The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 108 Your Majesty, the late Empress appeared to me in a dream.

The following day, at the Wenhua Hall.

When Li Jinglong entered the hall, Zhu Yuanzhang was staring at a stack of memorials, his expression as if he were looking at a list of enemies.

"Your Majesty, I have come to report." Li Jinglong bowed and reported on Li Siqi's affairs.

After listening, Zhu Yuanzhang slowly nodded: "With the Wang family's help, you can indeed try to transport goods to the northern deserts."

She used to call him "Second Brother's Wife," but now she's called Wang.

Hehe, it seems they're going to give up on the Princess of Qin.

"Your Majesty, why don't you issue an edict to have the local governments along the route support me? With their cooperation, the goods will be transported more smoothly, and if anything goes wrong, there will be someone to help us," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted: "No. Everything you did was done on your own. Only in this way could you get close to the head manager."

Li Jinglong: "————"

I just want to make money.

Didn't you tell me not to get involved in the head manager's affairs?

"Remember this, you are the corrupt and lawless second-generation nobleman. Smuggling in the northern deserts, lining your own pockets, and relying on the power of the Prince of Qiyang's mansion, you act with impunity. You must make this reputation real for us," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Li Jinglong said with a bitter face, "It doesn't sound like this will end well. These crimes will result in confiscation of property or beheading, or at best, exile three thousand miles away. I haven't even started making money yet, and the charges against me are already prepared."

"To deceive the enemy, of course we must act truthfully," Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand. "We won't really punish you. What are you afraid of?"

really?I do not believe.

Old Zhu's mouth is a lying devil.

When the kill count is high and you're in a killing frenzy, who knows if you might accidentally chop off an extra person?

Li Jinglong thought for a moment, then sighed, "Your Majesty, my aunt appeared to me in a dream last night."

"What did the Empress say to you in your dream?" Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes widened, and he paused. "She never appears in our dreams."

"My aunt asked me to tell you that she's watching over you from heaven," Li Jinglong said sincerely, "to tell you not to bully the younger generation."

Zhu Yuanzhang rolled his eyes: "You made that up yourself, didn't you?"

"I really dreamt of my great-aunt." Li Jinglong's expression remained unchanged. "But in the dream, I was still the same as when I was a child, climbing trees with Zhu Twelve in the harem to steal birds' nests. I accidentally fell from the tree. It was such a tall tree, I was so scared I almost lost my soul."

As it turned out, my aunt caught me.

"In my dream, my great-aunt seemed to have become a fairy. She could fly. She held Chen and slowly floated down from mid-air, as if we were walking on clouds. She smiled and said to me, 'Little monkey, so naughty,' in the exact same tone as before."

Zhu Yuanzhang fell silent, his eyes deep and mysterious: "Our empress, of course, will become an immortal."

Li Jinglong pressed on, continuing, "I was carefree as a child, spoiled by my maternal aunt. Back then, I was ignorant and ran around the palace, but my maternal aunt never got angry and would even secretly give me candy."

"Stop being sarcastic." Zhu Yuanzhang snapped out of his daze, glared at him, and said, "I told you, we won't punish you. You don't need to bring up the Empress and even appear in my dreams."

Li Jinglong shrugged: "Your Majesty, I really did dream about it. I probably miss my maternal aunt too much. What you think about during the day, you dream about at night. I've been thinking about things from my childhood these past few days, and I guess my maternal aunt sensed it from heaven and came to visit me in my dream."

"Can she think as much as we do?" Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily. "She never even appears in our dreams. We think about her every day and every night."

Li Jinglong blinked: "Then when I dream of her again, should I tell her? Just say that Your Majesty misses her. By the way, I'll also complain to my maternal aunt that you want to make me a corrupt and lawless second-generation noble, and see what she says then."

Zhu Yuanzhang grabbed a memorial from the table and threw it at him: "Get out of here!"

Li Jing turned to leave.

Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, strode in.

"Stop right there!" Zhu Yuanzhang shouted. "Listen to what clues Mao Xiang has found."

Li Jinglong could only obediently stand aside.

Mao Xiang entered the hall and immediately knelt down: "Your subject is guilty."

He reluctantly gave the report.

The Imperial Guards turned the Misty Rain Pavilion upside down, questioning everyone from the manager to the kitchen maid.

Li Siqi went to tea alone that day, and sat in the private room he usually reserved. The waiter at Yanyu Tower said that after Li Siqi entered the private room, no suspicious person went in.

The secret agents of the Imperial Guard next door kept a close watch on the stairwell and corridor the whole time, but they didn't see the murderer.

There's absolutely no clue how the killer got in or when he left.

"Then how did he die? Could it be that he was killed by a ghost?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked angrily.

Mao Xiang prostrated himself on the ground: "Your Majesty, please continue your investigation. I have already dispatched additional personnel."

"The timing of Li Siqi's death is too coincidental. Jiujiang had just reached an agreement with him this morning, and he was killed this afternoon. What does this mean?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Jinglong. "Perhaps someone already knows that Jiujiang is going to replace him. Then Jiujiang will also be in danger."

Li Jinglong, who had been standing by watching the show, was instantly shocked: "What?"

"You think taking over Li Siqi is that simple?" Zhu Yuanzhang said irritably. "His scouts and military officers have been dealing with the Northern Yuan for years; they're a mixed bag, all sorts of people. Do you think there aren't spies from other forces among them? Now that Li Siqi is dead, won't they target you, the one who took over?"

Li Jinglong replied decisively, "Your Majesty, can I give up?"

"Is this all you've got?" Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened.

"Nothing in this world is difficult if you're willing to give up," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stood up: "Mao Xiang, hold him down, we're going to beat him up today!"

Li Jinglong acted faster than he thought, immediately cupping his hands and saying in one swift motion, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! How could I possibly give up? I take my leave!"

"Stop!" Zhu Yuanzhang called out to him again.

Li Jinglong slammed on the brakes: "Does Your Majesty have any further instructions?"

"Hai is leaving tomorrow to return north; go and see her off," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Li Jinglong breathed a sigh of relief: "Your subject obeys the decree."

"Is this all you're going to do?" Zhu Yuanzhang glared. "The girl you like is leaving, and you'll probably never see her again."

Li Jinglong said nonchalantly, "Your Majesty, I have many girls I like."

"Hey, why can't you understand? Hai Li, Wang Baobao's daughter, once she returns to the northern desert, she'll definitely be someone important, don't you understand?" Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Li Jinglong blinked: "And then?"

Zhu Yuanzhang grew impatient: "Make her your woman, preferably pregnant with your child. Just think about it, the Wang family's power in the northern deserts—if they were to establish such a connection with our Ming Dynasty, what a sight that would be! Why can't you see that coming from the start?"

Li Jinglong was speechless.

Old Zhu's scheme is so well-thought-out that even the northern deserts can hear it.

"Your Majesty, although I lack integrity, I still have principles. This kind of scumbag will be despised."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand dismissively: "Useless. Get out of here."

Li Jinglong paused for a moment, and only after receiving no "Stop!" did he turn and leave the main hall.