The Child Emperor

Chapter 108: The True Dragon

The old fisherman unexpectedly recognized the identity of the deposed emperor. Han Ruzi and the others were shocked, but Jin Chuiduo reacted the quickest. She stood up, bent her bow, and aimed at the target, saying, “I knew you were suspicious.”

The old fisherman smiled and said, “Miss Jin, be careful.”

“You recognize me too… you should be the one to be careful.” Jin Chuiduo pulled the bowstring a bit more. At such a close distance, even with her eyes closed, she wouldn’t miss the shot.

The old fisherman pointed to the water with a long reed in his hand. Jin Chuiduo glanced with her peripheral vision and almost screamed. There were several hands pressed against the side of the boat in the water. She immediately turned her bow and arrow, but those hands disappeared, evidently hiding under the boat.

The other three also noticed that something was amiss. One drew a sword, another unsheathed a dagger, while Han Ruzi had his hands empty.

The old fisherman said, “No need to be nervous, we mean no harm. Please come ashore and leave your weapons on the boat.”

“Forget it.” Jin Chuiduo regarded the bow as her life, usually sleeping with it by her side. She was not willing to easily give it up. As she spoke, she was about to shoot the old fisherman.

The old fisherman poked the water with the long reed, and the hidden people under the boat started to act. The small boat rocked violently, making it difficult to stand, let alone aim and shoot arrows. The maid, Qingting, was especially afraid. She clutched the bundle she was holding and trembled as she said, “Miss, I can’t swim…”

Jin Chuiduo couldn’t swim either. Thinking about the embarrassment and awkwardness after falling into the water, she yielded, “Stop, we’ll come ashore.”

The old fisherman poked the water again, and the small boat gradually regained its balance. Jin Chuiduo was very dissatisfied. She was confident that she could shoot the old fisherman immediately, but she couldn’t escape the fate of falling into the water. After hesitating for a while, she finally put down her bow and arrow in resentment. Jin Chunzhong and Qingting breathed a sigh of relief and followed suit, putting down their knives and swords. The four of them successively went ashore.

The people underwater revealed themselves. They turned out to be three teenagers, wearing only shorts, agile as fish. They somersaulted and jumped into the small boat. Taking away the weapons, they raised them high, showing off to the old fisherman.

Jin Chuiduo turned around, filled with resentment.

Han Ruzi bowed to the old fisherman and said, “I am ignorant. May I ask how to address you, sir?”

The old fisherman jumped ashore, threw the long reed to one of the teenagers, returned the gesture, and smiled, “Your Majesty is too polite. My surname is Chao. My name is Yongsi.”

“Chao Hua from the riverside village…”

“He is my son. I have just received the news of your departure from the village and was planning to inform other villages. Unexpectedly, we met you as soon as we set sail. Haha.”

“How does news travel so fast?” Jin Chuiduo was somewhat incredulous.

Chao Yongsi smiled and said to a young man on the boat, “Niqiu, go inform the people in the village.”

The young man nodded and jumped ashore, disappearing into the dense reeds. He grabbed a piece of clothing as he ran, putting it on while moving. Despite there being almost nowhere to land his feet in the dense reeds, he moved as if on flat ground, running swiftly. In no time, he disappeared, much faster than rowing in the water.

Jin Chuiduo whispered, “There are only three of them, and we…”

Before she could finish, nearly twenty people emerged from the reeds, of all ages and genders, holding long reeds or steel forks, standing behind Chao Yongsi.

Jin Chuiduo had nothing more to say.

Chao Yongsi said, “Not far ahead is the Chao family fishing village. Does Your Majesty plan to rest for a while, or return to the riverside village immediately?”

“I’d rest for a while,” Han Ruzi said. Despite falling into another encirclement, he remained calm.

The fishermen were all thin and dark. Despite holding weapons, they lacked an intimidating presence. They seemed more nervous than the captured four.

Chao Yongsi led the way, and the fishermen surrounded the captives as they headed back to the village, not daring to get too close. Whispering behind them, a bold teenager suddenly ran to the front, glanced at Han Ruzi, then turned and ran back into the crowd, excited for quite a while.

The path through the reeds was extremely concealed. Without guidance, there was no way the four of them would be able to find a way out.

The village was small, with only a dozen households. Chao Yongsi invited them into his courtyard, brought out two long benches for them to sit on, saying, “The house is messy; I won’t invite the four of you inside.”

More people arrived, totaling about thirty, nearly the entire population of the fishing village. They were either old or young, and not a single young adult male.

In such a situation, it was impossible not to be nervous, but Han Ruzi concealed it well. Having been observed by crowds in the imperial palace many times, he had some experience. He found a child in the crowd, exchanged glances for a moment, and smiled.

The child, frightened, hid behind an adult. The fishermen murmured in amazement, surprised that the “Emperor” could smile.

The Jin siblings, however, felt uneasy, especially Jin Chuiduo. Without her bow, she felt like she had lost an arm. Seeing that Han Ruzi could still smile, both she and her brother were surprised.

Not long after, a stout man pushed through the crowd and rushed to Han Ruzi, giving him an impolite once-over. “Are you the emperor?”

Chao Yongsi shouted, “You rude fellow, show some respect!”

“What respect? As the saying goes, ‘if you’re willing to die, you can pull even an emperor off his horse’. Today, I’ll give it a try.” The man indeed had a stubborn demeanor. He rolled up his sleeves, and seemed ready to take action.

Chao impolite stepped forward and pushed him away. “You unruly guy, where did you come from? What’re you doing here?”

