Beijing, China.
In the ancestral mansion of the Zhu family, there was an argument going on between two men. One of them was a middle-aged man who looked to be about forty-five years or so in age. He had a stern-looking face, with bushy eyebrows and a neat beard. He had a big build and looked quite valiant. It was easy to see that in his youth he must have been quite a handsome man. Even at this age, he still retained some of his good looks which could still appeal to a lot of women. Opposite him sat an older man who appeared to be in his late sixties or early seventies. Both his hair and beard had turned white and he, too, looked quite stern.
The older man looked at the younger man and said, "Guanyu, is it true? That bastard is really coming back?"
"It's true. He said he'll be coming back today."
"Why did you ask that bastard to come back at this time? Could it be that you want to give him part of the family business? Leave him an inheritance? If so, I will not stand for it, Guanyu. He's just a little bastard."
"I have no such plans. Uncle Bao, it was mother who asked me to call him back."
"Hmph! Hmph! That old woman should stop trying to meddle in the family affairs and just live quietly. Guanyu, I know she is you mother but she just married into the family. She was not originally a member of our Zhu family to begin with. Don't let her influence you too much. Her Zhang family has practically been wiped out, so it's no longer necessary to let her have any say in the family affairs." Zhu Bao had never liked his brother's wife who was from the Zhang clan because he felt that she was too simple and un-ambitious. He also disapproved of her for caring about Xiwang. Her marriage to his brother was a political marriage and nothing more. It was fine to show her some respect when her clan was still powerful and could be of use to the Zhu clan but now that they were in decline, he no longer felt it necessary to humor her.
Zhu Guanyu sighed heavily as he recalled the fate of his mother's clan. He knew that his mother's clan was once one of the five big clans in the capital. But, a few years ago they came into conflict with the rising Long clan and were fiercely attacked. As one of the five big clans, they commanded a lot of wealth and resources. It was expected that they would quickly suppress the Long clan. But, contrary to everyone's expectations, it was the Zhang clan that was suppressed in the end. Most of the leaders of the Zhang clan were killed off by the members of the Long clan. In the end, the Zhang clan was reduced to a minor clan with minimal influence in the capital and was replaced by the Long clan as one of the Big Five clans in Beijing.
They were not completely eliminated yet. They still survived as a minor clan. But, they were now merely a shadow of their former self. They were still being suppressed by the Longs and had been struggling till now. If the Long clan had not stopped at the last moment then the Zhangs would have been completely wiped out by now.
Their survival could be credited to Zhu Xiwang's grandmother, Zhang Xinya. When the conflict between the Zhangs and the Longs first took place, the Zhu clan had adopted a 'wait and see policy'. They did not attack the Zhangs but they did not really help them either. Xiwang's grandmother had been quite upset by the stand taken by the Zhus. She was originally a member of the Zhang family and wanted to help them, but her husband, the patriarch of the Zhu clan, did not agree to intervene in the struggle immediately.
Later, when the conflict escalated and the Zhang clan was on the brink of being eliminated, Xiwang's grandmother again pleaded with her husband to intervene. She threatened to commit suicide if he remained so passive. In the face of such a threat, the patriarch of the Zhu family finally acted and became a mediator between the Zhang clan and the Long clan. He utilized his connections and many other parties also became involved. Even the Government came to mediate the conflict. Finally, the Longs decided to stay their hands and let off the remaining members of the Zhang clan. Of course, they took over the majority of the Zhang clan's assets while the remaining was divided between the other intervening parties. The Zhang clan only retained a small portion of their original assets and promised not to seek revenge. Thus, the conflict had ended in that manner, with only the members of the Zhang clan being the losers.
Interestingly, the situation of Xiwang's grandmother also deteriorated greatly after that. As her family was no longer powerful, she began to have less and less speaking right in the Zhu clan. It was also during that time that Xiwang's stipend was finally cut off. Initially, it was because of his grandmother's pleas that Xiwang was given minimal stipend every month. But, with her influence in the family reduced Xiwang was also hung out to dry and completely cut off by his family.
