CH 79: Wishes

The study room was newly refurbished, with cushions laid on the chairs and writing implements arranged neatly on the desk. New books bought not long ago were piled on the floor, some still unboxed. Han Ruzi wanted to arrange them personally, but his wish to laze around in the study room did not materialize.

During the day, Yang Feng spent most of his time in the study room, discussing the court situation with the Weary Marquis. It was mostly Yang Feng talking, occasionally raising a question or two, enough to keep Han Ruzi thinking for a day or two.

After several days of snowfalls, the Capital welcomed a rare clear day, but Yang Feng was oblivious. Sitting across the desk, he meticulously examined the imperial court bulletin that had just been delivered.

Court bulletins were delivered every three to five days, promulgating important documents issued by the court. After moving away from the palace, Yang Feng could no longer keep tabs on the situation within the imperial palace, and could only keep up with the goings-on in the imperial court. Though a bit delayed, it was better than being completely ignorant.

Yang Feng selected a bulletin and pushed it in front of the Weary Marquis. Han Ruzi picked it up and quickly skimmed through it. “Has Cui Hong already admitted defeat?”

It had been ten days since the Empress Dowager selected a new Emperor, yet Han She, the orphan of Crown Prince Yong, had not officially ascended the throne. These ten days were tense both inside and outside the Capital, with everyone waiting for the Empress Dowager’s next move and for Grand Tutor Cui Hong’s response.

Cui Hong had every reason to be furious. He had been secretly negotiating with the Empress Dowager for five months through the eunuch Jing Yao, only to receive a completely unexpected result: Not only did Prince Donghai fail to become the Emperor, his ability to compete for the throne had also weakened, falling behind the deposed Emperor Han Ruzi, the orphan of Crown Prince Ju Han Shi, and the orphan of Crown Prince Yong, Han She.

The entire court’s structure had changed dramatically. The Cui clan was no longer an indispensable participant in the race for the throne. Yang Feng couldn’t stop praising the Empress Dowager’s move, but he couldn’t figure out how she had found these two individuals unnoticed and reached a consensus with the senior officials.

Yet Cui Hong still controlled the Southern Army, the Capital’s most elite soldiers. He could still fight to the death with the Empress Dowager. Especially on the day when Han She was appointed Crown Prince, and the influence of Han Shi, the orphan of Crown Prince Ju, over the Southern Army hadn’t fully manifested. The Southern Army still obeyed Cui Hong’s orders.

That day, all city gates of the Capital were sealed, prohibiting anyone from entering or exiting. Soldiers on the city walls were on edge, their swords drawn and crossbows ready.

The city gates remained closed for three days. Even the bodies of the dead could only temporarily rest at home and could not be taken out of the city for burial.

On the fourth day, the newly appointed Grand Marshal of the Northern Army, Han Shi, conducted a parade to review his troops outside the city. The Northern Army, known for its laxity, actually assembled seventy to eighty percent of its forces. After training for a morning, nearly a hundred thousand soldiers faced the city wall and cheered loudly, their voices echoing for miles.

The Northern Army’s weak combat power could not be restored instantly, but the actions of the Northern Army still had a significant impact. The Southern Army’s support for Grand Tutor Cui Hong was no longer as firm, and more and more soldiers remembered the days when Crown Prince Ju served as their Grand Marshal.

Cui Hong eventually compromised. Not at once, but gradually. First, he submitted a letter apologizing for returning to the Capital without permission. After being forgiven, he joined the ranks of those seeking to clear the name of the former Crown Princes, suggesting that Han Shi be appointed a prince instead of marquis. However, this suggestion was rejected by the Empress Dowager.

The court bulletin that Han Ruzi was reading was the fifth petition from Cui Hong, delivered yesterday.

The Director of Palace Attendant, Jing Yao, had been impeached in Han Xing’s speech. He was named as one of the culprits responsible for the wrongful deaths of the two Crown Princes. He had been hiding in the Southern Army camp since, and Cui Hong protected him for nine days before finally handing him over.

