Chapter 37
Chapter 37
[The Real and Fake Heiresses – 7]
The Deposed Heir sat in an inner hall warm with incense, yet felt as though he were trapped inside an icehouse. The Tan Family brothers were faring little better.
They had come with the Deposed Heir, and the King of Wu was present. No one dared slight them openly. Servants found the brothers a place to sit, gave them a few instructions, and returned to their work.
The Tan Family brothers were delighted by the freedom. After several cups of wine, they wandered all over the compound. They had been strolling for some time when they went looking for somewhere to relieve themselves and overheard several people murmuring in a corner about the events in the hall.
“Is the Deposed Heir truly finished?”
“It does not look good. Did you not hear? The King of Wu ignored him from beginning to end today. The Prince of Changshan sat at his right hand, looking very pleased with himself.”
“That cannot be. The Deposed Heir is the eldest legitimate son!”
“So what? Once the King of Wu gives the order, what can he possibly do?”
“He truly chose a beauty over the realm.”
“…Perhaps he is enjoying himself!”
The men continued muttering, but the Tan Family brothers had no heart to listen. They exchanged a look and saw the same fear and unease in each other’s eyes.
If their brother-in-law could not regain his position as Heir Apparent…
Then everything was truly over!
The two brothers might have been ignorant good-for-nothings, but they had at least read a few books. They knew what happened to men who lost a struggle for succession.
Even if the Prince of Changshan spared his elder brother as a living signboard advertising his own benevolence, that protection would extend only to the Deposed Heir. What did it have to do with the two of them?
He could probably crush them to death with one lift of his foot.
Over the years, the brothers had relied on their sister and brother-in-law while offending more people outside than they could count!
The matter lodged heavily in their hearts. When the banquet ended and they left the city, both looked dejected. Then they saw the darkness clouding the Deposed Heir’s face and knew the gossip had not arisen from nothing.
Uneasy, the brothers could only seek refuge in Lady Tan. After signaling for their sister to dismiss her servants, they knelt and wept. “Can you bear to watch Brother-in-Law spend the rest of his life in misery? Can you bear to see Hualiang and Baozhu forced beneath others and subjected to humiliation?”
Lady Tan struggled upright in alarm. “Why would you say such a thing?”
The brothers recounted everything they had seen and heard the night before. Weeping, they said, “Brother-in-Law defied the King of Wu for your sake and lost his position as Heir Apparent. Now the King of Wu means to make the Prince of Changshan his heir. You know what the prince’s relationship with Brother-in-Law is like. If he truly succeeds, how can Brother-in-Law possibly survive? What will happen to Hualiang and Baozhu? Especially Hualiang. He was the King of Wu’s eldest legitimate grandson, the most honored of all. Once a tiger leaves the mountains and falls beneath others, who knows how much humiliation he will suffer?”
Her emotions stirred, and Lady Tan turned her face aside as tears fell. Half resentful and half remorseful, she said, “Do you think I do not understand? Had I known this would happen, I would have been better off dying when Baozhu was born. Then I would never have brought the three of them to this point!”
“It has not come to that!” Her brothers’ faces changed, and they hurriedly consoled her. “It is not as though there is no other path…”
Lady Tan wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. “What path?”
The brothers looked at each other, steeled themselves, and told her.
Lady Tan’s expression changed violently. “You want me to take a concubine for my husband? Absolutely not!”
“Elder Sister, it is only a concubine. Some lowly creature who cannot even appear in polite company will never threaten your position. What are you afraid of?”
The Tan Family brothers patiently coaxed her. “The King of Wu dislikes the way you keep Brother-in-Law to yourself. He wants Brother-in-Law to take concubines and father more children, while Brother-in-Law refuses to break his vow to you. That is why father and son parted in anger. This is the heart of the problem. The moment you agree to let Brother-in-Law take a concubine, will it not be solved?”
Before the visibly resistant and increasingly angry Lady Tan could speak, they rushed on. “Elder Sister, do not forget that you have Hualiang! He is Brother-in-Law’s eldest legitimate son and the eldest legitimate grandson of the senior branch. No matter how many children those little temptresses bear later, they cannot threaten your position or Hualiang’s. Besides, Brother-in-Law’s heart belongs to you. No one else could steal it if they tried. Given the situation, could you not grit your teeth and yield a little, so Brother-in-Law can reconcile with the King of Wu and regain his position as Heir Apparent, and so Hualiang and Baozhu can have a future? You cannot send the whole family to its death for the sake of one principle!”
