The Child Emperor

Chapter 71: A Wife’s Letter

Cai Xinghai was not one of the first eunuchs to join the Unfortunates, yet he was among the most well-regarded members. Upon leaving the palace, he did not forget his initial promise—do not forget old friends after obtaining wealth and rank—and maintained had contact with those inside the palace.

On this very afternoon, he received a letter with an envelope inscribed: “To my husband, penned by your wife, Cui.”

Upon hearing that the Emperor and Empress were deposed, Cai Xinghai was filled with righteous indignation. Hearing that a group of ruffian soldiers from the Eight Armies of the Palace Guards intended to cause trouble at the Manor of the Weary Marquis, his anger grew increasingly uncontrollable. Assuming his role as an army supervisor, he gathered a number of well-connected Northern Army officers and soldiers. They entered the city before nightfall, dispersed to various locations, and agreed to assemble after nightfall. If there was no trouble at the Manor of the Weary Marquis, they would leave it be; if there were abnormalities, he intended to lead a second rescue.

His arrival was perfectly timed.

Cai Xinghai had not read that letter, but he could guess the general contents of it from the terms “husband” and “wife.”

In the front courtyard, there remained a single lantern. Han Ruzi approached it, opened the letter, and read it once. He looked up at Yang Feng and Cai Xinghai, then lowered his head to read it again. Afterward, he handed the letter to Yang Feng and nodded at Cai Xinghai, indicating that he could read it.

The letter was brief, containing only a few sentences: “On the evening of the fifth of December, the carriage shall leave the palace. If you are willing, fetch me and take me to your manor. If you are not, then let our bond be severed, and we shall never meet again, even unto death.”

The contents of the letter was more or less as Cai Xinghai had guessed. He lifted his head and said blankly, “Of course she must be received. A single day as husband and wife creates a bond that lasts a lifetime. If we do not fetch her here, where else could she go?”

Yang Feng gave Cai Xinghai a cold glance, returned the letter, and asked, “What does the Marquis plan to do?”

“If she wishes to come… I will fetch her,” Han Ruzi thought it was the only proper course of action.

Cai Xinghai was overjoyed, but Yang Feng shook his head slightly. “Your Majesty abdicated on the third day of the month, and on the fifth, you plan to go to the palace to snatch someone? This seems…”

Cai Xinghai hurriedly interjected, “Not the palace, but outside the palace. The Lady is likely to be sent back to the Cui clan…”

“Isn’t that the same? The Empress Dowager and the Cui clan are in a fierce rivalry. Everyone else is keeping their distance. Are you going to let the Marquis charge into the fray?”

Cai Xinghai dared not utter a sound.

Han Ruzi respected Yang Feng and pondered for a moment before saying, “You have read many history books and have seen instances of emperors abdicating. What happened to the empresses at those times?”

Yang Feng replied helplessly, “Generally speaking, they would abdicate along with the emperor. In a previous dynasty, there was an empress who married the next emperor and remained empress.”

“Our Empress would not do that. She said ‘the carriage shall leave the palace’, which certainly doesn’t mean leaving casually but rather… being driven out.” Cai Xinghai had received the Empress’s full support when he was rescuing the Emperor in the palace; thus, he supported her wholeheartedly, even though she was now the former empress.

A thought struck Yang Feng’s mind. Since being expelled from the palace, he had not been involved in any court affairs and could only speculate on many matters. “The carriage leaves the palace at dusk on the fifth. Could it be that the Empress Dowager intends to enthrone a new emperor on that day?”

With a new emperor’s enthronement, the old empress could naturally not be allowed to remain in the palace. Cai Xinghai slapped his thigh, “That must be it! Who will become the new emperor? Prince Donghai? Lord Marquis, you must not leave your wife to him. Who knows, she might leave the palace on the fifth and be taken back on the sixth.”

Han Ruzi hesitated no more, “I must fetch her. We are husband and wife. Even the Empress Dowager and the Cui clan cannot separate us.”

Cai Xinghai bowed, while Yang Feng remained silent.

Han Ruzi did not seek help from Yang Feng; instead, he asked Cai Xinghai, “I need your help. How many people do you have?”

“More than thirty. Give me some time, and I can gather more. Some of them are old friends from before I entered the palace, and some I met after becoming a commander. They are all willing to help me, no problem.”