All that happened ten years ago. The conflict between the Zhangs and the Longs was the most sensational thing to have happened in the capital in recent years. It resulted in the fall of one of the members of what was known as the Big Five in the capital, and the rise of a new clan to join the ranks of the Big Five. No one really knew how the Long clan was able to beat the Zhang clan. The Zhang clan was still prospering at the time of the conflict. They were an established and well-rooted clan in the capital while the Long clan had only been a medium level clan at the time. In the established hierarchical structure of the capital, medium level clans were considered to be above the minor clans but below the major clans. And, above the major clans were the Big Five clans also sometimes referred to as the super clans. Above that was the Government. The Government was the one that controlled the country in name. But, in practice, many of the clans had major influence in the Government and thus, the Government could not really be seen as something apart from the clans system. This structure had been in place for a long time now and was accepted by everyone.
Judging by the hierarchical structure, the Zhang clan which was a super clan should have been much more powerful than the Long clan which was only a medium level clan. But, as it turned out, it was the Longs who beat the Zhangs in the end. No one knew how the Longs had done it. The Long clan became the new super clan while the Zhang clan was reduced to a minor clan. They were still formidable compared to normal families, but compared to their heyday they were now nothing more than a dying clan. They were considered to be on their last legs. On the other hand, the Long clan had been growing in power steadily and had become one of the most powerful clans, even among the Big Five. The reason for the rapid rise of the Long clan had remained a mystery to everyone till the present.
Zhu Guanyu gave another heavy sigh. In his heart he felt sorry because of the tragic fate that befell his mother's clan. If his father had intervened sooner, then perhaps the Zhangs could have turned the situation around. They had a marriage alliance and were actually supposed to be on the same side. However, such was the politics of the big clans. In the end, everyone only really cared about themselves and did not really care about the fate of other clans. If there was benefit to be had, then backstabbing was common. As the old saying went, 'there are no eternal enemies and no eternal allies'. Everything was about the benefit of the clan. Zhu Guanyu was also heavily indoctrinated and was thus a strong believer in the policy of 'the clan before everything else'.
It was a pity really. Zhu Guanyu was actually a valiant and capable man. If his thinking could be a little more flexible, then he could have achieved far greater things.
As the two men were talking, the door of the room was suddenly pulled open and a young man entered. He was a handsome young man who appeared to be about twenty-five years of age. His black hair was cut short and styled neatly. His body was on the leaner side but he had a healthy complexion. His looks could be compared to a young Andy Lau. He had a refined appearance and a sharp glint in his eyes, which were black in color like his father's. This person was Zhu Zhihao. He was Zhu Xiwang's younger brother.
Zhu Zhihao looked at his father and said in an accusing tone, "Father, how could you ask that person to come back? Mother is very unhappy right now. You should not have called that bastard back."
Zhu Guanyu gave another heavy sigh. "Hao-er, you should not simply barge in like that. It is quite impolite. I've told you many time that as the next head of the clan you have to watch your actions. You cannot lose face for the clan in front of others. Your actions just now were quite rude to your great-uncle."
Zhu Zhihao also seemed to have noticed the presence of his great-uncle. He looked at him apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, great-uncle. I did not know that you were here. Please forgive my rudeness."
Zhu Bao's attitude towards this great-nephew of his seemed to be completely different compared to his attitude towards his other great-nephew, Zhu Xiwang. He just chuckled lightly and said, "It's alright, Hao-er. You don't need to apologize. Guanyu, don't frighten the boy. He was just feeling a little excited, that's all. And, rightly so. That bastard should have stayed overseas where we can't see him. Hao-er is the only real successor to this family. "
Zhu Zhihao looked at his great-uncle appreciatively and said, "Thank you, great-uncle." Then, he turned back to his father and continued, "Father, you should just send that bastard back. Don't let him enter the house or mother might do something drastic. You know, she's very upset right now. That bastard is not part of our Zhu family. He should not be allowed to enter this house."
