Han Ruzi put down the book in his hands and looked up at Yang Feng not far away, asking, “Why do ministers not dare to correct the emperor’s most obvious mistakes, yet they would righteously interfere in the emperor’s palace affairs?”
Han Ruzi discovered he was not the only emperor to suffer such interference. He had just read that a former emperor was admonished by ministers for not sharing a bed with the empress for an entire year, while another emperor was considered a foolish ruler for his excessive favor toward concubines. These matters were all brazenly recorded in the historical records.
Yang Feng also put down his book and thought for a moment. “The emperor takes all under heaven as his family, so ministers naturally regard the emperor’s family affairs as matters of state.”
Han Ruzi smiled. Yang Feng was the only person who dared speak honestly before him, often hitting the nail on the head. “When will Lord Yang leave the Capital?”
“In three days.”
“When will you return to the Capital?”
“A month at the soonest, a year at the latest.”
Yang Feng was to follow the army to Cloud Dream Marsh.
The bandit troubles at Cloud Dream Marsh had persisted for a long time. Previous campaigns to suppress them had been costly but ineffective – when the army arrived, the bandits scattered like birds and beasts, and when the army withdrew, the various strongholds quickly recovered. The Ministry of War had therefore changed tactics, no longer dispatching large armies but establishing positions step by step from outside to inside, building fortifications layer by layer while relocating large numbers of poor people to cultivate wild lands. The government provided seeds and oxen, with three years of tax exemption.
Han Ruzi hoped to use this method to gradually wear down the bandits while minimizing expenses.
The general for suppressing the bandits was recommended by the Ministry of War – a renown veteran. Yang Feng served as imperial supervisor, with the official duty of recovering Prince Ying and the Founding Emperor’s sword, but actually to continue investigating the whereabouts of the fate seer Chunyu Xiao.
After experiencing so many events, Han Ruzi no longer placed much importance on fate seers, viewing them as figures of the pugilist world with sinister methods who took advantage of opportunities to stir up trouble. When circumstances changed, they too were powerless. He even no longer believed in “Chunyu Xiao’s” existence, thinking it was merely a character fabricated by the fate seers.
But Yang Feng believed and regarded him as the primary enemy.
Han Ruzi had wanted to ask the reason several times but decided against it. Yang Feng had his own reasoning, or perhaps he simply needed an excuse to leave the palace, this place of disputes. There was no need to inquire too deeply.
Eunuch Zhang Youcai entered and said softly, “Your Majesty, it is time.”
Han Ruzi rose, arranged his robes, and walked out of the room to meet with the empress before going together to pay respects to the newly invested second Empress Dowager.
Maiden Wang had finally received the title of Empress Dowager, well-deserved with no opposition. The Ministry of Rites suggested using palace names as prefixes, calling Empress Dowager Shang-guan “Empress Dowager Cishun” and Empress Dowager Wang “Empress Dowager Cining”, in accordance with the names of the palaces which they resided in. In terms of precedence, Cishun came first and Cining second.
This was also Maiden Wang’s own request – whether publicly or privately, she refused to rank above Empress Dowager Shang-guan.
The investiture ceremony was complete, and the emperor did not need to participate, only to offer congratulations.
Empress Dowager Cining received the imperial audience in full regalia, thanking the emperor on behalf of all people under heaven for his amnesty edict. Then she returned to the inner chamber and changed back into her usual old clothes. When she emerged again, she had resumed her role as mother, still fixated on holding grandchildren. “The palace is too quiet. Every day, only Your Majesty and the empress come to pay respects to us two old women. When can we have a few more people? I know having children cannot be rushed, but besides the empress, there should be several concubines, shouldn’t there? The women have already entered the palace – when will Your Majesty enfeoff them?”
Ten selected maidens had been brought into the palace early by Empress Dowager Cining. The emperor could no longer send them away and could only reply, “There have been many court matters recently. Let us delay a few more days – it won’t be long.”
