Chapter 7: 7

Chapter 7 蓝玉落网 Lan Yu is captured

 

FOR THE BEST READING EXPERIENCE, WE RECOMMEND READING THE CHAPTERS IN THE ORIGINAL FORMAT INSTEAD OF THE WORDPRESS READER.

 

 

The darkness of the night was dense and inky black. On Mount Zijin [1], the boundless and indistinct sea of trees was suddenly roused by a group of unexpected intruders. Innumerable startled sparrows left their nests, tittering and warbling as they flew into the pitch darkness of heaven’s canopy.

[1] zǐ jīn shān (紫金山) lit. “Purple Gold Mountain”, is located on the eastern side of Nanjing. Its peaks are often enveloped in purple and gold clouds at sunset, hence it’s name. Purple Gold also means copper in its pure form. It is the original of the old name/nickname of Jinling (金陵) of Nanjing.

Scores of Ferghana horses [2] charged into the mountains, and the whinnying of horses lingered in one’s ears.

[2] hàn xuè mǎ (汗血马) lit. “sweat blood horse” The Ferghana horse. Such horses were proportionally short, with powerful crests and round barrels. They were a nomadic breed, and were fast, tough and high endurance, but smaller and leander than other breeds. According to legend, such horses sweated blood. Speculation is that either it was due to micro-capillaries bursting during prolonged gallop or blood-sucking parasites caused the sweat to mix with blood. There was a war in 104 and 103 BC for these horses. Other historians believe that this is actually the Akal Teke horse from Turkmenistan.

The Jinyiwei crouched on their horses, riding in a scattered fan-shaped formation, as they eyed Tuoba Feng uneasily.

Tuoba Feng lowered his voice, speaking solemnly, “Our main priority is to apprehend the criminal, Lan Yu. The enemy has an estimated fighting force of about four hundred people, they will likely separate into two teams to escape. One team will head towards the summit of Mount Zijin, and another team will bear towards the northwest of Mount Zijin.”

“Rong Qing, Zhang Qin, the two of you each take a team…”

Yunqi interrupted, “Zhang Qin is not here.”

Tuoba Feng narrowed his eyes, and continued speaking, “Tu Ming will fill in as one of the team leaders. We will split up and take two paths for the pursuit and capture and will launch surprise attacks under the cover of darkness. Once the team leader has confirmed Lan Yu’s identity, he is to set off the signal flare [3]. If Lan Yu flees, do not go in pursuit – it will suffice to verify which team he is with.”

[3] huǒ tǒng (火筒) lit. “fire tube”. Which may refer to the tubes of fire lances, proto-cannons, or signal flares. Gunpowder was invented in China in the 9th century, so they did have some form of firearms during the Ming dynasty.

Tu Ming and Rong Qing each led their respective teams away, leaving Tuoba Feng and Yunqi stationed in the open space with their horses.

Tuoba Feng and Yunqi quietly gaze at one another. A few moments later, the sudden howling of wolves filled the vast expanse. Tuoba Feng raised his head to survey the surroundings from their elevated vantage point. The inky clouds fade away, revealing a crescent moon.

Tuoba Feng’s dark brown pupils reflected a flash of silver lightning on the horizon, as he spoke slowly, “ The Deputy General under Lan Yu is called Zakkur [4],  and he’s from the Western Regions. He is adept at using a copper blade and is incomparably bold and fearless. He possesses formidable physical strength and is acclaimed as the Army’s number one martial arts expert. If he is accompanying Lan Yu, you must be cautious.”

[4] zhā kù ěr (扎库尔) Zakkur. From the Western Regions.

Yunqi asked, “How heavy is the copper blade?”

Tuoba Feng replied, “Sixty catties [5].”

[6] 1 jin / catty, is 0.5kg, hence 60 jin is 30kg or 66 lbs.

Yunqi said, “Heavy military equipment when used, are inferior to agile ones.”

Tuoba Feng nodded. Yunqi spoke again, “Zhang Qin…”

In that instant, the signal flare rose from the west and exploded. The clamor of close fighting arrived from afar. Simultaneously, Tuoba Feng and Yunqi energetically urged the rare steeds beneath them to charge towards the location of the signal flare!

“Prep the crossbows!”

“The lackeys [6] have such ruthless talons!” Zakkur was bathed in blood, as he brandished a great copper blade, and immediately sent the incoming Jinyiwei flying outwards with a sweep of his blade!

[6] yīng quǎn (鹰犬), which is literally falcons and dogs, and it’s a derogatory way of referring to hired thugs or lackeys. It is especially appropriate because loud noises will attract the ‘animals’ attention. He is specifically referring to the Jinyiwei  since those are generally deemed to be the Emperor’s lackeys/dogs.

