Chapter 34: Feng Gao’s Background
What I didn’t know was that at this moment, in the Zhang Manor, a conversation that shook the heavens was taking place.
The Commander of the Brocade Guards, Liu Shou, had originally intended to threaten Minister Zhang by traveling all the way to Yangzhou to find the midwife who had delivered Madam Qin years ago. However, this led to the uncovering of a secret that had been buried for many years.
Over twenty years ago, in Huguang Jingzhou Prefecture, Cai Qingyao, the eldest daughter of Prefect Cai, fell in love with Zhang Taiyue, the young master of the distant Zhang Manor, and they secretly pledged their lives to each other in the back garden. However, due to land annexation disputes, their fathers suddenly fell out, and the two families ceased contact. The Master of the Zhang Manor arranged a marriage for his son, and the wedding ceremony took place. Meanwhile, the eldest daughter of the Cai family was already pregnant.
To conceal the scandal, the Cai family did not hesitate to lower their standards and arranged a marriage for their daughter with a merchant family in Yangzhou. They only wished for their daughter to marry and leave Jingzhou quickly to preserve the Cai family’s reputation.
Zhang Taiyue achieved great success in the imperial examinations and became an official. Upon returning to Jingzhou to find Cai Qingyao, he learned that she was already married. Zhang Taiyue, both openly and secretly, looked after Cai Qingyao’s husband’s family, the Qin Manor. The Qin Manor’s business grew larger and larger, gradually earning the reputation of “The Grand Canal for a thousand miles, Tiansheng Tower for ten thousand families.”
Cai Qingyao’s husband, Qin Ke, had already harbored doubts on their wedding night because his wife did not bleed. Seeing the frequent attention from the unrelated Zhang Taiyue towards his family, he sent people back to Jingzhou Prefecture to inquire extensively and guessed the truth about his wife’s past indiscretion. He knew he had been cuckolded but dared not expose it.
He did not wish to lose the patronage in official circles, nor did he wish to lose immense wealth.
Yet, he was unwilling to endure this humiliation. He wanted to get rid of both Cai Qingyao and Zhang Taiyue.
Thus, he secretly plotted and devised a brilliant plan.
In the twelfth lunar month of Jiajing Thirty-ninth Year, snow fell heavily in Yangzhou as Cai Qingyao went into labor.
Qin Ke ordered his men to secretly discard the illegitimate child his wife had given birth to, and instead, placed a child born to his concubine into the swaddling clothes and handed it to Madam Qin. Madam Qin had a difficult labor and was unconscious for several hours. Upon waking, she was overjoyed to see her son and named him “Mingxu.” Ming Dynasty’s clear sky, ice on the pond in spring.
Everyone was kept in the dark.
Qin Ke, acting magnanimously, treated this “illegitimate child” as his own for many years. He acknowledged him as his “eldest legitimate son,” allowing him to manage the business and become the successor of the Qin family.
This was because it was his own child all along.
He enjoyed his wife’s guilt, the assistance from the Cai family through marriage, and the special care from Zhang Taiyue. He married many concubines and frequented courtesans, treating his wife as a mere ornament that greatly benefited the Qin family.
As the saying goes, merchants, merchants, no deceit, no merchant.
He was satisfied with his masterpiece and secretly gloated for many years.
Zhang Taiyue fell gravely ill, fearing his life was short, and wrote a letter to Cai Qingyao, expressing his desire to see their child. Cai Qingyao agreed, and Qin Mingxu went to the Capital City. Qin Ke knew all of this. He was somewhat afraid of this secret being exposed, but soon discovered that no one suspected anything.
For many years, Zhang Taiyue had considered Cai Qingyao and this child a lingering concern.
He had reached the highest echelons of power, governing the world; a stomp of his foot would make the Great Ming tremble. This matter was his only regret.
Filled with guilt, he wished to make amends. Therefore, upon meeting Qin Mingxu, he directly called him “Qingyao,” harboring no suspicion whatsoever.