Zhu Guanyu looked at his second son and felt a headache. "Hao-er, Xiwang is your brother. My blood flows through his veins and nothing you or I or anyone else can do will ever change that."
Zhu Guanyu was a little concerned about the hatred in his second son's heart. It was the result of his mother's upbringing. He loved the boy but he and his mother were a little too unreasonable. It was for their sake that he had agreed to exile his eldest son all those years ago. Rather than jeopardizing the harmony of the clan, he had chosen to abandon his eldest son, Zhu Xiwang. Zhu Guanyu did not really hate his son, but for the sake of his jealous wife and his other children he could not show any sort of fatherly love towards him. All he could do was act indifferently towards his eldest son. It was all for the sake of the clan.
Zhu Xiwang was Zhu Guanyu's eldest son, but he had him with another woman who was not his legal wife. In other words Zhu Xiwang was an illegitimate child. Like his great-uncle and his brother had said, he was indeed a 'bastard'. Xiwang's mother was Zhu Guanyu's first love. The woman's name was Florence Boutroux. She was a French-woman; an architect who had gone to China to further her studies.
Florence Boutroux was a beautiful and charming woman. She was a gentle woman with a tender heart. When the young Zhu Guanyu met her, he was immediately attracted to her. After pursuing her for some time, the young and lively Zhu Guanyu finally won the heart of the beautiful Florence Boutroux and the two started a relationship. Those initial years were very happy for the young couple. They went everywhere and did all sorts of things together. Eventually, Florence became pregnant with Xiwang. But, that was when things began to go wrong for the couple.
Zhu Guanyu had planned to marry Florence. But, it was vehemently opposed by the family. No matter how much he tried to persuade them his father, Zhu Guoming, and the elders refused to listen. They could not accept Florence Boutroux who was merely an architect-in-training and a foreigner on top of that. They had turned a blind eye to the relationship when they thought that it was just Zhu Guanyu fooling around but when it came to marriage, they would never agree. There was no way that they would agree to allow the heir to the Zhu family to marry a nameless woman.
They tried to break up the relationship. But, Zhu Guanyu strongly opposed. He even tried to run away with Florence. But, the two were helpless in the face of the wealth and power of the Zhu family. They were immediately caught and forced to separate. Florence Boutroux was three months pregnant at the time. Zhu Guanyu was confined and re-educated on the family teachings. His father and the family elders tried everything to get him to abandon the poor Florence. They threatened him, they threatened his lover and they told him over and over how his petty actions could bring down the entire clan. As someone who had been indoctrinated with the clan's teachings since birth, Zhu Guanyu eventually relented and agreed to abandon his lover. Of course, the biggest reason was that he feared for the safety of his lover and his unborn child.
After getting his approval, the elders immediately took action. They had been negotiating for a long time with the Mu family, a major clan in the capital, regarding the prospects of marriage between the two families. The Mu family was a giant in the electronics industry, and the Zhu family had recently been trying to enter the field. Coincidentally, the young lady of the Mu clan had taken an interest in the young and handsome Zhu Guanyu. An alliance between the two families would also benefit the Mu family who were weak in the political field. According to the negotiations, the Mu family would hand over 10% of their Company's stocks to the Zhu clan as dowry while the Zhus would use their connections to help expand the Mu family's electronics business. It was a win-win situation for both sides and perfectly suited the politics of the big clans. Thus, the engagement between Zhu Guanyu and Mu Xuejing was quickly finalized.
Shortly after the birth of Zhu Xiwang, Zhu Guanyu and Mu Xuejing were married. Florence Boutroux cried a river of tears that night. But, Florence was a strong woman. She pulled herself together and decided to raise the young Xiwang into a fine young man. She would pour everything she had into raising him. As for the matter with her lover, she was sad but she was content to love and watch him from afar. She was not a selfish woman and she had always been kind and tolerant. She knew that Zhu Guanyu could not fight his family and did not hate him. She still loved him even though he was now gone from her life.