That person vomited a mouthful of blood and withdrew towards the rear. In an instant, ten of his compatriots bearing embroidered spring knives flung themselves forward.

“Fire the arrows!”

With scores of tinkling sounds, the crossbow bolts flew in all directions. The embroidered spring knives weaved about in an impermeable silver glowing arc, akin to a protective barrier as it sent the bolts flying in all directions.

“The lackeys are wearing steel-lined inner clothing!”

Zakkur bellowed, “Great General, please leave first! This general will act as the rear guard!”

Lan Yu inhaled deeply before roaring, “How can I leave first!”

“Leave!” Zakkur shouted.

The Jinyiwei faced off against Lan Yu’s bodyguards. At this time, it was like a tiger ravaging a flock of sheep. The Ferghana horses demonstrated extraordinary bravery, and the embroidered spring knives were incomparably sharp, killing the majority of the bodyguards.

Seeing that there were heavy casualties on their side, Zakkur roared again, “ Gu-ye [7] protect the general and leave first! Hurry!”

[7] gū yé (姑爷) lit.” A form of address for a son-in-law towards the senior members of his wife’s family. 

Lan Yu howled in grief, as he abruptly turned his horse around and charged out of the encirclement. 

The group of Jinyiwei surrounded Zakkur.

Zakkur shifted to spit out a mouthful of bloody foam, and sneered, “ You bunch of dog legs [8]! Use that strength of yours that you use for suckling milk to receive your grandpa’s great blade! It doesn’t matter what you wear, this grandpa will make you all…”

[8] gǒu tuǐ (狗腿) lit. “dog leg” People who take orders from, or do things on behalf of bad people.

An ear-piercing wolf whistle sounded. 

“The second team, await orders!”

“Aside from the wounded, the rest should follow the Deputy Commander!”

Yunqi and Tuoba Feng urged their war horses to race like the wind.

As the horse galloped madly, Yunqi pulled off the knife at his waist and hurled it outwards.

Tuoba Feng swung his outstretched hand and caught the thrown knife firmly.

Tuoba Feng wielded a knife in each hand, he suddenly swept both hands horizontally outwards, flinging off the scabbards as he leaped into mid-air, performing a beautiful forward flip.

Yunqi pushed through the Jinyiwei’s encirclement and whistled sharply again.

Zakkur turned back and shouted loudly, he hoisted the copper knife, chopping downwards at Yunqi’s head!

Just as it seemed that this move was about to cut both Yunqi and his horse to the ground, Tuoba Feng’s dazzling blades had already arrived, pressing in with compelling force!

Zakkur had no choice but to pivot to ward off his blows!

Tuoba Feng’s twin knives swept together simultaneously, like the claws of a wolf in the dark of night. Under the moonlight, they left glowing silver trails in their wake. His movements were as natural and effortless as floating clouds and flowing water.

The gathered Imperial bodyguards cheered and applauded with one accord!

The clash of the gold and steel was akin to the cries of dragons, the sounds resounding through the moonlit night. Zakkur roared angrily, as the blade leveled transversely before his chest cracked violently under the impact, and he staggered, falling backward!

In the brief space of a few breaths, Yunqi had already led away a dozen or so Jinyiwei in a grand exit. 

Tuoba Feng settled steadily on the ground, as he rotated his wrists with a flourish, swinging them outwards in an exquisite glowing arc before he pointed his blades at Zakkur. His manner was insouciant as he declared, “This humble one [9] is Tuoba Feng, the leader of the dog legs. Please enlighten me.”

[9] zài xià (在下) – It literally means “(the) one below”, a humble way of saying “myself” or “I”.

Yunqi led twenty people in the direction that Lan Yu had escaped in. In hot pursuit, they sprinted directly before a cliff.

A rain of arrows flew towards them from the opposite side of the cliff, the group of Jinyiwei shouted loudly once, and each swung their blades upwards, defending their heads and faces, forming a human wall to shield the weaponless Yunqi behind them.

On the top of the cliff, there were over a hundred crossbowmen waiting in ambush, eyeing them with great hostility. Yunqi strategized a little and realized that Lan Yu was like a lizard that had abandoned its tail, having fled on his own – leaving these bodyguards to cover his escape. He gave orders, “ You shield me across, then turn back and charge downwards in an attack!”

The Jinyiwei split up, hurtling ferociously in two directions. The sharp arrows shot at their waist area were blocked by the steel scale mail, but even so, the impact made Yunqi’s chest and abdomen throb with a dull pain.

After passing the final line of defense, Yunqi abandoned his riding steed and rolled onto the ground. He skimmed the gap between the cliffs and clambered up the mountain in pursuit. The group of Imperial Bodyguards in imitation of one another,  raised their knives – forming a knife enclosure, as they spun around. With great uproar, they charged murderously at the crossbowmen lying in ambush.

