The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

After leaving the Marquis's residence, Li Jinglong did not return home, but instead went to Taibai Tower.

As soon as he entered, the waiter approached him enthusiastically: "Oh my, Young Duke, you've finally arrived! The private room has been arranged, and your friends have been here for a while."

Li Jinglong waved his hand and went straight up to the second floor.

He walked through a long corridor to the room at the very end.

"Five champions! Six six six!"

"You lost! Drink! Drink! You're a coward if you don't!"

"Hahahaha! Wang Dong, you're no good. Your face turned as red as a monkey's butt after just three drinks."

Li Jinglong stood at the door, his lips twitching.

Clang!

He raised his foot and kicked the door open.

The seven or eight teenagers inside froze at the same time and turned their heads in unison.

next moment!

"Whoa! Boss!"

"Eldest brother, we heard your father passed away. We've been grieving like we've lost our own parents these past few days!"

"Boss, I'm more heartbroken than if my own father had died. I haven't been able to eat or sleep these past few days, and I've lost weight."

"Boss, please accept our condolences! Now that you've lost your father, we'll be your fathers from now on!"

"What are you saying? From now on, our boss is our father!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Father! Father! You've gone through so much trouble!"

Li Jinglong was speechless, then roared, "Stop the hell out!"

Seven or eight boys shut up at the same time and stared at him expectantly.

"Don't pretend in front of me," Li Jinglong said irritably. "Xie Chun, you don't even have a tear, so what are you wailing about?"

"And you, Wang Dong, I am your father."

Wang Dong chuckled and stepped forward, "Boss, calm down. We're just experiencing a case of extreme joy turning to sorrow. Oh no, sorrow turning to joy! Boss, you have no idea how worried we've been these past few days since you last contacted us. We thought you'd entered the palace and were forever cut off from the world."

"Stop talking nonsense. I have something to discuss with you. Sit down, all of you." Li Jinglong sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Everyone quickly sat down.

Wang Dong, sitting on the far side, asked, "Boss, what's up? Want to listen to music at a brothel, or lie down in a brothel?"

Li Jinglong glared at the crowd: "You all know about the Marquis of Linchuan's residence, right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Then tell me, all of you, about the Marquis's residence that you know."

The group exchanged glances and frowned.

"We'll only dare to speak if you ask, boss. This Marquis's mansion is really strange," Xie Chun said.

Li Jinglong raised an eyebrow: "What kind of weird method is it?"

Xie Chunduan pondered for a moment, then slowly explained, "Elder brother, you know the land where the Marquis of Linchuan's residence is, right? A few years ago, it wasn't this size. When Hu Mei was first ennobled, the residence was just an ordinary one. But in the last few years, guess what? They expanded to the east, added another piece to the west, and even enclosed the entire open space behind it."

"The land that's been expanded needs to be sold. But that area is inhabited by long-established families; who would want to move? That's when someone has to step up."

"There's a guy named Wang Chang, who was originally a small landowner in that area. He's quick-witted and has a silver tongue. I don't know how he got in touch with Hu Mei, but he's been helping the Marquis buy land. And this buying isn't quite what we expected."

"First, they lure them with high prices, but if they don't sell, they resort to underhanded tactics. Today there's a pile of dog poop in front of your house, tomorrow someone splashes excrement on your wall, and the day after tomorrow your child is beaten on the street. Report it to the police? When the officials arrive and see it's a matter for the Marquis's family, they don't dare to get involved."

Li Jinglong's brows furrowed more and more tightly.

"And so it went, the neighbors were forced to sell their land at a low price. Wang Chang profited from it, and the Marquis's family got the land. But then something happened."

"What is it?"

"Wang Chang and his family of four have all disappeared."

The private room fell silent for a moment.

Li Jinglong sat up straight: "Missing? When did this happen?"

Last autumn, a family of four—Wang Chang, his wife, their son, and their daughter—disappeared.

"Have you reported it to the authorities?" Li Jinglong asked.

"It's been reported." Xie Chun nodded. "The officials from Yingtian Prefecture went to investigate and came back with a notice saying that Wang Chang was a gambler who had accumulated a huge gambling debt. Fearing that the creditors would come knocking, he took his whole family to live with distant relatives."

Li Jinglong scoffed, "These days, you need a travel permit to go out. Where can he go to seek refuge?"

Xie Chun shrugged: "I don't know. Anyway, that's what the notice said, and that's how the case was closed. After that, no one saw Wang Chang's family again. A few days after Wang Chang disappeared, his entire family was transferred to the Hou family's name. All the paperwork was in order, and the deed tax was paid in full."

Li Jinglong frowned.

A man who did dirty work for others was killed after he finished.

"Wang Chang's family isn't the only one that's gone missing," Wang Dong said.

Li Jinglong turned to look at him: "Who else?"

"Qiu Xiang's husband."

"Qiu Xiang? Is that the woman playing the zither at the Marquis's mansion?"

"It's her." Wang Dong nodded. "The news is spreading like wildfire. Qiu Xiang wasn't originally from the Marquis's mansion. Her husband, Zhao the carpenter, ran a carpentry shop. He was quite skilled, and they lived a comfortable life. Qiu Xiang was beautiful, and the couple had a happy and harmonious relationship."

"Later, Hu Fei took a liking to her, but Qiu Xiang already had a husband. Hu Fei sent someone to Zhao the carpenter's shop to say he wanted a set of furniture made. Zhao the carpenter accepted the job, happily went to the Marquis's mansion to take measurements, and then never came out again."

"Qiu Xiang waited for a whole day and night, but no one returned. She was extremely anxious and ran to the Marquis's residence to look for him. After entering..."

"Never came out again?" Li Jinglong asked.

Wang Dong nodded.

Li Jinglong's eyes widened: "The Hu family is so bold?"

Xie Chun gave a wry smile: "Boss, Hu Mei isn't just a marquis, he's also the emperor's father-in-law. Who in the capital dares to investigate him?"

Li Jinglong's eyes were cold.

This Marquis's mansion is a treacherous place.

Did the Embroidered Uniform Guard not know about the Marquis's residence?

They definitely know!

But His Majesty sent me to investigate. What does that mean? Does His Majesty just want me to investigate the Marquis's unauthorized entry into the inner palace?

"Boss, why are you suddenly asking about the Marquis of Linchuan's residence?" Xie Chun asked.

Li Jinglong snapped out of his daze: "Today when I went to the Marquis's residence, I saw that Qiu Xiang was quite pretty, and Hu Mei immediately offered to give her to me. You know me, right? How could I possibly accept a woman of unknown origin?"

"Yes, boss, you only sleep at the brothel, you don't touch any women," Xie Chun said.

Wang Dong chimed in, "The ladies of the brothel all secretly think that you're impotent, boss."

Li Jinglong: "..."

"Just wait, after I finish my mourning period, I'll slaughter them until they're routed."

Wang Dong looked incredulous: "Boss, so you want to buy Qiu Xiang away? Well, you can't go to the brothel now, so you need a woman to serve you in your household."

Li Jinglong had no way to express his suffering.

I'm investigating a case, why would I buy a woman?

Besides, I like mature women, not old women. You've been with me for so long, and you didn't even know?

"You all keep a close eye on the Marquis's residence for me in secret," he waved his hand.