Chapter Thirty-One: Fishing
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Xue Xiang was deeply shaken. Once again, he saw the Chancellor Li who, during the years of war, had overseen the countless affairs of the rear and struggled with all his might to carry out every order issued by His Majesty.
This time, however, Xue Xiang did not agree with Li Shanchang’s orders or his methods.
They ran directly counter to the emperor’s instructions to treat the people laboring on the construction of the Central Capital with kindness.
Besides, these were no longer the years of war. What the Great Ming needed now was stability, development, and time to recover and rebuild.
Li Shanchang, however, had not changed his way of thinking. He was still applying the methods of wartime, and Xue Xiang feared that this would lead to serious trouble.
Yet though he thought this in his heart, he could only solemnly accept the assignment.
With utmost resolve, he assured Li Shanchang that he would complete the task and follow his lead without hesitation.
After all, Li Shanchang was the Duke of Han.
After all, Li Shanchang was the leader of the Huai-west meritorious nobles.
After all, Li Shanchang was His Majesty’s Xiao He.
As the Minister of Works and a man of Huai-west origin, what else could he do before Li Shanchang but obey?
He was not worried that His Majesty might abandon the plan to move the capital.
So much had already been invested. Even if the emperor did not yet know the truth, once he learned it, the matter would already be irreversible. The raw rice would have been cooked, and the emperor would have no choice but to swallow his displeasure and accept it.
Xue Xiang understood that this was one of the important reasons Li Shanchang dared to issue such orders and act in such a manner.
What worried him was that, if the truth came to light in the future, Li Shanchang might push him forward to bear the blame.
Or perhaps His Majesty would not dare punish Li Shanchang and would instead deal with him as an outlet for his anger, thereby giving the world an explanation...
The possibility was by no means small.
For now, all Xue Xiang could do was sincerely hope that the emperor would remain unaware of what had happened in the Central Capital.
That the Duke of Han could keep the emperor completely in the dark.
Or that, once the emperor learned the truth, the Duke of Han would truly bear the infamy himself, just as he had promised...
Compared with Xue Xiang’s complicated feelings, Li You and Ding Bin were far more straightforward.
They immediately accepted the task and lavishly praised Li Shanchang’s greatness.
Li You clasped his hands toward his uncle, Li Shanchang, and declared that he would persuade the wealthy families who had migrated from Jiangnan to open their purses once more for the construction of the Central Capital.
They would provide both labor and money, contributing yet another share of their effort to the Central Capital.
Ding Bin, meanwhile, assured his maternal uncle that he would keep a close watch over all the laborers in the Central Capital and permit no one to slack off.
The Central Capital did not support idlers. Every laborer would have to devote every ounce of his strength to its construction.
If necessary, even their lives.
“Good! That is exactly the spirit we need! That is the drive we need!
“Work hard!
“In the future, our descendants in Huai-west will never forget our achievements.
“His Majesty will certainly remember our hardships and reward us generously!”
Li Shanchang gave an approving shout.
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With the matter settled, Xue Xiang, Ding Bin, and Li You hurried away to carry out their tasks.
Li Shanchang climbed onto the broad, magnificent, towering walls of the Central Capital.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed at the splendid city beneath the evening light. A satisfied, resolute, and faintly contemptuous smile appeared on his face.
Liu Bowen could forget about stirring up any trouble in the Central Capital!
The Great Ming would not only move its capital; the Central Capital, built under Li Shanchang’s supervision, would also be completed more quickly than the City of Heaven’s Response built under Liu Bowen’s direction. It would be superior in construction and stronger as well!
Liu Bowen wanted to fight him?
He was far from being his equal!
...
“Biao, send a letter to Yu Tongyuan of the Chaohu Fleet. Tell him that the investigation into the fleet’s salt-smuggling activities will end in two months.
“The matter will be considered closed.
“However, make it clear to him that this does not mean they may run wild again in the future.
“Only the matter of salt smuggling is being put behind us.
