Chapter 55
Chapter 55
While the Ma Family father and son competed in theatrics, the personal guard stood awkwardly to one side with his head lowered, pretending to be invisible.
Fortunately, Zhu Yuanzhang had no intention of making things difficult for his second son. He rolled up the map on the table and said, “Go bring your niece inside. That girl has been back for some time, yet I still have not met her.”
“Yes.” The Prince of Changshan answered respectfully, then added, “Come to think of it, your son has not yet met this unfortunate niece either!”
He turned and strode out of the camp toward the entrance. From some distance away, he saw a shorter girl kneeling before the gate with two maids behind her. The maids appeared to be people from his wife’s household. He spent years away at war and could not recall their names at once, but their faces looked familiar.
The moment the Prince of Changshan saw the two women behind her, he knew the matter was settled. He put on an anxious expression at precisely the right moment, hurried forward, and helped Li Hui’er up. Then he rebuked the guards on either side. “Do none of you know how to do your jobs? You simply watched my niece kneel here? Are those heads on your necks, or chamber pots?!”
The guards hastily confessed their fault. Qiuyue and Qiulan relaxed when they saw their own Commandery Prince and bowed in apology as well.
“It was not their fault. I chose to kneel here.”
Li Hui’er hurried to explain. “This is an important military camp, and it was probably improper for me to come without warning. Without Grandfather’s permission, I dared neither enter on my own nor rise…”
Only then did the Prince of Changshan lower his eyes and examine this niece who had appeared from nowhere. One glance made his eyelids twitch sharply. No wonder his wife had written that the girl resembled the old lady. Those brows, those eyes, and that round face truly were alike!
Good heavens. Eldest Brother, you are finished if you cannot even cherish a daughter like this!
Just wait for death. No one can save you now!
The Prince of Changshan’s emotions surged. Tears spilled from his eyes at precisely that moment. He wiped them haphazardly with his sleeve and choked out, “You look like your grandmother!”
Everyone who met her seemed to say the same thing.
Li Hui’er had never met her grandmother. She had only heard Second Aunt and Third Aunt describe a loving old lady who treated her subordinates generously and often soothed the old man when his temper flared and he wanted to kill someone. The woman had passed away, yet so many people still remembered her. That could truly be called a blessing.
A man who could not help weeping upon seeing a girl who resembled his late mother could hardly be too wicked. As for her father…
Forget it. He was better left unmentioned.
The Prince of Changshan also understood that excess would only spoil the effect. He quickly stopped crying and led her into the military camp, his voice full of pity. “You have endured a bitter fate. You encountered a shameless wretch like Lady Tang and lost more than ten years of your life because of her. Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law are muddleheaded too, their judgment clouded by stupidity. They reject their biological daughter and insist on favoring that impostor!”
Li Hui’er’s heart ached as she listened. So many people could understand her. Why were her biological parents the only ones who could not?
Or rather, there were very few people in the world who would make the choice her parents had. Why did her parents have to be among them?!
Heaven had treated her so unfairly!
Li Hui’er sobbed softly and thanked her second uncle.
The Prince of Changshan knew when to stop working on her sympathies. He turned to Qiulan instead and said gravely, “You came from my residence. There is no reason for anyone to bully you once you leave it. I do not care what kind of honored uncle he claims to be. Even the Heavenly King himself has no right to make you suffer an injustice!”
Qiulan knew the Prince of Changshan always kept his word and never made empty promises. Moved, she said gratefully, “This servant thanks the Commandery Prince!”
The Prince of Changshan led the way. Before entering the command tent, he deliberately squeezed out two more tears and left them hanging on his cheeks so the old man would find him filial toward his late mother. Then, with a sob in his voice, he said, “Father, she truly is of our blood. Hui’er looks exactly like my mother…”
Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him and said disdainfully to his old companions in the System space, “Second Ma has become addicted to acting. He can cry on command. It would be a shame if he did not open a drama academy and teach there.”
The emperors could not suppress their laughter. The next instant, the command tent opened and Li Hui’er emerged from behind the Prince of Changshan. She knelt respectfully and kowtowed to the old man, her voice clear and bright. “Hui’er pays her respects to Grandfather!”
