Liu Jie had painstakingly told a story, hoping the Emperor would make a decisive decision and eliminate the untrustworthy female guard. He never expected that the Emperor would make the most inappropriate choice.
For the entire day, Liu Jie followed beside the Emperor, trying every means to persuade him to change his mind. “The Martial Emperor never personally took risks. ‘The Emperor possesses all under Heaven, so naturally he should utilize the strength of all under Heaven. To do everything personally is not the conduct of an emperor.’ These are words I personally heard the Martial Emperor say.”
Han Ruzi was watching Zhang Youcai and Ni Qiu pack their belongings and replied, “The Martial Emperor’s words were not wrong, but Great Chu is now in grave danger. It is not like the time of the Martial Emperor, but more like the early days of the Founding Emperor. The military and people have been exhausted for so long that even harsh laws and severe punishments cannot squeeze out ‘the strength of all under Heaven.’ If the Emperor does not personally take action, I fear even the imperial domain cannot be preserved.”
Liu Jie was speechless. The Emperor who had been humbly seeking instruction before dawn had suddenly become so decisive. He could only blame himself for telling the Martial Emperor’s story too well.
“Your Majesty has no need to personally go to the northern frontier. Send the Grand General or another general instead. It would be better to remain in Pengcheng and make other plans after exterminating the Qi rebel army.”
Han Ruzi was inspecting his precious swords. For this expedition he had not brought other things in full, but he had five swords, all treasures from the palace armory, forged during the Martial Emperor’s early years and never before taken to battle. Han Ruzi carried one with him, while the remaining ones were kept by Zhang Youcai and Ni Qiu.
“Fine swords.” Each time Han Ruzi admired these precious swords, he would express heartfelt praise. He gently returned one to its sheath and said to the Chief Overseer, “All the ministers pay no heed to the Xiongnu, but We alone believe the Xiongnu are colluding with the rebels. Naturally We must personally go to supervise the battle. Conversely, the Grand General has already formulated detailed plans to exterminate the rebels and victory is assured, so it cannot be lightly altered. Moreover, if We personally campaign in the northern frontier, it might deter the Xiongnu for a period and await the pacification troops of Chu to march north.”
Liu Jie was at his wit’s end. Following the Emperor to inspect the horses, he thought of another argument. “Your Majesty must not underestimate the enemy. In the past, Great Chu was defeated by the Xiongnu several times. Only after the Fiery Emperor ascended the throne was the situation reversed, and it was not until the middle period of the Martial Emperor’s reign that we could achieve overwhelming superiority.”
“In the past, Great Chu inherited the chaos of the previous dynasty, lacking troops and generals, with insufficient weapons, armor, horses, and provisions. The Great Wall had fallen into disrepair over the years with much damage, so we could only pursue the Xiongnu cavalry across the grasslands, using our weaknesses against their strengths. Of course it was difficult to achieve victory. Although Great Chu is not in its golden age now, all our advantages remain. Why worry about not winning?”
Han Ruzi gently stroked the neck of a black horse, clearly sensing its goodwill toward him, so he smiled and nodded. “Lord Liu need not worry. On this journey to the northern frontier, We will not venture beyond the frontier passes but will focus on defending cities. Moreover, We will slow our pace and rendezvous with the fifty thousand Northern Army troops within the passes.”Liu Jie was once again speechless, but still unwilling to give up, he continued following behind the Emperor.
Han Ruzi went to inspect the troops that would accompany him on the expedition, first the thousand soldiers led by the fierce general Fan Zhuangshan. Most came from the Southern and Northern armies, with a small number from the Palace Guards. Every one was an elite soldier selected from the best. Once the Emperor gave the order, they had prepared everything in half a day.
Though their numbers were not large, their formation was quite imposing, with spears standing like a forest and crossbows at their sides. Each one looked capable of fighting ten men.
Liu Jie took the opportunity to say again, “How much does Your Majesty know about the Meng siblings?”
“We know what We need to know.” Han Ruzi did not immediately leave the military camp but remained mounted at the gate, watching the soldiers file out in formation. A large number of previously hidden support personnel ran out, hurriedly packing tents and various vehicles.
