Chapter 171
Chapter 171
[After Zhu Yuanzhang Returned to the Great Ming – 22]
Hu Ying and the others had privately mentioned the emperor’s grand wedding, and the remaining officials inevitably began discussing it as well.
The court was stable and the Oirats had retreated. Though small bands of enemies still caused trouble, they clearly could not create any serious disturbance. Formally installing an Empress, selecting palace women, and taking consorts naturally became the court’s highest priority.
The officials had excellent sources of information. When the emperor entered the capital as Prince Lu, they had thoroughly investigated his years in his fief. They knew he had already selected a Princess Consort, and had done so under the pretense of choosing a new wife for the late Prince Lu.
Zhu Yuanzhang had long intended to give his old wife a magnificent wedding. Naturally, he did not refuse or brush the matter aside. He immediately issued an imperial marriage decree and ordered former officials of the princely estate to return to Luoyang and escort his old wife and the Xiang Family to the capital. In passing, he also instructed them to notify the Tian Family that he had found a suitable son-in-law for them and that they should come to the capital as well. He did not mention selecting consorts even once.
Liu Che folded his arms and clicked his tongue. “Oh? Cultivating your mind and restraining your desires now? We are all men here. Who are you fooling? Stop pretending. It is fake!”
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled wryly. “This time I truly am not pretending.”
Some things could not be said to ministers, nor to imperial consorts. People in different positions saw matters from entirely opposite directions, just as some experiences could never be understood without living through them personally.
He waved away the eunuchs and palace servants, then plopped down on the jade steps. Bending his left leg, he rested a hand on his knee. “I can only say this to you fellows. Of all of us, Old Zhu had the worst beginnings. Yuanda, you may have risen from the common people, but you enjoyed good days when you were young. At the very least, you did not go hungry every other meal, and you learned to read and write. Shimin, you were an aristocratic young lord of Guanlong. Who was your father? Who was your mother?”
Liu Che had intended to say that palace intrigue was hardly simple, but after a moment’s thought, he fell silent.
The palace truly had never been peaceful, but his mother and aunt were no ordinary women. His mother had borne his Imperial Father three daughters and one son, while his aunt bore four sons in succession. Every prince and princess born to his Imperial Father in his later years came from the Wang Sisters. The depth of their favor and the power they commanded were obvious.
There had certainly been conflict, but his mother and aunt eliminated it before it ever reached him. As for food, clothing, and daily necessities, those went without saying.
Seeing that none of them spoke, Zhu Yuanzhang finally sighed and continued, “I came from poverty. How poor? I could not afford food. Hunger kept me awake at night. When my parents died, we could not find them decent clothes, much less coffins. We finally managed to wrap them in reed mats, but had nowhere to bury them. Those days were truly bitter…”
Tears rolled down his cheeks as he reached the most painful memories. The emperors remained silent. None tried to console him; they simply listened.
“I never attended school. I could not read, and no one taught me. I had to feel my way through everything. Later, I joined the rebel army and entered Guo Zixing’s service. He appreciated me, and I married Old Ma. Only then did I have a home again. Whenever I returned after completing a mission, she had always saved food for me. There were no exotic delicacies, just simple home cooking and a warmed flask of wine. I could eat three bowls of rice in one sitting. It tasted wonderful!”
Remembrance flickered in Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes. He lingered over it for some time before continuing. “My ancestors were poor farmers, and I was one too. Later generations said my head was full of peasant thinking. They were not entirely wrong. Once I became emperor, of course I was proud. Across all the Central Plains, who but me rose from a poor peasant and beggar to the supreme throne?!”
