In the summer of the eighth year of Chongzhen's reign, a catastrophic locust plague swept across the land.
A delegation from Gao Family Village had set out to persuade Gao Yingxiang to abandon his path and return home, but the attempt ended in complete failure. Disheartened and exhausted, the group could only turn back, retracing their steps toward Gao Family Village.
At the same time…
Xi'an.
In the rear courtyard of the Prince of Qin's mansion, dozens of Zhu Cunji's sworn guards quietly emerged from the back garden, carrying with them a massive black sack. They moved swiftly and cautiously, their actions furtive and secretive, making it obvious that whatever they were doing was not meant to see the light of day.
Along the way, maids, servants, and eunuchs who happened to witness the scene hurriedly lowered their heads, shielding their faces as they retreated to the sides. None of them dared to interfere. None of them dared to take a second look.
They all understood one thing very clearly.
These were not ordinary guards. They were the Heir Apparent's sworn men, not the usual attendants of the household. The fact that they had been dispatched personally meant that this matter was of extreme secrecy. Anyone who knew too much would not meet a good end.
In such situations, pretending to see nothing was the safest choice.
At that moment, Zhu Cunji was in the middle of a meal with his Princess Consort. A trusted eunuch slipped quietly into the room and leaned close, lowering his voice.
"Your Highness, they have returned."
"Returned?" Zhu Cunji's eyes lit up. He sprang to his feet so abruptly that his chair scraped loudly against the floor. Without another word, he strode toward the rear courtyard.
The Princess Consort could not help herself. She called after him, her voice heavy with worry.
"My husband, do not forget that Dao Xuan Tianzun is watching from above. When you do things… you really must observe some limits. You cannot be as reckless as you were in your youth."
Zhu Cunji laughed, utterly unconcerned.
"Relax. What I am doing may not be suitable for public viewing, but it is absolutely something Dao Xuan Tianzun can see."
A massive question mark seemed to form on the Princess Consort's face.
She had never planned to involve herself in whatever foolish scheme her husband was cooking up this time, but now her curiosity had been fully stirred. She pushed her meal aside, lifted the hem of her skirt, and stood.
"Then I will go see it for myself."
Zhu Cunji nodded.
"Good. I can hide this from anyone else, but I cannot hide it from you. Otherwise, if I somehow ended up wearing a cuckold's green hat, I would be very unhappy."
The Princess Consort instantly bristled.
"What do you mean by that?" she snapped. "Do you take me for some fickle, unvirtuous woman? How could I ever put a green hat on you?"
Zhu Cunji waved his hand casually.
"Do not be angry. Just come with me and you will understand."
There was no way for her not to be angry. No woman could hear such words without indignation. Her cheeks puffed out as she followed behind him, seething in silence.
Soon, the two arrived at the back garden. By then, the sworn guards had already carried the large black sack into a hidden underground chamber.
The trusted eunuch stepped forward, opened the concealed door, and led both the Heir Apparent and the Princess Consort inside. At the same time, several sworn guards emerged silently from among the flowering trees, drawing their weapons and positioning themselves around the entrance to stand guard.
Seeing this, the Princess Consort's heart tightened further.
"What exactly is my foolish husband doing?" she thought anxiously. "I am so nervous. If Dao Xuan Tianzun sees this, he will not just slap my foolish husband to death, will he?"
With trepidation weighing heavily on her heart, they finally reached the center of the secret chamber.
Several sworn guards had already been waiting there. The moment they saw Zhu Cunji, they knelt and bowed.
"Your Highness," one of them reported, "your humble servants have successfully completed the mission. The person has been brought back."
At these words, the Princess Consort's gaze immediately fell upon the black burlap sack lying on the ground. Her heart seized.
"You did not kidnap some beautiful girl, did you?" she blurted out. "Heavens above. Dao Xuan Tianzun despises such acts the most. If he finds out, his palm will surely come down!"
Zhu Cunji snorted.
"Hmph. What kind of person do you take me for? Is my only pursuit beautiful women? How shallow."
The Princess Consort could only stare at him in silence.
Zhu Cunji grunted impatiently.
"Open the sack."