“Does Your Majesty know that Meng E was long ago betrothed to the Crown Prince of Fuyu as a princess of Qi? This was a marriage arrangement they had made long before. The Meng siblings serving as guards for the Empress Dowager in the palace delayed this for several years.”
Han Ruzi had not heard of this matter, but his expression revealed nothing. He turned his head and asked, “The Meng siblings actually have the surname Chen. Do you know their real names?”
Liu Jie shook his head. “Jing Yao originally wanted to send a spy to the island, but the Empress Dowager ordered that investigations into the Meng siblings and Righteous Hero Island be prohibited, so this matter had to be left unresolved.”
“Righteous Hero Island has existed for many years. Why has Great Chu not sent troops to eliminate it?”
”I heard troops were sent long ago. At that time, they didn’t know that descendants of the Chen Qi lived on the island and only thought they were ordinary pirates. But each time, they couldn’t find anyone. As soon as the official troops set sail, all the islanders would relocate, and the island was full of wooden huts and grass houses that were easy to rebuild after being burned down.”
“I see.” Han Ruzi gave his orders and continued on to inspect the Ceremonial Guard Company.
Liu Jie let out a long sigh, unable to understand how the female guard had gained the Emperor’s trust to such an extent that she could not be driven away.
The Ceremonial Guard Company contained not only two hundred ceremonial guards, but also a large number of imperial relatives, meritorious nobles, and relatives of high officials who were accompanying the Emperor on his personal campaign. Including their various attendants, the total number far exceeded a thousand.
The distinctive feature of the Ceremonial Guard Company was that there were more banners than people. Many carried two banners on their backs and might hold another in their hands. The numerous sons of nobles were the same. On the surface, they all held various honorary titles like general, colonel, or attendant, but their most important task was actually to bolster the Emperor’s prestige.
They all fulfilled this role well. Everyone wore bright armor, and even the teenagers in their teens wore well-fitted armor.
With the Emperor personally leading the campaign, the sons of the powerful naturally could not fall behind and had all “voluntarily” joined the expedition.
The Ceremonial Guard Company was overly bloated. Han Ruzi immediately issued an edict that each person could only bring one attendant, and all other attendants had to remain in Pengcheng and were forbidden from following the army from afar. Anyone who violated this order would be treated as a deserter.
No one dared speak up while the Emperor was present, but as soon as the Emperor left, wails filled the Ceremonial Guard Company. Even many of the actual ceremonial guard soldiers had brought more than two attendants, let alone the wealthy sons of powerful nobles. However, those nobles who had previously followed the Weary Marquis were not surprised at all and even proudly boasted: “I warned you all long ago. For this campaign, I only brought one attendant and kept my belongings to the bare essentials. But no matter what, you need to get hold of one or two good horses. Who knows when the Emperor might order another night march?”
Liu Jie was out of options and could only resort to his final move. Having returned to his quarters with no one around, Liu Jie said, “How much does Your Majesty trust the Grand General?”
“The Grand General is the Empress’s father—We trust him as We would trust a father-in-law.”
Liu Jie stepped forward and said mysteriously in a low voice, “The Empress is not pregnant.”
Han Ruzi had once written half a letter hinting that the Empress was with child to stabilize Cui Hong’s loyalty. Liu Jie had long known about this and was well aware it was a deception. “Your Majesty, please forgive my boldness, but I wrote to the imperial physicians and received confirmation that the Empress shows no signs of pregnancy.”
“Did you tell the Grand General?”
“Of course not. This is a secret.”
“Good. Then let it remain a secret.”
“The Grand General has extensive connections and will learn the truth sooner or later. He might already know.”
Han Ruzi smiled slightly. “We dare wager that the Grand General will also keep this matter secret.”
Liu Jie was stunned, then understood. The Emperor and the Grand General were maintaining a delicate balance and trust that neither wanted to break. Even if Cui Hong knew his daughter was not pregnant, he would not reveal it and would instead continue to be “deceived” to maintain the Emperor’s trust.
Liu Jie was truly at his wit’s end. Among the accompanying officials, aside from Cui Hong, all held positions too low and were not trusted by the Emperor. Their persuasive efforts would be no better than his own.
