CH 74: Discussion by the Sidelines

The dinner was quite sumptuous, but Han Ruzi found it less delicious than the rice porridge and pickles he had for breakfast. Zhang Youcai, who was serving on the side, felt the same way: “I didn’t notice it earlier, but now all the smells from that meal are lingering in my nose, quite peculiar indeed.”

After the meal, Han Ruzi returned to his study. The bedroom in the main house was still being tidied up, so he had to stay here for the time being.

Several wooden boxes were arranged in the room, filled with brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, fans, accessories and other small items, but there were no books. It seemed that he would have to buy some for himself in the future.

Zhang Youcai came in to light the candles, and asked, “Master, are you sure you don’t need me to serve you?”

Han Ruzi shook his head, he preferred to be alone in his study.

It was not long after nightfall when Cai Xinghai returned. He had been busy all day, running around outside, and finally brought back some crucial information.

“Tomorrow at dusk, the Lady will leave the palace through the Penglai Gate on the north side. She will walk through Huashi Lane, Buddha Clothing Lane and Shuying Lane, and be sent into the Cui manor through the back door,” said Cai Xinghai, catching his breath, “This is outrageous! The Lady was once an Empress. Even if she was deposed, she still has the right to leave the palace in broad daylight and enter her home through the front door.”

Han Ruzi sympathized with Cui Xiaojun, and was even more resolved to bring her to his manor.

However, Yang Feng’s attention was not on the Lady. He asked, “Any news about the enthronement?”

Cai Xinghai sighed, “The Empress Dowager kept Prince Donghai in Cishun Palace. Jing Yao has been frequently traveling between the palace and the Southern Army these days. It seems that they want to make Prince Donghai the Emperor.”

“Prince Donghai seems to be getting his wish.” Han Ruzi was a little jealous in his heart. The thought of possibly having to kneel and pledge allegiance to Prince Donghai in the future made him feel uncomfortable.

Yang Feng sat on a box, thought for a while, and said, “It might not necessarily be Prince Donghai.”

Cai Xinghai knew Yang Feng was a smart man, but he believed more in the information he had heard, “It’s all over the city. They say that Grand Tutor Cui, who controls the Southern Army, demands the Empress Dowager to make his nephew the Emperor, or else he will massacre the Capital. When I was in the Northern Army, the soldiers were terrified, fearing the onset of war.”

“But you were still able to lead a group of Northern Army men into the city, which shows that the Northern Army is not prepared for war,” said Yang Feng.

Cai Xinghai scratched his head, “There’s no helping it. The Northern Army has been fragmented for so many years. Even if the Empress Dowager wants to confront the Southern Army, she would not use them. Also, I heard that many senior officials have been currying favor with Grand Tutor Cui. If they aren’t able enter the Southern Army’s camp, they would go to the Cui residence in the city to present cards and gifts. The front door of the Cui residence has been bustling with carriages and horses for several months now.”

Yang Feng said nothing, just smiled. After chatting for a while, Cai Xinghai took his leave.

Yang Feng stood up, “Lord Marquis, what do you think?”

“I have too little information to make a judgment.”

“Having too much information isn’t necessarily a good thing either. You need to learn to understand the big picture from small clues.”

Han Ruzi thought for a while, “Last night, you asked me to think about something: as a ruler, how can one clearly express their intentions?”

“Mm, do you have an answer?”

“Not yet, I’m considering the opposite question: as a ruler, how can one understand the true thoughts of their ministers? This is the biggest dilemma the Empress Dowager is facing now.”

Yang Feng nodded, “Putting oneself in others’ shoes is key to understanding the big picture. Please continue.”

“The Empress Dowager waited five months before allowing me to abdicate. During this period, rumors were rampant. As Cai Xinghai mentioned, many senior officials turned to the Cui clan— perhaps this is the Empress Dowager’s way of understanding the true thoughts of her ministers, by watching their actions, not just listening to their words.”

Yang Feng neither agreed nor disagreed. He gestured for the Weary Marquis to continue.

