Chapter One: Rebirth from the Ashes

Opening his eyes, he was met with a haze. As his pupils refocused, he found that the world before him was not the familiar sterile white, but a gentle blue-green. He seemed to be cradled in someone’s arms, enveloped by a warmth so profound that it inspired a sense of peace. Then a droplet fell onto his face, accompanied by the faint sound of sobbing.

Was he truly leaning against a woman’s chest?

Zhu Hao forced his eyes wide open and finally saw clearly. She was a beautiful woman: an oval face, delicate brows, a jade-like nose, and gentle lips. She wore not the usual white coat, but a long dress of blue-green cloth, strange and unfamiliar. After years of illness spent bedridden, the only women he’d seen were the nurses, but Zhu Hao, ever optimistic and lively, naturally felt compelled to greet this nurse sister with the old-fashioned garb, perhaps with a “Miss, are you new here? Your clothes are so unique.” But when he tried to speak, only one word escaped his lips: “Mother…”

What was happening? His mouth acted beyond the reach of his mind.

Suddenly his head was pierced by a stabbing pain as images flooded in—a forced infusion of memories, an unbearable sensation as if his personality was being torn apart.

These fragments were not his own; the agony brought clarity. So, he realized, he was the intruder here.

“My little Hao, you’re all right now? You frightened your mother to death!” The woman clutched him tighter, suffocating him, yet he could not push her away.

He looked at himself—thin arms and legs.

Gone was the body he’d inhabited for over thirty years; he was a child.

Could it be that this woman truly was his mother?

A surge of affection washed over him, an inexplicable reliance on the woman before him, the emotional bond of the body’s original owner—never his, yet now felt with vivid intensity.

Reborn from fire!

...

...

“I say, sister-in-law, isn’t my nephew fine now? And you there, hurry and help your mother up. A house full of old women and children blubbering—what a sight!” A man’s voice rang out, grating as if a date pit were stuck in his throat, impossible to swallow or spit out, harsh and unpleasant.

Zhu Hao turned his head.

A shifty, arrogant face.

He longed to slap that smug, ugly visage, but when he lifted his pale, small hand, he realized the futility.

Second Uncle…

This was the original owner’s memory—his father’s elder brother.

As for his father…

The recollection was vague. He vaguely remembered his mother weeping to a spirit tablet, whose owner had perished in quelling some rebellion, leaving behind only widows and orphans.

Six-seven rebellion?

Zhu Hao searched his memory for clues.

Could it be the Ming Dynasty uprising led by Liu Six and Liu Seven? That occurred during the fifth to seventh year of Zhengde. From his mother’s laments, his father had died two years prior; thus, it could not be later than Zhengde’s tenth year.

His mother’s name was unknown—outsiders called her Lady Zhu.

His father, aside from his mother and himself as the legitimate son, had a concubine and her daughter, the pair now also kneeling and sobbing nearby.

Both mother and concubine were about twenty years old.

His name was Zhu Hao, aged seven.

His half-sister, Zhu Ting, was five.

...

...

He struggled to sit upright, taking in his surroundings.

Aside from his mother, concubine, and sister, there was Second Uncle Zhu Wanjian from memory. They were in a rice shop, spacious, at least a hundred square meters, lined with sacks of rice, flour, salt, and grains. Behind a long counter stood a fortyish accountant.

His mind grew clearer.

The accountant, surnamed Sun, was not hired by his mother or concubine but was assigned by the family matriarch to manage the accounts.

Behind Zhu Wanjian stood several bailiffs; at the entrance, townsfolk crowded to watch the commotion.

“Aunt Zhu, what’s going on?”

“I heard the salt sold by the shop killed someone—officials have come to seal it.”

The dialect suggested the southwestern Mandarin found in central-western Hubei.

---

Zhu Hao’s mind was lucid.

During the Ming, Hubei belonged to the Huguang Provincial Administration. In the Zhengde era, Huguang… was the site of the future Jia Jing Emperor’s rise.

Zhu Wanjian urged, “Bailiffs, why stand around? Seal the shop at once! Especially the salt that killed—none must remain!”

Salt that kills? How bizarre!

But why was it his Second Uncle, accompanied by officials, who had come to seal the shop?

His mother handed him to the concubine and rose to plead, “Honorable officers, our salt has been sold for years without incident. How could it kill? It must be the victim ate something else unclean.”

Zhu Wanjian sneered, “The fact that the salt killed is indisputable. Would the authorities falsely accuse you?”

Something was amiss.

Zhu Hao pondered—this rice shop and the courtyard behind were rewards from the court for his father’s loyal service, granted as compensation. The family likely wanted it back and had hatched this scheme.

