xymnovel Chapter 5 Who's Wrong?
Chapter 5 Who's Wrong?
The air in the hall suddenly froze.
Madam Han hurriedly tugged at Zhao Heng's sleeve, her grip unconsciously tightening slightly, and whispered, "Heng'er, you mustn't be rude..."
The eunuch Gao Qu's smile faded slightly: "Why do you say that, young master? We were merely following the king's orders to inquire about the situation and to exchange a few words with the lady."
Zhao Heng gently pulled his hand away from his mother's, ignoring her anxiety, and instead raised his voice a few decibels:
"I heard it all clearly from under the eunuch's edict. Every word he uttered was a reproach to my mother for failing to manage the household properly and for indulging her son's reckless behavior. Yet, he didn't mention a single detail about what happened in Weifeng Lane, nor did he inquire about the circumstances of my falling into the water or the extent of my injuries. Isn't this an overstepping of the king's authority and an abuse of power?"
He was young and short, and looked even thinner standing next to the tall pillars in the hall.
Yet his words were logically clear, progressively unfolding, and delivered without any stage fright, leaving everyone in the hall speechless for a moment.
Gao Qu finally abandoned his composed demeanor, his narrow eyes narrowing as he stared at Zhao Heng:
"Young master is too young to understand. His Majesty is furious to hear that you were in danger because of your association with the Qin hostage. This matter concerns the dignity and honor of the nation; it cannot be resolved simply by asking for the details."
"Oh?" Zhao Heng met his gaze, neither backing down nor yielding. "Then, according to the Eunuch's opinion, what should be done?"
"Of course, we must investigate."
Gao Qu's tone hardened, and he coldly snorted, "Who led the young master to associate with that Qin traitor! Who was gossiping and giving bad advice around the young master! The young master is young and can be forgiven, but those who misled him and failed to discipline him must be severely punished as a warning to others!"
His gaze swept over Zhao Heng, then over Han Shi, and finally settled on Fu's mother's face.
Zhao Heng suddenly gave a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth: "The eunuch is right. But going to find the Qin hostage was definitely not something Mother asked me to do; Mother wasn't even aware of it. If there's any fault, it's that I was stubborn and curious, ignoring advice. Since that's the case—"
He looked around, his gaze settling on a corner of the hall. There lay a slender boxwood ruler, originally used as a counterweight for hanging curtains, now lying idle.
Zhao Heng walked over and took it.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, Zhao Heng held the ruler in both hands, walked up to Gao Qu, and steadily handed it over.
"Since the eunuch has come on behalf of my grandfather," he said loudly, "please punish me on his behalf. I have acted improperly, caused trouble, worried my mother, and alarmed my grandfather. I have troubled you all to come here, and I deserve to be punished."
The hall fell into a sudden, deathly silence.
Han let out a short, startled cry, her body swayed, her vision went black, and she almost fainted. She was only able to stand up by being held firmly by Fu's mother's arms.
Zhao Su and the others, who had been lying on the ground, also raised their heads in shock, looking at the thin figure holding a ruler in both hands, their eyes filled with disbelief.
Gao Qu was initially shocked, then enraged. His face turned extremely ugly in an instant, alternating between red and white, and finally turning a deep liver color.
How could he dare to accept it?
Zhao Heng was the grandson of the King of Zhao and the only son of Lord Chunping. As a eunuch, even if he was acting on the king's orders, he had absolutely no right to punish the prince.
Zhao Heng's move was a strategic retreat, forcing him into a corner where he was caught between a rock and a hard place.
"What does this mean, young master?"
Gao Qu barely managed to maintain his composure and said coldly:
"We are truly ashamed! The King is solely responsible for judging the young master's faults. However, someone must bear the blame for this commotion. Since the lady claims ignorance, it means that those who usually guard the young master have failed in their duties!"
Eager to shift the focus, his gaze suddenly sharpened like a knife as he turned to Zhao Su, who was prostrate on the ground, and shouted sternly, "Zhao Family Supervisor! Who is usually responsible for protecting the young master when he goes out?!"
Zhao Su trembled and prostrated himself, saying, "Yes, yes, it was my retainers Meng Ben, Ji Cheng, Luan Ding, and Gongsun Yang..."
