Chapter Five: Survival Comes First

Duke Wei’s mansion. As soon as Xu Miaojin returned home, she collapsed onto the table, sobbing. Her second sister, Xu Miaoqing, gently stroked her back, softly whispering words of comfort.

Elsewhere, the three brothers—Xu Huizhu, Xu Yingxu, and Xu Zengshou—gathered around Miaojin’s personal maid, Xiaochan, listening intently as she recounted the events of the evening.

“This is outrageous! If this goes on, won’t he ruin our third sister’s reputation?” Xu Zengshou, upon hearing everything, seized his sword and made for the door, intent on killing Zhu Yang.

“Wait!” Xu Huizhu blocked his path. “You rush over and kill him—but then what?”

“Uh…” Xu Zengshou paused, looking back at his eldest brother. “Are you saying we just let it go?”

“Of course not!” Xu Huizhu replied. “Miaojin’s honor must not be sullied, but we cannot act recklessly. This morning His Majesty issued an edict for you and me to train troops in Shaanxi at month’s end. If you kill someone now, what will the emperor think?”

“What should we do then?” Xu Zengshou asked.

“Second brother, you go!” Xu Huizhu turned to Xu Yingxu.

“Me?” Xu Yingxu pointed to himself in surprise.

“Yes! You’re the only one in our household known for your unruly behavior. You’re the most suitable for this matter,” Xu Huizhu said. “But Zhu Yang is still a scholar, preparing for the imperial examination. Be careful not to take his life—just teach him a lesson. Afterward, go straight to the palace with your badge and confess to His Majesty.”

“This affair is on our side, and our names were chosen by the emperor himself. When father was alive, he and His Majesty were as close as brothers. If you bow your head and admit your fault, the emperor will remember old ties and show leniency—at most, you’ll receive a scolding,” Xu Huizhu assured him.

“Alright, I’ll go now!” Xu Yingxu licked his lips. He spent his days walking dogs and hunting with hawks, and nothing pleased him more than leading the household men in a brawl. Today, he could finally fight by command, and he intended to make the most of it.

Xu Yingxu was different from his brothers. He had no ambitions since childhood, preferring to indulge in nature and linger around pleasure boats. Thus, outsiders always saw him as an incompetent wastrel.

A wastrel beating up Zhu Yang for his little sister—is that reasonable? Perfectly reasonable! That’s why Xu Huizhu stopped Xu Zengshou and sent Xu Yingxu instead. If Zhu Yang were accidentally killed, at worst Xu Yingxu would be demoted to commoner status. With the power of Duke Wei’s mansion, keeping a commoner in the family would be no trouble.

…

Meanwhile, after Zhu Yuanzhang departed, Zhu Yang hurried back to his lodgings, packed his belongings, and made his way to the Examination Hall.

Tonight’s scandal would surely be spread throughout Yingtian by those eager for gossip. By then, Xu Miaojin’s identity, the poem by Nalan Xingde, and Zhu Yang’s imitation of Stephen Chow would combine into a story more thrilling than any celebrity scandal.

If Ming had Weibo, the servers would surely explode tonight.

…

Given the circumstances, how could the Xu family possibly spare Zhu Yang?

With just a moment’s reflection, Zhu Yang realized he would not survive the night.

To save his life, he could only head to the Examination Hall ahead of schedule.

The Ming Dynasty’s metropolitan exam consisted of three rounds, each lasting three days. Candidates would eat, drink, sleep, and relieve themselves within the Hall during that time.

For these three days, Zhu Yang would be absolutely safe. As for what came after, he had yet to decide.

It was not yet time to enter; the gates were tightly shut, guarded by a few sentries.

“What business do you have?” At the gate, the guard eyed Zhu Yang, who was laden with bags, and stepped forward to challenge him.

“Sir, I am a candidate for this year’s metropolitan exam. The test begins tomorrow, but I couldn’t sleep tonight, so I came early. This way, when the gates open, I can be first inside and bask in the scholarly air!” Zhu Yang lamented the lack of a cigarette in his hand—if he had one, he could chat with the guards all night.

“Look at you, so lacking in ambition!” the guard laughed and cursed, but did not drive Zhu Yang away. Every three years there were always candidates like this; he was used to it.

“Heh heh…” Zhu Yang chuckled dryly.

“Go wait in that corner. In two hours, the gates will open, and someone will call you in,” the guard pointed to a corner by the wall.

“Alright!” Zhu Yang hurried to the inconspicuous corner, sat down, and began to doze.

…

Meanwhile, Xu Yingxu arrived at the Scholar’s Pavilion with his household men, only to find Zhu Yang’s room empty.

“Where is he?” Xu Yingxu seized the innkeeper and demanded.

“He went to the Examination Hall!” The innkeeper trembled under Xu Yingxu’s glare. He had witnessed everything tonight and knew the Xu family was furious; he needed no threats to reveal Zhu Yang’s whereabouts.

“The Examination Hall?” Xu Yingxu glanced in its direction, hesitating.

The Hall was the site of the imperial examination, home to a statue of Confucius. Zhu Yuanzhang valued education highly. Early in the Ming Dynasty, he declared the Hall and its surroundings forbidden grounds. Causing trouble there would certainly lead him to have the offenders skinned alive.

…

“What now?” Xu Yingxu wavered.

“Divide into three groups and keep watch on the Examination Hall. If Zhu Yang leaves, bring him to me!” After much hesitation, Xu Yingxu dared not cause trouble at the Hall’s gate, so he stationed his men nearby to wait in ambush.

…

In the palace, in the Imperial Library, Zhu Yuanzhang was still reviewing memorials.

Jiang Huan reported, “Your Majesty, Magistrate Xu just took men to arrest Young Master Zhu!”

“Xu Yingxu?” Zhu Yuanzhang looked up. “And Zhu Yang? Has he been caught?”

Jiang Huan replied, “Young Master Zhu fled early to the Examination Hall, claiming he was nervous before the test. The gate guards allowed him to sit in the corner.”

Zhu Yuanzhang roared with laughter. “Hahaha… That boy is cunning!”

“By the way, what about the captain from Weiling?”

“Reporting, Your Majesty—the captain confessed. Nine years ago, during a storm, the guards abandoned their posts to drink in a nearby hut. They got drunk, heard noises, but ignored them. When the storm passed, they discovered Prince Yu’s tomb had been broken open, and the prince was missing. To save himself, the captain secretly ordered the guards to reseal the tomb, and then had them eliminated that night,” Jiang Huan explained.

“Hmph! Have that captain executed along with his entire clan, and all those who guarded Zhongshan at the time put to death on the spot!” Zhu Yuanzhang commanded.

“And what of the grave robbers?”

“We have found them and are questioning them now. There should be news by tomorrow evening,” Jiang Huan answered.

“Good. Press on. My grandson has wandered the world too long!” Zhu Yuanzhang said.

“As you command!” Jiang Huan replied, bowing with fists clasped.