One year later, in the twelfth lunar month of the forty-third year of Jiajing's reign, heavy snow fell relentlessly. While the snow remained unchanged year after year, the people were different—some had departed this world forever.
At the Li Imperial In-Laws Residence in Rizhong Lane, Shichahai.
At daybreak, a carriage entered the three-courtyard estate and halted in the rear courtyard. Thunderous snoring emanated from within, nearly powerful enough to lift the carriage roof.
Two servants knocked gently on the carriage door, whispering, "Master, we're home. Please rest in your bed—it's cold in here, and you might catch a chill."
After repeated knocking, the snoring ceased. A middle-aged man draped in fox fur emerged hunched over from the carriage, while servants hastily raised umbrellas to shield him from the wind and snow.
This was Li Wei, father of Li Jiubao, Prince Yu's secondary consort.
A mother gains status through her son, a father through his daughter. After Li Jiubao was enfeoffed as Prince Yu's secondary consort, her family could no longer remain in the slums of Machang Hutong.
Prince Yu purchased this residence for Li Wei, his son, and daughter-in-law. He also secured nominal court titles for Li Wei and his son, elevating them from commoners to respectable gentry.
Princess Yu assigned over a dozen government-owned servants to attend to Li Wei's household. No longer needing to work as tile makers, Li Wei and his son now enjoyed a life of luxury where meals arrived at their mouths and clothes were draped over their arms.
Thus, Li the Roofer transformed into Master Li. As the only surviving maternal relatives of the imperial grandson, they became known as imperial in-laws, hence the residence's common name: Li Imperial In-Laws Residence.
Over the year, Li Wei's physique swelled from shriveled cornbread to plump steamed bun, his burgeoning belly barely contained by the spacious fox fur. Alighting from the carriage, he made the footstool creak alarmingly.
Li Wei instructed the servants, "There are many treasures in the carriage. Bring them all inside—I'll personally inventory them before they're stored."
Like typical nouveaux riches with narrow perspectives, Li Wei—haunted by past poverty—guarded wealth obsessively. Convinced servants were dishonest, he kept all storage and chest keys on his person. Even the storage required his personal counting and sealing before allowing servants to move items.
Upon returning home, Li Wei's son—who had kept vigil for his father all night—hurried to greet him. Li Wei dodged upon seeing him, protesting, "Why come so early? I haven't even washed up."
"Father! You were out all night—where have you been?" The son blocked his path, sniffing the air. "I smell sweat, cheap rouge, tobacco, and grilled meat—don't tell me you've been gambling all night again!"
In recent years, Li Jiubao had funded her elder brother's marriage. The brother and his wife remained honest and unassuming, embracing their new wealth quietly at home without courting trouble.
But Father Li Wei, unable to shed old habits after his windfall, forgot his solemn vows to "never gamble again" and returned to the gambling dens.
Li Jiubao frequently reminded her brother and sister-in-law to monitor their father and prevent his gambling. Yet as daughter-in-law and son, they couldn't forcibly restrain Li Wei at home. Despite constant vigilance, he often found opportunities to slip away.
Not given to womanizing, Li Wei declined countless marriage proposals from officials seeking connections. Matchmakers nearly wore out the residence's doorstep offering young maidens as potential wives, but he accepted none.There was no wife at home, no concubines, and he never abused his power or committed wicked deeds. Even during festivals, Li Wei would have his son and daughter-in-law prepare generous gifts for their former neighbors in Machang Hutong, never forgetting his roots.
When neighbors held weddings or funerals and sent invitations, Li Wei would contribute his share and attend the banquets to drink, without any airs of being a royal relative—still the same Li the Roofer from the past.
Occasionally, if neighbors had requests, Li Wei would help as much as he could without ever refusing.
Except for one thing, Li Wei was the perfect royal relative—gambling.
Even his daughter Li Jiubao’s name was derived from the gambling game of Pai Gow. This vice of gambling was something he couldn’t quit even if his hands were chopped off, especially now that Li Wei had the means to frequent the gambling dens.
As a royal relative, times had changed. The gambling house staff didn’t dare let him lose too much and sometimes even let him win a few rounds to keep this long-term "customer" satisfied.
Li Wei thought he had finally "changed his luck" and it was his turn to prosper at the gambling table. At first, he would only play a few rounds before leaving, but after winning several times in a row, he stayed longer and longer—half an hour, an hour, late into the night, and eventually gambling all night long.
Three years later, Li Wei’s gambling addiction relapsed and spiraled out of control.