"These four men failed in their duty of protection, causing the young master to be in danger. Their crimes are unforgivable!" Gao Qu's voice suddenly rose, leaving no room for argument. "Guards—"
A young eunuch behind him stepped forward half a step and bowed to receive the order.
Gao Qu spat out two words through gritted teeth, his voice cold: "To be beaten to death."
He spoke those two words lightly, yet they felt as if they had struck everyone's hearts heavily, or rather, as if they had been slapped in the face of Lord Chunping's mansion.
Han's face turned pale, she covered her mouth, and tears streamed down her face. Madam Fu, on the other hand, had a somber expression and looked very unwell.
Zhao Su pressed his forehead firmly against the floor tiles, his shoulder blades trembling slightly, making his expression unreadable.
The other servants, who were prostrate on the ground, held their breath, afraid of making the slightest noise.
The young eunuch immediately agreed and turned to leave.
"Wait a minute."
Zhao Heng's voice rang out again.
All eyes were once again focused on him.
Gao Qu finally lost his last bit of patience. The feigned respect on his face vanished, and he said in a gloomy tone, "Does the young master have anything else to say? Are you perhaps going to plead for these few criminal slaves?"
"These four are retainers of my Chunping Jun residence." Zhao Heng gently placed the ruler in his hand on the table beside him. "Whether or not they should be beaten to death, according to the rules of the residence... shouldn't we ask my mother first?"
Gao Qu, enraged, laughed coldly: "My lord, the king's command is the law of the land. Do you intend to disobey orders and use family law to suppress the law of the land?!"
Han bit her lower lip, her pale lips almost bleeding. She was about to step forward to speak when Fu's mother tugged at her sleeve very slightly.
Then Zhao Heng calmly retorted, his tone even carrying a hint of childlike innocence: "Eunuch Commander, let me ask you this: Am I standing here unharmed?"
Gao Qu, puzzled, said coldly, "Young Master seems... to be unharmed."
He paused, looked Zhao Heng up and down, and then added sarcastically, "And they're very good, too good to be true."
Han was so angry that she trembled all over. Fu's mother held her hand and squeezed it tightly.
Zhao Heng, however, seemed completely oblivious to the malice in those words. He simply stepped forward and continued to ask:
"If that's the case, then did Meng Ben and the other three fail in their duties? Did they fail to rescue me from the water?"
"Whether they save him or not is their duty," Gao Qu said impatiently. "Their negligence in protecting him, which led to the young master falling into the water, is a grave crime!"
Zhao Heng nodded, his tone suddenly sharpening and his speech quickening:
"According to the eunuch's decree, on that day at Niushou Bridge, when faced with seven or eight Handan youths who suddenly rushed out shouting 'Kill the traitors of Zhao,' should my retainers have drawn their swords on the spot and killed those indignant citizens of Zhao?! Is that how they would have fulfilled their duty and been absolved of their guilt for incompetence?!"
Gao Qu choked abruptly, opened his mouth, and made a gurgling sound in his throat, unable to answer for a moment.
Zhao Heng gave him no chance to breathe, pressing him relentlessly:
"If they had actually done that, with a swift stroke of their blades, blood would have stained the Niushou Bridge. Today, the news spreading throughout Handan wouldn't be 'The young master fell into the water and was fortunately rescued,' but rather 'The retainers of Lord Chunping's mansion slaughtered a young man from Zhao in the street, blood splattering ten paces!' At that time, would the eunuch censor again say that they 'indiscriminately killed citizens, incited public anger, their hearts are deserving of condemnation, and their crimes deserve the extermination of their entire family'? Hmm? Yes or no?!"
Hearing this, both Madam Han and Madam Fu's eyes lit up.
Han was so excited that her fingers trembled slightly. She subconsciously looked at Fu's mother and saw Fu's mother nod almost imperceptibly, with a hint of undisguised approval in her eyes, signaling her to observe quietly.
Gao Qu's face flushed crimson, his chest heaving violently. He pointed at Zhao Heng, his finger trembling terribly: "Eloquent words! Does this mean these four slaves have done something good?! Do they think they're justified in letting you fall into the water?!"
