Chapter 40
Chapter 40
[The Real and Fake Heiresses – 10]
The banquet was neither especially long nor especially short. At first, the Deposed Heir and Lady Tan managed to force smiles. By the end, however, their mouths were stiff and their hearts ached. Their expressions had twisted so badly that anyone could see something was wrong.
Zhu Yuanzhang appeared not to notice. From time to time, he joked with the Prince of Changshan and Lady Bai, and several times he offered words of encouragement to his younger sons.
The old man was enjoying himself, so the younger generation could only support his mood. No one dared spoil the occasion. They traded flattering remarks until the sun sank and dusk began to gather, then finally parted after thoroughly enjoying themselves.
There was no need for dinner, but overtime was mandatory. Zhu Yuanzhang would never give up something that brought him so much joy.
The servants brought him sobering soup. He gulped it down, wiped his mouth with the back of one hand, and turned toward the study to deal with military affairs.
The Prince of Changshan and his wife respectfully saw the old man off. Only after he had gone far did their smiles fade. They exchanged a glance, instructed their children to study or rest, then ordered their attendants to follow at a distance as they walked home and discussed the day’s events in low voices.
“The old man smiled, but I fear he was furious inside. A young woman’s face and reputation matter so much. Baozhu is his own granddaughter. Even if he dislikes Sister-in-Law, he would not ordinarily humiliate the girl this way.”
Lady Bai remembered the terrible state Ma Baozhu was in when the servant reported back, and she still felt uneasy. “Elder Brother did nothing but kowtow. Even Sister-in-Law, who can make trouble out of anything, did not dare say a single word in her defense. They must know they are in the wrong. They could not argue and could only beg for mercy.”
The Prince of Changshan scoffed. “Baozhu has never known what not to say. She probably said something in private and the old man found out.”
At this, his expression tightened. He instinctively looked back at the attendants and saw that they were following from some distance. Only then did he lower his voice. “Have you noticed anything strange lately?”
Seeing how serious he was, Lady Bai grew solemn as well. “What do you mean?”
The Prince of Changshan lowered his voice further. “The old man’s ears seem a little too sharp. Not the slightest rustle of grass or whisper of wind escapes him.”
When the Princess Consort of Wu was alive, Lady Bai had been her favorite daughter-in-law. Lady Bai frequently attended her and inevitably heard stories of the King of Wu’s past. Her understanding of him was no less than that of the Prince of Changshan, his own son.
She had always been perceptive. Hearing her husband now, she sensed part of the truth. After considering for several moments, she advised softly, “The old man is shrewd. Anyone who tries to scheme beneath his nose will only humiliate himself. Husband already holds more than enough advantage. There is no need to make petty moves. If they fail, they will only harm your reputation and make the civil and military officials look askance at you. Even if they succeed, the old man will think you lack the openness and honor of a true ruler.”
The Prince of Changshan smiled and nodded. “My lady speaks wisely.”
After a pause, he asked hesitantly, “Then the matter of Baozhu…”
“Too many years have passed since the event. Discovering the truth will not be easy.”
Lady Bai frowned in thought, then relaxed. “Do not concern yourself with it. I will handle the matter.”
“If there is anything you need from me, you have only to ask,” the Prince of Changshan said.
Lady Bai smiled, reached out to straighten her husband’s collar, and said gently, “I can handle these trifles. What the Commandery Prince should care about now is the northern expedition and how to win merit, not what is happening to Elder Brother’s family. What Father wishes to see must be a wise and mighty successor, not a son with little ability of his own who can only use inner-household tricks to trample his elder brother further into the dirt.”
Admiration shone in her clear eyes. “The husband I see is a great hero who will pacify the four directions, swallow mountains and rivers with his ambition, and hold the realm in his heart. Why should he fix his gaze upon inner-household affairs and scramble for petty advantage like a woman or child?”
The Prince of Changshan was deeply moved. Taking his wife’s hand, he said, “To have a wife like you is my great fortune!”
…
The Prince of Changshan and Lady Bai watched the Deposed Heir’s family race toward the abyss as though pumped full of stimulants. They found it gratifying and amusing and felt Heaven itself was protecting them. But turn the view around, and the Deposed Heir’s family was naturally far less cheerful.
