The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

"On this ordinary day, I wore ordinary shoes and walked down this ordinary street..."

Li Jinglong sang while eating a sesame seed cake, which attracted the attention of the palace maids on the imperial road.

He felt encouraged and continued singing: "We rock out in a normal disco, and the ordinary passersby just watch..."

Although the palace maid looked puzzled, her eyes shone brightly.

The young Duke's face was unmistakable; he was the son of the most handsome man in the Ming Dynasty.

"What kind of nonsense is the Young Duke singing?"

"Is he crazy?"

"Did the mourning period make you stupid?"

Li Jinglong raised his voice: "My ordinary soul is in an ordinary out-of-body experience, burning in an ordinary thump-thump rhythm..."

The palace maids' expressions changed drastically.

"Kneel down immediately, His Majesty is here!"

Li Jinglong was taken aback and turned his head to look.

The imperial carriage was speeding towards them; the emperor was returning from the morning court session.

Zhu Yuanzhang, on his imperial carriage, saw Li Jinglong on the imperial road from afar, gesturing wildly as if he were insane.

"Li Jiujiang!" Zhu Yuanzhang roared.

"Your subject Li Jinglong greets Your Majesty." Li Jinglong was stunned.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked down at him, glaring: "You skipped the morning court session, what are you doing here howling like a ghost?"

Li Jinglong looked embarrassed: "Your Majesty, I am observing the mourning period and do not need to attend the morning court."

Zhu Yuanzhang choked for a moment.

It seems there is such a rule.

"You got a chance to slack off." Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him. "What are you holding? Hand it over."

Li Jinglong looked down at the sesame seed cake in his hand that he hadn't eaten yet, and obediently handed it over.

Zhu Yuanzhang took the sesame seed cake and immediately started eating it.

"So he had his eye on my sesame seed cakes." Li Jinglong watched helplessly as the emperor devoured his breakfast in just a few bites, his heart aching.

He's not full yet.

"Keep up!" Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand after finishing his meal.

Li Jinglong, with a bitter face, followed the imperial carriage with small steps.

Before long, we arrived at the Qianqing Palace.

We entered the main hall of the Qianqing Palace.

Li Jinglong stood properly, looking obedient.

Zhu Yuanzhang sat behind his desk, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said, "Spit it out."

Li Jinglong recounted everything that had happened at the Marquis of Linchuan's residence in detail.

The story details everything from the expansion of the Hou Mansion and the forced occupation of private residences, to the mysterious disappearance of Wang Chang's family of four, to Zhao the carpenter entering the Hou Mansion and never coming out, and his wife Qiu Xiang being detained inside.

Finally, he summarized:

"Your Majesty, the crimes committed by Hu Mei and his son Hu Fei are punishable by death. What's the point of investigating them?"

"Is just beheading enough?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Li Jinglong's eyes widened: "Isn't that enough?"

"First of all, if someone is guilty, we must investigate them thoroughly. The same applies to everything else; if we're going to do something, we must see it through to the end." Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyes.

Li Jinglong quickly bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze suddenly turned cold: "Enough to behead him is not enough. He is a marquis, and we have granted his family an iron certificate of immunity from death."

Li Jinglong: "..."

An iron certificate of immunity from death! That thing can save you from death! Unless it's a serious crime like treason, you can't be beheaded.

His Majesty's intention is to completely destroy his father-in-law's family.

"I understand," he bowed.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted lightly: "Then tell me, what do you know?"

Li Jinglong pondered for a moment before speaking: "We need to exaggerate the crimes of this father and son as much as possible. In short, we need to let the court and the public know that their crimes are heinous and countless, and even an ironclad pardon cannot cover them up."

Zhu Yuanzhang blinked: "You understand a little bit now, right?"

Li Jinglong was alarmed.

This is only a little bit of understanding?

So what exactly do you want to do, old man?

