The Child Emperor

Chapter 89: Crossing the Line

Chapter 89: Crossing the Line

Du Chuanyun, though young, was a true veteran of the pugilist world. At the inn, he was dressed in the attire of the Weary Marquis’s servants, so the other person couldn’t discern his background. However, he recognized at a glance that Lin Kunshan must be a sorcerer of the pugilist world. At the time, he didn’t reveal this, but only made it clear to the Weary Marquis after returning home.

Han Ruzi wanted to deny it. So he smiled and tried to shrug it off, saying, “We were just chatting casually. It doesn’t matter even if he’s a sorcerer of the pugilist world.”

Du Chuanyun’s face was flushed, yet his expression was serious. “Lord Marquis, I’ve been wandering the pugilist world since I was born. I might not understand much else, but these little tricks can’t escape my notice. The two of you weren’t just ‘casually chatting.’ If you trust me, tell me the truth. If you don’t, I’ll go find my grandfather, pack up, and leave. I won’t be in the way here. In the future, if there’s a real crisis in the manor, our Du family won’t be mocked by our pugilist friends for lacking capability.”

Han Ruzi was rendered speechless by his words, his face turning red. At that moment, Zhang Youcai entered the room holding sobering soup. He whispered, “Let’s talk in the study later.”

Zhang Youcai grinned foolishly, struggling to maintain his balance. “‘Not returning until drunk,’ well, I wasn’t drunk, and I still came back, didn’t I?”

“Where are you going?” Du Chuanyun stepped forward, took the tray from him with half of the soup already spilled, placed it on the table, and pulled Zhang Youcai along, saying, “Come on, I’ll take you to find a place to vomit.”

“Why vomit after such a delicious feast and drinks?” Zhang Youcai’s steps were unsteady, and he stumbled along as they went outside.

Han Ruzi hadn’t drunk much, and suddenly he was fully awake. He sat dazedly for a while and then hurriedly headed to the study.

Not long after, Du Chuanyun arrived, not bothering to knock, and entered the room directly. His complexion had mostly returned to normal, and it was hard to tell he had been drunk moments ago. “Zhang Youcai went to sleep. Hah, such little capacity for alcohol, and he still had the nerve to have a drinking contest with me.”

Han Ruzi stood up and walked in front of Du Chuanyun, bowing respectfully with clasped hands. “I must apologize to you. Since I’ve kept you as my bodyguard, I shouldn’t have hidden anything from you.”

Du Chuanyun waved his hand indifferently. “You don’t have to confess everything either. But that Lin Kunfeng is clearly an adept of the art of deception. I was afraid you would be deceived. If anything happens, we wouldn’t be able to explain ourselves to Yang Feng. That damn eunuch… you know…”

Du Chuanyun shook his head helplessly.

Han Ruzi asked, “How exactly did you and Yang Feng become acquainted? You only mentioned owing him your life. You’ve never told me the details.”

“If you want to know, I’ll tell you. My grandfather and I have been wandering the pugilist world for years, so we have many friends. One friend with whom we had a good relationship was named Zhao You, from Baima County. Somehow, he got involved with the Fate Seers. When Yang Feng was seeking to apprehend a wanted criminal, he killed Zhao You. Naturally, we had to seek revenge… Why does your expression change?”

“Chunyu Xiao!” Han Ruzi blurted out, unaware of his own changing expression. “So you also know about the Fate Seers!”

“Of course, we know. It’s also a profession in the pugilist world. They keep to their own business, and we keep to ours. We can still be friends. But Chunyu Xiao and his group crossed the line.”

“Crossed the line?”

“How should I put it…” Du Chuanyun furrowed his brow, thinking of a simple way to explain the rules of the pugilist world to Weary Marquis. “Let’s talk about Chunyu Xiao. He incited Prince Qi to rebel. We didn’t mind; we even admired him. When the imperial court pursued him, we didn’t care either. We had to shelter him and help him when necessary. But when Chunyu Xiao wanted to rebel to seize power for himself, that’s crossing the line. Not only would we not help him, but if we meet him, we’ll deal with him.”