The moment Lady Tan entered the front hall, the King of Wu struck her with an opening show of force. Her daughter was dragged away and slapped fifty times, followed by one heart-piercing remark after another. Such treatment could crack iron, let alone a woman as thin-skinned and fragile as Lady Tan, who loved nothing more than mourning spring and grieving over autumn.
Lady Tan forced herself not to wail during the banquet. But once the King of Wu left and the Prince of Changshan and Lady Bai had taken leave of the elder couple, she could endure no more. She sagged weakly into her husband’s arms, her lashes trembling violently as tears poured down her face.
Emotions churned through the Deposed Heir. He had ten thousand things to say, yet did not know where to begin. In the end, they became only a tender, grief-stricken embrace as he silently soothed his wife’s battered heart.
At first, Lady Tan wept soundlessly. Once her husband held her and she had something to lean upon, she began to sob. Soon she was wailing as though to pour out every buried grievance and all her pain for her daughter.
The King of Wu and the Prince of Changshan and his wife had left, but servants and attendants remained outside the hall. The Deposed Heir did not want the matter to become a spectacle. He soothed her for a long time, and when nothing could calm her, he lifted her into his arms and carried her all the way back to their courtyard.
When Zhu Yuanzhang heard about it late that night, he instantly leaned back with the classic disgusted-old-man-on-the-subway frown. Then he cursed them for behaving so shamelessly in broad daylight.
The Deposed Heir knew nothing of this. After briefly comforting his wife, he asked about their daughter’s condition.
The maid who came to report looked distressed, tears filling her eyes. “Miss is terribly injured. I truly do not understand why they struck her so hard…”
When the servant reported at the banquet, the Deposed Heir and Lady Tan had still held a shred of hope. Perhaps the old man had ordered his people to frighten them so they would learn a lesson. Now that a servant from their own courtyard said the same, their hearts plummeted. They exchanged a grief-stricken look and went with their son to see their daughter.
After fifty strokes of a bamboo paddle, even a slab of pork would have been half pulped, let alone Ma Baozhu’s tender face, carefully pampered since childhood and soft as tofu.
Ma Baozhu remained unconscious. The Deposed Heir and Lady Tan entered the inner room with their son. Lady Tan took one look, and the tears she had only just stopped began falling again.
Ma Baozhu’s once fair, rosy face was nearly ruined. Both cheeks were grotesquely swollen, webbed with broken blood vessels and mottled in terrifying shades of red and purple. The swelling squeezed her eyes into narrow slits.
The maid attending her wiped away tears and choked out, “Miss lost two back teeth, and the front row is loose as well. This servant brought a physician to examine her. He said they will be very difficult to heal. With the slightest complication, she may also develop chronic headaches…”
Lady Tan’s heart felt carved apart. Weakly, she reached for Ma Baozhu’s cheek. Before her fingers could touch it, her face went white, her body light as a sheet of paper, and she collapsed straight to the floor.
The former Hereditary Grandson, Ma Hualiang, saw the brutal torment his sister had endured and remembered how their grandfather had repeatedly humiliated his mother. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he gripped the hilt of the short sword at his waist and strode toward the door.
The Deposed Heir spotted him and kicked the back of his knee, knocking him down. “You bastard! Have you lost your mind?!”
The severity of his daughter’s punishment proved that his father had eyes and ears everywhere, and that nothing could be hidden from him. The Deposed Heir had lost his second son and seen his youngest daughter maimed. How could he risk his eldest son as well?
Without waiting for Ma Hualiang to answer, he barked, “Gag that beast! His birth mother is ill and his little sister is weak, yet he still thinks of going out to play. Has he no heart at all? Tie him up, send him back to his room to reflect, and give him neither food nor water without my order!”
Within this courtyard, the Deposed Heir’s word still carried force. Servants swarmed Ma Hualiang, pinned him down, stuffed several handkerchiefs into his mouth, bound him, and carried him back to his room.
Other servants saw Lady Tan lying unconscious and barely breathing and hurried to summon a physician.
