The Child Emperor

Chapter 100: Melee at the Abandoned Garden

Fights amongst nobles were not that different from fights amongst commoners. They had agreed on a time and place to meet, and upon meeting, they began with mutual provocations and insults while assessing one another’s strength. If both sides believed they had the upper hand, it would lead to a chaotic battle. If one side was afraid of being overwhelmed, it would devolve into a chase. If there were influential figures present to mediate, there would a possibility of reconciliation through a handshake.

In the case of Chai Yun and Cui Teng’s confrontation, there were no mediators. One was the favored grandson of Lady Hengyang, and the other was the son of Grand Tutor Cui. No one dared to interfere.

The fight took place in the afternoon, after a hearty lunch that left them with surplus energy to expend.

The location was an abandoned garden in the northwest part of the city, once owned by a noble, but left uninhabited for many years. Only an elderly servant remained, who, sensing trouble, had taken refuge inside the house and fallen into a deep slumber.

The garden was overgrown with weeds and concealed winding paths that all led to an open area adjacent to a partially ruined pavilion. Several tall trees surrounded this area, and a few stray dogs scampered around. At the sight of people approaching, the dogs panicked and fled.

Cui Teng’s group arrived first and occupied half of the pavilion, comprising around seventy to eighty individuals, with the majority being young nobles and the rest servants. There were only five true martial experts among them, standing at the forefront, heads held high and armed with staffs.

Chai Yun’s group arrived slightly later, but they had more members, nearly a hundred individuals, with a similar composition of noble offspring and fewer martial experts, totaling three. Du Chuanyun was not included among them; he was disguised as a servant, following the Weary Marquis. His task was to exploit the chaos and target Cui Teng.

Zhang Youcai wanted to participate but was rejected by Han Ruzi.

Han Ruzi had initially expected the confrontation to take place at night, but Chai Yun wished to return and pay respects to his grandmother in the evening, so he hoped to conclude the battle before dark.

Upon seeing the waist-high lush grass throughout the garden, Han Ruzi felt reassured. Here, Meng E could easily hide and protect him.

To be honest, he had rather enjoyed himself this day.

The sun had not been up for long when they had gathered for food and drink. Many of them had met before, and this time, they could consider each other “old friends.” Their awe and wariness of the deposed emperor gradually dissipated. After a few drinks, some of them even approached the Weary Marquis, including a few who had served as palace attendants, like Zhang Yanghao. They often made some indirect jabs at the Emperor which appeared more like making fun of his unfortunes, but he found this preferable to being ignored.

When Chai Yun personally introduced the Weary Marquis to the crowd again, their enthusiasm reached its peak. Han Ruzi noticed that if you didn’t take things too seriously and didn’t overthink, you could accept this warmth and even feel a small sense of gratitude.

This illusion was unintentionally shattered by Zhang Yanghao. At the moment when everyone was about to set off, he approached, slightly inebriated, and slung his arm around the Weary Marquis’ shoulder, speaking with a thick tongue, “This… this is so great. I used to think you weren’t cut out to be an emperor. You lacked that… that aura of confidence. But now you’ve improved so much… so much, haha.”

Zhang Yanghao may have had good intentions, but Han Ruzi found his words to be a torment, piercing his heart like a thousand needles. He forced a smile and replied, “You’re not so bad yourself; you seem more at ease here than in the palace.”

Zhang Yanghao pointed at the Weary Marquis, as if about to share some heartfelt words, but he was dragged away by a friend and joined the group heading out.

Du Chuanyun closely followed the Weary Marquis and whispered, “Watch for the right time. Don’t wait until I’ve been incapacitated to remember to pass me a sword.”

“Don’t worry,” Han Ruzi patted the short sword hanging by his side. He wasn’t the only one secretly carrying a weapon. Everyone had the same idea: in case the other side was armed, they didn’t want to be at a disadvantage. Ironically, the three martial experts had brought only staffs.

Han Ruzi secretly admired the old master Du Motian. He was a true veteran of the pugilist world who knew better than to let Du Chuanyun carry a sword.

The two groups met in the abandoned garden, and the initial shouting match wasn’t between the leaders, Chai Yun and Cui Teng, but rather between their respective companions.

“Zhang San, you dare to show up! You still owe me money from last time. Today, we settle the score.”

“Li Si, it seems like you didn’t get enough beating last time. Today, you’ll get more!”[1]

“Second Brother, why are you over there? You’re betraying the family.”

…

These noble scions knew each other well, and there were plenty of grievances among them. Initially, they were more focused on recognizing people and the arguments weren’t too intense. However, as tempers flared, some started to throw punches and kicks. Friends and servants had to step in to break up the scuffles. After all, they were not the main characters this day.

Chai Yun stepped forward from the crowd, raised his right arm, and both sides fell silent.

“Cui Teng, don’t hide; come out and talk.”

Cui Teng emerged from behind the five martial experts, standing on a raised platform with a condescending attitude. “Sure, little Chai, you’ve brought quite a crowd. Did you invite your wet nurse too? Don’t you enjoy her milk when you’re scared?”

Chai Yun burst into laughter, “Cui Teng, did you just have a chat with your granny Laojun before leaving home? Your mouth stinks just like hers.”

“Less idle talk; let’s count heads and then start the fight,” Cui Teng said. He clearly had experience with these confrontations, and followed the usual rules of such fights.

