The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Yuan Hong pondered for a moment, then recounted a past event.

"Back then, the Grand Commander was ordered to attack Hangzhou. When the Hangzhou garrison commander, Pan Yuanming, saw the Grand Commander's army at the city gates, he surrendered immediately without saying a word and even sent a large list of gifts, including gold, silver, treasures, beautiful women, and singing girls."

"However, Pan Yuanming has a tough nut to crack, namely Pan Mei."

"Pan Mei?" Li Jinglong was taken aback.

"Yes. At the time, Pan Mei was Pan Yuanming's subordinate. When he heard that his commander had surrendered, he was so angry that he jumped up and down, slammed his fist on the table, and cursed Pan Yuanming for being spineless, saying that he would rather die than surrender. Pan Yuanming locked him up to prevent him from causing trouble."

Li Jinglong frowned: "So this is Pan Mei's personality."

"However, he was later subdued by the Grand Commander." Yuan Hong chuckled.

Li Jinglong sighed and said, "That sounds weird."

"Don't interrupt!" Yuan Hong glared at him and continued, "When the Grand Commander led his troops into Hangzhou, his military discipline was impeccable. When Pan Yuanming sent people to bring courtesans to welcome him, the Grand Commander ignored them completely, waved his hand, and ordered the troops to leave. He then stationed himself on a high building and issued a death order on the spot: anyone who enters a civilian's residence without permission will be put to death."

"Do you know what happened next? A soldier stole a pot from a civilian to cook with—just one pot! The Grand Commander didn't say a word, dragged him out and beheaded him. From then on, Hangzhou was orderly."

Li Jinglong felt a chill run down his spine: "So ruthless?"

"Ruthless? That's the rule!" Yuan Hong said solemnly. "The Grand Commander said we're here to conquer the world and bring peace to it, not to harm the people."

Li Jinglong remained silent.

My father was able to be granted the title of Duke because of his own merit, not because he was the emperor's nephew.

"Pan Mei was imprisoned. He thought that when the Ming army came in, they would burn, kill, and loot, which was the old habit of the rebel army. But when he heard the jailer say that the Ming army did not commit any crimes, and that a soldier was beheaded for borrowing a pot, he was shocked on the spot."

"He said he wanted to see it for himself. The jailer ignored him, so he banged his head against the wall. When the Grand Commander heard about this, he said he wanted to see it and let him see it."

"Pan Mei was taken out and paraded around Hangzhou. When she returned, she knelt down before the Grand Commander and surrendered."

Li Jinglong chuckled upon hearing this: "This Pan Mei is very straightforward."

"Later, the Grand Commander incorporated 30,000 surrendered soldiers in Hangzhou and seized 200,000 shi of grain. His Majesty was overjoyed and immediately bestowed upon the Grand Commander the titles of Grand Master of the Palace and Chancellor of Zhejiang Province. He also issued a special decree that the Grand Commander no longer needed to bear the surname Zhu and should revert to the surname Li."

Yuan Hong lowered his voice as he finished speaking.

Do you know what this means?

Li Jinglong nodded slowly.

Li Wenzhong was originally Zhu Yuanzhang's nephew. He was adopted by Zhu Yuanzhang when he was young and his surname was changed to Zhu. Now that he has restored his surname to Li, it means that Zhu Yuanzhang recognizes that he has achieved success and no longer needs to be subordinate to the imperial family.

"It was from that time that the Grand Commander recalled Li Wenzhong. Pan Mei, from then on, was determined to follow the Grand Commander, handling documents for him and fighting in the north and south for many years. It wasn't until the thirteenth year of Hongwu, after the Hu traitor case, that the court was short of people and Pan Mei was transferred to the Ministry of Rites."

"So you're saying Pan Mei would be disrespectful to the Grand Commander at the funeral? I don't believe it. That old bastard, he'd turn on anyone who dared to disrespect the Grand Commander. How could someone like that betray the Grand Commander?"

Li Jinglong frowned deeply and muttered, "Why would he do that?"

"There must be a reason for this." Yuan Hong put down his teacup and looked at Li Jinglong seriously. "Young Duke, I think you should investigate whether Pan Mei has someone behind him. That old man is straightforward; don't let him be used as a pawn."

Li Jinglong's mind worked incredibly fast.

"Uncle Yuan, let me explain this to you. Pan Mei is loyal to my father, right? But he did do something disrespectful to my father, tampering with the funeral music and almost ruining our family. And if His Majesty finds out about this, Pan Mei will at least lose his official position, and at worst, lose his head."

Yuan Hong nodded: "Yes, that old guy isn't stupid."

"Then why does he still do it?"

"First, he was forced into it. Someone had something on him, like his affair was discovered. In short, he had no choice but to obey."

Yuan Hong grinned: "Pan Mei? Keeping a concubine? With his health, he's probably in serious trouble."

Li Jinglong's lips twitched: "Uncle Yuan, that's not the point."

"Alright, alright, go ahead and tell me." Yuan Hong waved his hand.

"Secondly, he has chosen sides. He has sided with a certain faction that wants to smear my father and deal with my Cao Guogong Mansion. Pan Mei is just a tool in their hands."

Yuan Hong frowned: "Who wants to mess with your family? When your father was alive, who dared to offend him? Now that he's gone, you two brothers are sixteen and thirteen, who have you bothered with?"

"That's right!" Li Jinglong shrugged. "My Cao State Duke's Mansion has no enemies above and no debts below. My father just passed away, and someone is already trying to harm us?"

"Is it because I'm too handsome that someone is jealous?"

"Can you be serious for once?"

"Look at us, the Li family. His Majesty just posthumously conferred upon us the title of Prince of Qiyang and granted us the honor of being enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. We are currently enjoying great favor. If someone were to oppose us at this time, wouldn't that be opposing His Majesty? Who would be so foolish as to do that?"

