The Child Emperor
Chapter 272: Unexpected News

Han Ruzi opened his eyes and gazed at the familiar Cui Xiaojun. In his hazy vision, he saw her side profile gently rising and falling, with only her nose tip appearing somewhat clear. He reached out, wanting to touch her lightly, but at the last moment, he smiled and quietly got out of bed to prepare for the day’s work.

He had many things to do.

The court had accumulated a massive amount of memorials that required individual responses. It was like a mountain waiting for the emperor alone to level. Since he hadn’t officially resumed his position as emperor and didn’t have the imperial seal, Han Ruzi couldn’t formally approve the memorials yet, but he could review them in advance.

The Soaring Clouds Pavilion had practically become a warehouse, filled with boxes and stacks of papers. Each document had copies retained in their respective government offices for reference. If the emperor tried to hide any documents out of laziness, it would quickly be discovered.

One of the responsibilities of the Chancellor’s Office and Hall of Diligent Administration was to help the emperor process memorials. Han Ruzi wanted to understand the situation across the realm before restoring court operations, so he hadn’t yet resumed political discussions in the Hall of Diligent Administration. As for the Chancellor’s Office, it had long been paralyzed and couldn’t fulfill its proper function.

Han Ruzi wasn’t reviewing documents aimlessly. He ordered the Secretariat to gather all memorials concerning regional disasters for priority review.

The situation wasn’t good, and his brow furrowed deeper as he read more.

Outside, daylight had broken. Zhang Youcai extinguished the candles and, after the emperor put down a memorial, softly said, “Your Majesty, it’s time for breakfast.”

Han Ruzi nodded, indicating he would eat in the Soaring Clouds Pavilion. Looking out the window at the garden showing early signs of spring, he recalled being forced to study in his youth and smiled slightly. He then asked Zhang Youcai, “Have you heard that the Du grandfather and grandson have left the Capital?”

“Yes, Du Chuanyun asked Brother Cai to deliver me a letter saying… saying that whenever I get bored in the palace, I should go find him. Anyone in the pugilist world would know his name – he’d definitely be found if mentioned.”

Han Ruzi laughed heartily, recognizing Du Chuanyun’s arrogant tone. “It’s a pity they wouldn’t stay. I wanted to make good use of them.”

The food was already prepared. Han Ruzi went to the adjacent room to eat. When he was nearly finished, Zhang Youcai continued their earlier conversation: “The Dus, especially Du Chuanyun, really can’t be employed effectively.”

Han Ruzi’s thoughts had already shifted elsewhere, and he was slightly startled by this comment. “Why not?”

“They both disregard rules. Once or twice might be fine, but if it happens every time, it would put Your Majesty in a difficult position. If you let them off, others would also break rules. If you don’t forgive them, then they’re better off remaining in the pugilist world.”

Han Ruzi felt disappointed, realizing there were people he wished to employ but couldn’t. Yang Feng might have been right – an emperor must understand what he cannot do, but rather than give up, he should work around the “cannot” and use what he “can” to achieve his goals.

A eunuch hurriedly ran up, knelt down, and presented a document with both hands, interrupting the emperor’s thoughts. “Urgent from the Ministry of War.”

The document had already been opened, as the Ministry of War had clearly reviewed it and deemed it extremely urgent, so they had sealed and sent it directly to the palace instead of following normal procedures.

Han Ruzi glanced at it, his expression suddenly changing. “To the Hall of Diligent Administration.”

Though the emperor hadn’t been attending, the ministers couldn’t be absent. They came every morning to pay their respects, exchange pleasantries, and then return to their offices.

With Yin Wuhai seriously ill and Han Xing and Cui Hong away, the Hall had become quiet. Only the Right Chief Censor Shen Mingzhi, Minister of Personnel Feng Ju, and Minister of Rites Yuan Jiuding remained. Yuan Jiuding was particularly awkward, having been selected for the Hall by the Empress Dowager. Now that she had lost power, his position became very precarious. He couldn’t skip attending at the Hall but dared not act entitled, standing by the door each time like someone being punished, as if anyone could blow him away with a single breath.

On his way, Han Ruzi issued several orders, summoning Minister of War Jiang Juying, Southern Army Grand Marshal Cui Hong, and Northern Army leaders Chai Yue and Liu Kunsheng to join them at the Hall of Diligent Administration.

The Southern and Northern Army camps were both outside the city, so their commanders arrived later. The Minister of War, being closer, arrived even before the Emperor.

News had already spread that Grand General Han Xing was defeated and Hangu Pass had been taken by Shangguan Sheng.

Han Ruzi couldn’t understand how this could have happened. Han Xing commanded tens of thousands of troops and had the advantage of both fortifications and terrain. There was no reason he should suffer such a defeat against Shangguan Sheng’s mere few thousand remaining soldiers.

As soon as he entered the Hall of Diligent Administration, the four ministers and several clerks from the Secretariat immediately knelt down. Han Ruzi gestured for them to rise. Instead of taking his seat on the throne, he strode to the table and demanded of Jiang Juying, “Give me an explanation.”

The four ministers exchanged glances. The Emperor was standing in the position usually reserved for the Chancellor – quite unusual – but no one dared speak. Minister of War Jiang Juying was especially hesitant, having once followed the Champion Marquis’s orders to openly oppose the then-Weary Marquis, resulting in a bitter defeat.

