Chapter 19: Heir

Zhu Zijin helped Zhu Youdun sit up, took the medicine from his wife Gu Shi, and carefully fed it to him; after five spoonfuls, Zhu Youdun slightly turned his head, so Zhu Zijin stopped, gave him two more spoonfuls of honey water, then carefully wiped his mouth, and was about to help him lie down when a distant shout rang out: "Young Master has returned—"

Zhu Zijin jerked his head up instantly; Gu Shi dropped her bowl and spun to run outside, but after two steps she realized and hurriedly turned back toward the sickbed.

Zhu Youdun sat up a little straighter, gripping Zhu Zijin's hand tightly, his voice trembling: "Quick, quick…"

Zhu Zihou, standing nearby, moved fastest, turning and sprinting out: "Uncle, I'll go meet him!"

Zhu Zifang followed right behind: "I'm coming too."

The two dashed to the Zhou Wangfu's main gate and immediately saw the child standing beside Pan Yun; their eyes lit up: "Qie'er, it's really Qie'er back!"

Zhu Zihou stepped forward to hug him, but the child flinched in terror, hiding behind Pan Yun and clutching her leg tightly.

Only then did Zhu Zihou shift his gaze to the others present; he ignored Pan Yun and bowed to Tao Ji and Master Xuanmiao: "Thank you two Daoist Priests for bringing my young nephew home—our Wang Fu will surely repay you."

He then invited the three inside.

Zhu Zifang also wanted to go hug the child, but the boy didn't know them; their affection was too intense, and he was genuinely afraid, so he clung tightly to Pan Yun, avoiding their hands.

The two brothers finally turned to Pan Yun and asked curiously, "Who is this?"

Master Xuanmiao said: "She is a Daoist acolyte from our Qinggong Temple—she found the Wang Fu's young master among beggars and brought him back."

Hearing this, Zhu Zihou's heart ached; his eyes reddened as he gazed pityingly at the child: "Qie'er has suffered so much—let's go inside first; your great-grandfather and uncle and aunt are waiting for you."

Pan Yun raised an eyebrow, reached out, and took the child's hand as she followed the two inside.

Zhu Zihou and Zhu Zifang kept glancing back; seeing how closely the two behaved, they realized Pan Yun had treated the child well, which was why he clung to her so tightly.

Zhu Zihou and Zhu Zifang sighed in relief—this meant the child hadn't suffered too much out there; at least someone had cared for him.

Before they reached the second gate, Zhu Zijin and Gu Shi arrived as well.

The child saw them, his eyes welled up, he let go of Pan Yun, and ran straight toward them.

Zhu Zijin rushed forward, snatched him up, checked his limbs thoroughly, and, seeing he was unharmed, pulled him into his arms.

The child burst into loud sobs, clinging tightly to his father's neck.

Gu Shi wept uncontrollably, leaning against Zhu Zijin as she held the child; mother and son both cried like children, making everyone around them feel heartbroken.

Zhu Zijin, eyes red, comforted the mother and child, his gaze pleadingly turning to his two cousins.

Zhu Zihou, naturally sensitive and emotional, was weeping even more than Zhu Zijin; Zhu Zifang stepped forward to soothe: "Sister-in-law, stop crying—Qie'er is young; crying too long will harm his body. Great-grandfather is still inside waiting to see the child."

With her younger brother speaking up, Gu Shi could no longer cry; besides, the child had been found. She calmed herself, stopped sobbing, but the intensity of her earlier weeping left her trembling with occasional hiccups.

She wiped her own tears, then dried the child's face, urging: "Quick, take Qie'er to see his father."

Zhu Zijin agreed, ignoring Tao Ji, Master Xuanmiao, and the others, and carried the child straight to the main hall.

Pan Yun and the two Daoist Priests followed along in a flurry, watching the spectacle—no, witnessing kinship.

