[Lightscreen]
[At the beginning of the fourth year of Hongwu, the thing that finally made Li Shanchang resolve to step back was not only the departure of Liu Ji.
Judging from the historical records, the true beginning of the Hu Weiyong Case actually occurred at the end of the third year of Hongwu.
During the great enfeoffments of that year, the Secretariat was finally formally established with two Chancellors. The Left Chancellor was Li Shanchang, while the Right Chancellor was Xu Da.
Although Xu Da held the title of Chancellor, he was at that time moving between Beiping and Shanxi to train troops. At the same time he was responsible for overall command of the northern defense line and was accumulating strength for campaigns beyond the frontier against the remnants of Yuan.
Therefore his position as Chancellor was largely nominal.
Li Shanchang was the opposite. Although he was officially appointed Left Chancellor only in the third year of Hongwu, he had already been exercising the powers of that office ever since he received the earlier title of Left Chancellor of the State before the founding of Great Ming.
Moreover, unlike other meritorious officials, the reward Li Shanchang received included a truly exceptional Iron Certificate of Immunity.
Other people's certificates could exempt them from death once.
His could exempt him twice.
It could even shield his son once as well.
One certificate counted almost as two and a half.
With nothing higher left to confer and no further promotion possible, and with a fellow townsman such as Hu Weiyong already present in the Secretariat, Li Shanchang decided to step back and observe the situation.
Nominally he claimed illness, which sounded reasonable enough.
Yet that year Li Shanchang was only fifty seven years old. Historically he would live to the age of seventy seven.
Thus this vague illness sounded far more like an excuse.
If the Left Chancellor was ill, someone still had to handle state affairs.
Quite naturally, the man who then rose swiftly into prominence was the Left Vice Chancellor of the Secretariat, the Zhedong native Yang Xian.
If Li Shanchang truly retired because of illness, would he not naturally become the principal Chancellor?
According to the History of Ming, before Liu Ji withdrew from court he once had a candid conversation with Zhu Yuanzhang. The emperor asked him who might be suitable to serve as Chancellor.
Although this dialogue was likely embellished by later historians, the evaluations attributed to Liu Ji were surprisingly accurate when viewed with hindsight.
For example, Li Shanchang was said to be capable of harmonizing the generals.
Wang Guangyang was described as somewhat shallow.
The more detailed commentary, however, concerned Yang Xian and Hu Weiyong.
Yang Xian was said to possess the talent of a Chancellor but not the bearing of one, his personal ambitions being too heavy.
Hu Weiyong was compared to a poor horse. If harnessed to a carriage, it would inevitably overturn the cart and cause disaster.
Yang Xian joined Zhu Yuanzhang's camp a year later than Hu Weiyong. Although he also missed the opportunity to join the early founding circle, he differed greatly from Hu Weiyong, who could at most run errands and write letters.
When Yang Xian encountered opportunities that required risking his life, he truly stepped forward.
As a result he quickly became one of Zhu Yuanzhang's trusted followers.
He even entered the Secretariat a year earlier than Hu Weiyong.
And his identity as a man of Zhedong made his position very clear.
He had not come to present gold to Li Shanchang.
He had come to throw sand into Li Shanchang's machinery.
Unfortunately for Zhu Yuanzhang, Yang Xian did not believe himself to be sand.
He believed himself to be a thunderbolt.
Facing the inactive Li Shanchang, Yang Xian ignited the famous "three fires of a newly appointed official."
First, he expelled the Huai faction officials under his authority and replaced them with men from Zhedong.
Second, through accusations filed by the censors, he framed the Right Vice Chancellor Wang Guangyang and had him exiled to Hainan.
And the next step of Yang Xian's plan was entirely predictable.
There could be only one Chancellor in the Secretariat.
That Chancellor would be Yang.
However, these actions soon provoked the counterattack of Li Shanchang and Hu Weiyong.
The two men from Dingyuan joined forces and packaged all of Yang Xian's misconduct into a memorial presented before Zhu Yuanzhang.
The emperor's response was simple.
He had Yang Xian executed.
For Zhu Yuanzhang required a Secretariat where officials checked one another while still getting work done.
What he did not want was a Secretariat consumed by endless factional attacks.
After Yang Xian's execution, Zhu Yuanzhang's options were limited.
Wang Guangyang was hastily recalled and appointed Right Chancellor.
Hu Weiyong, who had contributed to bringing down Yang Xian, was promoted to Left Vice Chancellor.
Thus a new balance of restraint was formed within the Secretariat.
But what Zhu Yuanzhang had not expected was that even with the temptation of chancellorship before him, Wang Guangyang simply chose to slack off.
Either he voted in agreement with everything or he spent his time drinking heavily.
