The Child Emperor - Chapter 134: Private Army

Outside the tent, there was a fierce argument. Han Ruzi sat up in a hurry, his vision blurred for a moment. He shook his head vigorously to clear it and finally remembered where he was. Glancing across, he saw Prince Donghai sleeping soundly, lying on his side with one hand covering his ear. He muttered, “Who dares to make noise here?”

The sky was already bright. Han Ruzi was surprised to find that both his and Prince Donghai’s boots had been neatly arranged. He hadn’t taken off his clothes when he slept, so he put on his boots and stepped out of the tent. The sunlight was glaring, forcing him to lower his head.

“I’m looking for him, that’s him. Hey, Emperor, let me in!” someone shouted loudly.

Han Ruzi’s tent was closest to the entrance of the camp. He looked towards the door. “This person is my guard, let him in.”

After some hesitation, the guards finally let the person in, pretending not to hear the word “Emperor.”

“You’re back,” Han Ruzi said, suddenly realizing that the sun was already high in the sky. He must have slept for quite a while.

The man was covered in dust, his hair disheveled, and he stared angrily. “You played quite a trick.”

“What’s wrong?” Han Ruzi couldn’t understand his anger.

“You let me enter the city from the east, then you ran away without a word. You didn’t even notify me. I came out from the east gate, rowed back to Riverside Village, but darn it, even the mice were gone. I followed the footprints, but they disappeared on the official road. I met some locals who said a group of beggar-like militia went to the city yesterday. I followed them, almost went too far, then heard that a group of beggar-like militia was stationed nearby. I hurried over, but was stopped…”

Ma Da complained bitterly, and Han Ruzi pulled him into the tent. “It’s my fault, I didn’t leave you a message.”

“Alright,” Ma Da nodded, indicating that he wasn’t angry anymore. “‘I have already submitted your request to volunteer for battle on your behalf. Husband, rest assured. Remember, do not return to the Capital.’”

Han Ruzi understood that these were the words of Cui Xiaojun. “Thank you.”

“It’s early in the morning, why all the fuss?” Prince Donghai sat up, stared blankly for a while, then covered his face with both hands, gritting his teeth and groaning.

The man, slightly frightened, whispered, “What’s wrong with him?”

“Nightmare. Go rest.”

Ma Da glanced back at the door sympathetically before leaving.

“Oh, and don’t call me ‘Emperor’ anymore, call me ‘Weary Marquis.’”

“Curly Monkey? Your posture is so straight, why call yourself Curly Monkey?”[1]

“Because… I didn’t have a straight posture when I climbed trees.”

Ma Da left satisfied.

Prince Donghai still covered his face with his hands and spoke in a muffled voice, “I dreamed I was at home, with many servants holding good things for me to choose. Mother was watching from afar. I asked her to come over, but she just smiled and refused to move.”

Han Ruzi began to sympathize with Prince Donghai. “Grand Tutor Cui wants to kill you, but your mother won’t.”

“It’s useless. She’s just a guest living with the Cui clan.[2] She’s powerless to help me.”

“Don’t you have your own manor?”

“I do, but I’ve never lived there. I treated the Cui manor as my own home.” Prince Donghai pounded his fist on the blanket. “Is this what it feels like to be abandoned? I really don’t know how you’ve endured all these years.”

Han Ruzi smiled. Suddenly, he noticed a stack of clothes on his bed, which he hadn’t noticed in his drowsiness. He walked over and picked them up. Sure enough, they were all his clothes, spotless.

Prince Donghai didn’t hear any sound. He moved his hands away and glanced at his own bed. “Huh, why do you have new clothes and I don’t? Don’t the officers of the new army know I’m here too?”

“These were sent from my manor.” Han Ruzi said.

“Oh.” Prince Donghai felt even sadder. The Weary Marquis was remembered, but he had become a completely abandoned child.

As Han Ruzi wondered, someone entered. “Master, you’re awake.”

“Zhang Youcai! When did you come?”

“I came early in the morning. Seeing the master sleeping, I went out for a walk.”

“Did Reckless go to the manor?”

“Yes, he’s a strange person. Even though he came from here, he told me to tell you that he was going back to being a chef and would not send you off.”

Reckless was indeed a strange person, but a powerful one at that. He was one who was able to capture the enemy leader amidst chaos. But unfortunately, such a person refused to be under the service of the Weary Marquis. Han Ruzi could only feel regret. At this point, he couldn’t even win over ordinary pugilists, let alone someone like Reckless.

“By the way, I just met that man named Ma Da. I don’t know why, but he was particularly angry after seeing me, muttering a few words. Did I offend him?”

“You left the manor later than him, yet you reached the military camp first. That’s why he’s not happy.”

“I see. Master, take a bath first, then change into new clothes. As for the old clothes… I think we can do throw them away.”

Before Han Ruzi could speak, Prince Donghai suddenly shouted to the sky, “You two are doing all this on purpose to make fun of me, right?”

Han Ruzi had someone to serve him, but Prince Donghai did not. This made him insanely jealous.

In Zhang Youcai’s eyes, there was only one master, and he didn’t care about Prince Donghai. But on account of his master, he didn’t say anything. He just rolled his eyes and ignored Prince Donghai.

Prince Donghai put on his boots and strode out of the tent without asking who had cleaned them.

