Soon, Master Zhu became a commoner. The thought that his years of hard work were destroyed in an instant made him cough up several mouthfuls of fresh blood and collapse amidst the exclamations of the crowd.
The first thing he did upon waking was to send for Zhu Yuxuan. The first time they asked, he knew why Lord Zhu wanted him, and he couldn't be bothered. However, people blocked his path again and again.
Although Zhu Yuxuan was not afraid of them, he simply found it troublesome and finally decided to return to the Zhu family to speak with Master Zhu face-to-face.
"I know what you want to do, but I will not comply. Since I have left the Zhu family, I will cut ties with you completely. From now on, I will not return. What was said then is like spilled water, it cannot be taken back." Zhu Yuxuan had been thoroughly annoyed by the Zhu family's servants these days. As soon as he saw him, he directly stated his thoughts.
"You don't think having a little money makes you great, do you? Not to mention the rumors that all that money was earned by your wife, but if the Zhu family is gone, will your business still be envied? Believe it or not, things will start to go wrong from today. This is why all merchants need a backing." Master Zhu admitted that he was both trying to coax him and objectively analyzing his current situation.
"That's natural. Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants—merchants are at the bottom. You and I both understand these principles. Therefore, to take our business to the next level, I have successfully connected with Princess Anle." Zhu Yuxuan looked at him calmly. In fact, he didn't intend to be a merchant for his whole life. After all, this was ancient times, and the status of merchants was truly low. Wasn't this the triennial imperial examination? He believed that as long as he participated, he would be able to pass the Jinshi exam. However, this matter was not yet finalized and inconvenient to tell outsiders.
"This... When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me? If Princess Anle had spoken up for me when others accused me, perhaps I would still have an official post, and your path would have been smoother." Lord Zhu appeared remorseful. If he had known his son had this connection earlier, he would have shamelessly begged for help.
The Emperor's decree had already been issued, and there was no turning back. He angrily beat his forehead.
"It's better to rely on oneself than on others. If you hadn't committed those wrongdoings, they naturally wouldn't have come for you. Don't come looking for me again. We have no relationship anymore." Zhu Yuxuan snorted coldly and quickly left, as he had many things to attend to and didn't want to waste time at the Zhu family.
Seeing his son's heartless behavior, Master Zhu could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground. He felt his body getting weaker day by day. The weather had recently turned cold, and he started coughing. At first, it was only a few coughs a day, but now it felt like he was coughing up his lungs. Even the doctors were helpless.
Seeing that he was nearing his end, though Master Zhu was not ready to admit defeat, he had to face reality. Every day, he sent people to summon Zhu Yuxuan. Unfortunately, Zhu Yuxuan no longer paid him any attention. He knew that his son resented him for harming his mother, but he was his only adult son. Without him to oversee the Zhu family, the family would surely be swallowed up by others.
Just then, the concubine who was being kept in the back went into labor. After a day and a night of effort, she finally gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
If Master Zhu were in good health, he would surely be overjoyed, celebrating the birth of a son in his old age with a feast lasting three days and three nights. Unfortunately, he himself was in a precarious situation. The thought of how miserable this child's life would be without the protection of his paternal family drove him to desperately want Zhu Yuxuan to return, at least to look after his younger brother as he grew up.
"I wonder if Master Zhu will regret it when he knows he let the wolf into his house." Wu Caiwei joked, seeing his unusually good mood recently.
"The original owner and his mother were two lives. I only took one of his lives, which is already being fair to him. He lived so many years longer than my mother; he has profited." Zhu Yuxuan was merely fulfilling the original owner's wish and had no strong emotional reaction to Master Zhu's misfortunes, as he had no affection for Master Zhu.
"I'm very curious about how you administered your medicine. Could it be that day you went to the Zhu family alone to warn Master Zhu not to bother you again, and you two ate and drank tea together?"
"How is that possible? We get along like enemies when we meet, and that's good enough. How could we eat together peacefully? I recently acquired a Gu worm. That day, when I saw him, I smelled a faint scent of alcohol on him. The Gu worm I have likes alcohol, so I released it."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "That Gu worm has no other purpose; it only likes to suck people's heart's blood. It has sucked him dry, so how could he possibly stand up normally? Didn't you see his complexion becoming paler and paler?"
Wu Caiwei thought about it and found it to be true.
She found him and posed her question, "Doesn't the Gu worm grow?" Then she thought of a possibility: it continuously breeds within the human body. The thought of that scenario made Wu Caiwei's scalp tingle. She never expected Zhu Yuxuan to use such means against his enemies. Indeed, one cannot judge a person by their appearance, nor can one measure the sea with a dipper.
If she didn't understand him well enough, his actions this time would be enough to deter her. After thinking about it, she couldn't help but advise, "Do fewer things like this in the future; it goes against the will of heaven."
"I wouldn't use such cruel methods against others, but I found out that he bought this kind of worm from a medicine seller back then to deal with my mother. I want him to taste the suffering my mother endured. I am using his own methods against him." Zhu Yuxuan quickly explained when he saw she had misunderstood.
"So that's how it is. Everyone said your mother died of illness. Doctor after doctor came, prescribing medicine after medicine, but none had any effect. Your mother was always in good health before, so why did she die so quickly? I didn't expect there to be such a hidden story. It's all my fault for being busy with business lately and neglecting you." Wu Caiwei looked at him with some guilt.
"You don't know how many people in the capital envy me for marrying such a virtuous wife. They secretly call me a kept man, a pretty boy. They are just jealous, like a fox that can't reach the grapes says they are sour." Zhu Yuxuan casually popped a grape into his mouth. After all, they had been through so many lifetimes and weathered so many storms. He knew her apology was out of guilt for not agreeing with his revenge method just now.
They shared a knowing look, turned to each other, and smiled. It seemed they needed to trust each other more in the future.
Not long after, Lord Zhu died at home. The doctor concluded that he died of melancholy. The people thought it was normal for him to be indignant, considering he had been stripped of his official position and became a commoner. They felt the most foolish thing he had done was to drive the eldest son of the Zhu family out of the house.