Wang Jianhuo had his own principles and methods for doing things. After agreeing to become an official, he did not kneel down, but instead stood upright with his head held high, sizing up the Emperor as he said, “This commoner dares to become an official, but does Your Majesty dare to be a commoner for once?”
“Do you think We have never been a commoner?” Han Ruzi had only recently shed his identity as the “Weary Marquis.” Although he had never been an ordinary person before, he was not entirely ignorant of the common people’s hardships.
“Tonight, before leaving Luoyang, does Your Majesty dare to temporarily be a commoner?” Wang Jianhuo asked.
Before the Emperor could answer, Prince Donghai spoke first: “What kind of talk is this? Setting aside His Majesty for now, what do you mean by a commoner ‘daring’ to become an official? Is there some mortal danger in becoming an official of Great Chu?”
Wang Jianhuo only stared at the Emperor. “My reputation built over decades will be destroyed overnight at dawn. Everyone in the world will think that after waiting all these years, I was just waiting to become a bigger official.”
Prince Donghai spoke again: “Can your decades of reputation compare to His Majesty’s momentary safety?”
Wang Jianhuo remained silent.
Han Ruzi also remained silent.
“Your Majesty isn’t actually considering this, are you?” Prince Donghai’s eyes widened. “Your Majesty may not believe it, but I’m sincerely warning you: the Emperor’s safety doesn’t belong only to himself, but concerns all of Great Chu, especially at a time like this. If anything should happen to Your Majesty…”
Prince Donghai couldn’t help but indulge in a brief fantasy.“The Martial Emperor often left the palace incognito for private visits when he was young.” Han Ruzi was somewhat tempted. He had heard many stories about the Martial Emperor’s private visits since childhood, some true and some false, but one thing was certainly correct—the Martial Emperor was not the type to rule the world while sitting in the palace.
“During the Martial Emperor’s time, the world was at peace, and moreover… moreover, the Martial Emperor had many trustworthy people around him. This Ugly Wang… if he’s so reluctant even to become an official, he’s probably untrustworthy, isn’t he?”
Faced with this questioning, Wang Jianhuo offered no defense.
“Don’t We have you by Our side?”
Prince Donghai would never say he was untrustworthy, and for a moment was tongue-tied. Suddenly realizing what was happening, he said, “Your Majesty wants to take me along on this private visit? This… this… does Your Majesty really want to agree? Perhaps you should consult with someone first.”
Wang Jianhuo said, “Seeing is believing. Your Majesty’s dedication to the people is admirable, but sitting in a heavily guarded military camp in Luoyang, Your Majesty sees only piles of documents and hears only the unanimous words of officials. Rather than exhausting yourself with guessing and being unable to distinguish truth from falsehood, why not go see for yourself?”
Han Ruzi’s heart stirred with excitement. Ugly Wang was right. Him pressuring local officials, dispatching censors, promoting pugilists to official positions… all of this stemmed from his lingering doubts. Since that was the case, why not walk among the refugees and observe firsthand?
Prince Donghai guessed the outcome from the Emperor’s expression. “Your Majesty, I’ve said everything I should say. I request that all these words be recorded, so that if anything happens… there will be evidence that I didn’t trick Your Majesty into going out.”
“What evidence? If We should meet with misfortune, do you think you could escape?”
“No, no, that’s certainly not what I meant. I just feel that… Your Majesty is a wise ruler, thinking of Great Chu’s realm. The Graceful Emperor only had two sons, and Your Majesty has no heir yet… Your Majesty must not misunderstand, this is purely for the sake of the Han imperial clan and Great Chu… Zhang Youcai, are you just going to stand there like an idiot?”
Zhang Youcai and Ni Qiu had been standing behind the Emperor the entire time. With outsiders present, the two never spoke, but they absolutely disagreed with the Emperor taking such risks. Hearing Prince Donghai’s words, they both stepped forward simultaneously, turned around and were about to kneel and offer counsel, but were glared at by the Emperor and both returned to their original positions.
“Cowardly sycophants,” Prince Donghai muttered under his breath, suddenly feeling the desolate sense that the entire world was corrupt while he alone remained loyal.
Han Ruzi turned to ask the guards standing further away, “To ensure basic safety, what’s the minimum number of people needed?”
