The Child Emperor

Chapter 104: Interests of the Zhang Family

Most would believe that they wouldn’t meet their demise too easily. Some individuals held this conviction particularly strongly, and Chai Yun was one of them. At times, he would intentionally approach “dangerous territory,” enjoying himself while also proving to himself that he was under some kind of protection.

Therefore, he couldn’t fathom what was happening with the arrow lodged in his chest, let alone understand the thoughts of the archer.

Zhang Yanghao and the others understood it well, sitting beneath the wall, yelling loudly, and kicking their feet in chaos. The two sons of Marquis Guiyi raised their swords, ordering them to be silent. One of them frowned at his sister and said, “Why kill him?”

Jin Chuiduo stared at the deposed emperor and spoke slowly, “Those plotting major events abhor indecision. Father can never make up his mind, but this time, he has no choice.” She paused, “We all have no choice now.”

Everyone was taken aback, including her two brothers. It turned out killing Chai Yun was only to strengthen the resolve of the family to escape from the Chu empire.

Han Ruzi felt a mix of fear and admiration, glanced at Chai Yun standing unsteadily in place, and said, “Trying to capture me won’t help you smoothly pass through the borders to the north. The imperial court doesn’t care about my life, Little Marquis Chai…”

Chai Yun made a choking sound. Jin Chuiduo turned around, “Shameless scoundrel, your death is well deserved. General Zhongwu’s daughter, whom you abandoned after engaging in indiscretions, married into a family that despised her. When she wrote you a letter seeking your help, where were you? She took her own life a few days ago, waiting for you on the road to the afterlife. You sought your own death when you targeted me.”

Chai Yun didn’t pay attention to Jin Chuiduo’s words, only staring in astonishment at the arrow. He raised his hands to remove it but hesitated.

Jin Chuiduo bent the bow, shot an arrow, and with a seamless motion, fired a second one. Chai Yun fell.

No one screamed; no one uttered a word. Even Jin Chuiduo’s two brothers held their breath, understanding their sister’s temperament. It was the first time they witnessed her taking a life, and a sense of awe crept into their hearts.

Jin Chuiduo took out another arrow. She said, “We don’t need this many people. Just take the imbecilic ruler; that’s enough.”

The four individuals sitting against the wall snapped out of their terror, understanding the meaning of the words. Almost simultaneously, they knelt down and begged for mercy, kowtowing.

Jin Chuiduo didn’t shoot the arrows. She turned to her two brothers and said, “Are you going to let me handle this alone?”

The two young men shivered slightly, no longer daring to argue with their sister. They brandished their swords, heading towards the four noble scions.

Qilang was in tears. “Brother Jin Er, we served together in the Yulin Guards. Please consider our camaraderie…”

The mention of the Yulin Guards provoked anger in Jin Er’s heart. He gritted his teeth and said, “Camaraderie? You have camaraderie with those who bullied me!”

Qilang froze, trying to recall any previous friendly gestures but couldn’t find any. He couldn’t even remember Jin Er’s name. Jin Er, on the other side, had already raised his sword, ready to strike.

“Stop!” The voice came just in time. If it had been a moment later, Qilang would have suffered the same fate as Chai Yun.

A middle-aged man hurried over, and the Jin siblings stepped back simultaneously, calling out, “Father.”

Marquis Guiyi arrived at the wall, bending down to check on Chai Yun. When he stood up, his face was full of anger. He scolded his daughter, who held a bow and arrows, in a low voice, “Troublemaker, do you want to ruin the whole family?” Then he turned to his two sons, “Can’t you watch her?”

Jin Da, the elder brother, and Jin Er, the younger brother, bowed their heads in silence. However, Jin Chuiduo proudly declared, “What’s done is done. Regret won’t change anything. Father, let’s prepare to return to the steppes.”

Marquis Guiyi was both anxious and furious. He paced around, addressing his daughter, “It’s not as easy as you think. Prince Du hasn’t sent any news for three days. Without him leading the way, returning to the steppes would be suicidal. Have you forgotten that our ancestors surrendered to Chu empire? We can’t even speak our tribe’s language. Who would take us in in the steppes?”

