A Treacherous Minister's Son (Part One)

Memory was unreliable, and forgetting could be a blessing.

Hu Xiaotian felt no attachment to anything in his past. He could not even be bothered to recall it. His previous life had not been pleasant, so in this life, he would rather forget.

He finally understood that the true meaning of life lay in enjoying it. No more ideals or ambitions, no more grand aspirations-he only wanted to drift through this world as a rich young man who never had to worry about food or clothing, squander a little money every day, then find a pretty, sweet-natured woman to marry and have children with. Ideally, they would have two children, a girl and a boy. Once his daughter married and his son established a household, he would settle into a peaceful old age. On some warm afternoon, with a faithful old yellow dog beside him, he would sit in a courtyard filled with the fragrance of flowers, bask in the sunshine, brew a pot of fine tea, and play two or three games of Chinese chess. With children and grandchildren gathered around his knees, he would lead an ordinary life of carefree leisure.

That wish should have been easy enough to fulfill, because his father was Hu Buwei, Great Kang's Minister of Revenue. In the memories Hu Xiaotian retained from his past, that position was equivalent to a finance minister. Here in Great Kang, it was an office of the Principal Third Rank, wielding enormous power over the empire's finances. His father enjoyed the imperial family's deep trust and had served two emperors, his position remaining as unshakable as Mount Tai.

As the only son of this powerful court official, and the sole male heir in three successive generations, Hu Xiaotian was naturally cherished by the entire Hu household like a pearl in their palms. Unfortunately, this world had its share of regrets as well. His consciousness had only begun to awaken half a year earlier. On the fifteenth day of the tenth month last year, a strange omen appeared in the heavens: a red moon hung overhead, and the century-old sago palm before the Floating Cup Pavilion in the Minister's Residence's rear garden bloomed that night. At almost the same moment, this official's son, who had spent sixteen years both mute and mentally disabled, suddenly regained his senses.

The first thing Hu Xiaotian remembered upon awakening was that he still had two operations left to perform. Before that, he had already worked at the operating table for thirty-two consecutive hours. Hu Tian had died there from sheer exhaustion, and his consciousness had crossed the long river of time and space, wandered through three thousand great worlds, and finally settled inside the body of this mentally disabled boy in the residence of Great Kang's Minister of Revenue.

His age had miraculously become sixteen, and his name had acquired an extra word, "Xiao." From that day onward, Hu Tian became Hu Xiaotian, and his twenty-eight-year-old mind merged into this empty shell. Fortunately, his appearance had not changed much; he merely looked younger and less mature. It was also from that day onward that he decided to start enjoying life and spend this lifetime in easy comfort. Yet eight or nine things out of ten in life refused to go as one wished. If he could not forget his memories, he could not shake off his troubles. Before long, Hu Xiaotian discovered that being clever did not necessarily make for a happier, more enjoyable life than being a fool.

It was late in the fourth month of the eighth year of Great Kang's Longqi era. Hu Xiaotian lounged in an exquisite principal room, its beams carved and painted, its furnishings refined and luxurious to the utmost. Outside stretched a long corridor, where eight vermilion pillars divided the sunlight. Beyond the corridor lay a square courtyard of roughly one mu, its spring flowers blooming brilliantly in clustered masses, competing in color and fragrance amid pale yellow foliage. As a breeze passed, vines like silken ribbons swayed in the wind, and a subtle fragrance stole over him, refreshing his heart and lifting his spirits.

Sunlight filtered through the branches, leaves, and window lattice, leaving mottled patches of light and shadow. Hu Xiaotian drew a deep breath of floral fragrance, clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly walked into the dappled light. Every blade of grass and every tree felt so intimate, so familiar, no different from anything in his memories. But in the past, he had never paid close attention to the beauty of everyday life, much less enjoyed it. To him, those memories were dry and dull. Apart from his single-minded study of medical techniques, he seemed unable to find a single bright spark of pleasure. No family affection, no friendship, no love-that sort of life was not worth longing for.

Liang Dazhuang, a stout man in a blue robe and small cap, was a servant at the Minister's Residence. Half a year earlier, he had been ordered to attend this young master. He crept over on tiptoe, and the instant he saw Hu Xiaotian, his face blossomed into a smile. His tiny eyes narrowed into two slits, his drooping mustache tilted upward slightly, and the creases at the corners of his eyes made his broad face resemble an oversized meat bun. "Congratulations, young master! Congratulations!"

The servant was, of course, Liang Dazhuang himself, and the young master was naturally Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian had also spent a full six months understanding and adapting to all the changes around him. By now, he could face them calmly and handle them with ease. This was what people commonly called settling completely into a role.

He lazily narrowed his eyes. The same expression on different faces could produce two entirely different effects: on Liang Dazhuang, it was fawning flattery; on Hu Xiaotian, it was elegance, grandeur, and class. An idiot could hardly possess an aristocratic air, but once this body had suddenly been endowed with the consciousness of a doctor of medicine, his every movement became animated and intelligent. "What is there to congratulate me about?" Language, of course, would never become an obstacle in Hu Xiaotian's path. By twenty, he had already mastered six of the most prominent languages in his former world. Great Kang's language and writing were not much different from what he had known before, resembling a variant of Chinese characters, with only slightly different pronunciation and wording that mixed classical and vernacular forms. For someone who had once earned a master's degree in Chinese studies with ease, it posed no problem whatsoever.

Liang Dazhuang bowed his head and bent at the waist. "Young master, I heard that the master and madam have just arranged a marriage for you!"

