The Child Emperor-Chapter 250: South Gate
After Princess Hengyang’s death, though the Chai clan lost their backbone, they remained united as a group, frequently gathering to discuss one crucial matter: who should become Emperor, and how could the Chai clan secure their position?
The group unanimously reached several conclusions:
The Champion Marquis had the best relationship with the Chai clan, but his influence was clearly waning and his future looked bleak. They could continue to observe him and provide minor assistance while preparing alternative plans, rather than supporting him exclusively.
Both the Weary Marquis and Prince Donghai had grudges with the Chai clan. If Princess Hengyang were still alive, the situation would have been difficult to handle. Now that she had passed away, even the deepest grudges could potentially be resolved. However, there was debate over which of these two was more worthy of support.
Prince Ying was not considered.
The Chai clan had many relatives and friends, with connections throughout the court nobility and officials. Their information network was extensive but mixed, with countless rumors being thrown into the Chai clan’s pot like ingredients and spices, simmering together to produce new rumors with distinct flavors.
The latest rumor was that the Weary Marquis had secretly returned to the Capital and intended to continue his fight for the throne.
The Chai clan members were uncertain about this, unable to predict how it would affect the Capital’s political landscape.
Having heard that both the Champion Marquis and Prince Donghai were preparing to “make big moves,” the Chai clan sent people to assist both sides. Several noble followers around the Champion Marquis and various law enforcement officials both inside and outside Prince Donghai’s residence were from the Chai clan, ready to provide intelligence at any time.
When news first arrived of the Champion Marquis being poisoned, dozens of people gathered at the Chai residence spent a sleepless night drinking away their sorrows. They were shocked at how easily and thoroughly the Champion Marquis had been defeated. No one would admit they had once placed high hopes in this orphaned crown prince, and no one cared about who had poisoned him.
Xiao Bi, nephew of Left Chief Censor Xiao Sheng, who had once led a group at Shattered Iron City trying to force Chai Yue to commit suicide and was imprisoned before being released back to the Capital, grabbed his wine cup and took a large drink. He stood up unsteadily and looked around the great hall.
Five tables filled the hall, with seventy or eighty people crowded together. After drinking for nearly a day, their enthusiasm had waned, leaving only worry and confusion.
Looking around, Xiao Bi saw no leader. Marquis Hengyang had never been the group’s leader, and among his sons, only Chai Zhi had shown any capability, but he had died in Shattered Iron City. The other descendants were unremarkable, and while there were many non-Chai relatives, none showed initiative. Xiao Bi didn’t even think much of his own brother. Driven by alcohol, he decided to step forward.
“Hey!” Xiao Bi called out to attract everyone’s attention. “Listen to me! The Champion Marquis is dead. Why did he die? Because he didn’t value the Chai clan or include us when he tried to seize the throne. That’s why he died.”
“Right, that’s correct!” The crowd cheered and raised their cups, but no one could drink, spilling wine everywhere.
“Then there’s Prince Donghai and the Weary Marquis,” Xiao Bi continued, suddenly raising his voice. “Let me ask you this: who is more likely to forgive the Chai clan? The Weary Marquis or Prince Donghai?”
“Prince Donghai caused Chai Zhi’s death, but we never sought revenge,” someone said.
Before Xiao Bi could respond, another person at the same table objected, “Prince Donghai might not see it that way. Since his return to the Capital, the Chai clan hasn’t visited him once. He must think we hold a grudge against him.”
Xiao Bi raised his voice even louder to override the speaker, “I’ve seen how Prince Donghai takes revenge on his enemies. Zhang Yanghao and the others are still imprisoned in Shattered Iron City.”
In the Noble Camp, Prince Donghai and Cui Teng had frequently bullied Zhang Yanghao and others, with many noble youths witnessing it. Though it was the Weary Marquis who had decided to imprison Zhang Yanghao, this too was now being attributed to Prince Donghai.
“Then only the Weary Marquis remains. But the Chai clan has sought revenge against him multiple times. How could he forgive them?” another person said.
“There’s Chai Yue,” Xiao Bi almost shouted the name, not feeling any enmity between himself and Chai Yue. “After all, he’s the son of Marquis Hengyang and a confidant of the Weary Marquis. What grudge can’t be resolved?”
“Right, right.” The Chai clan members grew excited. They habitually ignored this son of a concubine, and like Xiao Bi, didn’t feel they had ever mistreated him. Instead, they believed Chai Yue would naturally take their side.
“Support the Weary Marquis. But how? Where is he anyway?”
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Xiao Bi didn’t know either. His decisiveness had reached its limit, and the effects of alcohol were wearing off. His head felt fuzzy as he slumped down, staring blankly at the leftover food on the table.
The hall fell silent.
A steward of the Chai manor rushed in and whispered something in his master’s ear. Marquis Hengyang’s face changed as he stood up to speak, his voice trembling slightly, “We just received news that His Majesty might have passed away.”
Half of those still awake jumped to their feet instantly, overturning tables and chairs, the noise waking the other half who had been dozing.
“What happened?”
“He passed away.”
“Who passed away?”
“Who else could it be?”
“Who will succeed to the throne?”
“Definitely not Prince Donghai, he’s still waiting in his manor.”
“Then it must be the Weary Marquis?”
“Yes, it can only be him.”
The Chai clan members could no longer distinguish between imagination and reality. Soon, everyone believed the Weary Marquis had already ascended or was about to ascend the throne. Someone shouted, “Let’s go support the Weary Marquis!”