Last night, Li Wei left home under the pretext of attending a neighbor’s birthday celebration in Machang Hutong. His eldest son had no suspicions. After the banquet, Li Wei didn’t return home but instead went to the gambling den and gambled through the night.
He had originally planned to return home by midnight, but his luck was unusually good last night. Every time Li Wei said he would stop after one more round, he would win and want to win just once more. Occasionally, when he lost, he would try to win back what he had lost before.
At his age, Li Wei wasn’t really fit for all-nighters, but the gambling house offered free tea, mutton soup, grilled meat, and other refreshments. In his heightened excitement, he unknowingly gambled until dawn.
Li Wei was the big winner of the night. His carriage was filled with the money he had won, as well as treasures that other gamblers, desperate after losing, had hastily offered as stakes.
Li Wei boarded the carriage to return home, surrounded by this wealth. As the carriage rocked, exhausted, he fell asleep inside, dreaming of winning more money.
His eldest son scolded him for his gambling relapse, lecturing him furiously in the main hall: "...Father, you’ve turned a deaf ear to the words of the Consort. How am I to explain this to her? The Consort is currently pregnant. If she hears you gambled all night and becomes so angry that it harms the fetus, what then? The Li family’s wealth and future all depend on the Consort’s womb!"
He continued, "Our family, being artisans, was humble to begin with and unable to assist the Consort in any way. The least we can do is not hold her back. How could you be so foolish as to do such a thing while the Consort is pregnant?"
Li Wei hung his head in shame under his son’s scolding and quickly opened a chest to change the subject. "I didn’t lose any money. Look, these are the things I won overnight—banknotes, scattered silver and gold, snuff bottles, jade pendants. Send all these to the storeroom. It’s enough to support our family for a year, and it’s not just for my enjoyment alone."
His eldest son didn’t even glance at the chest. "Our family isn’t short of money! What we lack is peace!"
Li Wei rummaged through the chest and pulled out something wrapped in red silk. "Do you think you’re the only one who cares about the Consort? Have I forgotten my own daughter? Look at this!"
Li Wei unwrapped the red silk to reveal a white jade statue of Guanyin Presenting a Son.The jade was of superior quality, its carving could be called perfect, with every fold of Guanyin's robe clearly visible and lifelike, clearly priceless at first glance.
Li Wei carefully placed the Guanyin statue on the incense altar and lit three sticks of incense. "This statue was blessed by a renowned monk and is extremely efficacious. Every pregnant woman who has prayed before this Guanyin has later given birth to a son. Last night I staked all my capital, making a desperate final gamble, and finally managed to win it. I'm not doing this for myself, but for the concubine to have another son this pregnancy. With two sons to rely on, her position in Prince Yu's mansion will be secure."
Li Jiubao had given birth to a son on the seventeenth of August the year before last. After a year's interval, this August, Wei Caiwei once again diagnosed Li Jiubao with a happy pulse. Now Prince Yu's mansion practically treated Li Jiubao as a treasure to be enshrined.
Eldest Young Master Li dismissed it with contempt. "Things won through gambling, no matter how fine, are inherently tainted. What does it matter if you win mountains of gold and silver? Since Father refuses to listen to my advice, I have no choice but to inform the side consort and let her personally persuade Father."
"Absolutely not!" Li Wei hastily grabbed his son. The side concubine is heavily pregnant. I've heard this pregnancy has been difficult - she suffered from morning sickness early on, even vomiting yellow bile, and only stopped vomiting after five months. While others gain weight during pregnancy, she has grown thinner. Her fetal energy was unstable to begin with. If you go tattling and upset the side consort, if something happens to the fetus, you'll be the one harming her!"
How dare Eldest Young Master Li shoulder the responsibility for harming a royal descendant? He stopped in his tracks, stamping his foot in frustration. "Clearly it's Father who's at fault, why am I being blamed!Li Wei said, "If you don't tell and I don't tell, how would the side consort know?" I swear this is the last time. I'll never go to the gambling den again, and will burn incense and worship Buddha every day, praying that Her Highness the side consort once again gives birth to a son and both mother and child remain safe.Seeing his father's solemn vow, Eldest Young Master Li was half-convinced. "From today onward, Father must not leave the house. All social engagements will be handled by me. If you absolutely must go out, I must accompany you."
Li Wei said, "It's almost the end of the year. Prince Yu's mansion has bestowed many gifts upon us. Although we're not the proper maternal family, we can't show no appreciation at all. I plan to present this jade Guanyin to Her Highness, so she can frequently pray before it and have another son."