Lady Tan was struck speechless. Her lips trembled several times, but in the end, she said nothing.
Seeing an opening, the brothers softened their tone further and sighed with feigned helplessness. “Elder Sister, we have said all we can. For Brother-in-Law and the two children, think it over carefully.”
After they left, Lady Tan lay in bed and wept until most of her pillow was soaked. Near dinnertime, when she estimated that the Deposed Heir would soon return, she ordered someone to replace it so he would not know she had been crying.
Candlelight glowed dimly inside the command tent, while night lay deep beyond it. Unless one stared closely, changes in her face were impossible to see.
When the Deposed Heir returned, he told his beloved wife amusing stories as usual. After a long while passed without a response, he began to wonder what was wrong. Then Lady Tan spoke hoarsely, sorrow weighing down her voice. “Husband, stop resisting Father so stubbornly.”
Her voice dropped still lower. “You have only Hualiang. It is time you added a few women to your household.”
The Deposed Heir froze, then demanded angrily, “What are you saying? Has someone been whispering nonsense in your ear?”
“No.” Lady Tan’s heart ached, but she forced herself to shake her head. “I came to understand it on my own.”
“Silly girl.” The Deposed Heir laughed softly, stepped forward, and gathered her delicate body into his arms. His voice was low and gentle. “Do not say such things again. I do not want you to suffer.”
He whispered beside her ear, “Are you truly willing to share me with someone else?”
Perhaps the tent flap had not been fastened tightly enough. A gust of night wind swept in, and the candle went out.
Lady Tan felt her heart shatter, piece by piece. The pain made her tremble.
Burying her face against her husband’s chest, she breathed in the familiar scent she craved. “No. I am not willing!”
The Deposed Heir smiled and held her tighter. In the darkness, his gaze was deep and his expression impossible to read.
…
Zhu Yuanzhang did not care how the couple clung to each other.
One thing was certain. If someone wanted to take power from his hands, that person would have to do things his way. Otherwise?
He could find somewhere cool and stay there.
Old Zhu was not some blackhearted bastard determined to tear lovers apart. So long as they stayed out of his sight and stopped coveting the position of Heir Apparent, they could do whatever made them happy.
When the three days were up, the army set out for Huaizhou. As commander, Zhu Yuanzhang naturally rode at the center of the formation. The Prince of Changshan had been enjoying great favor lately and accompanied him closely.
Lady Tan had not yet recovered enough to ride and had to travel in a carriage. The Deposed Heir left his own horse to an attendant and rode inside with her instead.
They still held the rank of Commandery Prince and Commandery Princess, so their place was not far from the army’s center. The bitter north wind often carried the laughter and conversation of Zhu Yuanzhang and the Prince of Changshan into the Deposed Heir’s ears. Each time, his eyes darkened another shade and his jaw tightened without his realizing it.
On the third day of travel, the army passed through a mountain forest. Zhu Yuanzhang felt the impulse to hunt and entered the mountains with the Prince of Changshan. They returned laden with game. Because the prince had taken more than Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhu praised him extravagantly and, in a burst of affection, even removed his own cloak and draped it around the prince’s shoulders.
Such favor and trust stabbed the Deposed Heir in the eyes. It also tipped the scales in the hearts of civil and military officials toward the Prince of Changshan. Sensitive to that invisible shift, the Deposed Heir grew more anxious and despondent than ever. When he saw his wife in the carriage, still as lovely as before, a rare flicker of resentment rose within him.
When the army made camp that evening, the Deposed Heir caught sight of the Prince of Changshan speaking with Nanny Zhang. The pressure upon his mind instantly reached its breaking point.
Nanny Zhang was an old servant the Princess Consort of Wu had left to him. Because Lady Tan had no grasp of practical affairs, the Deposed Heir had entrusted Nanny Zhang and several other stewards with managing the daily details around him. He had relied upon her heavily. Now that he was a fallen tiger, did even this old servant dare harbor disloyal intentions?!
Anger roared in the Deposed Heir’s heart. He summoned Nanny Zhang and questioned her indirectly.
Shocked and aggrieved, Nanny Zhang said, “The Prince of Changshan sent over several wild rabbits and asked after the Commandery Princess’s health. This old servant exchanged only a few words with him. Nothing else was said.”
“I doubt that.”
One of Lady Tan’s dowry maids sneered. “You are an old servant who once attended the Princess Consort of Wu, and you enjoy some standing before the King of Wu. When the King of Wu ordered our Commandery Princess beaten, we begged you again and again to plead for mercy. Why did you ignore us and say nothing?”
