The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

early morning.

Li Jinglong got up, still feeling dizzy, and rubbed his head, saying, "Taibai Tower sells fake wine."

"I'm never drinking with the King of Qin again. That guy was whipped and acted like nothing happened. He's like a donkey."

He went to the backyard and saw Li Zengzhi lying on a bamboo chair under the eaves, with his legs crossed.

"Big brother, aren't you going out today?" Li Zengzhi asked lazily.

Li Jinglong waved his hand: "Today, I'm going to do something big."

"You had the maid prepare some old clothes, what are you planning to do? Can you take me with you?" Li Zengzhi asked excitedly.

Li Jinglong shrugged: "I plan to follow His Majesty's example when he was young and go beg."

Li Zengzhi's expression changed drastically: "Brother, what crime have you committed? Have you implicated me?"

"..."

"I knew you'd end up like this. Serving a ruler is like walking on thin ice. Now look what's happened, you're begging. Come to think of it, our father and grandfather begged their way to His Majesty back then. The Zhu and Li families both started out as beggars, so it's not shameful."

"Get lost!"

Li Jinglong gave him a speechless sidelong glance.

Just then, a voice came from outside the courtyard: "The sun sets beyond the mountains, the sun sets beyond the mountains, the sun sets beyond the mountains."

Li Jinglong shouted back, "Hoeing the fields at noon, hoeing the fields at noon, hoeing the fields at noon!"

"Brother, could you please change your code?" Li Zengzhi asked, speechless.

"Is it any of your business?"

"I'm ashamed for you. You're supposed to be educated people, yet you're using the same secret codes as elementary school children."

Li Jinglong was too lazy to argue with him and turned to go into the room.

When he came out again, he had changed his clothes.

Li Zengzhi glanced at it and fell silent.

"Brother, wipe some dirt off your face. With your clean-shaven face, you don't look like a beggar at all!"

"That makes sense." Li Jinglong turned around, grabbed a handful of mud from the base of the wall, and smeared it haphazardly on his face.

He strode out the door and saw Xie Chun and Wang Dong standing across the street, all dressed in tattered clothes.

Li Jinglong walked over, and everyone looked each other up and down.

"Come on, let's wipe each other's dirt off."

"Don't be shy, put it all on your face. Whoever doesn't put it on properly is a coward."

……

At the foot of Zhongshan Mountain lies Lehufang.

Li Jinglong stood at the entrance of the alley.

This area was inhabited by beggars; houses were connected to houses, and alleys were nested within alleys. Main alleys led to smaller alleys, and smaller alleys led to dead ends, making it extremely complicated.

"Boss, the beggar leader in this area is called Chen Siliu, but he's just a minor beggar leader," Wang Dong said.

Li Jinglong waved his hand: "My name is Li Chongliu. Remember that, and don't reveal my identity."

Xie Chunhao said with great enthusiasm, "Understood! Don't worry, boss, we'll take over Chen Siliu's territory today."

Li Jinglong glanced at him: "Why are you so excited?"

"First time being a beggar, how novel!" Xie Chun grinned.

Li Jinglong was speechless, then asked again, "Have you made all the arrangements?"

"Boss, they're definitely ready. The Beggars' Head is most concerned about territory. We've spread the word that we're going to take it. If Chen Si Liu doesn't come to fight, he can forget about living in this area in the future," Wang Dong said.

Li Jinglong smiled slightly.

The reason for disguising himself as a beggar was to infiltrate the beggar district.

Yesterday, Mao Xiang said that there are dozens of beggar leaders of all sizes in the beggar area at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard suspects that Darughachi in the northern ward of the Scout Army is one of them.

This area is too complicated; it's the perfect place to hide.

The composition of beggar households was originally diverse. There were former Yuan dynasty loyalists, Semu people, remnants of defeated troops under Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng, and former dynasty officials who had been demoted to beggar households.

A Darughachi, a scout, would be most suitable to hide here.

Therefore, I must infiltrate.

Only by looking inside can one truly understand the depth of this pool.

"Brothers, let's go." Li Jinglong waved his hand magnanimously. "From today onwards, I, Li Chongliu, am the boss of Lehufang."

The dozens of people behind him echoed in unison, and the group walked into the alley in a grand procession.

As we walked to the middle of the alley, a large group of people emerged from both sides, forming a dense, dark mass that blocked our path.

The leader, a burly man, sized Li Jinglong up and down, then grinned and said, "You're Li Chongliu? Here to steal my territory?"

"You're Chen Siliu? The so-called Sixth Brother?" Li Jinglong looked up.

"It is indeed me!" Chen Siliu said coldly.

Li Jinglong said with utter disdain: "Now, in this Lehufang, there's more than just Sixth Brother. You used to be all-powerful, but now that I'm here, two tigers can't share one mountain. Lehufang can only have one Sixth Brother."

"Then let's see who has the bigger fist," Chen Siliu chuckled.

Li Jinglong waved his arm: "Then let's fight!"

……

Two hours later, at the Qianqing Palace.

Li Jinglong, his face bruised and swollen, limped in.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang looked up.

"Gagagagagagaga!"

He laughed so hard he almost fell over. "We heard from Mao Xiang that you disguised yourself as a beggar and went to seize territory. Hahaha, how did you get beaten up so badly?"

"Your Majesty, the enemy is in a much worse state." Li Jinglong snorted. "We won. From today onwards, I am the boss of Lehufang."

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed even louder: "What a disgrace! If it were your father, he could have taken them all down by himself. You led so many men, and you still got beaten up like this."

"Your Majesty, you don't understand." Li Jinglong waved his hand, raising his arm halfway, wincing in pain. "Ouch, that hurts! Well, a leader relies on his brain, not his fists. I'm strategizing and winning from the alleyway. A little injury is inevitable."

"Ha ha ha!" Zhu Yuanzhang laughed until tears almost streamed down his face. "Alright, alright, use your brain. I'll have the imperial physician apply medicine to you later, so you don't swell up so much that even your brother won't recognize you."

Li Jinglong: "..."

Zhu Yuanzhang finally finished laughing: "So, what did you find out?"

"I've only just gained a foothold, and I haven't even completely subdued Chen Siliu's gang yet," Li Jinglong said. "But from what I've gathered, it's a complicated situation. Lehufang may look dilapidated, but it's a very deep place."

"Some beggar leaders are as rich as merchants. They collude with government officials and businessmen to run brothels and gambling dens, making a fortune every day."

Zhu Yuanzhang said bitterly, "Back when we were beggars, we couldn't even afford to eat."

"Your Majesty, that's just begging. Look at me, I'm going to start a whole Beggars' Sect!" Li Jinglong said with great ambition.

"Alright, we'll wait." Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but laugh. "Your face is still swollen, you're almost a pig's head, hahaha!"

Li Jinglong said sternly, "I plan to investigate the beggar district myself first. As for Princess Qin, shall we leave her to her fate?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stopped smiling: "Alright, I'll do as you say. But remember to report back every day."

Li Jinglong looked speechless: "Your Majesty, is this really necessary?"

"Of course it's necessary." Zhu Yuanzhang winked. "Otherwise, we'll miss out on a big laugh, hahahahaha."

Li Jinglong: "Hehe, I take my leave."

Zhu Yuanzhang watched as he left the main hall, a smile still playing on his lips: "That kid, he really knows when to step up. Luckily, Mao Xiang had arranged for someone among those rascals to protect him."