Inside, Wang Fei Gong Shi was already waiting; seeing Zhu Zijin enter with a child, her eyes reddened slightly as she waved urgently: "Bring him here, let me see."

Zhu Zijin hurried forward with the child.

Wang Fei touched the child's thin face, heart aching: "So thin—how is his health?"

Zhu Zijin replied: "Perfect—he just cried loudly enough to shake the rafters."

Wang Fei smiled happily: "Good health is all that matters, good health is all that matters."

On the bed, Zhu Youdun weakly said: "Bring him to me."

Zhu Zijin quickly carried the child closer for Zhu Youdun to see.

Zhu Youdun met the child's wet, wide eyes, froze for a moment, then smiled and gently touched his eyelids: "Good child."

He hadn't seen such pure eyes in a long time.

Zhu Youdun tried to sit up; Gong Shi hurried forward to support him, sitting behind him so he could lean back.

Emotion surged through Zhu Youdun; he said "good" three times, then addressed everyone: "This child is blessed—no wonder he's my grandson."

Zhu Youdun's breathing grew labored from speaking too much; after catching his breath, he said: "Send for the Chancellor."

The Zhou Wangfu had a Chancellor; Zhu Youdun summoning him now made everyone present suspect the truth—most were overjoyed.

The servant bowed and withdrew; some went to fetch the Chancellor, others slipped away quietly, sprinting off.

Now that grandfather and grandson had met, Zhu Zifang, to prevent their great-grandfather from becoming too emotionally agitated and worsening his condition, deliberately shifted the topic: "Great-grandfather, these are the Daoist Priests who brought Qie'er back."

He added Pan Yun on the spot, since the child had clung to her so tightly earlier.

Only then did the Zhou Wang notice Tao Ji, Master Xuanmiao, and Pan Yun; seeing their Daoist robes, his eyes brightened: "Are you two outsiders from beyond the world?"

Pan Yun: … Why does everyone always overlook me by default?

The Zhou Wang loved Daoist Priests.

Of course, Daoist Priests also loved the Zhou Wang—Pan Yun loved him most. Upon receiving confirmation, the Zhou Wang immediately ordered two trays of silver brought out: one for Tao Ji and Master Xuanmiao, thanking them for returning the child;

one separate tray for Pan Yun, thanking her for saving Zhu Tongqie.

Yes, now, finally, Pan Yun learned his name: Zhu Tongqie.

Pan Yun had thought everyone overlooked her, the little short one; even the Zhou Wang never mentioned her—yet he'd remembered.

Tao Ji and Master Xuanmiao didn't refuse the silver; they accepted it cleanly and promptly.

But Tao Ji didn't take it without giving back; after glancing at the Zhou Wang's complexion, he said: "My Lord, if you don't mind, may I take your pulse?"

Zhou Wang: "What path do you cultivate?"

Tao Ji: "I cultivate the Alchemical Dao and have some knowledge of medicine."

Upon hearing this, the Zhou Wang immediately extended his hand.

Tao Ji stepped forward, took his pulse, and within moments knew the man's time was short and medicine could not save him—but…

He glanced at the child in Zhu Zijin's arms, then felt his pulse, and smiled faintly: "My Lord, your spirit is vast, and joy has come—this greatly benefits your condition. I'll leave you a prescription; if you trust me, take it; if not, tear it up."

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The Zhou Wang chuckled: "I trust you, of course I trust you."

Tao Ji went to write the prescription.

Master Xuanmiao stared fixedly at the Zhou Wang, seeing clearly that his days were numbered—and he was not the only one in the room destined to die soon.

Pan Yun stood idly to one side, surrounded by half a room of dying men. Was the Zhou Wangfu the very den of the King of Hell?

