Yanzhou, Prince Lu’s Palace.

Prince Lu Zhu Tan was born two months before the founding of the Ming Dynasty and was immediately enfeoffed as Prince Lu, showing Emperor Hongwu’s fondness for him. As a founding emperor, he had to go to Qufu in Shandong to offer sacrifices to Confucius to secure the hearts of scholars throughout the realm. At that time, Emperor Hongwu sent representatives to perform the sacrifice on his behalf, and in the name of the sovereign, made an offering to the mountains and rivers of Lu on behalf of the infant Prince Lu:

“…I enfeoff my tenth son Tan as ruler of Lu. The sacrifices to the mountains and rivers within his territory are truly his responsibility. Because he is young and cannot go to make the sacrifices himself, I wish to compose words to offer in dedication. Though these words do not come from him, it would weigh heavily on my heart not to inform the spirits for so long. Now I truly inform them with these words, sending an envoy bearing incense and silk, arranging livestock and ritual offerings, to make this sacrificial announcement. May the spirits bear witness!”

The sacrificial text displayed complete paternal love, showing that Emperor Hongwu truly cherished Prince Lu. To construct Prince Lu’s palace, Emperor Hongwu even ordered the Ministry of Works to demolish the southern city wall of Yanzhou and expand it by two li and thirty zhang to ensure Prince Lu’s palace had a princely city spanning fourteen li.

Though Yanzhou was not a border city, it was close to Qufu. In the future, Prince Lu would offer sacrifices to Confucius on behalf of the Son of Heaven – this was also a tremendous honor.

The massive funeral procession entered through the southern gate of Yanzhou. Hu Shanwei and the others were surprised to discover that this gate had three archways, with specifications exceeding even those of Zhongdu in Fengyang. Prince Lu’s palace, completed on the city’s central axis, was extremely similar to the imperial palace in Fengyang.

Outside the Duanli Gate stood two altars for the earth god and mountains and rivers, completely modeled after the style of the capital Nanjing.

Clearly, the specifications of Prince Lu’s palace already exceeded those of ordinary princely palaces, with suspicions of overstepping boundaries.

Ru Siyao was compiling medical texts at Prince Zhou’s palace in Kaifeng, and Hu Shanwei had visited Prince Qin’s palace in Xi’an to investigate the disappearance case of Liu Siyan and her group. But neither Prince Zhou’s palace nor Prince Qin’s palace was remotely as magnificent as Prince Lu’s palace – it was practically on par with the imperial city of Fengyang.

Seeing the grandeur of Prince Lu’s palace, everyone unanimously turned their gazes to Crown Prince Zhu Biao’s face. Compared to Prince Lu’s palace, the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace looked like a minor landlord’s courtyard.

The Crown Prince was now thirty-seven years old, more composed than before, not letting his emotions show on his face. He said, “Shandong is the homeland of poetry and ritual. When the Ministry of Works originally built Prince Lu’s palace with specifications slightly higher than ordinary princely palaces, it was partly to facilitate receiving the imperial carriage for sacrifices to Confucius. Seeing it today, it is indeed magnificently imposing.”

This revealed Emperor Hongwu’s favoritism. Though he constantly scolded Prince Lu verbally, his heart was quite honest – whenever there was something good, he always thought of his tenth son.

The fief in Shandong was simply too perfect – sheltered from wind and rain, and conveniently located near the Kong family mansion in Qufu.

Upon reaching the main hall, they could hear an infant’s crying from afar.

This was Prince Lu’s just-born legitimate eldest son, not yet named, born to Consort Ge. Princess Lu Madam Tang, dressed entirely in white mourning clothes, welcomed the funeral procession. Behind her, a wet nurse held the small infant. If this child could survive, he would be the future heir to Prince Lu’s palace, and everyone in the palace depended on this small infant to keep their positions.

If there was no heir, Prince Lu’s line would lose its noble title. Prince Lu’s palace would close after Princess Lu’s death.

This was not a case of Prince Lu favoring concubines over his wife. Rather, Princess Lu Madam Tang’s background was too illustrious, and she often produced Imperial Consort Guo’s bestowed letters to earnestly advise Prince Lu to improve himself. Prince Lu was naturally wayward, and seeing Princess Lu was like seeing his own mother – his respect exceeded any romantic love between man and woman, making it difficult for him to share her bed. Therefore, Princess Lu had remained childless.

