CH 78: Surviving Orphans

It was a frigid winter night, with snowflakes falling silently onto the ground. Han Ruzi wrapped himself tightly in a thick velvet cloak, feeling that the people here would be frozen to death before a layer of snow could cover the ground.

Around midnight, he arrived again at the Ancestral Temple. The past few times he was here, his place was in the main hall. But this time he was standing outside, with Yang Feng the only familiar face by his side. Strangely enough, there were quite a number of strangers, all imperial clan members who held titles, nearly two to three hundred of them. If one were to include their personal guards and entourage, the number would double. The Ancestral Temple did not have enough room to accommodate so many people, so these retainers had to wait outside.

It was pitiful to see these noble-borns, who had been clothed in silks and fed with jades since childhood, suffer this hardship. One by one, they turned pale and numb from the cold, some of them even harboring thoughts of rebellion. Yet they dared not speak out. Instead, they had to put on a solemn face, as if they were dutiful sons and wise grandsons. During the boring moments, they would sneak a glance at the deposed emperor.

Among these people, Han Ruzi didn’t recognize a single one, yet they all recognized him. Yang Feng helped him block the majority of the curious gazes, but the whispers around him still surrounded him like the falling snowflakes.

The imperial clan members in front of the Ancestral Temple were not standing arbitrarily, but in accordance with their ranks, closeness of kinship, generation, and age. Dozens of ceremonial officials were maintaining order, and a little further away were hundreds of guards armed with halberds. They were wearing iron armor, which made them feel colder in the winter, yet they all stood straight, without a trace of trembling.

Although Han Ruzi was only a marquis, he held a higher rank than other marquises and princes. Most of the marquis and princes who were older than him were not in the capital city, so he was the only one standing in the first row, shivering from the cold, like a scapegoat that had been pushed out to bear responsibility.

A commotion broke out behind him, but Han Ruzi didn’t have the slightest interest in looking back; he just wanted to go home now.

It turned out that a new person had arrived. He had a high status and was brought to the side of the Weary Marquis by a ceremonial official.

“The Founding Emperor spent his life on horseback and endured countless hardships. His descendants, however, are so unworthy and can’t even withstand a bit of cold. If anything happens, the descendants of the Han clan would all be like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.” The newcomer complained.

Without looking, Han Ruzi knew who this was.

After a while, Prince Donghai spoke again, his voice not as composed this time. “This weather… it’s too cold, are they… trying to kill us? Hey, how long have you been here?”

Han Ruzi twisted his stiff neck and glanced at Prince Donghai, who was also wrapped in a cloak. He coughed twice and said, “Almost an hour, I guess, I’m not sure.”

Prince Donghai leaned over, his eunuch wanted to stop him but couldn’t. Prince Donghai whispered, “Have you heard?”

Han Ruzi shook his head.

“It’s the descendants of Crown Prince Ju and Crown Prince Yong… They are of our generation… I don’t know… where she found them.” In the Ancestral Temple, Prince Donghai dared not mention the phrase “Empress Dowager”.

Han Ruzi remained silent, partly because it was too cold, and partly because talking about these things was pointless.

But Prince Donghai would not shut up and kept chatting with the Weary Marquis. “Her move was truly insidious, making you abdicate, keeping me in the palace, and then sending Jing Yao to negotiate. It completely fooled the Cui clan for five months! My uncle… sigh. He’s good at everything, just too cautious. If he had dispatched troops at the beginning… sigh, sigh, my life is so hard…”

Prince Donghai sighed continuously, and Han Ruzi really wanted to tell him to shut up.

Finally, things were progressing, and Prince Donghai stopped talking and returned to his position.

A squad of guards marched in from the side doors on both sides. Then came the senior officials, at least two hundred of them. Walking at the front were Chancellor Yin Wuhai and Han Xing, the Chief Commander.

The officials had obviously just come out from the warmth of a room, their bodies still retaining some residual heat. They walked steadily and looked solemn, not yet shivering from the cold.

Under the guidance of the ceremonial officials, all the imperial clan members moved forward and stood on the red steps of the Ancestral Temple. Civil and military officials stood on both sides, and from this moment on, no one dared to speak casually.

In the light of the lanterns, Han Ruzi saw that Chancellor Yin Wuhai’s face was a bit red, not from the cold, but rather from excitement, as if he had just cried.

