Chapter 299: Chapter 299
It was mid-spring, with daylight growing longer and the weather turning warmer. A group of officials in wide-sleeved robes held hoes and dug the earth, while another group behind them scattered seeds and covered them with soil. Before long, they began to sweat, their legs grew weak, the farming tools in their hands felt impossibly heavy, and beads of sweat dripped steadily from their faces.
Yet no one dared complain, and no one dared slack off, because the Emperor walked ahead of them, doing the same work.
This was their first stop after departing from Pengcheng. The Emperor would personally encourage agriculture. The ceremonies were all established: first praying for rain and worshipping Shennong the Divine Farmer, then the Emperor bestowing a packet of seeds to the local area, local elders presenting soil wrapped in withered grass, and finally the Emperor and all officials going into the fields to plow.
The previous ceremonies were manageable—merely making symbolic gestures, with the added entertainment of strange dances by local shamans. But the plowing required real physical effort, and the Emperor was particularly earnest. Instead of simply supporting the plow and hoeing three or four times, he personally pushed the plow to complete an entire field, then led the ministers in breaking up soil and sowing seeds.
What should have been an agricultural encouragement ceremony lasting an hour stretched from the cool morning to the scorching afternoon. Even real farmers rarely worked under the sun for so long, let alone a group of sedentary civil officials.
An accompanying official from the Ministry of Personnel finally collapsed from exhaustion in the field and was quickly carried away by several soldiers to avoid spoiling the scene.
The officials in the back row were all locals. After this ordeal, they finally understood that the Emperor’s agricultural encouragement was genuine. The county magistrate, being cleverer, kept winking at his dumbfounded adviser until tears streamed down his face. The adviser finally understood and quietly left to change the previously arranged plans.
Thus, at dusk, when the Emperor and officials who had labored all day finally sat down to eat, the table was set not with delicacies, but with wild vegetables just dug from the fields, porridge made from aged millet, bean paste brewed by country folk, and rice wine.
The county magistrate had guessed correctly, and the adviser had fully grasped his master’s intention. The Emperor was very satisfied with this meal, and the famished officials ate with particular relish, all praising the delicious country fare.
Ni Qiu was younger and less steady, daring to speak before the Emperor. While serving the Emperor’s bedtime that night, he couldn’t help but boast: “Following the Emperor is truly wonderful.”
Zhang Youcai curled his lips disdainfully. Han Ruzi smiled and said, “What’s so good about it? If it’s not going to war, it’s eating wild vegetables. Isn’t it more comfortable than when you were fishing at Guaizi Lake?”
“That’s different. Ni Qiu the fisherman… was always just Ni Qiu. Following the Emperor, Ni Qiu has become a big fish! So many high officials—I could never even see them before, but now they’re all polite to me.”
Zhang Youcai became even more disdainful and couldn’t help saying, “You must remember, they’re being polite to His Majesty, not to you.”
“Don’t I understand that principle? The politeness is for His Majesty, but the things are always given to me, right?” Ni Qiu beamed with joy.
Han Ruzi had already changed clothes. Hearing this, the smile disappeared from his face. “Someone gave you things?”
Ni Qiu hadn’t yet realized the situation and proudly took out two gold hairpins from his chest. The hairpins were exquisitely crafted, but Ni Qiu paid no attention to this, weighing them twice. “They’re several taels! I had someone look at them—they’re real gold. That official said this was an advance wedding gift for me. Hehe, I won’t be getting married for several more years.”
“The local County Magistrate Zhu. He’s really a good person.”
“He gave you gifts without making any requests?”
“No, though he did say he hoped to become closer to me in the future.” Ni Qiu finally noticed the Emperor’s expression was wrong and became embarrassed.
Ni Qiu had formerly been a wild child from a fishing village. Unlike Zhang Youcai, he wasn’t familiar with palace rules, and unlike Du Chuanyun, he hadn’t grown up struggling in the pugilist world. His thoughts were relatively simple. Though Han Ruzi was angry, he couldn’t bear to lose his temper with him. Looking at those two hairpins, he said, “Keep the things. When you’re a few years older, I’ll definitely arrange a good marriage for you.”