Princess Lu Madam Tang came from a prestigious family and had a cool head. With the palace in precarious circumstances, the most important thing now was whether the eldest son could be smoothly invested as heir apparent. Grief had to take second place. After the Crown Prince took his seat and everyone performed the courtly rituals, Princess Lu took the swaddling clothes from the wet nurse and handed them to the Crown Prince. “Before Prince Lu died, he was most reluctant to leave his son. His eyes had gone blind from pain and he couldn’t see anyone, so he had me bring this child over so he could touch his face with his hands, as if wanting to memorize the child’s features in his heart.”

Princess Lu choked up: “Prince Lu also said that Crown Prince Brother has always been benevolent and kind-hearted, loving and protecting his younger brothers since childhood. When they made mistakes and faced scolding or beatings, Crown Prince Brother always stepped forward to protect his brothers and take punishment in their place. Now that he was about to leave this world, with Crown Prince Brother looking after this child, he could die with peace of mind.”

Princess Lu spoke so mournfully that everyone shed tears. The Crown Prince took the swaddling clothes and shook his head with a sigh: “This younger brother of mine was truly foolish.”

Actually, Prince Lu was delirious before death and never said these words. Princess Lu just wanted to use the Crown Prince’s authority to confirm this child’s status. Such a virtuous wife from a first-class family, with excellent methods and a cool head, had long surpassed her mother-in-law many times over. Unfortunately, she encountered the short-lived Prince Lu as her husband. Otherwise, with such a virtuous wife’s assistance, Prince Lu’s future prospects would have been limitless.

Princess Lu knelt and wept: “Now that Prince Lu has passed away, he didn’t have time to name this child. In life, Prince Lu most respected the Crown Prince. Please bestow a name upon him.”

The child was already in his arms, crying loudly with his little face flushed red, quite pitiful. The Crown Prince had always been known for his benevolence and couldn’t refuse. He had to say: “The child’s formal name must be decided by His Majesty. I’ll just give him a childhood name. Prince Lu died young from taking elixir pills, which was truly absurd. Therefore, His Majesty bestowed the posthumous title ‘Huang’ (Absurd), making him Prince Lu the Absurd.”

“Mencius said: ‘People always make mistakes, then are able to reform; then they understand that life emerges from sorrow and hardship but dies in ease and pleasure.’ This child lost his father while still in swaddling clothes – born into sorrow and hardship. Let his childhood name be Guo’er (Mistake Child), hoping he will take this as a lesson in the future, correct Prince Lu the Absurd’s mistakes, and bring benefit to his fief, bringing peace and happiness.”

A humble name ensures easy survival. Moreover, as long as it was bestowed by the Crown Prince, even if it were Gou’er (Dog Child), it would be good. Princess Lu then received the swaddling clothes: “I thank Your Highness the Crown Prince for bestowing the name. I will certainly educate Guo’er well until he reaches adulthood.”

With the Crown Prince bestowing the childhood name, Guo’er’s position as heir apparent was half secured. Prince Lu’s palace had its pillar of support, and the thousands of people in the palace no longer showed fearful expressions.

Hu Shanwei secretly observed the various expressions among those in Prince Lu’s palace, sighing in her heart: Prince Lu truly failed as a prince. Everyone only cared about the palace’s future; no one was heartbroken over Prince Lu’s death. Not even anyone suspected Prince Lu had been poisoned to death – this showed what kind of person Prince Lu usually was.

Shen Qionglian’s assessment of him as a useless good person was truly accurate. Princess Lu even felt the infant in swaddling clothes was more important than her husband, probably having long given up hope on Prince Lu. When a husband reaches this point, one cannot blame Princess Lu for being heartless.

The three court ladies followed Princess Lu out of the main hall. The Crown Prince remained in the main hall, arranging for Ministry of Works personnel to select a site for Prince Lu’s tomb, while Ministry of Rites personnel began arranging the mourning hall according to the specifications of a princely funeral.

Princess Lu knew Ru Siyao. Since the infant child was now the palace’s pillar of support and could not have any mishaps, she hastily asked Ru Siyao to examine Guo’er.

In the warm chamber, Ru Siyao undressed Guo’er completely and examined him from head to toe, testing his ears, eyes, reflexes, and grip responses, then skillfully wrapped the infant loosely again. “Swaddling should be like this – slightly loose, not bundled up like a candle. Let the little child move freely inside without restraint. My son was raised this way and is very healthy now.”

