Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Incompetent, stupid, without a single redeeming quality.

That was his father’s judgment of him.

The Deposed Heir sat stunned, staring up at his father in despair as though he had lost the ability to speak.

Zhu Yuanzhang’s expression was cold and stern. He looked down at him. “You do not know how to honor your parents and repeatedly deceive them. You do not know how to care for your brothers and use vile words to frame them. How did the Ma Family produce a son like you? I had not intended to destroy you completely. I planned to leave you the noble rank of prince and let you live as a wealthy gentleman in the capital. Yet you are hopeless beyond reform. The instant you saw the highest position was beyond your reach, you resorted to a method this despicable. How could I keep you any longer?!”

The Prince of Changshan and Prince of Wu’an both felt their brows twitch and looked over with alarm and uncertainty. The Deposed Heir lost every trace of color and pleaded, “Father…”

Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his eyes toward him. “Our Old Ma Family was a farming family once. Then natural disasters struck, and when we could no longer survive, we became refugees. When your grandmother died, the neighboring Liu Family generously provided a burial plot. We could not even scrape together a thin coffin and had to wrap her in a straw mat for a hurried burial. I have always remembered the Liu Family’s kindness and believed a drop of grace should be repaid with a gushing spring. But Heaven showed them no mercy. A plague struck, and every member of the Liu Family died.”

The Deposed Heir vaguely guessed what his father intended. Sweat drenched his back. “Father, you cannot…”

Zhu Yuanzhang ignored him and continued, “The Liu Family were once our neighbors, and our ancestral homes stood in the same place. They showed our family kindness. Now that the Ma Family has prospered, we cannot forget our debt. The Liu Family has no descendants left to make offerings. I will therefore adopt you into their lineage as their heir, so they will have someone to depend upon in the netherworld.”

The Deposed Heir looked as though lightning had struck him. He collapsed onto the floor and cried out in despair, “Father, I am your eldest legitimate son! How can you adopt me out? Adoption into Eldest Uncle’s or Second Uncle’s household would be one thing, but the Liu Family… How can it be the Liu Family?!”

“My decision is final,” Zhu Yuanzhang said. “Have someone choose a new name for you according to the Liu Family’s generational order. Tomorrow, you will be sent back to our ancestral home with your wife and children. From this day forward, we have no relation whatsoever!”

The Deposed Heir released a piercing cry and threw himself forward to kowtow and beg his father for mercy. Zhu Yuanzhang kicked him away and barked, “Why have you not removed this animal yet?!”

The Deposed Heir continued struggling, but the personal guards came forward, forced him down, gagged him, and dragged him away.

Everyone in the hall looked at one another, unsure what could possibly be said. Lady Tan watched her husband being hauled away. She laughed brokenly as tears streamed down her face.

This was the husband she had loved for so many years.

At the end of the road, he had cast her aside without hesitation, hoping to stain the Prince of Changshan’s reputation with her.

Had he considered her at all?

What fate awaited a woman accused of having an affair with her husband’s brother and betraying her husband?

Perhaps he had considered it and simply did not care.

This was the husband she had loved for so many years!

How absurd. How ridiculous!

Lady Tan suddenly laughed aloud. Her laughter grew louder and louder. At last, everyone turned to look, but she noticed nothing. She bent over, clutched her stomach, and laughed wildly as though she had encountered something wonderfully amusing and could not stop.

“How interesting.” Her eyes reddened from laughter. “How interesting!”

Lady Tan’s laughter slowly ceased. She scrubbed the tears from her face and said as though her soul had left her, “What have I done with this life of mine…?”

No one answered her. At that moment, she did not truly need an answer from anyone else.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved a hand and ordered, “Take them away.”

Lady Tan was shoved out of the hall. Ma Baozhu followed closely behind, looking worried. Then she quickened her pace and stepped forward to support Lady Tan.

Their figures gradually disappeared from sight.

The inner hall fell so silent that a dropped needle could have been heard.

Zhu Yuanzhang finally breathed out. He looked around and said lightly, “At last, that family’s whole rotten mess has been settled. Second, stop kneeling there. Get up.”

The Prince of Changshan answered, “Yes.” He cautiously raised his eyes and studied the old man’s expression. “Father, do you truly intend to adopt Eldest Brother into the Liu Family?”

