Chapter 369: Epiphany |
While the imperial palace bustled with activity as more women were brought in to marry the Emperor, Han Ruzi was busy at the Weary Marquis’s residence, selecting several qualified naval and infantry generals from among the thousands of officers in Great Chu.
Both the campaign to suppress the bandits of Cloud Dream Marsh and the pirates of the Eastern Sea required large numbers of warships and infantry. Ships could be built slowly, and infantry could be assembled from various regions, but finding qualified commanders was the most difficult task.
Many renowned veteran generals from the Martial Emperor’s era were still alive. If the court were willing to dispatch a large army all at once, they could all command quite well. However, the court was reluctant to spend too much, which made things difficult. When questioned, the old generals all cautiously shook their heads, not daring to give definitive assurances of victory.
Among the younger officers, there were quite a few bold enough to take command of any army, but they could not articulate specific bandit suppression plans. Their talents did not seem comparable to a second Deng Cui, so Han Ruzi was reluctant to entrust them with such important responsibilities.
The sea required large ships, which took time to build, so there was no immediate need for great generals. The bandit suppression campaign in Cloud Dream Marsh had already begun execution, with thousands of Chu army soldiers constructing the first batch of strongholds. Though few in number, they all had their backs to major cities, making them easy to defend and difficult to attack—ordinary generals could command them.
This gave Han Ruzi some time.
The Ministry of War had its own method for selecting generals, preparing to conduct naval exercises on a lake south of the capital city. Lasting over ten days, the exercises would rank the generals according to their performance for the Emperor’s selection.
Han Ruzi also identified a group of promising candidates among the noble attendants around him, planning to send them out in rotation to work alongside experienced generals and learn the art of military command.
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion. Han Ruzi could feel the cooperation of all Great Chu, though this was only a small trial. The coordination between various parties and the Emperor was not perfect—like an old vehicle getting back on the road, one could hear the creaking and grinding sounds.
So far, he had not succeeded. By noon, meals had to be eaten, and once out of the ministers’ sight, no one could stop the Emperor.
Han Ruzi discussed state affairs with another group of people at the Weary Marquis’s residence. Here, protocol was unimportant—the focus of everyone’s discussions was how to solve problems at the lowest cost.
He also reviewed memorials here. To show respect for the Chancellor, he rarely approved them on the spot, instead either sending them to the Hall of Diligent Administration or waiting until the next day to make decisions together with the ministers.
On the fifth day of the palace’s selection of consorts, Han Ruzi received a special memorial at the Weary Marquis’s residence, signed “Gentle Consort.” Zhang Youcai reminded him that this was Deng Yun, Deng Cui’s younger sister.
As a matter of rank, below the Empress was the Noble Consort, and below that were ordinary consorts with various titles—Gentle Consort was one of them. Like court officials, they all had ranks, official seals, and subordinates, and could submit memorials to the Emperor. However, few actually did so, as palace matters were to be resolved within the palace, with the Empress or Empress Dowager as the final arbiters—there was no need to trouble the Emperor.
For a newly enfeoffed ordinary consort to dare write a memorial to the Emperor showed considerable boldness. Only when remembering this was Deng Cui’s sister did the Emperor and the eunuchs around him find it somewhat reasonable.
Deng Yun’s memorial was eloquently written. She said that entering the palace was like a military strategist becoming a general for the first time, or a successful examination candidate receiving their first official post—her heart’s desire was to serve the country loyally. Unfortunately, despite her passionate enthusiasm, she could not even see the Emperor himself, which inevitably caused her to doubt whether her talents were too meager to lead armies or govern people.
Her analogies were numerous: rare flowers transplanted to a deserted valley, dusty pearls hidden in boxes, precious stones used by the ignorant to pave roads—all were metaphors for her situation. The meaning was singular: the Emperor should at least come see her once, to make their marriage worthwhile.
A consort’s memorial could not be sent directly to the Emperor. When Han Ruzi inquired, he learned it had come from Cining Palace, meaning it had his mother’s support. He couldn’t help but wonder—the Empress had personally summoned Deng Yun into the palace, so why had the new Gentle Consort immediately aligned herself with Empress Dowager Cining upon entering?
Han Ruzi replied the memorial with “Noted,” and two days later at noon, before leaving the palace for the Weary Marquis’s residence, he formally received all twelve newly appointed consorts, with the Empress and both Empress Dowagers present.
The four consorts were the main figures. Han Ruzi recognized Dong Qing’e, and two other consorts were daughters of ministers. The fourth consort was Deng Yun, Deng Cui’s sister.
Among these twelve women, Deng Yun was the most beautiful—otherwise Deng Cui would not have recommended her to the Emperor. She was also the boldest. While the others only stole quick glances when bowing to the Emperor and kept their eyes downcast at all other times, not daring to move their pupils, Deng Yun alone looked at the Emperor twice from the start and even maintained eye contact with him briefly while bowing.
This meeting should have been merely a ceremonial affair that ended quickly, but it turned into an inner palace discussion. Both Empress Dowagers, including Empress Dowager Cishun who normally showed no concern for the Emperor, spoke up one after another, urging the Emperor to remain in the palace and not spend nights outside constantly. The Empress also offered a few words of persuasion—in front of outsiders, she had to fulfill her duties.
Han Ruzi responded respectfully, explaining that the nation was in turbulent times and he needed to receive reports from all corners of the realm at all hours. Living deep in the palace posed many inconveniences, but once matters settled somewhat, he would return to the palace.
