status as a member of a criminal family.

Even after Li was exonerated, he was still not one of the nine leaders. This was because if he had become one of the nine leaders, the political situation would have been unbalanced, and the other eight leaders would not have been able to compete with him.

Therefore, he could only serve as a low-ranking official in the Wuying Hall, without any real administrative power. Even so, relying on the emperor's trust, he still influenced many affairs of the Ming Dynasty. He was already the tenth of the nine major figures in reality.

Moreover, unlike the other nine giants who could only influence the affairs of their own departments, he exerted influence over the entire Ming Dynasty, including its two capitals, thirteen provinces, five prefectures, and six ministries.

If such a person were to pass away, it would even change the entire landscape of the Ming Dynasty, most notably affecting the scholars who served in the Wenyuan Pavilion.

The Wenyuan Pavilion was the emperor's secretariat, but this position was basically occupied by Li Qi alone. The emperor found that Li Qi alone was more useful than the entire Wenyuan Pavilion.

If Li Qi were to pass away, the Wenyuan Pavilion would return to its rightful place, and the status of its ministers would certainly be greatly enhanced.

With Li Qi as a role model, will another Li Qi emerge?

Zhu Di looked at the ministers with their heads bowed and eyes lowered, sensing the undercurrent of emotions. He frowned slightly. How could he not guess what some of them were thinking?
But if Li Qi were so easy to replace, then Zhu Di would be underestimating him!
There will never be another Li Qi in this world.

Inside the palace, Li Qi slowly woke up, feeling a tightness in his chest, as if being pricked by needles, with a persistent pain. He frowned slightly, and his gaze turned to see his wife lying on the bed, her face showing obvious fatigue and weariness. In the past, she loved the beautiful city of Lin'an the most, but now her face was without makeup, and fine wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes.

Li Qi gently reached out his hand. Princess Lin'an was no longer young, especially since she had learned that his health was deteriorating, and she had aged even more.

As soon as Li Qi reached out, Princess Lin'an, who was already a light sleeper, immediately woke up. When she saw Li Qi wake up, she pursed her lips and pouted, but still couldn't help but shed tears. Tears streamed from between her fingers as she whimpered softly, like a wounded little animal.

"I will go and fetch the imperial physician."

He quickly got up and went out of the hall. After a short while, the imperial physician came in and took Li Qi's pulse. In fact, he couldn't see anything, he could only stabilize the situation temporarily. As usual, he prescribed some calming medicine and then left.

Li Qi looked at Princess Lin'an and said softly with a smile, "My lady, we have troubled His Majesty and the Empress for many days. After bidding farewell to His Majesty and the Empress, let's go home and not enter the palace again."

Princess Lin'an understood Li Qi's meaning; he was afraid that she might die in the palace.

"Let's go home."

Princess Lin'an helped Li Qi out of bed and accompanied him outside the palace.

(End of this chapter)