The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Qianqing Palace.

After returning from the pleasure boat, Li Jinglong sat in the Ministry of Justice for less than half an hour before making an excuse to slip away.

After leaving the Ministry of Justice, I headed straight for the Imperial Palace.

The pleasure boat was filled with singing and dancing, teeming with beautiful women. Wang Huidi and Wang Xizhe seemed to know their way around, clearly regulars. Nobody believed that such a place could thrive in the capital without powerful backing.

As for whether Lao Zhu knows or not?

They might not know exactly how many dishes were on the pleasure boat or what color skirts the girls were wearing, but the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) must have already given them the general idea.

Therefore, instead of waiting for Lao Zhu to come and ask, it's better to turn yourself in first.

While you're at it, sell those two guys from the Ministry of Justice.

Better to die for your fellow Daoist than for me.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty." Li Jinglong bowed to Zhu Yuanzhang.

Zhu Yuanzhang was reviewing memorials, not even looking up: "Any progress in the case?"

"Your Majesty, Minister Lü has already sent his nephew to the Ministry of Justice," Li Jinglong reported.

Zhu Yuanzhang paused slightly: "Mr. Lü is still sensible."

He knows how to use a shovel.

They turned themselves in because they had no other choice.

Li Jinglong thought to himself, but said aloud, "Lü Yang has been locked up in jail, now we just need to interrogate him."

"Then hurry up and investigate!" Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him. "You came all the way here to report this to us for something like this?"

Li Jinglong cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Minister Lü took the initiative to hand over the person, and I and the officials of the Ministry of Justice were quite happy, so we went to have a little wine."

"You've already drunk it, why are you telling us this?" Zhu Yuanzhang said impatiently. "If you keep spouting this nonsense, I'll make you kneel outside for a whole day."

"Doesn't Your Majesty want to know where we went for our drinks?" Li Jinglong asked mysteriously.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't even look up: "How would we know? And we don't want to know."

"Your Majesty truly doesn't know?"

"Get out of here!" Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand.

Li Jinglong quickly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. We went to the Qinhuai River and boarded a painted boat. That boat was no ordinary one; it was two stories high and decorated like a banquet hall. There were women in white playing the zither and girls in colorful clothes dancing. The surrounding area was even more lively, with adults reclining and girls leaning against them. Tsk tsk, it was a scene of vibrant beauty."

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze turned cold.

Li Jinglong bowed deeply and said, "Your Majesty, I will leave now!"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

He shouted, "Stop right there and explain yourself!"

"Alright!" Li Jinglong turned around, his face full of excitement. "The girls there are beautiful, and so alluring and seductive. When they lean against me, they're like boneless lambs, their breath as fragrant as orchids..."

"Who asked you to talk about girls!" Zhu Yuanzhang interrupted. "We want to hear what the officials are doing."

Li Jinglong hesitated for a moment, then said with difficulty, "Your Majesty, I only went once, and I really didn't see anything special. It was nothing more than hugging girls, biting girls, and feeding them wine mouth-to-mouth."

"It can't be that simple." Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze was gloomy.

Li Jinglong tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, how could the Embroidered Uniform Guard not know that a painted boat was floating on the Qinhuai River?"

"Don't worry about that," Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice. "Now that you've infiltrated, make them believe you. Find out what they're trading."

Does His Majesty know they are making a deal?

Well, it seems the Embroidered Uniform Guard has been keeping an eye on things for a while, but they haven't gotten to the core of the operation.

"Your Majesty, the transaction must have been conducted in secret." He shrugged.

"So you need to infiltrate and gain their trust," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Li Jinglong raised his eyes: "Your Majesty, was this all planned in advance? From the moment you sent me to the Ministry of Justice for training, were you trying to lure me into this pleasure boat?"

"We're not gods," Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.

"Your Majesty, please give me a hint, so I can have a direction when I investigate," Li Jinglong continued to try to extract information.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned and said, "A case of embezzlement of government grain has occurred in the localities. Although the case has been closed, I still feel that something is wrong. I suspect that a high-ranking official in the court was involved."

Li Jinglong felt a chill run down his spine.

Holy crap, a case of embezzling government grain.

Isn't this just the future Guo Huan case?

Thirty thousand people died; I can't get involved.

"Your Majesty, I am currently investigating the Lü Yang case. You should hand this case over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard; they are the most professional." He bowed.

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes and suddenly blurted out, "Have you joined forces with them?"

"No!" Li Jinglong shook his head hastily. "Your Majesty, I swear to God. I just had a drink, ate a fish, and briefly put my arm around Miss Xiaolian."

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him: "Then go and investigate."

Li Jinglong was speechless and choked with emotion.

Well, we've come full circle.

Did I trigger the Guo Huan case?

Historical records indicate that the Guo Huan case resulted in the deaths of over 30,000 people.

Almost all of the officials in the Six Ministries of the Imperial Court, except for high-ranking ones, were killed.

When officials meet, this is how they greet each other:

"How many did your department kill today?"

"Three."

"Hey, it's just the two of us."

"I told my wife and kids what I had to do with before I left home this morning, and hey, I didn't die."

"That's what Lao Luo said yesterday, and today his head has already rolled."

Just thinking about that scene sends chills down my spine.

The problem is that the Hu Weiyong case had just passed, and the blood from the Empty Seal case hadn't even dried yet. Zhu Yuanzhang's sword had already killed two groups of people. Which official in the court wasn't trembling with fear and walking on thin ice?

Even if these people had ten heads, they wouldn't dare to commit a crime against the wind at a time like this, right?

Later historians concluded that while corruption did occur in the Guo Huan case, the amount of money involved was definitely not that large, and the number of officials implicated was definitely not that many. Zhu Yuanzhang had his own calculations for expanding the case.

The amount of embezzled grain in Guo Huan's case reached more than 24 million shi (a unit of dry measure), almost equivalent to the annual tax revenue of the Ming Dynasty.

A year's worth of tax revenue!

So, after the case came to light, Zhu Yuanzhang began a nationwide manhunt for the stolen goods. As he pursued the case, local powerful landlords, wealthy merchants, and other prominent figures were all implicated. Their homes were confiscated, some were beheaded, their lands were seized by the imperial court, and their money and grain were deposited into the national treasury.

Next, the imperial court wanted to launch a northern expedition, fight a war, and pay military expenses.

If we keep chasing after the stolen goods, won't we eventually get the military pay?

"Was Old Zhu already planning this at this point?" Li Jinglong muttered to himself. "That can't be right, can it? He couldn't have planned to expand this case from the very beginning, could he?"

He looked up at Zhu Yuanzhang, who was standing behind the dragon table.

The afternoon sun slanted in through the window, casting a long, large shadow behind Old Zhu, like a mountain looming on the ground.

The emperor's heart is as deep as an abyss.

Who the hell could have guessed?

Even I, a time traveler, can't control this!

"Your Majesty," he said with a pained expression, "I am still in mourning. Aren't you giving me too many tasks? Investigating the Lü Yang case on one hand, and the pleasure boat on the other. My frail body can't handle it."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted: "You're in mourning and you're still drinking on pleasure boats? When you're embracing girls, why don't you think about mourning?"

"I was doing that to investigate a case!" Li Jinglong said innocently.

Zhu Yuanzhang glared angrily: "Don't think we don't know what kind of person you are. You're the kind of person who can't stay still. If we don't give you a hard time, you'll definitely cause trouble."

Li Jinglong: "..."