“I thought Jing Yao was loyal to the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager trusted Jing Yao.” Han Ruzi didn’t have a clear understanding of this matter.

Yang Feng put down the court bulletin he was holding, “As I’ve said, when necessary, the entire world has to be implicated. The Empress Dowager still trusts Jing Yao, but she had to sacrifice him to gain the support of the senior officials.”

“Did Jing Yao really cause the death of the two Crown Princes?”

Yang Feng laughed, “I’m not entirely sure about the causes of death of Crown Princes Ju and Yong. But I do know that when an Emperor wants to kill someone, they do not need to find an excuse themselves. There will always be countless people who would find that excuse for the Emperor. Jing Yao must have done a lot of this to be promoted to his position of Director of Palace Attendant, but he would not be the only one.”

“But the senior officials particularly dislike him.”

“You’ve been to the Hall of Diligent Administration. If you were an official, would you like the eunuch who holds the Imperial Seal?”

Han Ruzi shook his head with a smile, “What about the Sealbearer, Liu Jie? How did he do it?”

“Liu Jie was purely and only a bearer of the Imperial Seal. Every day he handed the seal to the Emperor and then took it back. He never stamped it on the officials’ petitions himself.”

Han Ruzi didn’t like Jing Yao, but at this moment, a chill arose in his heart. The senior officials appeared submissive on the surface, but they were ruthless to outsiders who intruded on their territory.

“Even though the Empress Dowager arrested many people in the court using the case of Prince Qi’s rebellion, the senior officials did not object. However, they deeply hated a eunuch who was Sealbearer, and they wished to eliminate him swiftly.” Han Ruzi didn’t sympathize with Jing Yao; he just sighed, gradually understanding his father’s fear of the senior officials.

“Regardless of their factions, the senior officials all share a common thought: the emperor and the officials should assist each other, each managing their own domain. It’s like a marriage. As for who is the husband and who is the wife, the officials and the emperor might not agree. They can live harmoniously, or they might quarrel, but no matter what, outsiders are not allowed to intervene. And eunuchs are outsiders.”

“Is the Empress Dowager not an outsider?”

“That’s why the Empress Dowager must firmly control a puppet.” Yang Feng didn’t continue. The court of the Chu empire was shaky—everyone saw it, but nobody knew if or when the structure would collapse, “The court is temporarily stable for now. The next challenge is how to deal with the Xiongnu in the north.”

In the autumn, the Xiongnu did indeed invade on a large scale, carrying off some population and wealth, but they did not venture too deep. The Chu border army primarily adopted a defensive stance and did not pursue them. Peace, however, had been shattered. After the new Emperor’s ascension, this threat must be addressed first.

“If I were the Emperor…” Han Ruzi couldn’t help imagining what he would do.

Yang Feng, unaware of the Han Ruzi’s thoughts, turned towards the door and said, “Come in.”

Zhang Youcai walked in, holding a pile of account books and papers. He placed them on the desk and said, “Is the lesson over?”

He treated the daily discussions between his master and Yang Feng as lessons and did not dare to interrupt lightly.

Yang Feng hummed, picked up a few papers, scanned them, and immediately felt a headache, “Why are there so many expenses every day?”

“Ah, Steward Yang, people say one doesn’t know the cost of firewood and rice until they run the household, and you still don’t understand even though you are in charge. Our place is a marquis’s manor after all, with nearly a hundred people from top to bottom. Just the daily meals…”

Yang Feng raised his hand to signal Zhang Youcai not to continue, “We need a bookkeeper to handle these matters.”

Han Ruzi held back his laughter. Yang Feng could deduce the intentions of the Empress Dowager and other movers and shakers of the imperial court, but he couldn’t figure out the accounts of a marquis’s manor. But he was not in a position to mock Yang Feng. He himself also couldn’t understand the accounts, and even if he could, he wasn’t interested.

“I’ll go out and hire someone this afternoon,” said Yang Feng helplessly.

