The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Wang Jinghong glanced at Pan Mei and unfolded the imperial edict in his hand.

Inside and outside the mourning hall, everyone knelt down once again.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."

"You, Li Wenzhong, the founding minister who assisted the nation and devoted himself to military service, the Grand Master of the Palace, the Right Pillar of the State, the Left Commander of the Grand General's Office, and the Duke of Cao, are the son of my elder sister, Princess Xiaoqin, and are indeed my dear relatives. When I was in seclusion in Huai'an, and the times were turbulent, you were still a child when you were able to aspire to join the army and follow me in my campaigns."

He first pacified Nanjing, then swept through Zhejiang; in the northern expedition to the desert, he directly attacked Yingchang, captured its heir, and presented the captives at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. His wisdom and courage were unparalleled, his achievements surpassing all other generals. After the empire was pacified, he maintained a refined and scholarly demeanor, favoring the virtuous and courteous to scholars, and speaking eloquently, displaying the qualities of an ancient minister. He hoped to share in the peace and prosperity of the land and serve as a lasting bulwark, but alas, Heaven did not grant him long life, and he passed away suddenly!

Li Jinglong knelt on the ground, listening in a state of utter confusion.

The wording of this imperial edict was even more difficult than the classical Chinese passages in his previous life's college entrance examination.

Can someone translate this from Chinese to Chinese?

"Upon hearing of your passing, I was deeply grieved and suspended court for three days. I personally composed this memorial text. Remembering your past service to me through hardship, your contributions to the nation and the well-being of the people, I hereby posthumously confer upon you the title of Prince of Qiyang, with the posthumous name Wujing. You shall be granted the honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple."

He was posthumously granted the title of Prince of Qiyang.

He was posthumously honored with the title Wujing.

He was granted the honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

Li Jinglong understood these three sentences.

The entire audience was shocked!

Pan Mei's face turned deathly pale instantly.

"Since he is the Prince of Qiyang, what is wrong with playing music meant for a prince?" Wang Jinghong's gaze fell on Pan Mei.

Pan Mei nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right... It was this official... It was the Ministry of Rites that was wrong... This official failed to notice, this official failed to notice."

Those officials from the Ministry of Rites who had just joined in the commotion now all hung their heads.

When everyone looked at Li Jinglong and Li Zengzhi again, their gazes were completely different.

Li Wenzhong was posthumously granted the title of Prince of Qiyang and was granted the honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

What is the weight of this?

It was both an honor and a sign that the emperor valued the Li family!

Li Jinglong and Li Zengzhi quickly kowtowed to express their gratitude.

"Young Duke, I shall take my leave." Wang Jinghong handed the imperial edict to Li Jinglong.

"I'll see my father-in-law off." Li Jinglong stood up and walked ahead.

The two left the gate of the Duke of Cao's mansion.

Outside the gate, two fine horses were tied to hitching posts, and a young eunuch was waiting.

"Eunuch Wang, do you have a friend named Ma He?" Li Jinglong asked.

Wang Jinghong was visibly startled and nodded slightly: "Yes. However, Ma He has gone to the Prince of Yan's residence and is no longer in the palace."

"You'll meet again in the future," Li Jinglong said with a smile.

Wang Jinghong didn't ask any further questions.

Having spent so many years in the palace, his greatest skill was never asking questions he shouldn't.

He bowed respectfully, mounted his horse, and rode away with the young eunuch.

Li Jinglong stood at the door, sighing inwardly.

Who would have thought?

This young eunuch will one day join forces with Ma He, who was assigned to the Prince of Yan's residence, to accomplish the great feat of seven voyages to the Western Ocean.

Zheng He, Wang Jinghong.

Two names, one history of the Age of Exploration.

……

Li Jinglong and Li Zengzhi returned to the mourning hall and continued to kneel.

The difference is that the Ministry of Rites would come to consult them about any procedures they had.

"Young Duke, should we follow the rites for the evening sacrifice at dusk or the rites for a prince? The regulations are slightly different, and I am unsure, so I have come to ask for your instructions." A clerk from the Ministry of Rites jogged over and bowed to ask for instructions.