Ni Qiu’s face turned bright red as he silently put away the golden hairpin. Just as he was about to extinguish the lamp, he suddenly pulled out the hairpin again and declared loudly, “I understand now! County Magistrate Zhu has ill intentions. He wants me to put in a good word for him with Your Majesty. He’s a corrupt official!”
Zhang Youcai frantically waved his hands, telling Ni Qiu to keep his voice down.
“I don’t want anything from a corrupt official!” Ni Qiu raised the golden hairpin, about to throw it on the ground.
“Gold is still gold, after all. Taking it to help the poor would be good too. Why destroy it?” Han Ruzi persuaded.
Ni Qiu reluctantly put away the hairpin again. “These officials are so devious! They say they just want to make friends with no ulterior motives, but they’re all harboring wicked schemes. This means… serving Your Majesty really is exhausting work.”
Zhang Youcai snorted, but Han Ruzi laughed heartily. “If you know it’s exhausting work, that’s a good thing. Zhang Youcai, haven’t you made friends with any high ministers?”
Zhang Youcai was startled and quickly shook his head. “I certainly haven’t. I’ve always kept things strictly business. Apart from delivering summons, I don’t even speak to them normally.”
“You could chat a little…” Han Ruzi’s mind stirred, and he said to Ni Qiu, “I’m giving you a mission. If you handle it well, it will be a great achievement, and I’ll let you pick a wife when the time comes.”
Ni Qiu’s face grew even redder. “Your Majesty is always teasing me. If Your Majesty gives me a mission, how could I not do it? It has nothing to do with marrying a wife…”
“This mission is very simple. In the future, when officials give you things, just accept them. Afterward, bring them to show me, and then it won’t count as you taking bribes. Whatever those officials say or want, you must tell me everything.”
Ni Qiu stared blankly for a while. “Does this count as taking bribes by imperial decree?”
“How can you talk like that?” Zhang Youcai scolded.
Han Ruzi smiled. “It counts as imperial decree, but if you hide even one thing or one sentence, it’s disobeying orders. Every bribe you accept will be added together for sentencing.”
“Ah? What if I accidentally forget something? Wouldn’t I be in trouble? I understand now – working for the Emperor looks easy but is actually very difficult. There are traps everywhere.”
“So will you accept the mission or not?”
Ni Qiu frowned and thought for a while. “Your Majesty will eventually deal with all these bribe-giving corrupt officials, right?”
“Of course. It’s like fishing – you’re the bait.”
“That’s not quite right. I used to fish all the time. One piece of bait can only catch one fish, and sometimes you don’t catch anything. To fish again, you have to change the bait. How can one piece of bait like me catch so many officials?”
Han Ruzi said helplessly, “It’s just an analogy. It doesn’t have to be similar in every way.”
“Hmm… alright, I’ll do it. Corrupt officials are the most detestable. How dare they target me – we must deal with them severely.”
“Just hate them in your heart, but don’t show it,” Zhang Youcai reminded him. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novèlfire.net
“Don’t worry, I understand.” Ni Qiu took it seriously. That night he didn’t even snore while sleeping, constantly tossing and turning, fighting corrupt officials in his dreams.
Han Ruzi didn’t want to disturb the people, so he stayed in the military camp outside the city, occupying a tent by himself. Lying on the bed, he felt his back and waist aching – more tiring than riding horses and fighting battles. He couldn’t help thinking how hard the common people’s lives were, enduring so much suffering for the autumn harvest.
He hadn’t fallen asleep yet when Chief Overseer Liu Jie’s voice came from outside: “Has Your Majesty retired for the night?”
“Come in.” Han Ruzi forced himself to sit up.
Liu Jie entered holding a candlestick, carefully shielding the flame with his other hand. “Your Majesty has labored all day, and your body must be aching. It’s not advisable to sleep too early. I’ll find someone to give Your Majesty a massage to relax the muscles and invigorate blood circulation, so you won’t suffer from tomorrow’s jolting.”