The physician was retained by the King of Wu’s household and had been called to this courtyard every few days. He could only wonder privately whether the Deposed Heir’s residence suffered from terrible feng shui. Someone was always ill or being beaten. He came here more often than he ate.
The servants brought him a low stool. The physician thanked them, sat down, and placed his fingers on Lady Tan’s wrist, concentrating as he took her pulse.
The Deposed Heir watched the physician’s brow draw tighter and the concern on his face deepen. His own heart rose with it, and he unconsciously leaned forward. The moment the physician withdrew his hand, he demanded, “Well? Is my wife’s condition serious?”
No matter how far the Deposed Heir had fallen, he remained the King of Wu’s eldest son. The physician did not dare offend him. After deliberating for several moments, he chose the mildest words he could. “The Commandery Princess suffered a severe loss of vitality from the beating. Before she could recover, she heard one piece of terrible news after another. Excessive grief and fear have greatly diminished her lifespan…”
All color vanished from the Deposed Heir’s face. He stared fiercely at the physician. “Tell me the truth. My wife… how much longer does she have?”
The physician’s lips moved. He answered vaguely, “How can the Mandate of Heaven be known through human effort? Your Highness asks too much of me.”
The Deposed Heir sneered and suddenly drew his saber. He pressed the blade to the physician’s neck. Its edge pierced the skin, and a thin line of blood slowly appeared.
The physician had not expected this. Fine beads of cold sweat sprang across his forehead. Trembling, he said, “Commandery Prince, please calm yourself…”
The Deposed Heir’s gaze was bloodthirsty. He asked in an icy voice, “Tell me. How much longer does my wife have?!”
With his life in another man’s hand, the physician could not remain calm. He swallowed with difficulty and said in a shaking voice, “If she recuperates carefully, remains calm and cheerful, and suffers no further shock, rage, or profound grief…”
The Deposed Heir lost patience. “Then how long?!”
The physician pressed his lips together. His voice was barely audible. “Perhaps ten years.”
The Deposed Heir stared blankly as though struck by lightning. After a long moment, hope entered his voice. “At least ten more years?”
The physician’s expression stiffened. Trembling, he said, “At most ten years.”
The hope in the Deposed Heir’s eyes shattered like thin ice in winter. Blood filled his gaze. His face twisted as he raised his saber and slashed at the physician to vent his rage.
Facing death, the physician screamed and fell backward. But someone hurried through the door and shouted, “Stop!”
The Deposed Heir turned woodenly and saw an elderly scholar with frosted temples and a solemn expression. The old man’s eyes were fixed upon him, filled with compassion and sorrow.
It was Mr. Cai.
His teacher.
Under that familiar, kindly gaze, the Deposed Heir suddenly wanted to weep.
Too much had happened lately. Too many people around him had been hurt, and the situation had changed so rapidly that he had no time to respond.
Before he understood what was happening, it happened. Before he could react, it ended. And before he could recover, his father’s ruthless punishment fell upon him.
He had no means to resist and no power to do so. All he could do was suffer each blow and slowly sink into the abyss.
The Deposed Heir stared helplessly at the old man before him and called, “Sir.” The saber fell from his hand. As though he could no longer support himself, he collapsed heavily onto the floor.
Mr. Cai ignored him. He hurried forward and helped the sweat-drenched, terrified physician to his feet. With sincere contrition, he said, “Sir, your medical art restores the dying and gives flesh to bare bones. Yet this boy, lost in rage, offered you such grave insult. His conduct was truly inexcusable…”
Cold sweat still covered the physician’s brow. He knew he had barely escaped with his life. Had the elderly scholar not intervened, he would already have been on the road to the Yellow Springs.
No fool could hold a post in the King of Wu’s residence. The physician knew the Deposed Heir would never be punished over this, so he did not make trouble or cling to the grievance. He forced a smile and bowed to thank the elderly scholar.
Mr. Cai hurriedly told him there was no need. After apologizing repeatedly, he presented the physician with a hundred gold pieces as compensation for the wrong he had suffered, then personally escorted him out.
When Mr. Cai returned, servants had already helped the Deposed Heir to his feet. The younger man looked at him with the adoration of a student and called hoarsely, “Sir.”
