The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Li Jinglong was walking alone on the imperial road leading to the Qianqing Palace when a group of people came towards him.

The woman at the head of the group was dignified and elegant, with a graceful demeanor.

She held a child in each hand; the one on the left was chubby and about six years old; the one on the right was about four years old, but he walked with an air of self-importance, proud and arrogant.

Li Jinglong strode forward and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Princess Consort of Yan!"

The woman was Xu Miaoyun, the wife of the Prince of Yan and the eldest daughter of Xu Da.

"Jiujiang, there's no need for such formalities. The Prince of Yan often speaks of you in Beiping." Xu Miaoyun bowed slightly in return.

Li Jinglong laughed and said, "The Prince of Yan is probably reminiscing about how he beat me up back then."

Xu Miaoyun smiled gently.

"Didn't the Prince of Yan return to the capital with us this time?" Li Jinglong glanced behind her.

Xu Miaoyun's face darkened: "My father is seriously ill, so I requested an imperial decree to return and visit him. The Prince of Yan still has to stay in Beiping, and recently there have been Yuan people appearing outside the Great Wall, so the border is not peaceful."

"Has the Duke of Wei's illness worsened? I'll go to his residence to see him later," Li Jinglong said.

Xu Miaoyun nodded, then changed the subject: "Jiujiang, shouldn't you be at home observing mourning? Why are you in the palace?"

"Alas, Consort Zhuang is dead." Li Jinglong sighed.

Xu Miaoyun was slightly taken aback: "Is this related to you?"

Li Jinglong quickly waved his hand: "No, I can't explain it."

With a pained expression, he briefly explained the whole story.

"Did someone kill a palace maid and fake it as a suicide by poison?" Xu Miaoyun keenly grasped the key point.

Li Jinglong nodded: "Who would go to the trouble of killing a palace maid? And even fake it as poisoning?"

Xu Miaoyun frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "Jiujiang, I have something here that I don't know if it's related to Xiaohuan's death. Telling you will give you a direction for your investigation."

"What is it?" Li Jinglong pressed.

Xu Miaoyun said in a deep voice, "When we were in Beiping, the Prince arrested a lot of scouts from the Northern Yuan. During the interrogation, he discovered that some of the intelligence they obtained came from the Ming Dynasty's inner palace."

"What? There are Northern Yuan spies in the inner palace?" Li Jinglong exclaimed in shock.

Xu Miaoyun nodded: "The scouts should not be underestimated. My father suffered a defeat in Lingbei back then because the scouts intercepted his advance route in advance."

"Does His Majesty know about the spies in the inner palace?" Li Jinglong asked.

Xu Miaoyun nodded: "The prince should have informed His Majesty in his report."

"Why hasn't His Majesty made a move?" Li Jinglong asked, puzzled. "Such a big matter, with spies hidden in the inner palace, if it were according to his usual temper, the inner palace would have been a bloodbath by now."

Xu Miaoyun smiled meaningfully: "Jiujiang, how do you know His Majesty isn't investigating? Some things are better investigated openly to alert the enemy; only by investigating in the shadows can you catch the big fish."

Li Jinglong nodded slowly.

Xu Miaoyun truly lives up to her reputation as a female Zhuge Liang; she was able to see through Zhuge Liang's strategic plan.

"Mother, I'm hungry," the chubby boy next to him called out.

Another little boy said with disdain, "Big brother, all you know is eating. Are you a pig?"

The chubby boy wasn't angry when he was scolded: "I was hungry."

Li Jinglong bent down and greeted them with a smile, "Gao Chi, Gao Xu, do you remember me?"

The chubby boy is Zhu Gaochi, the eldest son of the Prince of Yan, and the other is Zhu Gaoxu, the second son of the Prince of Yan.

"Brother Jiujiang," Zhu Gaochi said very politely.

Zhu Gaoxu raised his little face: "Of course I remember you. Who in the capital doesn't know that good-for-nothing from the Duke of Cao's mansion?"

Li Jinglong: LOL!

Such a big mouth at such a young age?

