Prince Su was already in his sixties this year, but due to excellent self-care, he still appeared energetic.
At least now he looked much better than the seasick Imperial Physician vomiting violently beside him.
Speaking of him, he could indeed be considered a unique legendary figure.
Prince Su’s birth mother came from a prestigious family and was deeply favored by the late emperor, earning the title of Noble Consort. The late emperor’s affection extended to the third prince at that time.
Later, as the princes grew up, their talents gradually became evident, but the third prince proved mediocre in both literary and martial pursuits.
However, he had one distinct quality—he seemed to possess an innate ability to seek benefits and avoid harm, and he had no shame whatsoever.
In his later years, the late emperor became cruel, suspicious, and moody, often punishing even the elderly servants who had attended him for decades. At one point, he even broke relations with Princess Ningde, the beloved daughter he supposedly cherished the most. Yet, ironically, the third prince, who seemed incompetent at everything, always managed to remain standing.
In his final years, the late emperor became deeply devoted to Buddhism, hoping to maintain his power and wealth in his next life. However, with war tensions rising, natural disasters rampant, and financial strain increasing, he found it difficult to openly initiate major projects.
The third prince then proactively submitted a memorial, using the pretext of filial piety to request the grand construction of temples and mausoleums, and took the lead in collecting funds by any means necessary.
The late emperor was indeed delighted, suppressing all the memorial petitions criticizing the prince. He publicly praised him multiple times as “purely filial,” promoted him to Prince, and even left a secret decree before his death: “He must not be killed, deposed, or imprisoned, and his title will only be reduced after three generations.”
Later generations often say, “Parents know their own sons best.” Although the late emperor appeared erratic in his final years, he surely understood that the third prince had made many enemies. Once he, the protective figure, was gone, whichever brother ascended the throne would bring trouble to the third prince. Thus, he left behind this proverbial “lifeline”…
Ma Bing was lost too deeply in thoughts. In the depths of her mind, it seemed as if a violent wind was blowing, stirring up a mountain of fragmented memories—filled with white, with blood… so much so that she couldn’t even focus on the dragon boat race, merely mechanically clapping and cheering along with the crowd.
She didn’t even realize when it ended.
“Ma Sister, are you alright? You look pale,” Yuan Yuan noticed Ma Bing had been quiet for a while. Turning to look, she saw Ma Bing frowning and her face pale, which immediately caused her concern.
Madame Zhao also looked over upon hearing this, “Yes, maybe she’s caught some summer heat?”
Ma Bing slowly exhaled, forcing a faint smile, and decided to go along with their words, “Probably just lack of rest and heat sensitivity. I think I should go back first, so I won’t bother everyone.”
“This year is indeed hotter than previous years. Alright, I’ll have someone arrange a carriage to send you home,” Madame Zhao said.
“I’ll accompany you,” Yuan Yuan stood up.
“No need to trouble yourselves,” Ma Bing smiled and gently stopped them, “I’m a doctor myself, I know what’s best. Truthfully, splashing some cold water on my face would suffice. It’s just too noisy here. Now that other streets are quiet, I can walk under the shade and get some fresh air.”
As she was speaking, several more boats passed outside, accompanied by thunderous cheers, drumbeats, and gongs, causing everyone to frown from the noise.
Indeed.
It was fun and lively, but perhaps too lively.
After repeatedly persuading them, Ma Bing finally calmed Yuan Yuan and Madame Zhao, and left the gathering early.
As soon as she descended the stairs and moved out of sight, the smile on Ma Bing’s face completely vanished.
She couldn’t stay any longer. If she had to look at that fat, smug face of his for even a moment more, she would jump down and strangle him!
Today, almost everyone in Kaifeng had come out to watch the dragon boat races, leaving the streets along the river packed, while other areas remained deserted.
Ma Bing walked a few steps under the shade, gazing at the shimmering lake, finally feeling slightly calmer.
