CH 66: The One Chased Away

Several months ago, when Han Ruzi was taken away by Yang Feng in the dead of night, Maiden Wang was filled with anticipation and fantasies for the future. However, all of that had vanished like smoke, and for her, only one thing mattered.

That was the survival of her son.

Han Ruzi was greatly shocked, and oddly enough, his first reaction was not about “not being Emperor,” but rather his mother’s form of address, “You called me by my name.”[1]

“Yes, I am your mother, so naturally, I should call you by your name.”

“So the Empress Dowager still wants to depose me?”

Maiden Wang shook her head, “It was I who asked her to do so.”

“Why?” Han Ruzi was utterly puzzled. Had this happened earlier, even just before the palace coup, he might have gladly accepted his mother’s decision. However, he had now grown somewhat fond of being the Emperor. Compared to his purely puppet state a few months ago, he felt things were improving. The Unfortunates were willing to pledge their loyalty to him, and the Captain of the Palace Gates, whom he had only met once, solemnly carried out his orders…

“You heard what the Grand Consort said. I don’t want my only son to die in the palace.”

“Her words may not necessarily be true, and besides… I won’t let the Empress Dowager kill me.”

Maiden Wang smiled again, gently wiping a speck of dust off her son’s face with her hand, “Of course, my son is so clever, how could he let anyone casually kill him?”

Han Ruzi suddenly realized, “Mother, did Yang Feng bring terms from Cui Hong, demanding that Prince Donghai be proclaimed Emperor?”

Maiden Wang shook her head, “Grand Tutor Cui does not have the guts to do so. He had Yang Feng come to seek peace. As long as the Empress Dowager does not investigate the Cui clan’s involvement in this palace coup and restores him to the position of Grand Marshal of the Southern Army, he would be willing to pledge his loyalty to the Empress Dowager. As for Prince Donghai, Grand Tutor Cui did not even mention his nephew.”

Prince Donghai would undoubtedly be very disappointed after learning of this, but Han Ruzi was even more disheartened now. However, this was his mother’s request, and he had never opposed her before, so he could only lower his head and remain silent.

Maiden Wang’s gentle heart ached a little, as her son’s downcast appearance was no different from when he was a child. She took a step forward, and whispered softly into her son’s ear, “The Empress Dowager will inevitably fight a life-and-death battle with the Cui clan. No matter who becomes the Emperor, he will just be a sacrificial pawn. Prince Donghai is full of himself, and he won’t end up well. You should just watch the tigers fight from the sidelines. There will be opportunities in the future.”

“Opportunities?” Han Ruzi raised his head in surprise.

“The court of the Chu Empire is already rotten to the core. Luo Huan-zhang was right, the disputes within and outside the court are merely family quarrels. I don’t want you to get involved. In the future, not only will you be an Emperor, but you will also be an Emperor with a clean slate.”

“But… but…” Han Ruzi wanted to say that he would never have the chance to be an Emperor again.

“There will always be opportunities. I will stay in the palace to create opportunities for you.”

Han Ruzi was greatly alarmed, no longer caring about whether he would be Emperor or not, “No, Mother, you must leave the palace with me. If I don’t become the Emperor, you shouldn’t stay by the Empress Dowager’s side either. She… she is very dangerous.”

“It’s alright. As long as I don’t vie for anything, there won’t be any danger. Don’t worry, I won’t risk my life to seize opportunities for you. I will just be here to watch over things, so that when an opportunity arises, someone can immediately inform you.”

“No, I will never be Emperor again. All I want is for Mother to leave the palace with me.”

Maiden Wang’s face turned cold, “You are not a child anymore. I begged the Empress Dowager for the chance for you to step down. You should cherish it.”

Han Ruzi did not dare to oppose his mother any further, “When… will I abdicate?”

“It’s not certain, but it should be soon. In any case, remember my words: do not trust anyone, and do not offend anyone.”

Han Ruzi nodded and began to seriously consider life not being Emperor, “What about the Unfortunates? They saved only me and not the Empress Dowager. Will they be retaliated against?”

“You underestimate the Empress Dowager. She would not bother fighting with a group of servants. However, if you are worried, I will find a way to send them all out of the palace.” Maiden Wang smiled again, “You have done very well; even I was surprised. You are a good Emperor, but it is not the right time. Good fruit cannot grow on a rotten tree; you have to wait for the tree to sprout anew.”