“Even if we roam the world, it’s better than staying in the Capital and being bullied. Father, have you forgotten how those people humiliated you and my two brothers? And me, your innocent daughter, was indecently humiliated by them.

Who truly regards our family as true nobility? Don’t hesitate anymore, Father. If Prince Du comes, we go together. If he doesn’t, we go on our own. I doubt Prince Du might not have the guts anyway,” Jin Chuiduo asserted.

The path ahead was indeed clear, but Marquis Guiyi still couldn’t make up his mind. He glanced around and pointed at the Weary Marquis, “How did he get here?”

“He came with Chai Yun,” Jin Chuiduo said contemptuously.

“He refused to climb over the wall. He doesn’t seem to be the same kind as Chai Yun,” Jin Er argued hesitantly. When his sister glanced at him, he immediately fell silent.

Marquis Guiyi sighed deeply, “The Chu empire is in great trouble and our family would be unable to avoid the chaos. I’ll send someone to Prince Du to inquire. Get ready. We leave the city at dawn, and then…” Marquis Guiyi looked at the Weary Marquis again, “hand him over to Grand Tutor Cui. Perhaps that will buy us some protection.”

“The Cui clan can’t be trusted,” Jin Chuiduo objected.

Marquis Guiyi snorted, “My foolish daughter, you’re thinking too simplistically. Heading to the north a thousand li away, how can our family possibly make it?”

Jin Chuiduo lowered her head and said softly, “We don’t have to bring anyone else. We can just leave on horseback, it won’t take long.”

Marquis Guiyi was furious. “Nonsense! Do you want to leave your mother behind? She’ll be dead if she stays in the Capital. Pack up quickly, and don’t cause a disturbance.”

Marquis Guiyi hurried away, leaving Jin Chuiduo discontented, “She’s not my mother…” Then she said to her two brothers, “Father has agreed. Go do what he said, we’ll only take the imbecilic ruler.”

Han Ruzi thought it best to keep quiet. At the moment, he couldn’t come up with any plan and could only watch events unfold.

The other four couldn’t stay calm. They continued to kowtow, pleading for mercy. Zhang Yanghao, gazing at Marquis Guiyi’s back, shouted, “I know where Prince Du is!”

Marquis Guiyi turned around, “You’ve seen Prince Du?”

Zhang Yanghao, desperate to stay alive, blurted out, “Prince Du… he’s already… he’s already dead.”

Marquis Guiyi and his family were shocked. The two brothers raised their knives, and Jin Chuiduo once again drew her bowstring. Zhang Yanghao hastily said, “It wasn’t me who killed him! It wasn’t me.”

Han Ruzi figured out what was happening. Prince Du was the hostage prince from the Xiongnu, and Zhang Yanghao clearly had something to do with his death.

“What happened? Who killed Prince Du?” Jin Chuiduo demanded sharply.

Zhang Yanghao, most afraid of this young girl, shifted backward, pressing against the wall. Gathering his courage, he said, “I’ll tell the truth, just don’t kill me.”

Jin Chuiduo raised her bow and arrow, “If you don’t tell the truth, I’ll kill you right now.”

Marquis Guiyi stepped forward, intercepting his daughter’s bow and arrow, “You know how the Chu empire treats people like us. We only wish to return to our homeland; we have no other demands. Tell the truth, and I’ll let you stay in the mansion. Someone will come to rescue you sooner or later.”

Jin Chuiduo was extremely displeased. She bit back her retort against her father after enduring some inner conflict.

The four individuals beneath the wall kowtowed in gratitude. Zhang Yanghao, trembling, said, “Prince Du… Prince Du was killed by someone hired by Lin Kunshan.”

The Jin family was baffled, not knowing who Lin Kunshan was. Han Ruzi, however, was shocked. “Lin Kunshan!”

All eyes turned toward Han Ruzi. Marquis Guiyi hesitated for a moment, then decided to let Zhang Yanghao continue. He asked, “Who is Lin Kunshan?”

“Lin Kunshan is a sorcerer from the pugilist world.”

