Li Shanchang could live to seventy-seven.
Then what about himself?
The doubts raised earlier by later generations regarding his own lifespan still had no answer.
For the moment, it was simplest to follow the claim of the thirty-fifth year of Hongwu.
Earlier, when the later generations spoke about Japan, they had mentioned the beginning of relations between Japan and the Great Ming. They said it occurred in the thirty-fifth year of Hongwu, and they had even noted specifically that it happened after the Hongwu Emperor had already passed away.
Because of that remark, Zhu Yuanzhang had roughly calculated that if everything the later generations said was true, then he had most likely died at the beginning of the thirty-fifth year of Hongwu.
Afterward the throne changed hands. The Yongle Emperor permitted the tribute mission of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, which marked the formal beginning of Japan's court audience with the Ming.
By that calculation, his lifespan should have reached at most seventy-five years.
It was still a little less than Li Shanchang, but not by very much.
But this "Li Xiaohe" was fifteen years older than him.
If one counted it this way…
Li Shanchang would die in the twenty-third year of Hongwu. That was still more than ten years before the thirty-fifth year of Hongwu.
Realizing this eased a vague anxiety in Zhu Yuanzhang's heart.
Yet immediately afterward a faint sense of desolation surfaced.
He had ruled as emperor for more than thirty years. His wife and children had passed away one after another. Brothers had dwindled. Even sons might grow the heart of beasts and attempt to seize the throne.
Would he truly end as a solitary ruler?
…
"After-the-fact Zhuge Liang?"
Liu Xie instinctively glanced at the Imperial Uncle's strategist.
That handsome and composed man merely smiled and nodded to him, gentle and silent.
Zhang Fei, however, immediately became spirited.
"Your Majesty may not know. Among later generations there are several emperors praised as the greatest of all ages. But if one speaks of the greatest minister through all ages, there is only our elder brother's strategist, Zhuge!"
"Just like that Tang emperor. He cared greatly about our strategist. Last time he even…"
Liu Bei moved quickly and covered his third brother's mouth.
He turned back toward Liu Xie with an embarrassed smile.
"Your Majesty has only just begun watching the light screen, and what it shows are events a thousand years in the future. Naturally many things will seem confusing."
"When today's viewing ends, perhaps we can review the events that occurred a decade or so after our own time. That should make matters clearer."
"As for that phrase, it likely comes from the fact that Kongming was praised by later generations as a man of great wisdom. Thus the saying arose."
Liu Xie nodded half-understanding.
But Zhang Fei soon raised an objection.
"Brother, I think we should replay the matter of the Sima clan replacing the Cao clan. That would certainly cheer His Majesty up."
"As for the strategist's wisdom, just seeing the scenes of Luoyang, Chang'an, and Chengdu would prove it better than ten thousand words."
This suggestion even won partial agreement from Xu Shu.
"Indeed. If we must choose something to replay, the Six Expeditions of Qishan and the confrontation at Wuzhang Plains can wait."
"But in my view, His Majesty should first see the vastness of the world and the appearance of the sun, moon, and stars. Only then will he truly understand the benefit of the light screen."
Pang Tong immediately saw through Xu Shu's reasoning.
"Yuanzhi, are you still thinking about your visit to Chengdu? You only saw Kongming's portrait there and never personally witnessed that boundless Earth shown by the screen. Has that regret remained in your heart?"
After Xu Shu escaped the cage of Xu Du, he once traveled to Chengdu before heading to Jingzhou to assist Guan Yu in governing the province. The two sides had continued exchanging letters.
Pang Tong remembered that in one of those letters Xu Shu had learned that the replay function existed. He had spoken repeatedly about those wondrous sights.
Now it seemed he could hardly restrain himself.
"So what if I am?" Xu Shu replied.
"Just tell me whether my words make sense or not."
For such debates, Guan Yu simply stroked his beard and chuckled.
Then he heard Zhao Zilong speak quietly behind him, something that rarely happened.
"I would like to see the appearance of Chengdu in the later generations once more."
Guan Yu paused.
Thinking back now, the time when they had watched the future Chengdu and marveled at the Temple of Marquis Wu felt very distant.
At that time Cao Cao had still been overwhelmingly powerful.
Now all of that had become dust of the past.
And he himself could finally pursue the frontier achievements he once wished for.
With that thought, Guan Yu became curious.
"Now that we have even seen the appearance of foreign lands in later generations, I wonder when we might see the present-day appearance of Hedong."