Mr. Cai showed neither pleasure nor anger. “We will speak in the study.”
They entered one after the other. Once the servants had been dismissed, Mr. Cai said nothing and struck his disciple across the face, snapping his head to one side.
The Deposed Heir staggered sideways. After a long moment of stunned silence, he came to himself. “Sir…”
“You bastard!” Mr. Cai roared. “What foolish things have you done?!”
The Deposed Heir flushed. He did not dare oppose his teacher and knew the old man possessed extraordinary insight. He himself was mired in a swamp. If he did not ask for guidance now, when would he?
Steadying himself, he bowed deeply to Mr. Cai. After arranging his thoughts, he recounted every event of recent days and asked his teacher to devise a plan and show him the way forward.
“Foolish. Utterly foolish!”
When Mr. Cai had heard everything, he sighed again and again in bitter disappointment. “Changyan, I have always known you as a courteous and cultivated man. Why do you become such a fool whenever the matter concerns someone close to you?”
He sat upright with the same gravity he used when teaching the Deposed Heir. “I will ask and you will answer. Consider nothing else!”
The Deposed Heir replied respectfully, “Yes.”
Mr. Cai asked, “Ma Huayao rashly pursued glory, delayed the campaign, and left two hundred thousand soldiers unable to take Jiangzhou despite bitter fighting. Was he guilty?”
The Deposed Heir’s heart shuddered. He closed his eyes and answered painfully, “Yes.”
Mr. Cai asked coldly, “What punishment did he deserve?!”
“Execution.”
Mr. Cai continued, “What sort of place is an army? Orders must be obeyed and prohibitions enforced. A prince who breaks the law is punished like a commoner, especially at a crucial moment such as the campaign against Jiangzhou. What wrong did the King of Wu commit by ordering the attack?”
The Deposed Heir answered bleakly, “None.”
Mr. Cai nodded. “To keep army morale steady, women have never been permitted to enter the camp. The Princess Consort of Wu set that example in her lifetime. The Commandery Princess now titled Princess Consort of Changshan, wife of the Prince of Changshan, has never made an exception either. Why did Lady Tan enter the army, roar in the command tent, and drive a strategist to attempt suicide?!”
The Deposed Heir had no answer. His lips moved for a long while before he said in pain, “Father has already ordered my wife beaten. Sir, please do not hold the matter against her any longer…”
“The King of Wu had that woman beaten because she deserved it! Once a person knows she was wrong, she should repent. What do you mean, I should not hold it against her?!”
Mr. Cai slammed the table and demanded, “Lady Tan caused such a disaster. After she was punished, did you ever hold her accountable? Does she even know what she did wrong? Did she ever go to the King of Wu to plead guilty? Did she visit Mr. Xu and offer him a formal apology?!”
Cold sweat poured from the Deposed Heir. He barely managed to argue, “My wife knows she was wrong. I also pleaded guilty before Father and visited Mr. Xu three times a day…”
“I asked about Lady Tan. Why are you avoiding the question?!”
Mr. Cai pressed relentlessly, leaving the Deposed Heir unable to sit still. “Lady Tan caused the disaster, and Lady Tan made a spectacle of herself. Why are you the one cleaning up the mess?! When she was gravely injured by the beating and unable to rise, that was understandable. But now that she has largely recovered, has she ever kowtowed to the King of Wu and confessed her fault? Has she ever visited Mr. Xu’s household?”
The Deposed Heir could not answer. Difficulty covered his face.
Mr. Cai’s fury made his hair seem to stand on end. He said coldly, “Such a foolish and witless woman cannot manage the household within or console your subordinates without. In my view, you should have sent her back to the Tan Family with a divorce letter long ago. How could you let her keep stirring up trouble and destroying your reputation?”
“Sir, sir!” The Deposed Heir could only bow and plead. “Please preserve some dignity for your student!”
Mr. Cai sneered and continued, “You have only Hualiang. Your line is thin. What wrong did the King of Wu commit by ordering you to take concubines and father more children? You cherished Lady Tan and refused. The King of Wu then told you to adopt a son… Good heavens, the man kept devising ways to secure your position as heir! Yet you were foolish enough to throw away a duck already in your hand. And where has that left you now?”
