Chapter 204: Imperial Tutor

As Zhu Houzhao held the old woman’s arm, speaking softly, Emperor Hongzhi, watching nearby, felt a flicker of disbelief.

When did Zhu Houzhao have such a side to him?

Zhu Houzhao hurried to support the old lady into her house. Emperor Hongzhi hesitated briefly. He could smell the lingering scent of coal dust and other unidentifiable odors, yet he followed them into the dim, thatched hut.

The hut was dark. The old woman shakily lit a lamp, revealing a side chamber. She said, “Honorable Benefactors, my daughter-in-law is in the inner room and cannot come out to greet you. Please forgive her.”

As she spoke, she set out a long bench and table.

When the old woman asked who Emperor Hongzhi was, Zhu Houzhao cheerfully replied, “My father.”

The old woman immediately started to kneel. Emperor Hongzhi was used to receiving grand gestures of obeisance, but this time, his face flushed faintly in the lamplight. Her deep bow felt unbearably heavy.

Observing the place, it could almost be described as having nothing but four bare walls.

There were hardly any furnishings save for the few new items likely added for the recent wedding. Even so, nothing Emperor Hongzhi saw was remotely acceptable in his eyes. He sat silently on the long bench.

“What a pity,” the old woman sighed. “Wang San and Wang Tiedan have gone to work. If they knew our benefactors had visited, they wouldn’t know how to contain their joy. They mention your kindness day and night.”

Clearly a talkative type, though her eyesight was poor, she chattered on: “Without you benefactors, who knows what state our Wang family would be in? Not just our family—how many miners above and below ground haven’t been saved by you two? Now, everyone’s living a good life…”

Emperor Hongzhi remained silent. A heavy weight filled his chest.

Is this… a good life?

This place had nothing. The old woman’s dress was faded white, made from coarse, poor-quality cloth, likely washed countless times.

She persisted in her praises: “Now we all have a place to work, food to eat, clothes to wear. How wonderful. Thousands of households here at the mine rely on it. Saving so many people must be very difficult for you two benefactors.”

“Of course it is,” Zhu Houzhao beamed, totally immersed in his role as a benefactor.

But Emperor Hongzhi’s eyes turned red.

He was a ruler with a complex past. He lost his mother in childhood, living in the Imperial Palace as if on thin ice. He took pride in having survived such trials.

Because he hadn’t been pampered, he cherished his status as emperor all the more.

Yet now… endless thoughts flooded him. He recalled histories of the rise and fall of dynasties, where those caught between prosperity and chaos suffered all the same. Reading those passages, he used to grieve for them, thinking he understood the people’s hardships.

So when officials reported droughts, famines, or people lacking food and clothes, his sympathy stirred. But he could never have imagined that for someone like Wang San, a life like this—barely more than animals lived—was satisfying. Those monkeys in the imperial gardens lived better.

But here they were, so grateful, as if this was the greatest blessing.

An ache pulsed beneath Emperor Hongzhi’s ribs. He pressed a hand over his heart.

He tried to hide the creeping misery.

Eyes red, he stared elsewhere, into a corner untouched by candlelight. Tears finally spilled over his lashes.

Only now did he truly understand what those glowing Memorials calling his reign a Peace and Prosperity really meant.

Is this the Peace and Prosperity history speaks of? What then became of those worse off than Wang San?

He stood abruptly, pretending to study a faded New Year painting pasted on the packed-earth wall. He examined it intently, trying to hide his remorse—or perhaps distract himself from the deeper pain inside.

Soon, he could bear the hut no longer. He walked out wordlessly, without farewell.

Seeing this, Fang Jifan and Zhu Houzhao hastily took their leave of the old woman and hurried after him.

Emperor Hongzhi marched ahead alone, hands behind his back, silent and swift.

Xiao Jing rushed forward. “His Majesty…”

Emperor Hongzhi halted and looked at him. “Record everything that happened today. Fang Jifan’s lesson is to be included.”

He gave Xiao Jing no chance to reply. “Afterward, distribute it via the Capital Gazette. Send it to every ministry, province, and prefecture. Let all my ministers see it clearly.”

Xiao Jing obediently responded, “As Your Majesty commands.”

