The Innocent Heart - Chapter 7

The insolent youth had not yet reacted when a heavy punch landed on his face.

“Chen Zhi, try saying that one more time?” Huo Qubing, seething with anger, straddled the youth and rained blow after blow onto his body with tightly clenched fists.

His punches were both fast and brutal. The youth named Chen Zhi was instantly beaten without any means to fight back, reduced to covering his face and groaning and struggling on the ground.

But this situation was quickly reversed in a flash.

Chen Zhi was the maternal nephew of the current Empress Chen Ajiao; the Grand Princess Guan Tao was his paternal grandmother.

He was often surrounded by a group of youths of equally prominent backgrounds. The families of these boys were politically aligned with the Grand Princess Guan Tao, making them fiercely opposed to the Wei clan, the Empress’s relatives who had rapidly risen in the past two years, represented by Wei Zifu.

These youths were in the prime of their hot-blooded years. A few verbal spats escalating into a brawl was not considered a major incident by people at the time.

Moreover, both sides were from powerful families, so even the Capital Commandant (Jingzhao Yin) dared not intervene too much. He could only feign deafness and silence, waiting for Empress Chen and Lady Wei to present their arguments to the Emperor and await the imperial judgment.

The common people of Chang’an City also seemed accustomed to the actions of these two factions. They ceded most of the road, walking forward with eyes fixed straight ahead.

Guan Yueyao stood by the horse’s side, feeling quite bewildered by the scene before her. She attempted to calm Benxiao, who was restlessly shuffling back and forth, influenced by the surrounding commotion.

But looking closer, Huo Qubing was single-handedly fighting five or six youths. Although he was still trying to hold his ground, he was gradually being overpowered.

Guan Yueyao was unwilling to watch her comrade face such a beating alone. Without overthinking, and regardless of the superior numbers or the aristocratic background of their opponents, she charged forward with her fists raised.

Huo Qubing was still struggling with the five or six youths surrounding him, his gaze stubbornly fixed on one of the richly dressed youths who had insolently insulted his family. He reached out, aiming to land a punch on the youth’s face.

But his arm was quickly yanked hard by another person. The boy in front of him smirked, sneering at Huo Qubing: “A slave’s child is just like this, coarse and…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his right cheek. A dizzying sensation followed, and by the time his consciousness returned to his body, he was lying on the open ground not far away.

“Who the hell gave you permission to touch him!” A furious roar came from nearby. Before he could react, an even cruder and more vulgar barrage of curses—which he had never heard before—assailed him from a close distance.

What’s going on? Did that slave’s child call for help? Who else in the court is on his family’s side now? That useless Gongsun Jingsheng? He wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on me.

Thinking this, the dizziness seemed to lessen, and his mind cleared. He blinked and finally saw the person: it was the little beggar who had been sitting behind Huo Qubing earlier.

Guan Yueyao had now fully joined the battle. With two punches, she knocked down the boy who was restraining Huo Qubing’s arm and yanked Huo Qubing up from the ground.

“Tell me who you want to beat up. I’ll take care of the rest,” Guan Yueyao said, turning to ask Huo Qubing as they stood back-to-back.

As they stood with their backs touching, Guan Yueyao could not see that the boy behind her, moments after her words fell, was momentarily stunned before quickly breaking into a smile.

“I’ll take the three on the left; you handle the two on the right,” Guan Yueyao heard the boy reply a moment later.

This was probably the most satisfying fight Huo Qubing had ever experienced.

The feud between the Chen and Wei families was long-standing. Initially, the brawls involved household servants. But Chen Zhi soon discovered that servants were useless; the Wei family were now imperial relatives, and their servants were naturally hesitant to fight.

The best option was to surround the illegitimate son who belonged to the Wei family but was named Huo with five or six of his own aristocratic companions.

The few companions Chen Zhi had brought with him today were all of noble birth, the most favored young members of their families, who were accustomed to lawlessness and often fought without restraint.

This seemed no different from their usual brawls with Huo Qubing. Although Huo Qubing’s skills were considered excellent among his peers, two fists were no match for four, and he usually couldn’t avoid being bullied.

But who would have thought that this little beggar, who didn’t know his place, would burst onto the scene and ruin their plan!

Guan Yueyao, of course, knew nothing of their petty calculations. She and Huo Qubing worked together to flatten these young masters, who possessed nothing but superficial flair, onto the ground. Just as she was feeling smug, Huo Qubing suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her toward Benxiao.

“Hurry! Let’s go! The Capital Commandant’s people will be here soon!” Guan Yueyao heard the boy sitting in front of her say after she was pulled onto the horse.

The boy who had been spirited, defiant, and fighting alongside her just moments ago suddenly became as obedient as a common citizen, afraid of being questioned by law enforcement.

The stark contrast made Guan Yueyao burst into laughter, causing her to roar with mirth on the horseback.

When Guan Yueyao was in Japan, she was frequently called to the school principal’s office for fighting, and even disciplined at the police station.

But as a troubled youth, the adults’ earnest advice and severe reprimands never subdued her; she always maintained that stubborn, infuriating demeanor.

