The Child Emperor

Meng E whispered, “Hide.”

Han Ruzi looked around. The temple was small, offering no real hiding places. Only half of a door still stood, so he moved behind it, pressing against the wall.

He had a complete plan in mind for reclaiming the throne, but he couldn’t predict every event and certainly couldn’t account for every detail. The dilapidated temple and soldiers were unexpected obstacles; he could only take one step at a time.

No one in the Capital recognized Meng E in her male attire; perhaps she could send the newcomers away.

Meng E stepped back a few paces, positioning herself to see Han Ruzi behind the door. Anyone facing her would only see the broken door panel.

Hoofbeats passed by the door, giving Han Ruzi a momentary sense of relief. Then he remembered the three courier horses outside; the newcomers couldn’t have missed them.

The hoofbeats quickly diminished. Over a dozen soldiers dismounted and walked through the snow. Han Ruzi saw a figure slip inside through the door crack.

“Who are you? Where are you from? Where are you going?” the newcomer asked.

“I’m a soldier from Divine Hero Pass, heading to the Capital to deliver a message,” Meng E replied. Even Han Ruzi couldn’t tell she was a woman.

“Yes.”

“Why are there three horses outside?”

Du Chuanyun had gone on foot to scout the terrain, leaving the three horses outside the temple. Meng E explained, “They are ridden in turns.”

The newcomer paused briefly. “One person with three horses? You must be delivering an urgent message.”

“Yes.”

“It’s not dark yet. Why aren’t you on your way? Why stop here?”

Han Ruzi was curious about how Meng E would answer this crucial question. The response surprised him and startled the officer.

Unable to think of a suitable reason, Meng E lifted her robe and drew her sword.

“What are you doing?” The officer immediately stepped back, drawing his sword. Outside, soldiers rushed in to support him.

So, Meng E’s final solution was to use force. She had chosen her position wisely; at most, two or three people could enter at once, preventing them from surrounding her.

As a martial arts expert, Meng E was more than capable. Han Ruzi believed she had a plan to kill all the soldiers. But she had failed to maintain her cover.

Han Ruzi could no longer hide. He stepped out from behind the door, raising his hand. “Wait, don’t fight.”

The officer was startled again. Several soldiers had already entered the temple, forming a fan-shaped formation, each holding a waist knife. Meng E sighed softly, sheathed her sword, knowing the best moment had passed.

The soldiers relaxed slightly but kept their swords drawn. The officer scrutinized the newcomer. “Who are you?”

“We’re together, from Divine Hero Pass, delivering a message to the capital.”

“You…”

Han Ruzi didn’t wait for him to finish. “It’s not an official message, but a private one. We didn’t expect to find Southern Army soldiers at Baiqiao Town, so we stopped here to figure things out.”

The officer lowered his sword. “A private message? For whom?”

Han Ruzi showed hesitation. “It’s a private letter from Left Chief Censor Xiao.”

“For whom?”

“We were just told to deliver it to his residence. I don’t know the details.”

The officer signaled the soldiers, who lowered their swords but did not sheathe them.

“If you’re on official business, why are you so nervous? Cross the bridge; no one will stop you. The Southern Army is here to guard against local rebels. You must have encountered many troubles on your way from Divine Hero Pass.”

“Sigh, it’s a long story. We made it here thanks to caution and a bit of luck. Seeing so many people at Baiqiao Town made us nervous.”

“Haha, why would soldiers fear other soldiers? Come, I’ll escort you. Just the two of you, no third person?”

“Another companion is in town. He’ll return shortly. We’ll wait here and won’t trouble you further.”

The officer seemed convinced and sheathed his sword. The soldiers inside and outside the temple did the same.

“In that case, we won’t interfere. You’re safe here, under the emperor’s protection. Just continue your journey.”

Han Ruzi exhaled in relief and smiled. “Thank you. Once our companion returns, we’ll cross the bridge and find a place to stay. We’ll deliver the letter to the Xiao residence tomorrow morning.”

They exchanged courteous farewells. The officer mounted his horse and continued the patrol, but one soldier headed back to Baiqiao Town.

Watching the soldier leave, Han Ruzi turned to Meng E. “He doesn’t believe me.”

“Yes,” Meng E replied succinctly.

“Leave the robes and horses. Let’s find Du Chuanyun.”

Meng E didn’t ask further, leaving her robe on the incense table. Han Ruzi fetched two helmets from outside, placing them on the robes to make it look like two people sitting together.

“Let’s go. Uh, can you find Du Chuanyun?” Han Ruzi could come up with ideas but wasn’t skilled at tracking.

Meng E nodded and led the way into the woods. Both wore light leather armor, so they weren’t heavily burdened.

The terrain was difficult. Han Ruzi looked at their footprints and sighed, “I wish I could walk on snow like Du Chuanyun.”

Du Chuanyun had demonstrated his skill of leaving no footprints in the snow back at the marquis’ residence. Though he couldn’t run far, it was useful at times.

“I’ll carry you,” Meng E offered.

Han Ruzi shook his head. “I was just saying. Even Du Chuanyun leaves footprints. Look, there they are. It’s getting dark soon anyway…”

“You’re too slow. I won’t be able to track after dark,” Meng E insisted.