Han Ruzi had already seen an old woman crying that evening and was grateful that he didn’t have to see another old person’s crying face.

A master of ceremonies stood sideways on the stairs, his loud voice sounding unreal in the winter night, “The Empress Dowager has arrived!”

Escorted by a group of eunuchs and female attendants, the Empress Dowager, dressed in court attire, walked slowly.

Ignoring proper etiquette, Han Ruzi scrutinized the scene closely. Regretfully, Maiden Wang was not among the Empress Dowager’s entourage. Yang Feng lightly tugged the cloak of the Weary Marquis. Han Ruzi lowered his eyes and saw two persons following the Empress Dowager. One was about sixteen or seventeen, taller than the Empress Dowager, and extremely respectful. His attire indicated that he was definitely not a eunuch from the palace. The other one was quite small, only six or seven years old, chubby, and seemed bewildered, always looking back, probably searching for someone familiar.

The Empress Dowager and these two individuals stood in front of Han Ruzi and Prince Donghai.

Han Xing, as Chief Commander and a senior member of the imperial clan, stepped forward. He also stood sideways on the stairs, facing the master of ceremonies who was making the announcement.

“May the ancestral spirits hear us. We, their descendants, kneel in worship!” the master of ceremonies shouted, his voice echoing in the distance.

Led by the Empress Dowager, all descendants of the Han clan knelt on the icy stone ground, without anything cushioning their knees.

“First bow!” The master of ceremonies didn’t care about these details. At this moment, he was the spokesman for the emperors of the Han imperial clan through the generations. His voice was steady and unhurried, directing hundreds of descendants to bow.

After bowing three times, everyone stood up. Then the civil and military officials also bowed three times. This was a hastily-arranged ceremony, and the rites had been greatly simplified.

Commander Han Xing knelt again on the stairs of the Ancestral Temple, but this time, he didn’t need the master of ceremonies to make the call. He knelt down on his own, stood up on his own, and then read the imperial edict that he had been holding in his hand.

His voice wasn’t as loud, but it was still clear, with elegant wording and abundant historical references. The ministers listened with great emotion. However, the descendants of the imperial clan, who had been standing outside, freezing to the point of numbness, were confused. It took a while for them to gradually understand that this was a petition to redress past injustices.

In accordance with tradition, Han Xing first extolled the achievements of the ancestors, showering the Martial Emperor with compliments. Then he abruptly switched his tone, castigating cunning villains who had led the Martial Emperor astray. He listed a number of names, and to Han Ruzi’s surprise, the name of the eunuch Jing Yao was mentioned.

Next, the petition began to recall the grievances of the first two crown princes of the Martial Emperor. It was so eloquent and heartfelt that soon the Ancestral Temple was filled with weeping. Both the descendants of the imperial clan and the senior officials were crying. Some of them were even weeping intensely, stomping their feet and beating their chests.

Despite having seen quite a lot in his life, Han Ruzi was still taken aback by this spectacle. It was understandable that the young man and the child standing in front of him, the bereaved children of the two crown princes, were weeping bitterly. But why were the others crying? Even Prince Donghai’s shoulders were heaving, as if he was crying, but it also looked somewhat like he was snickering.

Han Ruzi could not bring himself to cry, nor did he know how to pretend. He could only keep his head down and try his best not to attract attention. But the surrounding cries were too infectious, and Han Ruzi couldn’t help but be affected. He felt guilty, thinking that he was too heartless.

The long petition was finally nearing its end. The names of Prince Donghai, Han Shu, and the deposed Emperor Han Yu were mentioned. They were described as incompetent descendants, lacking in virtue and fortune, unable to inherit the throne of the Chu empire. Therefore, a successor was to be chosen from the descendants of the former crown princes.

Despite the distance, Han Ruzi could hear the grinding of Prince Donghai’s teeth. As for him, he didn’t care. When he heard the phrase “incompetent grandson Han Yu”, he didn’t even immediately realize that it referred to himself.

The critical moment finally arrived. Each of the two crown princes had one surviving orphan. The son of Crown Prince Ju was named Han Shi, seventeen years old, and the son of Crown Prince Yong was named Han She, just six years old. When his father go into trouble, he was still in his mother’s womb, yet to be born. Although both were technically part of the imperial clan, they had been largely neglected, and even their names were casually given.

Han Ruzi was experienced, and he knew that the one who ultimately became the emperor would change his name.