“What if… it never happens?” Han Ruzi asked cautiously, fearing to upset his mother.

This time, Maiden Wang did not get angry. She smiled and said, “If Heaven does not grant you another chance to be Emperor, I would rather you be an ordinary person, living a life free from worry about food and clothing, with your wife and children by your side.”

Han Ruzi felt like he was going to cry, but he forcibly held back, “I really wish Mother would come with me…”

“No.” Maiden Wang refused firmly, “Even if there’s only a tiny chance, I will stay in the palace to watch over it for you. Besides, I also need to learn. I underestimated what it took to be an Emperor in the past. Staying by the Empress Dowager’s side, I can learn a lot.”

Han Ruzi looked somewhat frightened.

Maiden Wang caressed her son’s cheek and smiled, “Silly child, I want to learn the Empress Dowager’s way of dealing with subjects, not the ways of killing. I also don’t believe that the Thoughtful Emperor was killed by the Empress Dowager.”

“What about the Graceful Emperor?”

Maiden Wang’s smile gradually disappeared. The Graceful Emperor was her husband, but she had not much of an impression of him, “Don’t ask too many questions. Be cautious after leaving the palace. It’s a good thing that you’ve gained the loyalty of the servants, but you’ve also offended quite a few people.”

“It’s not that I wanted to offend…”

The door opened again, and Yang Feng entered. He looked at the mother and son, remained silent for a moment, and said, “The Empress Dowager requests your presence, Your Majesty.”

The Empress Dowager sat alone on a chair, staring blankly at something in front of her. Yang Feng gestured for Maiden Wang to leave, leaving only the three of them in the room.

Han Ruzi stood before the Empress Dowager. Since he was going to be dethroned, he decided not to perform the usual rites of respect and filial piety.

“Tell him.” The Empress Dowager said coldly, without even moving her eyes.

Yang Feng approached the Emperor and said, “Your Majesty, you know that you are going to abdicate, right?”

“Yes.” Han Ruzi’s impression of this eunuch had also worsened. Yang Feng only cared about the Emperor. Once he abdicated, he probably would not have anything to do with him anymore.

“Your Majesty, shall you write the abdication edict yourself, or would you prefer me to draft it on your behalf?”

“You may draft it,” replied Han Ruzi, not wanting to argue. When he agreed to abdicate, his heart had sunk. However, after overcoming the initial shock and confusion, he felt a burden lifted. Leaving the palace had been his original goal. The only regret was that his mother could not accompany him.

Things proceeded smoothly. Yang Feng respectfully bowed and stepped back.

The Empress Dowager finally turned her gaze to the Emperor, “Maiden Wang believes you will not endure the chaos to come and so would rather you distance yourself from the throne. What are your thoughts?”

“I trust my mother,” Han Ruzi said.

“Maiden Wang believes you might have another chance to reclaim the throne, but I must tell you, it is impossible. Regardless of whether the Cui clan or I win, neither of us would allow a deposed emperor to ascend the throne again.”

“I hold no such fanciful expectations.”

The Empress Dowager waved her hand lazily, signaling that the Emperor could now leave.

Han Ruzi turned to leave but stopped, “May I ask a few questions?”

The Empress Dowager nodded.

“Whose side is Jing Yao really on?”

“You’re about to abdicate, and you still care about this?”

“I feel uneasy with these doubts in my mind.”

The Empress Dowager scoffed disdainfully, “Mine, of course. He holds the position Director of Palace Attendants and is entrusted with the Imperial Seal. He has already reached the pinnacle of power among eunuchs. What benefits could he gain by siding with the Grand Consort? After learning about the Grand Consort’s conspiracy, he tried to warn me, but Zuo Ji kept him away. So he had no choice but to play along. Chancellor Yin Wuhai’s escape from the Hall of Diligent Administration and the entry of the troops into the palace are all credited to him.”

“In that case, my sending the sword out of the palace was redundant.”

“Not quite. While Jing Yao is loyal to me, he dares not act rashly. If more time had passed, the rebels might have actually attempted to kill me.”

