Chapter 30 - The Cannon Fodder Little Fulang [Quick Transmigration]

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The three travelers Zhao Chengnan brought from the borderlands were Su Li, Yu Hongyi, and their child.

 

It was then that Wu Bai and the others learned from Zhao Chengnan what had transpired. After Yu Hongyi was deployed to the borderlands, he, relying on his position, disregarded the seasoned generals' counsel and charged ahead recklessly, falling into an enemy trap.

 

All of Yu Hongyi's soldiers were slain by the enemy, though he narrowly escaped into the mountains, surviving by chance. Later, he accidentally fell off a cliff, losing his memory upon waking up in the care of a farming family.

 

As for how Su Li came to be with Yu Hongyi, it was because, after being sent to the Su family's ancestral shrine, Su Li lived a harsh life. Pregnant and burdened with laborious tasks daily, he finally reached his limit and escaped.

 

At that time, battles were raging at the border, and Su Li figured no one would think to look for him in that direction, so he fled toward the frontier. His instincts proved correct, as the Su family's guards never pursued him that far.

 

When Su Mingda received word that Su Li could not be found, he promptly declared Su Li dead, announcing that the Su family no longer had a young ger named Su Li.

 

Since no one was pursuing him anymore, Su Li managed to escape to the border without incident. By then, his belly had grown large, and spotting a farmhouse nearby, he went to beg for water. To his shock, the one who answered the door was none other than Yu Hongyi, long believed missing.

 

The moment Su Li saw Yu Hongyi, his emotions overwhelmed him, triggering labor pains.

 

Fortunately, the farmhouse owner had some medical knowledge and saved both Su Li and the child.

 

After the child was born, he bore a striking resemblance to Yu Hongyi. Given that Yu Hongyi was also getting older, and with a bit of matchmaking from the farmhouse family, Su Li decided to settle down and raise the child with his father. And so, the two of them started living together as a family.

 

Life was peaceful, but Yu Hongyi couldn't shake the feeling that Su Li shouldn't have to endure such hardship. He took up hunting in the mountains more frequently, and during one such expedition, he suffered a fall, striking his head—this time, regaining his memory.

 

Upon remembering his past, Yu Hongyi chose to return to the military camp with Su Li. However, by then, two years had passed, and the border conflicts had already ceased, with Zhao Chengnan leading his troops back to the capital.

 

By fate, the two groups crossed paths, and Yu Hongyi, learning that the fighting had ended, joined Zhao Chengnan's entourage on the journey home.

 

Upon his return to the capital, Yu Hongyi faced consequences for his rash actions at the border, which had cost the Great Jing many soldiers. The Emperor stripped him of his generalship. While the Emperor initially considered executing him, he chose to spare Yu Hongyi in recognition of his past achievements in suppressing bandits—a balance of merits and faults.

 

In truth, the Emperor primarily had spared Yu Hongyi out of consideration for the Third Prince. The Yu clan was the maternal family of the Third Prince's mother, Lady Yu Shujun. If he had executed Yu Hongyi so easily, the Third Prince would take offense, and he would face opposition from the Yu family and their allies. To avoid a political conflict, the Emperor decided to let Yu Hongyi go for the time being.

 

The Emperor expected that such leniency would inspire gratitude from both the Third Prince and the Yu family. He anticipated a visit from them to the palace to express their thanks, but instead, he was met with the Third Prince, leading a faction of the Yu family's forces in open rebellion.

 

After a fierce battle, the Third Prince finally fought his way to the Emperor's bedchamber, the Chongming Hall.

 

Outside the hall, the commander of the Imperial Guard, who had been won over by the Yu family, encircled the bedchamber with his troops. The Third Prince then entered with a few close aides.

 

"Impudent wretch! How dare you do this!" the Emperor, slumped on his bed, cursed in fury.

 

"Father, do not blame me for being ruthless. If I didn't act now, it wouldn't be long before you would move against me," the Third Prince responded coolly.