The guard was stunned, his mouth agape, not daring to say a word.
“Go call Wang He, and don’t say anything extra.”
The guard trotted quickly out of the tent and returned at great speed, indicating he had no opportunity for loose talk.
Wang He soon arrived as well. Glancing at the Ugly Wang, he said, “Your humble minister Wang He pays respects to Your Majesty.”
“We wish to make a private visit incognito, departing in half an hour. Go make arrangements. When leaving the camp, don’t let anyone discover us. Including you, bring at most six guards. Prince Donghai will accompany us. Wang Jianhuo, how many people will you bring?”
“I’m here alone.”
“Good. Wang He, go prepare.”
Wang He dropped to his knees with a thud. Just as he was about to speak, Han Ruzi’s expression darkened slightly. “You are the head of the guards. When We employ you, We want action, not remonstration. Do you think yourself more eloquent than Prince Donghai?”
Prince Donghai blinked helplessly.
All the words Wang He had prepared were blocked. After thinking it over, he said, “At minimum ten guards – no fewer.”
“As you wish, but there must be no leaks, especially not to Liu Jie. Do you understand?” Han Ruzi had a premonition that once Chief Overseer Liu Jie heard the Emperor wanted to leave camp, he would surely cling to the Emperor’s legs and refuse to let go even unto death.
“Understood.” Wang He withdrew with a pale face.
After agreeing on a meeting place, Wang Jianhuo also took his leave. Han Ruzi had Zhang Youcai and Ni Qiu bring additional bedding, pretending he intended to keep Prince Donghai for an all-night conversation, then warned, “You two especially must not speak carelessly. While I am away, if anything happens, cover for me.”
Zhang Youcai was so anxious he nearly cried. “Your Majesty…”
“What? Could I go out at night before but not now?”
Thinking of his master’s adventurous experiences as the Weary Marquis, Zhang Youcai actually began to cry. “At least before there were the Du grandfather and grandson…”
“Now there are ten guards.” Han Ruzi grew increasingly excited. He had been in Luoyang for several days now, constantly confined to the military camp, overthinking until his head was dizzy and muddled. Wang Jianhuo had reminded him that all those tangled mysteries in the memorials simply did not exist in reality.
Ni Qiu, however, was less concerned. “Your Majesty is just going out for a trip – it can’t be that dangerous, right?”
Prince Donghai and Zhang Youcai both glared at him fiercely. Ni Qiu quickly sealed his lips tight. Prince Donghai couldn’t even leave the tent, muttering, “At least let me bid farewell to the Princess Consort… Your Majesty, is Ugly Wang truly trustworthy? That man has no shortage of schemes – he has just used some ambiguous wager to put Your Majesty in a difficult position.”
Han Ruzi did not answer. His trust in the Ugly Wang came half from his own instincts and half because of Meng E.
That Meng E had entrusted the imperial seal to Ugly Wang of Luoyang showed that in her mind, Ugly Wang was more trustworthy than the vast majority of people.
If this was an intricately linked deception – Han Ruzi felt it impossible. There had been too many unexpected developments; only an omniscient immortal could have foreseen them all.
Half an hour later, the Emperor, Prince Donghai, and eleven guards quietly led their horses out of the military camp. They encountered no sentries along the way – Wang He had temporarily reassigned them all. Wang He had also played a small trick, not counting himself among the ten guards, bringing one extra person.
Wang Jianhuo waited three streets away, alone on horseback. He nodded to the Emperor and led the way.
Having just experienced battle, Luoyang remained under curfew. The main streets had no pedestrians, only patrolling squads of soldiers. Wang Jianhuo had his own methods for avoiding inspection, and after meeting with the Emperor, he worried even less. Guard Wang He carried military credentials that allowed free movement throughout the city, even leaving the city in the dead of night.
A few miles outside the city, the military credentials were no longer needed. The group removed their caps, wrapped their cloaks tightly, and tried not to reveal their official status. Wang Jianhuo wore a hooded cloak that concealed his distinctive face.
It was the middle of the night. Flickering points of firelight dotted the official road outside the city, extending to the far distance. The roadside was filled with makeshift shelters of all sizes, with many people still sleeping on the ground with at most some dry grass beneath them.