The early spring rain fell upon the deserted mountain, and the footprints were preserved in the wet mud. Yunqi used the glow of the moonlight to discern between the prints, noting that Lan Yu only had two bodyguards left by his side.

Lan Yu faded into the forest, alternately hiding and stumbling forward. Along their journey, he used his longsword to hack at the thorny undergrowth. By this time, his cloak had already been ripped to shreds, lying in tatters as the Great General who had suppressed the North with his illustrious military exploits, had fallen so far; and was not merely a homeless cur miserably fleeing for its life.

Zhang Qin hugged Lan Mo to him, as he followed quietly behind Lan Yu.

“Father [10]…” Lan Mo cried out involuntarily.

[10] diē die (爹爹) lit. Father. Normally father is just a single die (爹), when it is repeated, it’s more affectionate (or what a child would call their dad).

Lan Yu gestured for her to be quiet, saying, “Mo-er, don’t be afraid. This time we will definitely be able to escape. We just need to get out of Mount Zijin and find our way out of the Niushou [11] pass to seek reinforcements, and we’ll be safe.”

[11] niú shǒu guān (牛首关) lit. “Cattlehead Pass”, Mount Niushou (also known as Mount Tianque）is in the Jiangning district of Nanjing.

Lan Yu pressed a hand on Zhang Qin’s shoulder, as he said,” Yinghui [12], the grace that you have shown us tonight, I, Lan Yu will engrave within my heart…”

[12] yǐng huì (郢会) this should be (张勤) Zhang Qin’s courtesy name.

Zhang Qin hastily replied, “The Great General speaks too seriously.”

Lan Yu cleared the path for them, as he sighed, “I thought that the men of the Jinyiwei would all be like Xu Yunqi, that little beast. Unexpectedly, Yinghui, you may have served for five years, but you still care deeply about Mo-er.”

“After we’ve left the Capital, and safely reached Buir Lake, I’ll betroth Mo-er to you, what do you say?”

Upon hearing her father’s words about a betrothal, although they were currently in grave danger, she couldn’t help but be overcome with emotion, and her cheeks flushed pink. However, Zhang Qin’s face was dismal and filled with worry, and he could only respond with a faint response of “Father-in-law [13]”, and without speaking further.

[13] yuè fù (岳父) refers to the father of one’s wife.

The three people walked along the precipice, and gradually approached the riverside plains bordering  Mount Zijin. Lan Yu smiled just as he was about to say something, but from a distance came the sound of a dying, agonized howl.

Zhang Qin immediately paled, “ Zakkur has died?” 

Lan Yu’s expression was solemn as he declared, “We’ll avenge him in the future, now go!”

Zhang Qin said, “Father-in-law, you take Mo-er and leave! I’ll stay here and delay the two of them!”

Lan Yu answered, “Under no circumstances should you do that! Zakkur has no dependents and has already died on my behalf. If you are to be captured by Tuoba Feng or Xu Yunqi and brought back, your entire family will be implicated – you definitely cannot act recklessly!”

When Zhang Qin heard that his beloved [14] was in impending danger, he acted on impulse by rushing over to inform her. At this time, only now did he recall that his entire family was still in Nanjing. Were Zhu Yuanzhang to look into the matter and choose to pursue it, one can only fear that his nine clans would be exterminated [15]. He couldn’t help but tremble from head to toe.

[14] xīn shàng rén (心上人) – sweetheart, beloved, lover.

[15] zhū jiǔ zú (诛九族) The nine familial exterminations or nine kinship exterminations were a severe punishment for a capital offense, which worked on the principle of collective kin punishment. This means that other than the main offender, their parents, grandparents, siblings (including sworn brothers), children, grandchildren, those living with the criminal, uncles, and the children of their siblings would be put to death by Lingchi (Death by a thousand cuts).

Lan Yu seemed to have read Zhang Qin’s thoughts, and poked fun at him, “ Now the young fellow is frightened? It’s fine. Father-in-law will remain behind to cover your retreat, you take Mo-er and leave!”

Lan Mo cried out in fright, “No! Father!”

Zhang Qin gritted his teeth, and fell to one knee, “ Xu Yunqi and Tuoba Feng are my best friends. The Great General should leave!”

Lan Yu was so furious that he laughed, “ As things stand today, it is clearly wishful thinking to entertain any delusions about the ties of friendship. Ludicrous in the extreme! Zhang Yinghui! I misjudged you!”