Florence Boutroux was a passionate woman. Even though Zhu Guanyu had abandoned her, she still loved him and she refused to return home. She resolved herself to stay in China and raise her baby close to his father. She even named him Xiwang, meaning 'Hope', because she hoped that he would grow up to be as excellent as his father and eventually be accepted by him. Women are mysterious creatures. They can be treacherous, but they can also be loyal to a fault. Despite being abandoned, Florence still considered herself to be Zhu Guanyu's woman and never sought another lover, even though she did not lack suitors. But, life was not easy for her as a single mother.
She rented a cheap apartment in the Tongzhou District of Beijing, which was not that far from the Dongcheng District where the Zhu clan was based. Sometimes, she would be lucky enough to find work as an architect, though the pay was never substantial. Most of the times, however, she operated a street stall and sold steamed dumplings. Steamed dumplings were something she learnt to make only after coming to China. She was happy enough with the thought that she was learning the culture of the man she loved. Florence Boutroux was such a woman-warmhearted and passionate. Her earnings could not be considered to be many but they were enough to support her small family of two.
Zhu Guanyu wanted to visit his first love and his son many times. However, his new wife Mu Xuejing was a fierce and jealous woman. She knew all about her husband's first love and the fact that he had an illegitimate son. She controlled him strictly and threatened to take action against Florence and her child if he ever had contact with them. The patriarch Zhu Guoming also supported her. Thus, Zhu Guanyu had to keep his distance from them. He could only send money to them secretly. Of course, these were always returned by the strong-willed Florence Boutroux, so he eventually gave up on doing even that.
Florence Boutroux loved her son dearly and enjoyed raising him, even though their life was hard. The young Zhu Xiwang was also very happy being together with his loving mother. Unfortunately, disaster struck again for the poor family. When Zhu Xiwang was only five years old, his mother contracted a mysterious illness. At first rashes appeared all over her body. They were not itchy but brought with them a painful stinging sensation. Her body became weaker and her breathing became laborious. Eventually, she became so weak that she could barely walk. She knew that she would not be able to hold on, so she brought the five-year-old Xiwang to the Zhu family and begged Zhu Guanyu to take him in. Zhu Guanyu felt great pain in his heart after seeing his first love in such a weak and pitiful state. Despite the protests from his wife and other members of the family, he agreed to take the young Xiwang in.
Florence Boutroux felt relieved knowing that her son would be with his father and finally collapsed. She was admitted to the hospital but her condition only worsened further. Towards the end, her skin became dry and cracked. She lost her sense of smell, then hearing and eventually she lost all five senses. Merely three weeks after getting the illness, death claimed her. Florence Boutroux was gone forever from this world. The young Xiwang cried for the first time that night and did not stop crying until morning. That was the first and last time in his life that the man who would come to be feared as the ultimate assassin, the Phantom Reaper, shed tears.
Xiwang had to pawn his mother's jewels and give up everything of value that he owned in order to arrange a decent enough burial for her. He buried her on a solitary hill overlooking the Forbidden City.
Her death was the first significant event in his life. It saddened him beyond measure, but it also made him more mature. It instilled in him an undeniable truth: The world is unfair. Despite his young age, he was an intelligent child and remembered all her teachings. He had always known about their situation, though he never understood why his mother still cared about his father. He saw great strength in his loving mother. He would channel her strength and live on with her memory.
Zhu Guanyu was also heartbroken when Florence died. But, he did not dare to show any emotions under the vigilant eyes of his fierce wife. As compensation, however, he was able to push through his agenda of entering Xiwang's name into the family register. Thus, Zhu Xiwang officially became part of the Zhu family.
To put it lightly, the young boy entered hell after his mother's death. He was hated and looked down upon by most of his relatives. His step-mother did everything she could to make him suffer. He was treated worse than the family servants. Mu Xuejing's hatred for him was passed on to her children. His step-brothers and step-sister enjoyed tormenting him. They would call him 'bastard' and make fun of him. Sometimes, they would even hurt him physically. It was amazing how such a young boy could remain sane in the face of all the torture and abuse from his family. But, the young Xiwang never shed a tear.
