The Child Emperor

Only when the candles were about to be blown out did Han Ruzi have the chance to open the paper ball. On it was six words: do you still think of meat

Han Ruzi understood what the note meant. It was not a serious question. Just like when he wrote “I want to eat meat” on his note, this was just a way of testing the waters. The Minister of Rites Yuan Jiu-ding showed that he could not be relied on by handing over the note. This time, Han Ruzi tightly held on to the note with no intentions of handing it over.

The candles were blown out. Dong Qing E was almost completely silent when she slept, while Zhang Youcai snored softly. Han Ruzi was not bothered by the sound, instead actually finding it reassuring. He closed his eyes and started to think on the most important question: who sent the note?

The paper note was definitely stuffed during the scuffle in the afternoon. With a bunch of people trying to separate the two, anyone could have stuffed something into the Emperor’s waistband without drawing attention.

Could Prince Donghai be part of it? The last time, it was him who pretended to fall, giving the Emperor the opportunity to stuff his note.

Han Ruzi held on the paper tightly. He rejected this hypothesis. The paper was rather worn, clearly having been carried by its owner for some time. That person had long awaited for an opportunity, which was met when Prince Donghai started the fight.

Zhang Youcai’s snores suddenly went silent. Han Ruzi opened his eyes and after a while, asked softly, “Is it you?”

“Mm.”

“You have not come in some time.”

“This is the Imperial Palace. I cannot wander about as I please.” Meng E did not treat the youth as an Emperor. She ordered, “Sit up.”

Han Ruzi sat up. He realized that he had not practiced breathing against the flow much these past few days, and could not help but feel nervous. Meng E was not someone easily fooled by excuses.

“Have you been training diligently?”

“I have been training, but there have been many things going on lately…”

“This technique does not require celibacy. It will not be affected by your marriage to the Empress. If you wish to master inner qi, diligence is more important than anything else. As you are right now, you will not gather inner qi in a hundred years.”

“I… I’ve to survive first. Otherwise I wouldn’t be able to repay you even if I learn inner qi.”

Meng E threw out a palm. Han Ruzi fell and then sat back up. He knew that she was testing the results of his training, and could not help but feel nervous. “I’ve not been training for long. Will there be results so soon?”

“Do you feel anything different?” Meng E asked.

“N… No. Just a little ache where you hit me in the chest.”

“Then there has been no results.” Meng E went silent for a moment. “It can’t be helped then. We’ll have to use that move.”

“What move? It wouldn’t be dangerous, right?”

Meng E did not answer. Instead, she said, “Can you feel your own ear.”

“What do you mean? My ear is here.”

“Can you move your ear.”

Han Ruzi was increasingly puzzled, but he still tried to control his ear. “It is rather difficult.”

Meng E clasped a long and thin object onto the Emperor’s right ear. “Now try.”

“It seems easier now.”

It was a hairclip. Meng E took it back and said, “Do you understand? You must first get a sense of it, then you can train in it, and then become stronger. Breathing against the flow is not training. It is meant to let you be able to sense qi. But you were not able to do so.”

“I’m sorry. It is true that I… was not very diligent. I kept getting distracted.”

“You are not entirely to blame. My sect’s technique is very complicated. The usual way of training is multi-faceted, with seven layers of training that should take place concurrently: skin, flesh, muscle, bone, blood, marrow, qi. Your regiment is too simplified. It will be hard to have an effect.

Han Ruzi did not dare blame Meng E for not training him well. “Then teach me the usual way of training.”

“No. You are the Emperor, and have many people around you. You cannot train, and if you do it would be recognized by my brother. There’s only one move that would work.”

Meng E had previously mentioned “that move”. Han Ruzi had a bad feeling about it, and hurriedly said, “It’s not like I absolutely have to learn inner qi. As long as you are willing to protect me, I will repay you in the future…”

“I cannot always be there to protect me. If you wish to repay me, then you must first owe me a sufficiently large favor. Open your mouth.”

Han Ruzi did not want to open his mouth, but a palm came ramming in. A turbid breath arose from his chest and rushed into his throat. He could not help but opened his mouth, and felt something being shoved inside. Before he could taste it, it was swallowed. It was too late to spit it out. “What did you feed me?”

“Something good. I have been trying to gather various herbs these past days, and finally managed to refine three pills. Eat one now, and a few days later have the second, and then the third. If by then you are still unable to sense qi, then you are truly not suited for learning inner qi.”

“I can sense qi just by eating pills?”

“It is just a possibility. Compared to the usual way of training, it is unorthodox. Let me help you a bit more.” Meng E did not wait for the Emperor’s permission, and jabbed various points on the Emperor’s body with her finger. “Alright. For the next few days, you will experience symptoms of burping, stomachaches, diarrhea, fever, and dizziness. Do not worry. Bear with it and do your best to practice breathing against the flow.”

“But I am about to get married. I have many matters to… Hello, are you still there?” Han Ruzi felt like something flashed in front of him, and after a while, he realized that Meng E had indeed left.

He truly hoped that Meng E could stay for longer. In this palace filled with danger, it was cold Meng E who could provide him with the most warmth.

He lay down and practiced breathing against the flow. He soon fell asleep without experiencing the symptoms Meng E had described. The next day, when he got up, everything was still normal. Han Ruzi thought himself lucky and did not pay it any mind.

Prince Donghai did not meet up with the Emperor to greet the Empress Dowager as he usually did. Only when Han Ruzi went to the Soaring Cloud Pavilion for his lesson did he see Prince Donghai in the Imperial Gardens.

Prince Donghai knelt on a pathway in the gardens, his forehead touching the ground, carrying a three feet long wooden pole on his back. More than ten young nobles stood behind him, everyone of them looking nervous, not even daring to breathe.

