CH 84: Looking Up from Below

The new Emperor’s name was changed from Han She to Han Xun, and he officially ascended the throne on the first day of the first month, granting general amnesty across the country and initiating a new era name “Daochong.”

According to the court bulletin, the change of era name happened calmly and uneventfully. Senior officials submitted their memorials, and the Empress Dowager gave her approval without any hint of complications. The history books would not even did not deem this worth mentioning; there was none of the hidden struggles between the Empress Dowager and senior officials when Han Ruzi ascended to the throne.

The truth certainly was not so simple. A few days ago, in the study room of the manor, Yang Feng once again raised this issue to the Weary Marquis. This time, Han Ruzi did not need to ponder, as he had already grasped some clues, sufficient to come to a conclusion: “The palace coup half a year ago failed, and the greatest beneficiary was not the Empress Dowager, nor Cui Hong who retook the position of Grand Marshal of the Southern Army, but the senior officials in court. As the two sides battled, both sought the support of the senior officials. Everything the Empress Dowager gave up was to please them.”

Yang Feng nodded in agreement.

Han Ruzi continued to ponder, a bit of doubt rising in his heart, “They say that the Cui clan has overwhelming power, and all the officials have ties to the Cui clan. Why haven’t I seen this?”

Han Ruzi recalled his time on the throne when Cui Hong suffered a defeat at the hand of the Qi reels. It caused a shock throughout the court. The officials argued in the Hall of Diligent Administration about whether the Grand Tutor was colluding with Prince Qi. Both sides had their points, and even in that situation, it was unclear who was part of the Cui clan’s faction.

As for the palace coup, more participants were from the pugilist world, and very few court officials were involved. The only high-ranking official was Marquis Junyang, Hua Bin, who had his own agenda.

“They say that the Cui clan ‘has overwhelming power’, ‘forms cliques for personal gain’, ‘bring ruin to the country’, is ‘rebellious and immoral’… these are all the words of the senior officials — you have to learn to discern the meanings behind these words.”

“Are you saying the power of the Cui clan is fabricated by the senior officials?” Han Ruzi found this hard to believe.

Yang Feng chuckled, “You are still too young. It’s a pity that Guo Cong has left the Capital, you should really study under him for a while.”

Han Ruzi was even more confused. Guo Cong once taught him the “Book of Poem.” If it comes to the ability to put people to sleep, Guo Cong could definitely rank first among the elders. Han Ruzi couldn’t figure out what he could learn from him.

But Yang Feng did not explain further, continuing, “When you first entered the palace, you saw the Empress Dowager as an enemy, but during the palace coup, you chose to stand with the Empress Dowager. Why?”

“Because the threat from the Grand Consort and Prince Donghai was greater. They were the ones who forced me to the side of the Empress Dowager.” Han Ruzi thought this didn’t need explaining. He didn’t have a choice at the time, but once he said it, he began to understand what Yang Feng was trying to say.

Yang Feng laughed, “Many people are like you, forced to side with a certain faction. This allegiance has no loyalty, it only goes with the wind. The Cui clan certainly has its core faction members, but they are the relatives and friends of the Cui family, not many in number. More officials are drifting with the tide. If the Empress Dowager presses hard, they ally with the Cui clan; but if the Empress Dowager loosens her grip, they would prefer to remain neutral. If the Empress Dowager beckons amicably, they might easily betray the Cui clan.”

“And if the Cui clan props up Prince Donghai as Emperor, the situation will turn around.”

Yang Feng nodded. The clever Weary Marquis always reminded him of another student of his with whom he had spent longer and had a better relationship,[1] but alas… Yang Feng did not wish to think further.

On the first day of the first month of the Daochong era, everyone celebrated. The smell of the firecrackers from the previous night still lingered. Han Ruzi, along with many noble relatives, entered the palace to pay respects to the new Emperor. Lords from all places also rushed to the palace. Among them, several had the privilege of meeting the Emperor without kneeling. Han Ruzi stood with them in the first row, and under the direction of the ritual official, bowed to the new Emperor on the throne.