The lead bailiff hesitated, “Second Master Zhu, the salt sold is problematic, but the victim merely suffered vomiting and diarrhea, resting in bed—far from death…”

Seeing Zhu Wanjian’s fury, the bailiff bit his lip, “Very well. Since the salt is at issue, the magistrate sent us to investigate. Third Lady Zhu, forgive us!”

He moved to arrest them.

At that moment, Zhu Hao regained some strength. He broke free from the concubine, stepped forward, and spread his arms to shield his mother, concubine, and sister.

No matter how small his body, he would do his part.

“Is this how you bully the widow of a loyal courtier? Bully orphans and widows? Where is justice?” Zhu Hao cried, almost tearing his throat.

The words opened his chest—after years confined to a sickbed, the feeling of life ebbing away was dreadful. Now he relished the vigor of being alive.

The bailiffs froze.

Zhu Wanjian raged, “Are you afraid of a mere child? Arrest them! Seal the shop!”

Zhu Hao grabbed a nearby carrying pole, “Let’s see who dares! If anyone tries anything, I’ll kill myself right here, so the world knows the authorities colluded with the Zhu family to seize the property of orphans and widows, driving the offspring of a loyal servant to death.”

The bailiff was helpless, “Young Master Hao, please understand, we’re just following orders—please don’t interfere.”

The watching crowd erupted.

Zhu Hao called out, “If this is an official case, where is the accuser? Why does the victim not appear, while my Second Uncle brings you to seal the shop? Is he seeking justice, or helping outsiders against his own family?”

“Wow!” The crowd’s murmurs grew louder.

The story unraveled under scrutiny.

“What nonsense from this boy… Sister-in-law, is this how you raise your son as a virtuous widow?” Zhu Wanjian challenged Lady Zhu.

She stepped forward, bent to embrace Zhu Hao from behind, her face resolute, “My son is right. I’ve never broken the law—the neighbors can attest.”

“Yes, Lady Zhu is a good person!”

“Last year, when drought struck Nanyang, Lady Zhu opened a porridge stall outside the city to aid victims!”

“…”

The voices swelled, and Zhu Wanjian saw things slipping out of control, his anger rising, “The salt sold caused illness; sealing the shop is reasonable. Bringing you to the magistrate is to learn where the salt came from… Should we let poisonous salt continue to harm the people?”

This silenced the crowd.

Lady Zhu looked at him with pity, “Second Uncle, my late husband was your brother, our closest kin. The shop and estate were granted by the court to support us orphans and widows. Most of the shop’s income goes to the main house—why leave us no means to live?”

The crowd was moved.

“I heard Third Master Zhu died for the country only two years ago, and now the Zhu family reaches for the widows’ property…”

“They say the salt is suspect—surely a Zhu family plot. Otherwise, why would the accuser not even appear today…”

“Yes, they worked hard running the shop, most of the income sent to the main house, and now they want to take the very shop they live by—is there no justice?”

The crowd’s sympathy was rekindled, their gazes hostile toward the bailiffs and Zhu Wanjian.

The common folk preferred to side with orphans and widows over the powerful Zhu family and the authorities.

Seeing the tide turn, the bailiff pressed, “Second Master Zhu, what now?”

Zhu Wanjian cursed the fickle crowd and glared at Lady Zhu, “Who says you’ll be left destitute? If you return to the Zhu household, will you starve? There’s plenty of land and houses—what’s a little shop to us?”

“Bringing bailiffs to seal the shop isn’t to shame the Zhu family. You women and children can be ignored, but if the shop causes trouble, it’s the family that’s blamed! I’m doing this for the Zhu name.”

Lady Zhu pleaded, “But the salt was bought by mortgaging land and borrowing over a hundred taels. If the shop is seized… how will we repay?”

Zhu Wanjian sneered, “Who told you to buy so much salt? If trouble arose, should the authorities ignore it? Just hand the land back to the family—we’ll settle the debts.”

The knife was drawn!

To the crowd, though, he claimed it was for the family’s reputation. Even if they suspected, they could only fall silent.

The scene was deathly quiet.

Seeing things slipping away, Zhu Hao suddenly pointed at the accountant, “Officers, a few days ago, I saw him sprinkle some white powder into our salt—I don’t know what it was… Could he have poisoned it?”

---

The accountant, Sun, was shocked, “Young master, don’t make things up—there’s no such thing!”