Empress Dowager Cining was prepared and said, “Palace affairs need not trouble Your Majesty with every detail. The empress is the mistress of the palace. Your Majesty need only nod, and the empress can preside over it.”
Han Ruzi still wanted to find reasons to postpone, but Empress Cui Xiaojun had already responded first, “In reply to the Empress Dowager, the day after tomorrow is an auspicious date suitable for establishing new consorts.”
The emperor would eventually have to establish concubines. Cui Xiaojun felt it was better sooner than later, and it would also avoid a dispute.
After returning to the bedchamber, Cui Xiaojun asked the emperor, “Why does Your Majesty keep delaying the selection of new consorts? Are you concerned about my feelings? But I have never thought of monopolizing Your Majesty’s favor. I even felt regretful that Your Majesty didn’t bring Noble Consort Jin back.”
This was the first time the empress had mentioned Jin Chuiduo. Han Ruzi smiled and said, “Strictly speaking, she is not a noble consort of Great Chu… I refuse to take consorts because… because I am an emperor of defeated armies, with great vengeance unrequited and the realm unpeacified. How can I have the heart to think about such matters?”
The siege of Jincheng had made the emperor’s position more secure, but for Han Ruzi, it remained a tremendous humiliation. He rarely revealed this to outsiders, because speaking of it served little purpose. Only by gradually strengthening Great Chu’s power could he avenge this shame.
Cui Xiaojun understood the emperor’s feelings and sighed, “So Your Majesty distances himself from the Hall of Diligent Administration, hoping the chancellor will guard the court while Your Majesty charges ahead?”
Han Ruzi said in surprise, “I truly wish I could make you chancellor!”
Han Ruzi genuinely thought this way. He understood that those rules and precedents were extremely important for maintaining Great Chu’s stability and should not be changed lightly. But to accomplish great things, one occasionally had to break through some rules. Therefore, he hoped to have a clear division of labor with the chancellor: the chancellor would maintain stability while the emperor would pursue progress.
Shen Mingzhi had this capability. Having coveted the chancellor position for years, he was well-prepared for how to operate the entire court. The only problem was the mutual distrust between him and the emperor. The emperor’s distancing from the Hall of Diligent Administration made him nervous, thinking it was a sign of stripping away chancellorial power, so he reacted strongly, even seeking aid from the inner palace.
It was precisely because of this distrust that Han Ruzi couldn’t explain his thoughts to Shen Mingzhi.
This was a vicious cycle that neither the emperor nor the chancellor could break free from.
Cui Xiaojun smiled and said, “Does Your Majesty truly think I could be chancellor?”
“The chancellor’s work isn’t that complicated. Make fewer decisions yourself, let the ministers provide more ideas, and that’s basically it. You could certainly do it,” Han Ruzi said seriously.
Of course, this was just a joke. Cui Xiaojun nodded, “I cannot be chancellor, but I am the empress. If Your Majesty can entrust the court to the chancellor, why not entrust the palace to me? If Your Majesty wishes to don armor and wield weapons, go ahead and do so. There’s no need to worry about palace affairs.”
This was how it should be, but the palace environment was worse than the court. Shen Mingzhi was at least a legitimate chancellor with no competitors among the ministers, but the empress was different—above her were two empress dowagers, one of whom was the emperor’s birth mother.
Because of insufficient trust, Han Ruzi couldn’t explain his true intentions to the chancellor. Because of too much trust, he also couldn’t mention his mother to the empress.
Seeing the emperor remain silent in contemplation, Cui Xiaojun said, “Is Your Majesty worried I cannot manage the palace well? I am a daughter of the Cui clan. From the time I could remember, my family taught me how to be a qualified empress. Like Your Majesty, I am eager to try and plan to accomplish something.”
Han Ruzi smiled, “I often forget you are a daughter of the Cui clan.”