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head and laughed, half rueful and half mocking himself. “I was a poor farmer who finally made good. I had been terrified by poverty and hunger. Even after becoming emperor, I remained a little narrow-minded. I thought, your father has finally struck it rich! Smoke is rising from the Zhu ancestral graves! We have made it! I am emperor, my son will be emperor, and my grandson will be emperor too. No one in the Zhu family will ever starve again, vomiting acid from an empty belly while their insides burn. Want meat? Eat it! Want silk and satin? Wear them! Enjoy everything to the fullest! Take dozens of concubines and have them bear a horde of sons so the Zhu clan flourishes with descendants! I had suffered enough. I swore my descendants would never suffer again! But the old saying is right: too much is as bad as too little.”
Liu Che could not hold back a snort of laughter.
Zhu Yuanzhang turned a murderous stare on him.
Covering his mouth to suppress his laughter, Liu Che said solemnly, “Please continue.”
Zhu Yuanzhang rolled his eyes. “A man’s mind clears after dying once. One son is too few; more than twenty is too many. Four or five would be about right. I could keep them beside me and teach them properly. If Old Ma bore them, then two or three would be enough.”
At this point, his voice instead grew lighter. “I ruled for many years, but thinking back, the happiest time was just after Biao’er was born. I had barely taken Nanjing and did not even stop to rest. I rode through the night to see mother and child. Old Ma had finished her confinement. When she saw I had rushed there without eating, she went to the kitchen and made me a bowl of noodles. She sat beside me playing with our son and chatting with a smile… While alive, a man never thinks to treasure such things. They seem perfectly ordinary. Only after death, when he savors them again, does he realize how wonderful they were. An old wife, a grown son, and a warm bed-that would have been enough for a lifetime!”
He spoke with complete sincerity, overcome by emotion. His voice choked and tears shone in his eyes.
While alive, people inevitably clung to their obsessions. Dying once had allowed him to see more clearly.
Ying Zheng listened in silence. After a long while, he softened his tone with unusual gentleness. “You have several unfilial sons, but compared with my one, they are hardly worth worrying about.”
Understanding the kindness behind his words, Zhu Yuanzhang laughed.
Liu Che sighed too. “In my later years, I also… Never mind!”
Li Shimin propped his chin on one hand and smiled. “Who does not have a little shameful history?”
Emperor Gaozu smiled as well. “Exactly.”
After saying everything on his mind, the great weight in Zhu Yuanzhang’s heart disappeared. He stood. “Although I hold power now, I cannot grow fat in a single bite. Abolishing human burial is imperative, and it is also the easiest matter to resolve. Next come ending the Director of the Palace Eunuchs’ authority to supervise regional armies, ending the policy of lavishly supporting imperial princes in their fiefs, and rebuilding the border defenses. To be fair, Zhu Qizhen bears eighty percent of the blame for the Tumu Crisis. But the other twenty percent belongs to Emperor Renzong and Emperor Xuanzong. The frontier defenses decayed during their reigns. If I do not blame them, whom should I blame?!”
Li Shimin smiled, then grew serious. “Abolishing human burial will indeed be easy, and rebuilding the frontier will not be difficult. The eunuch military supervisors and imperial princes will be much harder. The interest groups involved are too large. You must proceed gradually…”
Ying Zheng agreed. “You should wait until the Oirat matter is completely settled before beginning.”
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed. “After living all these years, if I capsize in a drainage ditch, how could I ever show my face while cursing Zhu Qizhen again? Just wait and see!”
…
The day after Hu Ying and the others escorted Zhu Yuanzhang away, news spread through Luoyang that the Son of Heaven had been captured in the Tumu Crisis and the Empress Dowager had ordered Prince Lu welcomed to the throne. It came so suddenly that countless jaws dropped. Then the entire city erupted in celebration.
Prince Lu and his son had both held their fief in Luoyang. To the new emperor, this was his former princely residence, so local officials and commoners could all expect to share in imperial favor. The Magistrate of Luoyang leaped three feet in the air, delighted that his prudent conduct had previously caught the new emperor’s eye.