Zhu Yuanzhang corrected him. “He has already been adopted out. When you and Third see him from now on, there is no need to call him Eldest Brother. Compared with being Heir Apparent of Wu or Crown Prince, he is probably better suited to life as a reasonably wealthy country gentleman.”

The Prince of Changshan and Prince of Wu’an acknowledged the order respectfully.

Zhu Yuanzhang sighed and shook his head. “I truly never planned to adopt him out. I would have let him remain in the capital as a wealthy prince without power. Given his temperament, watching the highest position slip past him would already have left him half dead with rage. But his heart turned rotten. He disregarded years of marital affection and brotherly loyalty to frame you. I absolutely could not keep him after that.”

For the Prince of Changshan, this was the best possible outcome.

His father had dealt with Eldest while still on the throne. A father disciplining his son was perfectly proper, and no one dared object. If the old man died and the Prince of Changshan took that position instead, an elder brother who had once been Heir Apparent of Wu and remained the late emperor’s eldest legitimate son would become an exceptionally difficult problem.
Kill him, and public criticism would follow. After all, he was a full elder brother born of the same parents.

Spare him, and he was far too restless. He still had many former subordinates whom he had once taken in.

Now the old man had directly adopted him out and made him a descendant of the Liu Family. Even after the Prince of Changshan died, this elder brother would have no claim to the throne. The Ma Family had fought bitterly to win the realm. No argument under heaven could place it in the hands of someone surnamed Liu.

The Prince of Changshan breathed a sigh of relief. The Prince of Wu’an also considered it a good outcome. Second Brother’s position as Crown Prince was secure, while Eldest Brother had at least kept his life. So long as he caused no rebellion in the future, he could pass his remaining years in peace.

The old man had truly exhausted every effort in planning for his children and grandchildren.

“Enough.” At last, Zhu Yuanzhang patted his thigh. “Everything that needed saying has been said. You understand why I summoned you today. The warning stands before you. Keep it firmly in mind.”

Everyone answered with the utmost respect.

Zhu Yuanzhang dismissed them, keeping only Ma Mingyue behind. Grandfather and granddaughter left the main hall together and stood beside the railing at the highest point, gazing into the distance.

The Prince of Changshan and his wife and the Prince of Wu’an and his wife descended the stone steps, occasionally turning to exchange a few words. Their figures gradually grew smaller and more distant. After they passed through a palace gate, they vanished from sight.

Ma Mingyue vaguely sensed that her grandfather was in low spirits. After hesitating, she could not resist asking with concern, “Is Grandfather sad about what just happened?”

“Sad about what just happened?”

Zhu Yuanzhang looked surprised. “Why would you think that?”

Ma Mingyue pursed her lips and said softly, “Grandfather’s expression seems a little unhappy.”

“Not unhappy, merely reflective.” Zhu Yuanzhang sighed. “When I look at the people around me, I often remember events from long ago. I think of the days with your grandmother, the things we said to one another, my rotten son, the grandson who squandered the family legacy… It feels as though ages have passed. But when I look back, it also seems like yesterday, every detail vivid before my eyes.”

As Ma Mingyue studied her grandfather’s expression, a strange feeling came over her. The people he described seemed to be their own flesh and blood, yet also some other group she had never met.

Though they had not spent long together, she felt exceptionally close to Grandfather. Others might consider the old man brutal, but she found him fair in his decisions, kind, and approachable.

Ma Mingyue boldly told him what she thought.

Zhu Yuanzhang laughed heartily. After a long while, his laughter faded. He gazed at her and said with some sorrow, “Mingyue, you truly resemble her. The moment I see you, I cannot help thinking of her. It makes me want your life to be better, and better still…”

Ma Mingyue said gently, “Grandmother must have been a very, very good person for Grandfather to miss her so sincerely after all this time.”

Zhu Yuanzhang said, “To me, she was the finest woman in the world.”

Finding someone to hear words buried in his heart for so long was a good thing too.