"Write a visiting card to be delivered to Prince Yu's mansion. Say that I miss the side consort and wish to see my daughter before the New Year. Of course, if I could catch a glimpse of the little imperial grandson that would be even better. See when the mansion can arrange for me to visit.Though Li Jiubao had been enfeoffed as a side consort, she remained a concubine. Her maternal family needed permission from the principal wife, Princess Yu, before they could visit her in the mansion.
Both Li Wei and his son Eldest Young Master Li had originally been illiterate. After attaining wealth, Li Wei only wanted to gamble, with no desire for self-improvement. Eldest Young Master Li showed some ambition, hiring a tutor for basic education and managing to learn some characters. Though lacking literary talent, he could handle writing social correspondence.
Eldest Young Master Li said, "For Father to visit the side consort, enjoying natural family bonds, is perfectly normal." But requesting to see the little imperial grandson goes against etiquette. You're not the proper maternal grandfather - the little imperial grandson's maternal family is Princess Yu's family. What right do you have to demand to see him? This is inappropriate."
The little imperial grandson in Prince Yu's mansion was already over a year old, yet the Jiajing Emperor still hadn't bestowed a name upon his only imperial grandson.
Li Wei muttered, "It's not like I haven't seen the little imperial grandson before."Eldest Son Li repeatedly poured cold water on the matter, saying, "That's only because Princess Yu has a good temper and the side consort has always known her place in the princely residence, allowing you to meet a few times. Don't mistake the exception for the norm. Our Li family is still considered unrefined in the eyes of the imperial family."
Eldest Son Li wrote a name card, only mentioning that his father wished to see the side consort, without bringing up the little imperial grandson.
Princess Yu set the date for the fourth day of the twelfth lunar month. Li Wei arrived as scheduled, entering through the western side gate and proceeding to Li Jiubao's courtyard. He presented the newly acquired jade Bodhisattva to his daughter as if offering a treasure, falsely claiming, "...After learning of the side consort's pregnancy, I bought a fine piece of jade and had skilled craftsmen rush to complete it. It has been blessed by a high monk and is most efficacious. If the side consort pays respects to it daily, she is sure to bear a son and ensure both mother and child remain safe."
Li Jiubao's pregnancy had been difficult, preserved only through Wei Caiwei's careful nurturing. She had grown terribly thin—by the fifth month of pregnancy, her belly had only just begun to show. Prince Yu had also prayed to gods and Buddhas for this child, and when it was eventually preserved, both Prince Yu and Li Jiubao believed the Bodhisattva had manifested its power. Now, seeing the jade Bodhisattva brought by Li Wei, it struck right at Li Jiubao's heart.
Li Jiubao accepted her father's gift and even invited him to stay for lunch.
Li Wei glanced toward the door and asked, "The little imperial grandson isn't with the side consort today?"
Li Jiubao replied, "He's had a slight cough recently, and my health hasn't been the best. The princess has taken him to the main courtyard to care for him."
Li Wei quickly asked, "Is the little imperial grandson alright?"
Li Jiubao said, "He's fine. Doctor Wei has examined him and said it's just internal heat from the overly warm and dry room in winter. He doesn't even need medicine—just some stewed snow pear water. The princess says he's much better, only coughing a couple of times at night."
Reassured, Li Wei stayed for lunch. Afterward, Li Jiubao sent him home, and Princess Yu also bestowed some gifts.
Li Jiubao placed the jade Bodhisattva on her altar and paid respects to it daily, praying for a smooth delivery.
Two days later, on the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Jiubao felt unbearably itchy while sleeping at night. She got up, lit a candle, and looked closely in the mirror—only to shudder in fright: her body was covered with small, semi-transparent blisters resembling pustules, spreading at a nearly visible rate. They had already reached her neck, and she was beginning to develop a fever.
With a clatter, the mirror fell to the ground. After a moment of panic, Li Jiubao quickly composed herself. "Quickly, summon Doctor Wei!"
Author's note: The timeline has advanced another year. The true culprit is about to be revealed, and it's time for revenge again. Honestly, this story doesn't hand out many "lunch boxes" (deaths). Thinking back to "Hu Shanwei" by Zhou, when conflicts arose, entire groups were often wiped out, with few surviving to the end. Then there's "The Great Jin Is So Charming," writing about the War of the Eight Princes, the princess of a fallen kingdom, and the southward migration of the nobility—the number of "lunch boxes" was outrageous. By comparison, this story has the fewest deaths, though it's been quite costly in terms of fathers.
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