The imperial palace should have been the Emperor’s home, but after being away from “home” for many days, Han Ruzi upon his return did not feel like he was coming home. Even before entering the city, just thinking of the palace’s high walls filled him with a slight sense of revulsion, and he suddenly realized that one reason he had been reluctant to return to the Capital was that he did not want to go back to the palace.

He quickly adjusted his mood. Regardless, he was now the master of the imperial palace.

The Emperor’s return to the Capital involved many matters to attend to, but the first was not affairs of state, nor was it reuniting with the Empress, but rather paying respects to the Empress Dowager.

Empress Dowager Shangguan remained the Emperor’s nominal mother, and the customs of Great Chu required the Emperor to display sufficient filial piety, while the Empress Dowager had to show sufficient maternal love.

Neither Han Ruzi nor Empress Dowager Shang-guan could truly do this, but fortunately there were the Ministry of Rites and the palace eunuchs. With their rich experience, they used perfect and elaborate ceremonies to make up for all deficiencies and cover all awkwardness: a group of eunuchs presented local specialties on the Emperor’s behalf that he had never even seen, while a female official spoke warm words of comfort to the Emperor who had returned from his distant journey.

Since the Emperor had already assumed personal rule, he no longer needed to kneel. Saying “Your son pays respects to the Empress Dowager; having traveled far abroad, I have caused the Empress Dowager worry” was sufficient to complete the task.

The Empress Dowager only needed to maintain her smile.

It was not until he moved to another room and met privately with his birth mother, Maiden Wang, that Han Ruzi felt at ease and called out with deep emotion, “Mother.”

Maiden Wang had her own palace quarters, but she usually still lived with the Empress Dowager, observing the protocols of a concubine, which earned her considerable reputation.

Maiden Wang carefully examined her son, reaching out to touch his cheek to confirm that not a hair on his head was missing. Only after a long while did she let out a long breath: “Your Majesty has finally returned.”

“I’m fine.” Han Ruzi turned around in place. “I’ve even grown stronger.”

Maiden Wang smiled and shook her head, then spoke seriously: “You must say ‘We.’ Even to me, even in private, you cannot casually refer to yourself. The Emperor is the Emperor, and even if there is no one around, you are still the Emperor.”

“Yes, We… understand.” Han Ruzi could understand his mother’s caution. His position as Emperor was quite precarious, so he should hold onto it firmly.

Maiden Wang softened her tone and took her son’s hand, asking about many trivial matters from the journey: How many meals did you eat each day? Were they hot or cold? Were they on time? Was there soup? Did the eunuchs obey? Did you sleep well changing beds every night? Such questions that only a mother could ask.

Han Ruzi answered each one, not finding it boring at all.

Maiden Wang was finally satisfied and released his hand, letting her son sit down. She became serious again: “There is one person Your Majesty should have brought back, but I did not see her. And there is another person Your Majesty should not have brought back, but I heard he followed in the entourage, quite pleased with himself. What is this about?”

Han Ruzi knew who his mother was referring to and smiled: “Noble Consort Jin is a Xiongnu person and was unwilling to return to the Capital. She chose to live on the steppes.”

“She chose? Since when does a Great Chu Emperor allow concubines to choose their own residence? Who was this vast imperial palace built for? Besides, she is a consort of Great Chu, and without reliable people watching over her, just letting her wander outside like this, especially in the uncivilized barbarian lands – is Your Majesty not afraid of being mocked by all under heaven? Did Minister of Rites Yuan Jiuding, who personally went to Jincheng City, not object even once?”

Han Ruzi’s face reddened slightly, as if he had returned to childhood, when his loving mother would become stern whenever he occasionally did something wrong.

But he had grown up after all, and replied: “Minister Yuan did object and led the accompanying officials in remonstration.”

“But Your Majesty would not listen and insisted on having your way?”

“The situation was somewhat special. When We married Noble Consort Jin in Jincheng City, We only had the Imperial Seal with us, not the Investiture Seal, so… the investiture documents were not complete. Strictly speaking, Noble Consort Jin is not yet an official noble consort and will not be recorded in the imperial clan genealogy.”