However, when the Commander of the Brocade Guards, Liu Shou, brought the midwife and threatened him with Qin Mingxu’s life to abolish the New Policies, he brought forth an unheard-of piece of news: the midwife said that the child she delivered had a palm-shaped birthmark on its chest, red in color. According to folk belief, a birthmark on the chest signifies great fortune and great suffering in life. Thus, she had a deep impression after just one glance.
Zhang Taiyue outwardly remained calm, brushed aside the matter, and only sternly refused Liu Shou.
In private, he ordered his Steward to pretend to deliver clothing to Young Master Mingxu while he was bathing, and to secretly examine him.
The Steward reported to Zhang Taiyue: Young Master Mingxu has no birthmark on his chest.
On one hand, there was the letter from his lover Qingyao; on the other, the midwife’s firm testimony. Zhang Taiyue was at a loss as to where the problem lay.
Matters of state and family were pressing. At this time, a disturbance occurred in the manor involving a barbarian Imperial Physician’s poisoning, and the daughter of his old friend, the grain circuit official, was injured. He went to the palace overnight despite his illness to face His Majesty and question him. This matter was temporarily set aside.
Yet, in the dead of night, he would dream of that child in his shallow sleep.
His child, Zhang Taiyue’s child. His first child.
Where was he now?
Was he alive or dead?
That night, his visit to the palace alarmed Empress Dowager Li. Empress Dowager Li proceeded to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and reprimanded His Majesty, saying, “The Empress is widowed, the Emperor is young, the clan is powerful, and the border is not yet pacified. Without Mister Zhang, what can be done!”
His Majesty remained silent.
Empress Dowager Li said with tears, “Before the late Emperor passed away, he entrusted his son to Mister Zhang, ordering him to assist Your Majesty. For so many years, without Mister Zhang’s daily guidance and his dedication to the nation, how could we, mother and son, be where we are today? If Your Majesty shows the slightest disrespect to Mister Zhang, it would be unfilial to the late Emperor and unkind to the people!”
His Majesty knelt on the ground, “Mother, your son absolutely has no such intention.”
Hearing this, Empress Dowager Li relented.
Dali Temple reported that the barbarian Imperial Physician confessed to being instigated by Feng Gao of the Eastern Depot.
His Majesty used this as an opportunity to step down, speaking eloquently, willing to hand over his beloved subordinate Feng Gao to Zhang Taiyue for punishment, to show his lack of personal bias.
Zhang Taiyue agreed and issued an order for Feng Gao to be beaten to death.
Having been in officialdom for many years, he knew the matter was not that simple. However, seeing that His Majesty had conceded, he also knew when to stop. Taking advantage of this opportunity to reduce the power of the Eastern Depot was also a gain.
In this confrontation, Zhang Taiyue narrowly won.
Meanwhile, in the markets of the Capital City, rumors of “The Black-hearted Prime Minister on the Emperor’s Bed” were rampant. This rumor concerned His Majesty’s birth mother, Empress Dowager Li, and the Brocade Guards dared not be negligent.
Several groups of people were executed at the vegetable market before the rumors were suppressed.
At this point, when I went to the Zhang Manor with my Golden Brush to seek an audience with Minister Zhang, a servant woman in black informed me that Minister Zhang was at Dali Temple.
I pleaded with her to take me to Dali Temple to see Minister Zhang. She hesitated.
I took out the Golden Brush, and only then did she agree. She knew the Golden Brush was an important item to Minister Zhang and would not be given to others lightly.
With the Waist Token from the Zhang Manor, the people at Dali Temple were very accommodating.
The servant woman in black said to me, “Madam Cheng, you may go in, but do not disturb Minister Zhang while he is working.”
I nodded quickly, “I know, I would never overstep my bounds.”
The jailer led us inside.
We arrived at a secret room. The jailer withdrew, and the servant woman in black went in to announce me. After a moment, she came out and said, “You may go in.”
I stepped into the secret room with heavy steps, and was shocked by the scene before me.
Feng Gao was tied to a wooden frame, covered in wounds, and beside him lay a glowing red Branding Iron.
He had undergone torture but had not begged for mercy or surrendered.
On his exquisitely beautiful face, his eyes were dark, looking at Minister Zhang provocatively.
