The Child Emperor

The next morning, Meng E returned to the manor alone with definite news. The Weary Marquis’s wife had indeed been kept in the palace, along with Prince Donghai’s mother Consort Cui and the Champion Marquis’s young son, who was only two or three years old.

Unexpectedly, Han Ruzi’s mother, Maiden Wang, was not kept as a “hostage” but remained by the Empress Dowager’s side.

The fate seer whom Han Ruzi had met fishing by the river personally stepped forward to assure all three parties that regardless of the succession outcome, their relatives would be free to leave the palace. He carefully avoided words like “detention,” “hostage,” and “release,” but his meaning was clear: to implement this unprecedented method of selecting an emperor, all parties must follow the rules.

The fate seer clearly knew Meng E’s true identity and watched her closely. All night, she had no chance to leave the emperor to meet anyone.

Han Ruzi felt angry and regretful. After Meng E left, when only he and Yang Feng remained, he said, “Does the fate seer really think this will make everyone follow these so-called rules? If the losers truly want to resist, will they care how many hostages are in the palace?”

“The fate seer hasn’t revealed all his intentions yet, and he surely has more tricks up his sleeve. Speculation is useless – let’s focus on how to play this game.”

“This is a game.” Han Ruzi looked at the books piled on the desk. “Has anything like this ever been recorded in history?”

“Not in official records, certainly not in the Chu Dynasty.” Yang Feng stood up, quickly found a book from the shelf, and brought it to Han Ruzi. “If we look far enough back, we can find some precedents. In ancient times, when imperial succession changed from abdication to hereditary, ministerial support was crucial. There were many cases of old rulers being replaced by new ones, especially wise rulers who first needed to gain officials’ support before putting their plans into action.”

Han Ruzi picked up the book and flipped through a few pages without reading immediately. “The fate seer isn’t really trying to restore ancient practices, is he?”

“Never mind the fate seer’s true purpose for now. Winning over ministers is necessary in any dynasty. You must have a plan since returning from Divine Hero Pass.”

“When Left Chief Censor Xiao Sheng went to Divine Hero Pass, I suspected the Champion Marquis and Grand Tutor Cui might ally again, so I arranged for some people to encourage the Northern Army to return to the Capital in the Champion Marquis’s name. Once news spreads, it might spark suspicion between them and turn them against each other again. With the Southern and Northern armies in deadlock outside, leaving the Capital empty, I had planned… to gather a force to storm the palace, seize the imperial seal, and force the Empress Dowager to make me emperor. If the Champion Marquis and Northern Army were at odds, I hoped to secure the Northern Army’s firm support as outside backing. And my wife – she sent messages twice asking me to return to the Capital. I thought she must have some preparations, though I don’t know what.”

“I was the one who asked her to send messages to the Weary Marquis. Her plan was my plan.”

“You?” Han Ruzi was surprised. When he was at the border, Yang Feng should have been “loyally” serving the Champion Marquis.

“I told you I would assist whoever was most likely to become emperor.”

“Yes, I remember.”

“Please allow me to be frank. Even now, even with the Northern Army returning to face off against the Southern Army, the Weary Marquis’s chances of becoming emperor are still slim. But I need to modify what I said before – the person I assist must not only become emperor but also be willing to accept advice and listen to my suggestions.”

Yang Feng’s words were never pleasant to hear, but they were honest. Han Ruzi dismissed his last doubts and smiled, “What are Master Yang’s suggestions?”

“First, follow the fate seer’s arrangements. Gaining ministers’ support is always useful.”

“What should I do? When I abdicated before… not a single minister stood up to support me.”

“When you were in power, did anyone stand up against you?”

“Well… no. The rebellious Prince of Qi was one, but he mainly opposed the Empress Dowager.”

“So don’t be quick to categorize ministers by support or opposition. You should view ministers as neutral parties, only judging each one after real interaction. Preconceptions won’t help and might cost you potential supporters.”

Han Ruzi smiled, “I have no preconceptions and am willing to seek support from any minister.” After thinking, he added, “When you sought Chancellor Yin’s support for the Champion Marquis, was it to reinforce his ‘preconceptions’?”

Yang Feng tilted his head slightly. “I offered other suggestions, but the Champion Marquis wouldn’t accept them. Chancellor Yin Wuhai was once Crown Prince Ju’s teacher and pleaded his innocence before the Martial Emperor when the Crown Prince was killed. His support for the Crown Prince’s orphaned son seems natural to outsiders. But there are two problems here. I warned the Champion Marquis, but he didn’t care.”

“What problems?” Han Ruzi was momentarily distracted by Lady Cui Xiaojun’s bookmark peeking out, which stirred his thoughts. He quickly looked away and listened attentively to Yang Feng.

“First, Yin Wuhai holds the highest ministerial rank and is elderly, with no room for advancement. Any merit he earns can only benefit his descendants. His public support for the Champion Marquis stems mainly from personal ties.”

“That is indeed a problem.” Having read so much history, Han Ruzi understood that while support from personal ties was useful, it was most fragile at crucial moments of competing interests.

“Second, the officials who condemned the two princes are still around. The current emperor has no real power and hasn’t taken any revenge, but the Champion Marquis is different. Once he takes the throne, he’ll have full authority. By not reconciling with former enemies first, he’ll leave these officials in constant fear.”

Han Ruzi’s eyes lit up. “Are these the officials I should try to win over?”