The man scratched his head, only then recalling his mission. “Brother Chao said anyone who finds the emperor should stay put, and he’ll bring his men here. I met little Niqiu on my way. He said the emperor is here, so I rushed over to take a look. I missed taking a look last night. This emperor looks so fair and clean. Is he real?”

“Do you think emperors would look like you?”

Chao Yongsi stood in the middle, preventing the man from bypassing him. The man tried to go around but didn’t dare to push. He turned his gaze and noticed the two women sitting on another bench, pointing at Jin Chuiduo, saying, “This girl is also fair and clean? Is she the empress?”

“No, I’m not,” Jin Chuiduo said indignantly.

Chao Yongsi said, “Hurry back to the village; this is none of your business.”

Reluctantly, the man walked towards the courtyard’s exit. “Now that we have the emperor, we will be able to rally men from all the surrounding villages. Just one cry of rebellion and everyone will join. Good days are coming soon!”

Chao Yongsi shook his head and persuaded the onlookers to disperse. He then apologized to Han Ruzi, “Your Majesty, forgive the ignorance of that coarse man.”

“Please don’t call me ‘Your Majesty’ anymore; I abdicated half a year ago.”

Chao Yongsi turned to the two women, smiling. “Miss, it’s better not to act recklessly. The terrain of the Chao family village is complex; you won’t be able to get out. Falling into a pond would be disastrous.”

Jin Chuiduo snorted in frustration, lifted her head for a quick glance, but all she could see were reeds and trees. There was no visible path. Although the villagers had been persuaded to leave, they didn’t go home. Instead, they stood in the distance, gesturing and pointing, ready to run over at any disturbance.

Chao Yongsī addressed Han Ruzi again, “Your Majesty was forced to abdicate. The current emperor is a false one; Your Majesty is the true Son of Heaven, the true dragon.”

Han Ruzi didn’t know how to respond, and Jin Chuiduo added, “Congratulations! You’re emperor again. With this group of loyal subjects, reclaiming the Great Chu Empire is just a matter of time.”

Chao Yongsī chuckled, “Saying ‘just a matter of time’ might be an overstatement, but it is inevitable that a dragon soars to the heavens.”

Han Ruzi spoke, “Elder Chao, have you met the fate seers? Which ones? Lin Kunshan or Chunyu Xiao?”

Chao Yongsi put away his smile and said solemnly, “Your Majesty might not know this yet, but in the vicinity of the capital, at least ten fate seers roam the villages, narrating the story of Your Majesty. ‘The true dragon stranded in the shallow waters will inevitably seek help in the south. Those who assist will rise to great heights, while those who don’t will fall into hell, unable to reincarnate for generations.'”

Han Ruzi was once again rendered speechless, and Jin Chuiduo couldn’t help but ask, “Do you really believe in this?”

“Why wouldn’t we believe it? Your Majesty is right here in the south of the capital, just as the prophecy foretold.”

Han Ruzi knew best that his presence here was not a coincidence but the result of the fate seers’ scheming. However, why would they baselessly proclaim that he was the true dragon? What benefit did they gain from it?

Sitting on the same bench as Han Ruzi, Jin Chunzhong couldn’t help but ask, “Why doesn’t the government do anything about the fate seers saying such things?”

“The government only cares about collecting taxes and arresting people, who cares about these things?”

“Wasn’t it said that the grain allocated for disaster relief last year could offset this year’s autumn tax?” Han Ruzi said.

Chao Yongsī laughed and then sighed, “That’s a fantasy. Last year, natural disasters were constant, and this year we are at war with the Xiongnu. Every county is conscripting people and demanding tax. This year’s rent is not collected, but the government will collect it for the next year and the year after that.”

Han Ruzi couldn’t imagine that the lives of the common people were so harsh. He thought his own experiences were tragic enough, but now he realized that even after abdicating, he still lived in a cloistered palace, completely unaware of the hardships faced by the people.

The Jin siblings exchanged glances, feeling uneasy about expressing their thoughts since they considered themselves as Xiongnu people.

“All these consecutive natural disasters happen because the true dragon has been dethroned, allowing those insignificant fellows to disrupt the world. As long as Your Majesty returns to the supreme position, the world will naturally be peaceful.”

Han Ruzi felt uncomfortable, sensing that he couldn’t live up to such high expectations. The Jin siblings and the maid stared at him with astonishment, making him even more uneasy.

“Things are not that simple…”

“Of course, the true dragon needs to rise with the water and soar with the wind. Guaizi Lake is just the beginning. When Your Majesty raises your arms and calls, the people of the world will surely respond…”

Han Ruzi couldn’t listen any longer. He stood up and said, “You’re not a fisherman, nor a local resident. You’re… you’re a fate seer!”

Chao Yongsi smiled faintly, bowing, “Your Majesty has figured it out. However, I am indeed a local fisherman. In my youth, I studied for a few years, roamed the pugilist world, and a few years ago, I became a disciple of Chunyu Xiao. I’ve gained some mastery in the mystic arts.”

Chao Yongsi pointed to a spot a few feet above Han Ruzi’s head and lightly swung his arm. “The emperor’s aura on Your Majesty’s head is becoming stronger.”

Including Han Ruzi, all four of them looked at the spot above his head. The maid Qingting stared particularly earnestly, but she saw nothing. She murmured softly, “I don’t see any aura. All I see there is the weather.”

Han Ruzi shook his head. “I want to see Chunyu Xiao. Whatever tricks you’re playing, I want to see Chunyu Xiao immediately.”

Chao Yongsī smiled, “Your Majesty, please be patient. Master Chunyu is currently traveling all around in anticipation of Your Majesty’s ascension. When Your Majesty sees him, the world will undoubtedly be different from today.”

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