Han Ruzi became puzzled, “What’s the difference between inciting Prince Qi to rebel and seizing power for himself?”

“The difference is significant. Inciting others to rebel is business, it’s a skill. The key is the manipulation, not the rebellion itself. It’s about adjusting your speech according to your audience. The other person is the one who wants to rebel. You are just going along with it and making some money along the way. Is that a crime? The other person is the one who chooses to rebel, not that the Fate Seers have forced anyone to rebel. It’s like enjoying magic tricks; If I perform the ‘Traceless in the Snow’ trick for you, it’s not wrong for me to take some money from you, right?”

Han Ruzi nodded with a smile.

“But if I were to use light-foot martial arts to break into your house to steal things or even take lives, that would bring shame to the pugilist world. Divination is mostly made up; the bigger the claims, the better. Even if you want to become an immortal, they’ll say ‘expect small achievements in three years, ascension in ten years.’ But if Chunyu Xiao really wants to personally rebel, it’s like going from performing tricks to directly robbing people, showcasing light-foot martial arts during the day and stealing at night.”

“The rules of the pugilist world are different from the laws of the imperial court,” Han Ruzi understood Du Chuanyun’s meaning.

“That’s right, the rules in our pugilist world are more reasonable,” Du Chuanyun boldly asserted.

Han Ruzi didn’t necessarily find the rules of the pugilist world more reasonable, but he was starting to understand the code of conduct among pugilists. “That Lin Kunshan in the tavern is one of Chunyu Xiao’s men.”

“Are you sure?”

“I heard it from Yang Feng. Chunyu Xiao has used many aliases, and one of them was Lin Qianfeng. The name Kunshan is an acronym of the name Qianfeng.”

“So, you were intentionally waiting for him?”

Han Ruzi recounted the incident with the mad monk Guangding and concluded, “I promised to find Chunyu Xiao for Yang Feng. If he truly wants to rebel, he might be interested in me, a deposed emperor.”

“Our goals are aligned then! That damned eunuch Yang Feng didn’t bother to inform us beforehand.” Du Chuanyun said with bitterness, secretly admiring the “damned eunuch.” “My grandfather and I also want to capture Chunyu Xiao, to find out if he really planned to rebel. If he did, there’s nothing to say—we were wrong about Zhao You. We won’t seek revenge for him anymore. If he didn’t plan to rebel, then even if Yang Feng spared our lives, we still have to take proper vengeance for our friend!”

Du Chuanyun’s words were resolute, and Han Ruzi chuckled, saying, “There’s abundant evidence that Chunyu Xiao intended to rebel. Since you’re also in the know, that’s perfect. Let’s invite your grandfather over and discuss a strategy together, then find a way to inform Yang Feng.”

“Do we have to inform both of them?”

“Why not?”

Du Chuanyun wasn’t fond of sitting in chairs; he hopped onto a nearby stool, squatting as he spoke to the Weary Marquis. “Think about it. My grandfather would say, ‘This matter is too dangerous. You two should behave and leave it to me to handle.’ Yang Feng would say, ‘Hmm, you’ve done well. Rest assured, I’ve already devised a plan.’ A couple of days later, he’ll say, ‘That wasn’t Chunyu Xiao; it was just one of his disciples. I hope your information next time can be more accurate and not be a waste of my time.'”

Han Ruzi laughed a few times. “You’ve got his mannerisms down pretty well.”

“Lin Kunshan probably isn’t Chunyu Xiao himself, right?” Du Chuanyun asked.

“The age and appearance doesn’t match what has been said about Chunyu Xiao.”

“Well, there you have it. We need to be practical in our actions. We don’t even know where Chunyu Xiao is. Wouldn’t it be a joke if we were to tell them?”

“Are you suggesting we find Chunyu Xiao ourselves?” While Han Ruzi had indeed considered this, hearing it from Du Chuanyun caused him to hesitate. This young man had rich experience in the pugilist world but when it came to strategizing, he was far inferior to Yang Feng.

