Wandering the Heavens

"What a joke! I'm the newly crowned top scholar, why do I need a lackey like you to look after me?" Yu Qian looked down on Yu Xian.

“If you talk about being familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics and the annotations of the great masters, reciting poems and composing essays, and writing beautiful articles, I can’t even compare to them. At best, I can pretend to recite a line or two like ‘The rushes are green and the white dew turns to frost’ and ‘When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher’. It can be said that I know nothing about it. But when it comes to being an official, governing the people, commanding the army to fight, or even charging into battle, you, the newly crowned top scholar, are far inferior to me!” Yu Xian was confident of this.

"A brilliant article of mine can bring peace to the world, how can you compare to me!" Yu Qian was so excited that he almost floated up in the air.

"In this case, now that Mongolia has repeatedly invaded our borders, I would like to ask you, the newly crowned top scholar, to write a beautiful article. I believe that the Mongols who burned, killed and looted our Ming Dynasty will feel ashamed and either commit suicide on the spot because of the crimes they have committed, or flee to the grasslands and deserts out of fear. In this way, our Ming Dynasty's borders will be peaceful, and the mountains and rivers will be safe. This is a supreme merit, and I believe that the top scholar will not refuse it." Yu Xian said solemnly.

"You..., my articles are meant to educate the people of the Ming Dynasty. The foreigners are barbaric and treacherous and do not submit to the king's rule. How can they be worthy of listening to the words of the saints!" Yu Qian felt insulted.

"Then what do you think we should do with those Mongols?" Yu Xian asked slowly.

"The Mongols are plundering the border, but the salt, iron, tea and other necessities of life are blocked by the Ming Dynasty. As long as the Ming Dynasty trades with them, they will not plunder again, and our Ming Dynasty will naturally not have to waste people's money and resources on an expedition to the grassland." Yu Qian waved his hand, showing his high spirits.

"If I were a Mongolian, I could obtain supplies through looting, so why should I be so humble and do business with the Ming Dynasty? Doing business requires capital, doesn't it?" Yu Xian really didn't know what to say to this person.

"You are just trying to flatter me!" Yu Qian was speechless.

"Do you know how I planned the war between the Ming Dynasty and the Mongols? The first is strategy, which is to divide the Mongolian nobles so that they cannot unite. At the same time, it will disintegrate the social structure of Mongolia and remove the dependence between Mongolian herdsmen and nobles so that they cannot gather into troops at will. The second is tactics, which is to maintain military deterrence against Mongolia, and to suppress those who do not obey, to kill the chicken to scare the monkey, to strictly inspect smuggling at the border, and to block all material trade."

"After the tactical level is completed, Mongolian herdsmen will be recruited. The Ming Dynasty will set up shopping malls and schools on the border. The children of Mongolian herdsmen must go to school to learn Chinese characters, perform Chinese rituals, and change to Chinese names. Only then can their tribes enter this market to trade, and there will be tax incentives. After thirty to fifty years, a new generation of Mongolians who have accepted Ming Dynasty teachings will grow up, and the conflicts with the Ming Dynasty will gradually disappear, until finally the grasslands will submit." Yu Xian looked at Yu Qian opposite him.

"And the prerequisite for achieving all this is to defeat the Mongols militarily. You, the newly crowned champion, not only do you not understand the emperor's painstaking efforts, but you embarrass him in such an occasion. You are too self-righteous!"

"You! What's wrong with me speaking out for the country and the people?" Yu Qian said angrily.

"You are not wrong. It is everyone who is wrong. It is the world that does not revolve according to your will, Yu Qian. Are you satisfied?" Yu Xian did not give him any face. "Say what you want in the right occasion. Don't you think that you are the only one in the entire Ming Dynasty who sees the hardship of the people's livelihood due to the war? The more than 300 Jinshi who were admitted with you all took the imperial examination to become officials. Only you, Yu Qian, are pleading for the people! From the emperor to the court officials, the Ming Dynasty is full of ostentatious people who have ignored the people's livelihood and fought wars. Only you, Yu Qian, have seen the hidden crisis of the Ming Dynasty?"

Yu Qian remained silent.

