The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Soon.

Li Jinglong, head drooping, followed Mao Xiang back.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty and Your Highness the Crown Prince." He bowed deeply.

Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him: "You ran pretty fast, huh? What, is there food simmering on the stove at home again?"

Li Jinglong shook his head: "Your Majesty has misunderstood me. I didn't run away; I was worried that the dukes and marquises would beat Ma Sandao and send him home."

"Isn't that all your fault?" Zhu Yuanzhang sighed helplessly. "Alas, honest Ma Sandao has been tricked again."

Li Jinglong shook his head in dissatisfaction: "Your Majesty, you're wrong. I was the one who arranged Ma Sandao's marriage."

"So, you feel perfectly justified in cheating him?" Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyes.

Li Jinglong opened his mouth.

So you were practically ruining him before?

Forget it, I won't argue with a mere mortal. Even if I'm right, I still have a point.

Besides, this scoundrel is the emperor.

"Your Majesty, do you have something to discuss with me?" he asked.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment and then asked, "How should Hu Mei and his son be punished?"

"How would I know? Your Majesty, you should ask the Ministry of Justice." Li Jinglong shrugged.

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him: "You handled the case, you know it best."

"Behead them, confiscate their property." Li Jinglong waved his hand.

Zhu Yuanzhang immediately replied, "Alright, we'll do as you say."

Li Jinglong quickly waved his hands: "No, no, no! Your Majesty, I was just saying it offhand. Proceed according to the law, proceed according to the law."

"According to the law?" Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly, "According to the law, his entire family should be exterminated."

Li Jinglong frowned, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty, is it necessary? The blame should not extend to the wife and children."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned icy: "Kill those who deserve it; we will show no favoritism."

Li Jinglong stood there blankly, staring at Zhu Yuanzhang on the dragon throne.

After a long pause, he managed to stammer, "Your Majesty, your appearance has changed."

"What kind of face do you have?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

A murderous face.

When an emperor is enraged, corpses can litter for miles.

From this day forward, the Ming Dynasty will see heads roll in droves.

"The face of an emperor for all ages, oh no, an emperor for all eternity!" Li Jinglong exclaimed with great enthusiasm.

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him and said, "Nonsense!"

"Your Majesty, I am sincere. Throughout history, which emperor can compare to you? You started with a bowl and ended up with a country." Li Jinglong said with a sincere expression.

"Alright, alright, alright." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand. "What nonsense."

He said he was disgusted, but the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

Flattery will get you everywhere.

"Let's get down to business. You've done a great job this time, so we should reward you," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Li Jinglong was overjoyed: "Gold and silver jewels, or beautiful concubines?"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

Zhu Biao, standing to the side: "..."

"Your Majesty, we've reached an agreement. I won't accept anything else, especially not an official position," Li Jinglong said.

"Is this all you want?" Zhu Biao sighed, rubbing his forehead.

Li Jinglong shrugged: "Your Highness, I'm just being pragmatic. While I'm young, I can still interact and connect with beautiful women. Once I'm old, I'll just be sitting here waiting."

"This is an insult to scholarship!" Zhu Biao was speechless.

"You'll dine with us tomorrow," Zhu Yuanzhang said, barely suppressing a urge to vomit. "You won't be disappointed with my reward."

Li Jinglong's eyes lit up even more: "Really?"

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled slightly: "Of course."

"Why wait until tomorrow?" Li Jinglong wrung his hands anxiously. "There's no time like the present, Your Majesty! I'm free today, I'm free right now."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted: "Xu Da is returning to the capital tomorrow. We'll invite him to dinner, and you can join us."

"Ah? This sounds like a trap." Li Jinglong decisively refused, "I will not go."

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

"The emperor is hosting a banquet, how dare you not go?" Zhu Biao said irritably.

Li Jinglong curled his lip: "Your Highness, these kinds of business dinners are never good."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand. "Tomorrow, accompany us to welcome Tiande first, then we'll have a meal together. It's settled then."

Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Li Jinglong sighed: "Uncle Xu, why did you suddenly come back from Beiping?"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face darkened: "He's ill; he has a boil on his back."

Li Jinglong felt a chill run down his spine.

Xu Da, the Duke of Wei, will live for a long time.

……

The Duke of Cao's Mansion.

When Li Jinglong returned, he saw Li Zengzhi and Ma Sandao hunched over the table, heads close together, seemingly engaged in some kind of charade.

Let's take a closer look!

Holy crap, what is that that's blinding me?

On the table lay a brocade box, filled to the brim with a box of jewelry.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Jiujiang! This is all the savings my wife accumulated over the years at the brothel. She asked me to bring it to you as a way of repaying your life-saving grace," Ma Sandao said.

Li Jinglong: "Uh... there's no need to be so polite."

Upon hearing this, Ma Sandao immediately became displeased: "Jiujiang, I, Ma Sandao, am not an ungrateful person. If it weren't for you this time, I would have been beheaded, and my Xiaocui would have been a widow. You must accept these. My wife said that if you don't accept them, you are disrespecting us."

"Jiujiang, if you ever need anything, I, Ma Sandao, will go through fire and water for you without hesitation."

Li Jinglong blinked.

For a fleeting moment, a pang of guilt welled up inside me.

"Old Ma, what are you saying? Take these jewels back. Do you think I, Li Jiujiang, made friends with you for these things? What I care about is you as a person, Old Ma," he said emotionally.

Li Zengzhi, who was standing to the side, silently turned his face away.

"No! You have to accept it! If you don't, you're looking down on me!" Ma Sandao said. "I know those old brothers from Fengyang all look down on me. They think I'm rough and stupid."

Li Jinglong replied decisively, "Okay, I'll take it. Old Ma, you're such an honest man."

Ma Sandao chuckled: "Jiujiang, you're an honest man too."

Li Zengzhi covered her face.

What is this?

Being sold out and still helping the seller count the money?

"Old Ma, you're a true friend! In all these years, no one has ever called me an honest man," Li Jinglong said, moved. "Old Ma, only you understand me!"

Ma Sandao nodded repeatedly: "Jiujiang, I understand you."

Li Zengzhi, unable to bear it any longer, said, "Stop! That's enough. If this continues, it'll be disgusting."

Ma Sandao chuckled, "Jiujiang, let's go to my house for a drink!"

Li Jinglong waved his hand: "Another day, Lao Ma, let's go another day. I have things to do today."

"Alright, I'll come again next time." Ma Sandao cupped his hands and left.

Li Zengzhi watched Ma Sandao leave, speechless: "Brother, even an honest man like you gets ripped off?"

Li Jinglong picked up a string of pearls and said, "I don't call this a scam. It's a scholar's business, how can it be considered a scam? Hey, I made a little money."

Li Zengzhi blinked: "To the Imperial Music Bureau?"

Snapped!

Li Jinglong slapped him on the back of the head: "Keep it, you can use it to buy a manor later."

"Alright, alright, buy the estate, buy the estate." Li Zengzhi nodded repeatedly.

Li Jinglong's eyes were full of longing: "His Majesty invited me to dinner tomorrow and said there would be a reward, and that he wouldn't let me down."

"That's great! Our family is going to be rich!" Li Zengzhi said, his face beaming with joy.