“Do we have to rely on our elders for everything? Otherwise, we’ll never earn anyone’s respect in our entire lives.”

This statement struck a chord with Han Ruzi. If he couldn’t manage things within ten steps, the throne would drift ever further away.

“Just the two of us?”

“I’ll seek help from people outside.”

“You’d rather ask outsiders for help than your grandfather and Yang Feng?”

“Ah, you young masters… This is the difference between leading others and being led by others. Our grandfather and Yang Feng would push us to the side and have us wait. The people I find will naturally listen to me.”

“Leading others versus being led by others, huh? Tell me who you want to find and the specific plan.”

“Why? Don’t you trust me?”

“I don’t want to be led by you.”

Du Chuanyun paused for a moment, then laughed and hopped down from the stool. “Hmm, you’re catching on. I almost thought that you’re hopeless. Do you remember Ironhead Hu San’er?”

Han Ruzi nodded. He recalled the name, had heard the voice, but had never seen the person in question.

“He has quite a few friends in the Capital. Perhaps he could gather information about Lin Kunshan and that mad monk’s background.”

Han Ruzi thought this was a good idea. “Alright, knowing oneself and the enemy makes victory certain.”

“Of course, you wait for my message.”

“No, I have to go with you,” Han Ruzi firmly remembered the difference between “leading others” and “being led by others.”

Du Chuanyun sized up the Marquis, “I’m surprised you’ve got some guts in you.”

“This is both of our plan. Neither of us can abandon the other.”

“Alright, have you arranged a meeting time with Lin Kunshan?”

“No, he only provided the location, not the time.”

“No rush then, tomorrow night…”

Zhang Youcai knocked and entered, looking groggy with sleep still in his eyes. He perked up upon seeing Du Chuanyun suddenly full of energy. “Huh, why are you here? Weren’t you the one who disliked the study the most?”

“Better to do horse stances and practice martial art forms than waste time reading books.” Du Chuanyun disdainfully glanced at the books in the room, then suddenly shivered twice, as if realizing he had fallen into an enemy trap. He hurriedly dashed out, his hands patting himself all over. “Bad luck, such bad luck. I actually stayed in the study for so long…”

Zhang Youcai stared blankly and said, “What an unstudious fellow.”

Han Ruzi picked up a book absentmindedly, while his mind was pondering what he and Du Chuanyun could accomplish together.

Lady Cui Xiaojun had been busy reorganizing the back garden for the past few days, and it was showing progress. During dinner, she spoke about the plants and flowers, and even after going to bed, she wasn’t done reminiscing. Suddenly, she said, “Why aren’t you talking today?”

“Huh? I had a bit of a headache from drinking during the day.”

“You should take care of yourself. Don’t go out these next few days.”

“Yeah. By the way, I’ll be training at night tomorrow. I’ll be sleeping in the study.”

“What martial art training requires nighttime practice?”

“Absorbing… the essence of the sun and moon. It’s not something I do every night, only occasionally. I don’t want to disturb you.”

Cui Xiaojun chuckled, “Are you trying to cultivate immortality? I feel like your breathing hasn’t been normal lately.”

“Is that so?” Han Ruzi had developed a habit of practicing reverse breathing whenever he had the chance. Even though it had little practical use, he still held a faint hope that someday Meng E might suddenly appear and assess his progress in inner qi.

He turned around, looking at his wife’s silhouette. He felt her exhalation and couldn’t help leaning forward to give her a gentle kiss.

“Ah.” Cui Xiaojun was caught off guard, pushing her husband away and quickly turning to the other side.

Han Ruzi chuckled softly, lay back, and fell into a content sleep.

Cui Xiaojun waited for a while, noticing that her husband’s breathing had taken on a strange rhythm again. Clearly, he had fallen asleep. She felt both annoyed and amused, with a hint of disappointment. She slowly moved her arm under the blanket, holding her husband’s hand, and also drifted into slumber.

The night passed uneventfully.

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