“Wait,” Chai Yun raised both arms high to capture everyone’s attention and then spoke loudly, “Gentlemen, we must understand the significance of today’s confrontation. This is Cui Teng, the son of the current Grand Tutor and South Army’s Grand Marshal, Cui Hong. He has forcefully sought a marriage proposal from the daughter of Marquis Guiyi, leveraging his family’s power influence. The family of Marquis Guiyi has had great reverence towards the propriety and decorum of the Chu empire. They had traveled a great distance to come present themselves to the then Emperor, and they were welcomed by the Emperor himself outside the city…”

“What are you talking about?” Cui Teng interrupted Chai Yun, utterly baffled. This wasn’t the little Chai Yun he remembered.

Ignoring him, Chai Yun continued, “Marquis Guiyi’s family has always been law-abiding and upright, and they have never caused any trouble over the years. However, this gentleman here, relying on his father’s power, is seeking to force marriage. Marquis Guiyi refused…”

Cui Teng blushed and exclaimed, “Who said that Marquis Guiyi refused? He said that his daughter is still young and we should wait for two more years… Besides, what’s it to you? Are you just lusting after Hu You’s beauty…”

“Everyone admires beauty, but I came here today to uphold justice. I can’t let you tarnish the reputation of the Chu empire and allow the Xiongnu people who have joined us to think that our empire is filled with shameless bullies like you.”

Cui Teng, already known for his volatile temper, was incensed by Chai Yun’s words. He extended his arm, trembling with rage, and took a while before uttering a few words, “Fight! Break his miserable bones!”

The servants rushed forward first, each brandishing sticks of varying lengths. Ignoring any strategy, they swung wildly and shouted loudly. They didn’t manage to land a single hit.

The martial arts experts from both sides were more disciplined. They pushed the servants aside, exchanged greetings with clasped fists, and spoke briefly before pairing off to fight. Cui Teng’s side had two more martial experts, who stood on the sidelines. They did not take advantage of their numbers.

The noble scions joined the battle shortly after, but the open space was too small. They dove into the nearby thickets, fighting cautiously without revealing any concealed weapons.

Chai Yun and Cui Teng shouted and directed their followers, at times trading insults from a distance. They thoroughly enjoyed the chaos.

Some individuals, however, remained aloof, refusing to participate and instead retreated to the sidelines, offering verbal support. Han Ruzi was among the non-combatants. Du Chuanyun had disappeared, presumably to exploit the chaos and capture Cui Teng, but his current whereabouts were unknown.

The battlefield expanded, drawing more participants, but only a few pairs were actually engaged in combat. Aside from the martial experts, most were trying to take advantage of numerical superiority. When a smaller group turned to run, they would regroup with a larger contingent and then turn to pursue their opponents.

Gradually, Han Ruzi found himself moving further away from the open space. It was quite different from what he had imagined; he thought the martial arts experts would take turns to duel while the others cheered them on. However, this was a genuine melee, so chaotic that it was impossible to distinguish allies from opponents.

A young man brandishing a stick charged towards him, shouting loudly. Han Ruzi thought he had seen this person at the Chai residence before and was about to examine him more closely when the stick came crashing down. Not wanting to fight, he turned and ran.

He didn’t get far within the thicket, and his pursuer suddenly vanished.

Feeling disappointed and somewhat ridiculous, Han Ruzi realized this was indeed a chaotic melee among the noble offspring. There were no rules, no conspiracies, and even the lone acceptable excuse for being there was something he had invented himself.

In hindsight, he regretted accepting Chai Yun’s invitation.

But now that he was in this situation, he couldn’t simply walk away. He still had Du Chuanyun’s short sword with him. So, Han Ruzi turned and began to retrace his steps, but he quickly lost his way in the maze of voices all around.

“Hey, you’re here too,” a nearby voice said.

Han Ruzi turned to look and was surprised to see Prince Donghai.

“I didn’t see you earlier,” Han Ruzi replied immediately, on high alert, scanning his surroundings.

Prince Donghai emerged from the thicket, walking alone without even a single servant. He spoke, “I was sitting in the pavilion, and it was quite unbearable. We had originally agreed to see whose side had the highest ranked person, but it turned into a fight in no time. Heh heh, I had a feeling Chai Yun would definitely try to recruit you.”

Prince Donghai appeared much more composed outside the palace and was far less arrogant. He seemed surprisingly amicable when he saw Han Ruzi.

“I also had a hunch you’d be here,” Han Ruzi replied as he assessed Prince Donghai. They were on opposing sides and were supposed to engage in a fight. Han Ruzi had practiced martial arts with the Dus for the past few months, so he wasn’t concerned about an unarmed Prince Donghai.

“You’re not seriously here to fight, are you?” Prince Donghai stopped walking, smiling as he said, looking around to ensure there were no outsiders. He continued, “The imperial throne is worth fighting a life-and-death struggle. Compared to that, is such a struggle really worth it for those two?”

Han Ruzi smiled but quickly adopted a serious expression. “Did you instruct Lin Kunshan and that mad monk from Bao’en Temple? I have to assume you did.”

Prince Donghai shrugged. “Yes, it was me. Why didn’t you just go to the Subtle Fragrance Garden? You made me go through all this trouble for nothing.”

Surprisingly, he readily admitted to it, leaving Han Ruzi somewhat stunned.

“If I wanted to harm you, there wouldn’t be a need for such a complex plan. In fact, I wanted to talk to you.”

“Talk about what?”

Shouting could be heard from nearby, as a group of people seemed to be approaching. Prince Donghai said, “Tonight, at midnight, in the alleyway behind Prince Qi’s residence, come alone or with a few others if you dare. Let’s talk about the Emperor and Yang Feng. Let’s go back now and try to talk them out of this. Chai Yun and Cui Teng are both madmen. Let’s not let them cause real trouble.”

[1] As I mentioned in Judge of the Song Dynasty, Zhang San and Li Si are supposed to be extremely common names, like “Tom, Dick and Harry”.