Then she raised her head.
“Oh!” Zhu Yuanzhang’s tears burst forth at once.
Tears streamed down his aged face. He stared at the girl for a long while before choking out, “She does look like Old Ma.”
The Prince of Changshan heard him but thought nothing of it. He assumed his father had misspoken in his emotion.
The emperors in the System space knew Zhu Yuanzhang meant Empress Ma.
No one laughed at him.
A man does not shed tears lightly. He simply has not yet reached the point of heartbreak.
The Prince of Changshan stood to one side and watched his father embrace his newly recovered granddaughter, weep uncontrollably, and study her face again and again. It seemed Eldest Brother and Eldest Sister-in-law’s storybook romance was headed for a breakup. Then the old man even skipped the morning meeting at the Western Hills Military Camp. Holding his niece’s hand and wiping away tears, he patiently listened as the girl recounted every grievance she had suffered after returning, how badly her parents had behaved, and how arrogant and offensive the eldest Tan brother had been. Perhaps that storybook romance was not merely ending. It was headed for a spectacularly ugly breakup.
Fair enough.
What did it have to do with him?
The Prince of Changshan remained unmoved. He almost wanted to whistle while waiting for the spectacle.
Yet most of the day passed, and Li Hui’er finished saying everything she needed to say. When the old man still sat there weeping, an inexplicable ache suddenly rose in the prince’s heart.
The old lady had been his own mother. Of course he missed her after her death, but sons were heartless creatures. Once they married and had children of their own, they thought of their mother less and less.
The old man was different.
He truly had kept the old lady in his heart through all the long years.
The Prince of Changshan felt deeply uncomfortable. He moved closer and advised quietly, “Father, if Mother knew you were like this, she would be upset in the afterlife too.”
Zhu Yuanzhang slapped the back of his head and snapped, “Why the hell would she be upset? She reincarnated long ago!”
The Prince of Changshan was speechless. “?????”
Zhu Yuanzhang scrubbed the tears from his face. The more he thought, the angrier he became. He followed the slap with a kick. “I raised a pack of useless things like you. All you do is eat and make me angry every day. Had I known, why would I ever have raised you?!”
The Prince of Changshan was speechless. “?????”
What does this have to do with me? Go beat Eldest Brother!
Cold leaves drift across my face; Father’s violence shatters my heart!
Aggrieved as the Prince of Changshan felt, he dared not complain to his father. He rubbed his backside as unobtrusively as possible and asked, “Then, Father, are you still attending the morning meeting?”
“No!” Zhu Yuanzhang planted himself grandly in a chair and sneered. “Tell everyone to pack. We are returning to the palace immediately! Those little bastards think they can overturn the heavens while I am away. If I do not slap them a few times, they will forget that Lord Ma has three eyes!”
Fireworks erupted inside the Prince of Changshan the moment he heard this. Not daring to let the old man notice, he said, “Your son will give the order.” Only after leaving the command tent did he plant his hands on his hips and laugh soundlessly.
This was Li Hui’er’s first time meeting her grandfather. She had imagined an extremely stern and rigid old man. Instead, he was remarkably loving, comforting her several times and promising to uphold justice for her.
She wiped her tears with a handkerchief and rose, preparing to return with Grandfather. Just then, a small door suddenly opened on the east side of the command tent. Someone slipped in without a sound and whispered into the old man’s ear, “The Prince of Changshan is laughing outside. He looks very pleased.”
Li Hui’er was speechless.
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed in fury, seized a teacup, and hurled it against the doorframe. “Get moving! If you keep dawdling over the arrangements, I will deal with you too!”
The Prince of Changshan instantly wiped the smile from his face. From beyond the door, he obediently answered, “Yes,” then hurried to order the retinue to assemble and prepare for immediate departure.
Zhu Yuanzhang and the Prince of Changshan had arrived on horseback, while Li Hui’er, Qiuyue, and Qiulan had come in a carriage. The Prince of Changshan knew most servants from his wife’s household could ride and assumed the old man would have Qiulan carry Li Hui’er on horseback. Instead, the old man genuinely cherished his granddaughter. He let her remain in the carriage and rode slowly beside it, chatting with her along the way.
