The Child Emperor-Chapter 333: Establishing Merit

The Xiongnu king slapped his knee heavily and said a few words. A Xiongnu noble sitting across from the guests stood up, walked to the Chu man “Wei Su,” stared at him coldly for a while, slowly drew the short blade from his waist, and suddenly swung it up. The blade swept past the Chu man’s nose.

Prince Donghai and the others gasped in shock, but the person in question, Deng Cui, remained unmoved. He glanced at his opponent, his gaze still fixed on the interpreter and the Xiongnu king.

The Xiongnu king burst into laughter and said a few more words. The Xiongnu noble turned the blade around by its handle and handed it to the Chu man. The interpreter said, “The king says this prince consort from Chu has a stubborn character and doesn’t understand current affairs – keeping him alive is indeed useless. You there, ceremonial guard, you say you can’t wield a spear or shoot arrows, but you can kill people, right?”

Deng Cui took the blade. “Yes.” With that, he took two steps to stand before Zhuo Ruhe. “Prince Consort Zhuo, you’re willing to die for the Emperor, but I’m not. When they were selecting emperors, the Capital was in heated turmoil, but no one asked for my opinion. Now they want me to be loyal – it’s too late. I’ve watched with my own eyes as emperors in the palace changed one after another, each worse than the last, each more capable of causing trouble. I am just a minor guard – I won’t clean up their messes.”

“Hah! Sir, you may choose not to be loyal to the Emperor, but you cannot be disloyal to Great Chu. By surrendering to foreign barbarians, aren’t you afraid of ruining your reputation and earning everyone’s contempt?” Before Zhuo Ruhe finished speaking, he spat at Deng Cui.

Deng Cui looked down at the spittle on his chest, said nothing more, and swung the blade toward Zhuo Ruhe’s neck.

Zhuo Ruhe neither dodged nor avoided, but instead raised his head and chest, tilting his head slightly to expose more of his neck. His eyes were wide open, showing more courage than the man wielding the blade.

Deng Cui’s blade struck down viciously, but it didn’t hit its target – not because he intentionally avoided it, but because another blade blocked it.

Several Xiongnu soldiers had been standing beside Zhuo Ruhe. One of them drew his blade at the last moment and deflected the Deng Cui’s weapon. Though he was half a head shorter than Deng Cui, he was much stronger. Not only was Deng Cui’s blade knocked away, but he was forced back half a step. Unable to contain his fury, he glared at the Xiongnu soldier.

The Xiongnu soldier sheathed his blade and snorted disdainfully, then nodded to the Xiongnu king. Although this Chu man’s swordsmanship was indeed mediocre, he had used his full strength and had truly intended to kill.

Everyone around could see this too – when the two blades clashed just now, sparks flew. It was a real confrontation.

Prince Donghai, Hua Bin, and the other Chu people were stunned. Even Stockade Chief Dong, who came from bandit origins, looked at “Wei Su” anew, surprised that there was such a ruthless character among the Emperor’s guards.

Deng Cui was very dissatisfied, but Zhuo Ruhe was even more so. He directly faced the Xiongnu king: “Shameless barbarians! If you want to kill, then kill; if you want to torture, then torture. I am an imperial envoy of Great Chu…”

Several Xiongnu soldiers dragged Zhuo Ruhe away. Even through the tent walls, his curses could still be heard.

Deng Cui turned around and asked, “Why didn’t you let me kill him?”

The interpreter smiled: “This man is a high official of Chu. The Great Chanyu specifically wants him alive, so he cannot be killed.”

Deng Cui waved the blade in his hand: “Then what’s the point of giving me this thing?”

“To test your courage,” the interpreter said indifferently. “Someone like you can serve as a guard beside the Emperor?”

“Guards are only judged by physique, appearance, and background. As for courage – hah! People like me follow behind the Emperor every day, never more than a hundred paces away, but we never get a chance to display our courage before the Emperor in our entire lives.”

The interpreter conversed with the Xiongnu king for a while, then said to the Chu man: “What’s your name again?”

