"Father mentioned it before as well."
Zhu Biao could not quite discern his father's attitude, but out of caution he first tried to offer a few words of reassurance.
"The Hu Yuan misruled the realm and left countless matters neglected. It is only proper that the Great Ming restore governance."
"And if governance is to be restored, then unlawful conduct must be corrected so that the court discipline may be rectified and the realm purified. Inevitably there will be many words of criticism."
Zhu Yuanzhang fell silent for a moment at his eldest son's words. Such simple reasoning was something he naturally understood.
At that moment he recalled the words the Han general Zhao Yun had earlier written upon the light screen.
"Do not be impatient…"
Taking a quiet breath, Zhu Yuanzhang met his son's gaze and shook his head solemnly.
"I am not impatient. What I have done ought to be recorded in the histories as a lesson for later generations. Praise and criticism alike were already within my expectations."
As he spoke, the Ming emperor even smiled.
"Emperor Taizong of Tang often said that using history as a mirror allows one to know the rise and fall of states. Yet the rulers of the past seldom lived to know the final verdict of history. If one counts it that way, I should be pleased instead."
He said so, but the opening words on the light screen immediately wiped the smile from Zhu Yuanzhang's face.
---
[When discussing the achievements of emperors in the feudal era, those with the greatest accomplishments are often described with the phrase "emperor for a thousand ages."
This evaluative title was first coined by the Ming thinker Li Zhi, who used it in his work Cangshu to deliver a final historical judgment on Qin Shi Huang.
Because of this precedent, later writers adopted the term. For example, the contemporary scholar Wang Zhijian imitated it in his own work, calling Li Shimin "truly an emperor for a thousand ages."
Of course, he merely added the word "truly."
Later, when Li Zhi evaluated Zhu Yuanzhang in his work Xu Cangshu, he perhaps felt that the newly coined phrase was still insufficient to describe Old Zhu. Thus he wrote without hesitation:
"Our Taizu Gao Emperor is an emperor of ten thousand ages and beyond."
This title can be said to be praise without limit.
Although Li Zhi was known as the most eccentric scholar of the Ming and once resigned his office to lecture freely, his academic achievements were indeed those of a master of his time, with thousands of followers. His judgment therefore represented the views of a considerable portion of Ming society.
If one wishes to summarize Zhu Yuanzhang's historical image beyond merely reading later histories, the most direct method is naturally to examine contemporary records.
And when speaking of the Hongwu era, the most prominent matters are undoubtedly the Four Great Cases.
Although they are grouped together, their nature is not identical. The Kongyin Case and the Guo Huan Case are clearly connected to the rectification of official corruption, while the Hu and Lan cases are sometimes collectively called the Hu–Lan Party Purge, whose general nature leaned toward striking at the founding meritorious nobles.
However, the four cases share one common feature. For several centuries there has been no shortage of criticism concerning them.
Supporters aside, the opponents argue that all four were wrongful cases. They claim that Zhu Yuanzhang implicated tens of thousands of people each time and even carried out the slaughter of entire counties.
According to this view, more than one hundred thousand people died unjustly due to the chain of accusations surrounding the four cases. Thus Zhu Hongwu is judged to be the first true butcher and executioner of the Ming dynasty.
Among such criticisms, the most famous is that of the Qing historian Zhao Yi.
In his Notes on the Twenty-Two Histories, he wrote bluntly that Zhu Yuanzhang "borrowed his meritorious ministers to seize the empire," yet once the realm was pacified he "took the people of the empire and killed them all."
He concluded that Zhu Yuanzhang's cruelty was "unprecedented throughout history."
But that was not the end of it. After this passage he added an even harsher judgment.
"Suspicious and fond of killing, this was his very nature."
If the earlier remarks could still stand upon historical records, then these eight characters verge upon simple abuse intended to flatter the Qing dynasty. They somewhat fall short of the professional standards expected of a historian.
So then, was Zhu Yuanzhang truly a ruler whose cruelty was "unprecedented in history"? How many wrongful deaths were there in the Four Great Cases?
