The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

A maid rushed to Hai Li's side and whispered a few words in her ear.

"Young Duke, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now." Hai Li bowed.

Li Jinglong raised his eyes, his gaze falling on the maid, and smiled: "Is this Sister Hesa'er? It's been a while since I've seen you."

"This servant dares not address the Young Duke as Sister," Hesaer bowed.

Li Jinglong waved his hand: "When I was a kid, I bumped into you guys while riding my horse, and you even pulled my ear."

Hesa'er blushed: "How old was the young Duke back then? He rode a horse and charged into the crowd. Luckily, I was quick, otherwise you would have knocked out your two front teeth long ago."

"So half of my good teeth are thanks to Sister Hesaer," Li Jinglong grinned.

Hai Li waved his hand: "Alright, alright, stop joking around, I really have something to say."

After saying that, he hurriedly left with Khasar.

Li Jinglong stood there, thinking about how to fool Lao Zhu later, when he saw Zhu Bai walking over from the back road.

He lifted his leg to run.

"Li Jiujiang!" Zhu Bai shouted, "Halt!"

Li Jinglong could only turn around and say with a smile, "Your Highness Prince Xiang, what a coincidence to run into you in the inner palace."

"What's so coincidental?" Zhu Bai strode closer, his face unfriendly. "My maternal grandfather and uncle were torn apart by chariots. I've come to see my mother."

Li Jinglong said with a bitter face, "Your Highness, this is not my fault."

"I know, they brought it on themselves," Zhu Bai sighed. "It's just that my mother suddenly lost her loved one and has been making a fuss ever since, and I can't persuade her otherwise."

Li Jinglong asked with great concern, "How is Consort Shun?"

"What else can they do?" Zhu Bai shrugged. "The women in the harem, when something happens, they love to cry, make a scene, and then..."

"Mikami Yua." Li Jinglong answered smoothly.

Zhu Bai was taken aback: "What did you say?"

"Uh, that's not important." Li Jinglong pointed to Zhiluo Palace behind him. "Speaking of the women in the harem, something happened here too. Consort Zhuang hanged herself."

Zhu Bai was shocked: "Huh? When did this happen?"

Li Jinglong said, "It happened not long ago, and the body hasn't been removed yet."

"Let's go in and take a look," Zhu Bai waved his hand.

Li Jinglong looked reluctant: "Go yourself if you want to. I just came out from inside."

"Are you coming or not!" Zhu Bai raised his leg and kicked him in the butt.

Li Jinglong rubbed his buttocks and muttered, "What's wrong with the Zhu family? They all love kicking people more than the last."

Upon entering Zhiluo Palace again, Consort Zhuang's body was still lying on the ground, covered with white silk, its curves undulating.

Zhu Bai stood before the corpse, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Consort Zhuang actually hanged herself."

"Your mother is all about crying and making a scene, but she's Yua Mikami herself," Li Jinglong said.

"What does it mean exactly? What's the story behind it?" Zhu Bai asked.

Li Jinglong sighed: "You don't understand. Consort Zhuang is quite the player; I've watched her live stream."

Zhu Bai knew this fellow was spouting nonsense again, and continued, "She's really bold, daring to seduce another man. Who gave her the guts? Doesn't she know Father Emperor's temper?"

"Impulsive," Li Jinglong said with an air of experience. "I've watched too much Yua Mikami, and that makes me impulsive. Who can resist watching too much of that stuff?"

Zhu Bai completely ignored his nonsense and looked past him, his gaze landing on Xiao Huan's corpse.

"That was from poisoning." Li Jinglong's expression was complicated. "Are all the women in the harem so careless about their lives?"

Zhu Bai walked over, squatted down next to Xiao Huan's body, and stared at it closely.

"Don't touch it," Li Jinglong warned from behind.

Zhu Bai's eyes narrowed: "She didn't die from poisoning."

"Huh?" Li Jinglong exclaimed in surprise.

"His neck was snapped." Zhu Bai pointed to the side of Xiao Huan's neck. "Look here, there are bruises. It was snapped by a sudden burst of force. You don't know martial arts, so you can't tell. The killer was a master; his technique was clean and swift, killing her instantly."

"Holy crap!" Li Jinglong exclaimed in shock. "Xiao Huan was murdered? Staging it as a suicide by poison? Who did it? Why would they kill a palace maid?"

Zhu Bai stood up and snorted coldly: "If I hadn't come to check, who would have examined the body of a dead palace maid closely? The murderer was very precise, knowing that no one would carefully examine the corpse of a servant girl."

Li Jinglong's mind was a jumbled mess: "Who would kill her? Consort Zhuang hanged herself; why would someone like her, a mere palace maid, want to kill her?"

"The affairs of the harem are very complicated," Zhu Bai said coldly. "They don't just know how to cry, make a scene, and seduce Yua."

Li Jinglong: "Uh..."

……

The two walked out of Zhiluo Palace.

The sunlight outside dispelled the gloom emanating from them.

"Things are complicated," Zhu Bai said. "Go and report to Father Emperor."

Li Jinglong blinked and said, "Let's go together. You're a prince, so your word carries more weight than mine."

"Don't drag me into this." Zhu Bai glared. "I just came to see my mother and happened to pass by Zhiluo Palace. What does that have to do with me? I came to visit my mother and ended up uncovering a murder case. Am I innocent or not?"

"Your Highness, this isn't like you at all. You should speak up when you see injustice and take action when necessary. That's the real you," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Bai said irritably, "You take responsibility for the problems you've taken on yourself. Don't try to drag someone down with you."

Li Jinglong pursed his lips and changed the subject: "By the way, His Majesty didn't punish Consort Shun, did he?"

"No, not at all." Zhu Bai looked worried. "It's just that my mother has been very sad lately and hasn't been eating."

"Tell your father to go and comfort him," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Bai's face darkened: "Father is so busy with state affairs, how could he possibly have time to attend to matters of the harem?"

"That's true. Your father is busy with countless concubines every day. Afterwards, he doesn't care about anything. He's the type to pull up his pants and then deny everything." Li Jinglong said with disdain.

Zhu Bai's lips twitched.

Li Jinglong spread his hands and continued, "But to be honest, I really admire your father. His energy is extraordinary. With so many women in the harem, he had more than twenty sons."

"My father works very hard," Zhu Bai sighed. "He reviews memorials until late at night every day, and then gets up before dawn to attend court the next day."

"Then I admire him even more. He works on official documents until late at night, and then what? He still has the energy to have a son? I'm impressed by his physical condition and time management skills. He's had broods of sons and daughters, and he doesn't care."

"Can't you say anything serious for once?"

Li Jinglong sighed: "Single-parenting style."

"I'm leaving the palace. You go and handle your case." Zhu Bai said speechlessly.

"Are you really not coming with me to see His Majesty?" Li Jinglong shouted.

Zhu Bai didn't even turn his head: "Get lost!"

Li Jinglong shrugged and walked towards the Qianqing Palace.

As he walked, he pondered how to deceive Zhu Yuanzhang and make him believe that Consort Zhuang's death had nothing to do with him.

"This is eerie," he muttered to himself. "It makes sense that Consort Zhuang hanged herself, but how did Xiao Huan get murdered? What did a mere palace maid do to deserve this?"

"No, there are still experts in this palace. Damn it, I have to tell Old Zhu."