The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 79 Old Zhu's Imperial Art: A Misguided Approach

Horse farm.

Li Jinglong was leading a horse, and Zhu Yunwen stood beside him with his hands behind his back. It looked awkward no matter how you looked at it, a seven or eight-year-old child in that pose.

Li Jinglong couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, why are you standing so straight? There are no outsiders here."

"Jiujiang, I actually understand why my grandfather sent you to teach me how to ride a horse." Zhu Yunwen said, his hands behind his back.

"Oh?" Li Jinglong raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Zhu Yunwen sighed softly: "To cultivate trusted confidants for my future."

"No, no, no." Li Jinglong quickly waved his hand, "I'm just a good-for-nothing playboy. If I become your confidant, wouldn't that be a bad thing?"

""

As the historical script had it, I did indeed become your confidant, and then I did indeed cause trouble.

Li Jinglong and Zhu Yunwen had been close friends since childhood. Later, when Zhu Yunwen ascended the throne, he regarded Li Jinglong as a confidant and entrusted him with an army of 500,000.

Subsequently, Li Jinglong's army was almost completely wiped out.

Finally, Li Jinglong surrendered to Zhu Di.

Zhu Yunwen only realized then that Li Jinglong was an actor.

"Jiujiang, I trust my grandfather's judgment." Zhu Yunwen's expression was serious. "My previous attitude towards you was just an act for my mother and grandfather."

Li Jinglong was taken aback.

Kid, turns out you're an actor all along!

So young, yet already knows how to act on both sides.

"Jiujiang, I hope we can support each other to the end," Zhu Yunwen said sincerely.

Li Jinglong felt a sense of unease.

This child is trying to win people over like his grandfather, but he's far too naive.

He learned the art of rulership that Old Zhu taught him, but he went astray.

"Your Highness," Li Jinglong sighed, "I'm going back to lie low. I can't be an official, nor can I be a trusted confidant. My ideal is to eat and drink until the sun is high in the sky, and just wait to die."

"I understand." Zhu Yunwen smiled slightly. "Let's start with teaching horseback riding."

Li Jinglong lifted Zhu Yunwen onto the horse's back.

"Grip the reins, grip them tight, loosen them, grip them tight again, yes, feel it."

"Keep your legs tight! Do you have a nail in your crotch?"

After walking around a few times, Li Jinglong waved his hand and said, "Alright, do it yourself."

Zhu Yunwen was taken aback: "What are you coming for?"

"Ride! You think riding a horse is just sitting there like a decoration? Giddy up, let's go!" Li Jinglong whipped the horse's rump.

The horse let out a neigh and galloped away.

Zhu Yunwen's face turned pale instantly.

"Slow down, slow down, Jiujiang, Li Jinglong!"

Li Jinglong smiled as he watched Zhu Chongwen frantically trying to move on horseback, swaying left and right.

He yelled at the top of his lungs, "Pull the reins back! Pull them back! Don't pull so hard, do you think you're pulling an oxcart?"

Pfft!

Zhu Yunwen fell down.

He landed face-first, getting a mouthful of grass clippings.

The guards were startled and were about to rush forward.

"Stop right there!" Li Jinglong shouted sternly. "Get up yourselves."

Zhu Yunwen pushed himself up from the ground and slowly got to his feet. His legs were trembling, his neatly styled hair was disheveled, and he looked utterly pathetic.

"Mount up."

Li Jinglong continued to teach, and Zhu Chong continued to throw things.

After falling several times, Zhu Yunwen's face grew increasingly gloomy.

"What?" Li Jinglong stepped forward. "We helped each other out, and this is the end of it? You're giving up after a couple of falls?"

Zhu Yunwen's face was tense, and his whole body ached.

Li Jinglong grinned mischievously, "You can't even handle three falls? How are we going to create a legendary tale of a ruler and his minister? What will the history books say? 'The Emperor and Jinglong supported each other, but the Emperor abandoned him after three falls.' That would sound terrible!"

"That's not how you teach equestrian instructors," Zhu Yunwen said, tilting his head up.

Li Jinglong raised an eyebrow: "So you still can't ride a horse? They're afraid you'll fall."

