The Child Emperor

Chapter 122: Convincing the Pugilists

The forty-something dual-wielding chef Reckless was of average height and build, with an unremarkable appearance except for a perpetually gloomy expression which seemed indifferent to life. He was not particularly tall or short, not fat nor thin, and his only distinguishing feature was the brooding look on his face, as if he were constantly annoyed by someone owing him a debt.

He was both a cook and a skilled martial artist, known in the pugilist world but seldom interacting with its denizens. His expression alone was enough to ward off most who tried to get close to him, even in the bustling tavern where he worked. No one dared claim to be his friend.

When this person suddenly appeared, Han Ruzi was surprised. But he could guess that he had come by tracking Jin Chuiduo. However, others didn’t understand, especially the mad monk Guangding, who had a history with the cook. Monks were known for smiling even when angry, and Guangding asked, “Reckless, who invited you?”

When Guangding gathered figures from the pugilist world together, he did not even considered the cook.

“No one invited me. I came out to buy fish, and here I am,” Reckless casually lied, throwing away his bamboo hat and effortlessly drawing two short blades from behind his waist.

Though his lie was full of loopholes, no one paid it any mind once he unsheathed his knives. Everyone raised their weapons, and the already delicate atmosphere became tense.

“Do you really know who the spy is?” Guangding asked with a smile, gently waving his hands behind his back, signaling others to be cautious. He understood Reckless’s style; when the cook made a move, it was unstoppable.

Approaching Guangding, Reckless’s gaze was malicious, as if he had an irreconcilable grudge with the monk. “The spy is right here. He wants to get firsthand information and seek rewards from the government.” Pausing, he continued, “Fifteen years ago, I cut you with my blade. I thought you were practicing martial arts to seek revenge.”

Guangding still smiled, “I did plan to. However, after spending a long time in the temple, I suddenly realized, what was the point of fighting with a cook? Defeating you won’t make me famous, nor will it bring wealth or treasures. It would only release my anger. But I learned to dissipate anger with Buddhist scriptures, which is easier than fighting. ‘Thus I have heard, at one time, the Buddha was in the country of Shravasti…'”

The mad monk recited scriptures to show he was burning with anger.

“Buddhist scriptures resolve your anger, but can they resolve my blades?” Reckless asked sternly. As soon as he spoke, several people rushed forward to protect the mad monk. Not only did the pugilist world respect him, even Prince Donghai and Lin Kunshan couldn’t let Guangding die here.

Only Han Ruzi didn’t move; he had no skilled subordinates and couldn’t participate in such matters.

Reckless’s skills were as sharp and decisive as in his youth. With a loud shout, instead of attacking Guangding, he darted diagonally, swift as a galloping horse, fierce as a tiger. Several blades brushed past him, but he paid no attention, living up to his reputation.

Kuang Caiyi, one of the monk’s followers, never expected to be Reckless’s target.

Neither did others.

Reckless’s moves were completely unorthodox, a street brawl style. He rushed into the enemy’s embrace, stabbed a blade on each side, used his head to push against Kuang Caiyi, took a few steps back, and then turned to the side. He loudly declared, “Kuang Caiyi is the spy!”

Everyone was stunned, stopping the chase and surrounding Reckless.

Kuang Caiyi’s blood flowed from both sides, infuriated and anguished. He managed to utter a weak “I…” before collapsing.

In the crowd, two individuals, friends of Kuang Caiyi, were enraged seeing him die like this. Wielding their weapons, they charged at Reckless.

Fearlessly, Reckless discarded his dual blades, stood tall, and said, “Kuang Caiyi is the spy. Those who would kill me are his accomplices.”

The two blades were only inches away from Reckless’s shoulders, yet they halted.

Reckless didn’t even blink.

Even the confused monk Guangding shouted, “Wait, let him speak. Don’t let Kuang Caiyi die with no explanation.”

Reckless’s awe intimidated everyone present. The two individuals slowly retracted their knives but maintained a ready stance, wary of another surprise attack from Reckless.

Prince Donghai approached Han Ruzi, asking in a low voice, “Where did you find this guy?”

Han Ruzi just nodded, saying nothing, focusing on listening to Reckless’s explanation.

“Kuang Caiyi is greedy for wealth. He runs a tailor shop in Sanliu Alley, Xiaochun District. I work as a cook at the Drunk Immortal Inn, not too far away. One afternoon, he and two others came to the inn for a drink. In a private room, they were whispering. I overheard a few sentences. It turns out those two were imperial henchmen, working exclusively for the ‘Guanghua Tigers,’ doing tasks for the Empress Dowager. They had Kuang Caiyi gather information for them, promising a hefty reward of a hundred thousand taels of silver if successful.”

The Guanghua Tigers were a group of law enforcement officials working for the Empress Dowager, well-known in the Capital.

Reckless spoke with conviction, and Kuang Caiyi did indeed have a reputation for being greedy. For a moment, no one could refute it. One of Kuang Caiyi’s friends asked, “Besides you, were there any other witnesses?”

Reckless took a step forward, and the person holding the knife retreated two steps.

“Is it called eavesdropping if there are witnesses?” Reckless sternly said, turning to the mad monk Guangding, “I ask you, did Kuang Caiyi actively contact you, request to join, provide significant assistance generously, and have a thorough understanding of your plans?”

Guangding couldn’t laugh anymore. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “But this doesn’t prove that Kuang Caiyi is the spy.”

“Hey, you self-proclaimed heroes of the pugilist world, you are being too wishy-washy. If you wait until I bring witnesses and evidence, you’ll all be finished.” Reckless’s gaze turned to Han Ruzi. “Did you receive a letter? It was explained clearly there, right?”

