CH 62: Under the Cover of Night

The Emperor made a promise to clear the names of the innocent pugilists who were killed. Hua Bin scoffed, “Your Majesty knows nothing about the pugilist world, let alone what ‘chivalrous reputation’ is. What do you know about clearing their names?”

Hua Bin looked at Gui Yuehua and the others, “If we can’t lure that expert here by daybreak, there’s no need to wait any longer.”

Marquis Junyang hurriedly went downstairs, and the three pugilists coldly stared at the Emperor.

Han Ruzi did not back down, scanning the faces of the three and asked Gui Yuehua, “You clearly had help. Why did you try capturing me alone?”

Gui Yuehua’s expression darkened, and he did not answer.

“You cherish your reputation and refuse to gang up against one person, just like Marquis Junyang cherishes his chivalrous reputation,” Han Ruzi answered his own question, finding pugilists hard to understand. On second thought, seeking fame among pugilists and seeking power among senior officials shared some similarities, “But you were defeated. Does that not make you feel more embarrassed?”

Gui Yuehua’s pale face almost sank in anger, “Losing to a sneak attack is not shameful.”

“Yet after being injured, you sought help, which means you’re not that confident anymore. If that person were to step forward openly now, would you agree to a one-on-one fight?”

“Of course.”

“What if you were defeated? Would these two join in? Would you let me go?” Han Ruzi’s questions followed one after another.

Gui Yuehua could barely control the rage in his heart, “Though I may not have fully mastered my skills, I am not afraid of a woman. If she dares to show up, I’m shall fight her one-on-one. If I lose…” Gui Yuehua could not promise to release the Emperor, so he raised his voice, “I will die here today!”

Han Ruzi shook his head, “I’m just interested in the rules of the pugilist world. That elusive person probably will not show up. Waiting until daybreak will not change that.”

A burly man stepped forward, standing in front of the Emperor, his bull-like eyes fixed on him, “You are quite eloquent for an imbecilic ruler. Perhaps we don’t need to wait until daybreak. We could take action now and see if the sneak attacker dares to show up.”

Han Ruzi’s eyes were dry, but he refused to blink, “How strange. Why do you all always say that I’m an imbecilic ruler? I haven’t even…”

“Do you want to say you’re just a puppet?” The burly man disdainfully spat on the ground, “Prince Qi rebelled, and it’s understandable to arrest the rebels, but why involve their friends and family? These people were not rebels; some even welcomed the imperial army on the road.”

“That was not my edict.”

“Taking their female relatives into the imperial harem, was that not your edict either?”

Han Ruzi said in surprise, “I haven’t even heard of it! Harem… I’m only thirteen years old!”

The burly man laughed heartily, “An imbecilic ruler is an imbecilic ruler, regardless of age.”

Han Ruzi wanted to argue, but suddenly remembered what the Grand Consort had said. The Empress Dowager had created many misdeeds for the Emperor to make it easier to depose him in the future. These misdeeds were probably not all recorded in the Imperial Recorder’s notes, and some had indeed happened.

He began to understand the anger of Luo Huan-zhang and the others. The “family affairs” of the emperor affected not just the imperial family but also countless innocent people.

He lowered his gaze and said softly, “I didn’t do those things, but I am indeed an imbecilic ruler’. I bear the title of Emperor without taking up the responsibilities an Emperor should bear.”

The burly man didn’t believe the Emperor’s words at all and snorted heavily.

Another pugilist spoke up, “Marquis Junyang entrusted us with an important task, not to chat with the Emperor. Let’s talk less and wait until we kill that female expert. Instructor Gui, is it really just a woman?”

Gui Yuehua grunted angrily in response.

Han Ruzi looked out the window, wondering when the long night would finally end.

The burly man thought the Emperor had seen something, so he ran to the window in a few steps, only to see the city standing still in the darkness, with no sign of anyone.