The Deposed Heir’s face darkened frighteningly. Lady Tan’s other dowry maid added fuel to the fire. “And when it comes to affection and regard, who does not know that the Princess Consort of Wu’s favorite daughter-in-law was the Princess Consort of Changshan? You served the Princess Consort of Wu for years. I imagine you and the Princess Consort of Changshan were quite close.”
Nanny Zhang had no way to defend herself. She stood in terror for a long while and had only just opened her mouth when the Deposed Heir kicked her in the chest. “A slave who betrays her master! How could I dare keep using you? Drive this old servant out. Never let me see her again!”
Nanny Zhang was no longer young. The kick left her unable to breathe for a long time. Pale-faced, she was dragged away and abandoned to whatever fate awaited her.
What happened around the Deposed Heir could not be hidden from Zhu Yuanzhang. Before long, someone secretly went to report the day’s events.
“It is no great matter for the Commandery Prince to dismiss an old servant. But she did serve the Princess Consort of Wu for years. Even if she achieved nothing remarkable, she worked hard. Leaving her at the roadside like this seems rather improper…”
Zhu Yuanzhang viewed everyone who had served Old Ma through the warm haze of nostalgia, and Nanny Zhang benefited from it. Hearing how the Deposed Heir had treated her, displeasure flashed across his face.
If Biao’er were here, no matter how angry he became, he would never treat one of Old Ma’s former servants this way, nor would he have quarreled with his brothers like this. Whenever his younger brothers made mistakes, he always pleaded for them. His brotherly love and benevolence had earned everyone’s praise.
Human hearts were made of flesh. Even a dog inspired affection after being kept for many years, let alone a person.
Heaven had not granted Biao’er enough years. Zhu Yuanzhang’s eldest son, the perfect Crown Prince in his heart, had died before him. For white-haired parents to bury their black-haired child was anguish that pierced the heart and defied description.
Memories of the past stirred Zhu Yuanzhang’s emotions, and the old man’s tears streamed down his face. His dissatisfaction with the Deposed Heir deepened further.
The trusted subordinate assumed he was remembering the late Princess Consort of Wu and stood silently to one side, hardly daring to breathe. Only after a long while did Zhu Yuanzhang instruct him, “Send a physician to examine Nanny Zhang. She is an old woman. Do not let this leave her permanently ill. Reward her with five hundred taels of silver, then ask whether she has any family left. If she wishes, she may go join her relatives. If she has nowhere to go, arrange a place for her to spend her remaining years once we reach Huaizhou.”
The trusted subordinate repeatedly praised the King of Wu’s benevolence. Zhu Yuanzhang had no patience to listen and waved him away.
When Lady Tan rose the next morning, Nanny Zhang was nowhere to be seen. Only after questioning the servants did she learn that Nanny Zhang had offended the Commandery Prince and been dismissed the previous night.
Lady Tan might have had no grasp of practical affairs, but she was not stupid. The army was on the march. What safe destination could there be?
How was a woman in her fifties supposed to survive after being cast out?
When Lady Tan saw her husband at noon, she tried to persuade him. “Nanny Zhang is an old servant, and Mother arranged for her to serve beside you before her death. How could you dismiss her so casually?”
She glanced toward the center of the army and lowered her voice. “If Father learns of it, who knows how furious and disappointed he will be?”
The Deposed Heir had kicked Nanny Zhang in a fit of rage the previous night and ordered her driven away. Thinking back on it today, he felt some regret.
If Nanny Zhang had not conspired with his second brother and his wife, driving her out had wounded a loyal heart far too deeply.
If she had conspired with them, then beating her and sending her away first would only give the second son the chance to complain to Father. What good outcome could that possibly bring him?
Now that his wife had spoken, the Deposed Heir gratefully accepted the way out she offered. His eyes softened, and he smiled. “You are truly kindhearted. She refused to save you that day, yet you are willing to speak on her behalf.”
“I am not doing it for her. I am doing it for you, Husband.” Lady Tan’s expression dimmed. She raised her eyes to meet his, her voice catching. “I want you to prosper, to reconcile with Father soon and realize your ambitions, not remain miserable and forced beneath others.”
The Deposed Heir’s heart shook. His eyes grew hot. “You…”
He sent men back along the road to search for Nanny Zhang, but they found no trace of her. He was deeply puzzled. Only a day and a night had passed. Where could an old woman with no one to rely upon have gone?