When he traveled to Beijing to report on his duties, it would be a tremendous blessing if the new emperor recognized and praised him. Even if the emperor ignored him and said nothing, what official from the Ministry of Personnel would dare treat the chief magistrate of Luoyang carelessly during his evaluation?
The more he thought, the more excited he became. He summoned his wife. “Go at once to visit the Lin Family. The gifts must be impeccable!”
His wife frowned. “I hear the young lady of the Lin Family is exceptionally perceptive. Old Madam Xiang is also staying at the Lin residence. With Prince Lu gone to Beijing, the Lin Family will certainly close its doors to visitors. Why invite rejection? They might think us tactless.”
“What do you understand?!”
Realization dawned on his wife. She uttered an understanding “Ah,” then personally went to the storeroom to select the gifts.
The Magistrate of Luoyang was far from alone. Every official and prominent family in the city was shaken into action. At a time like this, no one dared send a steward or senior maid with gifts. The ladies of each household went in person, left their presents, delivered a message, and only then departed in satisfaction. For several days, the street outside the Lin residence remained packed with carriages and horses, its gates as busy as a marketplace.
The Tian Family was equally delighted.
After Eldest Miss Tian divorced Tao Rong, she had returned to her natal home. Prince Lu had also promised to find her a husband.
For an imperial prince to act as matchmaker bestowed extraordinary prestige upon a family of imperial merchants. Father Tian accepted with profuse gratitude but did not dare announce it. Back home, he secretly rejoiced with his wife, saying their daughter was blessed and might one day become an official’s wife!
Madam Tian said helplessly, “Do not tell anyone. What if the prince only mentioned it in passing and forgets the next moment? Our daughter will be the one everyone laughs at!”
“I know, I know,” Father Tian said. “Have I not established a connection with the steward of the princely estate? I have been inviting him to drink and sending him gifts now and then. Even if the prince forgets, the steward can mention it casually and remind him.”
Madam Tian was pleased yet worried. Having a prince arrange the match was a great honor, but she feared he would treat it carelessly and assign some random man, ruining her daughter’s life a second time.
It was ordinary for a divorced woman to remarry. But marrying for a third time would be anything but ordinary!
Besides, if the prince arranged the marriage, no matter how unhappy it became, they would not dare break it off!
When news came that Prince Lu had been welcomed into the capital, Father Tian was stunned for half a day. Only after returning home and closing the door did he tell his wife with uncontrollable joy, “Would that not make our daughter’s marriage a match bestowed by the Son of Heaven? His Majesty’s word is golden. Surely he cannot fob our girl off with some random man?”
Madam Tian’s heart stirred. She hurriedly asked, “Are you still in contact with that steward?”
“Very much so. We call each other brothers!”
When Eldest Miss Tian heard about it from her mother, she was both exasperated and amused. “What belongs to you will always be yours. What does not cannot be forced. It is useless for us to keep thinking about it. His Majesty must be the one who remembers!”
Madam Tian was displeased. “My daughter is in the prime of youth and clever besides. You deserve a fine young man!”
Madam Tian ordered people to make new clothes for her daughter and help her care for her complexion. “Clothes make the woman just as a saddle makes the horse. If His Majesty truly bestows a marriage, you must overwhelm the man at first sight. And what will you use? Your face, of course! Men-I know exactly what they are like. Hah!”
Eldest Miss Tian was speechless.
More than half a month later, an envoy from the capital arrived to escort the future Empress to Beijing for the wedding. Since the Lin Family had no other members, Old Madam Xiang was asked to manage the arrangements, and the Xiang Family accompanied them. Finally, someone came to invite Eldest Miss Tian as well.
As soon as Father Tian heard the envoy from the capital had entered the Lin residence, he hurried home to await news. Sure enough, a messenger arrived before long.
“Eldest Miss Tian is invited to travel to the capital too. His Majesty always keeps his word.”
Father Tian unleashed a torrent of flattery, praising the emperor as Yao and Shun reborn and King Wen returned to life.