Zhang Qin said, “ Hurry up and leave! Tuoba Feng and Yunqi have already combined forces to kill Zakkur…”

Yunqi sat on a tree branch, as he smiled lazily, “Lao-Ba killed him on his own. What pants (ku) [16] or clothing – it certainly has nothing to do with me.”

[16] It is a pun on Zakkur’s name because he is from the Central Regions so it is a sinicized version of his actual name (the sound, not the meaning). The “ku” (库) in his name sounds like the “ku” (裤) that means pants.

Lan Yu and Zhang Qin whirled instantly. With a loud roar, Lan Yu raised the longsword in his hand and threw himself forward. Zhang Qin pulled Lan Mo behind him, shielding her with his body as he pulled out the knife at his waist, its pallid glare like snow.

Yunqi clambered up the branches, then leaped downwards. Lan Yu shouted, “He doesn’t carry a knife at his waist! It’s merely a tactic to stall for time, Yinghui! Join forces with me and kill him!”

Zhang Qin warily stared at Yunqi. Lan Yu swung his sword and hacked at him. Yunqi merely evaded and gave ground, with his hands in his sleeves, as he smiled and said, “ Uncle Lan, then why are you still fighting? Shouldn’t you hurry up and run…”

Zhang Qin shook his head and cried out, “No, Father-in-law! Do not underestimate your enemy!”

“Yo!” Yunqi shook his sleeves, and sighed, “Brother, the Milky Way that separates the Cowherd and Weaver Girl is crystal clear, and they can only silently gaze at one another with affection… [17]”

[17] Yunqi is quoting the poem that Zhang Qin and he recited during Qixi. After hearing Zhang Qin call Lan Yu Father-in-law, he knows the girl that Zhang Qin was separated from was Lan Mo, and understands why Zhang Qin betrayed the Jinyiwei.

Zhang Qin shouted, “Be careful!”

At that very moment, Yunqi’s sleeves revealed a very fine piece of steel foil. The steel foil was attached to an almost invisible piece of silk that seemed to float in mid-air as it swung in an arc, winding itself around Lan Yu’s sturdy arm.

Zhang Qin lifted his knife and hacked at that almost imperceptible silk thread in mid-air!

Yunqi easily tugged at him, and Lan Yu let out a howl of pain. The longsword fell together with his right hand, which had been cut off at the wrist!

That piece of steel foil spun aloft in the air, its sharp edge colored with blood. It interlocked with Zhang Qin’s knife, and with a ‘ding’, the embroidered spring knife broke into two pieces.

“… So it was the Lan family’s eldest Young Miss.”

Yunqi put his ring and middle fingers and spun once, as the cicada wing blade returned to his sleeves.

Lan Yu howled hoarsely, one hand clutching at his shorn wrist, as he fell to the ground in agony. Lan Mo shrieked and pounced over.

Zhang Qin still held his broken knife, his countenance like dead ash. After a while, he gave a drawn-out sigh, as he flung the blade onto the ground.

The man exists with his blade, the man will perish with his blade [18], Zhang Qin.”

[18] The original saying pertains to a man and his sword, but in this case they use knives/sabers / blades. The concept is the same. jiàn zài rén zài, jiàn wáng rén wáng (剑在人在，剑亡人亡) – This is a Chinese saying that speaks of the unity of the man and his sword. The sword is as important as life to a swordsman. It also reflects the spirit of fighting till the end.

Zhang Qin wept loudly and knelt before Yunqi. He sobbed, “Yunqi, on account of our brotherhood, Yinghui begs a favor of you…”

Yunqi rolled up his sleeves as he listened quietly.

Zhang Qin was aware of his inevitable doom, so he moved forward to hug Yunqi’s leg, and said, “ One bears responsibility for his own actions [19], please don’t implicate my old parents. Kill me and throw me into the valley. I beg you! Yunqi!”

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[19] yī rén zuò shì yī rén dāng (一人做事一人当) lit. “one person does things, one person takes responsibility” This is a very common idiom, where one should be responsible for their own actions/misdeeds.  Commendatory, generally used in speech.

Yunqi sighed, and frowned slightly as he replied, “In the future, when the Emperor looks into the matter and asks how the news leaked out, how do you expect me to answer for it?”

“Zhang Qin, your act of impulse has truly landed me in a terrible situation. Tonight, the Jinyiwei was short of one person. I still don’t know how to resolve it – I fear that even I can’t shoulder it this time.”

“The only thing we can do is to have Great General Lan return with me if the case of treason…the matter of treason can still be reversed, at most you’ll be charged with a crime that warrants penal servitude and requires you to enlist in the army.”

Lan Yu widened his bloodshot eyes, as he abruptly gave a great yell, “Heaven and Earth’s conscience! Jiang Huan covering the Heavens with one hand [20], Xu Yunqi, you, and Zhu Di conspired to frame me unjustly. And now you wish for me to die from injustice and become a ghost! Where is your conscience! What face do you have to face your Xu family, military ancestors when you end up in the  underworld [21]!”

