The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Li Jinglong climbed over the railing of the stands and plopped down among the young ladies.

"Ladies, I've come with you."

The girls were taken aback at first, then burst into laughter.

"Brother Jiujiang, you're not going to fight anymore?"

"What's the point of this martial arts contest? Swords have no eyes; what if they rub off a piece of my foundation? Wouldn't you be heartbroken?"

"So heartbreaking!"

The daughter of a military family is quite different from those sheltered young ladies who never leave their homes. Having grown up in the military alongside her father and brothers, she speaks and acts with a straightforward and decisive manner, without any deliberate attempt to avoid suspicion.

A few of the bolder ones simply moved over and squeezed in.

"Ladies, who do you think will win today?" Li Jinglong asked with a smile.

The girls started chattering amongst themselves.

Lu Zhongheng's youngest daughter, Lu Xue, pouted, looking uninterested: "Brother Yun Gong isn't here, and Brother Chang Mao isn't here either. What's there to see?"

Upon hearing this, Li Jinglong was displeased: "Hey, hey, hey, Miss Lu, what are you saying? This general is still sitting right here."

Lu Xue chuckled, "Brother Jiujiang, you're not here to compete in martial arts, you're here to compete in beauty."

"She's number one in beauty too." Li Jinglong raised his chin.

The girls laughed again.

Fei Hua, the youngest daughter of Marquis Fei Ju of Pingliang, said in a clear voice, "I think Brother Tang Jingzu will win. But no matter how good he is, he can't compare to Brother Jiujiang."

These words made Li Jinglong feel completely comfortable, and his mouth almost stretched to his ears in a grin.

"Young lady of the Fei family, you have good taste. Although my martial arts skills are mediocre, there is one thing that none of them can match."

"What?"

"This face."

"Pah!" Lu Xue laughed and scolded, "Shameless."

Not far from the stands, Yuan Qing, the daughter of the Yuan family, sat upright with a cold expression.

"Oh, the young master of the Marquis of Linchuan didn't come today? I heard he recently acquired a new Akhal-Teke horse." Li Jinglong started the conversation.

Lu Xue snorted, her face full of contempt: "Him? He's nothing but a debauched scoundrel, a complete waste."

Li Jinglong's eyes lit up, his face full of gossip: "Oh? Tell me more?"

Lu Xue opened her mouth, but swallowed the words back.

Li Jinglong, being quite shrewd, immediately raised an eyebrow: "Little sister Lu, you don't know anything, do you? Are you pretending with me?"

Provocation tactic.

Lu Xue fell for his trick, glaring at him: "Who says I don't know! Hu Fei likes to frequent brothels with a bunch of cronies; who in the entire capital doesn't know that?"

"That's it?" Li Jinglong spread his hands, his face full of disappointment. "Going to a brothel is considered a big deal? Which of those men who compete in martial arts doesn't go?"

Fei Hua blinked beside her: "It's said that Brother Jiujiang often goes to the brothel."

The girls' eyes all fell on Li Jinglong's face.

Sending such a face to the brothel would be a waste of talent.

"No! Absolutely not! Those are all rumors. You must believe your brother." Li Jinglong coughed. "Sister Lu, please continue talking about Hu Fei. Don't interrupt."

Lu Xue rolled her eyes, looked around, and said in an even lower voice, "Hu Fei also forcibly abducted women."

"I've heard about this too," Fei Hua snorted. "The Marquis of Linchuan and his son, relying on their status as imperial relatives, act recklessly. Just because Consort Shun is favored in the palace, they dare to run rampant outside. It's outrageous."

Li Jinglong sighed, "Besides your brother Jiujiang, don't all those sons of noble families do similar things? I am the one who rises from the mud unsullied and remains pure and untainted by the clear water."

The girls all rolled their eyes.

Lu Xue leaned closer and whispered, "I also heard that Hu Fei is having an affair with Consort Zhuang."

Li Jinglong's eyes widened.