"Speak up! Weren't you quite talkative at the Qionglin Banquet?"

"I...I drank too much because my mother passed away..."

"Then your sin is even greater. Your mother passed away, but you used this as an excuse to drink heavily, and even said those unpleasant words at the banquet to vent your depression. You have let down your mother and teachers' teachings, so how dare you talk big in front of me! You can't even be a good person, and you still want to give advice on how to govern the country." Yu Xian's words were very hurtful.

It is estimated that since the Western Jin Dynasty, some powerful figures always have some bad habits. Generally speaking, the standard bad habit of a warrior is a quick temper, and the standard bad habit of a scholar is aloofness. Yu Qian in The Glory of the Ming Dynasty is an enhanced version of a standard traditional literary image of a scholar. He became an alcoholic because of his mother's death, lost his temper at the Qionglin Banquet, and attacked the state affairs. In official history, if you dare to do this, you will be stabbed, and the number of times you will be stabbed depends on the emperor's mood.

Moreover, in the official history, Yu Qian did not become popular because of the imperial examination. He was only a Jinshi, not the top scholar. It is estimated that Zhu Di and his son did not even remember such a person. After Zhu Gaoxi rebelled and surrendered, someone was needed to enumerate his crimes. This thankless job was thrown to Yu Qian, who served as the censor. After his professional level, he impressed Zhu Zhanji deeply, so he was changed from censor to local official. Later, he became famous for his tough fight with Wang Zhen and turned the tide after Tumu Fort.

In The Glory of the Tang Dynasty, let alone Yu Qian, the other characters are just as bad. Yao Guangxiao was poisoned to death by Sun Ruowei, and even the Crown Princess Zhang was written as a short-sighted shrew. Only Zhu Di and his son Zhu Gaochi are worth watching.

"When your mother passed away, you should have gone home to observe the three-year mourning period instead of drinking and throwing a tantrum!"

"Yes! I, Yu Qian, should go back to observe mourning, but why did I drink and even contradict the emperor at the Qionglin Banquet, ruining everyone's mood?" Yu Qian finally came to his senses.

Yu Xian wanted to say that this was the arrangement of the original author.

After being scolded by Yu Xian, the top scholar finally came to his senses. After paying his respects to Yu Xian, he returned to the capital, went to the Ministry of Rites, obediently submitted a letter of apology, and went home to mourn for three years before coming back.

"Yu Qian's letter of apology?" Zhu Di was quite surprised when he saw it.

"Your Majesty, I heard that he was scolded by Commander Yu. Only then did he realize how big a mistake he had made. He came to the Ministry of Rites early in the morning to submit a letter of confession and then went home to observe mourning." Little Nose explained beside him.

"That's right. It's worth it that I spared his life for him to be sober. Since Yuxian is so good at scolding people, why don't I give him the position of Imperial Censor? Or the Chief Secretary of the Six Departments will do?" Zhu Di seemed to be muttering to himself.

"Forget it. If we let him in, the lives of the eldest and second sons will be in vain." Zhu Di shook his head and smiled bitterly: "Send someone to tell him that I am going to the grassland and ask him to pack his things and come here quickly."

"I obey your order." Little Nose quickly arranged for someone to convey the order.

Although Yu Xian disappeared from everyone's sight over the years, the emperor actually did not forget him. The two places he visited most often when he left the palace were Yao Guangxiao's Jiming Temple and Yujiazhuang.

Yao Guangxiao had died of illness, and Zhu Yunwen, who had been under surveillance by Yao Guangxiao, died of depression three years after being arrested. His body was secretly sent to the Xiaoling Mausoleum for burial.

Before Yao Guangxiao died, Zhu Di went to see him for the last time. His last words were about Yu Xian. He said that this man had a deep karma with the Ming royal family and turned the tide at a critical moment. It was a pity that he did not do much under Zhu Di, and his achievements were mainly remembered by his descendants in later generations.

"Will he be a powerful official like Cao Cao?" Zhu Di asked the question he was most worried about.

"He is just the sharpest knife, but a knife has no thoughts of its own." Yao Guangxiao said the last sentence and closed his eyes.