Chapter 045: The Proposal to Head South

“Let’s not talk about distant matters—just yesterday, at the home of Zhao Jian, the Assistant Minister of War who lives in the next alley, I saw with my own eyes from the embroidery tower as a cart full of his family was sent off, along with three carts of valuables. Can that possibly be fake?” Hu Ying'er frowned, seeing his skepticism.

Xue Rui thought to himself that the grand spectacle of these dignitaries fleeing the capital must have frightened Hu Ying'er terribly, which was why she was so determined to leave and seek safety elsewhere.

Yet, all this running back and forth was truly unnecessary. As long as enough provisions were stored in the mansion and the gates remained tightly shut, there would be little real danger.

Once the court repelled the Oirat army, all would be well again.

After a moment’s thought, Xue Rui asked, “But have you considered that Master won’t leave with you? Are you really going to abandon him?”

Directing the maidservants as she spoke, Hu Ying'er replied, “I’ve already tried persuading Grandfather. He’s currently on sick leave at home—leaving the capital is the best choice. If the court holds the city, we can always return; if not, we can take a boat south to Nanjing… By the way, why don’t you try talking to Grandfather for me? He values your opinion highly. If both our families leave together, we can look out for each other.”

“I won’t leave. Master won’t leave either, not even if we’re threatened with death.”

Xue Rui sat down at the table and shook his head.

Hu Ying'er turned, her face steely, and asked, “What did you say?”

“I said, the capital will surely hold. There’s no need to run.”

“And how can you be so sure?” Hu Ying'er sat down as well, fixing him with a steady gaze.

“Even though the capital has lost the Three Grand Battalions, the court can still mobilize two or three hundred thousand troops for its defense. The city walls are several zhang high, and there are a million people within. For the Oirat to take the capital, they’d need ten times their numbers, but in truth, they have at most a little over a hundred thousand soldiers. They simply can’t encircle the city. Once the court’s various armies converge, the Oirats will have no choice but to retreat—otherwise, they’ll be trapped inside the passes with no escape.”

“But with all these high officials sending their families out of the city, how can you be sure the court won’t decide to move the capital? If they do, and everyone flees south to Nanjing, leaving the city will be even harder—there’d be lines at the gates,” Hu Ying'er said worriedly.

“Don’t worry. The court won’t move south. By tomorrow’s Grand Audience at the latest, they’ll announce the detailed defense plan for the capital. Just wait and see.”

“Are you certain?” Hu Ying’er asked seriously.

Xue Rui nodded. “Wait and see. Even if you finish packing now, it’s too late to leave the city. You’d do better to wait for the court’s announcement tomorrow than to exhaust yourself for nothing.”

Hu Ying'er, not well-versed in court matters, was swayed by Xue Rui’s confidence.

In the end, she decided to finish packing anyway, so the Hu family could depart at once should the court announce a move south.

Having finally convinced Hu Ying’er, Xue Rui breathed a sigh of relief. Worried about his mother and her maid, he took his leave and returned to Shitou Alley.

By the time he reached Chongwen Gate, a line over a mile long had formed on the main street—carts and horses from the wealthy families of the capital all fleeing the city. Fortunately, the gate guards had the presence of mind to leave a narrow passage for foot traffic, allowing Xue Rui to slip out smoothly.

At home, Madam Liu and Susu had just finished cooking.

Seeing how calm his mother and the maid were, Xue Rui grew curious and asked, “Mother, the court has suffered a crushing defeat, even the Emperor has been captured, and yet you act as if nothing has happened?”

At this, Madam Liu actually laughed. “I heard earlier that Wang Zhen has been killed and the Emperor captured—just as you dreamed. That must mean your father will be released soon.”

“Aren’t you at all afraid that the Oirat might storm the capital?”

“If they could, you would have said so already. Since you’re not worried, why should I be?” Madam Liu replied, as if it were only natural.

“So, I’m your weather vane,” Xue Rui thought smugly. In this world, who else could predict events as he could?

But then Susu raised a real concern.

“Young Master, didn’t you say the Oirat would reach the capital? We’re living in the outer city now, and there’s no wall here. What will we do if the enemy arrives?”

Xue Rui had thought about this. Their current home in the outer city, though laid out with wards and streets, wasn’t officially part of the city proper yet. Not until the Jiajing era, when the court built dozens of miles of new walls to encompass the southern suburbs, did this area truly become the outer city.

In other words, when the Oirat swept in and reached the capital, Shitou Alley, where Xue Rui lived, would fall directly into enemy hands—they would have nowhere to go.

Madam Liu realized this too and hurriedly asked, “Then what should we do? Should we rent somewhere inside the city?”

“No need,” Xue Rui shook his head. “Once we rescue my father, we’ll return to Ming Shifang—that’s our home. Who would dare stop us?”

Madam Liu was startled, then understood. Now that Wang Zhen was dead, there was no more fear of retribution. Returning home was only natural.

Still, she worried. “We’ve been away so long, and your grandmother hasn’t sent anyone to check on us. Do you think she’s using this as an excuse to cast us out for good?”

“She wouldn’t dare!” Xue Rui slapped the table, furious.

His grandmother, Madam Li, was truly something else. Though both sons were her own flesh and blood, she favored her eldest, Xue Yuanbai, to a fault.

Li believed her eldest was scholarly material—if he kept studying, he’d surely pass the exams, inherit his father’s legacy, and bring glory to the family.

Add to that the flattery of his aunt, who kept Madam Li so giddy with devotion to Buddha that she let the daughter-in-law run everything, including the family finances.

By comparison, Xue Rui couldn’t help feeling aggrieved for his parents. If not for the strict moral codes of the time, he’d have confronted his grandmother to ask if his father was truly her own son.

Xue Rui had made up his mind: once he brought his father home, their whole family would return in style—let’s see who’d dare stop them!

Of course, whether he had the confidence for this depended on securing the support of the Duke of England’s household.

Everything hinged on the news of Zhang Fu’s death in battle; only then could he act.

The next morning.

When Xue Rui entered the city, the line of carts at Chongwen Gate had grown even longer—the number of refugees was rising by the day.

After clocking in at the Astronomical Bureau, he made his rounds of the offices.

He didn’t know about other departments, but at the Bureau, less than half the officials had shown up—even Chief Supervisor Xu Dun was absent, and many others had called in sick.

In such anxious times, who could focus on their duties? Everyone was wandering about, seeking news from the court.

Seeing that the supervisors paid little heed, Xue Rui slipped out amid the chaos.

Yesterday, Madam Wu had already sent someone to the Imperial Prison to inquire after news. By now, there should be results.