Comrade Chen Guorui’s Biao’er was about to faint from sheer exasperation.
What are you so excited about?
What are you so excited about?
Zhu Yuanzhang becoming Emperor is Heaven’s will. What does that have to do with you, Chen Guorui?
And you’re throwing me into the air!
You threw me up and then failed to catch me, so I landed on the bed!
If I hadn’t piled the bed full of soft pillows and little quilts, that would definitely have hurt!
Furious, Chen Biao grabbed a pillow and repeatedly smacked his father with it.
Zhu Yuanzhang chuckled as he endured the beating.
“If Marshal Zhu becomes Emperor, we’ll become high-ranking officials. We might even be granted noble titles. Isn’t that worth celebrating?”
Chen Biao nearly choked on his own breath.
He truly couldn’t understand the way ancient people’s minds worked!
Was this so-called loyalty to one’s ruler really that terrifying?
What? You’re happier that your Marshal will become Emperor than you would be if you became Emperor yourself?
I give up.
I completely give up.
At that very moment, Chen Biao finally abandoned the idea of pushing Comrade Chen Guorui into rebelling against Zhu Yuanzhang so their own family could seize the throne.
My dad just isn’t cut out for it.
The Chen family simply doesn’t have that destiny.
Chen Biao looked toward the heavens and let out a long sigh. While he was sighing dramatically, Zhu Yuanzhang poked the little belly that looked even rounder because he was leaning back.
Enraged, Chen Biao kicked both feet at his father.
“I said all that, and the only thing you remembered was that Zhu Yuanzhang is destined by Heaven to become Emperor?!”
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed.
“I remember everything. Every single word.”
Chen Biao slapped away the mischievous hand poking his belly.
“What do you remember?!”
You don’t remember a damn thing!
Zhu Yuanzhang wrapped an arm around his son’s tiny waist…
There wasn’t actually any waist to speak of.
He simply pulled his son back into his arms and smoothed his hair.
“I really do remember it all.”
He cleared his throat and began repeating what Chen Biao had said earlier.
Starting from when Chen Biao had asked what books he had read, all the way to when Chen Biao declared that Zhu Yuanzhang had become an evil dragon.
Every single word.
Every pause.
Even the faint disappointment and regret in Chen Biao’s voice—feelings that even Chen Biao himself hadn’t realized were there—Zhu Yuanzhang reproduced with astonishing accuracy.
When Chen Biao had delivered that speech, it had been in his soft, childish little voice. Every few sentences he had to swallow, and whenever he became excited, his words even carried a faintly coquettish nasal tone.
The speech that Chen Biao imagined to be majestic and inspiring had actually come from the mouth of a tiny child speaking in an old-fashioned, world-weary manner.
It was, in truth, rather comical.
But coming from Zhu Yuanzhang’s mouth…
It became something entirely different.
Zhu Yuanzhang was thirty-one years old.
He had joined Guo Zixing’s forces at twenty-four.
He had only begun learning to read and write after marrying Madam Ma, when he finally had both the money and the time.
Readers in later generations who had worked in poverty alleviation or community service would surely understand this well.
Communicating with people who had received little education could be extraordinarily difficult.
These people had already spent many years navigating society, and some had even become seasoned veterans of life.
Yet their thinking often remained a chaotic blur, their horizons extending no farther than themselves.
Knowing how to deal with people was important.
But reading books to broaden one’s mind was even more important.
What the human eye sees is always partial and superficial.
Books are the crystallization of humanity’s wisdom.
Traveling ten thousand miles still requires reading ten thousand books before knowledge and experience can truly become one.
Reading ten thousand books forms the skeleton.
Traveling ten thousand miles provides the flesh and blood.
If one only traveled without reading, then all those experiences would be like duckweed with no roots. The current would carry it in, and the current would carry it away again, leaving nothing behind.
Many of Zhu Yuanzhang’s reflections about himself and about the future had only begun after he learned to read.
No one is born an Emperor.
Before he became literate, Zhu Yuanzhang was merely another rough-and-ready warlord with limited vision, no different from Zhang Shicheng and the others.
