Chapter 86: The Grand Consort’s Final Wish


    Han Ruzi didn’t have time to bid farewell to his wife before being sent into a carriage outside the Cui manor. Under the escort of a group of eunuchs and guards, he headed straight for the imperial pce.


    When he emerged from the carriage, he found that the destination wasn’t Cishun Pce where the Empress Dowager resided. Instead, it was a narrow and dpidated alleyway that seemed vaguely familiar. It suddenly dawned on him that this was the ce where his mother had once been imprisoned. His heart sank, fearing that he might be confined.


    Several eunuchs didn’t bother to exin and led the deposed emperor into a small courtyard. They then pushed him into a tiny room and closed the door from outside.


    In such a situation, no one could remain fearless. The most terrifying aspect wasn’t the imminent danger, but the unsettling ignorance. The house was dimly lit and cramped, with a lingering scent of decay. Han Ruzi felt as though he had been thrown into a strange abyss, where a wild beast could emerge from any direction.


    He stood by the door for a while, tempted to turn around and pound on it, to plead with the eunuchs outside to let him out. However, he knew it would be in vain.


    “Has Your Majesty arrived?” a feeble voice asked.


    Han Ruzi shuddered, focusing his gaze and spotting a low bed in the corner against the wall. The voice came from there. “Grand Consort?”


    “Heh, do I still have the title Grand Consort?” the voice responded.


    Han Ruzi slowly approached the bed and saw the haggard face. Half a year had passed since hest saw her, and the once radiant appearance hadpletely faded. But there was no doubt it was the Grand Consort.


    Being summoned into the pce to see the Grand Consort left Han Ruzi perplexed. “I thought…”


    “You thought I was dead,” the Grand Consort finished his sentence. After a moment’s pause, she continued, “How could the Empress Dowager bear to let me die easily? She wants to torment me bit by bit…”


    “Did you ask for me toe?” Han Ruzi felt some sympathy for the Grand Consort, but he truly didn’t want to hear her recount the conflicts between the two sisters.


    “Is that so? Oh, right, yes, I wanted to see Your Majesty. I never thought she would agree,” the Grand Consort said.


    Han Ruzi was equally surprised and took another step forward. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”


    “You are the Emperor…”


    “No, I am not the Emperor. I abdicated a month ago.”


    “The Empress Dowager didn’t kill you?”


    “It seems not. I’ve been titled the Weary Marquis and have my own manor. I live freely andfortably.”


    “Freely andfortably?” The Grand Consort let out a bitterugh, her breathing suddenly grew heavy, and she coughed severely for a moment. Han Ruzi attempted to help her sit up, but the Grand Consort raised her hand to refuse and after a while, she quieted down. “How could there be freedom andfort? You think that you are flying free, but you’re still tethered. With a gentle tug, she can drag you back to the ground.”


    “That’s still better than staying on the ground all the time,” Han Ruzi said. Even if this wasn’t the imperial pce, he wouldn’t bepletely frank with the Grand Consort.


    “Talking about this is useless. I brought you here because I need a favor from you.”


    “I have abdicated,” Han Ruzi reminded her.


    “Just a small favor. Now that you’re no longer the Emperor, it’s actually even easier.”


    “Why choose me?” Han Ruzi didn’t recall owing any favors to the Grand Consort. On the contrary, she had deceived and used him before.


    The Grand Consort seemed to have forgotten those things, weakly lifting her arm to gesture for Han Ruzi toe closer. Suddenly, she started coughing violently again.


    It was difficult to refuse a request from a sick person. Han Ruzi hesitated and sat down by the bedside. Underneath him was a hard wooden board, with only a very thin mat.


    “I’m about to die. I won’t have to suffer the Empress Dowager’s torment anymore.”


    Han Ruzi couldn’t see any scars on the Grand Consort’s face or hands. Her talk of “torment” was clearly just rhetoric. For her, not seeing the Empress Dowager being punished might be her own form of torment.


