The Child Emperor

Chapter 119: Traveling on the Lake at Night

Prince Donghai pushed the door open and entered, casting a quick glance at Jin Chunzhong. He impatiently waved his hand as a sign of dismissal and Jin Chunzhong briskly withdrew.

“Have you heard? The Xiongnu and Chu have gone to war,” he said.

Han Ruzi nodded. “Who did you hear it from?”

“Uncle sent someone to inform me. The messenger just arrived, and the situation is urgent… That kid from the Jin family entered the city, right? Did you send him?”

Han Ruzi nodded again. For a moment, he thought that Prince Donghai and Jin Chunzhong had conspired to deceive him, but he immediately dismissed that idea. He didn’t trust Prince Donghai but had more confidence in Jin Chunzhong.

“What are you waiting for?” Prince Donghai was getting a bit frustrated. He had endured for a long time and was finally about to reveal his true temperament. “The Chu empire belongs to both of us. If it’s breached by the Xiongnu, we’ll lose everything. The Empress Dowager doesn’t care about the fate of the Chu empire. Do you know what she’s going to do?”

“What?”

“She is going to dispatch Shang-guan Xu to the northern frontier to fight the Xiongnu. Of course, on the surface, Shang-guan Xu volunteered, saying a bunch of grandiose words.”

“Why does the Empress Dowager want her elder brother to leave the capital?” Han Ruzi didn’t quite understand. The Empress Dowager didn’t trust many people, and although Shang-guan Xu was weak, he was one of her most important deputies.

“Not just Shang-guan Xu, but also the three uncles of the current Emperor. I don’t know who incited them, but they all submitted memorials, voluntarily joining the army to confront the Xiongnu.” Prince Donghai was infuriated, his face turning red. “The Empress Dowager has been waiting for this day. She had it all planned.”

Han Ruzi understood. Shang-guan Xu, the uncles of the current Emperor, collectively set an example for imperial in-laws. Cui Hong, an imperial in-law himself, was originally the main commander against the Xiongnu, but he had returned to the Capital without permission. Now, with the border situation deteriorating, his responsibility was immense. If he wanted to salvage his reputation, he had to emulate Shang-guan Xu and the others.

“Your uncle…”

“What can he do? He can only submit a memorial to volunteer himself for battle. Otherwise, he will be drowned in the world’s spit. It’s said that the Champion Marquis also submitted a memorial. The Empress Dowager must haeve instructed him to do so. If the Northern Army goes to war, my uncle will have no way to refuse.” Prince Donghai snorted heavily, expressing his hatred for the Empress Dowager was far greater than his jealousy towards Han Ruzi. “We can’t wait any longer. Defending the Chu empire is our responsibility. Deposing the Empress Dowager is still possible. Once you reclaim the throne, it’s perfect timing to battle the Xiongnu.”

With everything converging at once, Han Ruzi still didn’t make an immediate decision. After thinking for a while, he said, “Grand Tutor Cui sent a messenger here. Why was I not informed?”

“At a time like this, you actually care about such trivial matters?” Prince Donghai’s face turned even redder in anger.

“This is a matter of military law. I need to know why the Generals of the Left and the Right did not report the matter to me promptly.”

Han Ruzi stood up, intending to walk outside. Prince Donghai reached out to stop him, shaking his head. “Jin Chunbao was supposed to come and inform you. I said I would do so instead, so… I’m here to report the situation to you.”

Han Ruzi accepted this explanation but was not entirely satisfied. “Jin Chunbao shouldn’t…”

“What’s wrong with you? The current issue is not Jin Chunbao; it’s the Empress Dowager! It’s the Empress Dowager!” Prince Donghai raised his fist, as if he wanted to rush up and give Han Ruzi a couple of hard hits to wake him up.

“We’ll leave early tomorrow morning,” Han Ruzi said. Indeed, they couldn’t wait any longer. Without Yang Feng’s guidance, he had to make decisions on his own.

“The more delays, the more uncertainties. We should leave now,” Prince Donghai urged impatiently.

“It’s already dark. We can’t leave.”