[20] yī shǒu zhē tiān (一手遮天) lit. “to cover the heavens with one hand”, it refers to relying on power and influence to deceive the masses. It is from Tang dynasty poet, Cao Ye’s poem《读李斯传》 .

[21] jiǔ quán (九泉) – the nine springs or jiǔ quán (九泉) refer to the deepest part of the earth.
The underworld is usually referred to as the Yellow Springs or the huáng quán (黄泉). This is because when digging a deep hole, there would eventually be groundwater seeping in, which tended to be yellow. The number nine is used because it is the largest single-digit number. So the deepest part of the underground/the underworld is denoted by jiǔ quán (九泉).

Having the events of the past days so loudly exposed by Lan Yu, the fine hairs on Yunqi’s body stood. He struggled a few steps back, as he met Zhang Qin’s gaze. He declared arrogantly, “Lan Yu! Shut up! Otherwise, I’ll cut your tongue out!”

Lan Yu laughed wildly, and said, “ You, this dog leg! This general only regrets my misjudgment of you! Xu Yunqi, you can be domineering and arrogant for now, let’s see what happens to you in the end!”

Yunqi had a sudden inspiration, he sneered, “What do you mean? Can it be that the Great General Lan Yu can divine someone’s eight characters [22]?

[22] bā zì (八字) Bazi. An astrological concept that a person’s destiny can be divined by the characters assigned to their birth year, month, day, and hour. 

Lan Yu gasped from enduring the pain, as he gnashed his teeth and said, “ Did you think relying on the Imperial Grandson, that big tree, will allow you to tyrannically misuse your authority? Before Zhu Chongba  [23] dies, he will definitely first put to death one of your Jinyiwei commanders…”

[23] zhū zhòng bā (朱重八) Zhu Chongba is the Hongwu Emperor’s original name, he was born a peasant. He was named Zhu Yuanzhang (朱元璋) by Guo Zixing (a bandit leader) when he first joined the army. Lan Yu knows this because he had also served with Zhu Yuanzhang in the Red Turban rebellion against the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. It is a great disrespect to use the Emperor’s name, let alone his former name, but it’s also a reminder to Yunqi of who Lan Yu is/was. 

[24] guī xī（归西) lit.” returns to the west”, i.e. secular death. Returns to the west  is referring to going to the Western Paradise. 

Yunqi’s heart was shaken, as he recalled Jiang Huan’s words that day: In the future when you can play a pivotal role as the mainstay, you’ll be the Commander…

Yunqi inhaled sharply, before Zhu Yuanzhang died, he would kill Tuoba Feng, to ensure that the Jinyiwei wouldn’t be difficult to control? Even Jiang Huan and Lan Yu could see this?

Zhang Qin was utterly disillusioned, his hopes dashed. He stopped looking at Yunqi, as he bowed and returned to Lan Mo’s side. He hugged her closely and cried bitterly.

Yunqi said mournfully, “ In this case, brother, don’t cry anymore. Take your feiyufu off and give it to me.”

Zhang Qin and Lan Mo’s faces were covered in tears, and they understand what was going on. Yunqi snapped with displeasure, “Hurry! If Lao-Ba arrives then it will be too late!”

Having said this, Yunqi suddenly became conscious of a pair of eyes watching him from inside the dense forest.

Zhang Qin tore the brocade clothes off his shoulders and trembled as he passed them to Yunqi. Yunqi picked up the broken pieces of the spring embroidered knife, and rolled them together, saying, “Both of you leave. Take the Lan family’s Young Miss down the mountain, hurry.”

Zhang Qin eventually came to his senses, and hurriedly picked up Lan Mo, staggering several paces. Lan Mo’s voice cracked as she cried out, “Father!”

Zhang Qin glanced at Yunqi. Yunqi slowly shook his head, and said, “Leave quickly.”

Zhang Qin carried Lan Mo in spite of her loud crying and wailing and hastily ran downhill.

At the foot of Mount Zijin, the immense surface of the Qinhuai River seemed to be glittering with golden scales, as the rising sun began its ascent.

The red glow covered the wilderness. Turning over the foot of the mountain, Yunqi’s eyes caught sight of Zhang Qin and Lan Mo’s figures becoming little black dots, and disappearing below the mountain, and said, “Shi-ge, I beg of something of you. Don’t chase them.”

Tuoba Feng carried a cloth bundle in his hand, his body was covered in blood. Upon hearing Yunqi’s words, he stepped out from the bushes.