When Lady Tan heard, worry creased her brow. She looked at him cautiously. “Could Second Brother have taken her away?”
A chill surged through the Deposed Heir. After pondering for a long time, he could not help sneering. “That is the only explanation.”
“Forget it.” He waved a hand and snorted. “If she has found a higher branch to cling to, why should I stop her? Let her go!”
…
After half a month on the road, the army finally reached Huaizhou without incident. Lady Bai, the Princess Consort of Changshan, and the families of the generals and strategists had arrived ahead of them. Once everything had been settled, she took her children to the city gates to welcome the King of Wu’s army.
In Zhu Yuanzhang’s mind, the perfect Commandery Princess had to be shrewd and capable in public, virtuous and generous at home, and fertile besides. The Princess Consort of Changshan fit that standard as though measured against it with a ruler. With the endlessly troublesome Lady Tan as a comparison, Zhu Yuanzhang found Lady Bai more pleasing than even those mangy sons of his.
The Prince of Changshan’s eldest legitimate son, Ma Huache, was only eleven. His second son and eldest daughter were twins, both nine. The Princess Consort of Changshan had brought only these three children to welcome the army. Smiling, she explained, “The two youngest are too small to expose to the wind, and the others had lessons. Once we return to the residence, I will bring them to pay their respects to Father.”
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and called Ma Huache forward. He studied the boy closely, then tested him on his lessons. Ma Huache answered calmly and with substance, which delighted Zhu Yuanzhang. He stroked the child’s head and praised him lavishly.
Inside the space, Liu Che had been trying to persuade the others to play cards. But he was always cheating and stealing cards, so after several rounds, no one would play with him. He was shamelessly pestering Emperor Gaozu into a game of Old Maid when he heard the name Ma Huache. His eyes immediately lit up.
“Old Zhu, do you know something?” he said. “As far as I know, anyone whose name ends in Che is exceptionally intelligent, wise, mighty, and fully capable of great responsibility!”
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
The other emperors: “…”
Ying Zheng sneered. “Why do I find that so difficult to believe?”
“It is a fact. Believe it or not!” Liu Che thrust his head forward and shouted, “Old Zhu, praise him. Hurry, tell him he is outstanding!”
Li Shimin looked disgusted. “Would you stop copying me?”
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed at his old companions. The grandson before him was pleasing to the eye as well, so he removed the saber at his waist and bestowed it upon the boy. “Study hard, but do not neglect your skills on horseback. Your grandfather won this realm from the saddle. My grandson must not lose the skills of our house!”
Ma Huache accepted the saber with both hands, his eyes shining. “Yes, Grandfather. Your grandson will remember!”
The Prince of Changshan and his wife shared his pride. Behind them, generals and civil officials quietly exchanged glances. The Deposed Heir and Lady Tan stood at the back of the crowd like two insignificant decorations, ignored by everyone.
The Deposed Heir’s gaze moved from his second brother to his wife, then settled uncontrollably upon the saber in Ma Huache’s hands. Lady Tan had no attention to spare for any of that. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at another half-grown boy standing among Lady Bai’s children.
That was Ma Hualiang, the eldest son of Lady Tan and the Deposed Heir, and the former Hereditary Grandson of Wu.
Lady Bai had always been shrewd and capable. She would never hand others a grievance against her in front of such a crowd. Since she had come to welcome the King of Wu into the city, the former Hereditary Grandson could not be absent. As the King of Wu’s eldest legitimate grandson, he had even been placed in the middle of the front row beside the Prince of Changshan’s eldest legitimate son.
Yet even at such close range, the King of Wu did not seem to see Ma Hualiang. From beginning to end, he did not say a single word to his eldest legitimate grandson. He only held the Prince of Changshan’s eldest son close, asking after him with warmth and concern. Faced with such a stark contrast, how could Lady Tan not feel grief and regret?
The boy had once been so proud and high-spirited. Now he looked like a coal burned entirely to ash, covered in a layer of cold silver-gray without the faintest trace of warmth. His cheeks had hollowed and his eyes were lifeless. He had become another person altogether.
Lady Tan wept until the front of her robes was soaked. The Deposed Heir felt a chill in his heart, but what followed was even harder for him to accept.
The King of Wu intended to establish himself in Huaizhou and use it as a springboard for his northern advance. Naturally, he had to develop the city as his rear base. Lady Bai had long since ordered the former governor’s residence prepared. The old man would occupy the main compound, while his children lived in the side courtyards.
