Chapter 38
Chapter 38
[The Real and Fake Heiresses – 8]
I am going to take General Xu’s daughter and Staff Officer Liu’s daughter as secondary consorts.
As the words fell, Lady Tan’s fingers loosened. Her chopsticks dropped straight to the floor, and every trace of color drained from her face.
Pain flashed through the Deposed Heir’s eyes at the sight. He drew a deep breath, took her hand, and promised solemnly, “Lianfang, do not worry. Lady Xu and Lady Liu will only be secondary consorts. You alone are my wife. I promise that even after they enter the residence, they will never be permitted to surpass you…”
Lady Tan stared at the tenderly devoted husband before her, her face bloodless and her heart contracting in waves of pain.
She wanted to ask: If that was so, then what had become of the vows they once made?
The question had already reached her lips when she saw the tears in her husband’s eyes. Then she remembered what her brothers had said days earlier and thought of her children’s future. Every grievance and accusation lodged in her throat, and she swallowed them all.
Tears rolled down her face. She wiped them away, lowered her head, and said slowly, “Very well. If you bring two secondary consorts into the household, there will be more people to care for you. If you father several more children, it may also ease the relationship between you and Father…”
Seeing her behave with such understanding, the Deposed Heir was both heartbroken and deeply moved. “Lianfang!”
He rose, crossed to his beloved wife, and embraced her slender body. “You must believe that you are the only woman in my heart. I value Hualiang and Baozhu no less than you do!”
Lady Tan’s heart ached and warmed at once. She wrapped her arms around her husband’s waist and silently soaked the front of his robe with tears.
…
Though the Deposed Heir had lost his position, he still held the title of Commandery Prince and remained the King of Wu’s eldest legitimate son. Even if he was not entrusted with power now, once the King of Wu united the realm, he would presumably receive the rank and honors of an imperial prince. When he announced his wish to take secondary consorts, generals and civil officials were still quite willing to go home and consider the proposal.
General Xu, like the father of the Princess Consort of Changshan, wife of the Prince of Changshan, was an old follower who had helped the King of Wu conquer his domain. He enjoyed considerable prestige among the military officers, but was on poor terms with Lady Bai’s father.
The Deposed Heir knew he had too little support among the military commanders. That was why he wanted Lady Xu as a secondary consort, to add the weight of her connections to his own.
Lady Xu was General Xu’s youngest daughter. Though the youngest of many siblings, she was neither spoiled nor arrogant, but proper and poised.
General Xu and his wife were reluctant to send such a cherished daughter into another household as a secondary consort. Yet their side had a feud with the Bai Family, and they could not help worrying as they watched the Bai Family grow in power through its daughter and grandsons. Thus, they were willing to consider marriage with the Deposed Heir and the alliance it would create.
The Deposed Heir understood their concerns. He visited several times and patiently explained, “The Commandery Princess has never managed practical affairs, as the general well knows. Once your daughter enters my residence, she will receive the highest honor beneath my wife. I will also petition Father to allow your daughter to manage the household…”
The women of the King of Wu’s old retainers all knew the temperament of the Deposed Heir’s wife, and General Xu’s wife had heard plenty. To put it kindly, she was an aloof and talented lady. To put it bluntly, she made trouble endlessly and ignored every practical concern. General Xu’s wife therefore did not doubt the promise of authority over the household.
The Xu Family was a military house, and the Deposed Heir wished to win its support. The Liu Clan was much simpler. They were minor civil officials with a modest reputation. Most important, Lady Liu had a full figure and looked capable of bearing sons.
Was that not what Father wanted, more sons beneath him?
Taking a woman like this into the household would serve well enough to satisfy him.
Once both families agreed, the Deposed Heir informed his wife and children of the arrangements. Lady Tan had known the news was coming. Despite the agony in her heart, she could only force a smile. But the former Hereditary Grandson, Ma Hualiang, and Ma Baozhu reacted with fury and immediately objected.
“I will not allow it!” Ma Baozhu shouted. “Father, how can you do this? How can you face Mother? I do not want those horrible women marrying into our family!”
The Deposed Heir’s face hardened. “The decision has been made. I am informing you, not asking for your opinion.”
Ma Baozhu trembled with rage. “Fine, marry them! Once they enter the household, just watch how I deal with those two little sluts!”
Lady Liu was one thing, but Lady Xu absolutely could not be offended now. At least in public, she had to be shown honor and courtesy second only to Lady Tan.
Anger flashed through the Deposed Heir. He raised a hand to slap his daughter, but when he met her bright, furious eyes, his arm fell in dejection.
For once, he allowed his weariness to show before his children. He sat down and smiled bitterly. “Do you think I am doing this for myself?”
Lady Tan’s heart ached, and tears followed. Pitying her husband, she sobbed as she recounted everything that had happened over the past weeks to their children. At the end, she said, “I have already lost one son. Must I lose both of you as well? Your grandfather grew furious and turned cold toward your father because your father has too few heirs. Can you truly claim to know nothing of that?”
Her wounded gaze traveled through the night toward the courtyard occupied by the second branch. “Your father is the eldest legitimate son, and ours is the senior branch of the Ma Family. Yet the largest courtyard outside the main residence has been given to your second uncle’s family. Everyone has spent these past days circling around them. They are cuckoos occupying another bird’s nest. Can you truly swallow such humiliation?”
Ma Hualiang and Ma Baozhu both fell silent.
In truth, they understood everything Lady Tan had described.
Once, Ma Hualiang had been the King of Wu’s Hereditary Grandson and the rightful successor of the Ma Family. His position had been beyond compare, and everyone had surrounded and flattered him. But now?
