Chapter Thirty-One: The Burden of Concern

On the way to the holding cells, Qin Hao, apparently still unsatisfied, kicked the unconscious Qin Kaizhi once more.

Thinking about how he had won the fight, he clenched his fists and realized that he truly possessed astonishing strength.

But when he saw his two close friends with bruised and swollen faces, Qin Hao said apologetically, “Brother Ma, Brother Zhao, I’m sorry. I dragged you into this.”

“What are you talking about? We’re brothers for life. When something happens to you, of course we have to step in.” Ma Yingze thumped his chest loudly.

Zhao Guangnian was equally forthright. “Brother Shen, don’t worry. I’m here.”

“As long as my father can’t find me, he’ll come to the jail and bail us out. Relax—we’ll definitely get out.”

Qin Hao was stunned. That evening, he had merely shared drinks with Zhao Guangnian and discovered that the two of them got along splendidly. He had never asked about Zhao’s family background.

Zhao Guangnian answered very directly, “My father is the Chancellor, and also the Crown Prince’s Tutor—in other words, the Crown Prince’s teacher.”

Holy shit!

Qin Hao had truly never expected both of the brothers he had made to possess such exalted identities.

He had struck gold.

Ma Yingze said unconcernedly, “It’s fine. His father can get both of you out.”

“As for me, I’ll get nothing worse than a beating when I go home.”

Qin Hao let out a sigh of relief.

Just a beating? That was acceptable.

Fortunately, he had not dragged his two brothers into any real suffering.

Zhao Guangnian, however, sneered. “Brother Shen, don’t listen to Ma Yingze’s boasting. Let me tell you, every time he gets beaten, he can’t get out of bed for at least three days. Didn’t you notice that even his legs are trembling?”

Ma Yingze flushed and shot back, “You think you’re so tough? Every time your father catches you, doesn’t he make you copy the Book of Rites until your hand cramps?”

Qin Hao looked at the two of them and could not help asking, “Do you two get into trouble all the time?”

Ma Yingze proudly lifted his chin. “What do you mean, ‘get into trouble’? My father forbids me to fight, so I love fighting. I insist on fighting.”

“At worst, my grandfather beats me. I’m his own flesh and blood, so he can’t beat me to death.”

Zhao Guangnian was no different. “My father says that a man of letters is a gentleman who uses words instead of fists. What, just because I’ve been beaten, I’m not allowed to fight back?”

“To hell with his ridiculous gentlemanly principles. If he pushes me too far, I’ll write out all my father’s romantic scandals tomorrow and spread them throughout the capital.”

Qin Hao was left utterly dumbfounded.

These two were practically made of pure defiance.

A moment later, Ma Yingze sidled up and asked Qin Hao slyly, “Brother, you look skinny, but you’re awfully strong. Why don’t you train in martial arts with me? From now on, whenever there’s a fight, the three of us can join forces and sweep all before us.”

“From now on, we’ll be the Three Tyrants of the Capital.”

“Wahaha!”

Zhao Guangnian, sitting nearby, began chuckling as well.

At first, Qin Hao found their reaction rather strange. But soon, under the influence of the wine, he joined in their laughter.

Riding the liquor, he threw back his head and shouted, “Life and death be damned! If you don’t accept it, then fight! To hell with everything!”

Ma Yingze and Zhao Guangnian’s eyes lit up.

They shouted along with him.

“Life and death be damned! If you don’t accept it, then fight! To hell with everything!”

The voices of the three men were loud and raucous.

Their uproar startled the yellow dogs in the surrounding homes into barking wildly.

The head constable and the other bailiffs all frowned.

But none of them dared interfere.

Had they not heard the identities of these young masters? Each was more distinguished than the last.

Besides, it was only a brawl. They had entered the jail today and would be out tomorrow.

If things went quickly, they would be released in less than an hour.

The constables were used to it.

If the young dandies of the capital ever stopped fighting, they would probably start wondering whether the Great Jing Dynasty was about to collapse.

Meanwhile, at the Princess’s Residence.

Li Qingyao had finally finished writing her memorial.

She took a sip of tea and said with satisfaction, “Not bad. As expected of me.”

“I never thought Qin Hao would be so reliable. Now let’s see how those civil officials can oppose me.”

Just then, the hidden guard returned.

His appearance was so sudden that Li Qingyao’s expression changed when she saw that he was the one assigned to protect Qin Hao.