It was perfectly understandable why so many learned and virtuous men looked down on him.
They simply couldn’t believe that someone of Zhu Yuanzhang’s background—someone who had still been completely illiterate in his twenties—could possibly possess lofty ambitions.
And Zhu Yuanzhang himself was indeed one of history’s rarest oddities—an oddity in the most complimentary sense.
He was hardly representative of ordinary people.
Only after he was already well into his thirties did he begin studying, yet despite living constantly in military camps, he never missed a night of reading by lamplight.
Even while riding on horseback during the day, he remained “among the ranks with a book always in hand.”
Only a few years later, he would be writing elegant calligraphy, composing fine poems admired by later generations, and even drafting the beautifully parallel proclamation conferring Xu Da’s title as Duke of Xin.
So it was hardly surprising that others underestimated Zhu Yuanzhang.
They simply failed to recognize true talent.
Chen Biao knew exactly how illiterate his father had once been.
Back when Chen Biao himself had been struggling to hold a writing brush, painstakingly learning the script of this era while forcing himself to abandon the Simplified Chinese habits from his previous life, his father had likewise been gripping a brush with a miserable expression, practicing large characters alongside him.
Whenever Zhu Yuanzhang left to wage war, he and Chen Biao would agree upon study assignments in advance.
Then, when Zhu Yuanzhang returned home, the father and son would inspect each other’s homework.
Thanks to the memories from his previous life, Chen Biao learned much faster than Zhu Yuanzhang.
Gradually, it became Zhu Yuanzhang who sought help from Chen Biao with his lessons.
Not only in ancient times—even today—it was exceedingly rare for a father to ask his son for instruction.
A father’s dignity must not be violated.jpg.
Yet Zhu Yuanzhang could sincerely treat his chubby little son—whose short legs could easily send him tumbling across the ground if he ran too fast—as his teacher, without feeling the slightest embarrassment.
Now, gently stroking his son’s head, a faint smile in his eyes, Zhu Yuanzhang repeated every word Chen Biao had spoken, his voice even more expressive and rhythmic than Chen Biao’s own.
For a brief moment, Chen Biao suddenly realized that his simple, illiterate father…
Seemed to have become just a little remarkable.
Hearing his own speech repeated by his father, he actually felt a faint stirring of excitement himself.
The gloom weighing on Chen Biao’s heart completely vanished the moment Zhu Yuanzhang finished repeating his final word.
Leaning back comfortably against Zhu Yuanzhang’s chest, he stretched out his little legs.
“Dad, you remembered everything after hearing it only once. That’s amazing.”
Zhu Yuanzhang grinned proudly.
“I’m the father of you, Biao’er—the immortal child. Of course I’m amazing.”
Chen Biao immediately felt depressed again.
Yeah.
You’re so capable, and I’m so capable too.
Then why won’t you take just one more step?
Why are you so determined to remain Marshal Zhu’s loyal subject?
In a muffled voice, Chen Biao said, “Forget it. Even after hearing everything I said, you’re still determined to remain loyal to the Zhu family. What else is there for me to say?”
Zhu Yuanzhang scratched his head.
Something about that sentence didn’t sound right.
What did he mean by remaining loyal to the Zhu family?
…Wait.
Could it be that my son wants me to overthrow Zhu Yuanzhang and become Emperor myself?!
Looking down at the aggrieved little chubby boy in his arms, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly felt extremely guilty.
When my son finds out that I am Zhu Yuanzhang…
Will he be so angry that he’ll try to chop me with a sword?
No, no.
My Biao’er is so filial.
He’d never commit patricide.
Zhu Yuanzhang rubbed Chen Biao’s head.
“Biao’er, don’t worry. You’ve seen it yourself. Marshal Zhu is still a good Marshal. With the two of us helping him, he definitely won’t become like that in the future. I’ll speak to the Marshal immediately and have Yangzhou serve as a pilot region for granting land to women. If the results are good, we’ll expand the policy throughout all the territory we control.”
