The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Street corner, in front of a small courtyard.

There wasn't even anyone to greet guests at the entrance; it was deserted and quiet.

Li Jinglong raised his hand and patted the door panel: "Hello, how about the 'extermination of nine generations' package?"

"Who is it! Who's cursing me outside!" Ma Sandao's loud voice rang out.

The door was flung open with a whoosh.

Ma Sandao glared angrily at the door, only to see Li Jinglong's smiling face.

"Nephew! What brings you here?" He was overjoyed.

Li Jinglong shook the two bolts of silk he was carrying: "I've come to congratulate you. Old Ma, why didn't you have a wedding banquet? Sneaking around like this, were you afraid I'd eat your food?"

Ma Sandao chuckled awkwardly, "Come in, come in, come in quickly."

Li Jinglong stepped into the courtyard and glanced around.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was kept very clean. A "double happiness" character was pasted on the main door, and there were two pots of unknown flowers and plants, a stone table, and a few stone benches under the eaves—simple and unpretentious.

Xiao Cui came out of the house.

She wore a simple long dress, her hair styled in a traditional Chinese updo, without jewels or heavy makeup. Compared to the dazzling courtesan in the brothel, this woman was much thinner, but possessed a more gentle and refined air.

"Greetings, Young Duke." Xiao Cui bowed gracefully.

Li Jinglong quickly raised his hand: "No, no, no, you will be the elder in the future. There is no reason for an elder to bow to a junior."

Li Jinglong stuffed the silk into Ma Sandao's arms, then walked around the courtyard again: "Is this all you've arranged?"

Ma Sandao stood beside Xiao Cui, smiling somewhat naively: "This isn't our first marriage, and you know Xiao Cui's background, so it's not convenient to have a big banquet. If it gets out in the whole city, the spittle of those censors could drown me. I'm not afraid, but I don't want Xiao Cui to hear those gossips."

Li Jinglong nodded and sat down on the stone bench: "It's fine. Life is for yourself, not for others to see. As long as you two are happy, that's all that matters."

"Nephew, you're right. That's what I thought too." Ma Sandao's face was full of undisguised joy. "I really didn't expect that Miss Yuan would come to offer her congratulations. I certainly didn't expect that you would come too."

Li Jinglong's gaze fell on Xiao Cui, and he smiled: "Xiao Cui is willing to sincerely live with you, which is your blessing."

Xiao Cui gently shook her head, looking tenderly at Ma Sandao: "No, it is my blessing to have met Master Ma."

Ma Sandao turned to look at her, stretched out his rough hand, and gently put his arm around Xiao Cui's shoulder.

"Xiao Cui..."

"Master Ma..."

Li Jinglong's lips twitched, and he waved his hand, "Hey, stop showing off your love."

Xiao Cui's face was slightly flushed, her head was lowered, but a happy smile was on her lips.

Ma Sandao sat next to her, grinning widely with a silly smile on his face.

Li Jinglong looked around and asked, "Old Ma, your courtyard is quite nice. What about your previous manor?"

Ma Sandao shrugged: "Sold!"

"Huh? Sold?" Li Jinglong's eyes widened.

Ma Sandao nodded with a smile, then sighed, "Alas, I used to only know how to eat, drink, and have fun. Every few days I would invite those old brothers over to my house for drinks, and once I started drinking, I couldn't stop spending money. My salary was gone every month."

"I've figured it out now. If I want to live a stable life with Xiaocui, we can't be without money, right? That mansion is just empty anyway. Let's sell it! We'll buy this little courtyard, and we'll still have plenty of money left over, enough for the two of us."

Xiao Cui nodded gently, her gaze tender: "This little courtyard is quite nice, quiet and peaceful. The two of us don't need such a big house."

"Old Ma, you're doing well now, you know how to manage your finances," Li Jinglong said with a smile.

Ma Sandao chuckled: "I'm just a rough man, I didn't know any better before. Now I've figured it out, as long as I don't squander my salary, it's enough for the two of us to live on."

"I also have some jewelry saved up. It's not much, but it helps supplement our household expenses," Xiao Cui said.

Li Jinglong looked at Ma Sandao and asked with a smile, "Old Ma, not going drinking with those old buddies anymore?"

Ma Sandao sighed, "I'm not going to compare myself to them anymore. They all have grand mansions, three wives and four concubines, and are always surrounded by servants when they go out. I can't compare to them. I'll live my own life with Xiao Cui from now on."

"From now on, I will stay at home and serve Master Ma." Xiao Cui lowered her head slightly.

"Xiao Cui..."

"Master Ma..."

The two started again.

Li Jinglong sighed, "You two are showing off your love again! Can't you even consider how I feel?"

"Nephew, what exactly does 'dog food' mean? Did I feed you dog food? I don't have a dog at home," Ma Sandao asked, puzzled.

Li Jinglong waved his hand: "You don't need to know. Just live your life honestly and don't compare yourself to those people. They may seem successful now, but they'll suffer a terrible end."

"To be honest, I've never understood it. My salary is about the same as those old brothers, and no one earns more than anyone else by more than a few taels of silver. So how come they are so rich? They build gardens and take concubines every now and then." Ma Sandao frowned.

Li Jinglong's expression changed.

"Old Ma, you have to return the three thousand taels of silver you took from the Ministry of Works." His expression was solemn. "Moreover, you have to take the initiative to apologize to His Majesty."

Ma Sandao looked puzzled: "Why should I return it? I earned it through my own abilities."

Li Jinglong was speechless: "You call that relying on your own abilities? That's called accepting bribes."

"Oh, three thousand taels of silver, what's the big deal?" Ma Sandao waved his hand dismissively. "The Marquis of Linchuan and his ilk collect tens of thousands of taels; I'm just getting a pittance."

Li Jinglong patiently advised, "Old Ma, listen to me, if His Majesty finds out, it's a capital offense."

Ma Sandao snorted: "I have an ironclad certificate that grants me immunity from death."

Li Jinglong felt his blood pressure rising: "You really think that thing is useful?"

"How could it be useless if it was personally bestowed by His Majesty? It's clearly written on the iron certificate that unless it's a serious crime like treason, one can be spared the death penalty. I didn't commit treason; I just made some money," Ma Sandao said.

Li Jinglong felt like he was going crazy.

"Ma Sandao! If His Majesty wants to kill you, there are a thousand ways."

"My two sons died saving His Majesty. His Majesty personally promised to guarantee me a lifetime of wealth and honor." Ma Sandao spread his hands. "Nephew, don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm His Majesty's benefactor, and he remembers my kindness."

Li Jinglong was utterly speechless: "With your IQ, you won't survive more than two episodes."

He frowned.

Your Majesty intends to use the case of the Marquis of Linchuan to revoke all the iron certificates of immunity from death.

I need someone to tank the damage; Ma Sandao is suitable for tanking damage.

He took the blame for me, so I'll save his life in return.

This stubborn old mule wouldn't listen to advice, so the only option was to try and get through to Xiao Cui.

"Old Ma, do you still want to live a good life with Xiao Cui?" he asked.

"Of course!" Ma Sandao nodded.

Li Jinglong leaned closer and said in a deep voice, "Then you have to listen to me. To tell you the truth, His Majesty ordered me to secretly investigate the case of the Marquis of Linchuan."

"Ah? His Majesty is investigating his father-in-law?" Ma Sandao exclaimed in surprise.

Li Jinglong shrugged: "Yes, His Majesty has become a pervert. He won't even spare his father-in-law, let alone you?"