 

The Emperor frowned, retorting, "What nonsense are you spouting? When have I ever spoken of harming you?"

 

"True, you haven't said it—yet. But what of the future? Since Fifth Brother returned from the border, you've showered him with lavish gifts and elevated him to the rank of Qinwang*. Do you plan to make him Crown Prince when the opportunity arises?" The Third Prince's face twisted with bitter accusation.

 

[T/N: A Qinwang was the highest-ranking princely title in China's nobility system, second only to the emperor among the royal family.]

 

"Your Fifth Brother risked his life at the frontier to stabilize the troops' morale. Is it not fitting for me to reward him? You envy him so fiercely—why did you not volunteer yourself back then? Had you done so, all this honor would be yours!" the Emperor replied, his voice unwavering.

 

The Emperor's words struck a nerve, but the Third Prince quickly recollected himself, remembering that he was here to seize the throne. Once he wrested the imperial seal from his father, the realm would be all his, rendering such petty grievances irrelevant.

 

He spoke again, "Father, there is no need to delay further. No one will come to rescue you. Surrender the throne to me, and I will let you live as the retired Emperor. Refuse, and I will show no mercy."

 

The men behind the Third Prince, hearing his promise to let the Emperor retire in honor, were alarmed. They hurriedly tried to dissuade him, "Your Highness, you mustn't..."

 

But the Third Prince immediately cut them off with a sharp glance. They quickly understood his plan: first deceive the Emperor into handing over the imperial seal, and then decide his fate. Whether to spare the old Emperor or not would be entirely up to him once the seal was in his hands.

 

The Emperor, however, saw through his scheme and had no intention of surrendering the seal.

 

...

 

That night, the palace was engulfed in a fierce battle, but ultimately, Zhao Chengnan subdued the Third Prince and his men, rescuing the Emperor.

 

The next day, the Emperor ordered all officials involved in the coup imprisoned, and the Yu family was likewise detained. Su Li, as part of Yu Hongyi's household, was implicated and thrown into prison, while the Third Prince was confined to his residence under strict guard.

 

The Emperor, aged and shaken by the revolt, fell gravely ill after handling the officials' punishment and the Third Prince's case.

 

Sensing that his time was nearing its end, the Emperor summoned Zhao Chengnan to the palace. No one knew what passed between them, but shortly after, the Emperor decreed Zhao Chengnan as Crown Prince.

 

A few days later, the Emperor passed away.

 

After overseeing the Emperor's funeral rites, Zhao Chengnan ascended the throne, adopting the era name Rentai*.

 

[T/N: The act of "改年號為仁泰" refers to Zhao Chengnan changing the era name to "Ren Tai," a custom in Chinese dynasties where an emperor would establish a new era name (nianhao) at the beginning of his reign. The era name is often associated with the values or hopes of the new emperor. By choosing "Ren Tai" (仁泰), Zhao Chengnan could be signaling a new period of benevolence (仁, ren) and peace (泰, tai), suggesting that he aims to rule with compassion and stability.]

 

Following the recent coup attempt, Zhao Chengnan's brothers realized that during his time at the border, he had firmly consolidated his military power. As a result, his coronation proceeded without obstruction.

 

Upon becoming Emperor, Zhao Chengnan's first act was to deal with the treacherous officials who had been imprisoned by his predecessor but left unpunished. The chief conspirators faced execution, along with their entire families, while accomplices were stripped of their titles and property. As a direct descendant of the Yu family, Yu Hongyi could not avoid his fate, but Su Li's situation was different. Although he had been with Yu Hongyi, they lacked an official marriage record, and no legal documentation established them as spouses.

 

When Yu Hongyi had lost his memory, he held no household registration certificate with him, and Su Li, fearing pursuit by his family, had not registered with the authorities at the border. Furthermore, the capital's residents remembered that Su Li had conceived before marriage, with the father of his child unknown. Though the child resembled Yu Hongyi, there was no certainty in likeness alone.