Chen Biao had already given up hoping for anything from his father.
“As long as you’re happy.”
“Oh, right. Do we have any pretty women in the Chen family? Whatever you do, don’t bring the Chen family’s womenfolk before the Marshal. Other people may stuff women into the Marshal’s household to whisper sweet words into his ear, but you’re absolutely not allowed to do that.”
Zhu Yuanzhang laughed helplessly.
“You’re still thinking about human sacrifice? Don’t worry. I’ll definitely advise the Marshal to abolish it. It’s a cruel custom of those Yuan bandits. How could we possibly adopt it? Old Xu, Old Tang, and I all grew up with the Marshal. We’ve known each other since childhood, so our opinions carry a lot of weight.”
Chen Biao was rendered even more speechless.
Childhood friends?
Wonderful.
Childhood friends are even easier to execute.
Fine.
I’d better start hiding things as soon as possible.
By the time the Ming dynasty is founded, I’ll probably be old enough to run around on my own.
Then I’ll buy estates and farmland overseas and leave my family a way out.
Chen Biao had completely given up on expecting his father to rise to greatness.
His grand dream had already shattered.
Now he could only cling to a smaller one.
Someday, the whole family would sail overseas, become modest plantation owners, and live peacefully in comfortable prosperity.
Zhu Yuanzhang saw that Chen Biao still looked utterly dejected and continued explaining.
“I’ve thought about what you said regarding human sacrifice. Based on what I know of the Marshal, if he really becomes Emperor someday and orders the women of the imperial harem to be buried with him, it would surely be because he didn’t want the harem to interfere with the new Emperor. But the Marshal’s legitimate eldest son is already growing up, and he’s an exceptionally capable child. With such an heir, the Marshal would never do something that damages his own reputation for benevolence and righteousness. Wouldn’t that just be digging a pit for his successor?”
Chen Biao was silent for a moment.
“…Oh.”
Zhu Yuanzhang continued, “Besides, Madam Ma is still around. She’ll certainly persuade the Marshal otherwise.”
Tilting his head back, Chen Biao looked at his overly innocent father with an indescribable gaze.
“Oh. What if Madam Ma dies young?”
Zhu Yuanzhang froze.
“…Biao’er, what did you say?”
Chen Biao climbed out of Zhu Yuanzhang’s arms and slowly put on his shoes before getting off the bed.
“Nothing.”
Zhu Yuanzhang hurriedly grabbed his son under the armpits and lifted him into the air.
“Biao’er! This isn’t something you can joke about! Tell Father clearly! No… wait. Is this even something you’re allowed to say? Can you reveal things about the future? Won’t Heaven punish you?”
His short little legs swung back and forth as Zhu Yuanzhang held him up.
“If it’s dying from illness, then even if I say it, the future probably won’t change, so it should be fine? Besides, it’s still a long way off. Why are we talking about this now… Hey, stop shaking me. You’re making me dizzy.”
“Still a long way off? How long is ‘a long way off’?” Zhu Yuanzhang asked anxiously.
Chen Biao rolled his eyes.
“How would I know? Anyway, it’ll definitely be before Marshal Zhu dies. Since you’re absolutely determined to follow Zhu Yuanzhang, then follow him. From now on, I won’t badmouth the Marshal in front of you anymore.”
Seeing that Chen Biao refused to elaborate, Zhu Yuanzhang finally set him down, his brows knitted tightly together.
Chen Biao couldn’t help saying, “Why are you worrying so much? It’s still far in the future. After Zhu Yuanzhang becomes Emperor, we can always think of another way.”
Although Chen Biao knew almost nothing about the exact timeline of Ming history, he was certain that Empress Ma had lived for quite some time after the founding of the Ming dynasty. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be the popular story of Empress Ma persuading Zhu Yuanzhang to spare the Crown Prince’s tutor after the Hu Weiyong case.
As long as Empress Ma remained alive, and his father didn’t get mixed up with Hu Weiyong, things should be all right.
As for everything afterward…
He could slowly make plans for the family once he had grown up.