If Qin Hao’s guard had returned, then something must have happened to Qin Hao.

“Where is Qin Hao?” Li Qingyao asked coldly.

The hidden guard replied, “Young Master Qin has been taken to the jail.”

He immediately recounted the entire affair: Qin Hao’s fight with Qin Kaizhi, as well as the involvement of Ma Yingze and Zhao Guangnian.

He embellished nothing.

Li Qingyao clenched her fist.

The shaft of the brush in her hand bent under her grip.

“Qin Hao told me not to disturb him and said he had to go out to take care of something. Was he really going to visit a brothel? And he even went with two of the capital’s most notorious young wastrels!”

“Does he really think that because he has talent, he can stop studying, cease making progress, and throw himself into ruin?”

The hidden guard was suddenly at a loss for words.

That did not seem to be the main issue here.

After a moment, Li Qingyao sighed. “Go and protect Qin Hao. I’m going to the palace to seek His Majesty’s instructions.”

Before long, half an hour had passed.

Inside the jail, Ma Yingze was bored enough to pick at the corner of the table.

He had nearly gouged out a hole.

Growing irritated, he said, “It’s been half an hour. Why hasn’t anyone from my family come? They’re so slow. Usually I’m out within three-quarters of an hour at most!”

Zhao Guangnian was equally puzzled. “Why hasn’t my father come to bail me out?”

At that moment, at the Duke of Zheng’s residence, the old duke—still vigorous despite his years—was practicing a set of boxing forms, every movement powerful and sweeping.

Suddenly, a servant came to report the news.

When the Duke of Zheng heard that Ma Yingze had gotten into another fight, he drove his fist into a wooden training dummy.

The entire dummy split apart.

The duke ground his teeth in fury. “That wretched brat! He’s caused trouble for me again. Who did he hit this time?”

The servant replied, “I heard it was Qin Kaizhi, son of the Earl of Kaiyang.”

The Duke of Zheng’s veins bulged with anger. “Excellent, excellent! The civil and military officials are already at each other’s throats, and he still thinks there isn’t enough trouble? He even struck the son of the Earl of Kaiyang, who is currently riding high!”

“Go. Take my token and have him brought out.”

“I’ll wait right here. Let’s see if I don’t beat him half to death.”

Just as the servant was about to leave to retrieve the boy, someone from the palace arrived.

“By His Majesty’s verbal decree: the grandson of the Duke of Zheng is to remain in jail for the time being and reflect upon his mistakes.”

The old duke’s face turned black.

What was going on? Why was His Majesty paying attention to such a trivial brawl?

The Duke of Zheng immediately grew uneasy.

After all, Ma Yingze was his own grandson. He beat the boy from time to time, but he would never actually kill him.

But if His Majesty had taken notice, the matter was entirely different.

Seeing his expression, the eunuch who had delivered the message offered a reminder. “Duke of Zheng, His Majesty was smiling when he mentioned this matter. He was not angry. In fact, His Highness only began laughing after hearing that Ma Yingze had gotten into a fight.”

“Oh, and the other person involved was Zhao Guangnian, the Chancellor’s second son.”

“Oh?” The Duke of Zheng’s spirits lifted, and he relaxed.

With another son of the Zhao family taking the blame alongside his grandson, he had nothing to worry about.

Then he came to his senses and said, “Someone! Quickly, bring the eunuch a sable coat. The weather will soon turn cold, and he’ll have use for it.”

Elsewhere, at the Chancellor’s residence, the Chancellor, Zhao Rufeng, paced back and forth through the courtyard in fury.

His son had gotten into another fight.

Zhao Guangnian had gotten into another fight!

“Go. Take my token and have him released. Also, prepare the long whip and some cold water. Tonight, I’m going to teach this rebellious son a proper lesson.”

Just then, Eunuch Hai arrived.

“By His Majesty’s verbal decree: Zhao Guangnian, son of Zhao Rufeng, is to remain in jail temporarily and reflect upon his actions.”

“What?”

Zhao Rufeng’s expression changed.

His Majesty already knew that his son had gotten into a fight?

What was he supposed to do now?

Eunuch Hai smiled genially. “Chancellor, His Majesty is not displeased. Besides, the Duke of Zheng’s grandson, Ma Yingze, was also involved.”

Zhao Rufeng immediately relaxed.

Excellent, excellent. With the Ma family’s grandson sharing the blame, he could rest easy.

