The Ming Dynasty's Five Hundred Years

Chapter 73 The Divine Sword Forged Over Five Years

"Congratulations, Jinghe! From now on, you are innocent and will no longer suffer the humiliation of those filthy words!"

In Princess Lin'an's residence, Li Qi, Xie Jin, and Chen Ying sat around a wine stove, with Li Qi's disciples Wang Gen and Li Xianmu serving them.

It was already winter, and some snow was falling outside. Inside, wine was warming on the stove, its aroma filling the air. The light boat had already passed countless mountains, and it was truly a delightful experience.

Xie Jin sighed. Although Li Qi had gained the respect of the world through his own efforts, his father was a traitor listed in the list of rebellious officials, which would always make the Li family lose face and even prevent them from openly and legitimately holding sacrifices.

Li Qi nodded slightly, "But people of the time will probably try to deduce from this the Emperor's intention to heavily rely on northerners."

Although Zhu Di exonerated the Duke of Han because of Li Qi's efforts, Li Qi naturally did not say so publicly. He attributed the matter to the emperor valuing his status as a leader of the northern people.

Those who are unaware of the details will naturally believe it.

After a moment's thought, Xie Jin said, "Rather than saying they are northerners, it would be more accurate to say that they only criticized the former Yuan dynasty's Jiangzhe province. At least Jiangxi was not affected."

Everyone agreed with Xie Jin's statement.

Since His Majesty ascended the throne, one grand ceremony and investiture has been held one after another. However, whether it is the investiture of empresses and concubines or the bestowal of honors, they have little to do with the common people or even the officials. It is merely that the Ming Dynasty has changed a group of relatives and nobles.

As for the affairs of the princes, it was already foreseen, and the common people only grumbled a few words.

Since the time of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, this magnificent and fascinating arena of power has been filled with numerous factions vying for power, each with its own cliques, one after another taking the stage.

Although both are in the Jiangnan region, Jiangxi and eastern Zhejiang are not on good terms. Among the northerners, Henan, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, and Guanzhong are even more divided, only briefly uniting when facing southerners.

Therefore, what the court and the public truly cared about were, firstly, the personnel arrangements of the new dynasty, which were in the vital interests of all parties and factions; and secondly, the emperor's governing policy, which was the banner for future court struggles.

Under these circumstances, the emperor ordered Chen Ying, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, to retry Hu Weiyong's case and exonerate any wronged families.

This news immediately caused an uproar throughout the entire capital!
Everyone knew that His Majesty valued Li Qi; otherwise, when the emperor questioned the people in the palace, Li Qi would not have stood behind him alongside the meritorious officials of the Jingnan Campaign. But they never expected that the emperor would be willing to overturn the late emperor's decision for Li Qi's sake!

But why is that?

The only possibility is that since Fang Xiaoru's death, there has been no scholar in the world who can rival Li Qi. The emperor values ​​his status and position among scholars, as well as his status as the spiritual leader of the northerners, and wants to use this to elevate the northerners!

Thinking about it this way, it makes quite a bit of sense.

The Prince of Yan's success in the Jingnan Campaign was not simply a matter of the Zhu family changing emperors.
The scope of its implications is extremely broad.

There are two reasons why the Ming Dynasty has always favored the south over the north since its founding.

Firstly, the number of southerners is ten times that of northerners, and southerners also have a more prosperous culture, so it is normal that northerners cannot compete with them.

Even though Li Qi had been suppressing the Southerners, his only student, Wang Gen, was from Jiangnan, and his friend, Xie Jin, was also from Jiangnan.

This is reality. A super genius who is one in ten thousand is much stronger than an ordinary genius who is one in ten thousand. Li Qi cannot abandon talent just to suppress the Southerners.

Secondly, the northerners lacked seniority. The Ming Dynasty was the only dynasty that conquered the country through a northern expedition. The northerners were incorporated into the Ming Dynasty's rule too late in the process. According to seniority, the high positions in the court had long been controlled by the southerners, so the northerners naturally had to submit.

