The Child Emperor

Chapter 112: Flag Ritual

The crowd was in a state of extreme exuberance. If someone were to shout, “Treasures are hidden in the water,” everyone would rush to the riverbank without hesitation and eagerly jump in. Of course, if they found nothing in the water, they would emerge furious.

The empress, however, was a treasure visible to everyone. The cries of Donkey Kid immediately gained unanimous support, and the chaotic shouts quickly became organized and unified — “Empress! Empress!”

Han Ruzi could no longer passively observe. He loudly informed everyone that Jin Chuiduo was not the empress, but his voice was drowned out. In the imperial palace, every glance from the emperor garnered attention. In the fishing village, unless one had a booming voice, even a deity couldn’t make the people listen.

Lin Kunshan in the crowd smiled and gently waved his hand. Han Ruzi had no choice but to fall silent. Although these people supported and knelt to him, they were far from being at his disposal.

The shouts finally had an effect. Qingting the maid rushed out of the house and loudly commanded everyone to be quiet. However, this only added to the background noise. Qingting walked up to the Weary Marquis and glared at him, and Han Ruzi responded with a helpless smile.

Several women in the fishing village, usually timid, became bold under everyone’s encouragement. Five or six of them squeezed into the house and quickly brought Jin Chuiduo out.

The cries of “Empress” became even louder, and the crowd knelt again.

Jin Chuiduo felt both embarrassed and angry. However, restrained by a few strong hands, she had no power to resist. It wasn’t until those village women also knelt that she gained some freedom, and she glared angrily at the Weary Marquis.

Han Ruzi could only smile helplessly. Even such an expression couldn’t be maintained for too long. He had to display dignity and mystery in front of the crowd, always shrouded in an “imperial aura.”

The enthusiasm of the crowd escalated without any sign of ending. It was unclear who suggested it, but someone removed a door panel, and without a word, they pushed the “Emperor” and “Empress” onto it. A group of people carried the door panel and paraded around, while others crowded around, taking turns fighting for the honor of carrying it.

The carriers of the door panel were already walking unsteadily, and each struggle caused more intense shaking. The two people sitting on top tightly held the edges of the door panel, concentrating on maintaining their balance. They had no energy left to voice objections.

Jin Chunzhong and Qingting were blocked at the outermost periphery of the crowd, staring in amazement. Initially, they were anxious and angry, but gradually, all that remained was astonishment.

The crowd first arrived at the courtyard where they had gathered earlier. The bonfire there had not yet extinguished, and someone threw more firewood into it, making the flames burn brighter. Then, the carriers of the door panel turned around and stood in front of the bonfire. The others knelt facing the emperor, empress, and the flames, muttering something.

Han Ruzi and Jin Chuiduo felt an intense heat on their backs. They dared not move or speak randomly, fearing that these people might throw them into the bonfire as a sacrifice.

Next, the procession left the courtyard, winding its way to the water’s edge. Another round of kneeling ensued, with many people approaching the water, some even entering the lake to scoop water, drink, and then pour it over their heads.

Old fisherman Chao Yongsi and an old woman filled clay jars with water and presented them separately to the “Emperor” and “Empress.”

Under the eager gaze of many, Han Ruzi took the clay jar, brought it to his lips, took a sip, and scooped a bit of water, pouring it over his own head. Cheers erupted from the crowd.

Jin Chuiduo bit her lip for a moment, looked up at her second brother and her maid. They had their backs to the fire, waving at her with what seemed like a hint of amusement on their faces. Jin Chuiduo, infuriated, dared not show it. Without her longbow at hand, she was just an ordinary girl.

She could only follow suit. When it was time to pour water over her head, she scooped out only a little, dabbing it on her forehead.

That was enough; the cheers for “Empress” became even louder.

After half an hour of commotion, the enthusiasm in the entire fishing village gradually waned. They had to consider the most urgent and practical issue: how to eliminate traitors and send the “Emperor” and “Empress” back to the imperial palace.

However, they didn’t intend to seek advice from the parties involved. The emperor and empress were sent back to the Chao family’s house. The door was closed, and Jin Chunzhong and Xiaohuan were also prevented from entering.

The crowd continued to discuss matters outside, with constant shouts. According to their discussions, it seemed they planned to charge into the Capital overnight. However, this plan had too many loopholes, and apart from people like Donkey Kid, no one was willing to support it. Soon, it was abandoned, and the discussion became more practical.

Han Ruzi stood at the door listening. Realizing that these people were not reckless individuals, he breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Jin Chuiduo, who was sitting on a low bed-stove, and said, “Lin Kunshan indeed has some skill. He doesn’t speak much, but every time he does, it’s just right. He can shift the topic to where he wants, and it doesn’t seem forced at all, as if the ideas were all thought up by someone else.”

The person on the bed-stove remained silent, and she did not move, as if she had become a mud puppet.

The discussion outside became too faint to hear clearly. Han Ruzi straightened up and turned to Jin Chuiduo, saying earnestly, “Lady Jin, please forgive me. You saw it yourself; this wasn’t my idea, and they wouldn’t listen to me.”

After a while, a faint snort came from the bed-stove.

“I believe I can get control over these people after some time. When I do, you may come or go as you please. I won’t force you…”

Han Ruzi took a step forward, but Jin Chuiduo immediately said, “Don’t come over.”

“Alright, I won’t come over.” Han Ruzi stopped. The room was not large, and the earthen bed-stove was diagonally opposite the door. The distance between them was only seven or eight steps.

