The Child Emperor

The Hall of Diligent Administration, Qinzheng Hall, was the place where the Emperor and senior officials met to discuss matters of state. Other than on the first day of his coronation — the day with the incident regarding Sealbearer Liu and the Imperial Seal — Han Ruzi had not had the chance to even get close to the hall.

Only this day, when news of defeat in the east arrived, did Han Ruzi set foot in the hall for the second time and saw the Empress Dowager in person.

There were more people in the Hall this time. Other than Grand Tutor Cui Hong who was out leading the army, four of the Five Trusted Officials were present. There were also twenty-odd civil officials and military officers. However, the Grand Marshal of the Southern Army Shang-guan Xu was nowhere to be seen. It was surprising that the Empress Dowager did not summon him in such urgent times.

Most unusually, there were very few eunuchs within the Hall. Only Yang Feng, Jing Yao and Zuo Ji were present, outnumbered by the officials in the Hall.

The Empress Dowager did not hide herself in the side-chamber this time. She sat atop the throne and faced the imperial officials. In fact, the Empress Dowager participated in state discussions every day and had met the officials face-to-face. The only person who had not yet seen the Empress Dowager in-person was the Emperor.

The Empress Dowager looked young. If it were not for her solemn expression and the formal regalia that she wore, one could believe that she was under thirty years of age.

Prince Donghai had once grumbled privately that as long as the Empress Dowager was present, his father, the late Emperor, would have eyes for no one else. Han Ruzi now found that this statement was greatly exaggerated. To his thirteen year old eyes, the Empress Dowager was indeed beautiful, but not to the extent of causing everyone to be unable to avert their gaze. At the very least, none of the imperial officials in the Hall seemed to care about the Empress Dowager’s appearances as they were immersed in intense debate.

Once the Emperor appeared, the senior officials quietened down. The formed two columns along the side, and with Chancellor Yin Wuhai taking the lead, knelt down and kowtowed.

The spirit tablets in the Ancestral Temple were also objects of respect and ceremony, but they were mere objects, not actually the Emperors of the past. Those who knelt before them would forget them as soon as they left the Ancestral Temple. Han Ruzi was no different from those spirit tablets, as he was escorted to the Empress Dowager’s side by Grand Consort Shang-guan.

The throne was sufficiently wide to seat three grown adults. Han Ruzi wanted to shift to the side of the throne but the Empress Dowager reached out and pulled him close. The two sat snugly against each other, like a loving and dependent pair of mother and son.

Grand Consort Shang-guan stood by the Empress Dowager, keeping hold of Prince Donghai’s wrists. And so, the two Shang-guan sisters had the Graceful Emperor’s two remaining sons firmly in their grasp.

The Meng siblings and three eunuchs stood on the left and right, forming a protective barrier. Meng Che did not dress up as a servant-girl this time, but appeared as a palace guard.

The Director of Palace Attendants, Jing Yao, bade the officials to rise, which they did. After a moment of silence, a few senior officials raised their heads to look at the Emperor, their gaze filled with curiosity and confusion.

Han Ruzi was similarly confused. He was the Emperor, even if only in name, and was seated next to the Empress Dowager. How could these officials be so indecorous, and why did the Empress Dowager have no reaction to their indecorum?

Slowly, the arguments between the senior officials resumed.

The Chief Censor of the Right, Shen Mingzhi, waved a flat Hu ritual baton[1] at an official in his thirties, continuing his recriminations. “Grand Tutor Cui led an army of two hundred thousand, with the logistical support of four hundred thousand peasants from ten prefectures. Prince Qi’s army numbered only a hundred thousand, defending the lone prefecture of Linzhi. The difference in strength is evident! Grand Tutor Cui’s inability to secure a swift victory was already a cause for shock and suspicion, and now he suddenly suffers a defeat, causing peril to the Imperial Court. This matter is highly suspicious!”

The official being reprimanded had reddened, but he did not dare directly debate with the censor. He knelt down and kowtowed to the Empress Dowager, saying, “May the Empress Dowager make a judicious judgment. Of the Cui clan, only the Grand Tutor leads an army outside. His entire clan remains in the Capital. The Grand Tutor has suffered a setback, but he will surely be able to regroup and fight Prince Qi again. He would surely not allow the rebel army near the Capital, nor would he place His Majesty nor the Empress Dowager in danger. When a general leads an army, he cannot do so effectively without the trust of the Imperial Court…”

Yang Feng bent down and spoke to the Emperor softly. “That is the Minister of the Ministry of War, Jing Juying — Grand Tutor Cui’s son-in-law.”