Today we will attempt to trace matters back to their origin and examine the Four Great Cases of the early Ming from the beginning.]
---
"An emperor of ten thousand ages…"
Zhu Biao repeated the phrase softly, feeling a trace of envy.
To receive such a title among the people clearly testified to immense achievements. Yet Zhu Biao also knew his father's temperament well. What his father likely cared about more was something else entirely.
"Butcher? Executioner?"
Zhu Yuanzhang repeated the words with a strange expression.
"Cruel beyond all history? Suspicious and fond of killing by nature?"
By instinct he almost burst out with a few coarse Huai-xi curses.
First, because in his eyes such accusations were nearly absurd.
Second, the Ming army had only destroyed the Yuan rule in Dadu a few years ago. The imperial seals of the Song, Jin, and Yuan still lay in the Ming treasury. Yet the one hurling such abuse was a man living under the rule of the Hu Qing while bearing a Han name.
In the end, however, the Ming emperor fell silent.
He remembered those fools who would rather die for the Yuan. He remembered those who slipped past the frontier guards and ran to the northern steppe to serve the remnants of Yuan. He remembered those self-styled scholars who, relying on a little reputation, retired to the mountains and refused to serve the Ming for the sake of empty fame.
For a moment his thoughts drifted far from the present discussion.
Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent, but Empress Ma was not pleased.
"Did Chongba dig up the Zhao family's ancestral graves? Or imprison their ancestors? Why such hateful words?"
"And Chongba has always treated his old ministers with great kindness. Where is this claim that he killed the people of the whole empire? Such sarcastic remarks hardly follow the principle of balanced judgment. They fail the standards of scholarship."
Zhu Biao was the first to immediately support his mother.
"The Kongyin matter already followed the mistaken precedents of the former Yuan. Father merely corrected its foundation. How can it be called unjust?"
"And before and after the Kongyin Case, the number of implicated criminals was only a few hundred. All had identifiable crimes and documented evidence. Where does this claim of tens of thousands come from?"
With his elder brother speaking first, Zhu Di quickly added his own thoughts.
"If the Guo Huan Case likewise concerns rectifying official corruption, then it surely was not launched without cause."
"I believe it would be best if elder brother personally investigated it according to its name. Perhaps, like the Kongyin Case, it could break the bad habits of officials."
After speaking, Zhu Di glanced at his third brother. The meaning was obvious.
This left Zhu Gang somewhat stunned.
When later generations mentioned the Hu–Lan cases, the words sounded light and simple. But within Huagai Hall they carried a weight of a thousand catties.
After all, the Hu Weiyong case had occurred less than a year ago. Anyone could guess that "Hu" referred to Hu Weiyong. This was certainly not a matter he could casually discuss.
As for "Lan," that surname was not common. Yet for Li Wenzhong, Li Shanchang, and Xu Da, the name immediately reminded them of the victory at Buir Lake in the twenty-first year of Hongwu, when Lan Yu led the army to a great triumph, something mentioned casually by later generations three months earlier.
Moreover, Lan Yu was not in the capital now.
In the first month of the year, the emperor had already decided to conquer Yunnan. Together with Yingchuan Marquis Fu Youde, he had arranged for a vanguard commander to lead a separate force toward Wusa, while the main army advanced along key routes to achieve victory through surprise.
That vanguard commander was naturally Lan Yu.
Before the Lantern Festival, Lan Yu had already departed for Bashu to prepare for war.
Yet compared to all this, what concerned Li Shanchang more was the phrase used by later generations when describing the Hu–Lan cases.
"Turning the blade upon the founding meritorious nobles."
Within Huagai Hall, those who could bear such a title were only himself, Li Wenzhong, and Xu Da.
But it was already known that Xu Da would later die from a carbuncle on his back. Li Wenzhong's relationship with the emperor could hardly be described as anything less than extremely close.
If that were the case…
Li Shanchang suddenly felt a trace of regret.
During the New Year he had sent a visiting card to Lan Yu's residence.
Could it still be taken back?