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Chapter 44 224 Liu Bowen Prays for Rain

In the unification war, Ming Taizu relied on a group of brave generals to fight for the city and land; he also recruited some counselors to help him make suggestions.Among these advisers, Liu Ji is the most famous one. Liu Ji, also known as Liu Bowen, was originally an official of the Yuan Dynasty. Because he was dissatisfied with the political corruption of the Yuan Dynasty, he often wrote articles to satirize current events. Later, he was dismissed and returned to his hometown Qingtian (in present-day Zhejiang).When Zhu Yuanzhang's army reached eastern Zhejiang, he invited Liu Ji out to be his counselor.In the battle to defeat Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, Liu Ji made many strategies.Because of his resourcefulness, he won the trust of Ming Taizu.Ming Taizu compared him to Zhang Liang in the early Western Han Dynasty.

Liu Ji is not only good at strategy, but also proficient in astronomy.In ancient times, astronomical phenomena were often associated with good and bad luck in the world.Liu Ji observes the world situation carefully and considers problems thoughtfully. His predictions are often more accurate.But everyone thinks it has something to do with his proficiency in astronomy.Folklore regards Liu Bowen as a "prophet of the unknown". When Zhu Yuanzhang was king of Wu, there was a drought in the south of the Yangtze River.Liu Ji was in charge of astronomy, and Zhu Yuanzhang asked him why there was a severe drought and how to ask for rain.Liu Ji said: "It doesn't rain all the time, because the people in the prison have been wronged."

Zhu Yuanzhang believed Liu Ji's words and sent him to investigate the prisoners in the prison.Liu Ji checked and found that there were many unjust cases.After he made a statement to Zhu Yuanzhang, he vindicated the unjust case and released the wrongly arrested person. Praying for rain and rehabilitation are two completely different things.It is also impossible for Liu Ji to have the spell of praying for rain.However, he knows astronomy and may observe that the weather is about to change, so he took this opportunity to persuade Zhu Yuanzhang to vindicate his injustice.Sure enough, within a few days, there were dark clouds, and then it rained heavily.Liu Ji took advantage of Zhu Yuanzhang's joy and persuaded him to formulate laws and act according to the law to prevent innocent people from being killed by mistake.

After Ming Taizu came to the throne, he asked Liu Ji to be the censor Zhongcheng, responsible for judicial work.Liu Ji strictly enforced the law.Once, a close friend of Prime Minister Li Shanchang broke the law.Li Shanchang was the founding hero of the Ming Dynasty and a fellow villager of Ming Taizu, so he had great influence.But Liu Ji disregarded Li Shanchang's obstruction, played Ming Ming Taizu, and killed that cronies.Of course, this incident aroused Li Shanchang's resentment. It just so happened that this year, there was another severe drought in the capital, and Ming Taizu was very anxious.Liu Ji took the opportunity to tell Ming Taizu: "The wives of the soldiers who died in the war need pensions; the bones of some craftsmen who died in the construction of the city are still exposed in the fields, and no one has buried them.

After doing these things, maybe it will rain. " Ming Taizu prayed for rain wholeheartedly, of course he quickly approved Liu Ji's request, comforted the soldiers' wives, and buried the bones of the craftsmen. Although Liu Ji did a good thing, it is unreliable to rely on this method to persuade people.This time, his prediction was inaccurate. After ten days, the sun was still scorching, and not a single drop of rain fell. This made Ming Taizu angry, and Li Shanchang said bad things next to him, so Liu Ji had to be afraid.At this time, his wife fell ill and died in her hometown.Liu Ji took a leave of absence and went back to his hometown.

In fact, Ming Taizu attached great importance to Liu Ji.Once, Ming Taizu wanted to worship Liu Ji as prime minister.Liu Ji quickly declined and said, "Choosing a prime minister is like choosing a pillar. You have to choose a big piece of wood. If you use a small piece of wood as a beam, the house will be in danger of collapsing." Later, Ming Taizu withdrew the post of prime minister Li Shanchang, and wanted to invite Liu Ji to become prime minister.Liu Ji said: "I am impatient and cannot tolerate bad people. Besides, I am too old to take on such a heavy responsibility. There are plenty of talents in the world. I hope Your Majesty will find them well."

Liu Ji returned to Qingtian and lived in seclusion, never talking about his past achievements with others.The magistrate of Qingtian asked to see him repeatedly, but Liu Ji politely refused.Once, the county magistrate changed into casual clothes and dressed up as a countryman to visit Liu Ji.Liu Ji was washing his feet, when he saw a stranger, he quickly put on his shoes, invited the visitor into the house, and warmly left a meal. Liu Ji asked for the name of the visitor, and the county magistrate had no choice but to tell the truth: "I am the county magistrate of Qingtian, and I am here to see you." Surprised, Liu Ji got up and bowed quickly, claiming to be an ordinary citizen under his rule.After that, I never met the county magistrate again.

Liu Ji lives in his hometown and is still very concerned about the political affairs of the Ming Dynasty.Once, Ming Taizu sent someone to Qingtian to ask Liu Ji about the good and bad weather.Liu Ji said: "Severe frost and snow have just fallen in winter: the next will be Yangchun. Now that the country is stable, I hope that your majesty will be a little more lenient in administration."
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