At regular intervals, there were indeed official and private grain storage sheds. These were closed at night with no lodging permitted. Occasionally, guards watching the grain sheds who hadn’t yet slept gathered together drinking, their raucous voices particularly jarring.
The group dismounted. Several guards led all the horses behind them while Han Ruzi, Prince Donghai, Wang Jianhuo, and Wang He walked in front. The other guards followed dispersed, one hand constantly gripping the knives beneath their cloaks.
“This area is all refugees from Henan Prefecture. It’s been a short time, so they haven’t all arrived yet – many are still on the road,” Wang Jianhuo explained quietly.
By the light of roadside fires, Han Ruzi could see some refugees who hadn’t yet slept. They sat there blankly, all gaunt and sallow, not knowing what they were waiting for or thinking about.
A child of indeterminate gender stood alone by the roadside, clutching a ball of millet rice and swallowing it in large gulps. Upon seeing people approaching, the child turned and ran.
”Without this round of grain distribution, at least half the people here wouldn’t survive until summer,” Wang Jianhuo said.
Suddenly, sounds of an argument came from ahead. Han Ruzi quickened his pace and heard an angry voice saying, “Wasn’t it said we’d receive grain to take back home? With this method of distributing grain meal by meal, when will it ever end?”
Another voice tried to persuade, “Come on, come on. The government is distributing grain and you’re still complaining. Have you forgotten what it’s like to go hungry? I heard this is for the Emperor to see. Before the Emperor leaves Luoyang, he has to take a look, right? If everyone takes their grain and leaves, what will the Emperor see?”
“This sucks. Why not…”
“Shh! Do you want to die? You might be free then, but what about your wife and children at home?”
The argument ended, and a small crowd in the darkness dispersed.
Wang Jianhuo said quietly, “Those with families and property are better off – they’re willing to return to their hometowns. From what I know, if a man’s family members have all starved to death, eight or nine times out of ten he won’t come to collect grain. He’d rather become a bandit in the mountains.”
Han Ruzi grunted in acknowledgment. The grain distribution had come too late. He wondered how many common people had perished because of this, and how many had completely lost faith in the imperial court, determined to become bandits or even rebels.
Just from what he had seen and heard so far, Han Ruzi felt this private visit was worthwhile. Sitting in the city, he only knew that the refugee situation was severe, but he couldn’t feel that urgent sense of life and death.
A man suddenly darted out from the shadows by the roadside. The guards behind rushed forward, but Wang Jianhuo waved at them, indicating there was no danger.
It wasn’t an assassin, just a gaunt refugee. Something seemed to be hidden under his tattered clothes. He glared viciously at the cloaked figures, showing no fear at all. Instead, he spat threateningly on the ground and ran off at increased speed.
Petty theft was common among refugees – preserving one’s own life was always most important.
After walking almost a mile, Wang Jianhuo signaled for the guards behind them to stay even farther back. He led the way, turning onto a small path in the wilderness where many refugees also lived.
“The refugees in this area came from other places. They’ve been gathered near Luoyang for a long time and can be summoned at once,” Wang Jianhuo explained.
Most of the refugees here weren’t sleeping. Men, women, old and young all sat around campfires, listening to several people speak. The speakers wore rags but weren’t as gaunt, clearly the imposters Wang Jianhuo had mentioned.
“How about it? This opportunity comes only once. Get ten more families and we can form a group!” one person was saying loudly, spittle flying as he tried to persuade the crowd.
Wang Jianhuo asked an old man on the outer edge, “What opportunity comes only once?”
“There’s a great benefactor willing to provide carts to send us back home, and he’s also willing to pay to help us buy seeds and hire oxen,” the old man said without turning his head, unable to see clearly in the darkness.
“That’s a good thing.”
“Yes, except after returning home we have to use our land deeds as collateral. If we can’t repay the debt after autumn, the land becomes his. Back when we left our homes, we didn’t sell our land. Yet now that we have a bit of grain, we… sigh.”
Han Ruzi was furious, finally understanding why the Luoyang merchants were so enthusiastic about participating in grain distribution. They wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to acquire poor people’s land.
Wang Jianhuo wasn’t surprised at all. He nodded and turned to the Emperor, saying, “If we keep going forward, we’ll see many more such things.”
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