Chapter Thirty: I Will Bear the Blame

"Bang!"

Li Shanchang slammed his palm down hard onto the table. His face was as dark as the bottom of a pot; the smiling, triumphant expression he had worn earlier was nowhere to be seen. He desperately wanted to tear the letter before him into shreds, refusing to accept the facts written within. However, in the end, he did not resort to such self-deception. Instead, he irritably crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it to the floor.

After pacing the room several times, he walked over, picked it up, smoothed it out, and held it to read it carefully once more. He spent nearly half an hour going back and forth over the contents until he had memorized every word, only then setting it aside. He sat in his chair, his face gloomy, lost in deep thought.

It was not until dusk that Li Shanchang finally stood up. Without glancing at the crumpled paper again, he walked step by step out of the Ministry of Works office. He had clearly made up his mind.

...

"Starting tomorrow, these laborers will work one extra hour each day!"

Li Shanchang found Xue Xiang, Ding Bin, and Li You and announced this decision. Xue Xiang’s expression changed instantly.

"My Lord, this... they are already working eight hours a day. The men are pushed to their breaking point. If we add another hour, I fear... I fear the number of casualties will only rise, and there will be more unrest. Besides, the deadline set by His Majesty is next June. It is only the first month of the year. At the current pace, we will finish by the end of the year, which is already half a year ahead of schedule. That should be enough."

He hesitated, but spoke up to advise against it, partly out of pity for the many commoners dying, and partly because, as the Minister of Works, he was responsible for the specifics of the construction. If something went wrong, he would likely be the scapegoat.

Li Shanchang shook his head. "The plan has changed. We must move it forward by four months. It must be finished and ready for occupancy by August!"

"Is this by His Majesty's decree?" Xue Xiang asked. If it were the Emperor’s order, he would do it no matter how absurd it was. After all, if the Emperor had personally given the command, he wouldn't be blamed. The current Emperor, if nothing else, at least took responsibility for his actions.

"No," Li Shanchang shook his head again.

"This..." Xue Xiang was confused, unable to fathom what had driven Li Shanchang mad.

"Liu Bowen and the Emperor have reconciled; all bad blood has been washed away. That man, Liu Bowen, is truly full of surprises!" He spoke with a mix of lament and complex emotions. "Liu Bowen holds great weight in the Emperor's heart, and he has the Zhejiang faction behind him. They have always been at odds with us from Huaixi. With this change, I have to be careful!"

"Wait... isn't Liu Bowen supposed to be waiting for death in the capital? How has he turned things around?" The one who spoke this time was Li Shanchang’s nephew, Li You.

Li Shanchang smiled with a touch of mockery. "Some people thought they were clever, trying to kill Liu Bowen while also permanently burying me in the countryside, hoping I would never return to the Secretariat as Chancellor. They failed. Not only is Liu Bowen not dead, but he has found a new lease on life."

Xue Xiang’s eyes flickered, already guessing who it was. Li You and Ding Bin, however, remained clueless.

"Who has the audacity to try and kill Liu Bowen and plot against you, Uncle?" Li You asked, filled with shock and rage. Ding Bin also pricked up his ears.

"Who else? Our Right Chancellor, Hu Weiyong!" Li Shanchang’s mockery deepened.

"That Hu fellow! If it weren't for you, Uncle, would he even be Right Chancellor? He’s nothing! Now he dares to plot against you! I will make him pay!" Ding Bin was filled with murderous intent.

Li Shanchang waved his hand. "Never mind that for now. The most important thing is to finish the Central Capital quickly so that His Majesty can relocate the court. This is the matter of utmost importance. The sooner it is done, the sooner the heavy stone in my heart can be lifted."

