Knock... knock... knock...
Zhu Su stepped forward, opened the front door. A youth in early twentieth whose face looked cheerful and nice was appearing from behind.
"Good evening, Your Highness Zhou Wang * !" The youth bowed down, greeted enthusiastically. "My name is Wu Qi, a Yunnan government official. Now I'm here to bring necessities to you."
Zhu Su was quite shocked as finding someone coming specially to provide his requirements. But this youth ignored Zhu Su's startled expression. He quickly entered the house and now, he was busy taking a lot of stuff out of his large bag, arranged it neatly in every side of this house.
"But thank Heaven, this house is fairly clean, no need to clean it anymore." Lighting a candle, Wu Qi said cheerfully.
"I've cleaned it," replied Zhu Su.
Wu Qi stopped his activity and stared at Zhu Su, eyes went huge. "You cleaned it by yourself?!" His voice was full of great disbelief.
"That's why it's still a bit dirty." Zhu Su forced a smile.
"Wow... you astonish me! You're really a tough prince! I've never heard any other noblemen can do the same thing as you do. That's true... like father, like son. The Hongwu Emperor is said to be a great man with good self-restraint. Wonderful... so wonderful..."
Wu Qi's face was full of amazement. Behind him, Zhu Su was curving a wry smile.
"Actually this house is very comfortable, Your Highness. Long ago, this house belonged to one of the richest merchants in Yunnan. But one day the whole inhabitants fell sick and died. Therefore, as you see, although this house is big and even has a broad yard, it is in a mess. This house is more like a haunted house. You know... there is a rumor saying that all occupants in this house died because of hex."
"Huh, really? I don't believe in hex!" Zhu Su commented. He was a type who tended not to believe in witchcraft. His point of view was, witchcraft was a deception which targeted naïve people who had no common sense. Hence, he was unafraid although Wu Qi called this house - his new shelter from now on - as a haunted house. He somehow had guessed that it was impossible for him to get such a convenient thing like living in a comfortable house, as his status now was an outcast.
"If it wasn't hex, then how could the entire family die just in one day?"
"Maybe because of an outbreak."
"There was no kind of outbreak at that time."
"Maybe they have traveled to an area where there was an outbreak?"
"Errrr... I'm not sure about it... maybe you're right," Wu Qi hesitated. "By the way, Your Highness, have you had dinner?"
Wu Qi's question let Zhu Su notice that the last time he ate was in the morning when he just arrived here. He had not yet drunk even for a drop of water.
"You're right... Wu Qi. I... am famished..." He felt so embarrassed as he had to admit that he really needed for food at this moment.
Wu Qi took out a box with appetizing aroma, as well as a jar full of water. "It's also my duty to give you food and drinks. From now on, I am in charge of managing your requirements. If you need something, just tell me about it." Wu Qi bowed respectfully. "I will retire now. Please excuse me. Good night."
Wu Qi soon went out of the house.
Zhu Su opened the meal box in a flash, ate the food inside voraciously. He felt a big relief as Wu Qi had left him and did not see him ate like a starving beggar. This food was far worse than the food usually served for him in his palace, but his hunger made it the most delicious food he had ever eaten. And if he usually had his meal with a graceful manner which always consumed much time - the etiquette of how a royal had been used to act - then now his way of eating really resembled a starving commoner, since he finished his food in a flash.
It's really a shame for me. If my wife and children see me this way, will they still respect me?...
The memories of his wife brought Zhu Su to recall his father-in-law, General Feng Sheng. He and General Feng went back a long way. General Feng himself also liked him a lot. They would spend several hours just to chat whenever they had a conversation and they would not run out of interesting topics to be chatted. Basically, General Feng had a great interest in those intellectual and well-educated guys as he was a genius general with the greatest contributor in founding the Ming Empire.
"My boy, you're incredibly smart. You are supposed to take charge of the better duty with bigger responsible." That was General Feng always said.
"Ah, General, I have enough. And more, which position is higher than Fan Wang?"
"You're perfectly sure about it!" General Feng burst into a laugh. Zhu Su also did the same.
It should not be the kind of jokes General Feng spoke, and Zhu Su must not respond to him either. That was a dangerous joke. But sometimes even the smart people could be so unwise. After all, they thought they were safe because at that time they were joking at General Feng's residence in Fengyang. But ears were always everywhere, even in the bushes at the outermost area in this country.
"Zhou Wang, you are being punished because of violating the legal rules for Fan Wang!" The heavily-armed soldiers with their commander bringing The Emperor's Decree were cornering Zhu Su and his entire family in the great hall of Kaifeng Palace, his resident.
Zhu Su's voice trembled as he replied, "What on earth is going on here? What's my fault? I just went to Fengyang for fun, and not to abandon my duty..."
Instead of answering, the commander nodded to a soldier, who immediately dragged Zhu Su forcefully to follow them.
Zhu Su shook his hands. "How dare you all treat me like a traitor to this country?!? I'm innocent! I must face the Emperor and get justice!"
Zhu Su attempted to dodge from the soldiers who were eager to get him. He ran out of the hall, climbed up a horse which was lazing under a tree, then spurred it to run away, while the commander shouted, "Prince! Don't you dare run away!"