Han Ruzi did not expect to encounter such a scene and was stunned momentarily. He asked Zuo Ji who was beside him, “What is going on?”

Ever since he failed to persuade the Emperor to consummate, Zuo Ji seldom smiled. This day was no different. “Prince Donghai was disobedient and disrespectful. He is showing his contrition to Your Majesty.”

“Quick, get him up.” The fight the previous day was not serious. Han Ruzi had nary a scratch on him. Even though Prince Donghai was not likeable, it was too much to put him through such public humiliation.

The person who made Prince Donghai “show contrition” was not the Emperor, and the one who could get him to stop was not the Emperor either. Zuo Ji shook his head and said softly, “According to precedent, ‘showing contrition’ involves kneeling for at least half a day. Your Majesty may head to the Soaring Clouds Pavilion. There is nothing for Your Majesty to be concerned about here.”

Yet another matter of precedent. Han Ruzi suddenly understood a little of what the Grand Consort had said. Something known as “precedent” exercises authority in place of the Emperor. Han Ruzi had not felt it before, but that was because he did not actually wield even the most basic of authority.

Han Ruzi did not argue further. The few chips in his hand were to be spent battling wits against the Empress Dowager. They could not be wasted on Prince Donghai.

That morning, the Emperor had his lessons in the Soaring Clouds Pavilion. The gardens outside his window were quieter than usual.

The teacher of the day was Luo Huan-zhang. He did not mention his old student at all. He stood in front of the Emperor and thought for a while. “Where did I get to the last time?”

Luo Huan-zhang’s lesson on national history was the only lesson Han Ruzi enjoyed, and hence he could remember. He answered immediately, “We were speaking of the Founding Emperor’s exploits.”

“That’s right. Now that we have discussed the Founding Emperor, we should talk about the Accomplished Emperor. The Founding Emperor spent his life on the back of a warhorse, while the Accomplished Emperor was fond of Confucianism since his youth. When he inherited the throne, he implemented benevolent policies. The Founding Emperor conquered the realm, while the Accomplished Emperor protected the realm…”

As a scholar, Luo Huan-zhang obviously admired the Accomplished Emperor. He was full of praises, and got more excited as he went on. The words of effusive praise were like an army of well-trained ceremonial guards, their armor gleaming bright, their flags flying high, their energy immense. But watching them for a long time, would inevitably lead to boredom.

Luo Huan-zhang was turning into someone no different from the other teachers. Han Ruzi gradually grew disappointed. He tried his best to keep his eyes open, while the two eunuchs by the door were already dozing off.

After an hour, Luo Huan-zhang’s praises were finally coming to an end. Suddenly, his words took a turn. “Even though the Accomplished Emperor was the principal son of the Founding Emperor, he wasnot favored. He was admonished numerous times, and was nearly deposed. It was because his mother and several senior officials risked their lives to protect him that he was able to ascend to the throne. It was the fortune of the Accomplished Emperor, as well as that of the Empire.”

Luo Huan-zhang was an orthodox Confucian. He never explicitly referred to an Emperor’s wrongdoing. Even if he mentioned it, it would be implicit. He had never spoken of the Crown Prince when he spoke of the Founding Emperor.

Han Ruzi grew a little more interested. “The Accomplished Emperor had a good mother and good officials.”

Luo Huan-zhang shook his head. “The Accomplished Emperor had a good mother, yes. But not exactly good officials.”

Han Ruzi sat up straight, finding the discussion more interesting. “Did the senior officials not protect the Accomplished Emperor?”

“There were those who supported the Accomplished Emperor, so naturally there were those who supported the other princes. Especially Prince Zhongshan, who was the Founding Emperor’s favorite. There were many senior officials who submitted petitions to change the Crown Prince. The first few years of the Accomplished Emperor’s reign was spent dealing with this problem.”

“The Accomplished Emperor demoted those officials?”

“There were too many officials who had supported Prince Zhongshan. The Accomplished Emperor executed some and demoted others, but not many. The Accomplished Emperor was wise and he soon discovered a truth.”

“What truth?”

Luo Huan-zhang stole a glance at the eunuchs who were dozing off. He spoke slowly. “Those who suggested changing the Crown Prince were not trying to please the Founding Emperor, nor were they pleasing Prince Zhongshan.”

“Then whom were they trying to please?” Han Ruzi glared in shock.

“The Emperor.” Luo Huan-zhang paused for a moment before continuing. “The officials follow the Emperor. The officials follow whoever sits atop the throne. Some of those who sought to curry favor with the Founding Emperor eventually became the Accomplished Emperor’s most ardent supporters.”

“Such conduct by the senior officials… do not appear to be just and benevolent.”

“Of course. Flatterers are flatterers. They are neither beneficial to the country, nor helpful to the Emperor. Hence the Accomplished Emperor killed some of them. But for most, the Accomplished Emperor employed a different method. He changed them, taught them, brought them to the path of justice and benevolence.”

Han Ruzi gained some understanding. “Because such officials are more easily reformed.”

“Your Majesty is smart, able to deduce things from small clues. Even a man of honor needs dishonorable men to follow. The Accomplished Emperor’s wisdom lay in finding a side of the officials that he could trust, going with the flow, and eventually achieving greatness.”

Han Ruzi nodded. But he had a sudden epiphany. He stared at Luo Huan-zhang blankly, and then asked hesitantly, “It was you?”

“Does Your Majesty still think of meat?”

Han Ruzi was shocked. He did not understand how the note had come from Luo Huan-zhang. The two of them had never come into contact.

Luo Huan-zhang looked at the Emperor encouragingly. Han Ruzi slowly stood up. He was about to speak, but his stomach was suddenly wrecked with pain. With a moan, he fell onto the ground grabbing his stomach.