Zhu Yuanzhang had risen from poverty. He had tilled fields and herded cattle at a monastery. He knew how ordinary people at the bottom lived. When he spoke with Li Hui’er about the countryside, she did not feel that a lofty superior was condescending to question and pity her. Instead, it felt like sitting and talking with one of the old grandfathers from her village.
Li Hui’er said, “When the harvest was good, our family made tofu too. But the Li Family did not have a millstone, and there was only one in the entire village. Everyone wanted to make tofu, so we had to wait our turn. If we were unlucky, we had to grind the beans at night. Fresh tofu is so soft and tender. Slice a little cucumber over it, sprinkle on just a pinch of salt, and it tastes wonderful!”
Zhu Yuanzhang agreed. “You get soy milk too. Let it settle for a while, and a skin forms on top. Sprinkle some sugar over that, and it is delicious!”
Li Hui’er brightened. “I like soy milk, but the Li Family rarely made it, so I never received much. Everything is better now, though…”
Zhu Yuanzhang listened with a smile. Grandfather and granddaughter joked together from time to time, the atmosphere exceptionally harmonious. Over at the Deposed Heir’s residence, however, matters were anything but peaceful.
The moment the eldest Tan brother heard Qiulan planned to seek justice from Lady Bai and, failing that, from the King of Wu, he nearly died of fright. Trembling, he went to Lady Tan to beg for help. The blood covering his head gave her a terrible shock.
“You worthless creature. Have you not taken enough concubines into your household already? You practically live in a den of women!”
After hearing his account, Lady Tan cursed furiously. “Look at the situation we are in, yet you do nothing but cause trouble for me! Of all the maids you could have harassed, why did you choose one beside your niece? And why did that maid have to come from Lady Bai? I swear you must think your life is too long!”
The eldest Tan brother called out, “Sister,” in a tearful voice. When Lady Tan remained unmoved, grievance filled his face. He dropped to the floor and began wailing that he was in pain.
Lady Tan had still been angry, but his words threw her into a panic. “What happened? Is it truly that serious?”
The eldest Tan brother turned around, allowing Lady Tan to see the broad stains of blood across the back of his clothes. She covered her mouth with a cry and hurriedly ordered someone to summon a physician. “That maid is far too vicious! Was she not trying to take his life?!”
Lady Tan had already lost one younger brother and lavished every measure of concern and pity upon the only one she had left. She urged him to rise and sit, then ordered several more lamps lit so she could examine the wound on the back of his head. Immediately afterward, she repeatedly called for hot water to be prepared for cleaning the wound.
Qiulan had struck hard. The eldest Tan brother survived only through good fortune. Even so, torn flesh gaped from the back of his head, a hideous and frightening sight.
Lady Tan examined it carefully once, then could not bear to keep looking. Though she continued to complain, her tone became much gentler. “You are not a child anymore. When will you ever stop making me worry?”
The eldest Tan brother merely begged, “Sister, save me! What if that girl truly runs to Lady Bai and starts spreading nonsense? If the old man finds out, will he not flay me alive?!”
Lady Tan knew Lady Bai’s temper and the old man’s nature. If word reached either of them, everything would be over. The best solution was to seize control of the girl before she could spread the story and prevent the disaster before it began.
After everything she had experienced, Lady Tan had at least learned a lesson. She dared not act rashly and instead sent someone to summon her husband and ask him to decide what to do.
The Deposed Heir was in a foul mood that night.
After all, he had lost the position of Crown Prince and the vast empire that had been within his grasp, not a bottle of wine or a flatbread.
If he had not quarreled with the old man that night, he would not have lost his position as Heir Apparent.
Why had he quarreled with the old man?
The old man had ordered him to take concubines and produce more descendants for the Ma Family. He had stubbornly refused.
That very night, his position as Heir Apparent vanished.
Now the position of Crown Prince had flown away as well.