There were many fish and shrimp in the water. Many people were accustomed to feeding leftovers to the fish, so they had grown plump. As soon as they saw someone standing on the bank, they eagerly swarmed over, mouths wide open, waiting for food.
Looking at the fish splashing up to her feet, Ma Bing sighed, “You sure have it easy.”
Eating and sleeping, eating and sleeping.
With coarse flesh, they didn’t even have to worry about being caught and eaten.
Must have done a lot of good deeds in their past lives?
“Doctor Ma!”
Suddenly, a familiar voice called out.
Ma Bing looked up, and saw Pu Cao excitedly waving at her from a modest teahouse across the street.
She instinctively smiled, and seeing no one around, walked over, “How come you’re here? And no one from the Hundred Flowers Pavilion followed?”
Pu Cao wiped the already clean chair a few more times, enthusiastically inviting Ma Bing to sit, then poured the tea.
Seeing her pale face, Zhang Baoyue lazily fanned her with a fan, and replied indifferently, “We didn’t bring any money today, and our indentured contracts are still in the madam’s hands. If we leave the city, we’d be runaway slaves. How can we escape, and where to?”
The madams also understood the balance of punishment and leniency. They simply had their enforcers block key roads, and were happy to give their girls a day of freedom.
“Doctor Ma, have some tea,” Pu Cao poured the tea, then quickly fanned it a few times with the fan before handing it over once it cooled.
“Thank you, Pu Cao, for being so thoughtful,” Ma Bing smiled.
Pu Cao smiled with her lips closed, still thin, but looking much better now that her illness had nearly healed and she had hope for the future.
Everyone else had gone to enjoy the festivities, so the teahouse had no other customers besides their table. The owner was away, and the two waiters were lazily dozing off in a distant corner.
Whether from the heat or the morning drumbeats, the cicadas in the trees had gone silent.
Several streets away, distant drumbeats still faintly echoed, but swayed with the wind, barely audible, like a dream.
The room was quiet, except for the fire crackling under the small stove, the coals glowing red, licking the bottom of the kettle, the water bubbling noisily.
Zhang Baoyue glanced around, then sent Pu Cao to guard the entrance to prevent eavesdropping, before signaling Ma Bing to come closer and whispering, “I fear someone might catch on, so I can only approach the names you gave me one by one… Tian Song has been deeply devoted to Buddhism in recent years, frequently visiting temples. There will be a high monk preaching at Fuyun Temple in the southern part of the city in mid-next month, and he will surely attend.
Being elderly and with the temple far away and difficult to reach, he might even stay for a few days.”
Tian Song was the father of Tian Bin, the former Minister of Revenue.
Ma Bing’s eyes flickered, “Thank you.”
Devoted to Buddhism recently? Probably because of guilt from past misdeeds.
People often say the older you get, the more timid you become, and the more you value life. It seems indeed true.
Zhang Baoyue leaned back, gazing at her with a complicated expression. After a long silence, she sighed and said, “I don’t know what important task you have, but I feel… Ah, you… Well, just take care of yourself.”
She paused again, then added, “Better to live a wretched life than to die. Look at us—we’re still enduring.”
Enduring—perhaps one day we’ll see better days.
Ma Bing thanked Zhang Baoyue, then took out her folding fan and fanned herself vigorously until her irritation eased slightly. She then gazed out the window and softly said, “Sometimes, death might be better than life.”
Death might sound terrifying, but those who’ve truly experienced it would understand—sometimes, living itself is a torment.
Because those who remain must carry many burdens. These burdens don’t fade with time; instead, they grow heavier and heavier…
Until they crush a person.
Ma Bing didn’t know whether she would ever feel relieved in this life, nor did she know when she might finally break.
But… as long as she was alive, she wouldn’t give up, couldn’t give up.
“It’ll be better someday,” she murmured, gazing out the window, unsure whether she was speaking to herself or to Zhang Baoyue and Pu Cao.