"And perhaps… the scenery of Shijiazhuang, hometown of Brother Zilong?"
Guan Yu's voice was not quiet, and everyone nearby heard clearly.
Those who knew the reason immediately burst into laughter, including Huang Zhong and the others.
Liu Xie was infected by the laughter and joined them. His heart relaxed even further.
---
[Lightscreen]
[As one who had been enfeoffed as a count together with Liu Bowen in the third year of Hongwu, Wang Guangyang was undoubtedly capable.
But Wang Guangyang was by nature someone who avoided conflict.
Such a temperament was suitable when assisting Zhu Yuanzhang, but it was completely unsuited for leading the Secretariat.
Moreover, Wang Guangyang excelled in literary matters and was especially skilled in poetry. For that reason he regarded drinking as an elegant pastime.
Yet he failed to consider that several Yuan emperors had already drunk themselves to death.
This kind of literati elegance was hardly something worth imitating.
Earlier when discussing the Yuan dynasty it was mentioned that improvements in craftsmanship during the Song dynasty had increased the strength of alcohol. Thus wine in the Song, Yuan, and Ming periods was much stronger than in the Han or Tang.
Occasional drinking was harmless.
But if one became the head of the Secretariat, it was bound to cause problems.
Events proved exactly that.
In the third year of Hongwu, Wang Guangyang was driven out by Yang Xian. In the fourth year he was recalled by Zhu Yuanzhang to lead the Secretariat again.
Yet he managed to hold things together for only a single year.
By the sixth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang had run out of patience. He accused Wang Guangyang of neglecting his duties and sent him off to Guangdong to serve in the provinces.
What about Hu Weiyong?
In Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, Hu Weiyong only became more pleasing.
Hu Weiyong clearly understood that wealth and rank were obtained by flattering the powerful.
But he was not foolish enough to attempt the same monetary tactics he had once used toward Li Shanchang.
An emperor possessed the wealth of the entire realm. Material gifts meant nothing.
History offered too many examples already.
If one wished to flatter an emperor, one had to do it sincerely.
Thus, while handling the affairs of the Secretariat, Hu Weiyong deliberately set aside time to learn how to cook pufferfish.
After all, Zhu Yuanzhang loved eating pufferfish.
The fish was delicious but extremely poisonous if prepared incorrectly.
Therefore Hu Weiyong always tasted the first bite himself.
Only after confirming that nothing happened to him would he serve it to the emperor.
Because of this, his opportunities to meet Zhu Yuanzhang increased more and more.
Thus in the sixth year of Hongwu, after Wang Guangyang was sent away, Zhu Yuanzhang saw how capable Hu Weiyong seemed and simply decided not to appoint another Right Chancellor.
Objectively speaking, this created a situation where Deputy Chancellor Hu stood alone.
But the changes did not end there.
In the sixth year of Hongwu, Hu Weiyong also received a great gift personally issued by Zhu Yuanzhang.
The system rolled back to an earlier version.
The recommendation system returned.]
---
Although he did not turn around, Zhu Yuanzhang could feel Empress Ma staring at him from behind.
"Hmm? More pleasing?"
"These are nothing but nonsense spoken by later generations. What is there to discuss?"
Zhu Yuanzhang spoke with perfect righteousness.
Yet he did not turn his body around.
No one knew himself better than he did.
At that time he truly had trusted Hu Weiyong greatly.
They were fellow villagers. Hu Weiyong spoke well, cooked excellent pufferfish, and most importantly he handled government affairs competently.
He had kept the Secretariat running smoothly without requiring much attention from the emperor.
In the fourth and fifth years of Hongwu there had been constant military campaigns in the southwest. Ming armies had also struck north toward Karakorum to confront the remnants of the Yuan.
Meanwhile the court was reorganizing the entire governmental structure.
The fifth year of Hongwu had been a time when countless matters pressed upon the empire simultaneously.
During that time Hu Weiyong had indeed relieved much of Zhu Yuanzhang's burden.
In comparison, Wang Guangyang did little work and frequently drank heavily while writing useless poems.
When unfavorable reports from the frontlines arrived, Zhu Yuanzhang finally erupted in anger and transferred Wang Guangyang to the Guangdong Provincial Administration as a participating administrator.
Looking back now, Zhu Yuanzhang refuted the earlier words, yet still sighed lightly.
"I was deceived by the appearance of a loyal minister and fell into another man's scheme."