Han Ruzi still shook his head. Despite her male disguise, she was unmistakably a woman to him. “I’ll speed up.”

Meng E looked at him with a hint of reproach in her eyes, as if questioning how such a hesitant person could be an emperor.

“Alright,” Han Ruzi relented, unable to bear her scrutinizing gaze. He stepped behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

Han Ruzi was about the same height and weight as Meng E. She hoisted him onto her back and began to jog forward in small steps. Though she wasn’t leaving no traces in the snow, nor moving very fast, Meng E soon demonstrated her skill. She traversed the snowy terrain as if on flat ground. While she left footprints, she never sank deep into the snow. Her pace wasn’t quick, but she maintained it steadily, always managing to dodge protruding branches in time.

As the sunlight gradually faded, Du Chuanyun’s footprints became intermittent and harder to discern. However, Meng E didn’t slow down. She seemed to have a general idea of the direction Du Chuanyun was heading.

When night fell, Meng E finally stopped. Han Ruzi whispered, “I can get down now.”

But Meng E didn’t let him down. Instead, she made a few strange bird calls from her throat. After a pause, she turned in another direction and called again. After the fourth time, a response came from the distance.

“Oh, did you arrange this with Little Du beforehand?” Han Ruzi was quite surprised. Meng E wasn’t familiar with Du Chuanyun. They had been traveling from Divine Hero Pass for three days before Du Chuanyun realized she was a woman. Though he didn’t ask much, he spoke even less to her after that.

“It’s a trick of the pugilist world. Everyone knows it,” Meng E explained simply, continuing forward with Han Ruzi on her back.

It was dark now, and her pace slowed significantly, barely faster than walking. Occasionally, she would stop to mimic bird calls, with the responses getting closer each time.

After a while, Meng E said quietly, “Get down.”

Han Ruzi immediately complied, saying “Thank you.” He knew Meng E did this so he wouldn’t lose face in front of Du Chuanyun.

They walked one behind the other for a short distance when a voice came from ahead: “May I ask which hero graces us with their presence?”

Han Ruzi was slightly startled. The voice sounded elderly and was clearly not Du Chuanyun’s. He didn’t know how to respond. Suddenly, Meng E retreated to his side, drawing her sword in one smooth motion.

The moon rose above the treetops, casting some brightness on the snowy ground. Two more people emerged from behind nearby trees, forming a triangle with the speaker opposite them, surrounding the pair.

Finally, a familiar voice spoke, “Don’t misunderstand. It’s me, Du Chuanyun. Are you… the Northern Protection General and Chen Tong?”

“It’s me,” Han Ruzi replied immediately.

Meng E sheathed her sword.

Three people ran over. One was indeed Du Chuanyun, the initial speaker was his grandfather Du Motian, and the third person Han Ruzi also recognized – it was surprisingly the cook, Reckless.

“How did you find this place?”

“How did you all meet up?”

Du Chuanyun and Han Ruzi asked simultaneously.

Han Ruzi answered first, “We encountered some soldiers, diverted them, and then made our way here.”

Du Chuanyun said, “I was looking for a path by the river when I noticed some strange footprints. I followed them and unexpectedly ran into my grandfather. What a coincidence.”

Du Motian said gravely, “This is no coincidence. To intercept the Weary Marquis, a group of pugilists has been patrolling the riverbank. Reckless and I have been observing them for three days now.”

Du Motian nodded to Han Ruzi, showing no reaction to their reunion. He turned to Meng E, looking her up and down, “Your name is Chen Tong?”

“Yes.”

“Where did you learn the Du family’s technique?”

So the bird call wasn’t a common skill in the pugilist world, but unique to the Du family. Meng E was silent for a moment, then said, “I heard it a few times and learned it.”

Du Motian was taken aback, then laughed, “You’re quite talented. I have roamed the pugilist world for decades, yet I’ve never heard of your great name. I must be truly ignorant.”

“The pugilist world is vast. It’s normal to occasionally encounter unfamiliar people.”

Du Chuanyun leaned close to his grandfather and whispered, “Grandfather, she is…”

Du Motian raised his hand to stop his grandson from continuing. As an old hand in the pugilist world, he knew when to stop prying, no matter how many doubts he had. He turned to Han Ruzi and smiled, “The three of us were just coming to welcome the Weary Marquis. It’s wonderful to meet you here.”

Du Chuanyun was also delighted. He only found “Chen Tong” a bit strange but didn’t have many questions. “Come, Grandfather and Reckless have found a path that can avoid those troublesome pugilists.”

The Du grandfather and grandson led the way, with Han Ruzi and Meng E following closely, and Reckless bringing up the rear. Since meeting the Weary Marquis, he hadn’t spoken a word.

Without Meng E’s help, Han Ruzi found walking difficult and could barely keep up.

They were not far from the river, but they took a large detour, spending nearly two hours before crossing at a remote location.

Shortly after crossing, Reckless approached Han Ruzi and whispered, “Once we evade the Southern Army, the Weary Marquis shouldn’t enter the Capital yet. Yang Feng wants to meet with you.”

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