“What grudge does a sorcerer from the pugilist world have with Prince Du? You’re lying,” Jin Chuiduo insisted, always needing to make a threat to feel at ease.

Zhang Yanghao, with a mournful face, said, “How could I dare to lie? It’s true. Lin Kunshan hired someone to assassinate Prince Du. He said the Chu empire and the Xiongnu have been skirmishing in the northern border, but they need a reason to escalate into a full-scale war.”

“What benefit does a sorcerer from the pugilist world gain from the Chu empire and the Xiongnu going to war?” Marquis Guiyi asked, puzzled.

Zhang Yanghao wished he could come up with a reasonable lie, but he lacked that quick-wittedness. He could only speak the truth, “With the northern border in turmoil, my grandfather can return to the battlefield, away from the troubles of the Capital. I can also go to the battlefield, make achievements, and seek a promising future.”

Jin Chuiduo angrily said, “For such a trivial matter, you lot killed the Xiongnu Prince?”

For Zhang Yanghao, this was far from a trivial matter. “My father died early, and since the war against Prince Qi, my grandfather has been idle at home. His health is not good. If he can’t regain military authoirty, our Zhang family…”

“Shut up!” Jin Chuiduo shouted, ready to draw her bow again, but her father stopped her once more.

Marquis Guiyi could understand the ambition of the Zhang family. He asked, “When was Prince Du assassinated?”

“The day before yesterday, in the early morning, at a girl’s house. She lured Prince Du out and let the assassin hired by Lin Kunshan strike,” Zhang Yanghao explained.

Marquis Guiyi didn’t want to delve into the details. He asked, “Why hasn’t there been any news in the Capital about such a major incident?”

“They hid the body. It hasn’t been discovered yet…”

Marquis Guiyi pondered the impact of this matter on his family. However, Jin Chuiduo found a loophole, “Wait, you just said that killing Prince Du was to provoke a war between Chu and the Xiongnu. Why hide the body? Wouldn’t you want the incident to be as widely known as possible?”

Zhang Yanghao couldn’t hide the truth any longer and said, “We hid the body in a deserted garden in the city, the same garden where Chai Yun and the second son of Grand Tutor Cui fought. We intended to…”

“Intended to what?” Jin Chuiduo pressed.

“Intended to frame me,” Han Ruzi, who had long suspected this, felt indignant upon hearing Zhang Yanghao’s confession. He stepped forward, “So you instigated Chai Yun to invite me, and even had me bring Du Chuanyun. At that time, only Du Chuanyun had the ability to silently kill the Xiongnu hostage. When the body was found, the imperial court would immediately suspect me.”

Zhang Yanghao nodded, admitting it.

The Jin family was now confused. Jin Chuiduo said, “Why does it involve the imbecilic ruler again?”

“Lin Kunshan said that since the Weary Marquis is a deposed emperor, he would have a motive for provoking war. It would be simple to frame him. Moreover, it would cause suspicion among various factions in the court, making the court rely more on Marquis Piyuan. The Zhang family… would benefit greatly,” Zhang Yanghao explained.

Han Ruzi didn’t know what to say. “Did you consult with your grandfather before doing this?”

Zhang Yanghao shook his head, “Grandfather is old, and I didn’t want… He wouldn’t dare to do such a thing.”

“You were deceived by Lin Kunshan; he never intended to help the Zhang family,” Han Ruzi didn’t know whether to blame Zhang Yanghao’s foolishness or admire Lin Kunshan’s manipulative skills.

Jin Chuiduo interjected, “Wait, after all is said and done, where is Prince Du’s body?”

“After I discovered it, we threw it into a dry well,” Han Ruzi said, feeling there was no need to keep it a secret.

Jin Chuiduo gave him a closer look, saying nothing. It seemed this “imbecilic ruler” wasn’t as ” imbecilic ” as she initially thought.

Feeling that his life was still in danger, Zhang Yanghao said, “You want to escape back to the north, which is great. It also benefits our plan. I can help you, or more accurately, Lin Kunshan can help you. He knows many people.”

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