The Dumb Prince of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 98 Your Majesty, I have something to report about you.

In late autumn, a chill was in the air at the Qianqing Palace.

Li Jinglong stepped forward and bowed in worship, but his movements were perfunctory, and he pretended to kneel down.

Zhu Yuanzhang was reviewing memorials and didn't even look up: "Get up, get to the point."

Li Jinglong cleared his throat and began his report.

He recounted the key points of his meeting with Li Siqi yesterday.

"Your Majesty, I have already informed Mao Xiang. The Embroidered Uniform Guard is keeping an eye on Li Siqi; he can't escape," he added at the end.

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his head.

There was no surprise or shock on his face.

Li Jinglong cursed inwardly, "That old fox knew all along."

You knew all along that Li Siqi was alive, that he was the Darughachi of the Scouts, and that he was plotting with Wang Baobao. You knew everything, yet you said nothing, just watching me run all over the capital.

Are you kidding me?

"You and Li Siqi both stopped short of each other's intentions, which is good," Zhu Yuanzhang said. "He still doesn't know your purpose, so we can take advantage of him."

"Why not just arrest him?" Li Jinglong asked. "He faked his death to deceive the emperor."

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him: "There are plenty of people who deceive the emperor, don't you often lie to us too?"

For a moment of madness, Li Jinglong blurted out before he could think: "I didn't!"

Zhu Yuanzhang rolled his eyes at him.

Your skills are nothing compared to mine.

"Just arrest them and throw them into the imperial prison, isn't that enough?" Li Jinglong spread his hands. "Aren't the Embroidered Uniform Guard brothers capable of interrogating them? With all sorts of torture instruments laid out, even the toughest man would have to talk."

Zhu Yuanzhang slowly shook his head: "Even if you interrogate this kind of old fox, the information you get might be fake."

"Then what should we do?" Li Jinglong asked helplessly. "I'm not capable of getting information out of that old fox."

He said this without feeling ashamed at all. His persona is that of a good-for-nothing playboy, and a good-for-nothing can't get information out of people, so how reasonable is that?

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled slightly.

Li Jinglong then recalled his father-in-law's words: "Listen to His Majesty in everything, and do not disobey His Majesty."

"Your Majesty, the wise and mighty Emperor, surely you have a solution?" he asked, looking up.

His expression was just right, sincere with three parts admiration, three parts obedience, and four parts "This subject is useless and relies entirely on Your Majesty."

Zhu Yuanzhang stood up, his face grim: "It's time to go see Princess Qin and tell her that the Darughachi in the north wing of the scout headquarters is Li Siqi."

"Uh, and then?" Li Jinglong felt like his brain wasn't working properly.

Zhu Yuanzhang continued, "Just say that we promised her that we would let Haili return to the grasslands in the north."

Li Jinglong was even more bewildered: "It sounds like this is a losing proposition, but Your Majesty never does anything that loses money."

"Tell her again that we will help her brother, Toyin Temur, and assist Maidelibala in becoming the next Khan of the Northern Yuan," Zhu Yuanzhang said.

Li Jinglong understood somewhat.

Princess Qin was Wang Baobao's younger sister; Toyin Temur was Princess Qin's second brother and Wang Baobao's younger brother; and Mai Delibala was a prince of the Northern Yuan Dynasty whom Zhu Yuanzhang had captured years ago.

Release Haili back, help Toyin Timur ascend to the throne, and support the puppet Khan.

This is a game of immense strategic importance.

Old Zhu is trying to cultivate a pro-Ming force on the grasslands and dismantle the Northern Yuan from the root.

"Your Majesty, but the wolf cubs on the grasslands can't be properly tamed," he said worriedly.

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly: "The formidable enemies we face now are not just the Northern Yuan. Yunnan has just been pacified, and there is Nahachu in Liaodong. Alas, the national treasury is empty. What can we do? We need time."

Li Jinglong promptly flattered, "Your Majesty is wise."

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him: "But we can't just agree to her request. Tell her that we need her brother Toyn Timur's son and daughter to come to the Ming Dynasty as hostages. Only then can we release Guihaili."

"Would they agree to trade two for one?" Li Jinglong asked.

Zhu Yuanzhang said irritably, "Hai Li is Wang Baobao's daughter, and she has a lot of influence on the grasslands. Besides, tell her that we will support her second brother's grain supplies through Li Siqi's caravan."

Li Jinglong suddenly understood.

It's all strung together.

Li Siqi's trade routes stretched from Guanzhong to the Northwest and beyond the Great Wall.

Zhu Yuanzhang's plan was to use this trade route to deliver grain to Toyin Timur, support pro-Ming forces, exchange hostages, stabilize the northern border, and buy time to deal with Nahachu.

"Your Majesty is truly a great emperor of all time," he said with admiration.

Zhu Yuanzhang's lips curled up slightly: "All you know is how to flatter. Your father wasn't like this back then."

Li Jinglong curled his lip.

Ha ha.

Tell me, is it good or not? You're pouting.

"It's nothing, get back to your duties." Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand.

Li Jinglong raised his head, his face serious: "I have another matter to discuss."

Zhu Yuanzhang sat down: "Speak!"

"Your Majesty, I must impeach you!" Li Jinglong said in a deep voice.

Zhu Yuanzhang froze, while Wang Jinghong, standing beside him, shrank back.

Whom should we consult?

Your Majesty?

You reckless brat, don't drag our family down with you.

"Your Majesty, you wrote a letter to General Yuan Hong, revealing my secrets and spreading rumors about me. This is not fair!" Li Jinglong shouted.

Zhu Yuanzhang glared at him: "I'm warning you, don't act recklessly."

"I have always been mindful of my actions, Your Majesty, and need not remind me," Li Jinglong snorted.

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stood up and began rolling up his sleeves: "Am I in the wrong for caring about you?"

"You're just being a doting father, it's controlling," Li Jinglong said, tilting his head back. "Don't use concern as a pretext to control your juniors."

Zhu Yuanzhang was stunned.

"Daddy vibe"? "Controlling"? What kind of terms are these?

"Father! Calm down!" Zhu Biao rushed in from outside and saw the scene. He hurriedly shouted, "Jiujiang is still young. Don't be angry with him."

Zhu Yuanzhang's chest heaved: "He impeached us and even insulted us!"

"Shouldn't you be cursing?" A head popped out from behind Zhu Biao.

Li Jinglong nestled behind the Crown Prince's broad shoulders, exuding confidence.

"Hey, you little brat!" Zhu Yuanzhang stepped forward angrily, "I'll beat you to death today."

Zhu Biao reacted quickly and grabbed his arm: "Father, if you beat him, he'll just give up."

Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly paused.

Li Jinglong put his hands on his hips and poked his face out from behind Zhu Biao, saying, "Hit me if you want, hit me if you want."

"I'll break your legs." Zhu Yuanzhang raised his fist.

"My aunt is gone, and no one cares about us anymore." Li Jinglong began to act.

Zhu Yuanzhang was immediately dejected.

He thought of his sister. Back then, he was just a lowly soldier in Haozhou City, and she followed him, crawling out of piles of corpses and walking on the edge of a knife.

When she left, her biggest worry was these children.

"Get out." He waved his hand.

Li Jinglong immediately made his escape.

Zhu Yuanzhang returned to his seat, fuming.

"Father, I know you won't beat Jiujiang." Zhu Biao stepped forward with a smile. "Among my brothers and the second-generation nobles, only Jiujiang can talk to you like this."

Zhu Yuanzhang snorted: "Is it because I have a strong fatherly smell?"

"Jiujiang has a lot of slang and rhetoric, don't take it too seriously," Zhu Biao blinked. "However, sometimes what that kid says makes a lot of sense."

Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyes: "Then elaborate."

Zhu Biao: