The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 84 Zhu Yuanzhang's defenses crumble; the one he loves but cannot have.

The following day, at the Qianqing Palace.

Li Jinglong recounted in detail what happened on the pleasure boat yesterday.

From Li Shou's banquet to Zhao Qing's self-sacrifice, to the three former veteran officials reminiscing about their glorious past, and then to his own near-loss of virginity after drinking.

Of course, he emphasized that he remained unmoved and had a firm will.

"Did you take Zhao Qing back?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked.

Li Jinglong was taken aback: "Your Majesty, that's not the point."

"The key point is that the Zhang Liangbi brothers are really in the capital. Fu Shou said it himself, that he ran into Zhang Liangzuo at the entrance of a dilapidated temple in Yongchangfang last year. The Zhang family had seven guns, five of which died in battle, and the remaining two disappeared without a trace, now they are in Yingtian City."

"Then find them," Zhu Yuanzhang continued, glaring at him. "I'm warning you, your future wife can only be a girl from the Yuan family. It's a marriage arranged by your father. If you dare to mess around, I'll be the first to punish you."

Li Jinglong was speechless: "Your Majesty, what are you thinking? I was just using a scheme to bring Zhao Qing back to my residence."

"Buying a former Yuan dynasty princess to be your slave, tsk tsk, do you think we don't understand your little scheme?" Zhu Yuanzhang snorted.

"I did it all to investigate the Darughachi," Li Jinglong said, looking wronged.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand: "Do whatever you want, find out as soon as possible the Darughachi in the north room of the scout headquarters. Find out whether Zhang Liangbi is him or not, and where he is."

Li Jinglong raised his eyes: "Your Majesty, then I need to know more. What kind of person is Zhang Liangbi? What is his character? What are his weaknesses? Only by knowing myself and my enemy can I make a move."

"We don't know much about Zhang Liangbi either," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "Of those warlords in Guanzhong, we only know Wang Baobao."

Li Jinglong scoffed, "That's someone you love but can't have."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't hear clearly and sighed to himself, "Back then, I went to great lengths for him, but alas, we were not destined to be together."

Li Jinglong's expression was strange.

If this were in modern times, you and Wang Baobao would definitely be an unconventional couple, the kind that would drive the entire internet crazy.

You once publicly exclaimed: "Although Yu Chun is a man of outstanding talent, I have been able to make him my subject. I cannot make Wang Baobao my subject, for he is an extraordinary man."

Ah, what you can't have always seems more alluring.

In order to win over Wang Baobao, he first arranged for his son Zhu to marry Wang Baobao's sister, attempting to win her over through kinship.

As it turned out, it didn't work.

You wrote another letter, offering kind and gentle advice.

"The dynasty is nearing its end, the hearts of the people have turned away, your army has been defeated and your strength is exhausted, yet you still do not realize this?"

"If you return, you will be given important responsibilities and appointed to the highest position among ministers."

It still didn't work.

After Wang Baobao's daughter was captured, you neither killed her nor exiled her, but instead raised her in the palace, appointed her as a female official, and treated her as an honored guest.

Later, you sent Li Baobao, a former subordinate of Wang Baobao, to persuade him to surrender. Li Baobao went, but was sent to his death by Wang Baobao with a cup of poisoned wine.

You sent Li Siqi again. He was the leader of the Guanzhong warlords back then, but he was eventually forced to return with a severed arm, and all hope of surrendering was lost.

You've finally completely broken down.

He vehemently criticized Wang Baobao as "nothing more than a petty scoundrel" and said that he "does not understand the ways of the times."

"The Scout Command was established by Wang Baobao." Zhu Yuanzhang frowned. "Such a talented man as Wang Baobao died so quietly? We don't believe he didn't leave a backup plan."

Li Jinglong was startled: "Your Majesty, so this is why you investigated the Cavalry Commandery."

"Never mind all that, just investigate the Darughachi of the northern house," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

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

After Li Jinglong left, Zhu Yuanzhang walked to the window, frowning and deep in thought.

