Chapter 64: The Transformation of the Imperial Prince of Ming!

Evening.

Old Zhao walked ahead with his farm tools slung over his shoulder. Behind him, the two brothers, covered in mud and gasping for breath, trudged along. Though they had merely watched Old Zhao work in the fields, the experience had still worn them out. They were accustomed to carriages and sedan chairs, never to such hardship.

Zhu Gang grumbled incessantly, “A prince’s everyday robe is worth only twenty taels in banknotes? I spent three thousand taels making mine back then—yours wasn’t much less! Can you believe we couldn’t even sell the fabric for a fair price? One day I’ll make that scoundrel pay!”

“Brother, calm yourself. To find a merchant in the capital bold enough to buy a prince’s robe is already sheer luck. If the authorities had discovered it, it would have meant execution for three generations. No one would risk their head for a few bolts of cloth,” Zhu Tan soothed him. Dressed in ragged clothes, his noble air was gone, leaving him looking quite destitute.

“Enough. Talking about it just makes me angry.”

Zhu Gang was vexed. The twenty taels would barely keep the four of them afloat—forget about any lavish meals. He couldn’t help but add, with a note of pain, “Old Zhao, keep the money safe. Don’t let anyone say we’ve treated you poorly.”

All these years, he’d always diverted tens of thousands of bushels from his fief or the army. For the first time, he felt how precious money could be.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry!” Old Zhao grinned like a withered chrysanthemum, his mind at ease. As long as he could see and touch the item, once it passed into his hands, no one could find it again.

“Old Zhao, can you actually hear what I’m saying?” Zhu Gang asked, suspicious.

“Can’t hear a thing!” Old Zhao replied, completely baffled.

Zhu Gang raised an eyebrow.

As the silhouette of their small house came into view, Zhu Tan, carrying half a sack of grain on his back, muttered, “I wonder if Second Brother has starved to death yet.”

“What’s that smell?” Zhu Gang sniffed the air, frowning. After a moment’s thought, he said in surprise, “Smells like meat. What’s Second Brother up to? How did he get meat?”

From a distance, they saw Zhu Huang in front of the house, tending a fire and roasting something long and slender, bustling about energetically.

“You’re back?” Zhu Huang greeted them with a wide grin. “Come in, the meat will be ready soon.”

It had to be said, when it came to sharing, Second Brother was beyond reproach—he always waited for everyone before eating.

“So you have this skill, Second Brother?” Zhu Gang stepped forward and saw—it was a rabbit!

“I caught a few with Father back in the day… Are you finished with the planting?” Zhu Huang asked.

“There’s not much to plant—Old Zhao only has an acre and a third. We barely managed to sow half a sack,” Zhu Gang replied after some thought.

Zhu Huang pondered, then said, “Tomorrow, we’ll clear the backyard and plant more.”

“What?” Zhu Gang was taken aback. “Second Brother, have you lost your mind? Why are you suddenly so keen on working?”

“The sooner we get this stuff grown, the sooner we can bring grain to Father and beg for his mercy. Do you really think commoners can meet the Emperor whenever they please?” Zhu Huang kept his gaze on the roasting rabbit, but from the corner of his eye, he watched Old Zhao.

He thought to himself, Good thing I’m here. If Old Zhao had been alone, the Zhang family would have seized the house and land for sure—perhaps even taken his life.

“You have a point,” Zhu Gang admitted. He felt something was off; Second Brother had changed. Still, he nodded and gestured, “Old Zhao, make some rice for dinner.”

“Alright.” Old Zhao shuffled into the house. Seeing the dents on the table and bloodstains on the bench, his mind went blank. He shivered, quickly lowered his head, wiped the blood away with a rag, and hurried into the kitchen.

Two brutes! Thank heaven there’s at least one sensible child among them—otherwise, how would life go on?

At that moment, Zhu Tan sneaked in, producing a pile of bizarre objects he’d picked up on the road. Hesitantly, he asked, “Can you make elixirs with these?”

Old Zhao, who was just starting to cook, stared at the heap of unmentionable oddities—dried cow dung, strips of dog feces, and other indescribable things—and fell into a long, speechless silence.

…

Seven days later.

The Forbidden City.

“How are those three useless boys doing now?” Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang raised his eyelids and asked.

“Your Majesty, the three princes sold Prince Lu’s formal robe. They are not lacking for food or drink. In accordance with Your Majesty’s decree, they have earnestly tilled the land and spend their free time catching wild rabbits and pheasants,” Mao Xiang replied respectfully.

“And the second one?”

“Prince Qin, after causing a little trouble at first, has also personally started farming,” Mao Xiang reported.

At this, Zhu Yuanzhang’s expression relaxed and he smiled. “Grandson, your idea is excellent. I think we should put this in the ancestral precepts. Let’s call it… Grandson, what do you think we should name it?”

“Transformation of Ming Imperial Princes,” Zhu Youjian replied after a moment’s thought.

“Good! The name fits!” Zhu Yuanzhang’s eyes sparkled, and he laughed heartily. “These arrogant, unruly brats need to change their ways and learn what hardship is. Even if they don’t love the people as their own children, at least they won’t cause resentment everywhere and make us lose face.”

Suddenly, Zhu Yuanzhang seemed to recall something. “Is the fourth one still wandering about outside?”

“Your Majesty, Prince Yan is currently Deputy Commander of the army against the Japanese. He is training troops in the camp,” Mao Xiang replied.

Zhu Yuanzhang pondered and then ordered, “Send an edict to the Imperial Clan Office: from now on, all princes over the age of twelve must be sent out to undergo this transformation. One by one, they act obedient in front of me, but as soon as they leave, they harm the people. If this continues, sooner or later our great Ming will be ruined by them!”

“The fourth is exempt. He’ll be enfeoffed in Japan one day—what use do the Japanese have for human rights!”

“Yes!” Mao Xiang accepted the decree and withdrew.

“Great Ancestor, the trouble caused by the imperial clan doesn’t end there,” Zhu Youjian shook his head and said. “Especially the system of noble ranks you established for the clan. It brought untold hardship to later generations.”

“Oh? Grandson, explain in detail,” Zhu Yuanzhang frowned, listening intently.

As an emperor who came from humble origins, his intentions for his descendants were simple—let them enjoy prosperity. After all the hardship he endured, it was only so his descendants would not have to suffer. For this reason, he had established a special system to provide for the imperial clan.

That system was intended to ensure that his descendants would never want for anything—how could it have led to such hardship?

“You set eight noble ranks for your descendants: Prince for sons, Marquis for grandsons—”

“Duke for great-grandsons, and then further down: Assistant General, Defender General, Lieutenant of the Guard, Assistant Lieutenant, and Defender Lieutenant. From Defender Lieutenant onward, the rank no longer descends, so all later descendants are Defender Lieutenants.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Zhu Yuanzhang pondered but saw no issue. “Isn’t this a brilliant way to ensure my descendants are blessed forever?”

Zhu Youjian gave a bitter smile. “By the Jiajing Emperor’s reign, the court could no longer afford to pay stipends. The system became a mere formality. From emperor to officials, none were willing to distribute salaries—the burden was too great for the nation.”

“Go on, Grandson.” Zhu Yuanzhang’s frown deepened. That Jiajing again—if changing the ancestral temple’s rules to raise the fourth son to his side wasn’t enough, he’d even emptied the treasury!

Zhu Youjian continued, “You had twenty-six sons, Great Ancestor…”

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn’t help but show a hint of pride. “Twenty-five. Prince Yi—I’ve already decided to erase him from the family records.”

…