Han Ruzi understood matters now. He stole a glance at the Empress Dowager, keen to see how she would resolve the dangerous situation.

His mother’s hands were always warm and soft, while the Empress Dowager’s hand was wet and cold. Being grabbed by it felt very uncomfortable, and Han Ruzi could not help but wonder whether the Empress Dowager was ill.

The Empress Dowager did not speak, and the arguments between the officials grew louder and louder. Some stood with Chief Censor of the Right Shen Zhiming and criticized the Cui clan, while others defended Grand Tutor Cui.

Yang Feng quietly introduced the various names, positions and general background of the officials. The Empress Dowager noticed but did not stop it.

The political landscape within the Imperial Court gradually presented itself before Han Ruzi. What he found strange was that there were some officials who clearly ought to be in the Cui faction, yet they criticized Grand Tutor Cui Hong with righteous indignation — with even more vigor than Censor Shen Zhiming.

More officials straddled both sides, waiting for the situation to be clearer before taking a position.

The one who would decide right and wrong was the Empress Dowager, yet her position remained unclear. Even when she occasionally spoke, it was to order some official who was keeping silent to state his views. Finally, she called on Chancellor Yin Wuhai, “Chancellor Yin, you stand at the head of the officials. Why do you remain silent?”

The Empress Dowager was more politically savvy than what many officials had expected. One could not feign ignorance and play the fool in her presence. Having interacted with the Empress Dowager a significant amount, Yin Wuhai knew this from experience. He quickly bowed and in a trembling voice unique to the elderly, he said, “I do not dare to keep things to myself, but this is a serious matter. There is not much information from the Princedom of Qi, and what information we have received are contradictory. It appears that we may not draw any conclusions from such a pittance of information.”

“A wise sage discerns the larger picture from small parts. Your lordships are important officials of the Empire selected by previous Emperors — even if you are not wise sages, surely you would come close. Even if full information is not available, it is evident that the war in Qi is not going well. The Chancellor is His Majesty’s right hand, if you droop hands and remain silent, you are causing His Majesty to be helpless.”

Yin Wuhai hurriedly kowtowed and professed his guilt. His voice trembled even more. “In my foolish opinion, Grand Tutor Cui was defeated in a moment of carelessness. If he can regroup, it seems like he may carry on the fight. Even though Prince Qi had a victory, he also suffered casualties. Even though he has the momentum, he may not be able to reach all the way to the Capital. It may be better to wait and see…”

A military officer in his twenties strode beside the Chancellor and said angrily, “Wait and see, wait and see, if we continue waiting, the army of Qi will be at our doorsteps! Empress Dowager, give me an army of ten thousand and I shall fight the rebels. If I do not return with Prince Qi’s head, I am willing to accept due punishment under military law!”

Yang Feng whispered a name to the Emperor, “Shang-guan Sheng”.

Needless to say, this was a relative of the Empress Dowager. He probably obtained his position not long ago.

The Empress Dowager did not respond while Shang-guan Sheng grew increasingly agitated. He waved his Hu ritual baton at Cui Hong’s son-in-law Jiang Juying and said, “I only have one condition: lock up the members of the Cui faction to prevent them from liaising with the enemy.”

This sentence offended many who were present. Many officials started refuting his words, with some kneeling and knocking heads on the ground before the Empress Dowager, yelling, “The Cui clan is innocent!”

The Hall of Diligent Administration fell into chaos. This was not the first time Han Ruzi had seen such a situation. He understood why the Empress Dowager spoke so little and refused to divulge her position. The Empress Dowager kept herself unfathomable, and so did the senior officials. Everyone was trying to hide their thoughts while discerning the thoughts of others. Behind the chaos of the debate lay sublime acumen.

For now, Han Ruzi did not understand what was truly going on. He needed to participate in such discussions more often for him to figure out some patterns.

Jing Yao stepped forward and waved the fly-whisk[2] in his hand. This meant that the Empress Dowager was about to pronounce on the matter under consideration. The officials quickly shut their mouths and got on their knees.