    “My remains shall not be permitted enter the imperial mausoleum. After death, I won’t be able to apany Thoughtful Emperor in the afterlife. That’s my greatest regret.” The Grand Consort had to pause and rest for a moment. “There’s a temple called Bao’en Temple to the west of the city. There’s a spirit tablet for Thoughtful Emperor there, representing his ordination as a monk to ward off disasters. It’s from his childhood… Anyway, that tablet must surely be connected to Thoughtful Emperor’s departed soul.”


    The Grand Consort lifted her hand from the bed and handed something to Han Ruzi. “Here’s my soul. Help me hang it on the tablet. Only you can do this. You’ve been an Emperor; even the spirits would have to respect you a little.”


    Han Ruzi looked down and saw a small, white, jade fish in his palm. Its eyes were red, and it had holes on its tail with a silk cord threaded through.


    “Do souls really exist after death?” the Grand Consort asked.


    “Perhaps,” Han Ruzi closed his hand. “I can’t guarantee anything, but if there’s a chance, I’ll go to Bao’en Temple and hang it on the tablet.”


    “That’s enough. Your words are more trustworthy than anyone in the pce.”


    Han Ruzi had also told lies, but it wasn’t the right time to bring that up. He asked, “Just this matter?”


    “Yes, I’m sorry. I’ve harmed you before and now I’m asking for your help.”


    “The eunuchs might take the jade ornament away.”


    “If that happens, then I’ll ept my fate,” the Grand Consort sighed.


    It seemed like she had nothing more to say. Han Ruzi stood up, without saying goodbye, walked to the door, and knocked twice. Someone outside opened the door. He stepped out of the dim and oppressive little room, breathed in the fresh air outside, and felt a sense of relief.


    A eunuch came over, eyeing Han Ruzi’s palm. Han Ruzi didn’t exin and handed over the jade ornament. The eunuch took it, bowed, and said, “Please wait here, Lord Marquis.”


    The eunuch hurriedly left, presumably to present the jade ornament to the Empress Dowager.


    Han Ruzi didn’t want to return to the room to meet the Grand Consort. Instead, he paced back and forth in the small courtyard. Seeing that the eunuchs weren’t supervising him closely, he walked to the courtyard gate and stood in the alley, ncing around. Several eunuchs exchanged looks but didn’t intervene. However, they followed him outside and positioned themselves on both sides, silently restricting the area where the Weary Marquis could move.


    Han Ruzi didn’t intend to wander aimlessly. He just wanted to catch a breath in an open space. Yet, he couldn’t shake a thought: this ce used to be his. Even if he was just an emperor in name only, he couldmand the Unfortunates and pce guards to do his bidding. Now, he stood here like a prisoner, realizing that his words would no longer carry any influence with the eunuchs.


    A eunuch emerged from the adjacent courtyard, his clothes tattered, holding a few pieces of firewood in his arms. Seeing the carriage and the crowd in the alley, he was clearly startled. Before he could retreat, it was already toote. He dropped the firewood, knelt on the snowy ground, and trembled while bowing his head.


    In that brief nce, Han Ruzi recognized that the man was none other than Jing Yao, the former Director of Pce Attendants.


    The Empress Dowager had been ruthless in dealing with the Qi rebels whom she had never met, but she seemed more willing to show mercy to those around her who acted disloyally. Watching them fall from their heights and struggle in the mud seemed to satisfy her.


    Two eunuchs approached Jing Yao, cursing and kicking their former superior. Jing Yao crawled back into the courtyard, never toe out again. Several pieces of firewood remained scattered outside.


    After nearly an hour of waiting, the eunuch sent to request permission hurriedly returned. “Lord Marquis, please get on the carriage.”


    Han Ruzi sat in the carriage, lifting the curtains a few times to peer outside, confirming that the carriage was truly headed away from the pce. Only after they had passed through the pce gates did he settle down, feeling his whole body grow weak.


    At the entrance of the Weary Marquis’ manor, the eunuch asked him to step out of the carriage and returned the jade ornament. Still, not a single word was spoken.