“We have fifteen eunuchs in the manor… that should be enough. We need to find out when and from which gate the Lady will leave the palace, wait for her halfway, and then charge in…”

Yang Feng could no longer bear it and interrupted the Weary Marquis, “You two are being reckless. Hundred Prince Street is remote and sparsely populated. It’s one thing for the Yulin Guards and the Tiger Guards to come and cause a commotion, but the route from the palace to the Cui manor is bustling. Where do you plan to lie in wait with such a large group?”

Yang Feng looked dissatisfiedly at Cai Xinghai and said to the Weary Marquis, “We have not even resolved our own troubles. Do you really want to bring your wife to the manor?”

Han Ruzi nodded solemnly, “I know I should be cautious at this time, but I can’t be overly cautious. If I don’t fetch my wife, I would be telling the world that the I can be bullied and humiliated, making our lives even more difficult in the future.”

“Mm…” Yang Feng began to seriously consider the matter, “You have a point. The Lady is the daughter of the Cui clan. Bringing her here could indeed deter those reckless villains harboring ulterior motives.”

“Exactly, killing two birds with one stone. We must fetch her!” Cai Xinghai looked even more excited than the Weary Marquis.

Yang Feng looked at Cai Xinghai again, “You were just an ordinary eunuch before, and your current ‘commander’ position is not even a proper position—you are just an ad hoc envoy assigned by the Empress Dowager to the army. Why do you dare risk your life for the Marquis?”

This question was too blunt, and Han Ruzi felt it was somewhat excessive, but he was also curious about the answer.

Cai Xinghai initially lowered his head, but now he raised it and proudly said, “Lord Yang, have you ever served in the military?”

Yang Feng shook his head.

“In the military, there are two types of generals: one is the aristocrat, high above, who may not even recognize the soldiers under his command even after leading them for decades. Everyone obeys his orders as long as they can achieve merits and break through enemy lines. However, once the situation becomes unfavorable and there is no chance for merits or survival, the men would not hesitate to run away because they aren’t that close to each other anyway. The other type of general is a true soldier. He is willing to eat and live with the soldiers regardless of their background. He rewards those who do well and punish those who fail. He wins the hearts of their men with sincerity, and his men are willing to risk their lives for him, not only to achieve merits but also to repay the kindness of their general.”

Cai Xinghai bowed to the Weary Marquis, “The Marquis has shown me kindness and recognition. Back in the palace, you didn’t treat me as lowly because of my menial duties and trusted me, allowing me to fortunately gain merits. Today, I do not have any second thoughts merely because you have left the palace. Lord Yang wants to know the reason, and this is the reason: aristocratic generals are common, but true soldiers are hard to find. Please forgive my disrespect, but I see the Weary Marquis as a true soldier.”

Han Ruzi returned the bow, not knowing what to say.

Yang Feng sighed heavily, “Alright, I believe you, but don’t act rashly, and don’t look for more people. Let me think of a plan to bring the Lady back. Just relying on numbers is not enough.”

“Understood.”

Han Ruzi felt the atmosphere was too tense and said, “Let’s invite the people outside in. They came to help, and it’s impolite to keep them waiting outside.”

Cai Xinghai agreed and was about to go outside when Yang Feng stopped him, “Wait, tell them this… Say that the Weary Marquis is grateful for their kind assistance, but due to our own shortcomings, we dare not invite them into the residence. Hundred Princes Street is not an ordinary place, and there are many watchful eyes around. Please ask them to leave quickly, and we shall express our gratitude another day.”

Cai Xinghai was initially confused, but suddenly understood, “Lord Yang is truly experienced and knowledgeable. I’ll go right away… What if the Yulin Guards or the Tiger Guards send more people?”

“They wouldn’t dare. If they do, I have a way to deal with them.”

Cai Xinghai hurriedly ran out.

Han Ruzi said, “You’re right, I should not implicate more people.”

“Whether or not to implicate others depends on the timing. At this time, even implicate many more people would be pointless. When necessary, even the whole world can be implicated.”

The ones who were currently implicating the world were the Empress Dowager and the Cui clan. Han Ruzi nodded but still had some doubts in his heart, “If I fetch my wife to the manor, will it harm her?”

“If you wish to take no risk, then you need not do anything. Fetching your wife to the manor might harm her, but letting her return to the Cui clan might cause even greater harm. Nobody can predict the future. If you still hold great ambitions, you must not waver. If a general is cowardly, even a million strong soldiers would be like lamb.”

Han Ruzi smiled. “You’re right, I won’t hesitate anymore.”

Cai Xinghai ran back from the side door and said, “Everyone is very grateful to the Weary Marquis, saying they will be ready whenever called upon.”

Yang Feng looked around, “We should be safe for tonight.”

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.

Cai Xinghai hurriedly guarded Han Ruzi’s side. Yang Feng also gripped the handle of his blade and came to the door, “Who is it?”

“Gift delivery.” A hearty voice outside replied.

Yang Feng apparently recognized the voice and immediately opened the door. As soon as it opened a crack, a figure jumped in, but his footsteps were unsteady, and after a few steps, he fell down the steps, landing right at Han Ruzi’s feet, exclaiming in pain.

Cai Xinghai pulled Han Ruzi back a few steps, shielding him.

The hearty voice outside said again, “This guy was in charge of the command outside, and those guards were all gathered by him.”

“Thank you, Brother Hu San,”[1] Yang Feng said.

“Heh, let’s wait until I repay the favor before we call each other brothers.”

The voice disappeared, and Yang Feng closed the door.

Han Ruzi finally understood that Yang Feng had arrangements outside the mansion. Even if Cai Xinghai hadn’t brought his men, Yang Feng would still have repelled the troublemakers from the Yulin and Tiger Guards.

Han Ruzi bent down to look at the man lying on the ground, but the man stubbornly refused to raise his head.

Cai Xinghai stepped forward and kicked him, shouting, “You audacious troublemaker! You dare come to the Weary Marquis’ Mansion and cause trouble? You must be seeking death! Raise your head!”

Cai Xinghai kicked him twice more, and the man finally lifted his head, his face full of resentment.

“Zhang Yanghao!” Han Ruzi was taken aback. He recognized this man. He was the grandson of the Marquis Piyuan, and had once served as an attendant in the palace. “How… why?”

Han Ruzi was puzzled. He did not remember offending Zhang Yanghao. There was only one incident where, in order to catch Zuo Ji at the Heavenly Music Pavilion, he had taken Zhang Yanghao and others along without telling them his true purpose beforehand.

“It’s me.” Zhang Yanghao stood up and glanced at Cai Xinghai holding a blade, not daring to approach.

“Why… Marquis Piyuan has been released, hasn’t he?” Han Ruzi suddenly remembered something. The Grand Consort had tricked him into writing several edicts, one of which was used to deceive the Empress Dowager. The person framed was Marquis Piyuan, Zhang Yin.

“Of course, he was released. The Empress Dowager knows that our family are loyal subjects; he was released a few months ago.” Zhang Yanghao clenched his fists but still did not dare approach. The Weary Marquis was younger and smaller in stature than him, yet he had a blade-wielding eunuch protecting him.

“I did not frame your grandfather…” Han Ruzi glanced at Yang Feng and switched to a cold tone, “Zhang Yanghao, go home. Go seek your grandfather and ask him what he thinks.”

“How did you know…” Zhang Yanghao stared in surprise, his eyes wide.

At this point, Han Ruzi truly understood, “That’s right, I know. You did this behind your grandfather’s back. I don’t blame you, but you must go home, admit your mistake to your grandfather, and listen to his advice. Otherwise, I will…”

Han Ruzi did not know what else to say. Yang Feng, who was standing nearby, added, “Otherwise, we will report the matter to the Captain of the Guard at the palace barracks and let him handle it. Privately mobilizing the Yulin and Tiger Guards without authority is a serious crime. Marquis Piyuan would not be able to explain it.”

Zhang Yanghao’s face changed, “You… you’re really letting me go?”

Han Ruzi nodded.

“Alright, I’ll go back and speak to my grandfather…” Zhang Yanghao dashed to the gate, only to find a heavy bolt across it. Unable to move it on his own, he discovered the door was locked and could not be pushed open. Puzzled, he turned around.

“You are a noble whose family holds a marquisate. How could you not follow proper etiquette?” Cai Xinghai brandished the blade in his hand.

Zhang Yanghao’s gaze flickered, and he slowly knelt down, “Thank… thank you, Lord Marquis, for your magnanimity. I’ll definitely talk to my grandfather when I go back…”

Han Ruzi waved his hand, and only then did Yang Feng leisurely unlock the gate, letting Zhang Yanghao out. After locking the door again, he turned and said, “I have an idea as to how to safely fetch the Lady to the manor.”

[1] Hu San is Ironhead Hu San’er, the other guy whom Yang Feng subdued with the Dus. So we see all three of them making an appearance here helping to protect Han Ruzi.