The Empress Dowager turned to look at the Empress Dowager, as though asking him whether he had anything to say. Han Ruzi pretended not to notice and kept his lips tightly shut. Compared to the wily foxes in the room, he was like a cub fresh out of the lair. Yang Feng’s reminder was rihgt: the only thing he should be doing is listening more and speaking less.

“Summon Han Ling to the hall.”

With the Empress Dowager’s words, the senior officials on their knees raised their heads in shock, and exchanged looks with each other.

Yang Feng said to the Emperor, “The Heir of Prince Qi.”

Han Ruzi recalled that when he ascended to the throne, the various lords and members of the Imperial clan had been attendance. Prince Qi claimed that his was sick, so the person who represented him was his Heir, Han Ling. It appeared that after the assassination incident, Han Ling was unable to escape the Capital.”

Jing Yao went to convey the Empress Dowager’s summons, and before long, two armed soldiers escorted a man into the hall.

Han Ling was in his thirties, tall and fat. He wore the red-colored official uniform, and stood with his head held high, refusing to kneel. It seemed that he did not suffer much for his imprisonment, and had heard the news of Prince Qi’s victory.

The Empress Dowager did not compel the Heir of Qi to kneel. He swept her gaze across the various officials and said, “Prince Qi claims that the Emperor is an imposter, and also claims that the Emperor was pushed into a well after the coronation. Heir of Qi, do you recognize the Emperor?”

When the Emperor ascended to the throne, the Heir of Qi was one of those in attendance. Han Ruzi did not remember him, but Han Ling recognized the Emperor. He sneered coldly, “What is the point of this, Empress Dowager? A fake is a fake. A fake during the ascension, a fake now.”

Han Ling turned towards the senior officials in the hall. “Your Lordships should look closely. Don’t kneel to the wrong the person — the Imperial family of Chu is Han, not Shang-guan.”

Shang-guan Sheng was enraged, and rose to leap onto Han Ling. The Empress Dowager shot him a look, and he quickly returned to his knees.

The Empress Dowager did not lose her temper. “What would it take for you to admit that the Emperor is genuine?”

“That would be simple. If the Empress Dowager hands the Emperor to an elder of the Imperial clan, us members of the Han Imperial clan will easily be able to verify whether this person is a descendant of the Graceful Emperor.”

The Empress Dowager fell into a momentary silence before speaking to one of the Five Trusted Officials, Chief Commander Han Xing, “Lord Han, you are of the same generation of the Martial Emperor, so you would be an elder of the Imperial clan, no?”

Han Xing said immediately, “The Emperor is the second-born son of the Graceful Emperor. It was recorded in the clan records without any doubt. The Prince of Qi and his son seek to mislead the people with devilish tales, a crime of the gravest severity.”

Han Ling guffawed loudly. “Han Xing, you old crook. What did the Shang-guan clan bribe you with for you to sell out your ancestors? Empress Dowager, you hold the Emperor in your hand, who would dare to say no to you? To discern the truth, you should retreat to the side.”

The Empress Dowager remained unaffected, nor did she retreat to one side. “Your Lordships, you have seen that Prince Qi and his son are unrepentant, seeking to kill me and my son. For the past few days after the assassination attempt by Prince Qi, to ensure the Emperor’s safety, the Emperor stayed within the Imperial Palace, and attended martial arts classes with various young nobles. But today, the Emperor attends personally within these halls. If anyone has any doubts, voice them.”

None of the officials had any doubts, but Han Ling laughed even more loudly. He pointed at the youth beside the Empress Dowager and said, “You say that he is the Emperor? He doesn’t even dare speak a single word! What kind of Emperor is that?”

The Empress Dowager was about to speak when the Emperor stood up and gently broke his hand free from the Empress Dowager.

Han Ruzi had not intended to do so — he wanted to only listen and not speak. But in a flash of inspiration, he felt that this was a rare opportunity. He would be able to speak before the senior officials without being blamed by the Empress Dowager.

“We are the son of the Graceful Emperor, the grandson of the Martial Emperor. We can prove it.”

Han Ruzi’s heart pounded in his chest. He could not help but look towards the Empress Dowager. When he broke his hand free from the Empress Dowager, he could clearly notice a wound on her wrist.

[1] The Hu ritual baton was a flat scepter held by officials.

[2] Eunuchs are often portrayed as carrying this whisk in their hands. This article shows some portrayals of this, but I have no idea whether the claims made by the article are historically accurate.