Tuoba Feng paused for a moment, reaching up his  hand to feel at his ears, twisting it before letting go, replying, ”Oh.”

He proceeded to fling the cloth bundle onto the ground. Zakkur’s disembodied head rolled to Lan Yu’s feet, “Why didn’t you leave him with an intact corpse?” Yunqi asked, “Why cut his head off.”

Tuoba Feng responded apathetically, “ Wasn’t paying attention, and hacked this number one martial arts expert into pieces… you can’t pull back your moves when using dual blades.”

Yunqi smiled at this, saying, “From now on, you’re the number one martial arts expert.”

Tuoba Feng nodded his head modestly, as he fished out a signal flare, shaking the firestarter before igniting the flare.

The Jinyiwei found them in quick succession, bringing Lan Yu to justice.

In the autumn of the 25th year of Hongwu, Jiang Huan accused Lan Yu of treason, reporting that Lan Yu had planned to take advantage of when the Emperor went on inspection, and kidnap the Emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang got wind of this via a secret missive and thus ordered the Jinyiwei to arrest Lan Yu. Lan Yu had fled in a panic that night and was apprehended in Mount Zijin. 

The Jinyiwei had sent out fifty people; ten odd people had minor injuries,  and there had been one death.

The only son of the Left Vice Minister of Rites, Zhang Qin. When they’d been in pursuit, he’d been struck in close-range combat with Zakkur and plunged into the bottomless abyss, with no remains to be found.

After Lan Yu was arrested, for fear of punishment, his daughter Lan Mo also committed suicide by jumping off the cliff.

“She killed herself for love.” Zhu Yunwen said, “Everyone in the city knows Momo and Qin-ge were childhood sweethearts…”

“You know far too much.”

Yunqi shot a glance at Zhu Yunwen, a corner of his mouth slightly raised. He lifted the brush and dipped it in ink as he unfolded the memorial.

Zhu Yunwen said unhappily, “Yun-ge’er, he was your brother!”

Yunqi admitted, “He didn’t die. I let them both go. You definitely can’t reveal this to anyone, otherwise, not just my head will roll.”

Zhu Yunwen finally breathed a sigh of relief at this, saying, “ I knew that you weren’t so cruel-hearted.”

Yunqi sighed, and scolded, “ How are you going be the Emperor in the future if you’re like this?”

Zhu Yunwen smiled. Yunqi asked, “Do you have any enemies?”

Zhu Yunwen was bewildered, as he asked, “ Enemies?”

Yunqi said, “ Currently checking on our comrades. If there’s anyone that you find disagreeable to the eye, I’ll write their names in. Let’s add Grand Tutor Huang in too, and have him executed along the way?”

Zhu Yunwen’s face was so shocked by this that his face turned pale, as he hastily shook his hand in reproof, “How can this be done!”

Yunqi nodded his head, as he muttered to himself for a moment, before penning three characters at the end of the memorial: Xu Mu Da.

Three days later, a verdict was reached on Lan Yu’s case, the extermination of the nine clans; from the Dukes and Marquis, all the way to the civil and military officials of the court, even the Six Ministries were implicated, particularly with the Ministry the War in the forefront; Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict proclaiming this to the world, it was titled “The Record of Rebellious Courtiers [25]”.

[25] nì chén lù (逆臣录) lit. “Rebellious Ministers Record”, this was a compilation of almost a thousand of the confessions of the various Lan Yu factions.

The Minister of War, Qi Kuoyan was executed in the city, chopped in half at the waist. The former Northern Xinjiang Field Officer Xu Muda was removed from his post, imposed penal servitude, and required to enlist in the army.”

The case implicated 20,000 people, and together with the Hu Weiyong case, was collectively known as the “Hu-Lan Two Prisons”. The Outstanding Founding Ministers had all been purged by Zhu Yuanzhang, and all the officials of the Imperial Court did their utmost to fawn over and curry favor with the Jinyiwei.

Zhang Qin’s family received the tattered, blood-stained feiyufu and wept their hearts out. Tuoba Feng took out the iron voucher bestowed by Zhu Yuanzhang and personally presented it to the Left Vice Minister of Rites, who sighed emotionally for a time.

That iron voucher was the equivalent of a gold medal of exoneration [26]. In order to comfort and compensate the bereaved family for the loss of their only son in service of the country, bestowed upon them an iron voucher.

[26] miǎn zuì jīn pái (免罪金牌) lit.”Exempt Guilt Gold Plaque” Supposedly it’s a all around pardon amnesty, In the Sui dynasty they were gold, but in the Ming dynasty it’s an iron voucher tiě quàn (铁券)  that can be passed down from generation to generation. They were tokens or vouchers awarded by the Emperor to his ministers for meritorious deeds. The content engraved on the iron coupon generally includes four aspects:
1. The date on which the vouchers were given, the name, title, and land of the recipient;
2. Record the meritorious achievements of the recipient to the court;
3. Privileges given by the emperor to the recipient, such as immunity from death;
4. The Emperor’s Oath. According to the relevant laws of the dynasty, the heroes, important officials, and their descendants who hold iron coupons can enjoy various privileges bestowed by the emperor. 

