The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Ministry of Justice.

Li Jinglong stood in front of the gate, his face somewhat pale. He had stayed home all day yesterday, unable to eat anything.

Li Zengzhi's clueless younger brother brought over a bowl of tofu pudding at noon. Li Jinglong glanced at it and immediately vomited violently. Li Zengzhi asked his older brother if he was pregnant.

He didn't want to go out today, but the case needed to be filed. If it dragged on, what if Old Zhu rewarded him with another bowl of tofu pudding?

"Lord Li!" A familiar voice called out.

Wang Huidi and Wang Xizhe walked side by side, their faces beaming, each carrying a steaming bowl.

"What did you two eat?" Li Jinglong asked.

Wang Xizhe strode up and held out the bowl to Li Jinglong: "Tofu pudding, from Granny Liu's stall on the back street of the Ministry of Justice. Smell this aroma. Look how tender it is, all white and trembling, just like pig brains."

"vomit-"

Li Jinglong turned around, bent over, and began to stir up a storm.

"What's wrong, Lord Li?" Wang Xizhe, oblivious to the danger, came over, patting his back and pushing the bowl forward. "Tofu pudding, it's delicious. Try some, Granny Liu even gave me an extra spoonful of braising sauce."

"Damn it!" Li Jinglong said with a look of grief and indignation, "I saw real brains yesterday, the kind that burst open. Do you know what bursting open means? It's like five horses pulling it, and then, snap, whoosh, it all comes apart."

Wang Huidi reacted quickly, throwing the bowl in her hand to the ground: "Oh dear, I forgot, Lord Li accompanied His Highness the Crown Prince to oversee the execution yesterday. It was my first time going to the execution ground, and I vomited for three days afterward."

"Yes, yes, yes." Wang Xizhe also hid the bowl behind his back. "The first time I went to see an execution, I didn't dare to eat watermelon for half a month afterward."

"Stop talking!!!" Li Jinglong roared.

He leaned against a pillar, catching his breath for a while before recovering: "Let's go, let's file the case."

The main hall of the Ministry of Justice.

After the case files were filed, the three of them sat around a coffee table on one side of the lobby.

"Lord Li, have some tea to calm your nerves," Wang Huidi said with a smile.

Li Jinglong took a sip; it was top-quality Longjing tea, with a refreshing aroma. He let out a long breath, crossed his legs, and reverted to his playboy ways.

"The Ministry of Justice is still the best; it's so peaceful."

"How about I submit a memorial to His Majesty requesting the transfer of Lord Li?"

Just then, footsteps came from the lobby entrance, and Guo Huan walked in, carrying a stack of files.

"Oh, Lord Guo, what brings you to my Ministry of Justice today?" Wang Huidi greeted him with a smile.

Guo Huan cupped his hands in greeting: "Lord Wang, in the case of the Marquis of Linchuan, several people from the Ministry of Revenue have also been implicated. Two of the chief clerks were just executed yesterday. Their case files need to be sent to your Ministry of Justice for filing."

"Since Lord Guo is here, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea?" Wang Xizhe invited with a smile.

Guo Huan's gaze shifted and landed on Li Jinglong: "Oh, Lord Li is here too?"

"Lord Guo." Li Jinglong nodded.

Wang Xizhe added a teacup, poured in tea, and the four of them sat around it.

"I just looked at the files and found out that the officials in the Ministry of Justice only receive a few dozen shi of grain as salary, which isn't even enough to buy rouge for their maids," Li Jinglong said.

Wang Huidi sighed, "Of course we can't compare to your Duke Cao's mansion."

Li Jinglong blinked: "Among the Six Ministries of our Great Ming Dynasty, which is the most lucrative position?"

"Ministry of War? They have plenty of military pay." Wang Xizhe shrugged.

Wang Huidi said, "The Ministry of Works? They handle a ton of money repairing palaces and river embankments."

"It must be the Ministry of Revenue. They control all the taxes in the country," Li Jinglong said, looking at Guo Huan.

Guo Huan's expression remained calm and composed: "The six ministries each have their own duties and are all serving the court. How can there be any question of whether they are lucrative or not? Our Ministry of Revenue handles the country's taxes, and every penny must be recorded. We cannot be careless in the slightest."

Keep pretending.

