For Li Wenzhong and the others present, the first reaction was:
So it truly was Lan Yu!
Previously the descendants had repeatedly mentioned the Hu and Lan cases together. From that it had already been easy to guess that this "Lan" must likewise refer to a case named after a family surname.
At present there were not many people surnamed Lan, so everyone instinctively guessed it must be Lan Yu. Yet they still found it somewhat difficult to believe.
Especially for Li Wenzhong.
In his memory, Lan Yu was simply a fool who often dragged down his uncle and stepped into traps of his own making. How could such a man possibly achieve the merit of destroying the Yuan? And where would he find the courage to rebel?
Well, even if he truly grew arrogant due to the favor he enjoyed as a relative by marriage, his mind simply did not seem capable of planning a rebellion.
Li Wenzhong stared blankly at the light screen as it spoke of his uncle's first, second, and third phases.
While recalling those words in his mind, he suddenly realized something.
If this so-called phase system had a first and a second, then the phrase "the first purge of the founding meritorious officials" clearly implied there would also be a second and even a third.
But how many founding nobles were there in total?
If these purges came one after another in sequence, then what about himself?
Under normal circumstances Li Wenzhong trusted his uncle completely.
But after losing both wife and son in this "third phase," would his uncle still trust him?
Though he immediately forced himself to dismiss the thought, the mention of thirty thousand people executed in the Hu case still sent a chill rising from his seat and made him shiver.
He was a military man, not a civil official.
He had personally seen a hundred thousand bodies forming a human torrent, crashing together in desperate struggle merely to kill the enemy.
He had also witnessed ten thousand ships covering the river like a field, flames rising with the wind while those who jumped into the water cried out in despair.
He had cleaned battlefields himself.
He knew very well just how enormous and heavy a number thirty thousand truly was.
And that was only the number executed.
What about the countless others punished, enslaved, or whose property was confiscated?
The smile disappeared from Li Wenzhong's face.
A trace of worry and unease rose in his heart.
The descendants spoke in a lighthearted tone, but from the bottom of his heart Li Wenzhong hoped that his uncle's "third phase" would never appear.
As for how to achieve that goal…
Empress Ma and Zhu Biao must be kept safe and healthy.
Unfortunately he possessed no medical skill himself. He could only rely on Imperial Physician Dai.
As for another matter…
Perhaps he should visit a temple to burn incense and pray for blessings?
What about that monk Dao Yan at Tianjie Temple?
While Li Wenzhong's thoughts wandered, Dai Sigong truly felt several gazes converging upon him.
This made the imperial physician straighten subconsciously.
Studying medicine could indeed save the world.
And perhaps even save Great Ming.
Meanwhile Dao Yan, who had just been casually glanced at by Li Wenzhong, looked at Luo Guanzhong, who was busily writing with flying brush strokes. He seemed to want to speak but stopped himself.
At this moment he somewhat regretted befriending this scholar earlier.
Did this man truly not understand what it meant for nine clans to disappear?
He, Dao Yan, had not yet found a worthy lord to serve with his lifetime of learning.
He had no desire to reach nirvana just yet.
Carefully turning his head to glance again, however, he noticed that the Emperor did not seem to be in a thunderous rage.
He simply sat silently in his chair, observing the light screen without saying a word.
---
[Additionally, when this uploader speaks of Zhu Yuanzhang entering another phase, Lan Yu himself can be considered evidence.
According to the timeline, among the four great cases of the Hongwu era, the Lan Yu case was the last.
Thus many people wonder: Lan Yu had already witnessed the previous three major cases and seen so many heads fall. Why did he still fail to restrain himself and end up executed? Was he foolish?
Setting aside the actual numbers involved in those great cases, consider how Lan Yu himself would have viewed them.
If Lan Yu were asked to comment on the Blank Document Case, he would probably say those civil officials deserved to die. Their petty tricks of deceiving the throne were obvious to everyone. The people had suffered under the previous dynasty precisely because of such slippery officials. They deserved to die.
As for the Hu Weiyong case, Lan Yu would applaud even more loudly. What right did a chancellor promoted through Li Shanchang's nepotism have to act so arrogantly? Just like Li Shanchang himself, they were only good with words. Did they not realize that the Ming empire had been conquered by us generals fighting alongside His Majesty? Who did those civil officials think they were? Killing them was good!
The Guo Huan case was even simpler. Those officials had perfected the art of corruption and bribery. Civil officials only knew how to bleed the army dry. Why not reflect on what contributions they had made to His Majesty? When had the emperor ever executed military officers? You simply chose the wrong profession, little brother. Your death was deserved.
Thus when the blade finally turned toward Lan Yu himself, he was completely bewildered.
How could I possibly be rebelling?
I destroyed the Yuan dynasty. I have shed blood for Great Ming.
I want to see His Majesty!
The reason Lan Yu is said to have died after Zhu Yuanzhang entered a new phase is also because the famous accusations of arrogance had occurred long before his execution.
For example, the historical summary clearly states: "After Zhongshan and Kaiping passed away, he repeatedly commanded the grand armies and achieved many victories."
The Zhongshan King and Kaiping King are well known: Xu Da and Chang Yuchun.
Xu Da died relatively late, in the eighteenth year of Hongwu. That was still many years before Lan Yu was executed in the twenty-sixth year.
During this period Lan Yu received ever greater favor. He kept numerous estate servants, adopted many sworn sons, and traveled with extravagant display.
Later he even forcibly seized farmland belonging to the people of Dongchang. When a censor came to investigate, Lan Yu flew into a rage and had the censor beaten and driven away. Even so he was never punished.
The most famous incidents, however, were the forced death of the Yuan consort and the destruction of the frontier pass.
Both occurred in the twenty-first year of Hongwu.
That year the Northern Yuan repeatedly harassed Ming borders, so Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Lan Yu to lead one hundred and fifty thousand troops on campaign. The result was the great victory at Buir Lake.
The problem arose during the return march.
When passing through Xifeng Pass it was already night. According to regulations the gate officials refused to open the gate.
Lan Yu, returning victorious, became furious. He directly ordered his troops to attack and break through the pass.
You refuse to open the gate? Then I will open it myself.
Afterward rumors spread that Lan Yu had forcibly taken Shiliduan, a captured Northern Yuan consort, which caused her to hang herself in shame.
The final outcome of these incidents was merely a scolding from Zhu Yuanzhang.
The punishment amounted to little more than recording the offense on Lan Yu's iron certificate. Even saying he was fined three cups of wine might be an exaggeration.
Moreover this happened in the twenty-first year of Hongwu, still five years before Lan Yu's death. It is difficult to claim that this alone caused his execution.
As for the accusation of rebellion, it becomes even more absurd when one reads the Record of Treacherous Ministers compiled personally by Zhu Yuanzhang.
The descriptions of Lan Yu's rebellion carry a rather ridiculous tone, almost like the emperor swinging a golden hoe while the Crown Princess bakes flatbread.
For example, Lan Yu supposedly asked an old village scholar, "If I wished to accomplish a great undertaking, would it be good?"
At the very least he could have consulted a licentiate scholar. But fine, one might tolerate that as consulting a grassroots intellectual.
After that, however, the supposed accomplices in Lan Yu's rebellion become increasingly bizarre.
He arranged to meet a kiln worker in the second month to discuss major affairs.
He spoke with a minor clerk about a "great enterprise."
He even told an old fisherman named Jiang that he wished to "plan a great undertaking."
Later a grain headman surnamed Gu supposedly declared that he would "seek out several heroes" on the spot to assist.
In other words, Lan Yu's rebellion team consisted of a strange mixture of people from all walks of life, like a traveling circus.]