He smiled kindly and stroked Ma Mingyue’s long hair. With a sigh, he said, “An old friend once told me that a girl should be raised like a treasure in one’s palm. Mingyue, you suffered too much in your early years. Grandfather hopes you will be happier from now on. I hope you have loving and sensible parents, learned and knowledgeable teachers, and a brilliant life. Whatever you wish to do, do it without fear. Grandfather will always support you…”

Ma Mingyue’s eyes gradually filled with tears. She pressed her lips together and held them back for a long while, but they still fell. “Grandfather, I… I truly do not know how to thank you!”

“Sometimes I feel that I am a bad child. I truly wanted everyone in the Li Family to die. Sometimes the thought startles me, and I wonder how I could think something so frightening. But I truly do not want to forgive them!”

She sobbed uncontrollably. “I also wonder if I am too cold and heartless. I actually went before you to accuse my own parents. I even thought that if I ever had the chance, I would kill Ma Baozhu. I am a bad child. I do not deserve Grandfather’s love…”

“You did nothing wrong, and you are not a bad child.” Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and gently patted her shoulder. “There is nothing wrong with taking back what belongs to you. There is nothing wrong with resisting your parents’ coldness and favoritism. There is even less wrong with wanting to punish the villains who filled your life with suffering. Those feelings are human nature, not wickedness.”

He praised her sincerely. “Our Mingyue is strong, brave, and unyielding through every setback. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen!”

Ma Mingyue stopped crying and looked at him with shining eyes. “Truly?”

“Truly!” Zhu Yuanzhang answered firmly. Then he smiled at the girl. “Go find your mother. She has surely ordered people to arrange your room by now. She is like your grandmother, a rarely good person. With a mother like her, you will suffer no more.”

A smile appeared on Ma Mingyue’s face. She bowed and said brightly, “Grandfather, I am going now!”

“Go on.” Zhu Yuanzhang waved. He watched the girl skip down the steps, the hem of her red skirt lifting lightly in the wind, brilliant and dazzling beneath the sun.

Halfway down, she turned and waved to Grandfather, who still stood beside the railing. Only then did she show the lively sweetness of a girl her age.
Zhu Yuanzhang smiled and waved back in answer.

The breeze was mild, the sunlight warm. It truly was a beautiful season.

…

Three days later, the King of Wu formally ascended the throne in the capital. He established the dynasty as Ming and named the reign the Hongwu Era. He posthumously honored the late Princess Consort of Wu as Empress Xiaoci, appointed his second son, the Prince of Changshan, as Crown Prince, and made the Princess Consort of Changshan the Crown Princess. He also granted higher titles to various relatives and meritorious officials and proclaimed a general amnesty.

His eldest legitimate son, the former Heir Apparent of Wu, did not appear at the grand ceremony.

Two days earlier, the Deposed Heir, now renamed Liu Wenchang, had been placed in a carriage with his wife and children and sent toward the ancestral homeland shared by the emperor and the Liu Family.

After all, he was now the Liu Family’s adopted heir and had no relation to the Ma Family.

Liu Wenchang sat numbly in the carriage, silent as a puppet that had lost its soul. Lady Tan sat opposite him with a deathly pale face. Once a loving couple, they were strangers now.

The confrontation in the main hall had completely torn away the tender facade of their marriage. The two human-skin figurines delivered to the Deposed Heir’s residence by the Embroidered Uniform Guard that evening dealt another devastating blow to Lady Tan’s already fragile mind.

She fell ill again. Only medicine kept her alive. Concern for Ma Baozhu and her son made her cling desperately to that final breath rather than collapse.

After parting in the hall that day, husband and wife never spoke another word to each other.

Since the Deposed Heir had been renamed Liu Wenchang, Ma Hualiang naturally received a new name as well and became a descendant of the Liu Family. The difference between the son of a Commandery Prince and the son of an ordinary wealthy country gentleman was as vast as heaven and earth. The already gloomy and taciturn youth grew even darker.

At a time like this, neither father nor mother possessed the energy to comfort their son.

Lady Liu had once imagined becoming the Commandery Prince’s secondary consort, then the Crown Prince’s secondary consort, climbing step by step in her husband’s wake until she could look down upon the realm from above. Never had she imagined that being a concubine to the former Commandery Prince would mark the highest point of her life. From there, she plunged all the way down and became a concubine in an ordinary wealthy household.