“Luo Huan-zhang is a strange man,” Han Ruzi said, finding it hardest to comprehend his national history teacher among all the conspirators. “At one moment, he wants to rebel; the next, he surrenders. He says that killing the Empress Dowager and Emperor would be useless as the senior officials outside would immediately elect a new emperor. Yet, he also repeatedly prevented the conspirators from taking action, claiming he did not want to cause chaos in the world.”

The Empress Dowager nodded to Yang Feng, allowing him to explain to the Emperor.

Although Yang Feng was not in the palace earlier, he was very familiar with Luo Huan-zhang. He bowed and said, “Luo Huan-zhang is a famous scholar. He believes he is acting on behalf of the common people, and nobody’s stance is more resolute than his. Unfortunately, his ambitions exceed his abilities. People like him start with high spirits, but once they find that things do not go as planned, they become greatly disappointed. For him, there are only two options: either succeed in one fell swoop or be resigned to fate. When he is close to success, he sees regicide as a minor disruption to the people. But when he is resigned to fate, that minor disruption becomes significant chaos in his eyes, so he tried to stop it.”

“Starting with high spirits but resigning to fate when things go awry…” Han Ruzi looked at Yang Feng, feeling that these words were a reminder for himself.

Yang Feng no longer had anything to do with him, so Han Ruzi shook off that thought, “After I abdicate, will Prince Donghai become the Emperor?”

Yang Feng did not answer.

Han Ruzi asked again, “Cui Hong controls the Southern Army, and if Prince Donghai becomes the Emperor, how could the Empress Dowager possibly defeat the Cui clan?”

Yang Feng gestured, “Your Majesty knows enough already.”

Han Ruzi suddenly knelt down, kowtowed to the Empress Dowager, and stood up. He said, “Thank you.”

As Han Ruzi left the room, the Empress Dowager said, “Perhaps it’s a mistake to let him leave the palace. This youngster is threatening me, warning me to take good care of his mother.”

Yang Feng bowed, “His threat is not worth fearing.” After a brief pause, he asked, “Does the Empress Dowager truly want me to leave the palace as well?”

“Inviting Cui Hong into the Capital was a grave crime. Expelling you from the palace is already the lightest punishment. Moreover, there is no one left in the palace for you to serve. Leave and capture those fate seers that you wish to capture.”

Yang Feng also knelt down and kowtowed, “Please allow me to say something presumptuous: I was the one who brought Ruzi into the palace, and if I leave, I will spare no effort in bringing him back.”

“Fine,” the Empress Dowager yawned.

Yang Feng stood up and left the room.

The Empress Dowager sat alone for a while and tapped the table twice.

The Meng siblings came out of another side-chamber.

“You did not capture Chunyu Xiao?” the Empress Dowager asked.

Meng Che stepped forward, “Meng E noticed something was amiss and insisted on returning to the palace. And indeed, a coup was being carried out in the palace.”

This was something Chancellor Yin Wuhai did not mention and did not know about. A large number of soldiers killed the rebels at the gate, but many rebels in Cishun Palace were already killed. As a result, Luo Huan-zhang’s persuasion was more effective, leading to Bu Hengru not daring to kill anyone, until he finally knelt down and begged for mercy.  

“The person your sister rushed back to save was not me, but the Emperor,” the Empress Dowager stared at Meng E, “You’ve already pledged your loyalty to the Emperor, haven’t you? Was this your own decision, or a mutual decision between you and your brother?”

Meng E immediately knelt down, “It was my decision alone. My brother knew nothing about it.”

Meng Che looked surprised, then sighed. He had seen the signs early on, but he did not expect his sister to actually go through with it.

“In that case, you may leave the palace while your brother may stay,” the Empress Dowager waved her hand, ordering them to leave.

Meng E also kowtowed. Meng Che hesitated, knowing that now was not the time to try to persuade the Empress Dowager.

The room was now truly left with only one person. The Empress Dowager was exhausted and inexplicably thought of a phrase. She muttered, “We are alone.”

These words brought her some mysterious strength. She was now prepared to unleash even greater storms of blood and violence.

End of Volume 1

[1] Back in CH 44 when they met, Maiden Wang stuck to the proper rules and addressed Ruzi as “Your Majesty”. Back then, she also reminded Ruzi that the Empress Dowager, according to Confucian ethics, was his true “principal” mother.