“There are those who flatter the Cui clan, but there are also those who avoid and even oppose the Cui clan. In this way, the Empress Dowager can see who among the senior officials stand on her side,” Han Ruzi mused. Imagining himself as the Empress Dowager, as a sovereign who held power, things gradually became a bit clearer, “The Empress Dowager will never establish the Prince Donghai. He is different from me, he has the backing of the Cui clan. Making him emperor would send a wrong message to the court that the Cui clan has won and the Empress Dowager has lost. In that case, she would have no chance to turn the tide.”

Yang Feng finally nodded, “That’s exactly my guess.”

The confusion in Han Ruzi’s heart did not dissipate, but deepened, “Such an obvious fact, can’t Grand Tutor Cui see it? The longer he waits, the more disadvantageous it is for him. And those officials, are they making the same mistake?”

Yang Feng smiled slightly, “Things are not that simple. Marquis Juan, you have only thought about the situation from the Empress Dowager’s perspective, not from Grand Tutor Cui’s.”

Han Ruzi thought for a while, then sighed, “It’s too hard. The Cui clan has deep roots in the court, and Grand Tutor Cui has regained control of the Southern Army. His chances of victory are quite high, especially since the Empress Dowager gotten me to abdicate, which is tantamount to showing weakness to the Cui clan. Even with her strategic planning, she may not be able to succeed. No wonder some officials would turn to the Cui clan.”

“That’s why your abdication and retreat from the strife may not be a bad thing.”

Han Ruzi smiled. It was easy to abdicate but hard to regain the position. He could only watch the battle from the sidelines and talk, “So who will the Empress Dowager make emperor? The Han clan has many descendants, but only Prince Donghai and I are sons of the Graceful Emperor. If she makes someone else emperor, her position as Empress Dowager becomes somewhat illegitimate. Is she still going to make Prince Donghai the emperor, but find a way to deter the Cui clan and officials?”

“We will probably know the result tomorrow night.” Yang Feng didn’t share his own judgment, “The struggle between the Empress Dowager and the Cui clan is likely to continue for some time, but the battle tomorrow is crucial, and it is also very important for you.”

“If Prince Donghai becomes emperor as expected, the power of the Cui clan will rise, and the influence of the Empress Dowager in the court will decline. By then, anyone who comes to kill me will not be doing it to please the Empress Dowager, but to please the Cui clan and Prince Donghai.”

“Rest. We’re just discussing the situation here, we don’t have to come to a conclusion. The art of being an emperor has its orthodox and unorthodox aspects. Orthodox means relying on the overall situation, while unorthodox refers to the politicking between parties. The Empress Dowager and Grand Tutor Cui might unexpectedly win with a surprise move. That is something we can’t guess at.”

Han Ruzi couldn’t immediately calm his mind. He nodded, his mind still busy with thoughts. Seeing that Yang Feng had already reached the door, he said, “The officials of the Ministry of Rites see me as a threat, have they learned something in advance?”

Yang Feng stopped, “Half a year ago, the Empress Dowager promoted Yuan Jiuding, the Minister of Rites, and brought him into the Hall of Diligent Governance. It couldn’t have been for no reason.”

“Back then, the palace coup hadn’t happened yet. Did the Empress Dowager want me to abdicate long ago? Did my mother just happen to speak to the Empress Dowager’s heart?”

“Don’t think too much, some things might never have an answer, some things you’ll only understand once you’re in that position.” Yang Feng went out the door, leaving Han Ruzi with a pile of doubts.

Han Ruzi undressed himself, blew out the candle, and lay in bed unable to sleep for a long time.

“The Cui clan…” The thought of the Cui clan possibly marrying all their daughters to Prince Donghai as his wives and concubines made Han Ruzi feel an indomitable need to get his wife back.

But Yang Feng’s relaxed attitude took Han Ruzi by surprise. Did he think that the Cui clan was bound to lose in the struggle with the Empress Dowager, so he didn’t mind offending the Cui clan?