Zhu Yunwen was speechless.

"My father taught me to ride horses by letting me fall and crawl around. I was only five years old then, and the horses I rode were much more aggressive, so I fell and got bruised and battered. My dad would stand by and watch, making me get on the horse again and again."

Zhu Yunwen hesitated, clearly wanting to give up.

A mischievous urge suddenly surfaced in Li Jinglong's mind.

Give this kid a lesson in the dark.

"Your Highness, the Crown Prince has more than one son," he leaned closer and whispered. "Strictly speaking, Zhu Yunwen is the legitimate son. His relatives are Chang Mao and Lan Yu, both of whom hold significant military power. What do you have?"

A look of panic flashed across Zhu Yunwen's face: "My little brother is still young."

"It will grow." Li Jinglong shrugged.

Zhu Yunwen, his face tense, said in a deep voice, "What you're saying is an attempt to sow discord within the royal family."

Li Jinglong's heart skipped a beat.

It’s over.

I got carried away and spoke too excitedly, forgetting my limits. If this gets back to Old Zhu, given his suspicious nature, wouldn't he execute me on the spot?

He stole a glance at the guards; thankfully, they were far enough away that they couldn't hear him.

"I'm just giving you a heads-up. Never mind, didn't you just say you considered me a confidant? Can't even a few heartfelt words between confidants?" He shrugged.

Zhu Yunwen gritted his teeth: "Fine, I'll keep falling. I'll definitely be the best grandson of the emperor."

He climbed back onto the horse, this time without hesitation. A fierce look flashed across his face, as if he were a completely different person.

Li Jinglong stood to the side and said, "Yes, that's the rhythm. Don't cling to the reins like a lifeline."

Not long after, Zhu Biao and Lady Lü walked in from the entrance of the horse farm.

Before Li Jinglong could even bow, he heard a cry of surprise from horseback.

puff.

Zhu Yunwen fell off his horse.

Lady Lü cried out in alarm, "Yunwen, quick, quickly help the imperial grandson up!"

Several eunuchs and palace maids rushed over and helped Zhu Yunwen up from the ground.

Zhu Chongwen, his face bruised and swollen, was carried over.

When Lady Lü saw her son's face, she angrily shouted, "How could you have hurt the imperial grandson like this?"

1

All eyes turned to Li Jinglong.

It wasn't that he was intentionally shifting the blame; the blame was rightfully his.

Zhu Yunwen pursed his lips, trying to suppress his grievances.

Li Jinglong cursed inwardly, "This little bastard is trying to mess with me."

"Your Highness, it was I who caused the young prince to fall and get injured like this." He bowed to Zhu Biao.

Lady Lü roared angrily, "How dare you! The body of the imperial grandson is not something you can afford to throw!"

"Can't the imperial grandson fall?" Li Jinglong asked. "Then what's the point of riding a horse? How will he go to the battlefield? To throw his head in the sand?"

"Madam Lü trembled with rage: 'You—'"

"Shut up," Zhu Biao interrupted her. "Jiujiang did the right thing. Which of the Zhu family's descendants is afraid of a beating? The third and fourth sons fought the enemy with knives at the border; which one of them doesn't have a few scars on their bodies? If the Zhu family's descendants don't hone their skills, how will they defend the border and guard the country's gates in the future?"

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong." Lady Lü lowered her head.

Zhu Yunwen, who had been silent all along, raised his little face: "Father, your son is not afraid of being beaten. The stricter my cousin Jiujiang is, the better."

"Very good. With this kind of dedication, you'll be able to master it sooner or later." Zhu Biao was very satisfied.

Li Jinglong's expression was strange.

That little bastard, he's got a real knack for it.

A fall can have two outcomes.

If Lady Lü gets angry, she can punish Li Jinglong and vent her anger from earlier.

If the wind is not blowing in the right direction, then put on a show of unwavering determination in front of your father.

"Jiujiang," Zhu Biao said solemnly, "Don't hold back. Train Yunwen the same way your cousin trained you back then."

Li Jinglong: "Hehe."

I'm going to have a headache dealing with your family of drama queens from now on.