As a result, the true decision maker within the Secretariat gradually became Hu Weiyong.
Seeing this situation, Li Shanchang felt that he could finally retire peacefully under the pretext of illness.
Neither Zhu Yuanzhang nor Li Shanchang had anticipated one thing.
Compared with Hu Weiyong, Yang Xian was practically as pure as a white lotus.]
---
At present, inside Huagai Hall, the men who could truly be called founding nobles of the dynasty were only three.
Li Shanchang.
Li Wenzhong.
And Xu Da.
Xu Da already knew the cause of his future death. Having long served on the frontier, his thoughts were entirely fixed on destroying the Mongol Yuan. He therefore paid little attention to the matter of Hu Weiyong.
Li Shanchang, on the other hand, felt somewhat uncomfortable across his back.
The cold sweat had soaked into his clothes, and the damp fabric clung to his skin with an unpleasant chill.
The most relaxed among them was Li Wenzhong.
During the entire course of the Hu Weiyong affair he had either been campaigning in Bashu and the northern territories, or training troops in the provinces.
He had never been involved in the matter from beginning to end.
Not to mention his extremely close relationship with the imperial family.
Thus when the light screen remarked that the military nobles had absorbed the barbarous spirit of the Yuan, Li Wenzhong felt rather dissatisfied.
"Courage in battle is not something possessed only by the Hu tribes. Why must such accusations be made?"
Xu Da shook his head slightly, not entirely agreeing.
"The martial spirit of Han and Tang differs from that of Song. It also differs from that of the Hu Yuan. We know the affairs of Han, Tang, and Song only through books. But the condition of the Hu Yuan is something we have witnessed with our own eyes."
His uncle's words made Li Wenzhong fall silent.
In truth, the brief remarks from the light screen were not wrong.
As a veteran general who had fought across many regions, he knew that before the founding of Great Ming, the excessive influence of barbarian customs within the army had always been a difficult problem to avoid.
It was nothing new to hear Han people speaking like the Hu.
Under Yuan rule the oppression of those with Han surnames had been extremely harsh.
Across a hundred years and five or six generations, it was hardly strange that some people adopted barbarian customs in order to survive.
The soldiers who ultimately joined his uncle in rebelling against Yuan possessed both fearless courage and a habit of ignoring discipline.
After the founding of Great Ming, both he and Xu Da had spent long years training the army and administering their territories.
Was that not precisely to sweep away the dust of the barbarians?
His uncle had spoken of restoring the civilization of Huaxia.
Those four words sounded simple.
In reality they required the unity of ruler and ministers alike, pursued patiently over time.
Yet Xu Da would later be celebrated with great honor by history.
As for himself, he seemed to pass through history much more faintly, not even as prominent as the single minded Lan Yu.
Why was that?
These thoughts passed through Li Wenzhong's mind in only an instant.
Just then the light screen began speaking about Li Shanchang's narrow minded temperament.
That alone would have been tolerable.
But when it vividly quoted the line, "If Old Zhu were separated from Old Li, how could he possibly manage," Li Wenzhong burst out laughing on the spot.
As expected, a sharp question immediately followed.
"Li Wenzhong, what are you laughing at?"
Li Wenzhong suddenly felt somewhat aggrieved.
After all, he had clearly seen the corners of Xu Da's mouth curl upward as well. Why not question that fellow soldier of humble origins instead?
Though he grumbled inwardly, Li Wenzhong quickly pointed toward Li Shanchang with a solemn expression.
"Your servant laughs because these later generations slander the reputation of the Grand Censor!"
"Just now I spoke somewhat disrespectfully to the Grand Censor, yet I was not scolded harshly."
"This proves their words are false. It proves that the Grand Censor is a man of broad and humble character!"
Hearing this answer, Zhu Yuanzhang fixed Li Wenzhong with a long stare.
Then he turned to reassure the somewhat bewildered Li Shanchang.
"Later generations have even joked that I am the reincarnation of that Buddhist emperor of Song. Such speculations should be taken merely as jokes."
Li Shanchang immediately released a long breath of relief.
Beside him, Li Wenzhong nodded.
"Grand Censor, just treat it as wild history. I can testify that you truly did not receive those two hundred taels of gold!"
The breath Li Shanchang had been about to release immediately caught in his chest again.
After a long moment he could only grit his teeth.
"Then I thank the Duke of Cao for his testimony."
"No need for thanks." Li Wenzhong waved his hand indifferently.
Then, with an expression of complete sincerity, he added:
"When you have leisure someday, simply let me have a look at that Iron Certificate Pro Max as repayment. That will be enough."
While the two nobles bickered, Zhu Yuanzhang silently stared at the light screen.
Out of the corner of his eye, he cast a faint glance toward Li Shanchang.
Seventy seven?