    Inside the Weary Marquis’ manor, chaos reigned. People were constantly sent to the pce to gather information, yet apart from pacing around in distress outside the pce gates, they couldn’t gather any news.


    Zhang Youcai had been waiting outside and had arrived home just a bit earlier than the Weary Marquis. Almost everyone in the manor came out to greet him, and Cui Xiaojun’s eyes were swollen from crying.


    As Han Ruzi stepped out of the carriage, he instructed the Manor Clerk to reward the eunuchs who had seen him off. He smiled at the crowd and then took his wife’s hand, heading straight for the inner quarters.


    “I thought… I thought…” Cui Xiao-jun couldn’t stop her tears, but this time, they were tears of joy. “I begged Elder Laojun to… But she…”


    “It’s alright. It was the Grand Consort who wanted to see me.”


    “The Grand Consort?” Cui Xiaojun was taken aback, finally managing to stop her tears.


    Han Ruzi took out the jade ornament and briefly exined the situation.


    “The Empress Dowager actually allowed you to see her? And let you take the jade ornament with you!” Cui Xiao-jun was even more surprised. “Are you really going to go to Bao’en Temple?”


    “Since I promised, I’ll go if I have the chance.”


    “I want to go with you. Bao’en Temple has a great reputation, and they say the bodhisattvas there are the most efficacious. I want to burn more incense for you.”


    “For us,” Han Ruzi chuckled.


    “You won’t… go back to the pce again, will you?”


    “That’s hard to say. I must participate in court ceremonies and if the Empress Dowager summons me, I can’t refuse…”


    “No, I mean, do you want to <em>return</em> to the pce?” For the first time, Cui Xiaojun raised this question to her husband.


    Han Ruzi shook his head. “The pce is like a prison. The Grand Consort and Jing Yao are confined in there, and even the Empress Dowager isn’t truly free. I don’t want to go back. I only hope that one day, I can bring my mother out of there.”


    Cui Xiaojun leaned against his chest and softly said, “That’s good. I know how painful it is to be disregarded, but I also know how difficult the path of power struggle is. The Cui n is in danger without realizing it. I’m genuinely afraid you might get caught up in it.”


    “I’m truly ‘alone’ now, with no support. Even if I wanted to fight, I can’t. Don’t worry, I won’t be that foolish.”


    Cui Xiaojun smiled. She enjoyed her current life – the simpler, the happier. Moving away from her husband’s chest, she said, “When the weather gets warmer, I want to tidy up the backyard. It’s quite spacious, and it’s a shame to let it go to waste.”


    “Sure, we’ll tidy up the yard together.”


    Not long after nightfall, Han Ruzi went to see Yang Feng. Yang Feng was the only one who hadn’t greeted the Weary Marquis at the gate during the day.


    Han Ruzi didn’t mind and exined the situation to Yang Feng, eventually asking, “What is the Empress Dowager really thinking?”


    Yang Feng shook his head. “Don’t ask me about what women think. I don’t understand.”


    From Yang Feng’s perspective, the Weary Marquis’ recent visit to the pce had nothing to do with the court struggles. “Are you scared?” he asked.


    Han Ruzi stared at Yang Feng for a while before responding, “Honestly, I was terrified. The saying goes ‘the victor bes king; the loser bes an ouw’. Yet the fate of the loser is far worse than that of an ouw.’ Comparatively, execution might even be more merciful.”


    “Very good,” Yang Feng nodded.


    “Very good?”


    “If someone doesn’t understand the danger they’re facing, their willingness to step forward is merely recklessness, not bravery. Your fear of failure indicates that you can make the right choices. Remember, no one is forcing you. Even if you remain a marquis, it’s much better than your previous life.”


    “Can I lead a stable life as a marquis?”


    Yang Feng remained silent.


    Han Ruzi had already made his decision. “The Grand Consort was right – I’m still tethered. It’s not just the Empress Dowager; no matter who’s pulling the string on the other end, I’ll fall to the ground if they pull.”


    He paused for a moment. “Lord Yang, you couldn’t stand being controlled by others. Neither can I.”


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