Hatred and resentment filled the Deposed Heir’s heart. Whether he hated and resented his foolish past self or his wife, only he knew.
Sitting alone by the window, the Deposed Heir asked himself honestly: if he could do it again, would he still reject the old man so firmly?
The Deposed Heir hesitated.
In that instant, he understood his true feelings.
He loved Lianfang, but ultimately, she could not compare to an empire.
He had understood too late.
If he received another chance to choose, he would never defy the old man again!
But there were no second chances.
The Deposed Heir laughed loudly. The sound made Lady Liu’s skin crawl. He laughed until tears began to fall, then wept without a sound. After an unknown length of time, despair and exhaustion finally dragged him into sleep.
What use were anger and resentment now that matters had come to this?
And he was not the only one who felt angry and resentful. Lady Liu did too.
The wealth and glory already within her grasp had flown away.
She should have entered the palace and become Her Majesty. Given the current situation, however, whether she could even become a secondary consort was now in doubt.
Lady Liu looked at the Deposed Heir, whose brow remained furrowed even in sleep, and sighed silently. She pulled up the covers, closed her eyes, and went to sleep.
After an unknown length of time, someone suddenly knocked outside. Hurried footsteps approached, accompanied by an urgent voice. “Commandery Prince? Commandery Prince! The Commandery Princess asks you to come over!”
Lady Liu found the interruption unbearably annoying. Still half asleep, she forced herself to maintain her virtuous facade and said, “The Commandery Prince should go and see. The Commandery Princess must have an important reason for summoning you…”
Before she finished, the Deposed Heir snapped impatiently beside her ear, “What madness is she causing now?!”
Lady Liu instantly woke.
What the hell? He could actually bring himself to curse his precious sweetheart that way?
Had her chance at a promotion and a raise finally arrived?!
Lady Liu shot upright and stared at the man beside her with gleaming eyes. The Deposed Heir rubbed his eyes. Gloom still lingered between his brows, though his tone softened slightly. “Do you know what happened?”
Lady Tan’s messenger had not expected the Deposed Heir to be so harsh tonight, entirely unlike his former solicitous self. After several stunned moments, the servant answered cautiously, “This servant does not know. The Commandery Princess said you would understand once you arrived.”
“What a nuisance!” The Deposed Heir climbed out of bed in his underclothes, his face livid. Watching his expression, Lady Liu carefully helped him put on his boots. Then she heard him say angrily, “Something always happens in the dead of night. There is never a moment of peace. When will this life finally end?!”
Lady Liu smiled placatingly and dared not make a sound. Inwardly, however, she suspected the Commandery Princess’s good days were nearly over. It made sense. That woman had cost the Commandery Prince the position of Crown Prince. He must hate her to death by now. How could he continue doting on her?
Her day to rise had nearly arrived!
The Deposed Heir had not meant to lose his temper. But when he recalled what the deputy commander said that evening and the sight of Lady Bai’s party being escorted into the palace, a raging fire seemed to burn in his heart. Beyond his control, he began directing his anger at Lady Tan.
When will you finally stop causing trouble?
I lost the position of Heir Apparent. The position of Crown Prince has flown away. Will you only be satisfied once you torment me to death?
Do you love me or hate me?
Wait.
A flash of insight suddenly crossed the Deposed Heir’s mind. When he reconsidered everything Lady Tan had said and done since marrying him, an unbelievable suspicion took root in his heart.
Damn it!
Could Second Brother be the one she truly loves?!
Fuuuuck! Botanically speaking!
When he thought about it that way, everything made perfect sense!
Because she refused to manage the household, authority naturally fell into Second Brother’s wife’s hands.
Because she had a poor relationship with Mother, Second Brother’s wife became the most filial daughter-in-law and gained the most favor with the old man. Lady Tan made everyone else look better by comparison!
Every time I accomplish something, one of her brothers immediately drags me down from behind. Then I have to clean up the mess and endure Father’s scolding.
When my position as Heir Apparent was at its most secure, she stormed into the command tent and drove Xu Hongwen to attempt suicide. She destroyed every scrap of goodwill I possessed among the civil officials and strategists, then capped that miraculous maneuver by costing me my title as Heir Apparent.
