novelSusiti Chapter 109 Conflict with the Eastern Prince's Mansion
Chapter 109 Conflict with the Eastern Prince's Mansion
Chapter 109 Conflict with the Eastern Prince's Mansion
Nanjing City.
At this moment, the sun rose in the east, the river mist dissipated, and the sunlight shone on the tall city walls and majestic gate towers. The city walls stretched for dozens of miles, and the gate towers soared into the clouds, like giant beasts.
"This is Nanjing."
Standing on the deck, Hong Ren gazed at the magnificent city that had taken twenty-eight years to build, and exclaimed, "Poems and prose describe Nanjing as a city carved from cliffs a thousand feet high, sculpted by the swords of Ouyang Xun and Wu Qiongshu." Seeing it today, he realized it was no exaggeration.
Rong Hong, standing to the side, chuckled, "Qianyi, you're about to meet your cousin, but you don't seem very excited?"
Hong Rengan also smiled and said, "Of course I'm excited, after all, it's been seven years since I last saw my cousin after we parted ways in the 28th year of the Daoguang Emperor's reign."
"But the Great Learning says: 'Only when one is calm can one be at peace; only when one is at peace can one deliberate; only when one deliberates can one attain.' If I can't even control this little bit of excitement, how could I have come back to help my cousin?"
Just then, Hongwu, who was observing the front through a monocular telescope, suddenly said, "The Taiping navy has spotted us and is approaching."
Upon hearing this, the two of them also looked over.
Just as Hongwu had said, a sampan was drifting downstream, heading towards the direction of the Chengfeng.
Before long, the board approached the Wind Chaser.
The board was small, accommodating a total of twenty-five soldiers, and equipped with two small cannons at the front and back, their dark muzzles pointing directly at the Chengfeng.
A soldier wearing a red turban and a plain red robe looked up and shouted, "I am the Second Commander of the Left Naval Battalion of the Heavenly Army. Who is on this ship? What brings you here?"
Hong Rengan poked his head out, his voice calm and unhurried: "I am Hong Rengan, a cousin of the Heavenly King and an elder of the God Worshipping Society. I have come from Hong Kong to join the Heavenly King. I have a resume to prove my identity. Please ask the two Sima to go and inform him."
On the ship, one of the assassins asked in a low voice, "What kind of position is 'Two Sima'?"
Hongwu glanced back at him and explained in a low voice, "The official rank system of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is divided into thirteen grades and sixteen levels. The two Sima are the sixteenth level, in charge of twenty-five people, which is roughly equivalent to the Qing army's battalion commander."
Upon hearing this, the two Sima's expressions changed repeatedly.
Regardless of whether what the other side said was true or false, this matter involving the Heavenly King was definitely not something that a mere two Sima could comment on.
He took a deep breath and forced a smile: "I see. Then please wait here for a moment. This matter is of great importance, and I need to report to the commander of the camp and ask them to make a decision."
Without waiting for Hong Rengan's response, he shouted, "Brothers, row back to camp immediately!"
The twenty-odd soldiers on the sampan knew this was an extremely urgent moment, and they used every ounce of their strength. The oars flew, water splashed everywhere, and the entire sampan shot off like an arrow towards the camp.
Inside the Xiaguan camp.
Chen Guanxi, the commander of the Zuoshui Camp, sat in his tent. There were many battle reports on the table in front of him, but he didn't want to look at them.
Having fought alongside the Heavenly King and the Eastern King all the way from Jintian to this capital city, the old brothers I met were either commanders or generals, and some even held the position of Chancellor in the Eastern King's mansion.
That was a prestigious and esteemed position, equivalent to that of an inspector, where one issued orders and was three ranks higher than any other official. Moreover, being under the patronage of the Eastern King made it even more prestigious, with a promising future.
Unlike him, who has only reached the rank of commander-in-chief, and even then, only the commander-in-chief of a naval corps. His official rank is not high, but his responsibilities are heavy, and any oversight will result in immediate accountability.
"Commander-in-Chief! Commander-in-Chief!"
Suddenly, the guards outside the tent shouted at the door, startling Edison Chen, who was lost in thought.
"What are you yelling about? You scared the hell out of me!" He grumbled as he sat up straight. "Come in and talk!"
The guard lifted the curtain and reported, "General, the two commanders who were in charge of patrolling the river earlier have come with an urgent report that a large ship carrying red-haired devils has arrived on the river. On board is a man who claims to be Hong Rengan, a cousin of the Heavenly King!"
Upon hearing this, Edison Chen's eyes widened in surprise: "What the hell? A Heavenly King's cousin? You didn't hear me wrong, did you?"
The guard nodded vigorously: "I didn't mishear, that's exactly what he said. He also said that the man claimed to be an elder of the God Worshipping Society."
Edison Chen's expression turned serious.
The identity of the Heavenly King's cousin and a founding member of the God Worshipping Society—either of these two identities carries immense weight in the capital city.
Take Hong Renda and Hong Renfa for example. Although everyone in Tianjing knew they were useless, they were still made national leaders just because they were the elder brothers of the Heavenly King. Their positions were above all the generals and only below the Six Kings.