"We asked you to investigate the matter of that father and son entering the harem. Have you investigated?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Li Jinglong looked troubled: "My aunt isn't here, who can I turn to?"

"Consort Li, she manages the affairs of the six palaces," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

"I will go now." Li Jinglong withdrew.

……

Yikun Palace.

Li Jinglong stood in front of the palace gate, lost in thought.

Why did Zhu Yuanzhang choose Consort Li to manage the affairs of the six palaces?

First, he is steady and dignified; second, he has no powerful relatives or connections.

After the palace maid reported this, he straightened his clothes and strode into the hall.

Consort Li sat upright in her chair, beautiful and dignified, but her face was pale and her lips were bloodless.

"Your subject pays respects to Consort Shu." Li Jinglong bowed.

Consort Li smiled gently: "Jiujiang, get up quickly, cough cough cough..."

Before he could finish speaking, he coughed.

Li Jinglong stood up: "Your Majesty, are you ill? Has the imperial physician been summoned?"

"It's an old ailment, no need to disturb the imperial physician," Consort Li smiled.

Li Jinglong frowned.

Historical records indicate that Consort Li died of illness not long after she took charge of the affairs of the six palaces.

The pale-faced woman in front of me probably doesn't know how much longer she can hold on.

"Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance," he said earnestly.

Consort Li waved her hand: "It's nothing. Jiujiang, you came to see me, is there something you need?"

Li Jinglong cut to the chase and said directly, "Your Majesty, I have recently been ordered to investigate a case involving the Marquis of Linchuan's residence. I would like to ask you, do the Marquis and his son frequently visit the palace?"

Consort Li frowned slightly and thought for a while.

"That's not often; one must request permission to enter the palace." She paused, "But the Marquis did bring his son and son-in-law with him a few times when he entered the palace. This is against the rules, and I have mentioned it to Consort Hu."

Li Jinglong narrowed his eyes.

It is a major taboo for men from outside the palace to enter the harem.

Has Hu Mei lost her mind?

Or does he think that because he is the emperor's father-in-law, he can treat the harem as his own backyard?

"He's really bold," Li Jinglong sneered.

Consort Li gave a bitter smile: "Since the Empress's passing, His Majesty has not appointed a new Empress, and the harem has been somewhat chaotic. Consort Hu is now a Noble Consort; if she wants to see Father and Brother, who can stop her?"

With Empress Ma gone, the harem was leaderless.

Consort Hu was a Noble Consort, a high-ranking official. She wanted to see her family, but it was also within the bounds of the law.

"Now that the Empress is in charge of the harem, things are finally in order," Li Jinglong said.

Consort Li sighed softly, "I'm afraid of disappointing His Majesty's expectations."

The palace maid standing nearby couldn't hold back any longer, her eyes filled with tears: "Your Highness, you work so hard day and night, and you still have to endure the Consort's displeasure. What are you doing this for? You should take good care of your health!"

Li Jinglong understood immediately; who hasn't watched The Legend of Zhen Huan?

The imperial concubines gave Consort Li the cold shoulder.

They're all concubines, so why is she in charge of the affairs of the six palaces?

"Shut up." Consort Li glared at the palace maid.

Li Jinglong advised, "Your Majesty, your health is of utmost importance, so that you can better share His Majesty's burdens."

Consort Li smiled slightly: "I will do my best. I can't let the harem be in turmoil and disturb His Majesty."

Li Jinglong sighed inwardly, able to imagine the hardships Consort Li had endured.

She did not have the same status as Empress Ma; she came from a humble background and had no powerful family connections.

Maintaining a sizable harem must be incredibly exhausting.

Given her personality, and not wanting to bother Zhu Yuanzhang, she could only bear it all by herself.

When the women in the imperial harem start fighting, that's the story of Zhen Huan.

This woman has it so tough!

She had the illness of an empress, but not the life of one.

In Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes, she was just a working-class woman.

"Your Majesty, please rest. I will come another day." Li Jinglong bowed.