Don't you have any idea how much you've embezzled?

Li Jinglong inwardly scoffed, but his face remained utterly arrogant: "Lord Guo, that's not very fair. There are no outsiders here, so why are you pretending to be an upright official?"

"Lord Li, to tell you the truth, the Ministry of Revenue isn't as lucrative as you think. Every year, the tax revenue comes in, and just reconciling the accounts is a huge headache. A slight mistake could cost you your head," Guo Huan said with a wry smile.

"Come on," Li Jinglong rolled his eyes. "Lord Guo, your Ministry of Revenue manages the nation's taxes. The grain from Jiangnan, the salt from Lianghuai, the commercial taxes from various regions—aren't they all pure silver?"

Guo Huanqian laughed and said, "Lord Li, you mustn't say such things carelessly. That's a capital offense."

"You rake in the money, I'll pull the strings, and Lord Wang will handle the case—perfect." Li Jinglong shrugged. "That's impossible, just kidding."

Guo Huan smiled and said, "Lord Li, only you would dare to joke like that."

"Oh, I'm joking, but I'm really short of money. I want to buy a piece of land, build a big estate, raise some horses, and dig a pond," Li Jinglong sighed. "But I don't have the money."

"If Lord Li is short of money, he can ask His Majesty for it. You are a member of the imperial family," Wang Xizhe said.

Li Jinglong waved his hand: "You're kidding me, His Majesty is the stingiest person in the world."

puff!

Wang Huidi and Wang Xizhe almost spat out their tea.

"Lord Guo, if your Ministry of Revenue ever has any good positions in the future, don't forget about me, Li Jiujiang." Li Jinglong raised an eyebrow.

Guo Huan asked with a smile, "Lord Li, how big of an estate are you planning to build?"

"It should be at least a hundred or two hundred acres, right? And then we'll build a courtyard with three entrances and three exits," Li Jinglong said.

"A hundred or two hundred acres?" Guo Huan asked with a half-smile. "Lord Li, it seems you're planning to build your estate on a mountain of gold?"

Wang Huidi and Wang Xizhe burst into laughter.

"We're in a good mood today, let's go to the pleasure boat, it's on me." Li Jinglong stood up.

Guo Huanduan shook his head: "Young Duke, the pleasure boat is closed."

"Why? Are you short of money? It's okay, I have money." Li Jinglong shrugged.

Guo Huan lowered his voice: "Young Duke, His Majesty just chopped off more than a dozen heads yesterday. The blood of the Marquis of Linchuan's family hasn't even dried yet, and you're running onto the pleasure boat at this time?"

"I'm just going to listen to some music, hug some girls, and relax," Li Jinglong said nonchalantly.

Guo Huan rolled his eyes in annoyance: "Lord Li, we're in the eye of the storm right now. The entire court is playing dumb, and you're swaggering off to the pleasure boat?"

"You mean, things are getting tense right now, and we need to lay low for a while?" Li Jinglong asked, seemingly suddenly realizing something.

Guo Huan nodded: "I finally understand."

"When can we go? I'm so eager to go," Li Jinglong asked.

Wang Huidi smiled slightly: "Lord Li, don't worry, I'll come to find you when the time comes."

"It's settled then." Li Jinglong cupped his hands in greeting.

"It's a deal." Wang Huidi nodded with a smile.

"Okay, I'll head out now." Li Jinglong said anxiously, "I need to get back quickly, there's still some food simmering on the stove at home, it's going to burn."

The three men stopped smiling as they watched him leave.

Guo Huan said with a look of disdain, "Hmph, what a useless wastrel."

Wang Huidi frowned and said in a deep voice, "This guy has guts, but he's a brainless idiot. If something happens to him, he'll definitely be the first to betray us."

"Should we bring him in?" Wang Xizhe asked.

Guo Huan pondered for a moment and said, "This matter is not urgent. I will decide after I have consulted with the head manager. You should maintain contact with him for now."

"Was the head manager in charge of closing the pleasure boat?" Wang Huidi asked.

Guo Huan nodded slightly: "Of course. At this time, who would dare to commit a crime against the wind?"

Wang Huidi and Wang Xizhe nodded simultaneously, their expressions serious.

"Get ready, the head manager will be asking us to settle this debt," Guo Huan said.

"Understood," the two replied in unison.