Yang Feng’s plan to use twenty Stallion Guards to bring his wife to his manor was simple, but not easy to carry out.

The next morning, when Zhang Youcai came to serve the Weary Marquis, he said, “Making a fuss at the Ministry of Rites yesterday really worked. There are soldiers everywhere outside our manor, there must be hundreds from one end of the street to the other.”

Not only that, the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs had appointed a Manor Clerk and Manor Marshal to carry out their duties in managing the Manor of the Weary Marquis. They didn’t care much about other matters, but were extremely strict about those entering and leaving the Marquis’s mansion. Names, appearances, reasons for visiting, and times were all meticulously recorded.

The Marquis’s manor was indeed safe, but it had also lost its initial freedom. Han Ruzi found it difficult even to leave the house, let alone kidnap someone on the way. He couldn’t help feeling a bit anxious.

Yang Feng, however, didn’t seem to be in a hurry at all. He seemed to have completely forgotten about today’s important event and spent the whole morning entangled with the two manor officials. These two were appointed by the imperial court to both serve and openly monitor the Marquis. Yang Feng, as the steward of the Marquis’s mansion, although without a formal rank, had more to manage and oversee.

In order to argue over the scope of their respective duties and who had a higher status, Yang Feng and the mansion officials began a fierce battle. The opponents were not weak either, always citing the arrangements of the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs or long-standing precedents.

Seeing that it was past noon, Han Ruzi started to get restless. Cai Xinghai was running in and out, constantly winking at the Weary Marquis.

Not long after midday, Cai Xinghai was expelled from the manor. He was not on the designated list of eunuchs and he was not an official servant, so it was inappropriate for him to stay in the mansion too long.

Yang Feng struggled but eventually succumbed, personally escorting Cai Xinghai out of the mansion. Du and his grandson were also expelled as their origins were unclear and they couldn’t be allowed to stay in the manor.

On the surface, Yang Feng seemed to have lost more battles than he won in this series of disputes. As the steward, he found his authority dwindling, and he kept shaking his head and stamping his feet in frustration.

An hour into the afternoon, Yang Feng finally achieved a small victory: he obtained the agreement of the manor officials to hire a tutor for the Weary Marquis.

After a morning of conflict, the Manor Clerk and Manor Marshal were exhausted. When they heard that the tutor was Guo Cong, the Weary Marquis’s former teacher in the palace, they reluctantly agreed. Guo Cong had been an official in the court for decades and was trustworthy.

Seizing the opportunity, Yang Feng declared that he would immediately go to invite the teacher, and the Marquis himself would do the inviting. “You know the status of Old Teacher Guo. He made meritorious contributions in suppressing the rebellion a few months ago and was heavily rewarded by the court. If not for his old age and his refusal to serve in the court, he would at least be a minister now…”

The manor officials were dizzy from the argument and had no choice but to nod their heads. However, they made a request: the two manor officials, twenty Stallion Guards, and several soldiers sent by the various departments would have to accompany them. They could not allow the Weary Marquis to ride alone through the streets again.

Yang Feng argued a little more and reluctantly accepted the conditions.

Han Ruzi traveled by horse carriage, not the kind of open carriage with a fancy canopy, but a closed carriage like a sedan chair, probably custom-made for him. After getting in, he found that the curtains on both sides had been sewn shut, so he couldn’t look out, and people outside couldn’t see him.

Seeing that dusk was not far off, Han Ruzi, no matter how he calculated, felt that it was too late. Guo Cong was a very formal old gentleman, and the simple act of meeting him would take a considerable amount of time.

As it turned out, Guo Cong was not at home. Perhaps wishing to stay away from court intrigues, the old teacher had retired and returned to his hometown in Guandong a month ago.

Yang Feng was quite disappointed, while the two manor officials who had accompanied them seemed quite nonchalant. They obviously knew in advance that this trip would return without success.

Han Ruzi could only admire Yang Feng. They finally squeezed out time to pick up Cui Xiaojun, but he didn’t know how they could shake off the two manor officials.