CH 75: Forcible Reroute

Favors owed have to be repaid. Even the Weary Marquis, once the emperor, was no exception. On his way home, his entourage was blocked.

As a marquis who only had a salary without any fiefdom, his following was excessively large. There were twenty Stallion Guards, ten guards from the Ministry of Rites, thirty officers from the Capital Prefectural Office, thirty soldiers from the Capital Patrol Department, and over twenty followers dispatched from unknown departments. Altogether, there were more than a hundred people, a spectacle bigger than the other feudal princes who came to the capital for their audience with the Emperor.

Such a group were stopped by Northern Army soldiers, asking for their due reward.

The Northern Army’s lack of discipline was notorious. Although they mostly stayed out of power struggles within the imperial court, they were often seen shouting and yelling in taverns and brothels.

The night before, they had helped the Weary Marquis drive away a group of troublemakers. They had left quietly at the time, but now they were here to ask for their due reward.

In fact, they were already drunk, some laughing and some crying. Some were standing in the middle of the road, some were lying on the ground making a scene. If someone didn’t know better, they’d think they were a group of beggars in armor.

“If the Martial Emperor were alive, he would have beheaded them by now,” the Manor Clerk said hatefully. After the Martial Emperor, several emperors of Great Chu were replaced in quick succession, and none of them had time to deal with the Northern Army.

“Fine, fine, but everyone knows that the lack of discipline in the Northern Army was a problem caused by the Martial Emperor. Even if it’s disrespectful, I dare to say this.” The Manor Marshal said, being a minor official, he spoke rather boldly.

Yang Feng, who had gone to deal with those asking for a reward, hurried back, his face a picture of distress, “I can’t handle this, these guys are just rascals. These aren’t the ones who protected the Marquis last night. They are just extorting others under the banner of the Northern Army. I’m a eunuch, in charge of internal matters, and you two, the Manor Clerk and the Manor Marshal, are in charge of external affairs, right?”

Left with no choice, the two had to take on this thankless task.

The most effective way to deal with the unruly soldiers of the Northern Army was to scatter them with a show of force. The Manor Marshal already had this in mind. However, the Stallion Guards were of high status, and he couldn’t control them. Moreover, they had to stay behind to protect the Weary Marquis. So, he signaled the other groups of soldiers to move forward and repel the reward seekers.

The Manor Clerk stayed behind, shaking his head constantly. He lamented that the present was not as good as the past, “The Northern Army used to cause trouble outside the city, but now they are even causing trouble inside the city, this is… hmm.”

Yang Feng watched the Manor Marshal and others walk away, and then approached the carriage. He lifted the curtain and said to the inside, “Come on out.”

Han Ruzi immediately jumped out.

The Manor Clerk was startled and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, “Lord Marquis, you are of great importance, do not expose yourself to a group of soldiers. We’ll be able to set off soon.”

Yang Feng stood in the middle, “We can’t be careless, who knows if there are any ill-intentioned people in the Northern Army. Maybe this is a trap that they have set. Please, Lord Marquis, mount your horse. Let the Stallion Guards protect you and take a detour back to the manor.”

Yang Feng’s words seemed reasonable, and while the Manor Clerk was momentarily stunned, the Weary Marquis had already jumped onto Yang Feng’s horse and said to the twenty Stallion Guards, “You were ordered to protect me. Now, follow me.”

These Stallion Guards had witnessed the Captain of the Guard treating the Weary Marquis with utmost respect. They had no doubts at all, immediately echoing in agreement, and turning their horses. They were to find another way out with the Weary Marquis.

At this time, the Manor Clerk felt that something was wrong. He turned back and saw the Manor Marshal leading his men to drive away the Northern Army on the road ahead, gaining the upper hand. They would soon win, but it was too late to stop the Weary Marquis.

“Lord Marquis, please wait… I’ll come with you…”

Yang Feng grabbed the Manor Clerk around the waist and laughed, “The manor is not far from here, what is there to worry about?”