People in the hall rushed out, afraid of falling behind.
Before long, the hall was empty except for Marquis Hengyang and the steward, who stood dumbfounded. The steward mumbled, “It’s only a possibility that he passed away, and moreover…”
Marquis Hengyang said bewilderedly, “Heavens, the Chai clan will be exterminated.”
Seventy or eighty Chai clan members, calling their servants, formed a group of over two hundred people charging out of the their manor toward the Imperial Palace.
Rumors always spread faster. The Chai clan’s many relatives and friends, along with countless unrelated people, converged from all directions. Some officials abandoned their wait-and-see attitude and, though not appearing themselves, sent their sons and nephews to help.
By the time they approached the South Gate of the Imperial Palace, the Chai clan’s group had grown to four or five hundred people. They shouted as they went, though no one knew what they were supposed to do. They all assumed everything was settled and they just needed to show their support.
A group of scholars blocked their way.
The Capital’s scholars had been gathering outside the South Gate for several days, petitioning the imperial court to immediately send troops against the Xiongnu. Some had been arrested by the palace guards, but this only drew more people. Shang-guan Sheng had other matters to attend to and simply ignored them.
After kneeling on the stone slabs for days, the scholars were exhausted. Rumors also circulated among them – one moment saying the Weary Marquis would soon ascend the throne and his first act would be to accept their petition, the next moment claiming the Empress Dowager was furious and would soon order the palace guards’ cavalry to shed blood at the South Gate.
The Chai clan’s rumors arrived first and merged with the scholars’ rumors, making the Weary Marquis’s ascension seem even more certain.
But scholars were still scholars – even in their most confused state, they maintained a sense of propriety.
“The Weary Marquis once left the Capital, which means he gave up his claim to the throne,” one scholar announced loudly.
The crowd in the street suddenly fell silent, not understanding why they had previously overlooked such an obvious fact.
The scholar quickly added, “But the Weary Marquis doesn’t need to compete for the throne. He is the Graceful Emperor’s eldest living son and was already emperor, forced to abdicate by treacherous officials. The succeeding emperor was Crown Prince Yong’s orphaned son, but Crown Prince Yong was deposed by the Martial Emperor, whose decree cannot be changed. The ascension violated the proper succession and was therefore illegitimate. The current emperor is still the Weary Marquis – he has returned to the Capital to correct these wrongs, not to seize the throne!”
Everyone suddenly understood. Though none had spoken up when the Weary Marquis was deposed, now they were all indignant. “That’s right, the Weary Marquis was already emperor. Why was he forced to abdicate? Where is justice?”
The crowd outside the South Gate of the Imperial Palace quickly swelled to over a thousand people. All the nearby government offices had their gates tightly shut, with no one daring to interfere.
On the palace walls, the palace guards stood ready but made no move to disperse the crowd.
A third group arrived shortly after.
Xiao Sheng and Shen Mingzhi had run out of options. Holding military tokens, they were unsure which side to join until Yang Feng pointed them toward a clear path: “Only the Weary Marquis represents the prevailing trend, and only he can understand the difficult position you both are in.”
“Really?” Xiao Sheng and Shen Mingzhi were quite anxious, having previously clashed with the Weary Marquis.
“The Weary Marquis even forgave the Chai clan.”
Han Ruzi had attended Princess Hengyang’s funeral and met with the Champion Marquis at the Chai residence – these events were seen as symbols of reconciliation between the Weary Marquis and the Chai clan.
Xiao Sheng had only one question left: “Has the Weary Marquis really sneaked back into the city?”
Yang Feng smiled slightly, “Who else do you think I’ve been running around for all night?”
Though Xiao Sheng and Shen Mingzhi were typically shrewd and cautious men who would never easily trust Yang Feng’s words, they were now willing to accept anyone’s advice, as long as it offered a way forward.
Yang Feng led them to the South Gate of the palace as well.
Seeing so many people shouting support for the Weary Marquis, Xiao Sheng and Shen Mingzhi hesitated no longer. They rushed to the front, holding up their military command tokens and ordering the garrison troops to open the gates.
Though the garrison wouldn’t comply merely because of the tokens, they were somewhat affected, becoming more uncertain atop the walls.
Yang Feng dismounted and walked through the crowd, occasionally nodding to acquaintances – both scholars and members of the Chai clan. Then he squeezed out of the crowd, remounted his horse, and led Ni Qiu and the others away from the South Gate toward the East Gate.
No one noticed that Yang Feng had taken Prince Ying with him.
Upon seeing the crowd, Prince Ying had become excited briefly, but he was too tired and fell asleep in Ni Qiu’s arms.
The East Gate was quiet with no gatherings. A squad of palace guards guarded the outside, stopping approaching visitors from afar.
Yang Feng dismounted and approached a eunuch, whispering several sentences in his ear. The eunuch looked at Prince Ying by torchlight, nodded, and ordered the soldiers to make way. Yang Feng entered the palace on foot with only Ni Qiu and Prince Ying, leaving the others outside.
It was nearly the fourth watch. In his manor, Prince Donghai still hadn’t received word from Lady Tan, only hearing one piece of bad news after another. It seemed more and more people were turning to support the Weary Marquis, whose whereabouts remained unknown.
“I cannot back down, I cannot back down. This time I absolutely cannot retreat again.” Prince Donghai once more fantasized about his ascension to the throne before finally gathering his courage to tell the Tan brothers and the law enforcement officials: “We’re not waiting any longer. Let’s head to the North Gate of the palace – someone will be there to receive us.”
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