Their luggage had long been packed. The entire family would go, partly to broaden their horizons in the capital and partly to ensure their future son-in-law did not think Eldest Miss Tian lacked family support and look down on her.
When Lin Lanyi learned of the matter, she could more or less guess Zhu Yuanzhang’s intention. During the journey, she frequently invited Eldest Miss Tian to keep her company. Both women were clever and perceptive, and they got along exceptionally well.
Upon arriving in the capital, Lin Lanyi and the Xiang Family were escorted to the residence specially prepared by the Ministry of Rites. The Tian Family moved into a residence they had purchased earlier.
Custom forbade the couple from meeting before the grand wedding. Zhu Yuanzhang left the palace and spoke with Lin Lanyi for a while through a curtain, only to be respectfully ushered away by the ritual officials. After feeling bereft for quite some time, he remembered the marriage he had promised to arrange. He sent messages to the Tian residence and the young general’s home, asking them to choose a time to meet.
This was an imperial match and the first one bestowed since the emperor’s accession. Both parties knew that this supposed meeting would essentially settle the marriage.
Father Tian was delighted to hear the prospective groom was an outstanding young man who had already become a rank-five general, but he also worried. “What if he despises us for being merchants…”
Eldest Miss Tian calmly dressed before the mirror. “His Majesty bestowed the match. He would not dare.”
People around the young general muttered too. “Why a merchant’s daughter? And she has already been married once…”
The young general took it in stride. “Our dynasty does not emphasize family background even when selecting imperial consorts. Besides, this is a marriage bestowed by His Majesty-an honor beyond measure. How could a subject defy it? Even if she were as ugly as the legendary Wuyan, I would marry her, and gladly too!”
When he reached the meeting place, he found a young woman in the bloom of youth, charming, vivid, and truly beautiful. His face slowly turned crimson, and he stammered without managing a sentence.
Father Tian hid nearby and watched, secretly delighted. “It is settled!”
Madam Tian sneered. “Men. Hah!”
…
When later generations studied this period, they discovered an extraordinary woman surnamed Tian.
Born to a merchant family and married once before, she nevertheless received a marriage bestowed by Emperor Jingtai and entered an official household. The Empress favored her and personally granted her an honorary title. Her capable husband repeatedly earned military merit and became Marquis of Chongxin. They had sons and daughters, loved one another, lived to old age, and had no regrets.
“My God, is this the legendary case of turning a terrible hand into four aces?!”
“It was not that terrible. Her family was rich, at least. Her dowry filled a hundred trunks!”
“Merchants ranked below farmers in those days! A divorced woman received an imperial match, became friends with the Empress, had a loving marriage, and ended up a marchioness? What kind of fairy-tale plot is this? Directors! Screenwriters! Film it, film it, film it!”
Not only later generations discussed her. Even in her own time, many people whispered about her in private.
Once, when Lady Tian’s little granddaughter was still too young to understand the world, she gazed up with wide, yearning eyes. “Grandmother must have been a brilliant strategist when she was young, even better than Zhuge Kongming in the storytellers’ tales! You must have worked very, very hard. Otherwise, how could you have lived so well and made so many people envy you?”
Lady Tian sat smiling in a rocking chair. “A marriage does require effort. If he respects me by one foot, I return ten feet. I did work hard, but if truth be told, my efforts were not the main reason…”
Her granddaughter was puzzled. “Then what was?”
Lady Tian smiled. “I was originally an ordinary merchant’s daughter who had divorced. The Reigning Emperor was still Prince Lu then. He thought I had some spirit, so he promised to find me a husband.”
“And then?” the girl asked blankly.
“After that, I did nothing.” Lady Tian stroked the little knot of hair atop her granddaughter’s head. “But Prince Lu worked very hard. He became emperor and secured his throne.”
Her granddaughter fell silent.
That was possible too?!
Your Majesty, please carry me to victory as well!