Liu Bowen begs for rain

During the War of Unification, Ming Taizu relied on a group of brave and skilled generals to fight for cities and territories, and also recruited some strategists to help him come up with strategies. Among these strategists, Liu Ji is the most famous one.

Liu Ji, also known as Liu Bowen, was originally an official of the Yuan Dynasty. Due to his lack of interest in 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 to become his strategist. In the war to defeat Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, Liu Ji came up with many strategies. Because he was resourceful and gained the trust of Emperor Ming. Ming Taizu compared him to Zhang Liang in the early Western Han Dynasty.

Liu Ji is not only skilled in strategy, but also proficient in astronomy. In modern times, astronomical phenomena are often associated with human negligence. Liu Ji carefully investigates the situation in the world, considers problems attentively, and his predictions are often correct. But everyone thinks it's related to his proficiency in astronomy. According to folklore, Liu Bowen is regarded as a "prophet of the future".

When Zhu Yuanzhang was the king of Wu, a flood occurred in Jiangnan. Liu Ji was in charge of astronomy, and Zhu Yuanzhang asked him why there was a drought and how to pray for rain from heaven. Liu Ji said, "It never rains because the people being held in custody have been wrongly accused

Zhu Yuanzhang believed Liu Ji's words and sent him to investigate the prisoners in the prison. Upon investigation, Liu Ji found that there were indeed many wrongful cases. After reporting to Zhu Yuanzhang, he cleared the wrongful case and released the wrongly arrested person.

Seeking rain and tranquility are two completely unrelated things. Liu Ji cannot have the spell of praying for rain either. However, he knew astronomy and may have observed that the weather was about to change, so he took this opportunity to advise Zhu Yuanzhang to clear his wrongful case. Sure enough, within a few days, dark clouds were gathering and then it rained heavily. Liu Ji took advantage of Zhu Yuanzhang's happiness and advised him to enact laws, act in accordance with the law, and prevent the wrongful killing of innocent people.

After Ming Taizu ascended the throne, he appointed Liu Ji as the Imperial Censor in Chief, responsible for judicial work. Liu Ji strictly enforces the law. Once, a confidant of Prime Minister Li Shanchang committed a crime. Li Shanchang was a founding hero of the Ming Dynasty and a fellow villager of Ming Taizu, with great influence. But Liu Ji disregarded Li Shanchang's obstruction and reported to Emperor Mingming that he had killed that trusted confidant. This incident naturally aroused Li Shanchang's resentment.

Coincidentally, this year, the capital city encountered another drought, and Ming Taizu was very anxious. Liu Ji took the opportunity to tell Ming Taizu, 'The wives of the deceased soldiers in the war need to be compensated; some craftsmen who died during the construction of the city have their bones exposed in the wilderness and no one has buried them.'.

If you handle these things, maybe it will rain

Ming Taizu was determined to pray for rain, and of course, he quickly approved Liu Ji's request, compensated the wives of the soldiers, and buried the remains of the craftsmen. Although Liu Ji did a good thing, relying on this method to persuade others is unreliable. This time, his guess was not accurate. Ten days later, the scorching sun still shone in the sky, and not a single drop of rain fell.

This made Ming Taizu angry, and coupled with Li Shanchang's kind words beside him, Liu Ji couldn't help but be afraid. At this time, his wife fell ill and died in her hometown. Liu Ji asked for a leave to return to his hometown.

In fact, Ming Taizu highly valued Liu Ji. Once, Ming Taizu wanted to appoint Liu Ji as the Prime Minister. Liu Ji quickly declined and said, "Choosing a prime minister is like picking a pillar. You have to pick a big piece of wood. If you use small pieces of wood as beams and columns, there is a risk of the house collapsing

Afterwards, Emperor Ming Taizu dismissed the position of Prime Minister Li Shanchang and also wanted to invite Liu Ji to become Prime Minister. Liu Ji said, "I am impatient and cannot tolerate big thugs. Besides, I am too old to take on such a heavy responsibility. There are plenty of talents in the world, and I hope Your Majesty will carefully search for them

Liu Ji returned to Qingtian and lived a reclusive life, never mentioning his past achievements to anyone. Qingtian County magistrate repeatedly requested to meet, but was politely refused by Liu Ji. Once, the county magistrate changed into casual clothes and dressed up as a rural resident to visit Liu Ji. Liu Ji was washing his feet when he saw a stranger coming. He quickly put on his shoes and invited the stranger into the house, warmly leaving a meal.

When Liu Ji asked for the name of the visitor, the county magistrate had to tell the truth: "I am the Supervisor of the County of Qingtian, and I have come to see you." Liu Ji was shocked, and quickly got up and bowed, claiming to be an ordinary people under the rule. After that, I will never meet with the county magistrate again.

Liu Ji lives in his hometown and is still very considerate of the political affairs of the Ming Dynasty. Once, Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty sent someone to Qingtian to ask Liu Ji about the forgiveness of celestial phenomena. Liu Ji said, "Winter has just passed with severe frost and snow, and now it's the season of spring. Now that the country is stable, I hope Your Majesty can govern more leniently