The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

The next day, at the city gate.

Zhu Yuanzhang, dressed in plain clothes, stood outside the city gate with his hands behind his back, looking like a wealthy old man taking an early morning stroll.

Zhu Biao and Li Jinglong stood behind him.

"Just the few of us welcoming the Duke of Wei?" Li Jinglong frowned. "Where are the Ministry of Rites' ceremonial guards? Where are the officials from the Court of State Ceremonial? Where are the drummers and gong players? Where are the dragon and lion dancers?"

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed softly, "Xu Da is ill, and we don't want our ministers to see him in such a state."

"We cannot let the world know that the God of War of the Ming Dynasty has fallen," Zhu Biao said helplessly.

Li Jinglong chuckled: "The God of War of the Ming Dynasty? Isn't that me?"

Holy crap, how did I end up making my own joke?

Who came up with this setting?

"God of War? You?" Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him.

Li Jinglong shrugged.

Forget it, what's the point of explaining to these ancient people? They don't even go online.

My name as the God of War will be passed down through generations.

"They've arrived." Zhu Yuanzhang pointed with his hand.

On the official road not far away, a small group of people was slowly approaching.

Zhu Yuanzhang quickened his pace to meet him.

Not long after, the two teams met.

The carriage stopped, and Xu Da stepped down, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."

"Get up, get up quickly."

"How can His Majesty personally greet you from so far away? This is against protocol."

Zhu Yuanzhang helped Xu Da up, saying, "What nonsense about rules! Tiande, why is your face so pale?"

Xu Da grinned: "I'm old, no good anymore. The journey was bumpy, I didn't sleep well."

"Let's go back to the palace, we'll give you a welcome feast." Zhu Yuanzhang looked at Li Jinglong, "Jiujiang, you drive the carriage."

Li Jinglong was stunned: "Me? Driving?"

Zhu Yuanzhang glared: "If you're not driving, then you expect me and the Crown Prince to drive?"

"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Li Jinglong quickly stepped forward, "I'll drive the carriage, I'll drive the carriage."

Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Biao helped Xu Da onto the carriage, one on each side.

Li Jinglong picked up the reins and drove back to the city.

He drove extremely slowly, afraid of bumping Xu Da.

"Jiujiang, what are you dawdling for?" Xu Da said impatiently. "At the speed at which you drive, by the time the army sets off and you get the supplies to the front lines, the battle will have already been fought eight times over."

"Uncle Xu, there are countless roads, but safety is the most important. Reckless driving will bring tears to your loved ones' eyes." Li Jinglong remained unhurried. "This is the capital, not the grasslands you roam freely in. There are many people on the roads in the capital; it's not good to bump into flowers and grass."

Xu Da was speechless: "If your dad saw you dawdling like this, he'd slap you across the face."

"Tiande!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed, "This kid has done something reliable recently."

Xu Da became interested: "What is it?"

Li Jinglong rubbed his forehead.

Your Majesty, please, stop talking.

Please don't spread the news about receiving imperial pardons from nobles.

……

Half an hour later, at the Qianqing Palace.

The table was piled high with dishes.

Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, Zhu Biao, and Li Jinglong sat around a table.

"Tiande, eat as much as you like." Zhu Yuanzhang pointed to the roast goose, "It was specially prepared for you."

Zhu Biao hesitated for a moment and said, "Father, Uncle Xu has a boil on his back. Is it inappropriate for him to eat roast goose?"

For carbuncles and boils, oily and greasy foods should be avoided.

"Eat today, and we'll listen to the imperial physician's advice after he examines us tomorrow," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Xu Da laughed heartily: "Your Majesty understands me best. Today, I shall drink to my heart's content."

Li Jinglong muttered under his breath, "Roast goose and wine, a perfect match. Is Uncle Xu trying to kill himself?"

"Boy, what are you muttering about?" Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him. "Pour the wine, don't you have any sense of propriety?"