Zhang Youcai gave Han Ruzi a knowing look. Han Ruzi said, “If you have something to say, say it. Do you have a candidate in mind?”

Zhang Youcai stuck out his tongue and gave Yang Feng a sheepish smile, “There are many people who have left the palace to join us here. Maybe some of them know how to keep accounts.”

Yang Feng coldly said, “Don’t play games, who is it?”

Zhang Youcai scratched his head awkwardly, “He Yi. He left the palace with me, and he used to keep accounts in the palace.”

Yang Feng wasn’t particularly familiar with the eunuchs in the palace. He thought for a moment and said, “Bring him here.”

Zhang Youcai happily agreed and ran out, jumping with joy.

“It’s a good thing you’re only a marquis,” Yang Feng said mysteriously. He then added, “These eunuchs and palace maids voluntarily left the palace for a reason, you handle it.”

“Eh, are you leaving me alone again?” Han Ruzi found that whenever things got complicated, Yang Feng would always drop them and leave.

“I need to go out and inquire about the situation…” Yang Feng said vaguely, got up and left. Han Ruzi couldn’t call him back.

Zhang Youcai brought back a thin old eunuch. Seeing Yang Feng was gone, he was quite surprised, “Where is Steward Yang?”

Han Ruzi had an impression of this old eunuch. He nodded at him, “He doesn’t need to be here. I can make decisions on my own.”

“That’s even better.” Zhang Youcai breathed a sigh of relief, he was more afraid of Yang Feng than the master, “Uncle He used to be in……”

Han Ruzi raised his hand to stop Zhang Youcai from speaking, he asked the old eunuch He Yi: “Have you ever managed accounts in the palace?”

“Only in the Department of Lighting, where the daily consumption is relatively large. I kept accounts for over a decade.”

Han Ruzi didn’t understand accounting, so he couldn’t ask for details. Instead, he asked, “Keeping accounts is not heavy work, why did you want to leave the palace to join me?”

“He was being ostracized. The superiors always wanted to get rid of Uncle He…” Zhang Youcai answered for the old eunuch.

He Yi chuckled bitterly, “Thank you, Youcai, for covering for me, but I have to tell the truth to the master. Um… actually, I love wine and can’t stand the strict rules in the palace, so…”

Just mentioning the word “wine,” the old eunuch smacked his lips, laughing even more awkwardly.

Han Ruzi also laughed, “Have you ever made a mistake in your accounting work in the palace?”

“How would I dare? If even one ounce of oil or a piece of candle is unaccounted for, I would be beaten.”

“Our accounts here aren’t that complicated, and our rules are not that strict. But if you make a mistake—” Han Ruzi thought for a while, “you’ll be punished with at least a month of no drinking.”

He Yi widened his eyes, “That’s stricter than being beaten! Rest assured, Lord Marquis, I will not make mistakes!”

Han Ruzi turned to Zhang Youcai, “Tell me, what is your wish after leaving the palace?”

Zhang Youcai’s eyes widened even more, “The master doesn’t believe me… the master doubts me…”

“You all followed me out of the palace, and I’m very grateful. Today, I’m in a good mood and want to fulfill your wishes, as far as possible. If you tell me, I will try to make it happen; if you do not, then forever hold your peace.

Zhang Youcai flicked his own forehead and laughed, “Now that the master asks, I do have a small wish.”

“Mm?”

“I hope to learn martial arts and become your bodyguard in the future.”

Han Ruzi laughed loudly. He knew that this kid was just a sweet talker, but he still felt gratified. He got up and said, “He Yi, you deal with the accumulated accounts, then ask about the wishes of everyone who left the palace. I shall handle it when I come back. Zhang Youcai, come with me. We shall take a trip out of the manor”

“Are we going to find a martial arts expert to learn skills?” Zhang Youcai’s eyes lit up.

Han Ruzi shook his head. He didn’t want to learn martial arts, nor did he want to inquire about the situation in the court. This time he only wanted to do one thing. “We’re going to buy some chicks and ducklings for the Lady.”