“Very clearly.” Han Ruzi coughed and was about to continue, but Prince Donghai interrupted, “Who wrote the letter?”

“It must not be disclosed.” Han Ruzi glanced at Ma Da beside him. Ma Da grinned, “Right, I won’t talk, I won’t talk even if beaten to death.”

Guangding and others arrived late and didn’t know what the letter was about. It made them more curious, all looking at the “Emperor.”

“The imperial court hasn’t forgotten last year’s palace coup and hasn’t forgiven the pugilist world. They have abided their time, waiting to catch us all at once, killing three birds with one stone.” Han Ruzi paused for a moment, continuing when everyone’s interest was heightened, “The first bird is naturally the pugilist world. By gathering together to plan a rebellion, you saved the imperial court the trouble of chasing you everywhere. The second bird is the Cui clan…”

“The Empress Dowager wants to say that the Cui clan colluded with the pugilist world to rebel? Heh, the Empress Dowager could have done that last year; she didn’t dare.”

“This year is different.” Han Ruzi spoke more calmly as if he had really received a secret letter informing him of these secrets. “The Northern Army has regained some strength, enough to confront the Southern Army. In just five days, at most ten days, various military forces will arrive, joining forces to punish the rebellious Cui clan.”

Prince Donghai’s expression changed slightly. “The prefects and regional inspectors are all disciples of the Cui clan. Why haven’t I heard…”

“By the time you hear about it, it will be too late.” Han Ruzi said coldly, then turned to Guangding and others. “The third bird the court wants to kill is me. Among the pugilist world, not only Kuang Caiyi was bought, but also others. When the time is right, they will take advantage of the chaos to kill me, then blame all of you. The court won’t have to bear the accusation of regicide.”

If people were initially only half-convinced of Reckless’s words, they were now almost certain of the conspiracy that the fourteen-year-old “Emperor’s” laid out confidently. Ma Da clenched his fist angrily, saying, “The imperial court is too cunning.”

“So, you’re saying that this uprising is doomed to fail?” the mad monk Guangding said in confusion.

“It is doomed to fail.” Han Ruzi suddenly realized that the benefits he was about to gain went beyond this. He quickly added, “Moreover, all the names of the pugilists involved in this matter are already in the hands of the imperial court. None of you can escape.”

The crowd was shocked, and Ma Da asked, “Is my name also recorded? Is it Donkey Kid or Ma Da?”

“You’re not a pugilist; so it’s hard to say.” Han Ruzi vaguely said, looking at Guangding. “Now, there’s only one way to escape this disaster…”

Before Guangding could speak, Prince Donghai angrily exclaimed, “Nonsense, it’s all nonsense. The Empress Dowager doesn’t have this capability. Even if she’s prepared, we have a hundred thousand Southern Army soldiers as backup, what are you afraid of?”

One of the pugilists brought by Guangding said, “The Southern Army is in the south, and we are starting the uprising in the north of the capital.”

“In at most three days, the Southern Army will be able to occupy the capital, and by then, the Northern Army will naturally disperse,” Prince Donghai walked up to Lin Kunshan, “The fate seers deceived the Cui clan once. There won’t be a second time, right?”

Lin Kunshan smiled and shook his head, “The first time was a misunderstanding. How could there be a second time? Hmm, Your Majesty, since you received the letter, you must be a reliable source of information. But things have reached this point, and there’s no turning back… How about this, please, Prince Donghai and Master Guangding, go to Huailing County in the north of the Capital together. With you there, we won’t worry about the Southern Army arriving late.”

Guangding and others nodded in agreement, thinking it was a good idea.

Prince Donghai was shocked; even if the Empress Dowager was unprepared, he wouldn’t risk going to the Capital. Those pugilists were just bait and wouldn’t last long under the attack of the Northern Army.

“No, I’m not going. I have more important matters in the south.”

Prince Donghai’s refusal became the final reason for Guangding and others to fully believe Han Ruzi. Guangding stepped forward and asked, “Your Majesty, what is your plan?”

“The court is well-prepared, and it’s not advisable to confront them. If you trust me, gather the other pugilists at Huailing County and call on them to join our army and follow me to fight against the Xiongnu.”

The transition from orchestrating a rebellion to heading to the frontier was so abrupt that everyone was caught off guard, and even Prince Donghai was perplexed.

Han Ruzi quickly explained, “We were preparing to start an uprising, and the court also knew about our intentions, but ultimately the banners of rebellion were never raised. In the eyes of the world, the uprising never existed. However, since we have already gathered, we can’t just disband like this. Moreover, we cannot let the court capture each one of us separately. Going to the Northern Frontier is just a temporary solution…”

Prince Donghai, laughed out loud in fury, “Hahahaha! Why would the Empress Dowager agree to let you organize an army and lead it to fight against the Xiongnu?”

Cui Xiaojun’s letter had arrived less than an hour ago. Han Ruzi was initially shocked but had since accepted it. Now he had a preliminary plan.

“Why insist on obtaining the Empress Dowager’s approval?” Han Ruzi raised his voice, “The Xiongnu are attacking the Chu empire. Once the Northern Frontier falls, people all over the realm will suffer. So, resisting the Xiongnu is everyone’s responsibility. I want to righteously lead an army straight to the north, and the court will have no choice but to agree!”

On the mudflats, there was a silence, and everyone was trying to understand the words of the “Emperor.” Even the fate seer Lin Kunshan furrowed his brow; this deviated too much from their initial plan. Prince Donghai’s face changed several times, but in the end, he restrained himself.

The people from the pugilist world had been convinced by Han Ruzi. He and his dozen guards were not in a favorable position here, but he had a backup plan. The Riverside Village should have changed hands by now.

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