While the Manor Clerk was still struggling, Han Ruzi had already run a distance with the Stallion Guards and turned south into a small alley.

Han Ruzi didn’t know the way at all. When he saw Cai Xinghai standing guard at the corner of the street from a distance, he felt slightly relieved, knowing that Yang Feng had arranged everything.

Cai Xinghai mounted his horse and led the way.

The palace guards were divided into various camps, all characterized by their distinctive uniforms and armor. The Stallion Guards all wore gilded armor and carried spears over three meters long. They wewre extremely conspicuous, and people on the street gave way from afar.

Huashi Lane was too close to the palace, while Shuying Lane was the Cui clan’s territory. So Cai Xinghai led the group into Buddha Clothes Lane. He controlled the speed on the way, sometimes speeding up, sometimes slowing down. This continued until a Northern Army horseman came towards him and waved at him, upon which Cai Xinghai began to move at full speed.

Han Ruzi suddenly had a thought: if Cai Xinghai were leading him into a trap, he would have a hard time escaping this time. His mother had advised him not to trust anyone, but since leaving the palace, he had already trusted many people in succession.

This thought only existed for a short time. Han Ruzi was clear that in order to get things done, he needed to take risks and rely on the power of others. Being too suspicious would only make him powerless and truly alone.

Buddha Clothes Lane was very narrow, barely wide enough for two horses to ride side by side. A team of more than ten people was walking in it, and without prior knowledge, no one would think that the deposed Empress was among them.

Most of the people in the team were walking, and Han Ruzi was surprised to see two horse carriages.

Cai Xinghai scattered the walking attendants in front and shouted, “Hey, you carriages behind, follow up!”

Among the attendants, there was one who was bolder, “Who are you? Don’t you know that this carriage…”

“Of course, I know, but it’s you who don’t recognize us, do you?” Cai Xinghai turned around and pointed at the horseman who was riding over.

The man recognized the uniforms of the Stallion Guards, but not the Weary Marquis. He said blankly, “We are under the orders of the palace…”

Like Yang Fang, Cai Xinghai was adept at bluffing. He shouted and waved his riding whip, scattering the walking attendants as if he were driving away chickens, then looked at the two carriages and told the coachmen, “Follow me!”

When Han Ruzi arrived, he jumped off his horse, ran to the front of the first carriage, lifted the curtain to take a look. Inside, Cui Xiaojun was sitting, and she called out to him in surprise.

Time was pressing, so Han Ruzi nodded at her, dropped the curtain, remounted his horse, and continued to follow Cai Xinghai, heading towards Hundred Prince Street. He forgot to tell the Stallion Guards to only take one carriage.

These twenty Stallion Guards were proper palace guards, completely different from “nominal guards”. Even if they had doubts, they would not show it. Their superiors had told them to follow the orders of the Weary Marquis, so they would not ask any unnecessary questions. They consciously divided into two teams and guarded the two carriages in the middle.

The coachmen was sent from the palace and was only responsible for driving. As long as they followed the Stallion Guards, they wouldn’t be held responsible if anything went wrong. So they kept the carriages close and didn’t lag behind.

Stopping the carriage and disappearing, the whole process took only a short while. More than ten attendants were left in Buddha Clothes Lane looking at each other. Suddenly, they split into two groups, one running back to the palace and the other running towards Shuying Lane, where the Cui family resided.

Han Ruzi led his team to join up with Yang Feng and others, but Cai Xinghai ran away halfway.

The Manor Clerk and Manor Marshal were both infuriated and frustrated, yet they dared not lash out at the Weary Marquis. Seeing that he was unharmed, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, they were puzzled upon seeing two additional carriages.

“What’s going on?”

Yang Feng asked them sternly, “The Weary Marquis’s manor is off-limits to outsiders, but family members should be allowed, right?”