However modest the Liu Clan’s standing, her family still held official positions. She had fought with pride and ambition, only to end as the concubine of an ordinary commoner?

Was Heaven playing a joke on her?!

Worse misfortune still awaited her.

If she truly had been the concubine of an ordinary man, her maiden family could have exerted some influence and found a way to remove her. Unfortunately, she had followed the former Heir Apparent of Wu, the adopted-out eldest son of the Reigning Emperor. If she raised her head now and announced that he had fallen, that she despised him, and that she wished to leave, she might as well complain that her neck was too stiff and ask someone to loosen it.

No matter how far Liu Wenchang had fallen, he remained the Reigning Emperor’s son. Adopted out or not, how could someone like her disdain him?

Lady Liu wanted to cry but had no tears. Regret came far too late.

When the party reached its destination, the servants naturally handled the many practical arrangements.

Liu Wenchang and Lady Tan sat woodenly in their chairs like a pair of lifeless puppets. Their son sat below them with much the same expression. Lady Liu and the other concubines stood to either side, their faces equally lifeless. Anyone entering without warning might have mistaken the room for one filled with paper funeral effigies.

Fine. This was their life now.

…

On the day Liu Wenchang and Lady Tan’s party departed, Ma Baozhu was taken to the marketplace to witness the Li Family’s execution. At the supervising official’s command, white blades flashed and heads struck the ground.

She tore free from the two hands restraining her shoulders, turned away, bent over, and vomited violently.

“Let us go, Miss Baozhu,” said her guard. “It is time for you to begin your journey too.”

Yes. Ma Baozhu smiled bitterly. It was time for her to go to that household.

Her biological mother had personally chosen it for her.

Ever since that crude country girl appeared, Ma Baozhu’s life seemed to have shifted onto another track. Sometimes, she felt as though she had entered a nightmare. But the stump of her tongue, still throbbing with unbearable pain even today, reminded her that this was no dream. It was reality.

Ma Baozhu was filled with hatred.

She hated Ma Mingyue, hated the old man whose mouth was full of rules, and hated this unfair world!

Why had this happened?

It should never have been this way!

No one cared about her hatred or resentment.

That same day, a group escorted her toward the Li Family courtyard. The lives exchanged many years ago finally returned to their proper places.

…

Lady Liu suffered in the Liu Family residence for half a month before she finally thought matters through.

She could not leave. If she had to remain, she needed to live well. And if she wanted to live well, she still had to serve Liu Wenchang properly.

He might have been adopted out, but Ma Family blood still flowed in his veins. If her belly proved fertile and she bore a son or daughter, the imperial family could hardly ignore them. Even in the worst case, if they truly refused to care, she and her child would still have food to eat and wealth for life.

She did not know what happened when Liu Wenchang entered the palace that day, but she could see that his relationship with Lady Tan had truly collapsed. If she did not exploit the opening now, would she not be wasting a perfect opportunity?

Lady Tan had a son. Lady Liu did not. That little bastard moped around all day looking like a paper funeral effigy. Was she supposed to depend on him to support her in old age?

She might as well wait for pigs to fly!

Lady Liu made up her mind and went to shower Liu Wenchang with attention, treating him with tender care and flattering him in every possible way.

Liu Wenchang had fallen into the mud. He could not help being moved when she remained beside him with such devotion and attachment. Though gloom still weighed on his heart, he was at least willing to show Lady Liu a pleasant face.
Two months passed this way, yet Lady Liu’s belly showed no sign of life. Growing anxious, she wondered whether she should visit an apothecary for medicine to restore her health. But the moment she went in and had a physician take her pulse, her world collapsed and her vision went black.

“Madam,” the physician in residence said hesitantly, taking great care with his words, “you have consumed far too much medicine of a cooling nature and damaged your womb. I fear it will be difficult for you to conceive in this lifetime.”

Lady Liu had never imagined she would hear such a verdict. Her entire body went cold, and even her voice trembled when she asked, “Is that true, Doctor? Please do not frighten me!”

“It is true.” The physician knew she must have fallen victim to some dark scheme in the inner household and sighed inwardly. Seeing the tears in her eyes and the devastation on her face, he could not help feeling some pity. “Judging from your pulse, you must have taken it for quite a long time. Though you stopped for a while in between, the damage had already been done.”