“I’ve checked. Many of your men are fishermen by the lake. They can navigate at night, and you don’t need too many people—three or four boats, around ten individuals will suffice. If you leave now, even if you move a bit slowly, you’ll reach the riverbank by tomorrow morning. There’s no time to waste. I know you don’t trust the Cui family, but I’m already in your hands, and I don’t even have personal guards around. What else do you have to worry about?”

“Fine, summon the Generals of the Left and the Right and chief clerk Chao.”

Prince Donghai immediately went to call people. Since they had discussed it before, a plan was quickly formulated. Han Ruzi mobilized the majority of the ships, totaling twenty-one. Each boat could carry three to seven people, amounting to more than a hundred and ten individuals, with scouts, central forces, and flanks.

Prince Donghai was almost going crazy, but he couldn’t be too direct in hurrying Han Ruzi in front of others. He could only keep signaling to Han Ruzi with his eyes continuously.

The Chaos took command of the ships and militias with the orders they carried. Han Ruzi stopped Jin Chunbao, asking him to lead the way to meet the Jin family. Prince Donghai followed along. He had already decided not to leave Han Ruzi’s side.

The Jin family members were all present. Temporarily reconciled with her father, Jin Chuiduo and Marquis Guiyi were discussing the significant news brought back by Jin Chunzhong from the Capital. As soon as they saw Han Ruzi enter, they all fell silent.

Jin Chunzhong’s face still showed a trace of excitement. He lowered his head to awkwardly conceal it.

In the north, the Xiongnu were currently engaged in battle with the Chu army, and in front of Han Ruzi were a family who considered themselves Xiongnu people.

Jin Chuiduo gripped her bow, coldly observing the two outsiders.

The eldest brother, Jin Chunbao, broke the silence. “The Weary Marquis is about to head north. He won’t be back until tomorrow. He’s leaving me to guard the Riverside Village. Second brother, you have to assist me.”

The Jin family members were all surprised; they didn’t expect to be trusted at such a critical time.

For Han Ruzi, it was inevitable. The Jin family, with their single-minded desire to join the Xiongnu on the steppes, had no interest in the internal politics of the Chu empire, making them relatively more trustworthy than others.

He could only take away more than a hundred people; someone had to stay behind to look after the remaining six hundred militia members.

The Jin family members seemed to share the sentiment. Marquis Guiyi, who was originally sitting on a chair, stood up reluctantly, saying, “I’ll help too.”

A concubine quietly reminded him, “Marquis, this is a… capital offense.”

“We’ve long carried the burden of capital offenses; what’s there to fear?” Marquis Guiyi rebuked, looking at Han Ruzi. “I understand the rules. The Weary Marquis can take one hostage from the Jin family. Choose as you wish, you may even choose me.”

That was what he said but Marquis Guiyi, his two sons, and three concubines all looked towards Jin Chuiduo.

Jin Chuiduo’s face turned cold. The maidservant Qingting became anxious, “Hey, why are you all looking at Miss? How can you make a daughter a hostage? And Miss has already been treated as ‘Empress…”

Jin Chuiduo raised his bow, and Qingting immediately shut her mouth.

“I won’t be a hostage,” Jin Chuiduo said coldly.

“I don’t need a hostage,” Han Ruzi smiled. “I came here just to bid farewell and make a promise to you all. No matter what happens, I will ensure your safe journey to the steppes.”

Jin Chuiduo snorted and was about to say some sarcastic words when her father and two brothers preemptively expressed their gratitude. She had to forcefully swallow her words.

After the second watch, Han Ruzi boarded the largest fishing boat, leading more than a hundred militia members northward. Prince Donghai, Lin Kunshan, and he shared the same boat. Despite being called a large boat, it could only accommodate seven people.

Prince Donghai finally relaxed a bit, sitting at the stern, gripping the boat rail tightly, starting to worry about his own safety. “No need to rush, take it slow.”

The two middle-aged fishermen rowing the boat were more skilled in this than being soldiers. One of them chuckled, “Don’t worry. We often fish at night. Hmm, tonight’s wind is a bit strong, but even if you fall into the water, we can pull you back up.”