The Vice Minister placed the iron voucher in a place of honor in the main hall, which brought glory to his ancestors.

Yunqi kicked Tuoba Feng, and he became conscious of the sense of derision in his smile, which he quickly put aside.

The Jinyiwei Commander and Deputy Commander left the house of the Vice Minister of Rites and returned to the palace on foot.

Over the last few days, all that Yunqi could think about was Lan Yu’s words. Lan Yu was no alarmist, he wouldn’t have said those things just to frighten them. From Jiang Huan and Lan Yu’s comments, one could deduce that the officials of the Imperial Court were in agreement, that the Jinyiwei’s power and influence had already grown to the point that it was difficult to control.

The civil and military officials would want to ensure that Zhu Yunwen would be able to control the Jinyiwei after Zhu Yuanzhang’s death. As such, it was likely that they would submit a memorial for impeachment, and request for one person to be removed. Perhaps while removing that person, they may even carelessly slap a crime on him, and have him executed, in order to threaten and intimidate his successor.

Mao Xiang, who had once held great power, was the best example of this. When the Hu Weiyong case had gotten out of hand, almost a hundred civil officials had knelt outside the court. Zhu Yuanzhang had to execute Mao Xiang in order to appease the public wrath.

If the situation deteriorated to the worst-case scenario and Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to execute Tuoba Feng, how should he plead for clemency in order to save Tuoba Feng’s life?

In other words, if the one that was to be executed was himself, would Tuoba Feng…

“What are you looking at?” Tuoba Feng asked impassively, “You’ve stared at me all day.”

“……”

Yunqi frowned slightly and shook his head. Tuoba Feng carelessly supported himself against the palace walls, and pressed Yunqi against the side of the wall, asking, “Thinking about Shi-ge?”

Yunqi casually stroked Tuoba Feng’s handsome and spirited face, and asked, “How much silver do you have?” He spun and pushed aside Tuoba Feng’s hands, walking towards the inner palace.

Tuoba Feng was bewildered by this question, replying, “Isn’t the money handled by you?”

Yunqi thought about it and realized it was indeed the case. He answered, “Together with the reward, I estimate that we have one hundred and twenty taels now.”

Yunqi walked towards the Jinyiwei courtyard, and said, “Take the hundred and twenty taels, and resign from your position.”

Tuoba Feng seemed to be invigorated by these words, he strode forward to catch up with Yunqi, turning to walk backward while facing Yunqi, he smiled and asked, “You intend to resign from your post?”

Yunqi said huffily, “It’s not that I intend to resign, it’s you resigning from your post. Go home and marry a wife.”

Tuoba Feng’s face was filled with confusion, as he asked, “What do you mean?” 

Yunqi spoke as he walked, “ I fear… that you’ll be in danger. You return home first, and after a few years, once the Imperial Grandson has ascended the throne, I’ll come back. In the future, we’ll buy two houses next to one another, and be neighbors…”

Tuoba Feng furrowed his brows slightly, and asked, “Return home? Return to whose home?”

Yunqi stopped walking and recalled that Tuoba Feng was an orphan. Even if he returned to the Kherlen River, that area had already become a wasteland.

The two men entered the great courtyard. At this time, the young fellows were all gathered in a heap in a corner of the courtyard. It wasn’t clear what they were up to.

The autumn sun was warm and gentle, and the leaves of the Wutong tree littered the grounds. Dozens of Imperial Bodyguards dressed in brocade finery were assembled together kicking up a fuss, as they laughed and shouted, “Hey-yo, Hey-yo~”

That group of bodyguards kept crowding towards the corner of the wall, they were densely packed together; dozens of people shoving against one person in the corner of the great courtyard.

Life in the Imperial Palace was extremely boring, it was unknown when the tradition had started, but whenever the Imperial Bodyguards were bored to tears, with too much energy that they didn’t know where to expend, they would grab someone, and push him to the corner of the wall. Everyone would then rush up, call all their friends and buddies, and play this moronic, crowding game, called “Hey-yo.”

These young and hot-blooded guards would cry out “Hey-yo, Hey-yo” as they exerted their full strength to crowd and press onto that person, causing the bullied victim to be squeezed to the utmost before stopping.

