The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 78 They're all dead, I'm so lonely.

Qianqing Palace.

Li Jinglong arrived at the main gate and saw Zhu Bai coming out of the hall, his eyes red.

"Oh, Zhu Twelve, did His Majesty scold you again?" Li Jinglong said gloatingly.

Zhu Bai glared at him: "I came to request permission to visit my mother more often in the palace. But not only did Father not grant my request, he also punished me by sending me to the Xuanwu Lake camp to train troops for a month."

"What are you doing, a grown man, always staying by your mother's side?" Li Jinglong was speechless.

"You know nothing!" Zhu Bai glared angrily. "I'm going to Jingzhou to take up my fiefdom next year. The mountains and rivers will be vast then. How many more times will I be able to see my mother in this lifetime?"

Li Jinglong opened his mouth.

According to the rules of the Ming Dynasty, once a prince was granted a fief, he could not enter the capital without an imperial edict.

Once this happens, it will be difficult for mother and son to meet again.

"We'll hardly see each other again." Zhu Bai shrugged. "After all these years, I've gotten used to our bickering and arguing. Once I'm in Jingzhou, I won't even have anyone to argue with."

Li Jinglong's expression was strange.

According to historical records, we will still meet.

But when we meet again, it won't be after an argument. I will then, on the orders of Emperor Jianwen, lead troops to surround your Prince Xiang's residence.

And you, Zhu Bai, will have your entire household burned to the ground.

"What's with that look on your face?" Zhu Bai glared at him. "I'm not leaving tomorrow, what's with that funeral-like expression?"

Li Jinglong snapped out of his daze: "How about we go drinking another day?"

"Wait until I return from the Xuanwu Lake camp," Zhu Bai nodded.

"His Majesty is really something, throwing his sons into the Xuanwu Lake camp whenever he doesn't like them," Li Jinglong complained. "They used to be your fourth brother, now it's your turn."

Zhu Bai's face darkened slightly: "I don't know if I'll ever see Fourth Brother again."

Li Jinglong paused.

Zhu Di was living a life of hardship in Beiping. Once a prince was enfeoffed, they were not allowed to see each other.

Zhu Bai died without ever seeing your fourth brother again.

Li Jinglong entered the hall and bowed deeply to Zhu Yuanzhang, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

Zhu Yuanzhang was reviewing memorials and didn't even look up: "So you've taken the position of Chief Beggar?"

"Of course!" Li Jinglong puffed out his chest. "With me in charge, is there anything I can't handle? You didn't see it, but after my combination of kindness and force, Zhang Laojiu took the lead in bowing, and everyone else knelt down in a flurry."

He used gestures to describe what had happened in front of the mourning hall.

Zhu Yuanzhang's expression turned cold.

"Your Majesty, Guo Huan has definitely embezzled funds," Li Jinglong said. "Should we arrest him?"

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly shook his head: "Just focus on finding the Darughachi; don't worry about anything else."

Li Jinglong sensed something was wrong: "Your Majesty, do you know everything?"

He suspected that Zhu Yuanzhang was indulging Guo Huan.

It's the same old trick again. Back then, they let Hu Weiyong go, which eventually led to the Hu Weiyong case and the removal of the prime minister.

What are you planning to do this time?

I'm a time traveler, I have the script in my hand, and I know that the Guo Huan case involved tens of thousands of people and resulted in a bloodbath.

But I just can't figure out what Lao Zhu is trying to do right now.

Don't try to play tricks on Lao Zhu. I'd better go back to my place and lie down as soon as possible.

"If we knew everything, what would we need you for?" Zhu Yuanzhang glared.

Li Jinglong shrugged: "You're just messing with me."

Zhu Yuanzhang grabbed a folding book from the table and threw it at him, yelling, "Get lost!"

Li Jinglong smiled and changed the subject: "Your Majesty, let's get down to business. That Darughachi, judging from what Zhang Laojiu said, is a former big shot. Don't you have any guesses?"