“There are always some things one cannot choose. Honestly, I take no pride in the Cui clan, but I will not forget what the Cui clan taught me. Matters have priorities and urgency. Your Majesty must resolve Great Chu’s internal troubles and external threats—this is important and urgent. Palace affairs, no matter what, are less important and less urgent. Your Majesty now has only two choices: either depose me as empress and send me to the Weary Marquis’s residence—I would rather give up my status and only ask that Your Majesty visit me often—or keep me in the palace to share Your Majesty’s burdens.”
When Cui Xiaojun first entered the palace, she had directly criticized the favored eunuchs around Empress Dowager Shang-guan, doing so with reason and propriety, leaving an extremely deep impression on Han Ruzi. He was reluctant to let the empress remain in the palace for two reasons: first, he didn’t want the empress to engage in fierce struggles with the empress dowager; second, he didn’t want his devoted wife to become yet another empress greedy for power.
But Cui Xiaojun was right—he ultimately had no other choices. It was proper for the empress to manage the inner palace, and Cui Xiaojun understood the emperor’s concerns better than others, even better than Empress Dowager Cining.
Han Ruzi gently stroked the empress’s cheek with his hand. “Three years, at most five years, and I’ll be able to resolve those most serious problems, allowing Great Chu to operate normally without requiring my personal attention to every matter. By then—” Han Ruzi didn’t know what kind of promise to make. After thinking for a moment, he said, “You will still be my Xiaojun.”
The empress smiled. “Even if it were ten years or twenty years, I would be willing to wait.”
Han Ruzi had no further instructions. He and the empress trusted each other completely, and he knew she would never do anything he couldn’t accept.
Early the next morning, the emperor first went to the Hall of Diligent Administration, then to the Weary Marquis’s residence. He might not return for a day or two, so Cui Xiaojun also began formally fulfilling her duties as empress.
The first thing the Cui clan had taught her was this: even when making concessions, one must leave at least one layer of protection behind, never directly exposing one’s back to opponents.
Cui Xiaojun was unwilling to compete directly with Empress Dowager Cining, but merely retreating was also useless. She had to establish one or two more conspicuous enemies for His Majesty’s birth mother.
She first summoned Dong Qing’e.
Dong Qing’e had originally been an ordinary palace maid. During the struggle for the throne, she had secretly delivered the imperial seal out of the palace. Although this led to the seal being lost outside, it wasn’t her fault. In recognition of her merit, she was appointed as a female official beside the empress. According to custom, she was qualified to become a consort.
For Dong Qing’e, this was an unexpected joy. She had once been ordered to “seduce” the puppet emperor, but the result had been a complete failure. In her mind, the emperor and empress had deep affection for each other, and outsiders couldn’t interfere. She never expected she would still have a chance to be enfeoffed.
The palace was lonely, and no palace maid was unwilling to become a consort.
Dong Qing’e knelt down excitedly to express her gratitude.
Dong Qing’e was relatively honest. Cui Xiaojun chose her firstly because she deserved this reward, and secondly to have one more trustworthy person, rather than using her to contend with the empress dowager.
She already had a target in mind, but this person wasn’t yet in the palace and required some arrangements on her part.
The empress also had her own official seal and subordinates. Official documents could be written immediately and quickly received the emperor’s approval.
Two days later, when the auspicious day arrived, the palace simultaneously enfeoffed four consorts as well as several maidens and beauties, totaling twelve people—two more than those chosen by Empress Dowager Cining.
Deng Cui bid farewell to the emperor with satisfaction and, together with Marquis Zhang Yin, led a group of ambitious men who had just been released from prison toward the Western Regions.
His sister Deng Yun finally entered the palace as a consort and could help him determine whether the Champion Marquis’s son had actually been switched.
A few days earlier, Empress Cui Xiaojun had received this information from Prince Donghai’s wife, Princess Consort Tan, and immediately understood that Consort Deng was the capable assistant she had been seeking.
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