 

Thus, Su Li and his child were released. However, when he sought refuge with the Su family, they drove him away, insisting that their beloved ger, Su Li, had already died two years prior.

 

With no other choice, Su Li left the capital with his son, vanishing without a trace.

 

After dealing with the traitors, Zhao Chengnan's next task was to reward his loyal followers, most of whom were generals from the border, as his supporters in the court were few. Following these promotions, several positions still remained vacant. So he used Xiao Zimo's reports and his own insights to elevate many promising officials from various ministries. Among those promoted was Wu Kang'an, who became Deputy Minister of Rites, and the court's operations soon resumed smoothly.

 

His third act was to honor his mother as Empress Dowager, moving him to the Cining Palace. Since the previous Empress had passed early and the Emperor had never re-established another Empress, there was no such embarrassment as two Empress Dowagers. As for the previous emperor's other consorts, now titled Dowager Consorts, they were all moved to a secondary palace traditionally reserved for such concubines.

 

Finally, Zhao Chengnan bestowed noble titles upon the Empress Dowager's family, honoring his maternal uncle as Duke Cheng'en and granting marriage between Wu Bai, a prominent ger and the brother of the Deputy Minister of Rites, and his cousin, now the Duke's heir. Zhao Chengnan knew his cousin had long wished to marry Bai, but various circumstances had prevented it. So he decided to assist him as a gesture of gratitude for his cousin's support in securing the throne.

 

With Zhao Chengnan's imperial decree, Xiao Zimo was finally able to marry Wu Bai. The final seal of approval came as Wu Bai's elder brother's child, now two years old, no longer required constant care, allowing the family to journey from Nanping Town to the capital to visit Wu Bai. However, the family would soon return to Nanping Town, upholding the tradition of always returning to their roots*.

 

[T/N: The idiom "落葉歸根" (luò yè guī gēn) translates to "the fallen leaf returns to its roots." It originates from the idea that leaves eventually fall back to the ground from which the tree grew. This metaphor expresses a deep sense of belonging and attachment to one's place of origin, often used to describe the desire to return to one's homeland, especially in old age or at the end of one's journey. It reflects values of heritage, identity, and honoring one's roots.]

 

Little did Wu Bai's parents know that this single trip to the capital would lead to their beloved Bai, their cherished ger, being married off. Yet, they understood that as children grow up, they cannot be kept by their parents' side forever.

 

In truth, even if they hadn't made this trip, Wu Bai and Xiao Zimo had already planned to visit Nanping Town themselves.

 

After their grand wedding, many assumed that Wu Bai, a simple ger from the countryside, would be unable to uphold the dignity of a noble's fulang and would soon disgrace the Xiao family. They thought that, in time, Xiao Zimo would grow tired of him and cast him aside, especially as his youth faded.

 

Even the old couple of the Xiao family initially feared that Wu Bai might mishandle the household affairs and embarrass them when hosting guests. They even prepared themselves for possible ridicule, but to their surprise, Wu Bai managed the household impeccably. His demeanor with guests was graceful and proper, and he brought nothing but honor to the family.

 

As time went on, the couple had to admit that their son's judgment was far better than their own. Compared to the prospective partner they had once considered for him, Wu Bai was clearly unmatched.

 

Like everyone else, Wu Bai's parents also feared that one day Xiao Zimo might abandon their precious Bai ger. But until their last breath, Wu Bai and Xiao Zimo's love remained strong and unwavering, as sweet as honey. This gave his parents peace as they closed their eyes for the final time.

 

In their lifetime, Wu Bai and Xiao Zimo had only two children: the elder, a son, and the younger, a ger. Though they adored their children deeply, they were diligent in teaching them the difference between right and wrong. When the children grew up, they did not disappoint their parents, leading honest lives and handling matters with integrity.

 

Decades later, Wu Bai and Xiao Zimo held each other's hands and once again made a promise to find each other in their next life. With this vow, they peacefully closed their eyes together. Honoring their final wish, their children buried them side by side to ensure they would be together even in the afterlife.

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