This wasn't unique to the Ming Dynasty; the Han and Tang dynasties also used Guanzhong to suppress Guandong, demonstrating the same principle. Generally speaking, the place where the emperor rose to power and the capital city were more important than other regions.

After all, if the people under the emperor's nose were forced to rebel, wouldn't the emperor be in imminent danger? Therefore, dynasties throughout history have treated the capital region relatively well.

But now that the Prince of Yan has succeeded in his campaign against the enemy, it is as if the world has been turned upside down!

Emperor Yongle came from the north, so the noble relatives who followed him and the generals who were deeply entrenched in the army were all northerners. In addition, His Majesty exonerated the Duke of Han's family, which meant that he wanted to give important positions to Li Qi, a leader of the northerners.

His Majesty's distrust of the Southerners is obvious, and the Emperor's intention to use the North to control the South is known to everyone!
"Although Fang Xiaoru has been executed, his disciples are spread all over the world. This is a foundation that has been accumulated since the Yuan Dynasty, which is quite remarkable."

Chen Ying took the wine cup from Wang Gen and drank it all in one gulp. He frowned and said in a deep voice, "It is absolutely impossible for them to give up the power they have held over the decades in the literary world."

If Fang Xiaoru hadn't been convicted of treason, which had left them feeling deflated, they would have already been making a fuss in the court and among the literati.

Now that the exoneration of the Duke's Mansion has revealed a flaw, they have always been hostile to Jinghe, and they will definitely use the Duke's Mansion matter to launch an attack, or rather, they have already launched an attack. As far as I know, some ministers and scholars have already submitted petitions against it.

"Your Majesty, upon ascending the throne, has overturned the judgments rendered by the late Emperor, especially in such a serious case as the Hu Party's treasonous plot. This has certainly given rise to public criticism."

Upon hearing this, Wang Gen said with some indignation, "If it weren't for that scoundrel Fang Xiaoru gathering his disciples and even abusing his power, our teacher would have already become a saint."

Even if he used those underhanded methods, he could not stop people from yearning for the way of the teacher. This is like asking, "How can a firefly compete with the bright moon?"

The feud between Li Qi and Fang Xiaoru's lineage began long ago. The two not only had personal grudges but also a struggle for the Dao. Fang Xiaoru was the one who hindered Li Qi's path, while Li Qi was the one who broke Fang Xiaoru's golden body of a great scholar. They were sworn enemies who could not be defeated.

As Li Qi's student, Wang Gen has suffered considerable suppression in recent years. Historically, he should have been the second-highest scorer in the imperial examination in the second year of the Jianwen reign, but in reality, he failed the exam.

Fang Xiaoru won a minor victory in this struggle during the Jianwen era, but Li Qi ultimately prevailed. Fang Xiaoru died, while Li Qi was highly valued and promoted.

"Your bodies and names will perish, but the rivers will flow on forever."

Li Xianmu remained calm, saying, "Confucius traveled to various states during his lifetime but was not given important positions, and Mencius also spoke to King Xuan of Qi several times during his lifetime, but in the end, he could only teach and pass on his knowledge."

Father's profound knowledge is universally acknowledged and cannot be obscured by one or two petty individuals. Now, as his radiant robes shine, it signifies Father's ascension to the highest heavens.

"Good lad!"

Xie Jin laughed heartily, "Brother Jinghe's son and disciple are both outstanding individuals, truly enviable."

Wang Gen was initially pleased, but then quickly said, "Xianmu is a Heavenly Saint, while I am merely a mortal. I dare not be compared to Xianmu."

Wang Gen was a prodigy, a child prodigy since childhood. Even in the Jiangnan region, where scholars were everywhere, he was still an outstanding individual. However, after meeting Li Xianmu, he realized that there were always people more capable than him, and he became even more humble and cautious.