The senior officials cried even louder. Han Ruzi felt that some of them were genuinely moved.

Yang Feng leaned in and whispered in his ear, “Crown Prince Ju held his position for over ten years. Crown Prince Yong had around six or seven years. They both have deep roots among the officials. Broadly speaking, the civil officials favor Crown Prince Ju, and the military officials lean towards Crown Prince Yong.”

Han Ruzi suddenly understood. No wonder his father, the Graceful Emperor, had once wanted to ally with imperial in-laws against the senior officials. The Graceful Emperor’s time as crown prince was too short to form a close bond with the officials. As for Han Ruzi, he didn’t even go through the stage of being a crown prince, so he had no contact with the officials at all. Hence, his abdication met with relatively little resistance.

Han Ruzi didn’t feel any regret, but he also understood that if he were to regain the throne one day, he would have to build a solid foundation from the bottom up. He turned his head to look at Yang Feng, wondering to what extent this eunuch could help him.

After the petition was read, Han Xing went off-script, stating that the two crown princes were equal and that their descendants were both qualified to succeed the throne. To demonstrate fairness, a lot was to be drawn in front of the ancestors’ spirit tablets.

This was the solution the Empress Dowager and the ministers had come up with after long deliberation. The imperial clan members, who had in the cold, were taken aback. However, no one dared to object at this time, and the buzzing sound soon disappeared. Even Prince Donghai stopped grinding his teeth.

The Empress Dowager, together with Han Shi and Han She, ascended the steps and entered the Ancestral Temple. Among the senior officials, only Yin Wuhai and Han Xing, representing the civil and military officials respectively, accompanied them in. Everyone else waited outside.

As soon as the Empress Dowager’s figure disappeared, Prince Donghai turned his head and looked at Han Ruzi, tears of genuine sorrow streaming from his eyes. He said in a suppressed voice, “Can you believe it? Can you believe it?”

Han Ruzi didn’t find anything unbelievable, so he showed an indifferent expression.

The look on Prince Donghai’s face changed from sorrow to surprise. It seemed that only at this moment did he truly believe that Han Ruzi had no interest in the throne.

Han Ruzi did have grand ambitions, but his goals were too far away. So at this moment, he indeed showed no interest in the throne.

The draw was conducted swiftly. The people outside were waiting with their blood boiling with excitement, hardly feeling the cold.

Yin Wuhai and Han Xing exited the Ancestral Temple first, accompanied by Han Shi, the son of Crown Prince Ju. With an aged voice, Yin Wuhai announced that Han Shi had been conferred the title Crowned Marquis, and had been appointed Grand Marshal of the Northern Army.

The result was set, and Yin Wuhai seemed somewhat disappointed. The civil officials mostly sighed but accepted their fate. They had fought for their choice, and now they could only admit defeat.

The three of them stepped aside, and the Empress Dowager walked out holding Han She’s hand. Standing atop the red-carpeted steps, she declared loudly, “Under the protection of our ancestors, Han She, grandson of the Martial Emperor, is hereby appointed as the Crown Prince.”

The subjects of the empire, including Han Shi, knelt down and cheered long live the Emperor. Just a moment ago, he had the chance to become the emperor, but now he was just a subject.

The chubby child was still looking around, though it was unclear whom he was looking for.

Before kneeling, Yang Feng assisted Han Ruzi, whispering, “Lord Marquis, you are granted the special privilege of not having to kneel, and except when facing the ancestral spirit tablets. There is no need for you to kneel.”

It wasn’t just him who had this privilege, but also Han Xing and seven or eight others. The ceremonial officials in the distance checked to confirm that all who did not kneel did indeed have that privilege.

Han Ruzi kept his head low, but there was a flame in his heart. It was neither anger nor jealousy, but an inexplicable passion. He clearly felt the difference between standing above and below, and he knew which one he preferred.

The ceremony ended, and the imperial members who had been freezing slowly dispersed. The officials continued to discuss matters of the new emperor’s ascension and how to deal with the Southern Army outside the city.

On the way back to his mansion, the flame in Han Ruzi’s heart gradually extinguished. He had to face reality. In this cold winter, any flame could not be kindled.

As he entered his manor, the sky was just beginning to lighten. As soon as Han Ruzi pushed open the door to his bedroom, the anxious Cui Xiaojun rushed into his arms. They held each other tightly.

In this cold winter, only home held warmth.