The Captain of the Palace Gates, Liu Kunsheng, ran down the quiet streets, sweating profusely. When he woke up this morning, he never imagined that his old superior would be mysteriously stripped of his seal of office, let alone that he would meet the Emperor and receive a secret edict. Holding a sword said to be left by the Founding Emperor, he searched the city for trustworthy senior officials.

He had already bumped into patrolling soldiers twice, and each time, he had to pretend to be a an imperial guard officer to avoid being captured. But running aimlessly like this was ultimately not the solution.

Finally, Liu Kunsheng thought of someone and, despite his exhaustion, ran into a secluded alley.

In the quiet night, a sudden knocking sound broke the silence, causing alarm to anyone who could hear it. But the one knocking refused to give up, so someone from the manor had no choice but to come out and ask.

“Who’s there?” The voice was timid and helpless, as if forced to come out.

“I’m from the palace, looking for Lord Guo,” Liu Kunsheng said. A loud thump came from inside, as if someone had fallen. Liu Kunsheng hurriedly added, “I’m not here to arrest anyone, but to discuss urgent matters.”

After a long while, the door was opened slightly. It was the former Provost of the Directorate of Education, former Tutor of the Crown Prince, former Director of Prayer Ceremonies of the Ministry of Rites, Lord Guo Cong, who had once taught the Book of Poetry to the Emperor.[1] He stood at the door, warily sizing up the visitor. “I don’t recognize you. You are… you are a guard officer. Why are you looking for me? Are you alone?”

“My name is Liu Kunsheng, I’m a Captain of the Palace Gates. My house is nearby, and my second brother’s neighbor, Zhang Wengu, was once your student and spoke highly of you…”

Guo Cong was confused but knew that the man was not here to arrest anyone, so he felt slightly at ease and opened the door a little wider. “Hold on, just tell me why you’re looking for me.”

Liu Kunsheng glanced inside the door and saw an old servant trembling behind his master, so he whispered, “It is a matter of great importance.”

Guo Cong nodded, “I’m old and can’t handle matters of great importance.” He was about to close the door when Liu Kunsheng hurriedly took out the precious sword from his waist and handed it over, “Lord Guo, do you recognize this sword?”

Guo Cong’s old eyes were dim, and he asked the old servant to bring the lantern closer. He took the sword and examined it carefully for a while, then his face suddenly changed, “How did this sword end up in your hands?”

Liu Kunsheng breathed a sigh of relief, “I guessed that Lord Guo, having worked in the Ministry of Rites, would recognize this sword. I am…”

“Wait.” Guo Cong waved his hand to signal the old servant to go back inside, then grabbed Liu Kunsheng’s arm and pulled him in, closing the door. With his other hand tightly gripping the precious sword, he whispered, “You can speak now.”

Liu Kunsheng quickly explained, “There are traitors in the palace who have taken the Empress Dowager hostage. His Majesty escaped from the inner palace and entrusted me with this sword, ordering me to find a senior official who recognizes it. But I do not know where to look, so I thought of you…”

“Where is His Majesty now?”

“He was captured by the newly appointed Captain of the Guard, Hua Bin, who took the seal of office with a fake edict during the day.”

“His Majesty was never fond of his studies; I knew it back then…” Guo Cong frowned in thought for a moment, “Come, I’ll take you to meet someone.”

Liu Kunsheng was overjoyed, “Would he recognize this sword?”

“The only person who recognizes this sword and can command the senior officials is Chancellor Yin Wuhai. It is said that he escaped from the Hall of Diligent Administration and is hiding somewhere.”

“Do you know where Chancellor Yin is?”

“I do not, but there must be someone among the students of the Imperial University who does.”

The two men left, one in his seventies or eighties and the other over fifty, both feeling excitement that only young men could, venturing into the vast darkness of the night.

Outside the city, another person was also gazing at the same dark sky.

Yang Feng had not slept well for two nights in a row, constantly riding and galloping. At each waystation, he would switch to a fresh set of horses, traveling tirelessly, until he finally saw the towering city walls of the Capital in the middle of the night.