At that moment, Han Ruzi remembered his conversation with Yang Feng, feeling a mix of emotions. When he was seated above, he used to fantasize about the senior officials below, hoping that some upright official would step forward to help him shake off the puppet status. The final result was his abdication.

Now he stood below, looking up at the new Emperor, finally understanding why the senior officials had been indifferent back then.

After the ascension ceremony, Han Ruzi returned to his manor and immediately found Yang Feng, talking to him incessantly about his thoughts.

Looking up from below, the Emperor seemed like a part of the throne, no one knew what that plump little boy was thinking. But every movement, every look in his eyes sparked endless speculation: the little Emperor glanced to the side, indicating he was absent-minded and didn’t have a clear understanding of the imperial position; the little Emperor slightly twisted his buttocks, indicating he was not firm in his will and might not be able to survive the brutal struggle; when the eunuch spoke, the little Emperor leaned slightly to listen, indicating his dependence on the eunuchs and distrust of the senior officials…

Han Ruzi knew how ridiculous these speculations were yet how powerful they were. No one was willing to help those who might fail. Everyone wanted to stand on the winning side, himself included. The risk of helping the little Emperor was too great, whereas siding with the Empress Dowager, or simply standing by, were safer choices.

The senior officials probably thought the same about Han Ruzi back then.

But wasn’t his performance during the palace coup excellent? Upon reflection, Han Ruzi realized that everything he did at that time happened deep within the walls of the imperial palace. No one except a few eunuchs saw it happen firsthand. When the senior officials outside suddenly received the Founding Emperor’s sword, they could draw all sorts of conclusions, and not all of them credited the Emperor.

The key figures were Liu Kunsheng and Guo Cong. These two were the ones who brought the sword, whatever they said to the senior officials would naturally be believed.

After much talking, Han Ruzi was still not finished, “Liu Kunsheng was just a Captain of the Palace Gates, with few connections to the senior officials in court. Guo Cong was different, he himself had once served in the court, and had many disciples in office. Even if he retired at home, he was still a member of the officialdom. He disliked me, so he deliberately concealed my merits.”

Han Ruzi took a deep breath, “It seems you really can’t offend anyone easily, who could have thought that my fate was once held in his hands?”

Yang Feng listened with a smile, occasionally nodding, without giving his opinion, until the Weary Marquis sat down exhausted, he said, “It seems that the change in perspective was beneficial.”

“It was.” Han Ruzi murmured, his mind a mess, his eyes full of confusion, “I have beeen influenced by you.”

“Hm?”

“You said there was a mysterious gang among the heroes, I have been thinking about this, and now I feel there’s also a mysterious cabal among the senior officials.”

“Haha.” Yang Feng laughed, “It seems you still do not fully believed me.”

“If there are gangs among the heroes and the senior officials, doesn’t that mean their leaders would be equivalent to two other Emperors?”

“There is only one Emperor, but the Emperor is not omnipotent.” Yang Feng felt it was not appropriate to tell the Weary Marquis too much today, standing up and saying, “I will try to arrange for you to study at the Imperial University before I leave the Manor. There, you will have a better understanding of the court.”

“The Imperial University? Why not the College of National Scions?”[2]

The Imperial University generally enrolled students of excellent character and learning, while the College of National Scions was geared towards the sons of the nobility and aristocracy. Han Ruzi’s status was more suitable for the latter.

“Guo Cong was once the Provost of the College of National Scions, but he spent more time as a professor at the Imperial University. Most of his current disciples in office are from the Imperial University, you will get a better understanding of Guo Cong there. Plus, there are too many young masters at the College of National Scions, you won’t learn real skills there.”

“Is there really a gang among the senior officials? Why don’t you just tell me the answer?”