Zhu Su had no intention to run away at all; on the contrary, he was heading to his father in Yingtian, Ming capital. He somehow forgot that hundreds of miles were separating him from his father.
Furthermore, he also forgot that he just won at status than those heavily-armed soldiers, but not for the skill in the military. Just a few minutes and they had been blocking his way.
"You will be punished more severely if you fight back." The commander said stiffly.
"I'm not running away. I just want to meet with the Emperor! I just want to ask for an explanation about his decree! Because I am innocent!" Zhu Su glared at them. "What if I am proven to be innocent? What's your liability?"
Zhu Su threw a glance of anger towards the commander, made him a bit frightened. Just like we had said before, Zhu Su was superior to him in status. That meant, Zhu Su could execute him if the prince wanted - and was proven to be innocent.
Having no choice, the commander bowed reverently, "Alright then, Your Highness. May you permit us to escort you to Yingtian."
With the soldiers giving help, the travel Zhu Su took was much easier. They arrived at Yingtian five days later. Zhu Su did not care for fatigue he suffered from traveling, he directly rushed into Yingtian Palace. Facing the dumbfounded emperor, who never suspected the arrival of his fifth son.
"Fu Huang! Why do you punish me? Actually what kind of guilt have I done, Fu Huang?!" Zhu Su did not first make any beauty-parlor chitchat, he was bluntness and to the point.
Meanwhile, the emperor had his surprise soon turn to anger.
"You say, you're innocent?!" Emperor replied angrily. "You must have noticed it, Fan Wang mustn't leave his enfeoffed city!..."
There was a rule in the Ming Dynasty; Fan Wang must not leave his enfeoffed city without any permission from the emperor. This rule was made to prevent Fan Wangs from conspiring to each other and making a plot to overthrow the emperor. This rule was practiced rigorously, whoever got caught violating this rule would be punished according to the law.
And it would be taken more severely for Zhu Su, since the emperor had been on to him because of Seven Colored Clouds.
"I leave Kaifeng just a little while, Fu Huang. I just travel for fun!..." Zhu Su kept on standing up for himself. Before, his third elder brother got caught of tormenting his cook in his enfeoffed city, and although the emperor got wrathful to the extent that he almost abolished the prince's title, yet the emperor forgave him in the end. Zhu Su hoped that his father would be more tolerant to him since his fault was far less negligible than his brother did after all.
"You went to your father-in-law's house, right?"
"Yes... true..."
"What kind of conversation did both of you have?"
"I heard that General Feng was getting ill, so I visited him..."
"And then?"
"Eh... well, then we chattered a bit more, General Feng said, he saw God of Medicine appeared in Fengyang... then the other talks, I can't remember..." Zhu Su found his voice trembled. To be honest, he was fearful of his father. His father had been infamous for becoming a harsh, and even, cruel emperor. More than thousands of people had been massacred under his reign - and many of them were totally innocent, they became victim just because the emperor had prejudice towards them.
"Don't play dumb, Boy. You have discussed the way to gain a higher position than Fan Wang, haven't you?"
Zhu Su startled. Good Heavens... that jokes! So, just because of that jokes then his father punished him?!
His father was suspicious of him, his own son?!?
"Fu Huang! Oh my! I... I misspoke it!... What we did at that time was no more than joking! Fu Huang, it's impossible for me to have such unruly motive to overthrow you, it won't happen! I truly respect you, truly love you, and I have no intention to overthrow you even in my dream!"
"Really?..."
"Absolutely, Fu Huang!" Zhu Su declared, unshakable.
"Then why do you still visit him regularly, and you know he is the traitor to his country?!"
Zhu Su got perplexed. How could his father accuse General Feng, said that he had betrayed the country? For Heaven's sake, everybody had known this fact; it was General Feng who had beaten Wang Baobao and Naghachu, the mortal enemies of Ming. And Ming could not be as triumphant as now it was without his help. "Fu Huang, General Feng is a general with the biggest contribution for Ming, is it a nonsense to accuse him as a traitor to our country?"
"He is indeed a traitor! I know it. He plans to overthrow me! So I place Jinyiwei * to spy on his residence!" Emperor let out a harsh breath. "And, to smooth out his dirty plan, he attempts to take advantage of you because you are my son! I find that he manages to beguile you, as now you also stand up for him!"
"But Fu Huang... that's true... General Feng isn't such that kind of person, he is a faithful official, truly dedicates himself to our country..."
"You've really been beguiled by him!" Emperor shouted, full of wrath. "I'd really never thought that I will have you, the goddamn stupid boy who can be easily beguiled by others, as my own son! Guardsmen! Take him to his exile in Yunnan, right now!"
"Fu Huang!..."
"Shut up! Oh... how can my own son stab me from behind... Not only other people I can't trust, and now I can't even trust my own son either!... It's far more painful..."
Nothing Zhu Su could do now; they had dragged him out of the palace, took him to his exile in Yunnan.
To this dim house, that he was dwelling in at this moment.
...
* Zhou Wang (literally Prince of Zhou) = the title Zhu Su received when he got enfeoffed in Kaifeng at 20.
* Jinyiwei, or The Embroidered Uniform Guard = the imperial secret police that served the emperors of the Ming Dynasty in China, founded by the Hongwu Emperor.