Then Eunuch Hai continued, “Chancellor, make your preparations. His Majesty wants you to come to the palace at once.”

Zhao Rufeng’s expression grew solemn. He immediately said, “I’ll change and go there at once.”

As for the Qin family, for some unknown reason, they had still received no news that Qin Kaizhi had been thrown into jail.

They had not even heard that he had been in a fight.

Inside the jail, Qin Hao was released.

Ma Yingze and Zhao Guangnian were both dumbfounded.

What was going on? Why had Brother Shen been released while they were still stuck inside?

It was not that they looked down on Brother Shen. They simply found it too unbelievable.

“Perhaps it’s because of this.”

For the first time, Qin Hao revealed the jade pendant hanging from his waist.

The moment the two men saw it, they felt that Qin Hao had been showing off all along.

You’re with the Eldest Princess, and you never said so?

No matter how distinguished their families were, they could not compare with the daughter of the current emperor.

They had been worried about him for nothing.

However, since Qin Hao had been released, he could not remain in the jail. He could only give them an apologetic look before leaving.

Ma Yingze and Zhao Guangnian did not mind in the slightest.

“Brother Shen, if the Eldest Princess is looking for you, go back first. We’ll be out soon enough.”

“Now that we know where you are, we also know where to find you. We’ll make plans to meet again.”

“Don’t worry. Once this fellow wakes up, we’ll beat him up once more on your behalf.”

Qin Hao was astonished.

There probably were not many people in the capital bold enough to talk about starting another fight while still inside the jail.

He gave the two men a thumbs-up before departing.

A short while later, in the imperial palace, Chancellor Zhao Rufeng arrived at the Imperial Study and hurriedly knelt to pay his respects.

“My esteemed minister, rise. You have been recuperating at home these past few days and missed quite a bit of excitement at court.”

Emperor Xuande had none of the usual imperial aloofness. He personally descended from the dais and helped Zhao Rufeng to his feet.

Zhao Rufeng naturally knew that the civil and military officials at court were on the verge of coming to blows.

But he was different. He was a minister who dared to remonstrate directly, an isolated official loyal only to His Majesty.

He supported neither the civil nor the military faction.

That was precisely why he had been appointed Crown Prince’s Tutor.

He would never involve himself in matters that were clearly destined to yield no results. On the very day the dispute began, he had requested leave and returned home to recuperate, content to enjoy the peace and quiet.

The talented man who had proposed using labor in place of relief, however, had greatly intrigued him.

He had been thinking that once the dispute between the civil and military officials ended, he would ask His Majesty whether he might meet that man.

But none of that mattered now.

Facing His Majesty’s concern, Zhao Rufeng’s heart gave a sudden lurch.

This was bad!

He was not afraid of being scolded by His Majesty. What he feared was His Majesty showing concern for him.

Zhao Rufeng knew very well that whenever he attended court, he would tell His Majesty that this was wrong and that was wrong, that this could not be done and that could not be done.

His Majesty ought to be sick of seeing him. How could he possibly be concerned about him?

Something was definitely wrong!

Judging from His Majesty’s manner, it was no small matter.

“Your Majesty, I can remain kneeling,” Zhao Rufeng hurriedly said.

Emperor Xuande chuckled. “My esteemed minister, there is no need for so many worldly formalities between sovereign and subject.”

“Coincidentally, I have just received a memorial from the Eldest Princess. There are a few points I do not quite understand, and I would like to consult you. Surely you will help ease my burdens?”

Hearing this, Zhao Rufeng knew there was no escaping.

He steeled himself, rose to his feet, and went to examine the Eldest Princess’s memorial.

The opening consisted of four words:

Relocating Southerners Northward.

Those four words alone made Zhao Rufeng’s heart beat faster.

Just as he had expected, this could not possibly be good news.

The relocation of southerners northward had already been proposed twice at court, and both attempts had failed.

This time, it was obvious that His Majesty wanted him to raise the matter at court. He was being sent in to offend every faction there.

But he had already started reading the memorial, so he could only force himself to continue.

Yet as he read on, his expression gradually grew animated.

The farther he read, the more fascinating Zhao Rufeng’s expression became.

Shock, confusion, sudden understanding, and disbelief all appeared across his face.

By the time he finished reading, Zhao Rufeng had completely forgotten the etiquette between sovereign and subject.

With trembling hands, he asked excitedly, “Your Majesty, quickly—I must meet the Eldest Princess!”