Zhu Yuanzhang forced an awkward smile.
“Mm… yes… there’s still plenty of time.”
My wife dies of illness before I do?
Should I stop letting her accompany the army and endure such hardship?
The thought tormented Zhu Yuanzhang.
He had always known that Madam Ma’s health was worse than his own.
However, after Chen Biao had revealed his abilities as an immortal child, he had carefully nursed Madam Ma’s health. Even while accompanying the army, she followed the diet and exercise regimen Chen Biao prescribed, and her condition had improved considerably.
By now, Zhu Yuanzhang found it difficult to accept that Madam Ma would still die before him.
But then again…
If I died before my wife, she’d be heartbroken too.
The best outcome would be for the two of us to close our eyes hand in hand.
Zhu Yuanzhang thought gloomily.
“Dad, shouldn’t you be getting ready for the Yangzhou campaign?”
Chen Biao hopped a few times on the ground to stretch his limbs.
“I’m going to see Mom and my little brother. You should hurry and get to work.”
Chen Biao had a very clear understanding of his role as a child.
He could offer strategies to his father and point the family in the right direction, but the actual execution still had to be left to his father.
First, he was still a growing child and couldn’t overexert himself.
Second, he didn’t understand the realities of this era well enough, so practical matters required people with greater experience.
Third, although he was known within the family as a child prodigy, that reputation was limited to the family. As long as he didn’t show himself publicly and remained unknown outside, Zhu Yuanzhang might not become wary of him.
Might.
His father insisted this was enough to keep Zhu Yuanzhang from noticing him.
Fine.
Every now and then, he should trust his father a little.
“Oh… right.”
Zhu Yuanzhang came back to his senses, picked up the son who had just climbed off the floor, and said, “Let’s go together. Oh, and Biao’er, give Father the books you’ve already finished annotating. I’ll read them on the road.”
Zhu Yuanzhang had long since grown accustomed to reading books after his son had finished them.
Chen Biao’s annotations were far more interesting than the explanations given by the scholars serving under him.
Chen Biao replied, “The bottom shelf of the bookcase holds the books I’m not reading for the time being. Just take whichever ones you want. You don’t need to ask me.”
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.
“I still have to ask. What if you haven’t finished one?”
Chen Biao wrapped his arms around Zhu Yuanzhang’s neck.
“Oh. All right.”
A good father who respected his son’s wishes.
Rub, rub.
Feeling his son’s soft cheek pressed against him, Zhu Yuanzhang bit down on the candy in his mouth and swallowed it.
Sweet.
His turbulent emotions finally settled.
After carrying Chen Biao to see Madam Ma, who was watching over their two sons, Zhu Yuanzhang handed Chen Biao over to her before heading to the study to fetch some books.
The moment he entered, he found the study in complete disarray, with Zhu Wenying cleaning everything up.
Zhu Yuanzhang’s expression changed drastically.
“Biao’er’s study was robbed?!”
Zhu Wenying sighed helplessly.
“Not robbed. It was hit by Shuang’er.”
Zhu Yuanzhang: “…”
“That brat! How could he come into Biao’er’s study and make such a mess!”
As he continued tidying up, Zhu Wenying pleaded on Chen Shuang’s behalf.
“Shuang’er has already been beaten by Godmother. Godfather, you don’t need to beat him again.”
Zhu Yuanzhang snorted coldly, crouched down, and helped Zhu Wenying clean up.
Chen Shuang was only one year younger than Chen Biao, but he was much stronger, a trait that closely resembled Zhu Yuanzhang.
When he came into the study and started shaking the bookshelves, he had actually managed to shake books loose.
Chen Biao still didn’t know about it.
When he eventually found out, he was terrified.
The books weren’t important.
If Chen Shuang had been injured, that would have been the real disaster.
As a result, Chen Shuang received a second punishment.
His older brother sentenced him to memorizing books, and until he finished, he wasn’t allowed any snacks.
Chen Biao also had the bookshelves firmly nailed to the wall.