Here, she naturally viewed the officials of the Capital Commandant, whose job was to maintain social order, as the same “useless” adults in the modern police station who, despite their anger, were powerless against her because she was a minor.

Huo Qubing was puzzled by Guan Yueyao’s laughter, but the succession of hearty laughs inexplicably relieved the lingering anger he felt from the earlier confrontation.

He tightly gripped the reins, and a small smile involuntarily touched the corner of his mouth. But he still couldn’t help but ask, “What are you laughing at?”

“Why are you afraid of those adults? We are children; they wouldn’t dare do anything to us!” Guan Yueyao said righteously.

Huo Qubing was momentarily speechless at Guan Yueyao’s words, which struck him as overly naive. He couldn’t quite understand how a small beggar could speak as if unaware of the hardships of ordinary people.

But judging by his appearance, he didn’t look like a wayward son from a fallen noble family either.

Huo Qubing thought for a moment, and unable to figure it out, he simply stopped trying. Who cares? All he needed to know was that Guan Yueyao was one of the few peers he got along with and wouldn’t harm him—that was enough.

“They really can’t do anything to me, but it’s different for you. I have an aunt in the palace and an uncle who is a Grandee Secretary deeply trusted by the Emperor. The Capital Commandant truly cannot harm me.

But you are a commoner. Now that you’ve offended Grand Princess Guan Tao, if they catch you, you might not escape decapitation,” Huo Qubing calmly warned his companion, who, despite being older, was dangerously naive in his thinking.

Guan Yueyao paused, her laughter coming to an abrupt halt: “Are you… are you joking with me?”

By now, the two had reached the Xuanming Li neighborhood, where the abandoned manor was located. Huo Qubing found a secluded spot and helped Guan Yueyao dismount.

“You go back first. Take the less-traveled paths, and don’t let anyone spot your tracks. Also, try not to go out for the next couple of days. Once things settle down, I will come find you,” Huo Qubing instructed with a grave expression.

Guan Yueyao was sobered by Huo Qubing’s seriousness, and she, too, shed her usual slouching manner and grew tense.

“If I don’t go out for a few days, what will I eat?” she immediately worried about her stomach.

Huo Qubing had just turned the horse to leave when he heard Guan Yueyao’s sudden question. He froze, somewhat astonished that in a matter of life and death, Guan Yueyao was not worried about saving her own life but was concerned about her food and warmth.

Unperturbed by change, undaunted in crisis. He never expected this little beggar to possess such psychological fortitude. Thinking this, Huo Qubing was even more reluctant to treat Guan Yueyao as an ordinary commoner.

“I will send someone tomorrow morning to leave food at the gap we use to enter and exit. Just go and fetch it,” Huo Qubing dropped these words, then refused to linger any longer, spurring his horse away.

It had been several years since Wei Zifu entered the palace and gained imperial favor, and she had always been deeply cherished by the Emperor. The Wei clan was thus able to shed its status as slaves, become imperial relatives, and move into the Residence of Imperial Relatives.

Now, Huo Qubing and his mother, Wei Shao’er, both lived in the residence of his maternal uncle, Wei Qing.

When Huo Qubing returned, Wei Shao’er was nestled in the arms of her lover, Chen Zhang, bashfully eating a mulberry that Chen Zhang personally fed her. The two were speaking intimately when a maid hurriedly rushed in to report from outside the room.

“Madam, Young Master Qubing has returned!”

Wei Shao’er started, suddenly sitting upright from her lover’s embrace. She adjusted her slightly disheveled hair and collar. “My dear Chen Zhang, you must leave for now. As you know, Qubing dislikes our association.”

Chen Zhang’s expression momentarily showed displeasure upon hearing Wei Shao’er’s words, but this unhappiness soon melted away under the beautiful woman’s tender, somewhat plaintive gaze.

“Very well, I shall return today and come to see you in two days,” Chen Zhang sighed heavily. He gently kissed Wei Shao’er on the temple again, then reluctantly released her and left the Wei residence under the guidance of a maid.

Meanwhile, after watching her lover depart, Wei Shao’er rushed excitedly to the front courtyard to greet her son. Unexpectedly, before she had gone far, she saw Huo Qubing’s figure passing the courtyard gate.

“Qubing, Qubing, why have you returned so early today? Didn’t you find any fun outside?” Wei Shao’er greeted him with a smiling face, only to be met, again, by Huo Qubing’s cold expression.

“Where is Uncle? Has he returned?” Huo Qubing did not stop for his mother but walked directly toward the inner courtyard.

“Yes, he’s back and currently discussing affairs in the study with Lord Gongsun. Are you thirsty or hungry? Would you like your mother to have someone cook you something?” Wei Shao’er was long used to her son’s cold attitude and still followed him, asking loudly.

Huo Qubing finally stopped at this point, turned, and bowed to Wei Shao’er: “Mother, please return. Your son has important matters to discuss with Uncle, so I shall go now.”

With that, without waiting for his mother’s reply, he turned and strode toward the study.