Big news!

Consort Zhuang and Hu Fei?

What the hell!

Is His Majesty being cuckolded?

"No way? That's so bold? Sister Lu, is your information reliable? That's a concubine, how many heads does Hu Fei have to chop off?" He looked unconvinced.

Fei Hua was also incredulous: "Yeah, yeah, isn't that just courting death? Even if Hu Fei is a scoundrel, he wouldn't have the guts, would he?"

"You're incredibly audacious, don't you know that?" Lu Xue said with an air of seriousness. "Back then, Hu Fei went to the palace with his father, Hu Mei, to visit his sister, Consort Shun. That's how he got involved with Consort Zhuang. Think about it, Consort Shun and Consort Zhuang lived close by, they saw each other all the time, so it's no wonder they fell for each other!"

Li Jinglong feigned shock: "There are so many people in the harem, a whole bunch of eunuchs and maids, eyes everywhere, how could you dare?"

Lu Xue snorted and leaned forward again, bringing the girls' heads almost touching.

"That Consort Zhuang isn't exactly a model of virtue either," Lu Xue said. "After she entered the palace, Her Majesty neglected her. His attention is entirely on Consort Guo and Consort Li; how could she possibly have a chance? A young woman, alone in her room, how could she not want to find a lover?"

"She had a eunuch named Yu by her side who knew her thoughts best. It just so happened that the Hu family father and son frequently visited the palace during that period, which was more than a year after the Empress's death, when the palace was less strictly controlled. This eunuch Yu acted as a go-between, getting the two of them together."

Li Jinglong listened intently.

Lu Xue spoke with great detail and even mentioned the name of the eunuch who had arranged the meeting, so this news was definitely not unfounded.

It's over.

Your Majesty, are you really being cuckolded?

The more they investigate this case, the more exciting it becomes.

……

A cheer erupted from the training ground.

Everyone looked up and saw Tang Jingzu riding on his horse, covered in sweat, holding his spear high, looking smug.

He won.

He even glanced towards the stands.

However, the girls only raised their heads, glanced at it, and then looked away, continuing to chatter amongst themselves.

Tang Jingzu gritted his teeth in resentment.

He worked hard for half a day, sweating profusely, but the girls didn't care at all.

Li Jinglong sat in the stands, his two pheasant feathers swaying, and a smirk appeared on his lips.

Tsk, how pathetic.

He turned around, ready to continue gossiping with the girls, when Lu Xue stood up.

"Brother Jiujiang, please don't tell anyone what we talked about today."

Li Jinglong said with a righteous expression, "Don't worry! I'm not a gossip."

Fei Hua chimed in, "I believe in Brother Jiujiang."

"There's nothing more to see, I should go back." Lu Xue glanced in the direction of the martial arts arena.

"Me too." Fei Hua stood up and gave Li Jinglong a sweet smile. "Brother Jiujiang, will you come to training again next time?"

"Come on! You absolutely have to come!" Li Jinglong waved his hand. "As long as the ladies come, I'll be there rain or shine."

Fei Hua covered her mouth and laughed, then followed Lu Xue away.

Li Jinglong watched their departing figures, feeling extremely pleased.

Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind.

"Hmph, General Foundation. Are you proud of yourself?"

When Li Jinglong turned around, he was met with Yuan Qing's icy face.

"That was me making fun of myself. Do you understand what self-deprecation is? It's a sophisticated kind of humor." He looked completely innocent.

Yuan Qing's gaze swept coldly over the two pheasant feathers on his head, then over the carefully applied makeup on his face, and she snorted coldly.

"If Uncle Li could know this from beyond the grave, seeing your behavior would probably make him die of anger again."

"Girl, how can you talk like that? We're engaged, can't you be a little gentler to your future husband?" Li Jinglong was speechless.

Yuan Qing glared at him and strode away.

Li Jinglong stood there, a smile playing on his lips.

interesting.

This fiancée has quite a personality.