Yuan Hong scratched his head: "Young Duke, I can't help with these things. If you want me to ride up and kill people, I'll cut them all down. But if you want me to analyze this and that, my brain isn't up to the task."

Li Jinglong silently complained.

What did you just say?

The governor is gone. If you need anything in the future, just say the word, and I'll make sure everything is clear for you.

"Before I came here, I inquired and found that there was nothing suspicious about the imperial physicians His Majesty executed. They were all from Jiangnan and had no connection whatsoever with your family," Yuan Hong said.

Li Jinglong's heart stirred.

A person from Jiangnan?

Pan Mei is also from Jiangnan.

When my father pacified Jiangnan, he fought against Zhang Shicheng and also won over the people of Jiangnan.

Could these things be related to Jiangnan in some way?

"Uncle Yuan, please stop getting involved in this matter." Li Jinglong raised his head. "You are now the commander of Taiyuan Garrison, guarding a region. Your current position is inappropriate."

Yuan Hong grinned: "I know, I can't get involved in these brain-taxing things."

"Where is your daughter now?" Li Jinglong changed the subject.

Yuan Hong shrugged: "Of course it's in the capital."

Li Jinglong blinked: "When should I go take a look?"

"How can this be? You are not married yet, you cannot meet." Yuan Hong immediately refused.

Li Jinglong provoked him: "Uncle Yuan, is your daughter an ugly monster? Look at you, you big, rough guy, your daughter must be ugly."

Yuan Hong immediately became anxious: "My daughter looks just like her mother, she's beautiful."

"Really?" Li Jinglong thought to himself with a secret thrill.

Yuan Hong stood up: "More than enough for you. I'm leaving; Commander Xu is still waiting."

He left in a hurry.

Li Jinglong watched him leave with a smile, but his expression darkened again.

Someone is trying to use my father's death to cause trouble.

Who in the government and the public is so bold?

Suddenly, a figure flashed through his mind.

……

As soon as Yuan Hong left, Li Zengzhi came out yawning.

"Brother, what were you talking about with your future father-in-law? I was listening from the back; your father-in-law has a really loud voice."

Li Jinglong frowned deeply: "I suspect someone is trying to use our father's death to cause trouble."

Upon hearing this, Li Zengzhi was mostly awake: "Who? Our father is the Duke of Cao, His Majesty's nephew! Who dares to mess with our family? Are they tired of living?"

"What if that person is His Majesty?" Li Jinglong said in a low voice.

"What?"

Li Zengzhi jumped up from his chair. "Did His Majesty really poison our father?"

Snapped!

Li Jinglong slapped him on the back of the head: "Use your brain! His Majesty would never poison our father. That's his nephew, the kid he raised since he was a baby!"

"Then what you said, His Majesty is going to cause trouble," Li Zengzhi said, puzzled.

Li Jinglong leaned closer, his voice even lower: "Has Your Majesty used our father's death to cause trouble?"

Li Zengzhi still didn't quite understand: "What's going on?"

"His Majesty wants to crack down on the gentry and landlords of Jiangnan, and my father's death is a good starting point," Li Jinglong said.

Li Zengzhi: "???"

"This matter is complicated," Li Jinglong explained in a low voice. "In short, the gentry and landlords in Jiangnan, relying on their wealth and power in the region, have banded together and are already threatening His Majesty."

"When our father pacified Jiangnan, he killed their people, seized their grain, and confiscated their silver, making many enemies. Now that our father is gone, think about it, if His Majesty goes along with it and lets the world believe that the gentry of Jiangnan colluded with the imperial physicians to poison our father..."

Li Zengzhi suddenly realized: "Then Your Majesty has a reason to punish them! It's perfectly justified to avenge meritorious officials!"

Li Jinglong was relieved: "He's still got his brain working; he hasn't lost it."

Li Zengzhi breathed a huge sigh of relief: "I hope it wasn't His Majesty who poisoned it, it scared me to death."

Li Jinglong: "..."

"Brother, what should we do next?" Li Zengzhi asked.

Li Jinglong stood up: "I want to confront His Majesty head-on."

"Brother, have you lost your mind?" Li Zengzhi said, rubbing his forehead.

Li Jinglong waved his hand: "Don't worry about this, you're still young."

"As long as His Majesty didn't poison my father, I don't care about anything else." Li Zengzhi lay back in the chair.

Li Jinglong stretched, his whole body aching.

"Suddenly having free time is really a bit boring," he sighed, gazing at the roof beams.

Li Zengzhi's eyes lit up: "Brother, didn't you say you wanted to build a manor? Shall we go out of town and look at some land? Let's get some fresh air."

Li Jinglong glared at him: "Dad was just buried yesterday, and we're going out to party today? If Dad knew this in the afterlife, he'd be turning in his grave."

"Brother, we have to observe three years of mourning. Three years! During this period, there can be no celebrations, no banquets, no music or opera, and we can't even celebrate the New Year." Li Zengzhi said with a bitter face.

Li Jinglong was speechless.

Three years! In my past life, let alone three years, if I didn't go out and socialize for three months, I'd be out of luck.

"It would be even better if we didn't have to go to school," Li Zengzhi sighed again.

Li Jinglong wholeheartedly agreed: "It would be best if we could retire directly, since we have plenty of food at home anyway."

"Brother, you've been talking strangely lately," Li Zengzhi yawned.

Li Jinglong smiled at him: "Strangely cute, isn't it?"

Li Zengzhi: "..."

"Second brother, just lie down," Li Jinglong said lazily. "Three years is fine, we don't have any grand ambitions anyway."

……

P.S.: I've added an extra chapter, but nobody's reading it? There's absolutely no response, no votes, no comments. I'm just waiting for a buzz.