The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

As Li Jinglong walked along the imperial road after leaving the Wuying Hall, his back was still numb.

The task couldn't be avoided.

If we don't push it, how can we get the job done?

To reclaim the imperial pardon, those dukes and marquises would have to voluntarily withdraw.

I can't let those nobles and lords hold a grudge against me.

Father, if you are watching from heaven, please give me a way.

Your Majesty was terrifying just now; he went mad and was about to kill someone!

A strong wind howled past, and Li Jinglong sighed.

"Jiujiang!" a shout rang out. "What are you standing there daydreaming about?"

At the other end of the imperial road, Zhu Biao approached, his posture upright and his face gentle and refined, a stark contrast to Old Zhu's demeanor.

Old Zhu is the knife, and this one is the jade.

"Your subject Li Jinglong greets Your Highness the Crown Prince." Li Jinglong bowed.

Zhu Biao waved his hand: "Don't give me that when we're not around. Did you just come from the Wuying Hall?"

"Yes."

"What's wrong? Did Father scold you? You seem distracted."

Li Jinglong shook his head: "His Majesty didn't scold me."

"That's just how Father is. Which of us brothers hasn't been scolded or beaten by him?" Zhu Biao smiled.

Li Jinglong sighed, "Your Highness, I heard that the Seventeenth Prince skipped school a couple of days ago and got a severe beating from His Majesty?"

The seventeenth prince, Zhu Quan, is only seven years old this year.

Zhu Biao sighed, "That's right. He still can't get out of bed."

"His Highness is only seven years old. Wasn't that a bit too harsh?" Li Jinglong frowned.

Zhu Biao sighed softly: "Now, no one can persuade Father Emperor."

Li Jinglong sighed, "If only my aunt were here, she might be able to help me."

Empress Ma showed him great care and affection when she was alive.

When he was a child, he went to the palace with his father. When Empress Ma saw him, she pulled him over, looked him over from left to right, and stuffed osmanthus cake into his hand.

Once, he was running wildly in the Imperial Garden when he bumped into a pillar and got a big bump on his forehead.

Empress Ma held him in her arms, rubbing his back while scolding, "You little rascal, even your father wasn't this reckless when he was fighting!"

At that time, His Majesty stood to the side, also with a smile on his face.

pity.

After his maternal aunt passed away, His Majesty's temper became more and more eccentric each year.

Zhu Biao's eyes dimmed when he heard him mention his mother: "Jiujiang, what trouble have you encountered? Tell me."

Li Jinglong sighed.

He then gave a general account of the case of Marquis Hu Mei of Linchuan, from the beginning when His Majesty asked him to investigate the case, to what Tang He said, to the uproar among the dukes and marquises in the Wuying Hall today, and finally, what His Majesty said to him alone.

As Zhu Biao listened, his expression gradually changed: "So Father Emperor wants to take back all the iron certificates of immunity from death."

Li Jinglong nodded repeatedly, his face full of bitterness: "Uncle Crown Prince, is this a job for a human being? You want me to retrieve those old guys' life-saving charms and then expect them to back down voluntarily? Is that even possible?"

"Uncle Crown Prince, you didn't see it! His Majesty was terrifying just now! He's a monster!"

Zhu Biao: "..."

"Don't talk nonsense, Father has his own difficulties."

"Who will help me with my troubles?" Li Jinglong lowered his head.

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment, then shook his head: "This task of yours is indeed difficult, and I cannot help you with it."

Li Jinglong's head drooped again.

Okay, as expected.

Although His Highness the Crown Prince is kind-hearted, this matter is too complicated for him to handle.

"Alright." He waved his hand. "I'll figure it out myself. If I can't figure it out, then we'll talk. I'm going back to get some sleep."

Zhu Biao didn't expect this reaction: "You're really thick-skinned."

……

Zhu Biao watched Li Jinglong's figure disappear at the end of the imperial road, shook his head, and turned to walk towards the Wuying Hall.

Inside the hall, Zhu Yuanzhang was still sitting on his throne, head bowed, seemingly lost in thought.

"Father." Zhu Biao bowed.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up: "That kid's gone?"

"He's leaving," Zhu Biao smiled. "He said he's going back to get some sleep."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted and a smirk appeared on his lips.

Zhu Biao pondered for a moment: "Father, I have a few things to report."

"explain."

"Last month, a servant of Marquis Lu Zhongheng of Ji'an rode his horse recklessly through the streets of Yingtian Prefecture and trampled an old woman selling vegetables to death. The Prefect of Yingtian Prefecture accepted the complaint but did not dare to investigate, and only ordered Lu Zhongheng to pay twenty taels of silver to settle the matter."

"The victim's son refused to accept the situation and knelt at the entrance of the Yingtian Prefecture government office for three days. In the end, he was dragged away by the Lu family's servants and his whereabouts are unknown."

"Furthermore, last year, Marquis Tang Shengzong of Yan'an expanded his residence, encroaching on the land of three neighboring households. One of them owned a silk shop and filed a complaint with the Yingtian Prefecture. Before the Yingtian Prefecture could even hear the case, Tang Shengzong's servants smashed up the silk shop."

"There's another matter. Fei Ju, the Marquis of Pingliang, had a fight with someone over a woman last month at the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau), and beat the other person up. Only after the fight did he find out that the other person was a student at the Imperial Academy. The students of the Imperial Academy jointly wrote a petition and submitted it to the Ministry of Rites, but the Ministry of Rites suppressed it."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned icy: "They are becoming increasingly unscrupulous."

"Father, Jiujiang just spoke a lot to me," Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Yuanzhang was not surprised: "Now you know what we're going to do, right?"

Zhu Biao nodded: "Father, isn't this too difficult for him? He's still young, and his cousin just passed away."

"When we were his age," Zhu Yuanzhang scoffed, "we were already begging everywhere. In the winters of Huaixi, we went barefoot, knocking on door after door."

"Is he having a hard time? What's wrong with him?"

Zhu Biao didn't argue, but smiled and said, "Father, things are different now. His generation was born into luxury and never experienced hardship. Even if you want to train him, you can send him to the military camp and let him train under Uncle Xu."

"He will definitely go to the military camp," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "We will make arrangements after his mourning period is over, but for now, let him do what he can."

Zhu Biao sighed, "Father, he can't handle this."

"You underestimate that kid," Zhu Yuanzhang snorted. "He's incredibly cunning. Do you really think he's a complete fool?"

"Everyone in the capital says he's a good-for-nothing." Zhu Biao shook his head. "I think he's just pretending."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded slightly: "That boy from Jiujiang is like his father, yet not quite. Bao'er is an honest man; what he thinks is written all over his face. This boy is different; he's much more cunning. Today in the palace, in front of so many dukes and marquises, he dared to speak his mind and confront them directly."

"He steered the conversation step by step toward the idea of ​​a get-out-of-jail-free card. He didn't say a word himself, letting those old guys create an uproar. In the end, I stepped in to smooth things over, playing the good cop. That kid's shrewd."

Zhu Biao seemed to be deep in thought.

Zhu Yuanzhang leaned back on his throne: "If you hone your skills, you will become my right-hand man in the future."

Zhu Biao nodded: "Jiujiang is indeed adept at navigating social situations. He can speak with dukes and marquises, deal with civil officials, and even befriend palace eunuchs. Your son will certainly need a minister like him in the future."

"Take it slow," Zhu Yuanzhang said irritably. "He wants to be a rich man? Dream on."