Emperor Hongzhi paused, struggling to stay composed. “Pardon Wang San. Concerning the Beggar Sect arrests—only the leader Wu Zhixin is to be taken. Ignore the rest. As for Wu Zhixin… skip the charge of treason. Execute him by decapitation.”

Hearing this, Fang Jifan breathed in deep relief. Against the odds, Wang San had escaped death.

Wu Zhixin, the Imperial Criminal and rebel leader, was doomed. Merely dying by beheading instead of dismemberment counted as mercy.

Xiao Jing sensed the emperor’s mood. “Your Majesty visited the Wang Family Residence… The old lady seemed reasonable. Should Your Majesty… reward them somehow?”

He thought this would please the emperor.

But Emperor Hongzhi shook his head bitterly. “Reward one family? What use is that? This world holds countless families like the Wangs—millions worse off. Rewarding one Wang family can’t reward them all.”

His tone was heavy with helplessness.

He looked at Fang Jifan deeply. “Fang Jifan, with me.”

Fang Jifan suppressed his nervousness and walked beside the emperor.

The others trailed behind respectfully, keeping their distance.

Emperor Hongzhi sighed, surveying the tiny village. “Today’s lesson was taught to your disciples, but mostly it was taught to me. Do you know the phrase: ‘Why not eat meat porridge?’”

“…I understand Your Majesty’s meaning.” Fang Jifan realized the implication. “Your Majesty, though flawed, is vastly wiser than Emperor Hui of Jin.”

As he said it, Fang Jifan flinched. This bluntness didn’t suit his usual flattery—he should have claimed his sovereign surpassed that foolish ruler by ten thousandfold!

Emperor Hongzhi only replied sorrowfully, “How am I any different? Had I not seen this myself, would I ever know why men like Wang San turn rebel? You awakened me, Fang Jifan. My vision of Peace and Prosperity… was hopelessly naive. This… is my failure.”

Embarrassed, Fang Jifan offered a thin smile.

Emperor Hongzhi added, “Yet at least I saw it at last. Knowing humiliation breeds courage. Being steeped in ignorance and pride… isn’t like facing the truth. You… stay here. Manage the aftermath. I… shall return to the palace.”

A profound exhaustion washed over him, unlike any fatigue before. Once he could mask it with spirited eyes; now he just stared numbly ahead.

Fang Jifan saw the emperor into his Imperial Carriage. Zhu Houzhao lingered awkwardly. Thinking his role as benefactor would please his Imperial Father, he was taken aback by his expression growing sickly pale.

Neither Xiao Jing nor Mou Bin dared breathe loudly. When the carriage moved, the large retinue swiftly vanished in a flurry of dust.

Fang Jifan stayed where he was, smiling as he watched the Imperial Carriage depart. Only when it disappeared did he recall something.

I… served the imperial court! Caught the Imperial Criminal for Great Ming!

Where is my reward?

He felt unsure whether to laugh, cry, be pleased, or grieve.

One comfort remained: all Beggar Sect members, except the leader, had been pardoned.

The news spread across Western Hills like wildfire.

Many former Beggar Sect associates lived there. Like Wang San, they simply craved a peaceful life. Their connection to the rebel faction haunted them. The pardon lifted that burden off their hearts. They could finally relax.

Fang Jifan felt contentment too. After all… he had always held strong moral principles.

_—

Throughout the journey to the palace, Emperor Hongzhi sat motionless in the carriage. Countless thoughts streamed through his mind.

His eyes remained sore and swollen. What he witnessed felt realer than any Memorial could convey, its impact sharp and heavy.

And then he remembered… Fang Jifan.

Back in the palace, Emperor Hongzhi settled into the Warm Pavilion. He stayed silent for a long time.

Xiao Jing and Mou Bin approached and knelt at once. “I deserve ten thousand deaths, Your Majesty,” Xiao Jing said.

“As for me…” Mou Bin bowed utterly defeated. “The Brocade Guard…”

Exhausted, Emperor Hongzhi leaned against cushions and stared blankly at the elegantly decorated pavilion. “Do you feel ashamed? So do I. Today, I felt unworthy beyond belief. So many things I never imagined. I don’t blame you. Like Fang Jifan said: where countless Wang Sans live today, capturing one Wu Zhixin solves nothing. Tomorrow brings Liu Zhixin or Yang Zhixin… How can you catch them all?” He paused meaningfully. “Fang Jifan… acted as my Imperial Tutor today.”