Yang Feng shook his head. “Not yet. They’re too afraid and won’t support you. They might even report to the Champion Marquis to ensure their safety. Only when you’ve built up enough power to rival the Champion Marquis and Prince Donghai will they possibly side with you.”

“The beginning is always hardest.”

“Indeed, but I have plans. They’ll require your personal involvement.”

“I’ve rested enough,” Han Ruzi was certainly not going to just sit in the marquis’s manor and wait.

“Do you remember studying at the College of National Scions?”

“Yes. Master Yang wanted me to attend the Imperial University, but the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs only agreed to the College of National Scions. I only registered there, never actually studied.”

“That doesn’t matter. Your name was still listed there, and you had many classmates. They’re the first group you should try to win over.”

“They’re just students, without even official positions, right?”

“Yes, College of National Scions students must wait many years to become officials.”

“How can they help me now?” Han Ruzi didn’t quite understand Yang Feng’s strategy.

“It’s complicated to explain. In a few days, I’ll accompany you to visit your classmates, and we can discuss it then.”

Han Ruzi nodded. He had an immediate challenge and didn’t need to think too far ahead. “The fate seer’s new rules require candidates to have a Rank One minister’s nomination. It seems specifically targeted at me: the Champion Marquis has Chancellor Yin, Prince Donghai has Grand Tutor Cui, while I don’t even have support from ordinary ministers.”

“Yes, there are only about a dozen Rank One ministers in court. To avoid the fate seer finding fault, we must exclude Sub Rank One officials and only approach Proper Rank One ministers,[1] which are even fewer – just five: the Chancellor, Chief Commander, Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and Grand Guardian. Chancellor Yin and Grand Tutor Cui each support their candidates, leaving three…”

“Will Grand Tutor Cui really support Prince Donghai?” Han Ruzi asked. Speaking of personal ties, Grand Tutor Cui was proof – he was Prince Donghai’s maternal uncle, but once he found a more valuable target, he immediately abandoned his nephew.

“He will. Even if he’s hesitant now, once he learns about the Northern Army’s return, he’ll support Prince Donghai.”

Han Ruzi had inadvertently helped Prince Donghai greatly.

“So only three Rank One ministers remain. Who are the Grand Preceptor and Grand Guardian? I don’t think I’ve met them.”

“Grand Preceptor Wang Ji and Grand Guardian Deng Zhu are both senior officials from the Martial Emperor’s time. They’ve been retired for many years, one in Jiangnan and one in Yan, far away and long uninvolved in court politics.”

“That leaves only Chief Commander Han Xing.”

Yang Feng nodded. “Han Xing commands troops outside the Capital and can’t return without an imperial edict. He’s currently stationed at Hangu Pass, commanding Chu forces to suppress various local rebellions. He seems to admire you.”

Han Ruzi thought for a moment. “At least he never gave me trouble. He accepted all my requests. It was because of his appointment that I could hold Divine Hero Pass and Shattered Iron City.”

“We’ll leave for Hangu Pass tomorrow.”

Though he hadn’t gained any minister’s support yet, Han Ruzi felt more at ease. “Since this kind succession contest is so rare, it’s hard to say if it can be maintained. We need other plans too, right? I’m sure the Champion Marquis and Prince Donghai have them.”

“Of course. Prince Donghai might reconcile with Grand Tutor Cui and rely on the Southern Army for protection. If the Champion Marquis is smart enough, he’ll also make peace with the Northern Army, or win over the Palace Guards. The eight Palace Guard camps have greatly increased their numbers. Commander Shang-guan Sheng is the Empress Dowager’s nephew and very worried about his family’s future. I once approached him on behalf of the Champion Marquis. Shang-guan Sheng was willing to support him, but his words can’t be fully trusted.”

“So Prince Donghai actually has the most stable foundation? I talked with him, and he’ll definitely reconcile with Grand Tutor Cui.”

“That’s why Prince Donghai will be the your final opponent, while the immediate opponent is the Champion Marquis. I was very worried about the Northern Army, so when the Champion Marquis urged them to attack the Xiongnu out of personal vengeance, I didn’t strongly oppose it. But you did even better – if you can truly win over the Northern Army, success is assured. At minimum, we need to split the Northern Army so they can’t fully support the Champion Marquis. As for the eight Palace Guard camps and Shang-guan Sheng, leave them to me. I can’t guarantee they’ll support you, but at least I can keep them neutral.”

“Prince Donghai… Prince Donghai…” Han Ruzi recalled that he once had a chance to kill this rival, then smiled and shook his head. The frontier was where he won people’s hearts – he couldn’t kill carelessly, especially not his own brother. He had nothing to regret.

As they analyzed the situation and made plans, things became clearer. They skipped lunch and continued into the afternoon until a visitor interrupted their discussion.

The Cui family’s second son, Cui Teng, arrived. He had been sent to request an appointment from his father but never returned to Divine Hero Pass, having followed his father back to the Capital instead.

As soon as he entered, he shouted, “Brother-in-law, you’re amazing! You actually got the Northern Army to return! Quick, let’s escape – people will be coming to arrest you soon!”

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[1] In ancient Chinese imperial bureaucracy, each official position would have a number rank assigned to it, and for each number, there would be a “proper” rank and a “subordinate” rank. So Proper Rank One would be highest, followed by Sub Rank One, then Rank Two. But both types of Rank Ones are still considered Rank Ones.

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