The trusted eunuch quickly crouched down and untied the ropes. He pulled back the black cloth, revealing a man's head.
It was not a beautiful girl.
It was a middle-aged man.
The Princess Consort leaned closer for a better look, then gasped in shock. The man inside the sack bore an uncanny resemblance to Zhu Cunji, almost as if they had been carved from the same mold. The only difference lay in their bearing.
Zhu Cunji himself radiated the comical unreliability of a dissolute noble, a man who lived comfortably and irresponsibly. The man in the sack, however, looked rustic and worn, his face etched with worry and hardship, the unmistakable marks of a life spent scraping by.
The Princess Consort stammered, utterly stunned.
"Ah? Ahhh? Who is this man?"
Zhu Cunji grinned broadly.
"His name is Zhao Si. He is from Yaozhou, in Shaanxi. A poor actor who has struggled his entire life. Some time ago, when our railway reached Yaozhou, my men happened to see him performing there. Hehehe."
The Princess Consort grew even more anxious.
"Then why did you bring him here like this?"
Zhu Cunji scoffed.
"Bring him? Kidnap him? I did no such thing."
He turned his head toward Zhao Si.
"Tell the Princess Consort yourself. How did you come here?"
Zhao Si immediately bowed deeply.
"Your Highness, Princess Consort," he said respectfully. "Your humble servant came of his own free will. His Highness's subordinates told me that because I resemble His Highness and know how to act, they wanted me to do some work in the mansion. His Highness also promised me an extremely high salary, so I willingly came."
The Princess Consort inhaled sharply.
She was not foolish. At this point, she already had a vague idea of what her foolish husband intended.
Zhu Cunji chuckled.
"Zhao Si, you should already have some idea why I brought you here, right?"
Zhao Si nodded earnestly.
"I understand. Your Highness wants me to serve as a body double, to guard against assassins or similar dangers."
"Hahaha!" Zhu Cunji burst out laughing. "Assassination? Who would dare assassinate this Heir Apparent? This is Xi'an Prefecture, Dao Xuan Tianzun's territory. Who has the guts to try such a thing here?"
Zhao Si was completely baffled.
"Then… why am I here?"
Zhu Cunji straightened slightly and declared proudly.
"This Heir Apparent intends to travel the four seas. You will remain here in Xi'an and live exactly as I do. Eat whatever you want, play however you want, and spend money lavishly. Only by doing so will you truly resemble me."
Zhao Si was speechless.
The Princess Consort was also speechless.
Zhu Cunji continued, entirely serious.
"To play this role well, you must indulge in luxury, wastefulness, emptiness, restlessness, and degeneration. In short, however one lives a life completely devoid of soul, that is precisely how you must live."
Everyone present stared at him in stunned silence.
Zhu Cunji turned to his trusted eunuch.
"From today onward, in this secret chamber, you will teach him everything. The rules of the mansion, my demeanor, my gestures, my tone of voice, how I speak, how I look at people, my habits, my temperament. Everything must be identical."
The eunuch bowed deeply.
"This servant obeys."
Zhu Cunji added casually.
"First, bring him a bowl of shark fin to practice with. Let him get used to it."
The eunuch quickly departed. A moment later, he returned, carrying an exquisitely prepared bowl of shark fin on a fine tray, and presented it respectfully to Zhao Si.
Zhao Si's eyes reddened. He had never tasted anything so precious in his life.
He reached out with both hands, trembling, afraid that spilling even a single drop would be a crime beyond forgiveness.
Zhu Cunji roared.
"Not like that. For such a trivial thing, why are you acting so reverent? Take it casually with one hand. Even if you spill it, it does not matter."
Zhao Si broke out in a cold sweat.
"This…"
Gritting his teeth, he switched to holding the bowl with one hand, trying his best to appear casual. He took a small sip. A flavor he had never experienced before instantly spread across his tongue.
He was just about to cry out that it was delicious when Zhu Cunji barked again.
"What is that expression? Twist your mouth, spit it out, say 'disgusting,' and then scold the cook for not improving their skills."
Zhao Si did not know whether to laugh or cry.
Inside his heart, he could only think one thing.
"Playing such an eccentric Heir Apparent is truly harder than acting on stage."