*Yes, once it is finished and looks magnificent, you, Li Shanchang, can use this achievement to return to the Secretariat as the Left Chancellor!* Xue Xiang thought to himself. The Central Capital was already so far along, with so much manpower and resources invested—how could the Emperor ever abandon the idea of moving the capital? The Emperor was the stingiest person alive; how could he bear the waste of so much money? Even if Liu Bowen was back in favor, or if the Emperor's own father climbed out of his grave to tell him not to move the capital, the Emperor would never listen. In the end, it was all down to Li Shanchang’s own selfish motives. Naturally, Xue Xiang would never say this out loud.

"Do not think I am so urgent just to return to the Secretariat as Left Chancellor. That is to underestimate me! I have been at the helm of the central government for over a decade, handling state affairs alongside the Emperor since the beginning. I have already reached the pinnacle of officialdom. I have enjoyed everything there is to enjoy. I am thinking of our entire Huaixi faction. Have you ever wondered why the Song Dynasty began with strong generals, only to have them trampled under the feet of the civil officials later on?"

"I know! It was that wretch Zhao Kuangyin, slaughtering the donkey after it ground the grain, destroying the bridge after crossing it! He had to force everyone to give up their military power and rule with civil officials!" Ding Bin blurted out indignantly. As a military man who had served under Chang Yuchun, he was the most aggrieved by this. The others nodded, clearly agreeing.

Li Shanchang shook his head. "That is true, but it misses the root cause."

The others were puzzled. What could be more fundamental than that?

"The Imperial Examination!" Li Shanchang clenched his fist. "The glory of generals is at its peak during the founding of a dynasty, when war is everything. Many rough, courageous men have a place to prove themselves, using their blades to carve out wealth and status! But a dynasty is only founded once, and only so many families of merit can be created. The Imperial Examination is different; it recruits scholars regularly, and the number of civil officials grows endlessly. Moreover, it selects from across the entire country, effectively capturing the best talent in the world. How can the descendants of military men compete with the best of the world? They can't. That is why, as time goes on, the civil becomes noble and the martial becomes lowly. Our Great Ming will not escape this fate either!"

Xue Xiang was struck by the realization. Li Shanchang’s perspective was indeed novel. Upon reflection, it felt logical and hit the nail on the head.

"But... Uncle, our Great Ming has suspended the imperial examinations..."

Li Shanchang looked at Li You, deeply disappointed in his nephew. Without his protection, it was doubtful whether this mediocre nephew could even sustain his own livelihood, let alone serve as an official. "That is only temporary. The Emperor will definitely restart the exams in the future!"

"Then... even if the exams are restarted, our descendants can also study and participate..."

Before Li You could finish, Li Shanchang gave him a look of profound pity. "Do you think any of the children of the nobility are cut out for studying? Even if a few appear, can they compare to the talents gathered from all over the country? Foolish!"

Li You dared not speak further.

"Therefore, the best way is to make Huaixi the capital. Huaixi is our territory, which means the future capital will be our domain. When they come here, dragons must coil and tigers must crouch!" Li Shanchang raised his voice.

The others woke up to his meaning, feeling that Li Shanchang’s logic was sound.

"This matter concerns the future of all our Huaixi descendants, so it must succeed! It cannot fail! There is no room for error! Do you understand now why I am so urgent?"

"We understand!" the three replied in unison.

"Then... My Lord, could we give these laborers an extra meal? They would have more energy to work." Xue Xiang again pleaded for the laborers.

Li Shanchang flatly refused. "No. Two meals a day is enough. Adding another is a pure waste. Instead of wasting food on them, we should use the saved money to build the Central Capital. Every penny must be spent where it counts! Do not fear casualties. The cheapest thing in this world is the lives of these lowly commoners! The last thing the Great Ming lacks is these laborers. It is their honor to die for the construction of the Central Capital; their ancestors should be proud! Starting tomorrow, recruit at least another two hundred thousand laborers from the surrounding areas! The Central Capital must be completed by August!"

He issued his final order. Then, patting Xue Xiang on the shoulder, he said, "Don't worry, nothing will happen. Let the commoners suffer a little more—I will bear the infamy!"