Princess Lu was extremely grateful and said to Hu Shanwei: “Please trouble Court Lady Hu to tell Imperial Consort Guo that Ru Siyao personally examined him – Guo’er is healthy and will continue Prince Lu the Absurd’s bloodline. When he’s older, I’ll definitely find an opportunity to visit the capital and kowtow to Imperial Consort Guo.”

Hu Shanwei agreed: “Princess, rest assured. I will report truthfully to Imperial Consort Guo.”

Princess Lu only worried about whether Guo’er could smoothly inherit the princely title in the future. Guo’er was Imperial Consort Guo’s only grandson. If she became Empress in the future, she would be Prince Lu’s palace’s greatest support.

Prince Lu’s bones were not yet cold, but everyone was already looking forward. In the end, only his birth mother missed him and sought the truth about his death.

However, from the various expressions in Prince Lu’s palace, especially Princess Lu’s behavior, Prince Lu’s death didn’t seem particularly unjust. He only knew how to enjoy himself and never took others to heart. It seemed he could indeed do something as absurd as increasing his pill dosage for the pleasure of feeling ethereal, poisoning himself.

Hu Shanwei gave Ru Siyao a meaningful look. Ru Siyao understood and approached Princess Lu, saying: “Imperial Consort Guo is, after all, a mother. Prince Lu the Absurd’s death has dealt her a severe blow. She refuses to accept reality and insists we thoroughly examine the corpse and the pill-refining chamber. But this matter shouldn’t spread, lest it seem Imperial Consort Guo is being paranoid. Please cooperate with us, Princess Lu, and don’t let outsiders know.”

Princess Lu wept: “I have failed Imperial Consort Guo’s trust by not properly supervising my husband, causing such a great disaster. I regret this deeply. In the future, I will raise Prince Lu the Absurd’s only flesh and blood to adulthood, and I will definitely go to the capital to bear thorns and plead guilty, submitting to whatever punishment Imperial Consort Guo decides.”

Princess Lu seemed prepared, producing two keys: “This one is for the underground pill-refining chamber, and this other is for the ice cellar storing Prince Lu the Absurd’s body. After the incident, I was filled with regret. Despite all my precautions, I never expected he would actually… Sigh. The only thing I could do was maintain everything as it was, waiting for Her Majesty to send people, so I could have an explanation.”

Princess Lu was also wronged. As his wife, because of her perpetually immature husband who was “still just a child,” she had been forced to become her husband’s second mother. But she had no choice – the Emperor’s arranged marriage and the Tang family’s honor bound her tightly to become Prince Lu’s “wife-mother.”

Now that Prince Lu was dead, she didn’t feel particularly sad, but rather felt relieved and liberated.

Princess Lu held the swaddling infant Guo’er. From now on, she would be a real mother. Guo’er was a real child who could still be educated properly. As for Prince Lu the Absurd… having a useless husband was no different from being widowed.

Princess Lu devoted herself wholeheartedly to raising the child. The three court ladies began dividing their tasks. Shen Qionglian changed into men’s clothing, dressing as a scholar: “Our Shen family has trading companies in Yanzhou, including shares in several medicine shops. I heard Ru Siyao say that all pill formulas require a type of stone called realgar, from which arsenic is refined. Because it’s highly poisonous, all shops selling realgar keep records. I’ll take Prince Lu’s portrait to ask around and see where Prince Lu usually purchased this substance.”

The Shen family was the wealthiest family in the world during the late Yuan period. At their peak, they had the saying “nine out of ten shops belong to the Shens.” Now the Shen family had declined due to several house confiscations and clan divisions for inheritance, but a lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Shen Qionglian investigating medicine shops was more than sufficient.

After Shen Qionglian left, Ru Siyao and Hu Shanwei first went to the palace ice cellar. Hu Shanwei held the key but couldn’t open the lock after several attempts.

“Let me do it,” Ru Siyao said. “I thought you were naturally bold, but you’re actually afraid of a corpse.”

Hu Shanwei handed her the key: “I’m not afraid of corpses. I’m afraid of ice cellars. When I went to Prince Qin’s palace to investigate Liu Siyan’s disappearance case, Liu Siyan and the others were murdered in an ice cellar – their tongues were pulled out while they were still alive… Whenever I hear the name ‘ice cellar,’ I have bad associations. I’ve never set foot in such a place.”