Han Ruzi pressed against the door to listen again. The only thing that reached his ears was a vague buzzing. He said, “Relying solely on these people definitely won’t work. I don’t know how many people we can gather, but once there are too many people, the movement becomes conspicuous. Once the imperial court becomes aware, this motley crew won’t be able to withstand a blow. The fate seers have been in contact with the Cui family, and they must have a motive. Lin Kunshan refuses to reveal it, claiming the timing is not right…”

A strange sound emanated from the bed-stove, resembling a sigh and a sob.

Han Ruzi suddenly felt awkward. “I truly apologize. Once I can give orders, I will let you go immediately. If possible, I will even send people to escort you to the steppes. The Chu empire and the Xiongnu shall decide their victory or defeat on the battlefield, we won’t trouble your family.”

There was silence on the other side for a while, and Jin Chuiduo spoke, still as cold as ever, showing no signs that she had been crying. “I don’t blame you.”

“Not me? Well, those people don’t mean any harm either. They’ve never seen an empress, and when they saw you, they thought…”

“I don’t blame them either, only my second brother and Qingting. They just enjoyed the show and didn’t come to help me…” Jin Chuiduo’s voice had a hint of tears.

Han Ruzi sighed in relief and even exhaled the breath. However, the sound was too noticeable, immediately drawing reproach from the opposite side: “You’re mocking me too. I knew you had ill intentions.”

“No, no, you’ve misunderstood. I’m just… I have a wife, and we love each other dearly. She used to be an empress. Even if I have a chance to reclaim the throne, she will still be the empress.”

There was no sound from the other side. Han Ruzi was relieved that he had convinced her, but he still felt uneasy, as if he had said something wrong.

Han Ruzi took two steps to the edge of the bed-stove. Just as Jin Chuiduo was about to rebuke him, Han Ruzi whispered, “Someone is coming.”

As soon as he spoke, the door opened. Old fisherman Chao Yongsi stood at the doorway and respectfully said, “Your Majesty, please make a decision.”

“Alright,” Han Ruzi said, getting up and walking out of the room. Qingting, who had been waiting outside for a long time, ran into the room. Jin Chunzhong stared at him and said, “You didn’t…”

“I didn’t.” Han Ruzi immediately replied. Anyway, no matter what the other party wanted to ask, his answer would be the same.

Jin Chunzhong also entered the room and closed the door. Han Ruzi didn’t know how Jin Chuiduo would deal with her second brother and her maid, and he didn’t want to eavesdrop.

Outside, hundreds of people stood in an orderly manner. Compared to the previous chaos, there was now some order: people from different villages stood together, and scattered individuals formed their own groups. There were a dozen or so teams in total, each ranging from five or six to over thirty people. Most of them only had simple weapons like wooden sticks, but their expressions seemed ready for an unquestionable victory.

Chao Yongsu said, “We have devised two plans. Your Majesty, please choose one.”

“Do tell.” Han Ruzi had to be polite and maintain dignity, so he kept his words short.

“The first plan is to gather more people, aiming for a total of three thousand. Then, we’ll find a way to acquire some weapons, quietly infiltrate the Capital, rise up suddenly, escort Your Majesty to the imperial palace, and order the ministers to follow. Those who resist will be executed.”

Dozens of people cheered; it was evidently the plan they supported—simple, direct, and yielding immediate results.

Han Ruzi immediately vetoed this plan in his mind but nodded, urging Chao Yongsi to continue.

“The second plan involves dividing the forces into two. One group will head to the north of the Capital, join forces with the local militia, stir up trouble, draw out the Northern Army and the city’s garrison. The other group will stay in the south, protecting Your Majesty and joining forces with the Southern Army. I heard that Cui Hong, the Grand Marshal of the Southern Army, is the maternal uncle of Prince Donghai. As Prince Donghai is Your Majesty’s half-brother, they should support Your Majesty, right?”

Han Ruzi immediately recognized this as Lin Kunshan’s plan and the agreement reached between the fate seers and the Cui family. So, he pretended to contemplate for a moment and said, “The second plan is more prudent. But don’t rush into it. I need to contact the Grand Marshal of the Southern Army and Prince Donghai first, to get a sense of their stance.”

Lin Kunshan nodded in agreement.

Ordinary people had no knowledge of the internal struggles within the imperial palace. They believed that siblings would support each other. Han Ruzi didn’t reveal the truth; the Cui clan wanted to use him to eventually claim the throne, and he wanted to use the Cui clan to break through the first obstacle of capturing the capital.

With the “Emperor” having made a decision, everyone was pleased, except for people like Donkey Kid who felt disappointed. They were eager to taste blood; their fighting spirit had been ignited.

“Now that the grand plan is set, let the Emperor perform the flag ritual!” someone shouted.

Before Han Ruzi could understand the meaning of “flag ritual,” Chao Hua approached and handed him a knife. Several men brought in the spy who had been tricked into revealing himself.

The spy was tied up, his mouth stuffed with something. Kneeling on the ground, he whimpered and begged everyone for mercy.

Han Ruzi felt a bit reluctant, but it had come to this point. He couldn’t afford to show mercy. So, he took the knife and walked toward the man. Several strong men found a piece of cloth from somewhere, each pulling a corner and spreading it open, preparing to catch the blood.

Han Ruzi suddenly remembered Yang Feng and wondered if the eunuch would approve of his current actions. However, Yang Feng, at most, was a teacher and strategist; ultimately, a monarch had to make his own decisions. Han Ruzi hesitated no more.

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