The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 77 Princelings, you're still complaining?

Guo Huan's face looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"You—you—"

Li Jinglong stepped forward with a smile and cupped his hands in greeting: "Hello, President Guo. Don't you remember me? Last time on the pleasure boat, we fought over a girl."

Guo Huan blinked his bewildered eyes.

"I am Li Chongliu," Li Jinglong said, pointing to himself.

Guo Huan's mind raced. He slapped his forehead and said, "So it's you, kid. What's wrong? Instead of having fun on the pleasure boat, you've come here to fight over who's the beggar?"

Li Jinglong looked helpless: "You know, I'm trying to build a manor, but I'm short on money. When I found out, I couldn't believe it—the beggar chief is richer than a merchant."

"So, you came here to be a beggar leader? If your father knew, he'd be turning in his grave." Guo Huan sighed.

Li Jinglong spread his hands: "But I don't have any skills at all. I don't have the brains to be an official, and I don't have the cunning to do business. After thinking it over, this is the only profession that suits me."

Li Shou stood there, increasingly alarmed as he listened.

He originally thought Li Chongliu was just a clueless greenhorn who appeared out of nowhere, but now it seems that this greenhorn has quite a background.

"Lord Guo, so you two know each other." He stepped forward with a smile.

Guo Huan nodded: "We're more than just acquaintances; we've drunk together and even ordered the same girl. Speaking of which, that girl played the pipa really well, but unfortunately, this kid beat me to it that night."

"What about Master Hong's matter?" Li Shou asked.

Guo Huan waved his hand: "Anyway, Master Hong is already dead, so let Li Chongliu be the chief beggar. It won't affect your Li family. The caravans will still run, the goods will still be transported, and everything will remain the same."

A cold glint flashed in Li Shou's eyes.

How many years has the Li family been operating along that route in the Northwest? From checkpoints to bandit camps, from post stations to caravans, which place wasn't secured by the Li family?

Now that it's Li Chongliu, judging from Guo Huan's tone, he wants Li Shou to submit to his orders.

"What, you're not happy?" Li Jinglong scoffed. "If you're not happy, then get the hell out of here. This caravan can still run without your Li family."

Guo Huan smiled and smoothed things over, saying, "The Li family is still useful; they know the roads in the Northwest well."

Li Shou clasped his hands in a fist salute to the two men and smiled, "Then I will listen to Lord Guo. I hope Sixth Brother will take good care of me in the future."

"That's more like it." Li Jinglong glanced at him. "From now on, you'll have to lower your head and speak respectfully in front of me."

Li Shou bowed his head slightly: "Yes."

The moment he lowered his eyes, a flash of murderous intent crossed them.

Li Jinglong waved his hand: "Wang Dong, Xie Chun, you two are in charge of what's to come. Anyone who disobeys will be shot dead with a musket."

"Yes, Sixth Brother," Wang Dong and Xie Chun replied in unison.

The dozens of beggars present all lowered their heads.

The new beggar leader, Sixth Brother, flies into a rage and kills people at the drop of a hat; Master Hong's body is still lying in the coffin, not even cold yet.

Li Jinglong put his arm around Guo Huan's shoulder and said, "Lord Guo, come on, let's have a chat."

Li Shou watched the two figures walk further and further away, his expression turning cold.

Under the old locust tree in front of Yongchangfang, Li Jinglong loosened his grip on Guo Huan's shoulder.

"Lord Guo, you were involved in the beggars' affair, weren't you?" he asked with a half-smile.

Guo Huan quickly waved his hand: "The Ministry of Revenue is in charge of household registration, and beggar households are also under its jurisdiction. It is my duty."

Li Jinglong leaned closer: "Uncle Hong must have given you quite a bit of support over the years, right?"

"No, no, absolutely not! Young Duke, you can't say such things carelessly. I am an honest and upright official with nothing to my name," Guo Huan said urgently.

"Ugh, this is boring. Lord Guo still doesn't consider me one of his own." Li Jinglong sighed with disappointment. "If you don't believe me, then don't. Anyway, once I become the chief beggar, I won't mistreat Lord Guo."

Guo Huan's face turned green upon hearing this.

"Young Duke, aren't you afraid His Majesty will find out what you're doing?"

"Although His Majesty was once a beggar, his eyes are now fixed on the officials in the court every day. How could he have time to look down? How could his gaze fall on beggars? That's why I became the head beggar. The most dangerous place is the safest, understand?"

"Lord Li is truly exceptionally intelligent," Guo Huanqian chuckled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"Lord Li, my foot!" Li Jinglong said with a look of disdain. "I'm just a junior tutor in the Crown Prince's palace now, with such a meager monthly salary, what good is that? I'd be better off as a beggar."

Guo Huan's lips twitched.

The Junior Chamberlain of the Eastern Palace was a member of the Crown Prince's faction, a future minister who would follow the emperor's lead.

The entire court is scrambling for this position, and you're complaining? We want it but can't have it.

He really is a spoiled brat who knows nothing.

"Young Duke, I'll pretend I don't know anything about the beggar's affair," he said with a smile.

Li Jinglong raised an eyebrow: "I understand, don't worry, Lord Guo."

Guo Huan was speechless.

What do you know? Don't try to know anything!

"Old Guo, who is this Li Shou?" Li Jinglong snorted. "That guy is even more arrogant than me. I almost shot him with a musket just now."

Guo Huan pondered for a moment and said, "Li Shou's father is very familiar with the gentry and landlords in Guanzhong, Sichuan, and the Northwest. Famous and influential families all give his father some face. Even the heroes of the outlaw world give his family face."

"Even bandits have their pride?" Li Jinglong raised an eyebrow. "Was his family bandits before?"

Guo Huan shook his head: "They say he's also a merchant, running a caravan. There are too many connections he has to make along the way. Officials and underworld figures, he needs people to look after him everywhere. To put it bluntly, Master Hong's business is done with these people. The Li family acts as the middleman, and all three parties make money."

Li Jinglong frowned: "Who exactly is his father?"

"How would I know? I'm just a vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue, I don't deal with these江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and江湖义气, a code of honor) people," Guo Huan said. "It was only because Master Hong mentioned it a few times that I knew the Li family had some connections in the Northwest."

Li Jinglong smiled.

Without official permission, how did Master Hong's caravan travel from Yingtian to the Northwest?

There's a lot more to this than meets the eye.

Guo Huan may not be able to explain himself clearly, but he's indispensable to Master Hong's business from beginning to end.

That old guy is like an octopus; he wants to get involved in everything and grab every bit of profit.

No wonder he was able to pull off such a massive case later on, leading tens of thousands of people to their deaths.

"You know nothing, yet you came here today to stand up for Master Hong?" He glared at him.

Guo Huan looked helpless: "After all, Master Hong was the officially recognized chief beggar by the Ministry of Revenue, and his name was on the official register. Now that he's dead, how could I, the person in charge of household registration, not come to check on him?"

"Beggar households are disliked by everyone, and they should be under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture. But does Yingtian Prefecture even care? They don't care at all. They find it troublesome and unlucky, and they wish all these beggars would disappear. That's why they have the method of having beggar leaders to manage beggar households. The yamen only recognizes the beggar leader. As long as there's no trouble below and no popular uprising, everyone turns a blind eye. To be frank, the reason I'm here today is because I'm afraid that after Master Hong dies, these beggar leaders will start fighting among themselves, and if it gets out of hand, it will alarm the imperial court."

Li Jinglong frowned.

Guo Huan's words did not seem like a lie.

He might not really know the details about Master Hong.

Master Hong colluded with the government, running brothels, gambling dens, and caravans. To Guo Huan, he was merely a licensee waiting to be paid tribute.

Then he knew even less about the situation of the scouts.

"Old Guo, no matter what, I have to thank you for today. Your intervention saved me a lot of trouble, at least two rounds of ammunition," Li Jinglong said.

"Of course, of course," Guo Huan said politely.

"Let's go on a pleasure boat another day, it'll be my treat," Li Jinglong said with a smile.

Guo Huan smiled and cupped his hands in greeting: "Then I wish the Young Duke great fortune. Although beggars may not be respectable, they can make a lot of money."

"Of course." Li Jinglong also cupped his hands in greeting. "Lord Guo, see you later."

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