Li Jinglong immediately put on a smiling face and went to pour the wine.

There was no way around it; any of the four people present could order him around.

I thought it was a trap, but it turns out I'm just here to be a waiter.

"Tiande, this time you're back, don't leave the capital," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "Leave the affairs of Beiping to the fourth prince. You stay in the capital and take good care of your health."

Xu Da chewed heartily: "Alright, Your Majesty's will."

"Tang He is also in the capital." Zhu Yuanzhang took a sip of wine. "At that time, we old brothers can get together from time to time, have a drink, and chat, just like before."

Li Jinglong sat to the side.

I still want to reminisce with my old friends.

Let me tell you, there's no going back.

You, Zhu Yuanzhang, are now the emperor; you are no longer the Zhu Chongba of yesteryear.

……

After several rounds of drinks...

Zhu Yuanzhang's face flushed slightly: "Jiujiang, we said yesterday that we would reward you, and we keep our word. We will reward you with the position of Junior Chamberlain of the Eastern Palace."

"I refuse!" Li Jinglong said decisively.

"What?" the other three exclaimed in unison.

Facing three pairs of gazes, Li Jinglong spread his hands: "Your Majesty, where are the promised gold and silver jewels? Where are the promised beautiful concubines? What use is a Junior Chamberlain to me?"

"Hey, looking for a beating, huh?" Zhu Yuanzhang started rolling up his sleeves.

Seeing this, Xu Da quickly advised, "You lad, His Majesty has taken a liking to you, allowing you to serve by the Crown Prince's side from now on. What a great favor this is! Do you understand His Majesty's good intentions?"

Painstaking effort?

Let me join the princeling faction.

When the Crown Prince ascends the throne, I will be a loyal subject who follows the emperor's rise, and my future will be limitless.

But do you understand?

This prince will never ascend the throne.

Besides, my life goal is to lie down and relax.

Buy a few estates, store a house full of gold and silver jewelry, keep a group of beautiful concubines, and live until the sun is high in the sky every day.

"Your Majesty, Uncle, I am still too young," he said, "and cannot shoulder such a great responsibility."

Zhu Yuanzhang rolled his eyes: "You, as the Junior Chamberlain, are only there to teach Yunwen how to ride a horse and such. You're in mourning period, so you don't need to go every day."

Teach Zhu Yunwen?

Won't I be even worse off in the future?

"Your Majesty, is that all?" He looked utterly disappointed. "I did such a great job, and you're just going to dismiss me with a mere Junior Chamberlain? Your Majesty, you're too stingy."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and said, "There's one more thing. If you handle it well, we can reward you with gold and silver."

"What's the matter?" Li Jinglong's eyes lit up. "I'm short of money lately."

"Han Duo, the Vice Minister of Works, has been arrested for his involvement in the Hu Mei case," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "However, he has implicated another person."

Li Jinglong immediately became alert: "Who is it? Could it be another marquis?"

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "This time it's not a duke or marquis, just a minor official in the Ministry of Works."

"That's easy! I'll take it." Li Jinglong said with great enthusiasm.

Zhu Biao, standing to the side, looked troubled and said, "The person in charge is surnamed Lü, Lü Ben's nephew, and Lü's cousin."

Li Jinglong: "..."

You two, father and son, are you trying to trick me by treating me like a Japanese?

"Why don't we just hand this over to the Ministry of Justice?" he asked.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "They're imperial relatives, so the Ministry of Justice is always hesitant to act. Go and help them out. In short, just follow the law, and the Crown Prince and I will support you."

Li Jinglong didn't believe it: "Hehe, you guys are definitely up to no good."

"Outrageous!" Zhu Yuanzhang roared, "I asked you to do a errand, and you're dragging your feet! What kind of behavior is this?"

Li Jinglong had no choice but to reply: "Your subject obeys the decree."

……

P.S.: It's almost the end of the month, so I'm humbly asking for your monthly votes.