No one can deny Li Shanchang's contributions, which is why he was initially awarded the title "Founding Minister of State, Assisting the Nation, Sincere and Upright Civil Official." He was promoted to Grand Master of the Palace, Left Pillar of State, Grand Tutor, and Left Chancellor of the Central Secretariat, and was granted the title of Duke of Han, with an annual salary of four thousand shi (a unit of grain), which was hereditary for his descendants.
Everyone felt it was only natural, and they all knew that he had indeed made many contributions, comparable to Xiao He, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty. He could be considered the first meritorious official in the founding of the Ming Dynasty, which was perfectly justified.
However, his deep entanglement with the nobles of Huaixi, coupled with his advanced age and inability to control his subordinates, coupled with his reluctance to relinquish power, foreshadowed his rather tragic end. After all, Hu Weiyong was recommended by Li Shanchang, was Li Shanchang's student, and also had some kinship ties.
Therefore, when they were involved in the Hu Weiyong case, the noble families of Huaixi were weakened by more than half, and Li Shanchang also ended up being stripped of his title and exiled.
The good news is that he wasn't executed along with his entire family of over seventy people, except for his eldest son, Li Qi, as is depicted in history. In fact, even though Li Qi was a prince consort in history, he was still exiled and died in depression.
Looking at Little Zhu, Zhu Yunying's gaze darkened slightly. Little Zhu initially met Zhu Yunying's gaze calmly, but quickly lowered her head guiltily, no longer daring to look at him.
The Chunhe Palace was deathly silent. Everyone was so tense that they dared not even breathe, because the Crown Prince's words were far too sensitive.
Li Shanchang, the Duke of Han, was personally dealt with by the Hongwu Emperor. Back then, Li Shanchang was exiled to Beiping while under punishment, but he served under Zhu Yunying for a period of time. It is said that during that time, Li Shanchang was somewhat uncooperative, displeasing Zhu Yunying.
Li Qi's current position as prefect of Tianjin is considered a very good outcome. Compared to his other relatives, Li Qi was not only not exiled, but also holds an official position, a result truly a testament to the Emperor's great favor.
Zhu Yunying looked at little Zhu and asked, "Do you know that Li Shanchang served us in his younger days?"
Little Zhu immediately said, "My great-grandfather also said that after Li Shanchang was exiled to Beiping, he served the emperor. He also said that Li Shanchang was disrespectful when close to him and resentful when at a distance, and that he did not do his job wholeheartedly."
Zhu Yunying smiled slightly and said, "This really is Li Shanchang, thinking that great achievements have lessened his fear."
That's for sure. Li Shanchang did indeed become arrogant and self-indulgent back then. When Emperor Zhu fell ill and was unable to attend court, Li Shanchang, as the prime minister, did not inquire after him, nor did Li Qi, as his son-in-law and imperial son-in-law, inquire after him or pay him a visit. Even when summoned to the palace, he refused to admit his guilt.
Furthermore, his younger brother Li Cunyi and his son had too deep an entanglement with Hu Weiyong. Emperor Zhu initially issued an edict to spare Li Shanchang's life out of respect for Li Shanchang, but Li Shanchang took it for granted and did not submit a memorial to express his gratitude.
He even went so far as to refuse to return to his hometown to retire after being dismissed from office, borrow guards from Tang He to repair his courtyard, and inquire about information about the court from Tang He. Even though he was so estranged from Zhu Yuanzhang, Li Shanchang still went to ask Zhu Yuanzhang to pardon his nephew Ding Bin.
While the punishment of Li Shanchang was indeed due to his immense contributions and influence over the nobles of Huaixi, an emperor would certainly not favor a minister who had become arrogant because of his achievements, nor would he like a minister who had lost his reverence for imperial authority.
Zhu Yunying looked at Little Zhu and suddenly said, "Alright then, we'll give you face and let your uncle return to the capital to assist your maternal uncle! We only agreed to this because you asked."
Little Zhu immediately became happy, knelt down to receive the imperial decree and express his gratitude, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your great kindness! Your subject believes that it is also time to recall your great-aunt."
Zhu Yunying said irritably, "Now that we've recalled Li Qi, we naturally won't hold a grudge against your great-aunt. It's good that they're all back. You, come with us to court tomorrow. Have your uncle give you a little push, understand?"
Xu Huizu was still a little uneasy, but without saying a word, he said, "Your subject obeys the decree."
Looking at Xu Huizu, Zhu Yunying suddenly laughed, "It seems that's really the same. We were like this in our early years. Before we even did anything, we would have our uncles help us by giving us advice."
Little Zhu was happy because he felt that as long as he resembled his father, it was something to be happy about.
Xu Huizu was inwardly anxious. Was this a warning from His Majesty? Did the Emperor really think that his subjects should not get too close to the Crown Prince?
It's quite normal for people to ponder a casual remark from the emperor for a long time. And it's not just the emperor; even a single sentence from a minor official like Zhu Yuanzhang would be carefully considered by many.
Such a situation is perfectly normal, and Joo Yoon-young wouldn't find it surprising at all. Little Joo also seemed to think it was only natural, because that's always been the case around him, that's the environment he's in.
Whether Xu Huizu was overthinking things at this point didn't seem to matter much to Zhu Yunying, or perhaps Zhu Yunying simply didn't care about such things.
As for Xiao Xiao Zhu's suggestions, Zhu Yunying could actually guess them. There might be some of Xiao Xiao Zhu's thoughts involved, but it was clearly Old Zhu who was devising the plans behind the scenes.
It would be a lie to say that Zhu Yuanzhang wasn't angry about Li Shanchang's actions back then. However, he often thought back to the virtuous and elderly man from Chuzhou who had come to him when Chuzhou was in dire straits, and he remembered Li Shanchang's tireless efforts and strategic planning over the years.
If Li Shanchang hadn't appeared kind and gentle but was actually jealous and harsh towards others, and if some of his actions hadn't indeed offended Zhu Yuanzhang, there might have been a beautiful story of a harmonious relationship between the ruler and his minister.
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