Xu Miaoyun slapped Zhu Gaoxu on the back of the head: "How have I been teaching you? Quickly apologize to Brother Jiujiang!"

Zhu Gaoxu looked up: "Mother, didn't you say we shouldn't lie?"

Xu Miaoyun glared at her and slapped her again: "Why aren't you this sharp-tongued when you're studying? Now you're arguing with me?"

"Brother Jiujiang, I apologize to you on behalf of my younger brother." Zhu Gaochi stepped forward and bowed to Li Jinglong.

Zhu Gaoxu scoffed, "Who asked you to be a good guy? Are you trying to show off?"

"Try saying one more word!" Xu Miaoyun slapped him again. "Go back and stand in the corner as punishment."

Zhu Gaochi added insult to injury: "Mother, my younger brother loves being punished by standing in the corner, so he doesn't have to study."

Zhu Gaoxu was so angry that he gritted his teeth.

Li Jinglong rubbed his forehead.

So these two brothers have been fighting since they were kids.

"Children speak without thinking, it's alright, it's alright." He cupped his hands towards Xu Miaoyun: "Your Highness, I must go see His Majesty."

……

Qianqing Palace.

Li Jinglong knelt in the main hall and recounted what had happened at Zhiluo Palace.

"Your Majesty, in conclusion, it was purely coincidental that Consort Zhuang wrote my name before her death. She hated me, and I ruined her plans, so she disgusted me before she died. It's that simple. You can hand this case over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard for investigation. It has nothing to do with me anymore."

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes turned cold: "That palace maid was killed; you must investigate."

"This has nothing to do with me, Your Majesty. Please be reasonable. I just took a look at the scene. How can you blame me for that?" Li Jinglong said anxiously.

"You're the one who discovered it," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

"Your Majesty, I'm not taking the blame for this. It was Prince Xiang who discovered it, not me," Li Jinglong corrected, inwardly cursing Zhu Bai to the core.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up, looking down at him: "If we say it's you, then it's you."

Li Jinglong: "..."

Are you trying to pass off the emperor's golden words here?

Isn't this a case of being scammed? I've traveled back to the Ming Dynasty and got extorted by the emperor.

"You little rascal, I ask you to do something, and you always make excuses and procrastinate. How can you be so lazy? You're nothing like your father." Zhu Yuanzhang approached.

Li Jinglong cursed inwardly.

Haha, you first manipulated my dad to work for you, and now you want to manipulate me to work for you too?

I wasted my time working in my past life; my boss was a better PUA expert than you.

"Your Majesty, it's not convenient for me to investigate cases in the inner palace," he said helplessly.

"No, you're the most convenient." Zhu Yuanzhang stopped, "More convenient than the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Do you know why that Northern Yuan spy in the inner palace hasn't been caught yet? Because the Embroidered Uniform Guard can't enter the inner palace."

Li Jinglong looked up and said, "Your Majesty, I am also a man from outside the palace. I am at the age where my blood is boiling and I am prone to making mistakes when I see pretty girls."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand dismissively: "What's wrong with making a mistake with a palace maid? We'll just reward you with her as a concubine."

"Your Majesty, your sudden generosity must be suspicious," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted: "We hope you can continue the Li family line as soon as possible."

Li Jinglong sighed, "No rush, no rush. I'm still young, my body hasn't fully developed yet."

Zhu Yuanzhang scoffed, "Besides, with a face like yours, girls are bound to flock around you, don't you understand?"

"Your Majesty, I cannot sacrifice my virtue; I am a respectable man."

"..."

Li Jinglong said with difficulty, "Your Majesty, you want me to investigate the case, and I can do so. But I can't investigate for free, can I? Even if you work for a landlord, you still need to be fed. You're just getting something for nothing."

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand: "If you do a good job this time, I'll reward you with an estate."

"really?"

A ruler's word is his bond.

Li Jinglong patted his chest and said, "It's just finding spies. I can lure them out with just my face in the palace."

"Don't let your guard down. Someone who can hide in the inner palace is no ordinary person," Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile.