Chapter 153

Chapter 153

[After Zhu Yuanzhang Returned to the Great Ming – 4]

The next morning, Zhu Yuanzhang woke, went into the courtyard to stretch his limbs, and heard that an imperial merchant surnamed Tian had requested an audience. The man had already been waiting for over an hour.

Zhu Yuanzhang understood the unspoken implications and laughed. “He spent generously, didn’t he?”

An imperial merchant could hardly walk through a prince’s gates on his status alone, much less merit the pointed mention that he had waited over an hour.

The subordinate smiled ingratiatingly. “All thanks to Your Highness.”

“What does he want?”

Hearing an opening, the subordinate hurriedly explained. “The Tian Family’s eldest daughter married into the Tao Family. She is Eldest Madam Tao…”

Seeing that the Prince appeared interested, he went into detail. “That’s why I say the Taos are despicable. They tried to force their daughter-in-law to ask her maiden family for money to cover their debt. When she refused, every one of them turned on her. Last night, Young Master Tao nearly struck his wife! The Tian Family can’t bear to see their daughter suffer, and they’re also afraid the Tao Family’s inability to repay its debts will drag her down with them. They are willing to present fifty thousand taels to Your Highness and ask that you allow Eldest Madam Tao to return to her maiden home, severing all ties with the Tao Family from this day forward.”

Liu Che gave an impressed exclamation. “That family thinks fast!”

Zhu Yuanzhang considered the timing. Tao Chuqing had only returned home the previous night, yet the Tian Family’s representative was already here this morning. The Tians had reacted swiftly, but Eldest Madam Tao herself must also be the decisive sort.

He admired women like that and asked another question. “Is the Tian Family providing those fifty thousand taels, or is their daughter?”

How could the subordinate have known the Prince would ask such a precise question? He was immediately stumped. Fortunately, he reacted quickly. “This humble one will summon Master Tian at once so he can answer Your Highness himself!”

Father Tian was over forty, with a round, slightly plump face that looked both affable and shrewd. After entering and bowing, he respectfully explained that he wished to pay for his daughter’s release from the Tao Family and begged the Prince to show mercy.

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, “Are you paying this money, or is your daughter?”

Father Tian had not expected the question. After a brief pause, he replied, “My daughter is paying it herself. The money all comes from her dowry.”

He had spent many years in commerce. After only a few exchanges, he saw that this Prince tolerated no deception. Afraid Zhu Yuanzhang might consider the amount too small, he chose his words with utmost caution. “When my daughter married, she took a dowry of thirty thousand taels. She managed it well over the last two years and earned another twenty thousand. Fifty thousand is everything she has, and she is offering it all. If Your Highness finds that insufficient, name your price and this humble one will make up the difference…”

Zhu Yuanzhang rather admired both father and daughter. He shook his head. “Forget fifty thousand. Thirty thousand will suffice. Go bring your daughter home. From this moment on, the affair has nothing to do with her.”

Father Tian had prepared himself to contribute tens of thousands more. He never expected to settle the matter with only thirty thousand taels. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he thanked the Prince repeatedly for his magnanimity.

Zhu Yuanzhang accepted the praise without embarrassment, then added, “You raised a clever daughter. Marrying her into the Tao Family was a waste. Once you take her home, don’t rush to marry her off again. One day, I will act as matchmaker and choose a good man for her.”

Father Tian stared briefly. Once he recovered, another stream of thanks followed.

Few women remarried in this age. Having a prince broker a match was an enormous favor. Besides, today’s encounter had shown Father Tian that Prince Lu was not unreasonable. Since the Prince promised to choose a good man for his daughter, he certainly would not resort to trickery. Was that not far better than leaving the matter to chance themselves?

Father Tian naturally understood his daughter’s temperament and abilities. So long as she was not paired with a hopeless fool, she could make a good life for herself. With the Prince’s favor, she might even become an official’s wife!

Prince Lu had shown them honor. The Tian Family would never be so foolish as to reject it.

With the matter settled, Father Tian did not dare linger. He left with a thousand thanks, returned home to fetch his son, then took the household guards to the Tao residence to retrieve his daughter.

Li Shimin asked Zhu Yuanzhang, “Do you truly intend to arrange a marriage for Lady Tian?”

Zhu Yuanzhang’s voice held clear admiration. “She’s a shrewd woman who knows how to read circumstances. She also comes from Prince Lu’s fief, so her background naturally bears the mark of Prince Lu’s Estate. The army has no shortage of men old enough to marry who still have no wives. Choose a good one and marry her to him. She won’t be wronged, and I’ll have bestowed a favor on a subordinate…”

Ying Zheng saw deeper. “You are thinking of the Xu and Zhang families and the other military nobility, aren’t you?”

Zhu Yuanzhang smiled, an air of pride about him. “Times create their heroes. If Xu Da and Chang Yuchun had not followed me, they might never have become dukes and marquises. The Tumu Crisis buried one generation of military nobles, but nothing says I can’t create another! I’m merely planting a piece on the board. If it proves useful, all the better. If not, I lose nothing.”

Emperor Gaozu laughed heartily. “Devious! You’re the one who should have gone into business!”

Liu Che laughed as well. “Everyone knows an emperor’s heart is black!”

After Father Tian departed, Zhu Yuanzhang ate a simple breakfast and prepared to visit the Lin Family. Just as he was about to step out of the front hall, he reconsidered.

The late Prince Lu and his wife had dealt with the Lin Family, but by the original owner’s generation, the relationship had faded considerably. What reason did he have to arrive unannounced?

Besides, his true interest lay not in the wine but in the vintner’s daughter-the Lin girl. Any family with the slightest sense of propriety would never bring an unmarried daughter out to meet a male guest.
After brief consideration, Zhu Yuanzhang devised a plan. He summoned a man and instructed him in a low voice, “When Consort Mother was alive, she was close to Madam Lin. The Lin couple have both passed away, leaving an orphaned daughter in her uncle’s care. Do not alert anyone. Go make discreet inquiries about the young lady’s character and appearance. Then find out whether she plans to go out in the near future and where she will be going. Report back to me afterward.”

The confidant grasped part of his meaning at once and respectfully accepted the order. He left in the morning and returned that afternoon. “The Lin girl is sixteen this year. Her given name is Lanyi. She is dignified and steady, skilled in poetry and painting, and conducts herself with great propriety. In several days, it will be the anniversary of her birth mother’s death. Every year at that time, she visits Fu’an Temple to recite sutras and pray for blessings.”

Seeing the Prince listen so intently that he had unconsciously leaned forward, the confidant added, “The Lin girl’s aunt is not an easy woman. She has quarreled several times with the girl’s maternal relatives over the property left by the senior branch. But family shame should not be aired in public, and the girl’s uncle mediated between them, so the disputes never grew too serious.”

From the description, Zhu Yuanzhang felt increasingly certain that the Lin girl was his old wife. When he heard about her aunt, indignation entered his expression. “That woman is so blinded by greed that she even covets an orphan girl’s property. She needs to be flayed!”

The confidant: “…”

The emperors: “…”

Zhu Yuanzhang asked what time the Lin girl would visit Fu’an Temple to pray, then dismissed his confidant. He began planning how to arrange a chance encounter. If she truly was Old Ma, he would find someone to propose marriage afterward. Then they would have two children in three years and fill an entire bed with babies. Perfect!

While he indulged in that delightful fantasy, storm clouds gathered over the Tao residence.

Father Tao stared at Father Tian and his son, who had arrived with an imposing escort. His face was livid. “Dear in-law, what is the meaning of this?”

“Nothing in particular. I have come to take my daughter home.” Father Tian’s face remained smiling and affable. “I hope Brother Tao will accommodate me.”

Tao Rong had left the previous night and never returned. After Eldest Madam Tao made up her mind, she ordered her servants to pack her valuables. Now that her father and younger brother had arrived, tears filled her eyes. She called, “Father,” then lowered her head and wept silently.

Father Tian ordered his daughter’s attendants, “The sedan chair is waiting outside. Why haven’t you helped the Young Miss out?”

“Wait!”

Father Tao stretched out a hand to stop them, but it was Tao Rong, arriving in haste, who spoke.

He glared viciously at Eldest Madam Tao, then gave Father Tian a smile that did not reach his eyes. “Father-in-law, isn’t this conduct rather inappropriate? As the saying goes, a woman follows the man she marries, be he rooster or dog. Once a Tian daughter marries into the Tao Family, she becomes a member of the Tao Family…”

His expression hardened. “There is no letter of repudiation and no divorce by mutual consent. Neither her husband nor her parents-in-law have agreed. Who dares take her away?!”

Father Tian neither grew angry nor lost his composure. He stepped aside with a smile, revealing a steward from Prince Lu’s Estate. The man gave a perfect demonstration of a fox borrowing a tiger’s might-and a dog throwing its master’s weight around. “This is His Highness’s will. If you object, take it up with him!”

Father Tian bowed in thanks, then said awkwardly, “Steward Lu, the Tao Family does have a point. There is no letter of repudiation or mutual divorce. If I take my daughter away now, I’m afraid there may be trouble in the future…”

Steward Lu was Prince Lu’s confidant who had earlier arranged Father Tian’s audience. He had witnessed the entire exchange and knew that the Prince intended to arrange another marriage for Lady Tian. If this concerned the Tian Family alone, he might not have bothered. But since the Prince had spoken, the affair had to be handled impeccably.

He immediately ordered someone to bring brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, then told Tao Rong, “Write a divorce agreement. Now!”

Father and Mother Tao both looked furious. Tao Rong felt utterly humiliated. Tao Chuqing could not bear to watch and protested angrily, “This is too much!”

Steward Lu shot her an icy glance. “Write!”

Commoners did not fight officials, and merchants dared even less to do so-much less when the opposing party was a prince.

Under Steward Lu’s cold stare, Tao Rong felt as if two mountains pressed down on his shoulders. Veins bulged on his forehead as he clenched the brush. He hastily wrote a divorce agreement, signed his name, pressed down his fingerprint, and flung it at the Tian father and daughter as an outlet for his fury. “A husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but when calamity comes, each flies its own way. Today, I finally understand what that saying means!”

Father Tian’s brow twitched, and some of the smile left his face. His son wanted to argue, but Eldest Madam Tao stopped him.

“A husband and wife may be birds of the same forest, but neither bird owes the other. If your side of the forest catches fire, you cannot lead the flames into mine!”

Father and Mother Tao stood grim-faced and silent. The Tao siblings looked embarrassed.

Father Tian knew when to stop. He ordered the servants to move his daughter’s belongings and take everything that should go. After thanking Steward Lu and bidding Father Tao farewell, he led the grand procession of people and possessions away.

The moment they disappeared, Tao Rong could hold himself up no longer. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the floor, cursing, “That stupid woman is a snob obsessed with wealth and status! The Tian Family is just as treacherous. The moment they saw the Taos decline, they greased their feet and fled…”

Mother Tao turned aside to wipe her tears, overwhelmed by grief. Tao Chuqing also began to sob quietly.

Father Tao surveyed them. Everyone looked like a rooster defeated in a fight, heads hanging in dejection. He forced himself to rally. “His Highness gave us only three days. Crying will solve nothing. We must decide what to do.”
Father and Mother Tao’s earlier claim that they could scrape together only one hundred thousand taels had been pure theatrics. The goldware might have been ruined, but the gold remained and still represented capital. As for the silk, its quality had suffered, but they could always sell it at a discount. Buyers would not be hard to find. They had refrained only because their greed knew no bounds. If they waited a little longer, perhaps the debt would eventually be forgotten!

Now the Magistrate of Luoyang had sent men to surround the Tao residence, and their lives were at stake. Father and Mother Tao no longer had the heart for clever little schemes. They calculated the value of everything that could be sold. Even after selling their current residence and including the dowry Mother Tao had prepared for her daughter, they still faced a shortfall of two hundred fifty thousand taels.

What could they do?