Cui Hong and his contact were scheduled to meet at an inn outside the city. He took most of the guards and all of Yang Feng’s followers with him, including Du Motian and his grandson. Only the injured Ironhead Hu San’er and two guards stayed with Yang Feng, watching the inn from afar while riding on their horses.

If Cui Hong found out that he had been deceived by Chunyu Xiao, he would join forces with Yang Feng upon leaving the inn. If he felt that everything was going smoothly, with a wave of his hand at the door of the inn, the two armored guards would behead the eunuch.

Yang Feng had to take this risk and give Cui Hong the freedom to choose. Only in this way could he possibly gain the trust of the Grand Tutor.

He did not know about the events that had taken place in the imperial palace, only that Chunyu Xiao had great ambitions for himself and would not support anyone from the Han imperial clan in becoming emperor.

Due to his shoulder injury and the long-distance ride, Ironhead Hu San’er was exhausted. But he refused to lose to a eunuch. He forced himself to keep his eyes open and said, “Zhao You is a loyal and righteous man. Of course he would help if a friend of the pugilist world asked him to. Even if he harbored criminals wanted by the Emperor, you should not have killed him.”

Yang Feng ignored him.

“You obviously do not understand the rules of the pugilist world. If you ask a renowned martial artist for help politely, he would surely be able to persuade Zhao You to hand over the wanted criminals without anyone getting killed.”

Yang Feng turned his head and coldly glanced at the burly man, “The rules of the pugilist world are all about bargaining and muddying the waters. If I wanted the criminals today, you would give them to me tomorrow; If I wanted Chunyu Xiao, you would give me one of his disciples… Don’t think that I don’t understand. If you want to live comfortably, you follow the rules. If you want to accomplish great things, you have to break the rules.”

“You, you eunuch…” Hu San’er was so furious, even his fatigue seemed to have disappeared. But he could not find the right words to refute Yang Feng at the moment.

The door of the inn opened, and a group of people walked out, led by Grand Tutor Cui Hong.

Cui Hong did not gesture with his hand but instead mounted his horse. He quickly rode to Yang Feng, his face gloomy, “Chunyu Xiao did not come.”

Yang Feng was greatly disappointed, “He’s very cunning.”

“He sent three people with an edict. That edict was supposed to be just a bluff, but they took it out and really tried to dismiss me from my position. If it wasn’t for your reminder, I might have died inside, and the Northern Army would have fallen into the hands of the traitors.” Cui Hong was frightened by the close call, as he had completely trusted Chunyu Xiao before and would have entered the inn without any precautions. Those three people could have assassinated him easily.

“What about Chunyu Xiao? Did you find out about him?” Yang Feng was only concerned about this matter.

“He went to Huailing. It is said that he was being watched by several imperial guards, and he intended to lead these people into an ambush to annihilate them.”

“How many people did Chunyu Xiao bring with him?”

“Less than ten, but they were all experts from the pugilist world.”

“Huailing is not far from the Capital, and there is an army stationed there. If we set off now, we can capture Chunyu Xiao before nightfall.”

Cui Hong sighed, “I can’t accompany you anymore. I must immediately enter the city to prevent the Cui clan from unwittingly helping Chunyu Xiao. The guards I brought may not be top-notch experts, but they are still useful. Please take them with you, Lord Yang.”

Yang Feng hesitated a little, but he truly wanted to capture Chunyu Xiao, “Alright, as long as you understand the situation.”

Cui Hong sighed again, “I have only one wish now, to protect the Cui clan as much as possible and not let them be buried with Chunyu Xiao.”

Yang Feng left two guards and two attendants with Cui Hong and headed straight for Huailing with the others.

As the sky began to brighten, Yang Feng had traveled about seven or eight miles when he suddenly pulled the reins of his horse. He turned the horse around and looked back at the Capital with a dramatic change in expression, “I’ve been deceived!”

Yang Feng realized he had made a serious mistake. He had originally wanted Cui Hong to return to the city to stop the Cui clan from rebelling, but Cui Hong might not have entered the city at all. Instead, he might have gone to seize the seal of the Grand Marshal of the Southern Army.