The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

After parting ways with Mao Xiang, Li Jinglong went to Wenhua Hall.

There used to be a Grand Hall in the palace, which was a place for princes and sons of nobles to study. Later, the Grand Hall was gone, and these sons of nobles followed the Crown Prince to study at the Wenhua Hall.

Now that Crown Prince Zhu Biao has begun to govern, the Wenhua Hall has become a place for the Crown Prince to discuss government affairs with the younger generation.

When Li Jinglong entered, he saw that many people were already there.

Sitting in the center was Zhu Biao, who possessed a refined and scholarly air.

Xu Yungong, Chang Mao, and the others were gathered around the Crown Prince, chatting and laughing.

Li Jinglong stepped forward quickly: "Greetings, Your Highness."

Zhu Biao nodded slightly: "You seem to be in good spirits."

Chang Mao leaned over from the side: "Jiujiang, did you know? Yun Gong is now acting as the Left Army Commander-in-Chief, temporarily in charge of the Left Army!"

Li Jinglong was secretly alarmed.

Acting as the Left Army Commander-in-Chief, and concurrently serving as the Left Army Commander-in-Chief.

The Five Military Commissions of the Ming Dynasty were the highest military institutions. The Left Military Commission was in charge of the military garrisons and guard posts in several provinces across the country.

The promotion of Xu Yungong signifies that the emperor is beginning to heavily rely on the sons of noble families.

The veterans are truly getting old.

"My father is deeply saddened by my cousin's passing. The old generals are gradually dying out; there's nothing we can do about it," Zhu Biao sighed softly. "However, your opportunity has arrived."

Xu Yungong immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "Your subject will certainly not fail in your trust!"

"I'm out of here; I'm not cut out to lead troops," Li Jinglong waved his hand.

Chang Mao patted him on the shoulder: "Jiujiang, don't underestimate yourself."

"People from Jiujiang want to be rich," Xu Yungong chuckled.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Li Jinglong replied to himself.

Zhu Biao frowned slightly.

After exchanging a few words, Xu Yungong stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Your Highness, the Left Army Commandery still has military affairs to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

Zhu Biao nodded in approval.

Chang Mao also stood up: "Your Highness, I'm leaving too. I have a horseback riding appointment with someone today."

After the two left, Zhu Biao looked at Li Jinglong and asked, "Did Father Emperor assign you any tasks?"

"Yes, this is troublesome." Li Jinglong hung his head, looking listless.

Zhu Biao glared at him: "That's because Father Emperor trusts you! It involves the imperial family, so it can't be handed over to outsiders. Don't let Father Emperor down."

The son-in-law is going to make a move on his father-in-law.

This matter really cannot be entrusted to outsiders.

Fine, I'm taking the blame for this.

"Your Highness, you should spend more time with His Majesty when you have time," Li Jinglong said earnestly.

Zhu Biao was slightly taken aback: "What's wrong, Father?"

Li Jinglong thought for a moment, but couldn't find the right words: "His Majesty is anxious."

Zhu Biao was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"Your Highness, His Majesty has transformed from a rough-and-tumble hero who conquered the world into a powerful and iron-fisted ruler. He possesses both absolute confidence and extreme anxiety."

"His Majesty is nearing sixty, and is both confident and arrogant. He believes that no one in the world can defeat him, but he also feels that everyone around him is capable of betraying him."

"If Hu Mei and her family are guilty, then they should be punished."

He paused, looking at Zhu Biao.

"I am worried that Your Majesty will stir up another major case."

Zhu Biao's eyes widened: "Jiujiang, you see things so deeply. This is also what I'm worried about. In the past, even the Empress Dowager could persuade the Emperor, but now no one can do so."

Empress Ma died in the fifteenth year of the Hongwu reign.

He was the only person who dared to contradict Zhu Yuanzhang to his face and still managed to get Zhu Yuanzhang to obey him.

Once Empress Ma left, Zhu Yuanzhang was like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins, and no one could hold him back.

Li Jinglong frowned.

The emperor suffered from anxiety.

This illness is a big problem.