Just when my career began to recover, she secretly joined Baozhu in speaking ill of the old man. Baozhu had several teeth knocked out, and I became a bastard in the old man’s eyes too.
While I diligently maintained military provisions and supplies in the rear, my biological daughter returned. Lady Tan refused to accept her and insisted on keeping that impostor. She made me lose all dignity before the entire family. Even my younger brothers and sisters began looking at me strangely.
And now, I have lost the position of Crown Prince!
Looking back carefully, Second Brother benefited more than anyone!
Damn it. What a long game she has been playing!
The Deposed Heir felt as though a basin of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe. He sobered instantly. As he reconsidered every event of the past years, each one seemed to become ironclad proof that Lady Tan’s heart belonged to Second Brother.
Otherwise, some of her ideas simply could not be explained!
But if he considered it from another angle, if she had resolved to ruin him because her heart was wholly devoted to Second Brother, then everything became perfectly logical, did it not?
The thought shocked the Deposed Heir so badly that he could practically feel a cuckold’s horns sprouting from his head. He paced several steps around the courtyard, and the more he considered it, the more plausible his suspicion became.
Deep down, a faint doubt did remain: perhaps his wife truly was that stupid and bizarre, with Second Brother entirely uninvolved. But the instant the thought surfaced, he strangled it himself.
After one setback after another in his career and the devastating loss of the position of Crown Prince, he desperately needed a scapegoat and an outlet for his rage.
Lady Tan was the perfect choice.
The Deposed Heir entered and heard Lady Tan crying. Once, the sound would have stirred his pity. Now, it inspired nothing but disgust.
Suppressing his impatience, he asked, “What is it this time?”
Lady Tan sobbed, “Someone beat my brother…”
She noticed her husband’s grim expression and paused. But fearing for her brother, she hesitantly recounted what had happened, placing all the blame on Qiulan.
One look at the gash on the back of the eldest Tan brother’s head told the Deposed Heir that the man had undoubtedly caused the incident through his own malicious intentions. That girl was close to Lady Bai. In the future, she could ask her mistress to arrange a marriage and wed a personal guard who might become an officer. Would that not make her an official’s wife?
Why would she lose her mind and seduce your brother?
Was her life not dark enough already?
Disdain entered his voice as he sneered, “If she truly meant to seduce your brother, why would she smash a rock into his head?”
Lady Tan heard the contempt in his words and felt humiliated herself. Her face flushed as she shrieked, “What does this have to do with my brother? That wretched maid must have deliberately seduced him in hopes of gaining wealth and status!”
Here she went again.
The Deposed Heir was indescribably impatient and about to answer when a personal attendant suddenly entered from outside. The man glanced at Lady Tan and the eldest Tan brother, then leaned close to whisper, “Young Lady Hui’er and the two maids beside her are all missing.”
The Deposed Heir’s gaze sharpened. “Since when?”
The attendant lowered his voice. “Their blankets are already cold. This subordinate ordered the residence searched. None of the three remains within.”
The Deposed Heir rapidly reviewed everything that had happened that night.
The eldest Tan brother had gotten drunk, encountered the maid beside Hui’er, and attempted to assault her, only to have his head injured.
The eldest Tan brother had then sought Lady Tan’s help. The maid had declared that she would seek help from Lady Bai and even threatened to report the matter to the old man.
Now Hui’er and that maid had both disappeared.
The Deposed Heir squeezed his eyes shut and slammed a fist onto the table.
Lady Tan cried out, covered her mouth, and stared at him helplessly.
This was bad.
The Commandery Prince’s residence was tightly guarded. Without outside assistance, Hui’er and the two maids could never have left so easily. Now they were nowhere inside the residence or beyond its gates. They must already have met the people assisting them.
Who could it be?
Second Brother or Third Brother?
The worst possibility was the old man.
That would mean nothing happening inside the residence had escaped his all-seeing eyes.
A biological uncle had attempted to rape his niece’s personal maid. What a horrifying scandal!