The sun was high, its scorching rays blazing down, making the entire river surface shimmer like scattered silver, almost blinding to look at.
The roadside fruit trees were low, and as the branches swayed, bright light spots fell, as if ready to ignite the ground at any moment.
The air was hot and twisted with the scent of artemisia and realgar, mixed with the rising humidity from the nearby river, making every breath feel increasingly oppressive.
The air entered through nose and mouth, down the throat, spreading through the chest and abdomen, scalding.
Zhang Baoyue exchanged a glance with the returning Pu Cao, their hearts trembling.
Pu Cao couldn’t help but whisper anxiously, “Can it really succeed?”
Previously, when she felt she couldn’t go on living, Zhang Baoyue secretly told her that as long as she survived, Ma Bing would find a way to help them escape.
So Pu Cao survived.
Though young, she understood how difficult this task was.
Zhang Baoyue understood even more.
Forging household registration might seem easy or hard, depending on who did it.
For those in power, it was merely a matter of words; for ordinary people, it was as difficult as climbing to the heavens.
Forged household registration wouldn’t hold up under scrutiny, inevitably leading to exposure eventually.
Thus, after much consideration, Zhang Baoyue saw only two possible methods. One was similar to the previous case of corruption—switching identities. If one could assume another’s identity, they naturally became someone else.
Who cares about runaway slave Zhang Baoyue?
But who would willingly give up their identity? Would they have to kill someone for it? That would make detection even easier.
Another method existed.
Long ago, she once heard a drunken official mention that some people created fake identities from birth to help powerful figures escape punishment, fabricating their entire life stories as they grew older…
In other words, the person didn’t exist in reality, but their household registration was genuine. Later, anyone could assume the identity seamlessly.
Though safer, this method required immense influence and connections. Rumor had it that Ma Bing had only recently arrived in Kaifeng—did she really have such capability?
Initially, Zhang Baoyue thought even if Ma Bing was just placating them, it would be fine—she could consider it repaying the debt of saved lives.
Yet, the temptation of starting anew was too strong for anyone to remain indifferent.
As time passed, she couldn’t help imagining what it would be like if she truly gained freedom one day.
Ma Bing understood Zhang Baoyue and Pu Cao’s thoughts but couldn’t reveal everything at once.
“Don’t worry, whether my plan succeeds or not, I will definitely fulfill my promise to you,” Ma Bing said calmly.
Household registration documents might be scarce for others, but not for her.
All the way from the northwest, she had witnessed countless deaths. Many lived in remote mountains and forests, and after dying, no one ever knew—or died before they could even report it.
If no one reported it, the government had no way of knowing. From a household registration perspective, those people were already dead, yet still alive.
She had collected so many household registration documents, as if carrying the brief lives of so many people.
Hearing Ma Bing’s words, Pu Cao looked somewhat uneasy, murmuring, “I, I didn’t mean that… Zhang Sister and I were thinking, we just hope you’ll be okay too, and someday we can live together.”
She didn’t know much about Doctor Ma and dared not ask too much. Although Ma Bing always smiled, for some reason, she felt Ma Bing was suffering greatly.
Since Kaifeng made Ma Bing unhappy, why not all leave together?
Go far away to a place where no one knows them, start anew, and live ordinary lives.
Ma Bing was momentarily stunned.
Zhang Baoyue looked at Pu Cao, then at Ma Bing, saying nothing.
But clearly, she shared the same thought.
Around the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather often changed. Just moments ago, the sky was clear, but suddenly a cool breeze blew in from somewhere, bringing along dark clouds.
The previously stifling air suddenly became slightly cooler. Ma Bing couldn’t help but take several deep breaths, smiled at Pu Cao, and suddenly felt much lighter.
“It’s going to rain.”
Zhang Baoyue stretched out her hand, feeling the moisture in the air, and smiled, “Yes, such unbearable heat will eventually pass.”
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