After a while, Mao Xiang, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, entered the hall, knelt down and paid his respects: "Your subject Mao Xiang greets Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang didn't turn around: "Has the big fish taken the bait?"

"Your Majesty, they've started to take the bait. Li Shou has already made contact with the Young Duke, and Zhao Qing was also sent to the Young Duke by him," Mao Xiang reported.

"Heh." Zhu Yuanzhang sneered, "Everyone thinks Jiujiang is a good-for-nothing, a spoiled brat."

Mao Xiang tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, should we arrest someone? That big fish is hiding in Yongchang Ward."

"What's the rush?"

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, "When he died back then, we were really heartbroken. We even erected him in the Temple of Meritorious Officials. Who would have thought that he faked his death?"

"There must be some deal between him and Wang Baobao," Mao Xiang said.

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded, his gaze sharp: "Wang Baobao's backup plan is the most important."

"The scouts are extremely cautious, no less so than the Embroidered Uniform Guard," Mao Xiang said. "They are very wary of my men, and I have tried several times to plant people in their ranks, but all my attempts have failed."

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled: "That's why I used Jiujiang to break the deadlock."

"Your Majesty is wise. The young Duke, with his reputation as a playboy, is arrogant and domineering, and makes money everywhere. People won't be wary of him. Instead, they'll think he's a good-for-nothing and can be used to their advantage," Mao Xiang said.

Zhu Yuanzhang said coldly, "Your men must protect Jiujiang well."

"As you command." Mao Xiang kowtowed deeply and withdrew.

Not long after.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao entered the palace with a solemn expression.

"Have you been to the Duke of Wei's residence? How is Xu Da?" Zhu Yuanzhang asked first.

Zhu Biao frowned deeply: "Uncle Xu can't get out of bed. The imperial physician examined him and said that the carbuncle on his back has been festering for a long time, making it difficult to administer medicine. He can only try to maintain his condition with decoctions to alleviate the pain as much as possible."

Zhu Yuanzhang listened and remained silent for a long time.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh: "We were still hoping that he could lead the army and quell the Northern Yuan for us."

Zhu Biao gently advised, "Father, it's inevitable that the old generals are gradually passing away."

Zhu Yuanzhang nodded silently: "With Feng Sheng and Fu Youde in charge, there won't be any trouble."

"Lan Yu has also grown rapidly over the years. He is decisive in his military tactics and is a talented commander," Zhu Biao said.

Zhu Yuanzhang said in a deep voice, "Remember this: Lan Yu is a sharp blade, but he's not easy to wield. He's arrogant and disdainful of others. Once no one keeps him in check, he'll be like a wild horse. You'll have to be able to control him when you use him in the future."

"Your subject understands, Your subject is confident," Zhu Biao said confidently.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed, "In the end, it still depends on the second generation, such as Xu Yungong and Li Jiujiang, to grow up."

"Among the second generation, there are really very few who are presentable," Zhu Biao said with a wry smile.

Zhu Yuanzhang shrugged: "None of them are as good as my fourth son."

"The fourth brother has truly mastered Uncle Xu's teachings. Now he is stationed in Beiping, training troops and governing the country. He can handle things on his own," Zhu Biao sighed.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed and said, "If he weren't our son, we would have made him a Marquis of Champion, yay!"

The father and son burst into laughter.

After laughing, Zhu Biao stopped laughing, cupped his hands and said, "Father, the second son and his wife have been in the capital for some time now. How should this matter be handled?"

"No rush."

Zhu Yuanzhang's gaze turned cold. "We remember every single one of the outrageous things my second son did in his fiefdom. During this time, you should teach him a lesson. Whether you beat him or scold him, just don't kill him."

Zhu Biao nodded in agreement.

"As for the second son's wife," Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes slightly, "we'll deal with her after we find out who the Darughachi is in the north wing of the scout headquarters."

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