The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Qianqing Palace.

Li Jinglong knelt in the hall, his face filled with despair: "Your Majesty, Lü Yang has been beheaded, and I have just gone to the Ministry of Justice to file the documents. The pleasure boat has been closed, and my mission is complete."

"So what?" Zhu Yuanzhang looked up.

Li Jinglong cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I must return to observe mourning. I will no longer attend court."

"So you're already thinking of giving up?" Zhu Yuanzhang paused, his teacup still.

Li Jinglong raised his head, his face full of pain, and clutched his chest, saying, "Your Majesty, I ate tofu pudding before the execution yesterday, and my young heart has been severely traumatized."

"So what if you threw up?" Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand. "You'll get used to it after a few more times. Your father fought alongside us back then. The first day he saw severed arms and legs, he threw up a lot too. But the next day, didn't he still charge in with his sword?"

Li Jinglong said with a bitter face, "Your Majesty, this is all your fault. You must take responsibility for me."

Zhu Yuanzhang nearly choked on his tea: "I'm training you, and you're trying to take advantage of me?"

"Your Majesty, please spare me," Li Jinglong pleaded sincerely. "I am neither good at literature nor martial arts, and apart from my good looks, I have no other merits. Why are you wasting your time?"

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed in anger: "So many people hope to be favored by me, don't be ungrateful."

"You know my temperament. Going back and lying down quietly, without causing Your Majesty any trouble, is the greatest contribution I can make to the Ming Dynasty," Li Jinglong said.

"Don't think we don't know you." Zhu Yuanzhang snorted. "You think you can be honest? You have to continue investigating the case of the pleasure boat."

Li Jinglong said helplessly, "The pleasure boats are all closed."

"It will happen sooner or later," Zhu Yuanzhang said confidently. "You've gotten to know Wang Huidi and Wang Xizhe well, so you're the most suitable. They all trust you, this playboy."

Li Jinglong, with a snobbish grin, said, "Your Majesty, you're asking for money at the pleasure boats. A pot of wine costs one tael of silver, a girl drinking with you costs five taels, and staying overnight is even more expensive. You don't pay me a salary, so I have no money."

"You are the Junior Chamberlain of the Eastern Palace, go and ask the Crown Prince for your salary." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand.

Li Jinglong was speechless: "Your Majesty, you're really stingy. You make the horse run, but you don't even feed it grass."

Just as Zhu Yuanzhang was about to lash out, the eunuch Wang Jinghong rushed in, his face grave.

"Your Majesty, Consort Zhuang has hanged herself," he reported in a low voice.

Zhu Yuanzhang was slightly startled, then snorted, "Very well, it saves us a cup of poisoned wine."

Li Jinglong was not surprised.

Consort Zhuang had an affair with the son of the Marquis of Linchuan. The Marquis of Linchuan and his son were executed by dismemberment, and she naturally had to die as well.

Unexpectedly, she hanged herself.

That woman was incredibly seductive; she was even willing to die.

"Your Majesty, something seems amiss," Wang Jinghong said, turning to look at Li Jinglong.

Li Jinglong was speechless: "Father-in-law, why are you looking at me like that?"

"Consort Zhuang left behind a will, just three big characters." Wang Jinghong continued to stare at him.

Li Jinglong felt a chill run down his spine: "What last words? Tell me, don't look at me."

"There are three large characters written on the paper: Li Jinglong." Wang Jinghong bowed.

Li Jinglong: "!!!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's sharp gaze instantly fell on him.

"Your Majesty, Consort Zhuang's death has nothing to do with me," Li Jinglong hurriedly said.

"Then why did she write your name?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked coldly.

Li Jinglong looked bewildered: "I don't know either. I've only seen her twice, and Hai Li was there both times. I didn't do anything."

"There must be a reason for this," Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice.

Li Jinglong asked tentatively, "Could it be that she's attracted to my handsome appearance?"

Zhu Yuanzhang: "..."

Wang Jinghong: "..."

"With my looks, I wouldn't even need to pay to go on a pleasure boat; the ladies would even pay me. Consort Zhuang is such a handsome man; although she has only seen me twice, she might fall in love at first sight."

Zhu Yuanzhang glared angrily: "Shut up! I've never seen anyone as shameless as you."

"Your Majesty, it really has nothing to do with me." Li Jinglong was sweating profusely.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at him and said, "Then you go and find out for yourself why she wrote your name."

Li Jinglong was dejected.

What kind of nonsense is this?!

……

Zhiluo Palace.

When Li Jinglong arrived at the gate, Hai Li was already waiting there, leaning against the palace gate with a half-smile.

"Young Duke, before the Empress died, she actually wrote your name." Hai Li smiled knowingly. "Young Duke's charm is unmatched."

Li Jinglong rolled his eyes: "Does His Majesty believe that?"

"When Consort Zhuang first met you, she was almost leaning into your arms. I saw it all clearly." Hai Li blinked.

Li Jinglong was speechless: "Stop teasing me, help me out. I'm like mud has fallen into my pants, even if it's not shit, it's still shit."

Hai Li blushed slightly: "Let's go in and see what's going on."

As Li Jinglong entered Zhiluo Palace, a familiar fragrance wafted towards him.

He looked up and saw Consort Zhuang's corpse.

Lying on the ground, her curves were fully exposed, and even a thin layer of white silk could not conceal her undulating contours.

Her stunningly beautiful face still held a hint of a smile, with the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, as if she were asleep.

"She doesn't seem to be in any pain." He frowned.

Hai Li stood beside him and sighed softly, "Who knows? She's a pitiful woman. She was neglected after entering the palace and never saw His Majesty all year round. Life in the deep palace may seem glamorous on the surface, but only they know what it's really like inside."

Li Jinglong's gaze swept across the hall and he saw a small, huddled corpse not far away in a corner.

"Who is that?" he asked.

Hai Li frowned slightly: "She was Consort Zhuang's personal maid, named Xiao Huan. After seeing Consort Zhuang hang herself, she also committed suicide by poisoning herself."

Li Jinglong walked over and looked down at Xiao Huan's corpse: "Are all palace maids this loyal?"

Hai Li snorted lightly: "With Consort Zhuang dead, her personal maid can't escape death. When something happens to the mistress, the people who serve her are the first to be held accountable."

Li Jinglong remained silent and looked around the hall.

Silks and satins, gold and jade utensils—a place that countless women dream of living in.

"Let's go." He turned his gaze away.

We arrived outside the palace.

Li Jinglong stood under the corridor, his brows furrowed.

"What did it mean when Consort Zhuang wrote my name before she died?" he murmured.

Hai Li chuckled lightly: "It's just that I like you."

Li Jinglong shook his head: "My damned looks may attract girls, but Consort Zhuang wouldn't be so obsessed with me before she died. Besides, the second time I was arresting someone."

Hai Li lowered his eyes: "What could that mean?"

"Warning me? What in the palace poses a threat to me?" Li Jinglong asked himself.

Hai Li rolled her eyes: "Why would she warn you? She's probably too angry with you to care. You ruined her plans; you're the one who caught Hu Fei."

"Yes, she hates me. So she deliberately left my name to make His Majesty suspect me." Li Jinglong was shocked.

"I think so." Hai Li nodded slightly.

Li Jinglong shook his head: "But I still feel like something's not right."

"You only met her twice. The first time was a simple greeting, nothing special. The second time was when you caught her cheating; you just took Hu Fei away without even glancing at her," Hai Li analyzed. "Besides hatred, there was nothing else."

Li Jinglong seemed to be deep in thought.