The world grew cold the moment power was lost. Everyone who had once courted him had swarmed to the cousins of the second branch instead.
Ma Baozhu was the only daughter of the Deposed Heir and Lady Tan and had always been dearly cherished. She loved gold, jade, and jewels, and she loved being surrounded and flattered by other young ladies. But from the moment her father lost his position, her old companions had gradually distanced themselves. When local officials came to report and brought trinkets girls might enjoy, such as jeweled flowers or fine silks, those gifts went first to her second uncle’s household. Only after everyone there had made a selection did anything reach her.
It was not fair!
She was the most honored young lady of the Ma Family. What right did the daughters of her second uncle have to compete with her?!
Resentment surged through Ma Baozhu. She slammed a hand onto the table and demanded furiously, “Has Grandfather gone senile? How can he treat us this way?!”
She remembered everything that had happened, from her second brother’s death to the cold treatment her father had received and every grievance she herself had suffered. Tears of rage streamed down her face. “Was Second Brother not Grandfather’s grandson too? How could he be so heartless and watch him die? People say even a tiger will not devour its own cubs. I say Grandfather’s heart is more vicious than a tiger’s!”
The Deposed Heir started in horror and clapped a hand over her mouth. “What nonsense are you spouting? If your grandfather hears you, you will suffer for it!”
“I cannot even say it inside my own home?” Ma Baozhu slapped his hand away. Like a wounded young beast, she stamped her feet and snarled, “Does Grandfather have ears that can hear a thousand miles? Can nothing we say or do be hidden from him? Besides, everything I said is true!”
She seized Lady Tan’s hand, still furious. “Second Brother is already dead. What did Mother do wrong that Grandfather had to humiliate her in front of everyone like that? Thirty whole strokes! Mother nearly died!”
Remembering the humiliation and punishment she had endured, Lady Tan still felt afraid. She drew her daughter into her arms and sobbed soundlessly.
Ma Hualiang bit his lip, turned his face away, and wept in silence.
The sight pierced the Deposed Heir to the heart. He tipped his head back with a long sigh, then stepped forward and gathered his wife and children into his arms. “Give me some time. Please. Lady Xu and Lady Liu are only temporary measures. In my heart, all of you will always matter most!”
The family of four wept without a sound. That autumn seemed especially bleak.
…
Zhu Yuanzhang worked all day in the government offices, then put in extra hours that evening. Late at night, he finally ordered a basin of hot water for his feet. With his chin propped on one hand and his eyes closed, he listened to an Embroidered Uniform Guard report the events of recent days.
“The Bai Residence held a banquet yesterday. The Prince of Changshan and the Commandery Princess attended together.”
“Mm.”
“The Eldest Young Master quarreled with the Third Young Master in the study yesterday. It did not become serious, and they soon separated.”
“Mm.”
“Staff Officer Li Bin appears to harbor disloyal intentions and has made contact with the north. This subordinate sent men in disguise to infiltrate the Li Residence and investigate. Once there is a result, I will report to my lord.”
“Mm.”
“…The Commandery Prince has met frequently with General Xu in recent days and also held a private gathering with Staff Officer Liu. It seems he intends to take daughters of the Xu and Liu families as secondary consorts.”
Zhu Yuanzhang did not even lift his eyelids. “That worthless thing can think of nothing but taking concubines and secondary wives. Did I strip him of his position because he refused to marry another woman? Has a dog eaten his brain?! Ignore him. I want to see what tricks he can manage!”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard did not dare answer. After Zhu Yuanzhang finished cursing, the guard paused before continuing. “The Tan Family brothers visited the Commandery Princess yesterday. Claiming that the second Tan brother is soon to marry, they demanded two hundred thousand taels of silver from her.”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes flew open. “How much silver did they demand?!”
The guard’s heart trembled. “Two hundred thousand taels.”
“Two hundred thousand taels of what?!”
The guard lowered his voice. “Silver.”
Hope filled Zhu Yuanzhang’s voice. “Spirit money?!”
“…” The guard answered carefully, “Two hundred thousand taels of silver.”
“Goddamn it!”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s heart cramped in pain. He kicked over the basin and glared. “I risk my life fighting outside while silver pours away like water. I can only tighten my belt and scrape by, and she tosses out two hundred thousand taels without blinking?! Damn it, is there no justice in the world?!”
The guard remained silent as a cicada in winter.
Zhu Yuanzhang snatched the towel beside him, wiped his feet a few times, and flung it furiously onto the floor. “Where did Lady Tan get that much money?”
“The Commandery Prince’s private funds have always been managed by the Commandery Princess.”
Zhu Yuanzhang clutched his chest. His face was pale. He nodded, then asked, “Was this the only time the Tan Family brothers asked Lady Tan for money?”
The guard answered cautiously, “There were several times before.”
…Several times before!
How much money did that make?!
Even after becoming emperor, Old Zhu had never stopped growing vegetables in the imperial garden. If vegetables were available, he would not eat meat. Yet this wretched woman dared take the money he had risked his life to earn and use it to support her natal family!
Zhu Yuanzhang failed to catch his breath and nearly toppled over on the spot. It took him a long while to recover, his expression dark.
The Embroidered Uniform Guard stood respectfully below him and asked carefully, “What are my lord’s orders?”
Zhu Yuanzhang said, “The Tan Family brothers claimed that the second Tan brother is getting married, so they came to ask their sister for money?”
“Yes.”
“He dares take my money? I fear he has the life to take it, but not the life to spend it!”
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled coldly, murder blazing in his eyes. “Choose several men and go quietly. Bring back the money, then flay the second Tan brother for me! If that thief does not die, my hatred will never be appeased!”