The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Li Jinglong rushed to the Qianqing Palace.

"Young Duke, please wait." Eunuch Wang Jinghong stood at the door.

Li Jinglong cupped his hands and said, "Brave Eunuch Wang, I have urgent business with His Majesty."

Wang Jinghong turned slightly to the side: "If you want to be scolded, we won't stop you. Just listen to this."

Li Jinglong stopped in his tracks and pricked up his ears.

"How did we teach you back then?" Zhu Yuanzhang's roar echoed from inside the hall.

"Father Emperor said that the character '王' (king) has three horizontal strokes and one vertical stroke. The top horizontal stroke represents heaven, the bottom horizontal stroke represents earth, and the middle horizontal stroke represents the common people. The vertical stroke is the king, standing tall between heaven and earth, ruling over all living beings." It was Zhu Shuang's voice.

He recited it quite fluently; it seems he got a lot of beatings as a child, memories etched into his bones.

"Then how did you become king?" Zhu Yuanzhang roared again. "You plundered the people's wealth to build a luxurious palace, and even killed people. Is this how you rule the common people?"

Zhu Shuang continued to argue, "Those are all troublemakers."

"madness!"

Zhu Yuanzhang trembled with rage, "How many people opposed our appointment as kings? How many eyes were watching? If you cannot be a good vassal king, the censors will impeach you, and the generals will whisper among themselves. At that time, we will have no choice but to punish you severely."

"Your Majesty, I have troubled you," Zhu Shuang said.

"You're wrong. You're not trying to put us in a difficult position," Zhu Yuanzhang said angrily. "You're not just a king of the Zhu family; you're a vassal king of the Ming Dynasty. Have you forgotten what we told you? How did the Ming Dynasty come to be?"

"Your subject remembers. The foundation of the Ming Dynasty was built upon the bones of my grandparents and the bones of millions of people. As a prince of the Ming Dynasty, every time I raise my head, I must be worthy of the Heavenly Way; every time I bow my head, I must be worthy of my ancestors in the afterlife."

Li Jinglong stood outside the door, his mind filled with complex emotions.

When the old man raised an army, his parents starved to death without even a coffin. He told this story to his sons over and over again, as if he wanted it engraved in their bones.

But what about the sons? They remembered, but they still made just as many of the same mistakes.

"You still remember everything?" Zhu Yuanzhang sneered. "Then go and accept your punishment. Biao'er, give him thirty lashes first."

"Father," Zhu Biao's voice came, "My second brother has just returned. I haven't had a drink with him yet."

Zhu Yuanzhang roared, "We said, give him thirty lashes!"

Soon, Zhu Biao led Zhu Shuang out.

The three of them met face to face, and Li Jinglong looked embarrassed.

Zhu Shuang didn't care at all: "Jiujiang, the trial is over? How did it go?"

"Uh, Princess Qin has confessed her guilt," Li Jinglong said.

"Really?" Zhu Shuang was overjoyed. "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and send over a cup of poisoned wine, or a white silk ribbon will do."

Li Jinglong sighed, "Your Highness, it's a bit complicated. Let me report to His Majesty first."

"Yes, I'll report to Father Emperor first!" Zhu Shuang waved his hand. "I'm going to get whipped now, I'll drink later."

Li Jinglong: "..."

Zhu Biao looked helpless.

After Empress Ma passed away, the family fell apart without him.

……

Li Jinglong arrived at the main hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood by the window, his back to the palace gate, his hands behind his back, still angry.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. Shall I come again another time?" Li Jinglong wanted to leave.

The emperor was furious, having just finished burning his son; he didn't want to be a fish caught in the crossfire.

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't turn around: "How did the interrogation go?"

That's it, we can't leave now.

Li Jinglong gave a brief account of what happened at Yichun Courtyard.

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly turned around: "As expected of Wang Baobao's sister, even in this situation, she can still take the initiative to make a move."

"I don't see anything particularly remarkable about her. Wang Baobao is already dead. What's the use of sending his daughter back to the grasslands now?" Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "Although Wang Baobao is dead, his old subordinates are still here. But if someone steps forward and is a descendant of Wang Baobao, then things could get complicated."

"That brat Hai Li, does she really have that kind of ability?"

"Hai Li, that girl, has some tricks up her sleeve. If we let her return to the grasslands, she might actually be able to rally some of the tribes together."

Li Jinglong tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, do you intend to release her back to the grasslands?"

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

"That's not true. Your Majesty, my relationship with her is completely innocent. Please stop spreading rumors."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily: "A beautiful and virtuous woman is the object of a gentleman's affections."

"Your Majesty, I have a fiancée. I have always been devoted to one person and will remain faithful to her until the end," Li Jinglong said earnestly.

Zhu Yuanzhang scoffed, "Do you even believe that yourself?"

"How did this come to me?" Li Jinglong bowed. "Your Majesty, I consider this matter complete. I shall take my leave."

"stop!"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, "What do you mean 'finished'? Has that Darughachi from the north wing of the scout headquarters been captured?"

"Your Majesty, that's a job for the Embroidered Uniform Guard." Li Jinglong's eyes widened.

"From now on, it's your job," Zhu Yuanzhang said with a smile. "Don't be so quick to refuse. If you succeed, I'll give you another five thousand taels."

Li Jinglong, with an upright expression, asked, "Your Majesty, am I the kind of person who is greedy for money?"

"Oh, aren't you?"

"Hehe, Your Majesty has a keen eye for people, I am the subject."

Even if you don't have money, you have to accept a job from the emperor.

"Your Majesty, should we agree to Princess Qin's conditions? She has clues about the Darughachi of the Northern Household," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head: "Go find Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, first. He's been looking for the Darughachi of the North Chamber for years. Find out the situation first before making a decision. Don't let a woman lead you by the nose."

"Your subject obeys the decree." Li Jinglong bowed.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood by the window and remained silent for a while.

"How's our daughter-in-law doing?"

Li Jinglong was taken aback: "He seems to be in pretty good spirits. Since he's prepared to die anyway, there's nothing left for him to worry about."

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned: "It seems that it was a mistake to let my second son marry her back then."

"That's way too wrong," Li Jinglong added.

Your son wishes your daughter-in-law were dead.

Your daughter-in-law is also begging for death.

They've all gone mad.

Zhu Yuanzhang looked out the window and said, "Over the years, we have failed our children."

Li Jinglong's expression was strange.

Now you realize you've wronged me? You only cared about giving birth, not raising the children, or rather, you only cared about hitting them.

With so many children, can you tell them apart?

You didn't care when I was a child, but now you're pretending to care.

It tastes so daddy!

"Your Majesty, you are busy with thousands of concubines every day, it's not your fault," he said.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered for a moment and said, "In the end, let's spare the life of Princess Qin."

"Your Majesty, it's up to you." Li Jinglong hesitated before speaking.

He wanted to say, "But your son wants her dead."

"Step down," Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand. "Your second son invited you for a drink. Talk to him and tell him to be a proper king."

Li Jinglong nodded: "Yes, advise him to be a qualified king."

He added two words to his mind: "bastard."