The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 94 Your Majesty, every word I uttered came from the bottom of my heart!

Zhu Bai squinted at the two figures walking away and whispered, "Jiujiang, this one-armed old man is definitely not an ordinary person."

Li Jinglong spread his hands: "Speaking of our Beggars' Sect's caravans, when they go to the Northwest, they all have to rely on the Li family to put in a good word for them. The Li family is certainly not ordinary."

"Such great ability?" Zhu Bai seemed to be thinking.

Wang Dong walked up from behind and whispered, "Sixth Brother, you had the brothers secretly investigate the Li family before, and they've recently made some discoveries."

""

"What discovery?" Li Jinglong asked.

Wang Dong lowered his voice and said, "That Li Shou has been to the residence of Li Chang of the Jinwu Guard."

"Li Chang?" Li Jinglong frowned, thinking for a long time. "Who is that?"

Zhu Bai was startled: "Li Chang, the Assistant Commander of the Imperial Guard, is Li Siqi's son."

"Is that the leader of the Guanzhong Alliance back then? The one who led a group of powerful figures in Guanzhong to fight Wang Baobao to the death?" Li Jinglong asked.

"It's him." Zhu Bai nodded. "I've heard my elder brother, the Crown Prince, tell me about this in detail. Back then, Li Siqi was the King of Guanzhong, commanding the heroes of Guanzhong and jointly ruling over Wang Baobao."

"Ah, so it's the King of Guanzhong." Li Jinglong shrugged.

"It's a pity." Zhu Bai sighed. "Li Siqi died in the eighth year of Hongwu. Although I was young at the time, I remember that my father personally wrote the eulogy."

Li Jinglong pondered, "That Li Shou went to Li Chang's residence; are they relatives?"

Zhu Bai suddenly slapped Li Jinglong on the shoulder: "I suddenly remembered that in the seventh year of Hongwu, Father sent Li Siqi to the north to persuade Wang Baobao to surrender. Wang Baobao refused to surrender to the Ming and even cut off Li Siqi's arm."

"That one-armed old man from just now?" Li Jinglong realized.

Zhu Bai frowned deeply: "This isn't right. Li Siqi returned with a severed arm, but died not long after."

"Holy crap, could he have faked his death?" Li Jinglong rubbed his chin. "Wait a minute, why would he fake his death for no reason?"

Zhu Bai also wondered, "Yes, he was a meritorious official back then, and the Emperor treated him well. Why would he fake his death and hide his identity?"

"There must be a conspiracy involved," Li Jinglong said. "However, we need to confirm first whether that one-armed old man is Li Siqi."

Zhu Bai nodded slowly.

An hour later, at the Qianqing Palace.

Li Jinglong knelt in the main hall.

-

Zhu Yuanzhang walked around him with his hands behind his back.

"You've got guts, leading hundreds of men to attack the Canal Gang in broad daylight, spilling blood on the pier. Li Jiujiang, do you have no respect for the imperial court?"

"Living right under the emperor's nose, do you think you can disregard us?"

Li Jinglong looked up, his face sincere: "Your Majesty, I keep you in my heart."

Zhu Yuanzhang:

Wang Jinghong, who was serving nearby, twitched his shoulder.

Don't give me that!

"Every word I say comes from the bottom of my heart."

"What nonsense! You think we don't know what you're up to? Just because we're backing you up, you dare to lead your men to conquer cities and seize territory? Today it's the Grand Canal Gang, tomorrow will you be attacking the Imperial Guards?"

"No, that's impossible," Li Jinglong said earnestly. "The Embroidered Uniform Guard belongs to His Majesty. How could I possibly fight against my own people?"

"Heh, you still remember you're a member of the imperial court? We thought you were going to rebel," Zhu Yuanzhang scoffed.

Li Jinglong said with high spirits, "Your Majesty, I am also doing this to strengthen the Beggars' Sect. When the Beggars' Sect prospers, the capital prospers; when the capital prospers, the Beggars' Sect prospers even more."

"What nonsense are you spouting? What does the Beggars' Sect have to do with the Ming Dynasty?" Zhu Yuanzhang glared.

Li Jinglong blinked: "Your Majesty, I made a great discovery while fighting the Canal Gang. Those Canal Gang members fight with a style quite like a military formation. Zhu Twelve also noticed that they clearly had experience in the military."

Zhu Yuanzhang coldly replied, "That's it?"

Old Zhu's reaction clearly indicated that he already knew.

These old foxes, they're all masters of pretense.

"And another thing. Behind the Grand Canal Gang is the Grand Manager," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang was clearly startled.

"Head Manager." His gaze was cold. "He can command the canal gang? We underestimated him."

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Li Jinglong shrugged: "There's a force hiding in the capital, with soldiers under their command and powerful backers. That's why they don't take you seriously."

"Manager, you've got some skills." Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled.

Li Jinglong tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, do you know who the head steward is?"

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him: "We don't know!"

"Then I will investigate," Li Jinglong said, displaying an air of unwavering loyalty. "I will definitely find him and bring him before His Majesty. Since I discovered this matter, it is my duty to do so."

"No need," Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand. "Just find the Darughachi of the Scout Command. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Li Jinglong paused.

The old emperor is not playing by the rules. Didn't he always throw things at me before?

"You think we don't know you?" Zhu Yuanzhang glared. "You've got your eye on the businesses under the head manager's control, haven't you? The pleasure boats..."

The canal transport system and the docks—that's a huge piece of meat. You think you can just sniff it out and take a bite?

Li Jinglong sighed inwardly.

In front of that old fox, I am completely naked.

"Remember, you don't need to worry about this. Don't disrupt our plans," Zhu Yuanzhang emphasized.

Li Jinglong felt a chill run down his spine.

Old Zhu had indeed made arrangements; whether it was the canal gang or the head manager, they were probably already on his chessboard.

That old geezer treats everyone like a pawn.

"Alright, I won't concern myself with that matter," Li Jinglong said, pursing his lips. "However, I have made a discovery about that Darughachi."

Zhu Yuanzhang sat down on the dragon throne and said calmly, "Tell me about it."

"I suspect!" Li Jinglong deliberately paused for a moment, "The Darughachi of the north wing of the Scout Command is Li Siqi."

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes: "Li Siqi? He's been dead for almost ten years."

"Your Majesty, please listen to me."

Li Jinglong recounted how he bumped into Li Shou and his son at the dock.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang's face remained completely expressionless: "Then you must verify it. Is he Li Siqi? If he truly faked his death, why would he fake it?"

"I suspect that when Li Siqi went to the northern frontier to persuade Wang Baobao to surrender, he was persuaded by Wang Baobao instead. The two of them got together and plotted a grand scheme," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang frowned: "He surrendered to us, and we treated him well. Why would he betray us again?"

"Heh, why? Your Majesty, don't you have any idea?" Li Jinglong spread his hands: "First you sent Li Baobao to persuade Wang Baobao to surrender, and what happened? Wang Baobao poisoned him to death. Then, you sent Li Siqi. Your Majesty, aren't you just sending people to their deaths? If it were me, I would betray you too."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted: "We don't care what he thought at the time."

"Perfect timing, it gives him and Wang Baobao an opportunity to conspire. After all, they were comrades-in-arms in Guanzhong back then, one was the leader of the Guanzhong Alliance and the other was a general of the Yuan Dynasty. They had shared drinks together before. Two old acquaintances together, even with one arm missing, have plenty to talk about," Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled meaningfully: "So what do you think they're plotting?"

"I don't know," Li Jinglong shook his head.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand: "Go and investigate this matter."

Li Jinglong:

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