Upon hearing what this was about, Hu Xiaotian's expression instantly turned gloomy and troubled. Great Kang did not yet advocate anything like choosing one's own romantic partner. Parents' commands and matchmakers' words still held absolute sway. Although there was no freedom in love or marriage, there was one advantage: polygamy was legal in Great Kang. As long as a man had money and power, he could take as many wives as he pleased. This was an age in which the strong were kings. With sufficient strength, one could claim as many resources as possible-money, land, houses, beautiful women...

Childhood betrothals were also common in Great Kang, with great emphasis placed on matching families of equal standing. An official's son like Hu Xiaotian was sought-after goods from birth. When his mother was only three months pregnant with him, a marriage had already been arranged. His prospective in-law, Zhou Ruiyuan, had once been a first-rank dignitary of the reigning court, holding the titles of Great Kang's Right Chancellor, Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, Hanlin Academician serving by imperial command, Chief Councillor, and Pillar of the State. He had been a figure of tremendous prominence in Great Kang, and for the Hu family, the match meant climbing onto a higher branch. Powerful as Hu Buwei's control over the treasury might have been, he was still only a third-rank official. But when Hu Xiaotian was two, the other family learned that the Hu boy was mentally disabled and canceled the engagement without hesitation.

An official one rank higher could crush a man beneath him. Naturally, Hu Buwei dared not protest before a first-rank court dignitary. He could only meekly agree to dissolve the engagement, wearing an ingratiating smile and even offering apologies, while inwardly hating Zhou Ruiyuan to the marrow of his bones. Three years earlier, Long Yelin, the crown prince of the Eastern Palace, had fallen out of favor and been deposed. As the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor, Zhou Ruiyuan was inevitably implicated. Hu Buwei had not let this opportunity to throw stones at a man who had fallen into a well slip past him. Joining the other court officials, he submitted a scathing impeachment against the fellow, directly bringing about Zhou Ruiyuan's dismissal and reduction to commoner status. It had at least vented some of the bitter anger in his heart.

Although almost everyone in the capital knew of Hu Xiaotian's disability, people seeking marriage alliances still arrived at the door in an unending stream. Naturally, they were all lower-ranking officials. None genuinely wanted to marry his daughter to an idiot. What they coveted was simply the power of Hu Buwei, the Minister of Revenue.

Having served as an official for many years, Hu Buwei naturally understood their true intentions. Though adept at opportunism and maneuvering for advantage himself, deep down he utterly despised these people who flocked toward power and influence. He rejected them all without exception. His son might be a fool, but that did not mean others could exploit him for nothing. Thus, by the time Hu Xiaotian reached sixteen, his marriage remained unsettled.

Hu Buwei had originally resigned himself to supporting his foolish son for the rest of his life. With the boy's abilities, he clearly could not accomplish great deeds or bring glory to the family, but under his father's protection, he could at least live safely and happily, free from worries. Hu Buwei was not a man without ambition, but even the greatest ambition had to bow its head before reality.

Hu Xiaotian's sudden awakening had brought Hu Buwei delighted surprise, while also stirring the ambitions buried deep in his heart back to life. He soon selected a marriage for Hu Xiaotian. The prospective in-law was Li Tianheng, Military Commissioner of Jiannan Xichuan, Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, Acting Minister of War, Chief Councillor, Prefect of Xizhou, and Duke of Xichuan, with a fief of three thousand households. Although he held the same Principal Third Rank as Hu Buwei in Great Kang, he was a regional potentate through and through. Moreover, he enjoyed the deep trust of the current crown prince, Long Yeqing. The day the crown prince ascended the throne would be the day Li Tianheng rose to even greater heights. A man at court needed to know history, grasp the present, and, more importantly, keep his eyes on the future. It was precisely for this political purpose that Hu Buwei had taken the initiative to propose a marriage alliance with the Li family.

In fact, Hu Buwei had long been dropping hints in this direction. Marriage was the pretext; an alliance was the true aim. The Li family had a daughter who was paralyzed and reportedly hideously ugly as well. Even so, Li Tianheng had been unwilling to promise his daughter to an idiot. But after confirming that the Hu family's young master had suddenly regained his senses and his ability to speak, Li Tianheng finally agreed. The two families exchanged the birth dates and hours of the prospective couple and set a wedding date. The wedding was scheduled for the sixth day of the tenth month. Even counting every possible day, less than half a year remained.

A single marriage contract abruptly made Hu Xiaotian realize that his dream of a leisurely life had become a distant luxury. If he married a woman he had never met, whose lower body was paralyzed, and who was supposedly a peerlessly ugly creature, what happiness could there possibly be?

Thus, Liang Dazhuang's mention of the matter brought displeasure to Hu Xiaotian's heart. He sighed. "Better not to mention it!"

Although Liang Dazhuang looked clumsy and stupid, his mind was anything but dull. He was particularly skilled at reading expressions and moods; otherwise, the Hu family would never have entrusted him with the important duty of serving as Hu Xiaotian's personal attendant. Seeing that Hu Xiaotian was in a bad mood, Liang Dazhuang ventured cautiously, "Young master, the weather is lovely today. Why don't I accompany you outside to clear your mind?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded. "Very well!"

When the Minister of Revenue's son went out, he might not need gongs and drums to clear the way, but an entourage surging before and behind him, barking orders and shouting at people, was absolutely indispensable. Besides Liang Dazhuang, three other servants accompanied him. All three wore matching blue robes and small caps, striding behind Hu Xiaotian with their heads high and chests thrust out, flaunting their might. Foxes borrowing a tiger's imposing might and dogs swaggering on their master's strength-nothing could have described these men more aptly. Surely a servant of Great Kang's Minister of Revenue, a third-rank dignitary of the reigning court, was at least the equal of a ninth-rank county magistrate? Servants from a high official's household certainly thought very well of themselves.