"The young man is quite spirited in spouting some grand and arrogant words, but the matter of the Fang faction's attacks must eventually be resolved."

A hint of murderous intent had already appeared between Li Qi's brows. "No one can stop the Li family from being exonerated!"

Originally, the plan was to exonerate Fang Xiaoru before dealing with his posthumous reputation, but now it seems that these two matters can be handled together.

"I had anticipated the Fang faction's affair, and I had already prepared a plan in mind."

Everyone knew that Li Qi was always resourceful and wise, so they all put down their wine and looked at him. "We would like to hear the details."

Inside the house, the stove was burning brightly, mutton lay in the pot, snowflakes fell in the yard, and the wind howled past.

"It's simple, just rewrite the History of the Yuan Dynasty!"

Both Xie Jin and Chen Ying were taken aback. "Revise the History of Yuan?"

They were naturally aware of the situation with the History of Yuan. In order to make a final judgment on the Yuan Dynasty as soon as possible, the late emperor compiled the History of Yuan extremely quickly, which resulted in numerous errors and omissions in the historical facts. Sometimes even the names of people did not match up. After it was completed, it was simply thrown into the Hanlin Academy, the library, and the palace. Apart from routine maintenance, no one bothered to open that pile of garbage.

"It is precisely about revising the History of the Yuan Dynasty!"

Li Qi said: "During the pre-Qin period, Confucius edited the history books of the State of Lu to make the Spring and Autumn Annals. In order to uphold the kingly way, the purpose of compiling history was to establish orthodoxy and enlighten people's hearts."

The gentry, or scholars of Jiangnan, flourished during the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty was relatively lenient, and the Ming Dynasty abolished the hereditary system of Confucian households. Is it true that some people in Jiangnan often reminisce about the Yuan Dynasty?

Everyone knows that Li Qi was a great scholar of Yuan history. Back in the imperial court, Li Qi used the history of Yuan to force Li Yuanming into a corner.

Xie Jin said in a deep voice: "Indeed, there are people in Jiangnan who miss the Confucian household system and criticize the court for not treating scholars well. The root of Fang Xiaoru's lineage is the former tens of thousands of Confucian households in Jiangnan."

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

The fact that the imperial examination system was not prevalent in the Yuan Dynasty is often seen as a sign that the Yuan Dynasty did not respect Confucianism. However, the real reason is that the Yuan Dynasty had a special system of Confucian households in the Jiangnan region.

The Confucian households were similar to specialized households such as military households, civilian households, artisan households, and musician households. The imperial court stipulated that they should study for generations and then serve as officials in the Yuan Dynasty.

Confucian households were exempt from corvée labor, and even if someone was illiterate, as long as they were a Confucian household, they could inherit official positions.

This Confucian household system gave rise to scholar-official families that dominated the Jiangnan region. During the Yuan Dynasty, they only needed to study Confucianism, were exempt from labor, received sustenance, and passed down their privileges from generation to generation. To some extent, this privilege is also one of the factors that contributed to the current situation where the Confucian community is stronger in the south than in the north.

The Mongol Yuan dynasty's entire system was so different from that of the Tang and Song dynasties that more than half of the political problems of the Ming dynasty could be traced back to the Mongol Yuan rule, making them a historical legacy of the Mongol Yuan.

"Jinghe, what does reminiscing about the Yuan Dynasty have to do with revising the history of the Yuan Dynasty?"

Both Xie Jin and Chen Ying were filled with doubt. It seemed that it was too much of a loss to undertake such a tedious and complicated task as compiling history in order to correct people's minds.

Li Qi dropped a bombshell on the two of them: "It seems neither of you has read the History of Yuan Dynasty edited by Song Lian."

In the biography of Tuotuo, volume 25 of the Yuan History, there is this passage: "When the army reached Jining, they sent officials to Qufu to worship Confucius, and then to Zou County to worship Mencius. In November, they arrived at Gaoyou. From Xinwei to Yiyou, they won consecutive battles. They dispatched troops to pacify Liuhe, and the enemy's strength was greatly reduced."