Since the Spirit Realm had entered the black cat's body and begun cultivating through it, it had grown adept at sensing strange things. Now, it buzzed excitedly inside Pan Yun's mind: 【The Zhou Wang won't live two more days—I can see the aura of death on his face. The surprise earlier dulled it a little, or he'd be dead tonight. I wonder if Tao Ji's medicine will help.】

【There's too much death-qi in this room. Let's go outside—I feel unwell.】 When Pan Yun ignored it, Pan Xiaohei muttered: 【I'll check how these people in the Zhou Wangfu died.】

【There's only one sick person in this room—the Zhou Wang. The others don't look like they're dying of illness.】

After a glance, Pan Yun said: 【By their facial features, they died violently.】

Pan Xiaohei: 【How pitiful.】

Then it began rummaging through Pan Yun's mind, making the Spirit Realm search.

The era Pan Yun had lived in during her past life was over eleven hundred years ago, and had endured several world wars, during which countless texts and data were destroyed.

Yet enough Ming Dynasty records still remained.

Though not from the same timeline, merely a parallel one, the broad environment remained unchanged, and most developments still left traces.

They could seek out past history and cross-reference it with this era to make judgments favorable to themselves.

Of course, the black cat was merely indulging in gossip, eager to join the spectacle.

After a flurry of searching, records about the Ming Dynasty's Zhou Wang flashed across the Spirit Realm's jade tablet.

The Spirit Realm scanned them and couldn't help exclaiming, "Wow—four uncles and nephews in this room: three Zhou Wangs, and one former Zhou Wang heir, a backup Zhou Wang. Tsk tsk tsk—Zhu Zijin is truly unlucky, stuck with such a father."

Hearing this, Pan Yun immediately calmed her mind to examine them. These were data inputs from experts of her past life, classified as historical records.

The Spirit Realm's search began with the first Zhou Wang's biography—that is, with Zhu Su, the father of the man now lying on the bed, Zhu Youdun.

Pan Yun found it fascinating, though her focus remained fixed on the child's father, Zhu Zijin.

Zhu Zijin was both fortunate and unfortunate.

The former Zhou Wang, Zhu Su, was the fifth legitimate son of Zhu Yuanzhang. He fathered a miserable son named Zhu Youxun—if his name is too hard to remember, you may call him the former Prince of Runan.

He did not wish to be Prince of Runan; he wanted to be Zhou Wang. But above him stood his elder brother, Zhu Youdun, whose position was rock-solid.

So he devoted himself to denouncing his father for treasonous intentions, hoping to bypass his father and inherit the Zhou Wang title.

At that time, Zhu Yunwen was dismantling the princedoms. As a result, Zhu Su and his eldest son Zhu Youdun were stripped of their titles and reduced to commoners, living in hardship until Zhu Di ascended the throne and restored them.

But Zhu Su came to despise this second son, even petitioning the Emperor to exile him to Yunnan, refusing to see him in Zhou territory again.

In contrast stood Zhu Youdun.

Zhu Youdun was deeply favored by Zhu Yuanzhang. When his father was demoted and sent away, Zhu Youdun managed the Wang Fu.

At age ten, he independently handled all Zhou Wangfu affairs with perfect order. He was named Wang Shizi four years earlier than Zhu Gaochi, the Prince of Yan's heir—making him the foremost among all princely heirs.

He had only one flaw: he could not father children.

But Zhu Youxun, though useless in every other way, could father children—he was the first to produce a grandson for the Zhou Wangfu.

Zhu Su could not accept that his first grandson came from such a son. So he seized the child and adopted him as Zhu Youdun's heir, then petitioned the Emperor, explicitly stating that Zhu Youxun was morally unfit to raise the child, lest even the finest child be corrupted by him.

The child was named Zhu Zijin. As an infant, he became Zhu Youdun's adopted son. Only when he grew older did he learn that his father was not his biological father, and his mother was not his biological mother.

The ten lucky numbers for this chapter are those ending in 2. Screenshot as proof—screenshot deadline ends before the next chapter is released. Lucky readers may join the group "Jian Zou Pian Feng de Da Ming" to claim Mo Yan's tenfold love.

(End of Chapter)