The title of "elder" of the God Worshipping Society is even more prestigious. The late Southern King Feng Yunshan was one of the elders, and the other elder was none other than the Heavenly King himself.
He took a deep breath, his mind racing, and after a moment he gave the order: "Xiwa, pass on my command. Send someone with my badge into the city to report this matter to the Ministry of War in the East Palace of the Eastern Prince's Mansion, and inform the Minister on duty."
"Send those two magistrates back to the dock and have them lead that red-haired devil's ship into the harbor. Keep a close watch on them; don't let them disembark, and definitely don't let them sail away!"
"yes!"
The guard named Xiwa received the order and quickly left the tent.
Edison Chen paced back and forth inside the tent, his expression still grave.
Tang Zhengcai, who commanded the naval forces and was his superior, had led the main force of the naval forces to support the Wing King's western expedition and had not yet returned. According to procedure, it was indeed correct for him to report this matter to the Eastern King's Palace.
But if that person is truly a member of the Heavenly King's clan, given the current irreconcilable conflict between the Heavenly King's Palace and the Eastern King's Palace, if he suffers any injustice after entering the Eastern King's Palace, he will inevitably hold a grudge against me in the end.
He gritted his teeth, summoned another guard, and explained the situation. He said, "You sneak into the city and find my cousin outside the Heavenly King's Palace. He's now in charge of the Heavenly King's Palace gates. Let him know what's going on, and ask him: 'Do you dare to take a gamble?'"
The guard nodded emphatically, then turned and quietly left the camp.
The Chengfeng waited on the river for about half an hour before the boat returned.
"Ladies and gentlemen, by order of General Manager Chen, please invite Mr. Hong and other distinguished guests to proceed to the pier."
The two officials stood on the platform, bowing respectfully. "A message has been sent into the city; please wait quietly at the dock for a few more moments."
Hong Rengan nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."
The Chengfeng slowly sailed into the dock and moored. The ship shuddered slightly, and the mooring rope was thrown ashore. Several naval soldiers hurriedly caught it and tied it to a wooden stake.
Near the dock was the Xiaguan military camp, where tens of thousands of soldiers wearing red turbans stood guard and patrolled.
On the dock's pier, many Taiping soldiers stood, led by several officers dressed in plain red robes, their hands gripping swords and spears tightly. On the river, a long dragon boat and several smaller boats approached, neither too close nor too far, their cannons pointed at the Chengfeng.
Rong Hong, observing the movements of the Taiping soldiers around him, quipped, "So they've got us under control? Qianyi, it seems your title as the Heavenly King's cousin isn't all that useful after all."
"That's good that it doesn't work!"
Seeing this, Hong Rengan laughed instead: "If they fawn over me just because they've heard of my name and don't even have basic vigilance, then my cousin's heaven will truly be in danger."
Just then, the sound of hurried running suddenly rang out from the dock.
Hongwu looked up and saw a group of about thirty elite soldiers coming straight to the dock.
These men were all dressed in yellow vests with green trim, their heads wrapped in yellow turbans, carrying spears or rattan shields. They moved in unison, their eyes cold and indifferent, clearly warriors who had survived the bloodbath of Hushan.
The leader was in his thirties, dressed in a plain yellow robe with a mandarin jacket embroidered with a dragon over it, and had an extraordinary air about him.
His gaze locked onto the Wind Chaser, and he called out loudly, "Which one of you is Lord Hong Rengan, who claims to be a cousin of the Heavenly King?"
Hong Rengan, with his hands behind his back, declared, "That's me!"
The man bowed respectfully, saying in a manner neither humble nor arrogant, "I am Yang Yuguang, the Third Left Attendant of the Eastern Palace, here by imperial decree of His Majesty the Eastern King to verify your identity, sir. Do you possess any document that proves your identity?"
Hong Rengan's expression changed slightly.
Why did we arrive at the Eastern King's Mansion instead of the Heavenly King's Mansion?
Although he was far away in Hong Kong, he was still somewhat aware of the treacherous situation in Nanjing. The Eastern King held supreme military and political power in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and spoke on behalf of the Heavenly Father. Even his cousin, the Heavenly King, sometimes had to tolerate him.
However, his identity is genuine, so even if someone from the Eastern Prince's Mansion comes, he is not afraid of being checked.
Hong Ren took out a letter from his pocket and said, "I have a resume and a letter from my cousin inside, which can serve as proof."
Yang Yuguang waved his hand slightly, and one of the soldiers beside him strode out and came directly to the side of the ship, looking up at them.
One of the ship's loyal soldiers took the letter from Hong Rengan's hand, disembarked, and handed it to him.
The soldier took the letter and left, presenting it to Yang Yuguang.
Yang Yuguang opened the envelope, carefully read all the words, and then looked at it twice more before carefully putting the letter away. He then cupped his hands and said, "It is indeed the Heavenly King's handwriting. Your humble servant greets Your Excellency."
"The Eastern King was delighted to hear that the Heavenly King's cousin had come from afar and has already prepared a banquet at his residence. He would like to invite you, sir, to come to the Eastern King's residence for a chat."