Liu Jie was not only an upright attendant but also an extremely attentive eunuch. He had hit upon exactly what the Emperor was thinking. Han Ruzi rubbed his shoulders. “Is there someone in the camp who knows massage?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please wait a moment.” Liu Jie placed the candlestick on the table and lit another candle at the same time. The tent immediately became much brighter.
Liu Jie withdrew, and before long, the masseuse entered. It wasn’t a eunuch as Han Ruzi had expected, but Zhang Qinyan.
Han Ruzi was stunned. He had already felt that Liu Jie’s behavior regarding the zither player was somewhat strange, and now this feeling was even stronger.
Zhang Qinyan wasn’t carrying her zither, nor did she look at the Emperor with those enchanting eyes again. She simply knelt on the ground as if pleading.
“You know massage?” Han Ruzi still couldn’t bring himself to send her away.
“Then… let’s try it.”
Zhang Qinyan rose and walked with delicate steps to the bedside, kneeling on the bed. She still refused to look at the Emperor and gestured for him to lie down.
Han Ruzi lay down on his stomach and felt fingers pressing on his back. At first the pressure was very light, then gradually strengthened, moving slowly along the acupoints. Initially he felt his body becoming even more sore, but this quickly transformed into comfort.
Just then, the sound of a zither came from outside the tent. It wasn’t the Empty Sound Melody, and though it didn’t produce that floating, transcendent feeling, when combined with the massage, it made Han Ruzi even more relaxed.
“You’re a zither player, how do you also know massage?” Han Ruzi asked. The fingers on his back paused for a moment. “Oh right, you can’t speak. What a pity.”
The pressure from her palms became steady, neither light nor heavy, with complex techniques including pushing, grasping, pressing, rubbing, kneading, pinching, pointing, and patting—all complete. Though this was Han Ruzi’s first time receiving such treatment, he could tell from the sensation that Zhang Qinyan was extremely skilled in this art.
After her palms left his back, Zhang Qinyan softly hummed. Han Ruzi turned over.
Zhang Qinyan still kept her head lowered, her long eyelashes casting two shadows beneath her eyes, adding an air of mystery. One hand rested on her own leg while the other naturally slipped inside the Emperor’s robes, massaging his chest.
This brought an entirely different sensation. The pressure from her palm was even gentler, and it didn’t seem to focus specifically on acupoints, flowing as softly as fine wine.
Han Ruzi suddenly became alert and sat up abruptly. Zhang Qinyan was unprepared and her body tilted, nearly falling off the bed. She let out a soft cry of alarm, her face full of panic, still not daring to look at the Emperor.
“Enough. Go call Liu Jie in.”
Zhang Qinyan kowtowed to the Emperor, hurriedly got off the bed, and retreated from the tent.
Liu Jie immediately entered. “Your Majesty summoned me?”
“Liu Jie, I thought you were an upright attendant. Why have you done such shameful things?”
Liu Jie hastily knelt down. “Your Majesty, please forgive me.”
“You present me with beauty—how much benefit did you receive from the Prefect of Henan?”
Since both the zither player and her daughter came from Prefect Han Chou’s residence, Han Ruzi deduced that Liu Jie was likely acting on Han Chou’s instructions.
“Your Majesty, though I cannot bear the title of ‘upright attendant,’ I would not stoop to being used by external officials.”
“Then why have you repeatedly presented Zhang Qinyan to me? Don’t you understand the principle that indulgence in wine and beauty leads to the neglect of proper duties?”
Liu Jie fell silent, as if he had something difficult to say.
Han Ruzi became even more furious. “Liu Jie, don’t make me regret bringing you on this campaign.”
Liu Jie kowtowed. “It was Your Majesty’s mother…”
Han Ruzi was stunned. “She told you to present me with beauties?”
“She also had good intentions, hoping Your Majesty would have an heir soon.”
Han Ruzi was dumbfounded and suddenly became worried about Empress Cui Xiaojun back in the palace.
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