“Wei Su.”

“Good. In the Xiongnu army, you can display your courage freely. Besides surrendering, what can you do for the king?”

“What a pity for this fine blade – drawn but not yet bloodied. Who does the king want killed? Leave it to me.” Deng Cui turned to look at the many Chu people sitting together.

The Chu people were all startled. Deng Cui had always been somewhat reckless, and without restraint, he seemed even more so. Since none of them knew him very well, they thought he really intended to kill someone. Prince Donghai especially immediately thought that Deng Cui was using this opportunity to silence witnesses, and was so frightened his face turned pale.

If one didn’t know Deng Cui personally, no one could tell that he was actually the General of Chariots and Cavalry of Chu.

“Haha, these people are all honored guests of the great king – they cannot be killed,” the interpreter said with a laugh.

“But we have to kill a few, don’t we? There might well be assassins hidden among the surrenderers. Have you thoroughly investigated the backgrounds of these people?”

The interpreter nodded with a smile.

It was at this moment that Prince Donghai showed his quick wit, suddenly understanding why Deng Cui always wanted to kill people. He quietly interjected, “The Chu people present are either officers or pugilists who move with the times. But I know there are several Chu servant slaves in the camp – those kinds of people are fence-sitters who switch sides at the drop of a hat and have no credibility whatsoever…”

The interpreter frowned slightly. “Weren’t you brought out by those very servants?”

“Servant slaves can only be used temporarily, not kept long-term. I originally didn’t know there were others in the city who were also willing to surrender to the great king – otherwise I would never have associated with servants.”

The interpreter curled his lips and spoke a few more words with the great king. “You Chu people are all too cunning and completely untrustworthy. You said you’d bring out the emperor’s head, but now you want to use a few servants as substitutes. That won’t do – the great king is dissatisfied. You’ve eaten the meat and drunk the wine, so you need to show some real ability.”

Prince Donghai had no other abilities and kept his head down, not daring to make a sound.

Hua Bin sighed and put on a troubled expression. “The great king is absolutely right. Since we promised to bring out the emperor’s head, we cannot go back on our word – I’m willing to return to Jincheng City again. If I don’t bring back the emperor’s head, my son and I are willing to die in the city.”

“Your emperor has fallen seriously ill and might die at any time, so you need to hurry,” the interpreter said.

“Three days – at most three days.” Hua Bin held up three fingers.

Gui Yuehua had been somewhat hesitant, but seeing that the Xiongnu great king didn’t support idle people and that this place seemed more dangerous than inside the city, he also hastily said, “I’ll also return to the city and will definitely obtain the emperor’s head.”

“I’ll take several brothers and go into the city with you two.” Stockade Chief Dong was eager to achieve merit and also joined in.

The interpreter looked toward “Wei Su.”

“Once dawn breaks, the Ceremonial Guard Battalion will discover our escape, so we few can’t return to the city.” Deng Cui pointed to his four followers and thought for a moment. “Though the Ceremonial Guards have no other abilities, they often escort imperial edicts. If the great king wants to kill any Chu general or capture any city, let us five serve as inside agents.”

The interpreter relayed everyone’s responses to the Xiongnu great king, who then pointed at the only Chu person who hadn’t expressed a position.

Prince Donghai was flustered and panicked. When the Xiongnu great king pointed at him, he was so frightened he nearly knocked over his wine cup. “The Chu army in Qi is commanded by Cui Hong and Chai Yue. I’m from the Chai clan and can persuade Chai Yue…”

After the interpreter finished speaking, the Xiongnu great king finally nodded with satisfaction and gave an order to a Xiongnu noble. The nobleman rose and walked toward the tent entrance. Prince Donghai and the others felt uneasy in their hearts, not knowing what the great king intended. Only Deng Cui remained unmoved, gripping the knife in his hand and staring at the Xiongnu man who had handed it to him, showing no intention of returning it.

Shortly after, the Xiongnu nobleman who had left the tent returned, bringing five Chu people with him.