The Deposed Heir could not involve himself any further.
Why should he entangle himself in another disaster for the Tan Family?
Once he made up his mind, the Deposed Heir decided to sacrifice the eldest Tan brother as a pawn. He cared little whether Lady Tan threatened suicide over her brother’s death. Instead, another thought began turning uncontrollably in his mind…
The old man had stripped him of his position as Heir Apparent because he favored Lady Tan too deeply and allowed a woman to control him. If he hardened his heart and eliminated that weakness, might he still have hope of becoming Crown Prince?
After all, Second Brother had only drawn infinitely close to that position. He had not truly taken the seat yet!
The ambition that had nearly died in the depths of the Deposed Heir’s heart revived at that moment. Like a seed receiving abundant water and nourishment, it instantly took root, sprouted, and grew into a towering tree.
The phrase “family of four” referred to the Deposed Heir and Lady Tan, Ma Hualiang, and Ma Baozhu.
Once the Deposed Heir heard that, he knew his guess had been correct. Hui’er had indeed reached the old man’s side.
His determination hardened further.
Lady Tan and Ma Baozhu, by contrast, were consumed with dread and unease.
The Deposed Heir might be persuaded, but the old man could not. Threatening suicide did not work on him. Appeals to affection were useless. Trying to threaten or force him was a death wish. He was impervious to every approach.
They could only place their hopes in the Deposed Heir.
Lady Tan clutched Ma Baozhu’s hand and could not bear to release it for even a moment, as though a wolf might suddenly leap from behind the palace walls and carry her daughter away.
She looked at her husband, utter dependence and trust filling her eyes. “My husband, I entrust Baozhu and my brother entirely to you.”
The Deposed Heir answered her with a false smile.
Not long after they passed through the palace gates, the eldest Tan brother was taken away alone.
After so many years as father and son, the Deposed Heir knew his father’s nature extremely well. He understood that this useless troublemaker would certainly die once taken away, yet he did nothing to stop it. He even smiled slightly at his wife as her brother left and said, “Do not worry. Nothing will happen.”
Lady Tan forced a smile. Yet for some reason, her heart pounded violently. A sense of foreboding hovered on the verge of revelation, thickening the air until panic left her unable to breathe.
Attendants led them into the inner hall. Only then did the Deposed Heir and Lady Tan discover that they were not the only guests. The Prince of Changshan and his wife and the Prince of Wu’an and his wife were already seated. Three places remained empty across from the four of them, evidently arranged for the couple and Ma Baozhu.
There were only three seats, yet four people had arrived. The ominous feeling in Lady Tan’s heart grew stronger. She tugged fearfully at her husband’s sleeve and pleaded, “My husband, will you go check on my brother? I am afraid something will happen to him. Our younger brother is already gone. If anything happens to him too, how am I supposed to live?”
The moment she finished, the King of Wu’s familiar voice sounded. His relaxed tone carried an edge of murderous intent. “If you cannot live, then do not. There is no need to force yourself. When someone truly wishes to die, there are always more solutions than difficulties.”
Lady Tan’s face turned deathly pale. Everyone else in the hall lowered their eyes and dared not look directly at him. They rose one after another, bowed, and greeted their father.
Zhu Yuanzhang answered amiably, then smiled and gestured for them to sit. “I dislike seeing all of you act so cautious around me. We are one family, flesh and blood. Why stand on ceremony?”
He settled leisurely into his seat and beckoned to the girl behind him. “Mingyue, come sit as well.”
Mingyue?
Who was that?
Surprised, Lady Bai looked up. She saw a delicate girl with a small round face and sun-kissed cheeks. It was unmistakably Li Hui’er, from whom she had parted only the day before.
Mingyue, the bright moon. Baozhu, the precious pearl.
How could a firefly’s glow compete with the radiance of the moon?
Lady Bai savored the deeper meaning and smiled sincerely. “This name sounds much better.”