Though Jiang Juying hadn’t joined the Champion Marquis’s final rebellion, his past indiscretions made him extremely fearful. Upon hearing the Emperor’s questioning, he immediately knelt down, “This subject…”

“Stand up and speak,” Han Ruzi said.

Jiang Juying rose, already sweating profusely despite having done nothing. He glanced furtively at Right Chief Censor Shen Mingzhi, feeling slightly reassured. “The frontline is in chaos. The first letter came from Shang County – there might be a mistake. We should wait for more accurate news…”

“Yes, we can wait, but not idly. Assuming the Grand General was defeated and Hangu Pass has fallen, how should the court respond?”

The ministers looked at each other, each hoping someone else would speak first.

Yang Feng entered and stood behind the Emperor. As he wasn’t a minister, he didn’t need to be announced.

As Minister of War, Jiang Juying had to speak first. “In this subject’s humble opinion, even if Shang-guan Sheng won, it was mere luck. The court need not take drastic action. Given time, the Grand General will surely turn defeat into victory.”

Shen Mingzhi and Feng Ju supported the Minister of War’s view. Minister of Rites Yuan Jiuding mumbled in agreement, unsure if he even had the right to be there, only speaking when the Emperor’s gaze fell on him: “The Grand General… will surely… turn defeat into victory.”

Han Ruzi wasn’t paying much attention, knowing these ministers lacked military expertise and couldn’t offer good advice. He used their discussion time to recall the memorials he had read.

Northern Army Commander Chai Yue and Northern Army General Liu Kunsheng arrived, having heard about Hangu Pass’s defeat on their way. After paying respects, Chai Yue immediately said, “Something must be wrong at Hangu Pass. Either the news is false, or something happened to the Grand General himself.”

The ministers interpreted “something happened” differently. Minister of Personnel Feng Ju exclaimed in surprise, “Surely not! The Grand General is an imperial clansman and has always been loyal to the court…”

Chai Yue explained, “I mean the Grand General might have died suddenly, giving Shang-guan Sheng an opportunity.”

Han Xing wasn’t young, so sudden illness was possible, though the timing seemed too convenient.

Chai Yue continued, “We must act quickly. The court should immediately send a general east. We still have a chance to rally the defeated troops and retake Hangu Pass.”

Han Ruzi had already chosen Chai Yue himself and was about to speak when Yang Feng gently kicked his heel from behind.

Han Ruzi immediately understood Yang Feng’s meaning. While Chai Yue was the Emperor’s choice for “general,” his rank, reputation, and prestige weren’t high enough in the eyes of the world. If he went east, he would struggle to gather Han Xing’s former troops.

He withheld the appointment and said, “If Shang-guan Sheng has truly taken and fortified Hangu Pass, that’s actually not a major problem – we can retake it. What I’m really worried about is this: The eastern regions are suffering severe disasters, and grain relief has been too late and poorly implemented. Since spring began, there must be many displaced people. If Shang-guan Sheng joins forces with local bandits, that would be the real trouble.”

Han Ruzi had tried everything to get local granaries to distribute relief grain, but the recent memorials showed his efforts had only been partially successful.

The lack of an imperial edict remained an insurmountable problem. Local officials had varying attitudes toward opening granaries – the more severe the disaster, the more reluctant they were to open them, fearing grain shortages would lead to greater chaos.

Han Ruzi had long wanted to issue a supplementary edict, but without the imperial seal, any “edict” would only be recognized by officials in the Capital. Its effectiveness would diminish when sent to other regions, where local officials could choose whether to believe it or not.

Shen Mingzhi suggested summoning both the Minister of Revenue and Left Chief Censor Xiao Sheng.

The two arrived quickly, especially Xiao Sheng, who seemed to have been waiting just outside the door and appeared more enthusiastic than the others.

It proved that the ministers weren’t foolish – when they put their minds to it, they could devise good solutions: “The urgent priority is to announce to the world: Great Chu has rectified chaos, Your Majesty has returned to supreme power, the court is stable, and the soldiers and the people are united. Shang-guan Sheng’s treasonous acts of kidnapping imperial clan members warrant death by anyone who captures him. He has nowhere to escape and his forces will surely scatter.”

The Minister of Revenue arrived slightly later and offered no opinion, but confirmed the emperor’s suspicions about the eastern regions’ dire situation. Though the number of displaced people had decreased, the situation remained highly unstable. These people had no land to farm, and once the spring planting season passed, there would likely be poor harvests this year, possibly causing them to become displaced again.

Grand Tutor Cui arrived last, having changed his mind several times en route. He had finally decided to come but was determined to refuse if the emperor asked him to quell the rebellion. Unless his daughter Lady Cui gave birth to a crown prince – only then would Cui Hong feel secure.

Though Cui Hong had prepared his excuses, the emperor didn’t ask him to deploy troops.

Near noon, shortly after Grand Tutor Cui’s arrival, news from Hangu Pass arrived continuously at the Hall of Diligent Administration. The Minister of War opened the reports and read them aloud before the emperor.

Chai Yue had guessed correctly – Grand General Han Xing had indeed met with misfortune, though not from illness as his health had always been good.

Han Xing had been assassinated at the perfect moment, just as the two armies were about to engage in battle. Without leadership, the Chu forces fell into chaos, giving Shang-guan Sheng the opportunity to win despite having fewer troops. He now occupied Hangu Pass, with his next moves unclear.

Han Ruzi couldn’t help turning to look at Yang Feng.

Yang Feng had just received news yesterday that the Meng siblings and their dozen guards had fled east and disappeared near Hangu Pass.

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