Deng Cui turned around and came face to face with these five people. One of them was a maid from his household, while the other four came from Prince Dai’s mansion – two had escaped earlier, and the other two had left the city yesterday along with the maid.

The five people knew they had no qualification to meet the Xiongnu great king. Being summoned inside already filled them with terror, and suddenly seeing Deng Cui made their souls flee their bodies, completely unable to understand what was happening.

Deng Cui had no intention of letting them understand. He strode forward, raised his knife and brought it down, first killing his own household maid. The other four fell to their knees with a thud, wanting to beg for mercy but too frightened to speak.

The Xiongnu great king raised his arm, originally intending to say a few words, but hadn’t expected the Chu ceremonial guard to be so eager, killing without hesitation. Instead, he found himself with nothing to say and could only nod to the interpreter.

“When the city falls, all Chu civilians will become slaves. We have no need for their surrender. You gentlemen are soldiers, worth slightly more than civilians, but after surrendering to the Xiongnu, you must also eagerly perform meritorious deeds to receive rewards. This is the general rule, whether for Chu or Xiongnu.”

The four servants kneeling by the entrance vaguely understood their lives were nearly over. One of them appeared to call out to Deng Cui: “D…”

“Ah!” Deng Cui shouted, again raising his knife and bringing it down, killing another person. With a sweep of his gaze, the remaining three had already collapsed limply to the ground.

The Xiongnu great king pointed at “Wei Su” and said a few words to his concubines and nobles. Everyone burst into laughter, though their meaning was unclear. The interpreter didn’t explain either, but looked toward Prince Donghai and the others. “Even the ceremonial guard has this much courage – you can’t just stand there watching.”

Hua Bin was the first to rise, walking to Deng Cui’s side and taking the knife. He stabbed one of the servants in the chest, deliberately not killing him outright, leaving him for those who came after.

Gui Yuehua, Stockade Chief Dong, and the others were all bandits, accustomed to such things. They took turns stepping forward to receive the knife and hack or stab. Deng Cui’s four attendants were no exception. When it was finally Prince Donghai’s turn, only five mangled corpses remained on the ground. He made a symbolic stab and immediately returned the knife to Deng Cui, forcibly restraining himself from vomiting.

The felt carpet was stained with blood, but the Xiongnu great king didn’t mind, treating the slaughter as an appetizer. He raised his cup and shouted something, draining it in one gulp. The Chu people also returned to their seats and raised their cups in response.

Deng Cui personally wiped the knife clean and returned it to its owner. The Xiongnu man took it in his hands, seeming somewhat disgusted, and set the knife aside without sheathing it.

The banquet continued into the night. The five corpses lay there for a long time until one concubine could no longer bear it and made a request to the Xiongnu great king. Only then did soldiers come in to remove the bodies, though the bloodstains remained.

The Xiongnu all greatly admired the Chu ceremonial guard. “Wei Su” became the protagonist among the Chu people, while Hua Bin and the others were relegated to supporting roles.

Deng Cui spoke freely and wildly. Though he had never actually served as a ceremonial guard, he described the grievances and dissatisfactions of ceremonial guards with great eloquence.

When the banquet ended, the Xiongnu and Chu people swayed as they walked outside, all having to display complete drunkenness regardless.

Outside the tent, Deng Cui threw his arm around Prince Donghai’s shoulders and said in slurred speech: “In the past, you were a Chai clan noble and I was an ordinary ceremonial guard. Now we’re both the same – we all have to rely on our own abilities to survive. Do you still dare look down on me?”

“I never looked down on you,” Prince Donghai said quietly, his steps becoming even more unsteady under Deng Cui’s pressure.

Taking advantage of the commotion around them, Deng Cui said quietly: “Can you compete?”

Prince Donghai’s expression changed drastically. He understood clearly in his heart that Deng Cui was referring to the Emperor. In Deng Cui’s eyes, Prince Donghai, who panicked when faced with crisis, could never compare to the composed Emperor in the city.

“I… I never intended to compete…”

Deng Cui patted Prince Donghai’s shoulder. “Really?”

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