"Your Majesty is truly exhausted. I have never seen an emperor who works so hard throughout history," Li Jinglong remarked.

Having studied history, he could see Zhu Yuanzhang's three major strategic plans.

Political strategy: Abolish the position of prime minister.

Although the position of prime minister has been abolished, the government affairs remain heavy.

The emperor personally reviewed memorials from the six directly governed ministries, managing countless affairs of state daily.

Military strategy: to control those who are close to the emperor and to protect the emperor from external threats.

The vassal kings guarded the fortresses, which were his "living Great Wall" designed for his descendants.

Educational and Cultural Reform: Reopening the Imperial Examination System and Reshaping the Scholar-Official Spirit

He hoped to select practical talents who "understand the principles and apply them" through the imperial examination system, rather than scholars who "talk about the principles of nature and morality," in order to eliminate the ills of the scholar-official style at the end of the Yuan Dynasty.

After doing all this, he began to worry about the future.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao was kind and gentle, but Zhu Yuanzhang worried that he was "too weak to govern the country".

"Why does Your Majesty want to investigate Hu Mei?" Li Jinglong asked himself.

Zhu Biao said, "Naturally, it's because he committed a crime."

"It's not just that." Li Jinglong shook his head. "Your Majesty must have other motives. If you don't understand this, my job will be difficult."

Zhu Biao paused for a moment as he picked up the teacup.

"Big Brother!" A dashing young man strode in.

The young man was full of vigor and walked with a powerful stride.

He was the emperor's twelfth son, Prince Xiang, Zhu Bai.

"Jiujiang is here too!" Zhu Bai greeted.

Li Jinglong bowed: "Greetings, Your Highness Prince Xiang."

Zhu Bai waved his hand: "Just call me Zhu Twelve. You're the one who gave me that nickname."

Li Jinglong looked embarrassed.

That was the name given by the original owner. The original owner and he were about the same age and had studied together in the main hall since childhood.

"Jiujiang, let's go horseback riding together another day!" Zhu Bai invited.

Li Jinglong waved his hand: "I am in mourning period and it is not appropriate for me to go out and have fun."

"That's a pity. Grandpa said he got two fine horses from the north and wanted to go with you to try them out," Zhu Bai said regretfully.

Zhu Bai's maternal grandfather was Hu Mei.

I had the perfect opportunity to visit Hu Mei's home.

"Your grandfather gave it to you?" Li Jinglong's eyes lit up. "Then I have to give it a try!"

Zhu Bai readily agreed: "Then I'll go tomorrow!"

"Okay!" Li Jinglong readily agreed.

Zhu Biao sat beside him, a slight smile on his face.

He knew Li Jinglong's little scheme, of course, and instructed him, "Twelfth Brother, you can go out, but remember your identity and don't cause trouble."

Zhu Bai patted his chest and assured him, "Brother, don't worry, I'm not a child anymore. I'll be going to my fiefdom next year!"

Zhu Biao lowered his eyes and sighed softly, "Time flies so fast, Twelfth Prince, you're about to be enfeoffed."

"When the time comes, you have to see me off, just like you saw off Fourth Brother back then," Zhu Bai said.

Zhu Biao smiled and said, "Okay, okay."

But a pang of pain shot through his heart.

He was the one who escorted his younger brothers to their fiefdoms.

After seeing them off, I don't know how many years it will be before I see them again.

As the crown prince, he could at least see his brothers who had returned to the capital for the imperial court.

But those brothers may never see each other again.

The princes could not meet in private, nor could they arrive in the capital at the same time.

The empire ruled by the Zhu family needed to be maintained by members of the Zhu family; this was all arranged by Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Jiujiang, we have to have a competition tomorrow," Zhu Bai said. "My fourth brother taught me how to ride a horse, and now he can even go deep into the northern desert."

Zhu Biao glared: "Don't follow your fourth brother's example. A prince venturing deep into the northern deserts—how dangerous is that?"

"Fourth Brother is a hero!" Zhu Bai exclaimed with great admiration.

Li Jinglong blinked.

Your fourth brother will be the emperor someday.