Yunqi and Tuoba Feng had entered the palace as bodyguards since they were children. And naturally, he’d been “Hey-yo” -ed since he was a child. Other than Zhu Yuanzhang, whom no one dared to grab to “Hey-yo”, all the males in the palace including the Imperial Grandson, Zhu Yunwen had been crowded several times.

If one were to speak of the incident with the greatest fanfare, it must have been when over a hundred guards crowded the current dynasty’s Grand Tutor [27], Huang Zicheng, and squeezed him so hard that he’d lost his hat, his shoes were askew, he’d become incontinent, and his clothes were in disorder – that unprecedented grand occasion.

[27] tài fù (太傅) Grand Tutor was one of the three Ducal Ministers, i.e. the most senior of the Emperor’s closest advisors., the other two being the Grand Preceptor and Grand Protector. 

From then on, whenever Huang Zicheng moved about in the Imperial Palace, upon catching sight of more than three Imperial Bodyguards hanging around, arms hooked companionably, he would be sure to give them a wide berth.

Yunqi just pretended that it was all invisible, and strolled with Tuoba Feng into the courtyard, no longer discussing the previous matter.

There have been many people bullied in this way, and so far there hasn’t been anyone petty enough to complain to Zhu Yuanzhang about it. It’s just unknown which pitiful creature was currently being crowded in the corner.

Yunqi entered his room, and the sounds of “Hey-yo, Hey-yo” from outside could be heard incessantly.

Yunqi moved a chair, sitting in the corridor as he basked in the sunshine. Tuoba Feng squatted next to him and asked, “What danger?”

Yunqi suddenly straightened out his thinking, and smiled, “No danger. Our lives are mutually dependent, you can’t die.”

Upon hearing these words Tuoba Feng seemed to be beside himself with joy, he cried out loudly, “Right!”  He lifted the lapel of his robes, and laughed as he plunged into the pile of bodyguards, shouting, “Hey-yo!”

Yunqi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, as he shook his head. He got up and returned to his room to count money.

“Hey-yo, Hey-yo~”

With Tuoba Feng’s addition, the crowd of Imperial Bodyguards was filled with renewed enthusiasm, only thinking about squishing the person in the corner to death.

After Yunqi finished counting the money, he say that the bodyguards were still Hey-yo-ing. His fur immediately puffed up in anger [28], as he growled, “Who are you Hey-yo-ing? Aren’t you done yet? It’s already been half a shichen!”

[28] zhà máo (炸毛) – This refers to the body language of an angry or aggressive cat, its fur standing on end. Angy kitty (=^-ω-^=)

Tuoba Feng had a self-satisfied and delighted appearance. He turned and waved towards Yunqi, before ruthlessly crowding in, yelling, “Hey-yo~”

“……”

Yunqi shouted angrily, “Commander Tuoba! Have them disperse! Any more Hey-yo and they might die!”

Tuoba Feng squeezed his own ears, and smiled as he shouted back, “Just play a little longer!”

Yunqi gnashed his teeth and went into his room. In a moment, he came out carrying the dazzlingly gold, gloriously shining treasure, a three chi, two cun long item. In mock seriousness, he yelled, “The Shangfang Baojian [29] is here! All disperse now, the noise is driving me crazy! I want to take an afternoon nap alright!”

[29] shàng fāng bǎo jiàn（尚方宝剑) lit. “Shangfang’s treasure sword” An ancient sword that was cast by Shangfang Jian for the use of the Emperor and the Imperial family. It represents the Emperor’s will and is a symbol of power and honor. If a minister holds this sword bestowed by the Emperor, it means that he has the Emperor’s favor, and can even directly kill officials and common people without a need for a tribunal. 

That item was the Shangfang Baojian bestowed upon the Commander of the Jinyiwei. When Tuoba Feng caught sight of Yunqi, he hastily asked everyone to go out, including the salted fish, saying in a hurry, “Disaster, disaster – everyone disperse!”

The group of Imperial Bodyguards burst out laughing as they scattered. Yunqi held the Shangfang Baojian, and stared uncertainly at the man who’d been crowded into the corner.

That man was about thirty-plus years old and was dressed in a red taotie brocade. He’d been squeezed to within an inch of his life. He hollered, “His mother! Who was the first to start crowding in? The young fellow of the Rong family wasn’t it! This Prince won’t let you off!”

Yunqi’s jaw dropped to the ground.

That man picked up his black boots and hopped as he put them on. With a woebegone look, he said, “My dear Xiao-jiu-zi [30], your Jiefu [30] was almost crowded to death, but at least I finally got to see you.”

[30] xiǎo jiù zi (小舅子) Wife’s younger brother.
The word used for Brother-in-law is jiě fu (姐夫) Older sister’s husband. This is Zhu Di.

Yunqi’s eyes rolled back as he fainted.

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