“Because I don’t have an answer. I was only a minor official before, then I became a eunuch. At that point, I was getting further and further away from officialdom, and I could only watch the senior officials from afar. I had no way to understand their secrets.” Yang Feng thought for a moment, “The court is not the pugilist world, and the senior officials are not the same as the heroes. Perhaps in the future, you can give me an answer.”

The assignments that Yang Feng arranged were increasing in number, and Han Ruzi felt a great deal of pressure. He hurriedly said, “These days, when I go to the city to wander around, I notice that there are not many fortune tellers around. They say the court is cracking down now, and many fortune tellers have either been arrested or have fled far away. Especially the fate seers, I have not seen any of them.”

“Don’t worry, the harder you try to find them, the further they will be from you. When they feel it’s necessary, they will come to you.” Yang Feng suddenly became serious, “Remember, if you suspect someone, don’t act rashly, notify me immediately.”

“How should I notify you when you are in the Northern Army?”

There was no one else in the study, yet Yang Feng still lowered his voice, “At the Xiaochun district of town, there is an inn known as the Drunken Immortal Inn. If necessary, go there and look for a cook named ‘Reckless’. He would be able to contact me.”

“Reckless? That’s his name?” Han Ruzi was both surprised and amused.

“He puts a lot of salt in his dishes, and everyone says he will not offer compensation if you die of too much salt. Plus he likes to fight, so everyone simply calls him ‘Reckless’. Anyway, just go look for him. But don’t go there for usual business, only when you can’t contact me at a critical moment and need help. He is… it’s okay, you can handle it.”

Han Ruzi nodded, feeling a bit more at ease. At least Yang Feng was not going to just leave. Arranging for him to go to the Imperial University, leaving a contact for emergencies, all showed that he was giving him true assistance.

“I saw Grand Tutor Cui Hong today.” Han Ruzi was eager to tell Yang Feng everything he knew, like a student eager to share his answer.

“He has finally entered the city.”

Grand Tutor Cui Hong had previously declared allegiance to the Empress Dowager, but he had stayed in the Southern Army camp, never taking a step out, let alone entering the city.

“Does this mean Cui Hong is about to make the first move?” Han Ruzi had to pay attention to this, the struggle between the Empress Dowager and the Cui family could bring him danger, but it could also be a golden opportunity.

“This means that Cui Hong has already made a move.” Yang Feng said.

Han Ruzi was shocked. Cui Hong had made a move, but he didn’t notice it at all.

Yang Feng refused to explain more, “Rest, tomorrow you have to go to the Ancestral Temple to pay homage to the ancestors.”

Han Ruzi returned to his bedroom in the back house with doubts, and Cui Xiaojun had prepared a small table of food and wine, laughing, “Someone else has become Emperor, why are you so excited?”

“I’m happy because I survived a catastrophe.” Han Ruzi also laughed. He was a lightweight when it came to alcohol, but he still poured a cup for his wife and himself.

The two chatted while eating, Han Ruzi noticed Cui Xiaojun had something on her mind, and asked, “Did you want another trinket? Tomorrow… no, in a few days, I’ll go buy it with you.”

Cui Xiaojun shook her head with a smile, “I still have a lot of things I bought before that I haven’t opened yet. I was thinking… should I go back to my parents’ house during the first month of the year?”[3]

“Yes!” Han Ruzi almost blurted out, realizing he had agreed too quickly, he added, “As long as the Cui family would be willing to let you come back.”

Han Ruzi didn’t notice the signs of Cui Hong making a move, so he thought Cui Xiaojun might be able to. And then he suddenly remembered that his wife was the biological daughter of Grand Tutor Cui Hong.

[1] In case it is forgotten, this other student was the Thoughtful Emperor, Han Ruzi’s eldest brother who died. Yang Feng served him previously.

[2] Previously translated as the Directorate of Education, but I think College of National Scions is a better fit.

[3] It is tradition that married daughters get to return to visit their maiden family during the first month of the new year. Note that “first month” here is in reference to the Chinese lunar calendar.