The only respite for the young boy was the time he would spend with his grandmother, Zhang Xinya. The old woman would often ask him to accompany her in his room. She would tell him old stories and teach him about many things. In fact, it was from his grandmother that he learnt most of what he knew about the Chinese culture. His aunt Zhu Xiuying would also play with him occasionally. She was a gentle woman like his mother and never liked the way the family treated the young boy. She would secretly give him pocket money and bring him tasty snacks. The young boy appreciated those small gestures of kindness and love which he had not received from others after his mother's death. It was unfortunate, however, that the two women had little say in the family and could not really help him in any significant way.
Zhu Guanyu felt somewhat sorry for his eldest son. But, if he chose to side with him then the family would be in chaos. He also felt uncomfortable looking at the young Xiwang because he reminded him of his mother Florence. He would always feel guilty and sad whenever he saw the young Xiwang. So, he chose to ignore him completely and treated him as if he did not exist. It was a crude solution but it at least gave him some peace of mind.
After enduring ten years of hatred and abuse from the majority of his relatives, the adolescent Xiwang was finally sent away from the family home under the pretext of letting him study abroad. Zhu Guanyu would not agree to have his name removed from the family register. So, Mu Xuejing convinced the old patriarch to send him away. Zhu Guanyu could only compromise as Mu Xuejing threatened to divorce him. As a small gesture of kindness, however, he allowed Xiwang to choose his place of exile. Xiwang chose to go to France, which was his mother's homeland. Thus, Zhu Xiwang, the man who would later become the ultimate assassin, was exiled from his home at the age of fifteen.
Back at the Zhu mansion, the three were still having their discussion. Elder Bao was still complaining, "Guanyu, if that boy returns to the house the elders will not stay quiet. We had this conversation all those years ago. Since you refuse to remove his name from the family register, the best thing for everyone would be if he stays away from the country permanently. If you do not want to split the family and create chaos then you must send him away quickly. Do you really want to destroy this family's harmony over a mere bastard?"
The young Zhihao supplemented, "Father, I will not acknowledge that bastard as my brother. I only have three brothers and one sister. I am a Zhu. He is just a bastard."
"ENOUGH!" Zhu Guanyu finally lost his patience. "Uncle Bao, Hao-er, stop caring so much about this. We have been talking in circles. It's just a waste of time. He is just coming back to pay respects to his grandfather and greet his grandmother. Don't worry, he will not be moving back into the house nor will he be getting any inheritance. Alright, it's getting late and I have other matters to attend to. You don't have to care so much about Xiwang's matters. When he comes back, we can just continue to ignore him as we have always done." With that he left the room.
Zhu Zhihao and Zhu Bao also left the room together. They were not quite satisfied with how the whole thing had ended, but they also thought that what the patriarch had said was right. They could just continue to ignore the bastard that was coming back.
The problem was that according to the family rules, as the eldest son of Zhu Guanyu, Zhu Xiwang had every right to contest for the position of patriarch of the family should anything ever happen to his father.
Zhu Bao turned to Zhu Zhihao and said, "Hao-er, don't worry. All the elders support you. You are the only real heir to the family. Besides, a mere bastard will never be as excellent as you. Even if that bastard wants to fight with you for the position of patriarch, he will never succeed. This time, we can just let him pay respects to his grandfather. If he gets too out of line then an 'accident' might happen to him. The capital isn't a place where any random bum can swagger about. That bastard will find that it's best to stay away." As he said the last part, he had a nasty smile on his face.
Zhu Zhihao also gave a nasty smile. "Thank you, great-uncle. I'm very happy and flattered that the elders have such trust in this young one. I also have a few friends that know how to treat people like him. They will be very happy to teach him his place. As you said, if he gets too out of line then he'll learn a good lesson. That bastard will never be part of our great Zhu clan. Hmph!"