The 'thief' who pacified the six kingdoms was the late emperor!

Before Li Qi could finish speaking, the wine glasses in Xie Jin and Chen Ying's hands had already fallen, making a clanging metallic sound.

The two were so shocked that they didn't even have time to wipe themselves clean. Xie Jin turned pale, and Chen Ying, Li Xianmu, and Wang Gen were also horrified.

With just this one sentence, the two of them seemed to see mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and piles of heads.

They simply couldn't believe what they were hearing.

To label the founding emperor a thief?

Even if the compilation of the Yuan Dynasty history was not taken seriously, it shouldn't be done like this. This is probably what they were thinking, and then they didn't realize anything was wrong when they put pen to paper!
Is this an old man hanging himself? Does he want to die?

"Jinghe, is this really true?"

Li Qi said softly, "Whether it's true or false, we'll know once we go to the palace. How could it be false? There are more than just one such error in the History of Yuan."

Xie Jin collapsed to the ground, almost exhausted. Since Li Qi had said so, the matter was obviously true, but he still dared not and could not believe it.

"The chief compilers of the History of Yuan were Song Lian and Wang Yi. Although they were cunning and treacherous, they were both well-read scholars. Before you, Jinghe, attained enlightenment, they were the best scholars in the world and were truly the great literary figures of the Ming Dynasty. How could they have made such a low-level mistake!"

Chen Ying felt her hands trembling. Even though she knew Li Qi wouldn't lie, she still couldn't believe it.

Song Lian and Wang Yi!

Before Li Qi appeared, he was the undisputed master of Confucianism, the head of the literati, and the leader of the literary world in the Ming Dynasty.

Even if they were writing history with their eyes closed, they couldn't possibly have made such a huge mistake. In the end, they really left such a huge flaw, a flaw that could make their entire family perish!

Anyone with a normal IQ knows that if this matter were to reach the emperor, all those who participated in compiling the Yuan Dynasty history would face the fate of having their entire families executed or even their entire clans wiped out.

Xie Jin stammered out a sentence, "Not only Song and Wang, but all those who participated in the revision were the most respected scholars in Jiangnan."

If they all die, the scholars of Jiangnan will suffer a heavy loss.

Even if it doesn't come to that, Fang Xiaoru's lineage will definitely not be able to escape it.

Chen Ying was speechless. The two of them were stunned and looked at the calm and composed Li Qi with a sense of awe.

Both men were convinced of Li Qi's knowledge and strategic thinking. If it weren't for the burden of his family, he would have long ago been sitting high in the imperial court, looking down on the world!
Xie Jin suppressed his shock and instantly understood the purpose of Li Qi's invitation today. After a slight hesitation, he said softly, "Jinghe, leave this matter to me. I am a Hanlin Academician, and compiling the history of the Yuan Dynasty is within my scope of duties. I am the most suitable person to do this."

Li Qi nodded slightly, "Then I'll trouble you, sir."

All three understood that, as a member of the Jiangnan literati, Xie Jin needed a substantial pledge of loyalty, and nothing could be more suitable than this.

After Xie Jin expressed his opinion, Chen Ying echoed, "Since the gentry are willing to submit a petition, I cannot lag behind. I will follow suit and submit a petition for a thorough investigation. As the head of the Court of Judicial Review, I have greater authority in this regard and can request the Ministry of Justice to increase the severity of the punishment and implicate as many people as possible."

As one of the Nine Ministers, Chen Ying wielded the power of life and death in this major case that was destined to unfold. A simple sentence from him could lead to mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

Li Qi looked out the window.

"The snow tonight is quite heavy, covering everything in white. It doesn't look like Yingtian, but more like the northern border."

The howling wind is less frightening than a cold heart.

(End of this chapter)