While speaking, Ru Siyao had already opened the lock. Hu Shanwei said to Haitang: “Stand guard outside and don’t let anyone disturb us. Keep more lookouts ahead. If the Crown Prince sends people to prepare Prince Lu’s body for burial, find a way to delay them.”

Haitang complied. Now Hu Shanwei also had “her own people” in the palace.

The two descended the stairs into the ice cellar. The early spring weather was cold, and the underground ice cellar was even colder. The ice cellar was piled full of thick ice harvested from lakes during last winter, stacked layer upon layer in the ice cellar like a “crystal palace.”

Prince Lu lay in the middle of the crystal palace, on two long benches with a door panel. He had been lying alone here for fourteen days.

No matter how low the temperature, corpses would still decay quietly. Prince Lu’s eyes were covered with two copper coins, his lips slightly parted, revealing just a fingernail’s worth of his tongue with a blackened tip.

Ru Siyao removed the copper coins, startling Hu Shanwei, who saw Prince Lu’s eyes wide open with protruding, completely black eyeballs.

Hu Shanwei couldn’t help saying: “Prince Lu the Absurd died with his eyes open. Could he really have been murdered by poison?”

Ru Siyao rolled her eyes at her: “Putrid gases push some organs outside the body – all dead people are like this. The so-called ‘burst intestines and rotten belly’ – Prince Lu first went blind from poison, and now his eyeballs have burst from their sockets but haven’t rolled out, held in place by the low temperature freezing them like glue. Once they thaw, they’ll…”

“Stop!” Hu Shanwei couldn’t bear it anymore. “Don’t say any more. Just tell me how Prince Lu died.”

Ru Siyao opened a coroner’s specialized book called “Corpse Records,” describing the corpse’s appearance from head to toe.

While examining, Ru Siyao dictated as Hu Shanwei assisted, filling out the “Corpse Records”: “Bleeding from seven orifices – eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all show blood traces. Especially the eyeballs…”

“Hair falling out, with severe patches showing fingernail-sized bald spots. Hair brittle – falls out easily with light tugging.”

“Neck, elbows, armpits, belly, knee joints – skin fold areas show multiple black blisters…”

“A white line through the middle of fingernails, spreading to both sides. Palm edges and finger bases show grain-shaped protrusions. Commonly called ‘arsenic marks’ – all are typical characteristics of arsenic poisoning. Suspected to be caused by excessive realgar in Five Stone Powder.”

Ru Siyao carefully examined Prince Lu the Absurd’s corpse, not even sparing the nail crevices. Finally, she replaced the two copper coins over the protruding eyeballs: “By regulations, I should dissect the stomach for examination, but I cannot damage Prince Lu the Absurd’s body. From external appearance, it’s arsenic poisoning. Nearly everyone who takes Five Stone Powder ends up like this – Prince Lu the Absurd had acute poisoning, while others take ten or even decades to develop chronic poisoning.”

Ru Siyao washed her hands: “However, I need to examine the remaining five pills in the pill-refining chamber to see if they reach lethal dosage. If it’s just ordinary Five Stone Powder, eating it won’t kill you. Perhaps someone poisoned him through other food or drink.”

This was also the main reason Imperial Consort Guo suspected her son’s death. For Five Stone Powder to accumulate to a lethal amount, Prince Lu would probably have to wait until he was forty. How could he die in his twenties?

The two worked together to dress the corpse and left the ice cellar, immediately smelling a burning odor with black smoke rolling from some building ahead.

“What’s happening? Is that the pill-refining chamber?”

Haitang shook her head and whispered: “The Crown Prince just sent people to prepare Prince Lu the Absurd’s body for burial. I had people set a fire in one building and pretended to carry water for firefighting, drenching them. In this deep winter, they can’t wear wet cotton clothes, so they went back to change. They’ll return shortly.”

Hu Shanwei said: “You actually set fires at the drop of a hat – that’s too dangerous.”

Haitang pointed at the magnificent Prince Lu’s palace: “There are over nine hundred rooms here, half the size of an imperial palace. Burning one room is like a drop in the ocean, not to mention the roofs are all covered with snow water – the fire was controlled long ago.”

That was true – Prince Lu’s palace could be said to be the most luxurious princely palace in the Ming Dynasty.