When had she ever taken cooling medicine?

She had always wanted to become pregnant. She had faithfully taken fertility medicine all this time!

Pain tore through Lady Liu’s heart. Through tear-clouded eyes, she suddenly remembered something, and her heart lurched as her expression changed.

“Doctor,” she asked in a shaking voice, “is fertility medicine… supposed to be taken after intercourse?”

The physician frowned and stroked his beard. “When else would one take it?”

Lady Liu closed her eyes and let the tears stream down her face. “I understand…”

Ma Changyan, how could you be so cruel?!

So from the very beginning, you never left me the slightest hope!

I wagered everything on you, only to lose again and again. Now all I wanted was to leave myself a way out, to have a child I could rely on, yet you blocked even that path.

Fine. How very fine!

Since you showed me no mercy, do not blame me for returning the favor!

A vicious gleam flashed through Lady Liu’s eyes. After composing herself, she gritted her teeth, rose, and walked out.

That evening, Liu Wenchang came to spend the night in Lady Liu’s room as usual. Before long, the lamps inside went dark.

After their lovemaking, Liu Wenchang fell asleep from exhaustion. Lady Liu did not. She lay in bed thinking of the child who would never have the chance to enter this world, of all the compromises and humiliation she had endured since marrying Liu Wenchang. Tears soaked the pillow beside her until her heart seemed torn to shreds.

After a long time, she reached toward the head of the bed and drew out a dagger gleaming with cold light. Her gaze turned savage. She threw back the covers and drove the blade at the man’s crotch!

Liu Wenchang awoke in searing agony and found himself staring straight into Lady Liu’s venomous eyes. His face changed in horror, but before he could cry out, she yanked the quilt over him and viciously smothered his mouth with it.

She was only a frail woman, after all. Blood gushed from the wound, and murderous intent appeared on Liu Wenchang’s face. Lady Liu was terrified. Only when she sensed that he had stopped struggling beneath the quilt did she release her grip with trembling hands.

Tentatively, she reached out to feel beneath Liu Wenchang’s nose.

He was still alive. He had only fainted.

Lady Liu gulped down air, trying to ease the pressure in her chest. After a long while, a thought suddenly stirred, and anger surged through her.

What are you thinking?

Are you afraid?

Had you not already decided to risk everything for revenge?

This man destroyed your ability to bear children and cut off every hope for the rest of your life. What is wrong with repaying him in kind?

You did nothing wrong!

He had lost his manhood and become a eunuch, but he still had a son. He still had hope for his later years. You had none!

You were both born into this world with only one life to live. You had already resolved to stake yours. What was there left to hesitate over now?!

Lady Liu lowered her head. The bedding beneath Liu Wenchang was already soaked red with blood. A savage light flashed in her eyes. She might as well see this through to the end. She dressed, put away the dagger, picked up several books as a pretense, and headed for Ma Hualiang’s courtyard.

…

By the time the news reached the capital, three days had passed.

Zhu Yuanzhang was eating breakfast when he received the report from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, news so bizarre he hardly knew how to describe it.

He set down his chopsticks and frowned. “Lady Liu is dead?”

“Yes,” the guard replied. “She claimed Master Liu had ordered her to deliver some books, then stabbed Young Master Liu with a dagger while his guard was down. Young Master Liu took one blow, but he was young and strong. He pulled out the blade and struck back, killing her. Not long afterward, however, he also died from excessive blood loss.”

Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed his forehead. “And Eldest?”

The guard paused before answering, “Master Liu’s life was saved, but… ahem. It could not be reattached.”

Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”

Zhu Yuanzhang had no idea what to say. After a long silence, he finally asked stiffly, “Is Eldest… doing all right?”

The guard replied, “On the surface, he appears to be in great pain.”

Zhu Yuanzhang asked, “And beneath the surface?”

The guard: “…”

After a moment’s hesitation, the guard said, “Beneath the surface, he is probably in even greater pain.”

Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”

“Ah.” Inside the space, Liu Che clicked his tongue regretfully. “I really do feel sorry for our old neighbors. Their family line has died out again.”

Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”