Minister Zhang, sitting opposite him, held his forehead and quietly observed him.
The torturing jailers, for reasons unknown, had all been dismissed by Minister Zhang.
Only the two of them were in the room, facing each other.
Minister Zhang looked up when he saw me enter and asked, “Madam Cheng, what brings you here today?”
I bowed and said, “I beg your excellency to show mercy and spare Feng Gao’s life.”
Feng Gao, who was tied up, saw me humbly begging for him and a look of pain appeared in his eyes, “No need to beg him!”
I ignored him and pleaded with Minister Zhang, “Your excellency is so wise, how could you not know that this matter is not his doing? As the saying goes, a sage has no unjust trials. Your excellency is the most virtuous person in the Great Ming. You see through everything, so let him go. From now on, he will surely remember your kindness.”
There was a very complex expression in Minister Zhang’s eyes.
I could not understand that expression.
After a long while, he said, “Madam Cheng, what is your connection with him? Huai Shi certainly doesn’t know you’re here. What kind of acquaintance could make Madam Cheng disregard marital harmony and come to plead for him?”
I thought for a moment and said, “To be honest with your excellency, this commoner and he knew each other since childhood.”
“Oh?”
Minister Zhang suddenly became very interested and said, “Aren’t you the granddaughter of the painter Xie Han? How could you have known him since childhood?”
“Replying to your excellency, this commoner is the adopted daughter of the Zhu family. Before that, I grew up in an acrobatic troupe in Dongchang Prefecture.”
I held up the Golden Brush and knelt down, “That day, when I was painting in the Zhang Manor, your excellency asked me what I wanted and told me to say it. Today, I implore your excellency, for the sake of this Golden Brush, to spare his life. I beg your excellency’s magnanimity.”
“Dongchang Prefecture… acrobatic troupe…” he murmured.
“When you were young, did you ever go to Yangzhou?” he asked.
I shook my head, not understanding why he asked such a strange question.
After a while, he stood up and said to me, “This matter is of great importance, and I need to think about it further. Madam Cheng, it is also not advisable for you to stay here for long. Please wait a moment and then return.”
He walked out the door. He looked back at Feng Gao several times.
His back was old and desolate.
After he left, I got up and walked to Feng Gao’s side.
“Why don’t you beg for mercy? Living is the most important thing, don’t you know!”
I wanted to say more, but looking at his wounds, I couldn’t speak, and tears welled up in my eyes.
“Elder Sister, please don’t cry. This time, you believe me, and it makes me so happy. Just now, you told Zhang Taiyue that we knew each other since childhood. You… do you remember?”
He looked at me expectantly, “If Elder Sister can remember, these wounds on my body will be nothing.”
I hadn’t remembered. I had only said that to plead for him. But at this moment, I couldn’t bear to deny him.
“Elder Sister, something strange happened today.”
“What is it?”
“Zhang Taiyue was initially extremely ruthless, ordering the jailers to torture me. But when the jailers pulled open my clothes and extended the red-hot Branding Iron towards me, he suddenly shouted to stop. Then he dismissed the jailers and sat there motionless. Elder Sister, what do you think Zhang Taiyue meant by this?”
I followed his open collar and saw a palm-shaped birthmark on his chest.
“What is this?” I asked.
He lowered his eyelashes, looking disappointed, “Elder Sister, you must not have recovered your memory yet. How can you not know this birthmark? When I was a child and fell ill, you always told me that I had the palm print of the Tathagata Buddha on my chest, and that I must have been a great immortal in a past life, and would be safe from harm.”
“Dou Ya, I only wish for your safety.”
I said softly.
The injured him was like the peach blossoms in the garden after a heavy rain, vibrant yet desolate, charming yet fragile.
“Elder Sister—”
His phoenix eyes lifted slightly, looking at me slyly, and he whispered in my ear, “Elder Sister, don’t worry, before I was imprisoned, I left a contingency plan. No one knows.”
I looked at him.
The corners of his alluring lips curled up, “I’ve been in the Eastern Depot for fifteen years. If I didn’t have some skills, I would have died many times over.”