“Biao’er said he’d already finished all the books on the bottom shelf… Thank goodness, those books weren’t disturbed.”
Sticking his rear into the air, Zhu Yuanzhang pulled books one by one from the bottom shelf, flipping through them until he found the ones he wanted to borrow.
“Hm? What’s this?”
He noticed a book with no title on its cover, slotted diagonally at the end of the bottom shelf.
Opening the plain cover, Zhu Yuanzhang was surprised to find that every page was written in Chen Biao’s own handwriting.
A book copied by Biao’er himself?
Convinced that anything handwritten by his son must be worth reading carefully, Zhu Yuanzhang slipped the untitled volume into the stack of books he intended to borrow.
“That should be enough for this time…”
“…Huh?!”
“Who put bones in Biao’er’s study?!”
This battle-hardened general, who had seen countless corpses, actually jumped in fright.
It wasn’t the bones themselves that had startled him.
What shocked him was finding what looked like human bones inside his precious son’s study.
Standing on tiptoe as he finished arranging the books on the top shelf, Zhu Wenying turned toward the bone Zhu Yuanzhang was pointing at.
Picking it up, he examined it briefly.
“It’s carved from wood. But it’s modeled after a human foot bone. Biao’er wants to use these to persuade the women in our village not to bind their feet. Lately, Yingtian Prefecture has seen many more scholars. Whenever those scholars see women with natural feet, they look at them with utter disdain, as if having large feet were some terrible crime. Some people in the village have started binding their daughters’ feet because of it.”
Zhu Wenying opened a drawer in the desk and took out another foot-bone model.
“This one represents a normal woman’s foot. This one is a bound foot. When I helped Biao’er collect the two kinds of bones from a mass grave as references, I nearly threw up. I’m afraid I’ll never be able to look at women with bound feet the same way again.”
Curious, Zhu Yuanzhang took the two wooden models from Zhu Wenying.
The craftsmanship was exquisite.
Even the joints could move.
Compared with the normal foot, the bones of the bound foot had been shattered into countless pieces and fused back together in a grotesque mass, making one’s scalp tingle just from looking at it.
Zhu Wenying sighed.
“Biao’er said that scholars are always talking about how ‘the body, hair, and skin are gifts from one’s parents.’ They even treat shaving one’s hair or beard as a punishment. But aren’t women human too? Aren’t their bodies also gifts from their parents? Who came up with the cruel idea of making women’s feet smaller by breaking every bone in them until flesh and blood fused everything back together?”
Zhu Yuanzhang recalled the Song dynasty histories he had been reading.
The Red Turban Army revered the Song dynasty, especially the Han Song regime, so Zhu Yuanzhang had naturally begun his historical studies with Song history.
He had once admired the elegance and refinement of Song scholars.
Now, looking at the model of a three-inch golden lotus, he felt only disgust.
“It probably began in the Northern Song imperial court,” Zhu Yuanzhang said calmly. “The emperors of the Northern Song favored small feet, so foot-binding began among palace women. Later, noblewomen regarded bound feet as a mark of honor. Su Shi’s Bodhisattva Barbarian: Ode to Feet is considered the earliest ci poem devoted entirely to praising small feet. Since he set the literary fashion of his age, it’s clear that scholars of the time all admired bound feet.”
Zhu Wenying nodded.
“So after the Northern Song moved south, the custom of foot-binding spread through the south as well? Fortunately, it still hasn’t become widespread in the major grain-producing regions. If all women bound their feet, then while the men were away fighting wars, wouldn’t the women and children simply starve to death at home?”
Setting down the foot-bone models, Zhu Yuanzhang answered quietly,
“Exactly.”
After finishing the shelves, Zhu Wenying asked, “Godfather, do you need any other books? I’ll pack them up for you.”
Zhu Yuanzhang shook his head.
“These are enough. Just write down the titles and let Biao’er know which ones I’ve borrowed.”
“All right…”
“Hm?”
“Why is there one without a title?”
He opened the book and copied down the words written on the title page—
The Philosophy of Madam Ma.