"In the Golden Hall, Emperor Liu Tianwu opened a letter and was overjoyed—his long-lost blood brother had finally been found. (At this moment, only he and the commander of the secret guards were present in the hall, meaning the matter was not public, and the court officials were unaware.) During the chaos of war years ago, the two brothers, then only one or two years old, were pursued by enemies. The younger brother, Liu Wenzheng, fainted from hunger, and as rebel soldiers approached, the older brother smeared blood on his face and covered his brother, pretending to be dead. When reinforcements arrived, they only rescued the older brother, who had feigned death. The younger brother woke up later, and the two were separated. Eventually, the older brother became emperor. The emperor dismissed the suggestion to bring his brother to the palace, as the younger brother was still unaware of his royal identity. The emperor decided to go in person to surprise him. Delighted, he granted Songshou County, where his brother resided, a three-year tax reduction and rewarded the clan that had taken him in. Meanwhile, Liu Wenzheng, upon receiving the letter, was equally thrilled, believing his brother to be merely a wealthy merchant, and eagerly anticipated their reunion. However, when Liu Wenzheng’s official salary from the county office was withheld—even leaving him in debt—he went to question the county magistrate, Li Pingfu. To his shock, he stumbled upon the magistrate conspiring with a wealthy merchant from his own clan, Liu Da. When Liu Wenzheng demanded why his salary had been withheld and turned into a debt, the magistrate flew into a rage and ordered him dragged back to the county office for a hundred heavy strikes. Just then, a woman’s voice interrupted—Liu Wenzheng’s wife, Yunniang, had coincidentally come to deliver embroidery patterns for Liu Da’s silk. The lecherous magistrate took a liking to her, and Liu Da, eager to please, told Liu Wenzheng that all would be forgiven if he handed over his wife. Liu Wenzheng refused, enraging Li Pingfu and Liu Da, who tortured him to death. Liu Da then dumped Liu Wenzheng’s body in the outskirts of the city, where Emperor Liu Tianwu, traveling incognito, discovered it. Upon examining the corpse, he realized it was his brother. The emperor ordered his subordinates to investigate and learned that his brother had been tortured to death by the merchant Liu Da, who also had powerful backers. Determined to seek justice, the emperor decided to assume his brother’s identity to dismantle Liu Da and the corrupt forces behind him. "