“Uh… of course, but the family of the Weary Marquis…” The complexion of the Manor Clerk suddenly changed, and his voice trembled as he spoke, “This… this can’t be right, there was no order from…”

“Were there orders that said that the Lord Marquis and his wife are not allowed to reunite?”

The Manor Clerk and Manor Marshal could not respond. While they were stunned, the Weary Marquis, Stallion Guards, and the two carriages had already driven past them. Yang Feng also followed.

“I said from the beginning that this errand would be disastrous, I didn’t expect it to come so soon!” The Manor Clerk was filled with regret, feeling that he should have resisted orders and refused to come to the manor of the Weary Marquis in the first place. But now there was no other choice. He said to the Manor Marshal, “You follow them, I’ll go back to the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs…”

Han Ruzi’s heart was still pounding. He told Yang Feng who had caught up, “Everything went smoothly.”

“Let’s talk about it when we get back to the manor.”

The team was already in disarray, with only the Stallion Guards able to maintain an orderly formation, while soldiers from the other departments who were sent were all running in confusion behind the team.

Upon reaching Hundred Prince Street, Yang Feng galloped ahead, ordering the side gate to be opened wide, allowing the team behind to drive straight into the front yard.

Han Ruzi dismounted, then went to the first carriage, the coachman had already moved to one side. He lifted the curtain, exchanged a smile with Cui Xiaojun, and said, “We’re home.”

Cui Xiaojun was so excited that she could not speak. She just nodded, her body weak. Supported by Han Ruzi, she descended from the carriage. The eunuchs and palace maids had been waiting for a long time, and immediately a number of palace maids came forward to greet the lady of the house.

In the manor, there were also official servants sent by the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs, who were so stunned that they dared not come forward.

Han Ruzi said to Cui Xiaojun, “You rest first, I will come later.”

Cui Xiaojun held onto his hand tightly, her eyes filled with tears. She was still unable to speak. The tension and unease in Han Ruzi’s heart disappeared completely, so he smiled again, “Even if the Empress Dowager herself comes, she shall not take you away.”

Cui Xiaojun nodded solemnly, then finally let go of his hand, and with the palace maids and eunuchs escorting her, she headed towards the rear house.

Han Ruzi had made a bold statement, but he understood very well that his ability to keep his wife depended on the Empress Dowager not interfering in this matter, and on Grand Tutor Cui, having stayed with the Southern Army and not entering the city, not changing his plans for his daughter. Apart from these two, he was not afraid of anyone else.

Yang Feng ordered the gate to be closed and was arranging for the twenty Stallion Guards to have a place to rest. Han Ruzi, accompanied by several eunuchs, approached the second carriage. Earlier in the excitement, he had forgotten to ask his wife who was in the carriage behind her. He felt a bit of regret. He should have been more composed before and left this carriage where it was.

Han Ruzi lifted the curtain and saw a face filled with extreme terror. As soon as they made eye contact, both of them were taken aback.

“It’s you!” they exclaimed simultaneously.

Zhang Youcai curiously peeked in, and he too was taken aback, “Prince Donghai!”

Prince Donghai was terrified, desperately trying to retreat, “Where is this? Why did you bring me here? You’re not the Emperor anymore, you won’t end well if you kill me.”

Han Ruzi laughed, “This is my home. I don’t want to kill you. I didn’t even know you had left the palace. This is an accident.”

Prince Donghai looked somewhat skeptical, glancing outside several times. The night was just falling, and he couldn’t see clearly. However, once he was slightly calmer, his reaction was surprisingly fast, “Oh, you wanted to abduct my cousin, and you brought me along as well.”

Han Ruzi dropped his smile, “You didn’t mistreat her, did you?”

“We got into separate carriages, and I have not seen her face in months. How could I possibly mistreat her… You’re quite bold, daring to kidnap people!”

Han Ruzi started thinking things through, “The Empress Dowager sent you out of the palace as well, who does she want to set up as the Emperor?”

Prince Donghai snorted angrily, “We’ve all been deceived! The Cui clan has been deceived as well!”