Hong Rengan was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I appreciate the King's kindness. However, I have come from afar and am quite weary from my journey. I fear I may be impolite to the King. Perhaps I should first visit my cousin at the Heavenly King's Palace, freshen up, and then pay my respects to the King."
"Your Excellency is mistaken."
Yang Yuguang's smile remained unchanged, but his tone now carried an undeniable air of authority: "The Eastern King governs the court and speaks on behalf of the Heavenly Father. Even the Heavenly King shows him respect. Now that you have come to Tianjing, how can you not pay your respects to the Eastern King first?"
Moreover, the Eastern King's edict is right here. Does Your Excellency truly intend to disobey it?
Hong Rengan was about to say something when he suddenly heard Hong Wu whisper beside him, "Go ahead and rest assured. You are a cousin of the Heavenly King, so they will only dare to detain you for a short while at most. Once your cousin knows you are here, you will naturally be able to come out."
Hong Rengan glanced at Hongwu, realizing he had been stuck in a rut, and said, "In that case, Rengan will trouble the Eastern King."
"Since you are so kind, please proceed."
Yang Yuguang's smile became more sincere, then his gaze fell on Hongwu and Rong Hong: "My lord, forgive my oversight, who are these two?"
Hong Rengan said, "These two are American businessmen who escorted me from Hong Kong to Nanjing. This is Rong Hong, a man of great talent who is well-versed in both Chinese and Western cultures. This is Mr. Hongwu, Mr. Rong's bodyguard and also the ship owner."
Yang Yuguang became interested upon hearing this. They were clearly Han Chinese, yet they claimed to be American merchants, and their ship even flew the American flag.
"Since you are a merchant, you must be carrying goods. May I ask what your goods are, sir?"
Hong Ren cursed inwardly, but said calmly, "It's nothing, just some little trinkets I wanted to present to my cousin."
He had seen those guns on the ship before; they were fast-firing and powerful. If they fell into the hands of the Eastern King, the situation would be even more unfavorable for his cousin.
"I see."
Yang Yuguang nodded and said, "My lord, please go. Don't keep the Eastern King waiting."
"As for your companions, I will have someone take care of them."
Hong Rengan disembarked from the boat via the gangplank, boarded the sedan chair carried by the Eastern Prince's procession, and thus disappeared from the sight of Hongwu and Rong Hong.
Yang Yuguang left, but not all of the troops from the Eastern Prince's Mansion that he brought with him left.
The six men who remained stood on the dock and shouted a few times to the naval soldiers. The two commanders of the naval camp hurriedly ran over, bowed and scraped as they listened, and then turned and led dozens of naval soldiers toward the Chengfeng.
Hongwu narrowed his eyes, looking at the approaching group, and asked, "Brothers, what are you planning?"
The leading soldier said coldly, "I am a swordsman from the Eastern Prince's Mansion, here on Xuan Jun's orders to inspect the cargo on the ship. I hope you will not make things difficult for us."
Another card-wielder said calmly, "You may not know this, but there are many rules in Tianjing City. All ships from outside must be inspected. These are rules set by the Eastern King, and no one can break them."
"What should we do? Should we let them go?"
Yung Wing asked in a low voice, "Although it doesn't matter who the goods are sold to, Qian Yi and I are good friends after all. Before he disembarked, he asked me to wait until he returned to decide on the sale of the goods."
Hongwu did not speak, but mentally reported the cause of the matter to Zeng Tai.
A moment later, Zeng Tai's voice echoed in his mind: "It doesn't matter to me which side I sell to, but I really dislike the attitude of Yang Xiuqing's men—"
He paused, his voice icy: "Stop them. Don't be afraid of causing trouble. At worst, we'll kill them. Even if things fall apart and we can't sell our goods to the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, we can sell them to the Nian Rebellion. They're not the only ones rebelling against the Qing!"
"Yes, my lord!"
Hongwu grinned and blocked the soldiers who wanted to board the ship: "Sorry, none of you can board the ship until Hong Rengan returns."
The lead swordsman's face darkened: "Are you defying the Emperor's decree? Are you defying the Eastern Prince's Mansion?"
Upon hearing this, the naval soldiers behind him all stepped forward, raising their spears in unison, their threat obvious.
Hongwu sneered, and most of the assassins on the ship had already reached for the hilts of their guns. At the same time, several assassins rushed towards the cannons, gesturing to adjust their positions.
"The Eastern King's Mansion? I'm not one of your Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's people. If you anger me, I'll just sail out and fight my way out."
"presumptuous!"
The cleaver's forehead veins bulged as he roared, "Dare to disrespect the Eastern Prince's Mansion in Tianjing City? No one can save you!"
"All soldiers, listen to my command! Seize these madmen!"
A rattan shield was raised, a long sword was drawn, and hundreds of soldiers responded in unison, their battle cries shaking the heavens as they began to approach.
One of the soldiers raised his revolver and adjusted the cannon. Dozens of assassins, showing no fear, aimed at the crowd and pressed the hammer.