Lady Wang smiled too. “Mingyue certainly enjoys the old man’s favor. Even her name was chosen with care. Unlike our girl. When I asked her father to name her, he wanted to call her Six Pounds because she weighed six pounds at birth. I nearly fainted from anger. Just look at what kind of father he is…”
The entire hall burst into laughter. Only the Deposed Heir’s family could not laugh.
They were not blind. They recognized the girl beside the old man and understood exactly what he meant by giving her this name.
He was telling Ma Baozhu directly: do not dream of comparing yourself to my biological granddaughter. You are unworthy!
My granddaughter is the moon. You are only a pearl. A fake is a fake, and you have no right to be mentioned in the same breath as her!
All color drained from Ma Baozhu’s face. Had Lady Tan not kept hold of her hand, she might have collapsed on the spot.
Zhu Yuanzhang was laughing too. Until he stopped, no one else dared, so they could only continue laughing along.
His gaze swept naturally around the inner hall. When it reached Ma Baozhu, it suddenly stopped.
“Eldest’s wife?” he called.
Lady Tan’s voice trembled. “This daughter-in-law is here.”
Zhu Yuanzhang’s tone was warm, as though he were merely a little puzzled. Yet the air truly tightened the instant he began asking questions.
“Who is sitting beside you?” he asked.
Neither Lady Tan nor Ma Baozhu dared remain seated. Trembling, they rose, moved to the center of the hall, and knelt with their bodies bowed to the floor, not daring to speak.
Zhu Yuanzhang seemed even more confused. “Why are you doing this?”
Lady Wang watched mother and daughter and thought the old man truly was merciless. Rather than granting them a swift end, he insisted on slicing their flesh with a dull blade, shaving away one sliver at a time so that every moment hurt. Merely watching from the side made her heart tremble. The two kneeling there must be nearly frightened out of their wits.
Lady Tan had not quite been frightened senseless yet, but she was close. Her voice shook as she said, “This daughter-in-law is guilty. I beg Father to forgive me!”
“Is that so?” Zhu Yuanzhang asked amiably. “What did you do?”
Lady Tan bit her lip and recounted what had happened recently. “Hui’er… No, Mingyue! Mingyue is my biological daughter, while Baozhu is my adopted daughter. One is my own flesh and blood, my closest kin. The other is a beloved daughter whom I raised for eleven years and with whom I share a profound bond. I love them both and cannot bear to give up either one. This daughter-in-law was wrong to decide on her own to keep Baozhu and is willing to accept Father’s punishment. I ask only that Father show mercy and not drive Baozhu away!”
“Mother, why are you so foolish?!” Ma Baozhu had not expected Lady Tan to accept punishment rather than abandon her. She could not help being moved and cried out involuntarily, only to receive a cool glance from Zhu Yuanzhang.
He said flatly, “When members of the Ma Family are speaking, is there room for you to interrupt?”
Ma Baozhu trembled and instantly clamped her mouth shut.
Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his knee and smiled, speaking as gently as a spring breeze. “A good child should not interrupt when elders are speaking. Nor should she secretly sow discord, fan the flames, and ostracize Mingyue. That is especially true of an impostor like you, who usurped another’s place and contaminated the Ma Family bloodline.”
Under his cold and merciless gaze, Ma Baozhu did not even dare defend herself. She tried to confess and beg forgiveness, but Zhu Yuanzhang had no interest in listening. He merely asked in puzzlement, “I remember ordering someone to slap your mouth before. Why did you learn nothing from it?”
Then he nodded in understanding and instructed the attendants, “A loose tongue truly is a terrible habit. It must be corrected. Take her outside and find a permanent cure for it.”
Horror seized Ma Baozhu. Her legs weakened, and she nearly collapsed. Before she could plead for mercy, someone gagged her and dragged her away.
“Baozhu!” Lady Tan watched in horror and lunged madly forward to pull her daughter back, only to be shoved away. She fell heavily to the floor.
Consumed with despair, she shuffled several steps forward on her knees and pleaded through her tears, “Father, please forgive Baozhu! She is still a child. Even if she said something wrong and angered you, please do not lower yourself to quarrel with her. Father!”
Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his knee and asked her with a beaming smile, “Eldest’s wife, can you not control your mouth either?”