The first person Father Tao thought of was his younger sister. She had taken a dowry worth thirty thousand taels when she married. Her husband had been a steward at Prince Lu’s Estate, a respectable position, and his family must have accumulated considerable wealth over the generations. Father Tao sent someone to their door, but Madam Tao refused even to see the messenger and had him driven away.

Father Tao was startled. “How can that be? My sister isn’t that sort of person!”

Mother Tao and Tao Chuqing exchanged a guilty glance and did not dare speak.

Clutching his hair, Father Tao sank wearily into a chair. After a long while, he stood. “I’ll go myself!”

When he reached his brother-in-law’s home, he was stopped at the gate and told that the household was occupied and could not receive guests.

Father Tao knew it was an excuse. He refused to leave and waited stubbornly outside for an hour. At last, a young maid came out and said her mistress would see him.

He had come to beg a favor, so despite his displeasure, he did not dare show it. He followed the maid inside. The moment the curtain lifted, a heavy medicinal odor tinged with blood struck him. Looking farther in, he saw his brother-in-law lying facedown on the bed, his face waxen and yellow, still unconscious.

His sister sat beside him. They had seen each other not long ago, yet her face had visibly thinned and her spirits were poor.

The sight softened Father Tao at once. He did not dare mention borrowing money and first asked, “How is your husband? What did the physician say?”

Madam Tao looked at her brother with dull eyes. “The same as before.”

Her coldness chilled Father Tao’s heart. The siblings traded empty words for some time before he finally hardened himself and explained why he had come.

Madam Tao laughed from sheer anger.

“Brother, look at what has become of my household. How can you bring yourself to ask me for money? When the trouble first began, you and Sister-in-law knelt before me and said we were all blood kin. I couldn’t ignore you. I begged my husband again and again to conceal the matter and even brought you thirty thousand taels. What did I receive in return?

“My husband took fifty strokes and nearly died. My maiden family didn’t escape disaster, either! Yes, I was the one who suggested sending Chuqing into the estate, but weren’t you and Sister-in-law the ones who ultimately agreed? A merchant’s daughter gaining the chance to serve in a prince’s estate is a blessing countless women could never obtain. It would save the Tao Family and give you someone powerful to rely on. Who was I doing it for?”

Father Tao heard the resentment in her words. Sensing that she was unwilling to contribute money or effort to her maiden family, he grew resentful as well. “But if Chuqing hadn’t entered the estate, your husband would still be in prison. Little Sister, isn’t what you’re saying rather one-sided?”

Madam Tao had never expected her brother to say such a thing. She stared, then laughed bitterly. “I thought those ideas belonged to Sister-in-law and Chuqing. I never imagined you shared them!”

Her expression hardened. “Are you settling accounts with me, Brother? Do you believe Chuqing rescued my husband? If Chuqing is so capable that she persuaded the Prince to release him from prison, why didn’t she persuade the Prince to show mercy to her maiden family? Why was she returned untouched in the same little sedan chair that brought her?!”

The merciless torrent of rebukes left Father Tao humiliated. He forced an awkward smile. “I was wrong. I spoke too hastily. Don’t be angry…”

“Too hastily? I think those were your truest thoughts!”

Madam Tao sneered. “Brother, whom was I trying to help when I suggested Chuqing enter the estate? My husband and I lost money and nearly lost a life-for whom? Who knelt before me and begged that day, only to turn arrogant before becoming respectful again today? I thought Sister-in-law alone was confused enough to say such hurtful things. Now I see you may well have encouraged her in secret! Her ingratitude is hateful, but a man like you-pretending to be kind to my face, deceiving me with hypocrisy, then stabbing your closest kin in the back-is even more hateful!”

Father Tao’s expression changed with shame. “Little Sister…”

“I was blind and foolish that day. I accept it! You probably can’t repay the thirty thousand taels, and I no longer want it. Consider it repayment for the Tao Family raising me all these years!”

Madam Tao lifted her teacup to dismiss him, her face frosted with coldness. “Leave. Don’t force me to say anything uglier. From this day forward, you take your road and I take mine. We will have nothing more to do with each other!”