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up from behind his desk: "A big shot? I've seen far too many big shots in my life."

Li Jinglong blinked.

It's coming! The classic show is coming!

When people reach a certain age, their favorite thing to do is reminisce about their past glories.

It's the same thing whether an ordinary old man is bragging at the alley entrance or an emperor is bragging in the Qianqing Palace.

"Eunuch Wang, would you like a cup of tea?" He sat cross-legged on the ground.

Wang Jinghong was used to it; in the Qianqing Palace, only this man dared to shout.

Li Jinglong took the tea, took a sip, and almost shouted, "Give me another plate of peanuts!"

"Why would such an important person become a Darughachi in the scouts?" Zhu Yuanzhang ignored his attitude and muttered to himself, "Who would go and become a spy chief for the Northern Yuan?"

"Your Majesty, why don't you tell me about all those important figures first? I'll help you sort them out," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood with his hands behind his back, facing the sky outside the hall: "From the time Liu Futong started the uprising, heroes rose up everywhere. Xu Shouhui, who rose the fastest, was killed by Chen Youliang. Chen Youliang and Zhang Shicheng were defeated by us. Later, Ming Yuzhen and Fang Guozhen also surrendered to us."

Li Jinglong secretly rolled his eyes.

Your Majesty, you don't need to start with these important figures, do you?

"These people can't be Darughachi either," he said, shrugging.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned: "Wang Baobao is also dead. Li Siqi and Zhang Liangbi, who once dominated Guanzhong, were both defeated by us. Li Siqi surrendered and has since died. Zhang Liangbi's whereabouts are indeed unknown."

Li Jinglong sighed, "It's true, almost all the important figures are dead."

"They were our mortal enemies," Zhu Yuanzhang said, his hands behind his back. "But they were also the ones who made us who we are. Now that they're all dead, I feel lonely."

Li Jinglong sighed, "Your Majesty, this Versailles-like description is disgusting."

Zhu Yuanzhang, unaware of what Versailles was, waved his hand and said, "Get out of here."

"Alright!" Li Jinglong cupped his hands in greeting and slipped away.

After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Li Jinglong walked along the imperial road, pondering as he went.

Maybe Zhang Laojiu's intelligence is wrong. What kind of big shot is that Darughachi? All the big shots are dead.

Perhaps it was that Darughachi who was bragging.

It seems we'll have to scrap it and start over.

Fortunately, I'm now the head of the beggars, so I can get some clues from the beggar households.

Jiujiang.

As Li Jinglong looked up, Crown Prince Zhu Biao walked towards him.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects." He bowed.

Zhu Biao glared at him: "You, the Junior Chamberlain of the Eastern Palace, how long has it been since you last visited the Eastern Palace?"

-

"Your Highness, I've been very busy. His Majesty assigned me a secret mission, and I've been running around every day lately. Look at my face, I've lost a lot of weight," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Biao snorted, "Why do I look a bit rounder than last month? Alright, I know you too well. The weather's nice today, go teach Yunwen how to ride a horse. That kid's always cooped up in his study reading, how can that be right?"

Li Jinglong was extremely unwilling, but he could only bow and say, "Alright, Your Majesty, I will go now."

He turned and walked towards the East Palace.

Before long, they arrived at the East Palace.

The Crown Princess Lü was sitting under the veranda enjoying the cool air when the sound of reading aloud drifted from the pavilion next door.

"Greetings, Crown Princess." Li Jinglong stepped forward.

"What brings Lord Li here?" Lady Lü asked coldly.

Li Jinglong shrugged: "By order of the Crown Prince, I am taking His Highness the Imperial Grandson on horseback."

Lady Lü choked.

Ignoring her, Li Jinglong shouted at the top of his lungs towards the pavilion, "Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness, Your Highness! I have been ordered by the Crown Prince to take you horseback riding!"

Zhu Yunwen walked out from inside, his gaze cold.