Li Jinglong rolled his eyes inwardly.

Unsure? You people from the Ministry of Rites are unsure? I didn't see you being unsure when the music for the vassal kings was played just now.

"Just follow the rules. You've all worked hard; the Duke of Cao's mansion will remember it," he said gently.

The person in charge nodded repeatedly and withdrew.

Li Zengzhi knelt to the side and whispered, "Brother, the tone of your voice just now sounded just like Father's."

"Really?" Li Jinglong asked expressionlessly. "That means my acting skills have improved."

Li Zengzhi frowned: "Brother, are we just going to let Pan Mei go like this?"

"This Pan Mei is just a vice minister of the Ministry of Rites. If he dares to tamper with funeral music, he must either be acting under someone's orders or there is another reason behind it," Li Jinglong said.

"So which one is it?"

"I don't know either," Li Jinglong said in a low voice, "but no matter what it is, now is not the time to deal with him."

Li Zengzhi bit her lip, unwilling to give up.

"Don't alert them yet," Li Jinglong said. "We'll investigate slowly after the funeral."

Li Zengzhi was silent for a moment, then asked in an even lower voice, "Brother, was our father poisoned?"

Li Jinglong pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "It shouldn't be."

Why?

"Our father fought in battles for many years, his old injuries flared up, and he became ill from overwork, so it's normal that he died young."

Li Zengzhi remained skeptical: "But if it wasn't poisoned, how could so many things have happened? His Majesty executed the imperial physician and exiled him to central China. And today he's committed this act of usurpation."

Li Jinglong frowned: "I don't know either. We'll have to investigate properly after the funeral."

Li Zengzhi nodded vigorously: "Yes. The funeral is tomorrow, we'll investigate after that."

There's only one day left in the mourning period.

Li Jinglong was stunned for a moment, then rushed to the coffin and began to cry loudly.

"Father! His Majesty has posthumously conferred upon you the title of Prince of Qiyang! Your posthumous name is Wujing! You are to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple! His Majesty has not forgotten you. If your spirit is in heaven, please bless the Ming Dynasty to remain forever strong, and bless His Majesty to live ten thousand years!"

The cries were heart-wrenching and deeply moving.

Li Zengzhi was stunned at first, then realized what was happening and rushed over, wailing, "Father! Did you hear that? You're a prince now!"

The two brothers, one on each side, cried so loudly it was earth-shattering.

The officials from the Ministry of Rites outside the mourning hall were all deeply moved, and several of the older ones even quietly wiped away tears.

What a wonderful child.

That's true filial piety.

After crying for a while, Li Jinglong wiped away his tears and glanced outside.

Very good, the effect is excellent.

"Brother," Li Zengzhi also fell silent, asking softly, "Who are you crying for?"

"Of course, we're crying for those people outside to see," Li Jinglong whispered. "His Majesty just posthumously honored Father. If we don't show gratitude, what will His Majesty think if word gets back to us? An ingrate?"

The two brothers knelt down again and continued wailing.

This howling lasted for another half an hour.

It was getting late when the two brothers finally stopped.

"Brother, you were crying so hard just now." Li Zengzhi rubbed his eyes.

Li Jinglong sighed, "Alas, Father will be buried tomorrow. I'll miss him terribly."

This is from the heart.

Although he was a time traveler, after kneeling, crying, and making a fuss over the past few days, the outline of his father gradually became clear.

"Then you'll keep watch tonight," Li Zengzhi blurted out.

Li Jinglong glared: "On what grounds?"

"Because you can't bear to part with your father."

"I can't bear to part with it, but you can?"

"I'm also reluctant, but I'm young and can't endure it."

"Don't give me that crap. Tonight, neither of us brothers should slack off. We'll stay up together and endure it together."

The two brothers knelt beside the coffin, one sixteen and the other thirteen, shoulder to shoulder.

Tomorrow, Dad will be buried.

After that, it was the two brothers who held up the family.