“If they refuse to repent or restrain themselves, and commit some other offense, we will deal with them just as harshly as before.
“We have never forgotten the great contributions made by the Chaohu Fleet.
“But merit is merit, and fault is fault. They must not grow arrogant on the strength of their achievements, much less imagine that merit can erase wrongdoing!
“If, after this incident, the Chaohu Fleet still refuses to mend its ways, then when the blade falls upon their heads in the future, they must not cry that they have been wronged!
“Even if we drink together from golden cups, we will show no mercy when the naked blade is drawn.
“Oh, and tell him to keep all of this secret for now. There must be no announcement. Everything is to proceed as usual. After two months, the truth will reveal itself.”
Inside the Hall of Martial Valor, Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Zhu Biao and issued his instructions.
“Father, are you planning to let the Chaohu Fleet off?”
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head. “I never intended to destroy the Chaohu Fleet.
“They simply went too far, and they needed to be given a warning so they would behave themselves.
“The Chaohu Fleet has indeed rendered great service. If we truly dismantled it, I would feel guilty in my heart.
“There is another reason as well. The Chaohu Fleet has always been at odds with the Huai-west faction, and the two sides have constantly competed with each other.
“I know that when the crimes committed by Liao Yongzhong and the others were exposed this time, the people of Huai-west put in a great deal of effort.
“The more so, the less we can afford to abolish the Chaohu Fleet.
“The power of the Huai-west meritorious nobles is simply too great. It has grown so powerful that no other force in the court can stand against it. That is truly undesirable.
“Until this enormous Huai-west faction has been divided and brought under control, we must cherish every force that does not belong to its camp.
“Governing the court is, in the end, a matter of balance.
“We absolutely cannot allow one family to dominate and hold an overwhelming advantage!”
When speaking with Zhu Biao, Zhu Yuanzhang could open his heart and voice matters he could never discuss with anyone else.
He patiently broke everything down and explained it to his son.
“After founding a dynasty, every founding emperor must face—and resolve—the difficult question of how to deal with the meritorious nobles.
“The Huai-west nobles truly exerted tremendous effort during the struggle to conquer the realm.
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“One could say that without this great brotherhood gathered around me, I could never have taken the realm.
“But then again, without me, many of them would have died like weeds amid the chaos of those turbulent times.
“They would never have enjoyed the glory and wealth they possess today.
“In that sense, we made one another.
“But regardless of how one puts it, the Huai-west nobles have now grown too powerful to control. That is the reality.
“We must begin dealing with it.”
Zhu Biao’s heart felt heavy, and he nodded.
Instinctively, he wanted to avoid the matter, yet he also knew that it was impossible to evade.
Looking at his father before him, he once again felt a surge of emotion.
He did not have to confront this issue himself; merely watching from the sidelines was already painful enough.
His father, however, had to handle it with his own hands. The pressure he faced must be even greater, and the anguish in his heart even deeper.
His father truly had it too hard.
“This is something I must do.
“Even I, the founding emperor, find it difficult to deal with them.
“If I left them to you, Biao, facing this band of arrogant and hardened generals would be even more troublesome.
“I will pull out every thorn that needs pulling and move aside every stone that might trip you, as far as possible.
“That way, the road ahead will be a little easier for you.”
“Father...”
Zhu Biao called out once, but the rest of his words caught in his throat.
Zhu Yuanzhang patted him on the shoulder. “I am the emperor now, and you will be the emperor in the future.
“Once we sit upon this throne, we must take responsibility for the throne and for the realm!
“Otherwise, what would be the point of being emperor?”
Zhu Biao nodded vigorously, showing that he had taken his father’s words to heart.
After calming himself, he suddenly remembered something.
“Father, why wait two months before stopping? And why have the Marquis of Nan’an keep it secret for the time being?”
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled. “Because your father intends to use the opportunity to go fishing.”
“Fishing?”
“Which fish?”
“The Bright Cult.”
Zhu Biao froze at those words. After pondering for a moment, his expression suddenly changed dramatically!
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