“Alas, Yang Feng has brought ruin to the state,” Liu Jie lamented.
“What does this have to do with Yang Feng?” Han Ruzi asked in surprise.
“I worked with Yang Feng for several years and can tell that Your Majesty has been deeply influenced by him. Should anything happen to Your Majesty, Yang Feng would bear the greatest responsibility.”
Now it was Han Ruzi’s turn to be stunned. He had never felt he resembled Yang Feng in any way.
Seeing the Emperor’s change in expression, Liu Jie thought another opportunity had come. “Back then, the Thoughtful Emperor even called Yang Feng his teacher. In the end, even the Empress Dowager could not stand it and once forbade the two from meeting. But the Thoughtful Emperor had already been deeply corrupted…”
Liu Jie closed his mouth. He had said too much and had already crossed the line, violating the basic principles of his position as a palace eunuch.
“What happened to the Thoughtful Emperor?”
Liu Jie thought it over and decided the current Emperor was more important, so he said, “The Thoughtful Emperor also secretly left the palace to investigate some mysterious organization. Not long after, he died of poisoning. Some suspected the Empress Dowager, but that was impossible—though the Empress Dowager appeared stern on the surface, she actually doted on the Thoughtful Emperor immensely. The Empress Dowager suspected Consort Cui was behind it, which was possible, but it was only speculation. Jing Yao and I didn’t have time to conduct a thorough investigation, but we both believed the Thoughtful Emperor might have been poisoned outside the palace, with the effects manifesting later. Yang Feng probably had nothing to do with the poisoning, but he encouraged the Thoughtful Emperor to take risks, so he cannot escape responsibility.”
Yang Feng was a eunuch the Empress Dowager had brought into the palace from Donghai. Once he rose to prominence and became a Regular Palace Attendant, Liu Jie, Jing Yao, and others who had entered the palace as children and gradually worked their way up to high positions naturally harbored resentment toward such a “latecomer eunuch” like Yang Feng.
Han Ruzi said seriously, “Your devotion to protecting me is very clear to me, but you only care about my personal safety. What I care about is the realm. Distributing grain, quelling rebellions, and fighting the Xiongnu are all matters of utmost importance to the realm. If any one of these fails, the realm suffers. If you truly wishes to contribute, why not recommend some capable talents for me?”
Liu Jie’s face flushed red as he knelt on the ground and said, “This humble servant is incompetent. Despite attending Your Majesty for many days, I have failed to recommend even one person.”
Han Ruzi smiled and said, “There will be plenty of time ahead.”
Liu Jie had no other recourse and could only take his leave. There were many things to prepare for the Emperor’s journey, and he needed to begin making arrangements.
“Those two musicians…” Han Ruzi called out to stop Liu Jie.
“What about the musicians?”
Han Ruzi hesitated for a moment, then decided to bring the two along. “From now on, have them stay next to my quarters. They need only play instrumental pieces without vocals, and try not to disturb others.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Liu Jie withdrew.
Han Ruzi sat alone for a while, imagining the master-disciple relationship between Yang Feng and the Thoughtful Emperor, and felt a small pang of jealousy.
But he quickly dismissed this useless emotion and went out again. This time he summoned the accompanying officials and had them draft a marching route. When heading north, they should pass through as many prefectures and counties as possible—first, to wait for the fifty thousand Northern Army troops, and second, to supervise the grain distribution in various localities. Especially regarding the latter, he personally drafted three imperial edicts commanding that all places they passed through must keep receptions for the Emperor simple, saving money and grain to provide relief for refugees.
When everything was finished, it was nearly the second watch of the night. Han Ruzi planned to rest early so he could depart early the next morning. As he returned to his bedroom door, he heard the sound of a zither from next door—it was precisely the instrumental music that made him feel good. He stood in place listening for a while, feeling his mood brighten considerably, and sensed he would sleep well tonight.
Zhang Youcai and Ni Qiu, who had entered early to prepare the bedding, both exclaimed “Eh?” at the same time. Han Ruzi quickly entered the room and walked to the inner chamber, where he saw by candlelight that someone was already sitting on his bed.
Zhang Qinyan had arranged her zither on the bed and looked up to glance at the Emperor.
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