The Emperor had twelve seals, each with its own purpose. The Imperial Seal was the most important, but it was not omnipotent.

Maiden Wang frowned slightly: “That works? Could Noble Consort Jin and the Xiongnu people not see through this?”

“Noble Consort Jin understands the truth and does not mind. The Xiongnu – probably also know what’s going on, but pretend to be confused.”

The Great Chanyu was eager to return to the steppesand was satisfied as long as the Emperor liked Jin Chuiduo, not caring about other matters.

But what Maiden Wang had on her mind was the noble consort: “She doesn’t mind? How could she not mind… Never mind, what about the other person?”

“Prince Donghai? He has changed greatly. I dare guarantee that he will never harbor rebellious thoughts again.”

“Prince Donghai may not harbor rebellious thoughts, but what about others? Sometimes it’s not that someone wants to rebel, but rather they are forcibly pushed forward by a group of ambitious madmen, like Prince Ying.”

Prince Ying’s whereabouts remained unknown, reportedly taken to sea by bandits.

“If that’s the case, I must keep Prince Donghai by my side even more, watching him at all times.”

Han Ruzi spoke in a calm tone, but Maiden Wang detected the underlying firmness. This was her son – she understood him completely. From childhood, Ruzi rarely made loud scenes, but when it came to matters he insisted upon, even if he appeared to admit fault on the surface, he would still persist afterward.

Now that he was Emperor, he didn’t even need to admit fault on the surface.

Maiden Wang softened her tone again. “Very well, if Your Majesty feels confident in keeping watch over Prince Donghai, then there should be no problem. But you must be extremely careful – Prince Donghai is like his mother, very skilled at concealment.”

“Yes, I will be cautious and attentive.”

Maiden Wang thought for a moment. “Why did Your Majesty terminate the selection of consorts?”

“With Qi rebelling again and the Xiongnu invading, Great Chu has suffered frequent military disasters. I was besieged in Jincheng City and barely escaped. At such a time, selecting consorts would be inappropriate, only adding to the people’s burden and making everyone think I am an immoral, incompetent ruler.”

“Sigh, Your Majesty is right. It’s all my fault. Living long in the palace made me forget the people’s suffering.”

“Mother had only good intentions – what fault is there in that?”

“But Your Majesty’s edict came a bit late. I had already summoned ten excellent maidens into the palace. What should we do – send them out?”

Terminating the selection was the responsibility of the Ministry of Rites, but sending the maidens out of the palace would be tantamount to highlighting the Emperor’s mother’s error. Han Ruzi could only say: “Those already in the palace should remain, serving Mother and the Empress Dowager.”

“Ha, we two old women – how many people do we need to serve us? Let them stay by Your Majesty’s side. The others don’t matter much, but two of them come from noble families. After entering the palace, they can’t be left without any status… Never mind, Your Majesty just returned. These matters can be discussed later.”

“Yes, Mother.” Han Ruzi also didn’t want to worry about palace affairs right now.

Maiden Wang still showed no intention of letting her son leave. She took a sip of lukewarm tea. “How did the Prefect of Henan Han Chou offend Your Majesty that you want to dismiss him from office?”

“Dismiss? Mother misunderstands. He’s being promoted, from Prefect of Henan to Director of the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs. He is an elder of the imperial clan and capable in his work, perfectly suited for this position. The previous director is advanced in years and has been requesting retirement for several years – it’s time for a change.”

“Now that Your Majesty explains it this way, I understand.” Maiden Wang smiled, not wanting to argue with the Emperor right now. Moreover, after their long separation and her son’s ordeal in Jincheng City, she only cared about his safety and wasn’t particularly concerned about other matters.

“Your Majesty has truly grown up,” Maiden Wang said sincerely, reaching out her hand as if to pinch her son’s cheek as she used to, then immediately lowered her arm and repeated: “Your Majesty has truly grown up.”

Han Ruzi grasped his mother’s hand. “No matter how much I grow, I’m still your son.”

