Chapter 92: What to Do

Chapter 92: What to Do

Han Ruzi wanted to meet Yang Feng badly, hoping to get explanations and guidance from him. At the same time, Yang Feng was the person Han Ruzi least wanted to see right now, like a child who had turned the house upside down and was afraid of their parents returning.

Yang Feng was dressed in the attire of a military officer and turned to Zhang Youcai. “Go and fetch my old clothes from before.”

“Yes,” Zhang Youcai knew this was not a time for jokes and immediately obeyed the command without asking further questions.

However, Han Ruzi couldn’t help but ask, “Did Master Du tell you? What about Du Chuanyun? Is everything okay?”

“It’s not about them; it’s about you,” Yang Feng replied.

“Me? Nobody saw me, those two...”

Yang Feng raised his hand. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Zhang Youcai rushed back, carrying Yang Feng’s former eunuch attire, which had all been cleaned.

“Good, you can leave now.”

“Can I help in any way?”

“Sure, help me by leaving this room. I didn’t tell you to come in,” Yang Feng shook out his clothes and began to put them on.

Zhang Youcai awkwardly exited the room.

“Now, tell me what happened. Keep it as brief as possible; I only want to hear the truth,” Yang Feng sat down on a chair.

“I encountered a mad monk at the Bao’en Temple...” Han Ruzi started from the beginning, recounting how he had escaped from the Fresh Greens Lane. He omitted the part about Meng E saving him, claiming that he had accidentally killed the two men.

Yang Feng occasionally nodded, and when Han Ruzi finished, he said, “Well done, but there’s one thing. Those two men didn’t die; they were merely knocked unconscious with a skilful technique. You do not possess such skill, so the person who intervened was Du Motian. Remember that?”

Han Ruzi was momentarily stunned. “Do I need to tell others about these things?”

“Yes. Fortunately, their reactions were slow. I acted before them.”

“Who are ‘they’?”

“You’ll find out soon,” Yang Feng casually picked up a book. “Is this what you’ve been reading lately?”

It was an ancient poetry collection that Han Ruzi had found while rearranging his bookshelf. He picked up another book. “No, I’ve been reading historical records from the previous dynasty.”

Yang Feng took the historical book and tossed it into a corner. “A deposed Emperor shouldn’t be reading that. It might make people suspect your loyalty. Reading poetry is better, it eases worries, uplifts the spirit, and nurtures the mind.”

“But I haven’t read that book... Who is coming, anyway?”

“I don’t know.”

Yang Feng’s demeanor, seemingly aware of everything but unwilling to reveal, was quite infuriating. However, Han Ruzi felt a bit guilty and could only endure it, sitting behind his desk lost in thought. “Is it someone from the palace?”

“Hard to say.”

The doubt was quickly resolved.

Someone knocked on the door, and after obtaining the Weary Marquis’s permission, the Manor Clerk entered. Seeing Yang Feng, he visibly hesitated. “Lord Yang, weren’t you going to the Northern Army... How did you enter? I wasn’t aware.”

“I am the steward of the manor; I can enter from any door,” Yang Feng replied calmly.

“You’re not the steward; you’re an Adjutant of the Northern Army.”

“Manor Clerk, please check again. The records should still show that I’m under the Marquis’s manor.”

“Somebody is trying to frame me?”

“It appears so.”

“If I had gone to the Subtle Fragrance Garden, would there be even greater traps waiting for me? They would say that I have imperial ambitions. If I don’t refute the allegations, and I can’t possibly refute them, I would be arrested!”

“It seems you’ve thought about a lot.”

Yang Feng kept responding with variations of “it seems.” Han Ruzi grew tired of it and asked directly, “Why didn’t the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs arrest me today?”

“Because the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs doesn’t have more evidence. In a couple of days, you might receive a reprimand,” Yang Feng explained.

“But why did they come today?” Han Ruzi inquired.

“It is standard procedure. Today, the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs collected some testimonies. Next time, it might be officials from the Imperial Palace, as well as from the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, the Capital Prefectural Office... When they need it, even if you haven’t done anything, accumulated evidence over time can still put you in a precarious situation.”

“I thought the Empress Dowager had let me off.”

“Do you think being let off means being completely forgotten? Even if the Empress Dowager forgets, someone else will remember on her behalf. This evidence may never be used, but it may come in useful one day. You should know that only those who can handle ‘what ifs’ who have a chance to rise in the ranks.”

Han Ruzi felt a chill running down his spine.

“But that’s not the key point. The court has always operated this way. Which prince or marquis doesn’t carry a few shackles on their body? The ones who are light on their feet should be the most vigilant. The crucial question is who is trying to frame you. The Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs will record every mistake you make, but they won’t intentionally set traps for you. That would be too risky for them, and it’s unnecessary.”

“Prince Donghai,” Han Ruzi didn’t need to think twice. “It must be him. He knows I’m very interested in fate seers.”

“Yes, what do you plan to do?”

Han Ruzi blushed a little. “I’m sorry; I didn’t immediately tell you about my experience at Bao’en Temple.”

“Don’t apologize to me. You should make your own decisions. I can advise, but I can’t make decisions for you.”

As long as Yang Feng was present, Han Ruzi couldn’t afford to relax and had to think hard and constantly.

“What should I do? What should I do... The Dus and Ironhead Hu San, are they okay?”

“They’re fine. Right now, they’re probably drinking and celebrating with Liang Xinhou.”

“Liang Xinhou is the one they call Skinny Monkey Houwu, right?”

“He should be fine. At most he was used by Prince Donghai and others.”

“Prince Donghai used the pugilist world against me, so I also need to use their methods against him. The Dus and Ironhead Hu San can help me, as well as those heroes you brought here.”

“This is one approach, but I must remind you, be extremely cautious when dealing with people from the pugilist world. You can let them owe you a favor, but never owe them. Many people have been swallowed up by the pugilist world because they made mistakes in this regard, seeking temporary convenience but accumulating endless debts that they can’t repay.”

Yang Feng paused for a moment. “As for the Dus, you’re about to go too far.”

Han Ruzi’s heart skipped a beat. He remembered what Du Chuanyun had said about the rules of the pugilist world. In the pugilist world, right and wrong were different from those in government or among the common people. At that time, he had only considered how the rules of the pugilist world were advantageous to him and had overlooked the disadvantages.

One must not be so selfish as to believe that others are not selfish.. Han Ruzi realized he had almost made a big mistake. He was also curious about how much Yang Feng had suffered in the past to be so cautious of people from the pugilist world.

His dream was to reclaim the throne, and getting too deeply involved in the pugilist world would distance him further from the court, even putting him on the opposite side. Eventually, he would have to live a life on the run, just like Marquis Junyang, Hua Bin.

“Prince Donghai used the pugilist world against me, but and in doing so, he left himself vulnerable—I need to find a way to get close to him.”

Han Ruzi could only arrive at this conclusion. He had to return to where he truly belonged to.

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