His spittle nearly sprayed into the Deposed Heir’s face. “When the King of Wu ordered you to take concubines, you refused because you had vowed to grow old with Lady Tan. Now that you have been deposed, has that vow become nothing but a fart? You think yourself clever, but you are only clever in your own conceit!”
The Deposed Heir froze, then sat upright and said solemnly, “Please teach me, sir!”
Sweat poured down his back. After a moment of panic, he gritted his teeth. “Please save me, sir!”
After more than ten years as teacher and student, Mr. Cai could not abandon his disciple. That was why, upon hearing of his recent plight, he had traveled light to Huaizhou.
Seeing the Deposed Heir so haggard and exhausted, Mr. Cai sighed. “Reversing the tide is difficult, yet it is also simple. I do not know whether you can do what is required.”
The Deposed Heir answered solemnly, “Please tell me.”
Mr. Cai stared into his eyes. “Send Lady Tan from the residence with a divorce letter. End the marriage negotiations with the Xu Family and Liu Clan. Then go to the King of Wu, plead guilty, and state every one of your faults. If the King of Wu remains unmoved, prostrate yourself and weep for the Princess Consort of Wu, who died before her time.”
The Deposed Heir was tempted, but the first condition…
He said with difficulty, “My wife and I were married in our youth, and she once observed mourning for Mother. How can I abandon her now?”
Mr. Cai was bitterly disappointed. “Lady Tan may indeed be the wife you married in your youth, but has she fulfilled a wife’s duty for even one day? You say Lady Tan observed mourning for the Princess Consort of Wu. Then why does everyone know that they were at odds, and laugh about it in secret?”
The Deposed Heir’s face flushed crimson, and for a long time he could not speak.
“Changyan!” Mr. Cai said in anguish. “If Lady Tan truly cared for you, how could she have let you end up in such a plight? Was managing the household accounts and domestic affairs really so difficult? Was it really so difficult to make her brothers obey the law and refrain from reckless behavior? The Princess Consort of Wu came from humble origins and was never a harsh or spiteful woman. Was it really so difficult to honor her mother-in-law and live amicably with her sisters-in-law?”
“I have said all there is to say. You are on your own now.” Mr. Cai heaved a long sigh, rose, and left.
The disturbance in the Deposed Heir’s courtyard was considerable. Inevitably, word reached Zhu Yuanzhang. He summoned the Embroidered Uniform Guard to learn what had happened and was both surprised and intrigued.
The Deposed Heir was a simpleton who doted blindly on his wife, as though worms had eaten holes through his brain. This Mr. Cai, on the other hand, saw matters with remarkable clarity. It was a pity the Deposed Heir had learned so little of real value from his teacher.
An attendant reported that Mr. Cai had already ordered a horse prepared and intended to leave. Zhu Yuanzhang, eager to recruit a talented man, immediately ordered that he be stopped and invited to the study. Zhu Yuanzhang even had his attendants help him change clothes to show how seriously he took the meeting.
Liu Che had been wandering in bored circles within the System’s space. At this, he sneered. “Old Zhu, are you an idiot? The Deposed Heir is the King of Wu’s eldest legitimate son and was greatly favored in the past. His teacher must have been chosen by the King of Wu and the Princess Consort of Wu after careful consideration. There is nothing surprising about the man being outstanding in both character and ability. But Mr. Cai never accepted an official post or entered their service. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”
Zhu Yuanzhang dismissed the concern. “Perhaps he thought the former King of Wu lacked the makings of a sovereign and refused to serve him.”
His imagination took flight, filling him with delight. “Perhaps Heaven itself has sent me my own Sleeping Dragon. In all this vast world, only I, Zhu Yuanzhang, possess the heroic vision and peerless talent needed to win his allegiance!”
Liu Che: “…”
The other emperors: “…”
Emperor Gaozu watched coldly from the side. “Why do I have the feeling Old Zhu is about to crash and burn?”
Ying Zheng: “Crash and burn, plus one.”
Liu Che: “Plus two.”