Now that the family had arrived, Lady Bai said with a smile, “The residence has already been put in order. The servants are all old retainers. While Father was absent, your daughter-in-law did not dare move inside. We have been waiting for you to lead the way.” She then presented him with a diagram showing how the residence had been divided.
Zhu Yuanzhang looked it over and could not help laughing. “You certainly kept nothing for yourself. Can your family fit into that tiny space on the eastern side?”
The Deposed Heir’s heart gave a violent thud. It felt as though someone had closed a fist around it, leaving him unable to breathe.
Lady Bai stood with her hands lowered and answered respectfully, “There is a proper distinction between elder and younger. Your daughter-in-law would not dare disrupt it.”
“Your elder brother’s household is small. Two adults and two children. Why would they have trouble fitting? Your family is different. There are seven or eight children, and the youngest still need wet nurses. If the place is too small, no one will be able to move.”
Zhu Yuanzhang folded the diagram and smiled. “Everything else is fine. Switch the residences assigned to the eldest and the second.”
Then, as though he had only just remembered, he turned toward the Deposed Heir. “Eldest, you have no objection, do you?”
It felt like a knife driven into the Deposed Heir’s heart, yet he could not cry out in pain. Bitterness flooded his mouth as he forced a smile. “How could I object?”
And so the matter was settled.
The courtyard assigned to the Deposed Heir and his wife was not actually small. With only the couple, one son, and one daughter, it still felt somewhat empty. Yet a needle seemed lodged in his heart, too deeply buried to pull out, sending agony through him whenever it was touched.
He lay awake for most of that night, enduring hour after hour until he finally fell into a fitful sleep shortly before dawn.
But the truly difficult days still lay ahead.
With the Princess Consort of Wu dead, Lady Tan should have managed the household. Yet she had no grasp of practical affairs and found them exhausting, so the King of Wu ordered Lady Bai to take charge of the domestic administration instead.
Lady Bai came from a military family, and her father was one of the King of Wu’s generals. She handled matters briskly and decisively, while remaining open and generous. Every household received exactly the allowance it was due, and she never gave anyone grounds to fault her management.
The Deposed Heir watched Lady Bai bring every matter in the residence into perfect order. From time to time, she also invited the women of the generals’ and officials’ families to small gatherings, where host and guests parted delighted. He could not help envying her ability. But his wife truly had no talent for such things, and he could not bear to force her.
He could only brood in private.
The northern expedition was about to begin. Huaizhou slowly and methodically started to turn like a vast machine. The King of Wu was its lord, and no one disobeyed a command from him. The Prince of Changshan, his capable right arm, moved between civil officials and military commanders, dazzling everyone around him.
No one suppressed the Deposed Heir, and no one made trouble for him. But neither was he entrusted with any important responsibility. His daily assignments were all ordinary trifles, never touching upon anything vital.
He was like a block of tofu abandoned in sweltering heat and left to ferment and rot in the unbearable temperature. The Deposed Heir could not endure the fall in status, and something inside him gradually began to warp.
He was Father’s eldest son!
He was the rightful heir to the King of Wu!
That evening, the Deposed Heir returned home and sat across from Lady Tan at dinner. Neither of them spoke.
It was unlike their usual tenderness as husband and wife.
After a long while, Lady Tan carefully set down her chopsticks and asked timidly, “Husband, do you… do you already know?”
The Deposed Heir asked, “Know what?”
Embarrassment filled Lady Tan’s face. After hesitating for a long time, she shed several mortified tears. “I had no other choice. My second brother is getting older and should marry soon. An eldest sister is like a mother. It was only right for me to help him…”
This again.
The Deposed Heir stared at her, weariness and impatience barely perceptible in his voice. “How much did you give him this time?”
Lady Tan looked at him nervously and sobbed, “I gave him banknotes worth two hundred thousand taels… But he said he would repay me. Once he has money to spare, he will return it!”
The Deposed Heir said without expression, “Mm.”
In the past, he would have comforted her at a moment like this. Today, he said nothing and simply continued eating in silence.
Lady Tan began to panic. She forced a smile and called uneasily, “Husband?”
The Deposed Heir slowly swallowed the food in his mouth and set down his chopsticks.
“Lianfang, I am sorry.”
His tone was hesitant, but firm. “I am going to take General Xu’s daughter and Staff Officer Liu’s daughter as secondary consorts.”
The chopsticks slipped from Lady Tan’s hand and fell to the floor.