"I insist that they have done a good job."
Zhao Heng shook his head, his tone softening. "They were indeed at fault. They failed to anticipate the risks beforehand, failed to control the situation immediately when it happened, and put their master in danger. Yesterday, the head of the household punished them with caning on behalf of my mother."
He glanced at Zhao Su, who was still prostrate on the ground. Zhao Su noticed his gaze, his body trembled slightly, and he quickly kowtowed, begging for forgiveness.
Zhao Heng ignored him and turned to look at Gao Qu:
"I am able to stand here now, conscious and with all my limbs intact, thanks to the four of them who jumped into the water to save me without hesitation, and even more so to their all-out rescue efforts and medical treatment afterward. Since the family has already punished them according to the family rules, they have made amends for their actions."
He paused, then continued:
"Legally, their failure to protect their master is not a capital offense; morally, they jumped into the water to save him and deserve recognition for their service; emotionally, they are retainers of my Lord Chunping's household, bound by a contract, and their fate is to be decided by the master of the household according to the law and the circumstances. My grandfather ordered you to 'visit the young master and ascertain the situation,' not to 'overstep your bounds and kill your retainers'!"
The last sentence was uttered with a sudden rise in pitch; though still somewhat immature, it possessed a commanding presence that seemed to break through the air.
Everyone in the hall, not to mention Madam Han, who trembled all over and grabbed Madam Fu's arm to keep herself from losing her composure, even the two young eunuchs behind Gao Qu subconsciously exchanged glances and looked at each other in bewilderment.
Gao Qu was rendered speechless, pointing at Zhao Heng with his finger trembling slightly, his face turning from red to green, then from green to white.
"You...you...Young Master's profound argument, according to you, means that in this matter, no one is at fault, it's all fate?! Those scoundrels who pushed you into the water are not at fault? No one in your household is at fault? It's all due to your own mischievousness?!"
Zhao Heng remained silent for a moment.
In her excitement, Han was about to speak up to defend her son, but Fu's mother gently tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to be quiet.
Then Zhao Heng slowly spoke:
"The young man from Zhao, who hates Qin for the sake of his country, is commendable in his heart. Though his actions are reckless, they stem from his sincere passion. My retainer, loyal to his lord and concerned for his fellow countrymen, hesitated to act for fear of harming others. His actions are forgivable, and his transgression has been punished. My mother, upon hearing of my peril, has been so worried that she has forgotten to eat and has not slept for three days. What wrong has she done?"
He glanced back at his mother's pale, haggard face, at Fu's mother's stern expression, at the servants on the ground who dared not raise their heads, and finally his gaze settled on Gao Qu's ashen face. He spoke slowly and earnestly, word by word:
"If anyone must be blamed... then it is me. My fault lies in my youthful mischief, lack of foresight, and careless actions, which caused my mother worry, alarmed my grandfather, and troubled the eunuch to order you all to make this trip."
He cupped his hands in greeting again, facing Gao Qu, as if also addressing his unseen grandfather:
"I'll say it again. If anyone should be punished, it should be Zhao Heng."
"It has nothing to do with others."
------
"Emperor Taizu displayed extraordinary talent and intelligence from a young age. At the age of eleven, he was reprimanded by the eunuch Gao Qu for some reason. Gao Qu, relying on the emperor's authority, acted arrogantly and wanted to execute the palace guards to establish his authority. Emperor Taizu calmly stepped forward and said sternly, 'The guards may have been negligent, but they also saved the emperor from drowning. How can they be said to have done nothing wrong? The emperor's envoy is responsible for investigating the facts. How can he overstep his bounds and carry out an execution?'"
Qu was speechless, blushing and unable to reply. Those around him were all astonished and trembling. Lady Han, initially worried, then rejoiced. The tutor's mother privately told others, "Having survived this ordeal, the young master's demeanor is completely different; he is truly a remarkable person." From then on, Emperor Taizu remained fearless in the face of danger, making clear and decisive judgments. Even though Chongling had already established his reputation as a ruler, it gradually became known both inside and outside the court.
—Old Book of Zhao, Volume 1, Annals of Emperor Gaozu