Li Shimin: “Plus three.”
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted disdainfully and was about to fire back when an attendant announced from outside that Mr. Cai had arrived at the door.
He cleared his throat and adopted a solemn expression. “Invite him in at once!”
The attendant obeyed. Before long, a frowning Mr. Cai, gray at both temples, appeared in the study.
Thinking of the man as an old acquaintance, Zhu Yuanzhang smiled. “Mr. Cai, I trust you have been well since we last met?”
Mr. Cai made no attempt at pleasantries. “Has the King of Wu changed his mind regarding the counsel I offered in the past? I may possess little talent, but even I know a gentleman’s word cannot be taken back. Having made my vow, I will never retract it!”
Zhu Yuanzhang froze. So there was more to Mr. Cai’s refusal to serve the King of Wu. He frowned deeply. Judging by the man’s bearing and speech, Mr. Cai was undoubtedly an extraordinary talent. The former King of Wu must have said or done something improper to drive him away.
It was time for Old Zhu to unleash the full force of his personal charm!
Zhu Yuanzhang gave a gracious smile, the very picture of a lord showing courtesy to a worthy man. “May I ask you to explain in detail, sir?”
Mr. Cai seemed unaccustomed to seeing him so amiable. Surprise flashed through his eyes before he said, “Troubled times demand severe laws, but punishments such as flaying men and stuffing their skins with straw, or drawing out their intestines and tearing out their tendons, are excessively cruel. They alienate the people and bode ill for any ruler who employs them. I hope the King of Wu will abolish them.”
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
Absolutely not. Flaying men was fundamental to Old Zhu’s very being. He could never give it up, not in this lifetime!
Mr. Cai continued, “War has ravaged the realm, and the population has fallen sharply. We can scarcely encourage production and childbirth fast enough, so how can we squander lives by slaughtering women and children? Human sacrifice at burials violates the harmony of Heaven. Even the previous dynasty did not practice it. Why, then, does the King of Wu put the cart before the horse and allow officials and gentry under his rule to force their wives and concubines to follow them in death? When those above set an example, those below follow. Who knows how many lives this custom will cost?”
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
We are the Son of Heaven in the mortal realm. Should we not remain so beneath the earth after death? What was wrong with having the women of the harem accompany us and continue to serve us?!
Yet he had died once before. He knew now that death was simply death. He would not go on ruling as an emperor beneath the earth, as he had once imagined. Of all the women from his harem, he had met only Old Ma again. The other consorts had each gone on to be reincarnated, and he had never seen them at all.
At the thought, Zhu Yuanzhang’s mind stalled. He fell silent in contemplation.
Mr. Cai had now raised two objections. At first, anger and indignation had shown plainly on the King of Wu’s face, but after some thought, his expression had turned contemplative. Most astonishingly, he had not erupted in fury.
After a brief pause, Mr. Cai went on. “There is one final matter. The King of Wu is fair in his dealings and possessed of outstanding ability and grand vision. You have only one failing: the way you govern your subordinates. You have always wondered why anyone under your command would still risk corruption in the face of such harsh laws and punishments. The answer is simple. The pay is low, the workload crushing, the penalties brutal, and there is not a single day off all year. If they do not skim something on the side, what is there to make life worth living?”
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…Bullshit!”
Humiliated into fury, Zhu Yuanzhang demanded, “Do I pay my subordinates too little?!”
Without the slightest hesitation, Mr. Cai answered, “Yes!”
Zhu Yuanzhang grew even angrier. “Do I give them too much work?!”
Without the slightest hesitation, Mr. Cai answered, “Yes!”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s hair nearly stood on end. “Are my punishments too severe?!”
Without the slightest hesitation, Mr. Cai answered, “Yes!”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s face twisted. “Not a single day off all year… Why speak of holidays when their work serves the people and seeks the welfare of all under Heaven?!”
“And that is precisely why I refuse to serve the King of Wu!”
Mr. Cai flew into a rage. “All beneath Heaven bustle in pursuit of profit; all beneath Heaven jostle for gain! Low pay, crushing work, the chance of being flayed at any moment, and not a day’s rest after toiling all year. What would I even be working for?!”