The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

As Li Jinglong emerged from Yikun Palace and walked along the imperial road, he saw a woman approaching.

Hey, isn't this an old acquaintance?

"Sister Hai!" he greeted her with a grin.

The woman had a graceful figure, a beautiful face, and a touch of heroic spirit between her willow-leaf eyebrows.

Her name was Hai Li, and she came from a distinguished family; she was the daughter of Wang Baobao, a famous general of the Northern Yuan Dynasty. She was captured by the Ming army during the Battle of the Tula River. Logically, she should have been a prisoner, but her aunt was the Princess Consort of Qin, making her a member of the royal family.

Empress Ma was kind-hearted and kept her in the palace as a lady-in-waiting.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed, and the little girl from back then has grown into a more mature and charming woman.

"Young Duke." Hai Li bowed slightly.

Li Jinglong walked up to her, a smirk playing on his lips: "Sister Hai, want to take a walk together?"

Hai Li raised a slight eyebrow: "According to palace rules, female officials are not allowed to have contact with men outside the palace."

"What about the son of the Marquis of Linchuan? Did he contact you when he came?" Li Jinglong asked.

Hai Li's expression changed slightly as he stared at him and asked, "Did His Majesty send you to investigate?"

"How could that be?" Li Jinglong shook his head. "I'm just purely jealous. I'm His Majesty's grand-nephew, and even I can't freely enter the harem. What right do they, father and son, have?"

Hai Li blinked: "His sister is a concubine."

Li Jinglong: "..."

Hai Li took a few steps closer, his smile playful: "Young Duke, what are you planning to do, always thinking about entering the harem?"

A delicate fragrance wafted over, and Li Jinglong's heart raced.

Stay calm!

Li Jiujiang, you're someone who's seen it all!

"Of course I miss you, sister." He shrugged.

When he was a child, he rode horses at the royal horse farm with Zhu Twelve and Prince Yan, and often ran into Hai Li.

At that time, she had just come from the grasslands. She was a graceful young woman with the wildness of a grassland girl in her eyes and brows. She was heroic and dashing when riding a horse.

That scene stirred his innocent young heart.

Today, Hai Li exudes a strong, mature woman's aura, combined with the allure of a sophisticated woman.

"Missing your sister?" Hai Li smiled seductively. "Little brat, who are you flirting with?"

"Sister, tell me, where do the Marquis of Linchuan and his son usually go when they come to the palace?" Li Jinglong asked with a smile.

Hai Li smiled faintly: "The father and son only dared to enter the palace frequently for a little over a year after the Empress passed away. Now that Consort Shu is in charge of the harem and the rules have been established, how could they dare to do that? Before, every time they came, they only went to Consort Hu's palace for a visit."

"That's it?" Li Jinglong pressed. "Didn't you go anywhere else?"

Hai Li glared and said, "You little bastard, what else do you want?"

A gentle breeze is blowing.

Looking at the stunningly beautiful woman before him, Li Jinglong sniffed the air.

and many more.

In this breeze, besides the delicate fragrance emanating from Sister Hai, there was also a faint fishy smell.

He looked Hai Li up and down, his gaze landing on the hem of her skirt, where there was a small patch of dark red.

"Sister, are you having your period?" he called out.

Hai Li's expression became flustered, and he also noticed the small patch of blood.

She snapped, "What nonsense are you spouting?"

Li Jinglong leaned closer and blinked: "Is it leaking?"

Hai Li's stunningly beautiful face flushed crimson: "What do you know? Even if it leaked, where could it possibly leak to?"

Li Jinglong smiled knowingly: "Looks like my sister missed it?"

"Get out of here!" Hai Li turned and left angrily.

Li Jinglong watched the departing figure and his smile faded.

He knew, of course, that it wasn't menstrual leakage.

Having spent so much time with the ladies of the brothel, what hadn't he seen? That blood was clearly splattered on.

Whose? How did it get splashed?

He had clearly seen the fleeting surprise in Hai Li's eyes just now.

Li Jinglong glanced towards the direction of the deep palace, where the palace walls stood high and mighty.

He thought of the TV series "Empresses in the Palace".

In such a vast harem, the death of a palace maid would go unnoticed.

Hai Li was extremely skilled; he almost stabbed Lan Yu with a knife back then.

Hmm, this kind of woman is best avoided.

……

Hai Li hurriedly returned to his room and closed the door behind him.

She leaned against the door and glanced down at the dark red stain on her skirt.

Fortunately, not many.

She quickly changed out of the dress and rummaged through the closet for a clean long dress to put on.

"Princess, what has happened?" Hesaer came in.

Hesaer was Haili's maid when they were on the grasslands. They were captured together and brought into the Ming Dynasty's palace together.

Hai Li frowned: "On my way back, I ran into Li Jinglong. He saw the small patch of blood on my skirt."

Hesa'er was startled for a moment, then waved her hand: "Oh, I thought it was a big deal. What could that good-for-nothing Li Jinglong possibly find out? His mind is entirely on your face, Princess. Look at the way he looks at you every time he sees you, his eyes are practically glued to you."

Hai Li shook his head thoughtfully: "When I saw him today, he seemed a little different from before."

"What's different?" Khasar asked.

"I can't quite put my finger on it." Hai Li frowned. "When he used to see me, he was just a frivolous young master, always grinning and joking. Today, although he was still grinning and joking, his eyes seemed to be scrutinizing something."

Hesaer shrugged, unconcerned: "After all, his father just died. As a son, his mindset is definitely different from before."

"Moreover, he inquired about the Marquis of Linchuan and his son from me," Hai Li said. "It must have been Emperor Zhu who sent him to investigate the Marquis of Linchuan and his son."

Hesa'er looked utterly incredulous: "The Emperor Zhu would send this incompetent fool to investigate a case? Who in the capital doesn't know Li Jinglong? He's a brothel patron, what else is there to see besides his face?"

Hai Li's gaze narrowed slightly: "It should be. Otherwise, why would Emperor Zhu allow him into the harem? He's an outsider."

"Emperor Zhu actually believed a good-for-nothing," Hesaer chuckled.

Hai Li walked to the window, looked at the layers of palace walls outside, and said in a deep voice, "We should not take any action recently."

Khasar's expression hardened: "Yes!"

Hai Li sighed softly: "My aunt went to Nanchang and handed over the scout command to me. But over the years, I haven't really accomplished anything worthwhile."

"Princess, please don't say that. The Ming Dynasty today is not what it used to be. Its iron cavalry has swept across the Central Plains, while the Northern Yuan is confined to a corner. The fact that the Scouts and Cavalry Command has been able to maintain its position under these circumstances is entirely due to your skillful maneuvering, Princess," said Hesaer.

Hai Li gave a bitter smile.

Those agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard have noses sharper than dogs. If she hadn't been so careful all these years, the little bit of the Scouts and Military Command within the Ming Dynasty would have been completely exposed long ago.

"This time, Emperor Zhu is going to make a move against the Marquis of Linchuan. Princess, this may be an opportunity for us," said Hesaer.

Hai Li nodded slightly: "If Emperor Zhu wants to kill meritorious officials, we will make the Ming court suspicious of each other."

Hesa'er's eyes lit up: "Should we lend that good-for-nothing Li Jinglong a hand while we're at it?"

"That little bastard got off easy," Hai Li said with a smirk.