“Still denying it? You told me not to tell Mother, and even gave me a few coins for sorghum candy…”

Zhu Hao’s vivid account echoed Lady Zhu’s earlier claim that the shop had sold salt safely for years, and only recently trouble appeared—surely sabotage was afoot.

Whether the Zhu family schemed behind the scenes mattered little; the crowd was convinced by the details spoken by a seven-year-old.

“It must be him!”

“That man is shifty—not a decent sort. What grown man works in a widow’s shop?”

“Right, he’s up to no good!”

The crowd found a new target for their outrage.

Sun, the accountant, was desperate, begging Zhu Wanjian, “Second Master, please help me—I didn’t do it!”

Zhu Hao sighed inwardly.

The man had misread the situation.

Zhu Wanjian needed to define the poisoning of the shop’s salt. For such an insignificant figure as Sun, it was only natural to sacrifice him.

“Bailiffs, you heard it—my nephew says himself the accountant poisoned the salt. Now there’s no problem sealing the shop and confiscating the salt, is there?” Zhu Wanjian seized the chance, pinning the blame on Sun.

Zhu Hao glanced at the panicked accountant, who still hadn’t realized he was the scapegoat.

The bailiff was relieved, “In that case, seal the shop.”

Lady Zhu pleaded, “Officers, if it was the accountant who poisoned the salt sold, surely the salt stored in the warehouse is untouched…”

Zhu Wanjian sneered, “Who can say? Whether the warehouse salt is poisoned must be determined after a thorough investigation—don’t expect to keep it.”

Zhu Hao frowned, “If it’s about the salt, then confiscate it—but why seal the shop? We’re all law-abiding people. If the salt is suspect, we’re willing to destroy it all to prove our innocence!”

“Good!” The crowd applauded.

Lady Zhu was astonished, “Little Hao, what are you saying?”

Zhu Wanjian grinned triumphantly, “Nephew, have you lost your mind? If the salt is confiscated, there’s a chance to get it back. If you insist on destroying it, are you trying to eliminate the evidence?”

Zhu Hao pursed his lips.

He and the magistrate were in league; once the salt entered the official warehouse, he would surely claim it. Why throw a meat bun to a dog, knowing it would never return?

Zhu Hao said, “We only wish to keep our business… Officers, Second Uncle, we have a large pond in the backyard. If you agree, we’ll dump all the warehouse salt into it and compensate the sick with medicine—will that settle the matter?”

“That…” The bailiff was troubled, “We must ask the magistrate.”

Zhu Wanjian smiled, “If you really do it, I’ll tell Magistrate Shen to drop the case.”

It wasn’t mercy; he wanted his late brother’s land and property, and everything served that purpose.

Seizing the property of widows and orphans easily drew criticism—the crowd’s reaction proved it. Now, if Zhu Hao dumped the salt, how could they repay the hundred taels borrowed for the goods? If they failed, the property would fall to the Zhu family, since all purchases and debts were arranged by Zhu Wanjian.

We only push you to the well’s edge—it’s your own fault if you jump in and others throw stones.

The bailiff said, “Second Master agrees; let’s follow Young Master Hao’s plan—destroy all the salt.”

Zhu Wanjian suddenly realized, “Pouring it into your own pond could be problematic—it should be dumped in the river…”

Zhu Hao replied, “Second Uncle, you said it’s unrelated to the case—now you claim you can sway the magistrate’s decision? If we dump it in the river, and the salt is truly poisonous, how will neighbors fetch water, wash clothes, cook? All the fish and shrimp will die! We want to minimize harm. Do you think we’ll retrieve the dissolved salt and sell it?”

Zhu Wanjian cursed his careless words; his claim to influence the magistrate contradicted his earlier statements.

Sure enough, the crowd whispered again.

And, as Zhu Hao said—

In these times, to recover edible salt from pond water required boiling by salt workers, consuming firewood and iron pots that widows and orphans could hardly afford. Even if they boiled it, impurities would be many—no one in peaceful times would eat such salt.

“Fine!” Zhu Wanjian agreed.

Lady Zhu pleaded, “Officers, please show mercy—this is our last means of survival…”

The bailiff replied, “Third Lady Zhu, your son suggested it. If you refuse to destroy the salt, we must confiscate it and seal the shop… You’re a court-recognized virtuous widow, you won’t starve without business, and you have borne heirs for the Zhu family, a household of imperial guards—how could you be left destitute?”

It was reasonable.

The crowd nodded in agreement.

Lady Zhu tried to protest, but Zhu Hao tugged her sleeve.

“Mother, as long as we keep the shop, we needn’t fear the loss of firewood for the green hills. If the shop is sealed, everything is lost. With it, we can still plan ahead.”