“The lady will come later,” Zhang Youcai said.

“She’s coming? It’s not safe here…”

“The lady said, if it’s about safety, it’s the same inside or outside the city.” Zhang Youcai replied. The lady had long anticipated what the Weary Marquis would say.

“Then I really should take a bath and change clothes, but it’s inconvenient here…”

“That’s why you need someone like me.” Zhang Youcai turned and walked to the door, lifting the curtain. Two militia brought in a large wooden tub, followed by more than ten militia carrying a small bucket of hot water each, filling the large tub before leaving one by one.

“It’s fortunate there’s a town nearby,” Zhang Youcai said with a smile.

Han Ruzi felt completely dirty. He quickly took off his clothes and soaked in the water, feeling comfortable.

“Ah, how can the master endure such suffering?”

“I can endure it. There will be even tougher days ahead, but it’s still a hundred times better than being trapped in the Marquis’s manor.” Han Ruzi enjoyed this moment of comfort, but he also prepared himself for rolling in the mud again. “You stay in the Capital, take care…”

“Stay in the Capital? No, I left the palace because of the master. Wherever the master goes, I’ll follow. I’ve told the Lady, and she agrees.”

“But…”

As Zhang Youcai scrubbed the Marquis’s back, he said, “If there’s no place for me in master’s army, I’ll ride my little donkey and follow behind. It might be slower, but I’ll catch up eventually.”

Han Ruzi smiled. “Of course it’s better with you serving me. I just feel like I should share the hardships with the soldiers. They don’t have anyone to serve them.”

“Heh, master probably misunderstands the phrase ‘share hardships and share joys’ – if you eat, dress, live and travel just like them, they will start wondering, what are they fighting for? What’s the point of climbing the ranks if they will end up living in hardship like you? If soldiers charge into battle, should the master go too? If several soldiers die in battle, the army remains, but if the master… then everything is lost.”

“Hey, you’ve become eloquent.”

“It’s not me being eloquent. I roamed around the camp and heard a lot of good things about the master, but they are also confused. They don’t know what to do in the future. Resisting the Xiongnu doesn’t have much appeal to them. They’d rather have a little bit of real wealth. If the master lives too poorly, they won’t be motivated to fight either.”

Han Ruzi smiled, feeling that Zhang Youcai made a lot of sense. He only thought about ‘sharing hardships’ but forgot the most important thing: the people have had enough suffering and just want to ‘share joy’.

After bathing and grooming, Zhang Youcai helped the Marquis dress, comb his hair, and put on his hat. When everything was done, he casually said, “Something interesting happened. I heard many people talking about an Empress. Where did this Empress come from?”

“That’s the daughter of Marquis Guiyi, also in the army. The militia don’t recognize her and just decided to call her Empress.” Han Ruzi said calmly.

Zhang Youcai didn’t ask further and left the tent, instructing someone to carry the water bucket out.

After noon, another group of people came from the Marquis’s manor, removing the weeds and blankets from the tent and arranging simple beds, tables, and chairs to make the living quarters more comfortable.

Prince Donghai was envious but stayed away, not willing to come over. Shortly after, the Cui manor also sent servants to deliver goods, including a large tent. He felt slightly comforted, but he kept a cold face, pretending not to care.

In the evening, Lady Cui arrived, entering the tent directly from her sedan chair and smiling at the Weary Marquis.

The two sat facing each other, holding hands.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t keep my promise.” Han Ruzi said guiltily.

“I’m not here to hear apologies, I’m here to help you.” Lady Cui smiled, although she longed for a peaceful life of companionship, she knew her husband was not an ordinary person, and she was proud of it. “Has the court given the militia an official banner?”

“Not yet, I’m wondering why no one came to urge me to enter the palace and express gratitude today?”

“That’s because the Empress Dowager felt it unnecessary. I met Lord Yang yesterday.”

“What did he say?” Han Ruzi tightly held his wife’s hands.

“He suggested that the Weary Marquis not use an official banner and turn the militia into a private army.”

“A private army?”

“Yes, border generals can raise their own troops, independent of court funding. Usually no more than five hundred soldiers, but during special times, a few more are fine.”

“We have over seven hundred militia, how can I afford so many?” Han Ruzi deeply felt the difficulty of maintaining an army.

“You can afford even more.” Lady Cui smiled. “I’ve gotten some money, and when you set out, Little Du will deliver it to the army.”

“Where did you get the money?” Han Ruzi was surprised.

“The manor doesn’t have many people, so we can save a lot of money. Mother also helped me get some. Anyway, don’t worry, if you lack anything, just send a message to me, and I’ll find a solution in the Capital.”

“Why am I so lucky to marry you? How much hardship will you have to endure for marrying me?”

“I’m lucky too. You don’t know how many incompetent noble children I’ve seen since childhood…”

Han Ruzi released his wife’s hands and gently embraced her. His mood was joyful, and for the first time, he spoke the truth that he held secret in his heart, “I am the Emperor, and you are the Empress. No one can change that.”

No teachings of matrimonial relations were required this night. Han Ruzi wanted to leave behind an unforgettable memory.

End of Volume 2.

[1] The Chinese term for Weary Marquis sounds similar to “Curly Monkey”.

[2] In traditional Chinese culture, married women leave their maiden families behind to join their husband’s families. So technically they are not a part of their maiden families anymore.

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