The mother and son chatted casually for a while. As darkness fell outside, Maiden Wang finally let her son leave. “Go on, Your Majesty is a married man and cannot always stay by his mother’s side. The Empress is still waiting for you. These past days haven’t been easy for her either – Your Majesty should comfort her well.”

“Yes, Mother.” Han Ruzi was somewhat surprised that his mother would speak well of the Empress. He stood up to take his leave, then remembered something else. “Deng Cui, the Marshal of Dai, rendered merit in rescuing me and hopes to send his sister into the palace.”

“Your Majesty should decide such matters yourself. Just discuss it with the Empress.” Maiden Wang appeared somewhat weary. These past few days, she had been more exhausted than the Emperor traveling on the road, constantly calculating his journey. Now that her anxious heart could finally be at ease, she felt as if her entire being had been hollowed out.

“Mother, rest well.” Han Ruzi withdrew, feeling much more at peace. He left and met up with Zhang Youcai and the other eunuchs, hurrying toward his own bedchamber.

The Empress had waited in full dress for most of the day. Knowing the Emperor would be busy, she hadn’t sent anyone to urge him. She sat alone, recalling every detail from their time at the Weary Marquis’s mansion, her heart warm and a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth.

“His Majesty returns to the palace!” someone shouted outside.

Cui Xiaojun stood up and noticed her heartbeat had quickened somewhat.

The reunion between Emperor and Empress didn’t require extensive ceremony, but certain protocols still had to be observed. Female officials provided guidance, and the two simply followed along. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The ceremony quickly ended, and the female officials withdrew. After the attendants helped the Empress remove her heavy crown, they too withdrew, leaving only two people in the room.

Han Ruzi stood ten paces away, staring intently at the Empress.

Cui Xiaojun smiled with pursed lips. “Does Your Majesty not recognize me?”

“Why has the Empress changed so much?”

“Changed?” Cui Xiaojun looked down at herself in surprise. “What change? Even my clothes are old ones.”

“No, there is a change.” Han Ruzi stepped forward, walking slowly closer. “You’re more beautiful than before.”

Cui Xiaojun’s face reddened, and she laughed. “Where did Your Majesty learn such sweet words?”

Han Ruzi put his arm around the Empress’s waist. “Sweet words aren’t learned. When you meet the right person, they naturally spring from your mouth.”

The Empress had prepared wine and food, but neither had an appetite. They went to bed hand in hand, pouring out their hearts to each other with idle chatter—not a single important word among them.

On his first day back at the imperial palace, Han Ruzi felt very good. The conflict between his mother and the Empress didn’t seem as serious as he had imagined, so he needn’t worry about it. Next, he could focus wholeheartedly on handling state affairs.

The Emperor didn’t need to hold court for the first two days after returning to the Capital, but Han Ruzi still rose early and went to Soaring Clouds Pavilion, summoning Yang Feng, the Keeper of the Imperial Seal, to use these two days to get a grasp on matters.

Yang Feng had been waiting in the pavilion for some time, still maintaining his neither warm nor cold demeanor, as if this were merely the end of a vacation—while students might feel some excitement, the teacher felt only that he had to face troublesome pupils again.

The two men nodded to each other without even exchanging pleasantries. Yang Feng began introducing the court situation in detail. Some memorials were quite important and couldn’t be handled by others—they required the Emperor’s personal review and needed prompt attention.

Han Ruzi quickly got into the proper mindset, ready to formally take control of the entire court.

After a morning passed, Yang Feng finished his briefing and spoke of his own matter: “Since Your Majesty has returned safely, please allow me to resign from my position as Keeper of the Imperial Seal.”

Han Ruzi was startled, completely unprepared to hear such words. “What do you mean, Lord Yang?”

“During Your Majesty’s captivity in Jincheng City, some decisions I made render me unsuitable to continue serving as a palace official.”

“I understand your intentions and have never blamed you.”

“Even so, please allow Your Majesty to release me from the palace so I may continue investigating the whereabouts of the fate seer Chunyu Xiao.”

Han Ruzi didn’t understand how someone as intelligent as Yang Feng could be trapped by such an obstacle, unable to step over it no matter what.

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