The night breeze was gentle, but the fishing boat swayed violently. Prince Donghai’s face turned pale, but he was the one who suggested the plan, so he couldn’t blame others. He could only repeatedly remind, “Row slower in strong winds, stay close to the shore…”

Unable to display the grandeur of a general while sitting on a small boat, Han Ruzi sat across from Prince Donghai, feeling somewhat uneasy. He looked back at the fleet of boats and couldn’t help but wonder what he was doing. One wrong step, and not only he would die, but these followers as well…

It wasn’t the first time that Han Ruzi felt a pang of empathy. He immediately withdrew such meaningless thoughts. These people came for the “Emperor.” If they encountered a hesitant and indecisive Emperor, that would be the worst-case scenario.

As the night grew darker, the wind subsided, leaving only a gentle ripple on the lake surface. Under the moonlight, looking far away, the surface of the lake seemed higher than the boat rail, creating an unsettling feeling.

Prince Donghai’s face never returned to normal. He mumbled, “I’ve traveled on a real pleasure boat before. It was so stable, like walking on level ground.”

One militia member who was paddling expressed surprise, “Isn’t our boat stable enough? We’ve been going for so long, and not a single person has fallen.”

Han Ruzi stood up and shouted loudly to the back, “Is there a boat falling behind?”

Someone from the rear replied, “There’s a leak in the boat; they’ll catch up later!”

“A leak?” Prince Donghai hastily observed the boat he was on and felt like there were several problematic areas.

The militia member paddling reassured, “Don’t worry. Leaks happen often. As long as it’s not severe, we just scoop water while on the move. If it really gets bad, we’d just head ashore.”

Prince Donghai looked at Han Ruzi. “I know this was my idea, but if something happens to me, my uncle won’t spare you.”

Han Ruzi sat back down and chuckled, “Having an uncle is nice.”

Prince Donghai didn’t have the energy to argue and turned his gaze to Lin Kunshan beside Han Ruzi. “Why are you laughing?”

“Am I laughing? Oh, I was recalling my time at Dongting Lake years ago. Unfortunately, there’s no wine or music here. Still, the scenery of Guaizi Lake is not bad.”

Prince Donghai looked ahead and asked, “Are we almost there?”

“We’ll definitely arrive before dawn,” a militia member replied.

He was right. When the fleet reached the shore, a faint light was just beginning to emerge on the horizon, and the stars in the sky were still clearly visible.

Out of the twenty-one boats, only thirteen had made it to the destination. The other fishing boats were either too slow or needed repairs due to leaks.

Han Ruzi keenly felt the challenges of leading troops, realizing that even such a simple task as moving an army was filled with unexpected difficulties.

Chao Hua, on another boat, was the first to disembark. Leading over ten people, he went ahead to gather information. Prince Donghai became increasingly anxious, “We agreed to meet here. Why hasn’t the Mad Monk arrived? Could he have changed his mind?” Lin Kunshan shook his head and said, “Master Guangding is a man of his word. Even if I entrusted my life to him, I would feel at ease.”

Prince Donghai muttered, “What’s your life worth…”

Lin Kunshan gave a slight smile to Han Ruzi. When he handed Prince Donghai over to the Mad Monk later, he wouldn’t have to feel sorry.

As the half-risen sun painted the sky, Chao Hua and his group returned, bringing more people with them.

Seeing the crowd, Prince Donghai breathed a sigh of relief, and Lin Kunshan nodded. However, Han Ruzi did not share the joy of an accomplished mission.

“Hey, Emperor, I finally caught up to you.”

A rough call echoed over the water, surprising everyone. It turned out to be Ma Da, rowing a small boat alone.

Ma Da jumped ashore, and someone called him “Donkey Kid,” but he angrily refused that name. He went straight to Han Ruzi and complained, “You sent me to do something, but you weren’t waiting at Chao’s Fishing Village. Even when I reached the Riverside Village, there was no sign of you. You’ve suddenly moved so far; do you want to exhaust me?”

“Did you see him?” Han Ruzi asked.

Ma Da didn’t say anything and instead fumbled around his body for a while, pulling out a letter. He handed it over, saying, “Here.”

Han Ruzi took the letter, ignoring the curious expressions of Prince Donghai and Lin Kunshan, walked a few steps away, and began to read.

The letter was short, but after reading it, his expression changed.

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