It was then that Deng Yun spoke up, startling the other consorts as well as the eunuchs and palace maids present.
“Your Majesty should indeed prioritize state affairs. Since Your Majesty cannot reside permanently in the palace for now, why not have the consorts take turns to leave the palace to serve Your Majesty? The servants at the Weary Marquis’s residence also need someone to manage them.”
Deng Yun possessed her brother Deng Cui’s skill of striking precisely at the target. Both Empress Dowagers and the Empress agreed, the Emperor could think of no reason to refuse, and he had the feeling that in just a few short days, Deng Yun seemed to have won everyone’s favor. The conflicts he had anticipated simply had not materialized.
Serving the Emperor also followed rank order, three days each. The first two consorts were both ministers’ daughters who acted cautiously, rarely leaving their chambers. When the Emperor did not come at night, they did not press him, and after three days they obediently returned to the palace without a word of complaint.
Han Ruzi did not share their beds, partly because he felt guilty toward the Empress, and partly because he truly had no such inclinations. During these days, his mind was entirely occupied with selecting generals. He could recite several hundred names backwards and knew half their records by heart, yet still could not find suitable candidates.
Some were brave like Fan Zhuangshan—perfect for facing enemy armies in battle, but advancing step by step toward bandit strongholds was not their strength.
Some possessed strategic wisdom like Chai Yue—if they had sufficient troops under their command, they could arrange formations and devise foolproof plans. But the soldiers the court was sending to Cloud Dream Marsh numbered only a few thousand. When necessary, they could call upon garrison troops from surrounding prefectures and counties, but even combined, these would not exceed ten thousand men. Even if Chai Yue personally took command, he could not use such limited forces to surround Cloud Dream Marsh.
As for the majority of mediocre candidates, they could only serve under great generals and lacked the ability to handle matters independently.
Han Ruzi could not even clearly articulate what kind of general he actually needed, leaving both court officials and the many attendants and advisors at the Weary Marquis’s residence somewhat confused.
That night, Han Ruzi kept five noble attendants and summoned three generals recommended by the Ministry of War. Gathered around a map of Cloud Dream Marsh, they engaged in empty discussions that invariably returned to the word “difficult”. For the bandit suppression to succeed, they would need either more troops or conscript more laborers from surrounding areas.
Han Ruzi wavered, but he did not want to mobilize large forces so quickly. He was more inclined to suspend the bandit suppression and wait until Great Chu’s strength recovered somewhat before formulating a comprehensive plan.
He kept this thought to himself without voicing it, planning to wait until the naval exercises south of the Capital concluded. If he still could not find a suitable general, he would then discuss it with his ministers.
The great hall was brightly lit with candles and torches. Though they had no perfect strategy, everyone discussed passionately, all wanting to fully display their talents before the Emperor. If he could dispatch a hundred thousand elite troops, Han Ruzi could immediately designate two of them as commanding generals.
Prince Donghai and Cui Teng were also present. Prince Donghai could occasionally interject a few words, while Cui Teng only yawned and slumped half-asleep in his chair.
Even though the debate yielded no results, it benefited the Emperor. Han Ruzi at least became familiar with Great Chu’s generals.
Midway through, a eunuch came to report matters but dared not disturb the Emperor, so he gave Zhang Youcai a meaningful look. Zhang Youcai went out for a while, and when he returned, he said nothing, clearly indicating it was nothing serious. However, during the following period, he kept going in and out repeatedly. One time he was gone for quite a while. Han Ruzi noticed this, but since he was enthusiastically discussing methods for attacking the bandit strongholds at the time, he didn’t pay particular attention to the eunuch’s behavior.
Chief Overseer Liu Jie remained in the palace, so the people managing affairs at the Weary Marquis’s residence were the old eunuch He Yi and the young eunuch Zhang Youcai. Zhang Youcai was young after all and couldn’t contain himself. Each time he returned to the Emperor’s side, his expression was worse than the previous time.
Prince Donghai noticed something and laughingly suggested everyone rest, saying it was getting late. While others could sleep in, the Emperor still had to attend court early the next morning.
These people all lived in the Weary Marquis’s residence and took their leave together. Han Ruzi was still unsatisfied and continued staring at the map alone, lost in thought. Only after a while did he remember the eunuch beside him. “Youcai, what’s going on?”
Zhang Youcai had finally waited for the Emperor’s inquiry and immediately spoke: “Your Majesty, please go take a look quickly. Gentle Consort… Gentle Consort has killed the chickens and ducks in the residence!”
Gentle Consort had already been there for two days, but Han Ruzi had completely forgotten about her. When Zhang Youcai mentioned this, he was greatly shocked. Those chickens and ducks were beloved pets of Empress Cui Xiaojun. Normally no one dared touch them, yet they had been killed.
Han Ruzi flew into a rage. “Take Us to see.”
Zhang Youcai led the way, followed by eunuchs and guards. The group of more than ten people walked toward the rear quarters.
It was already past midnight, and most people in the residence had gone to sleep, but Gentle Consort had not. Zhang Youcai led the Emperor not to the bedchamber, but to the rear garden.
As soon as they entered the garden, everyone smelled a fragrant aroma. After turning a corner, all were stunned speechless by the scene before them.
The Gentle Consort had not only killed several chickens and ducks but had also roasted them into food. She had paired them with fine wine for a grand feast and was now seven or eight parts drunk, reciting poetry toward the pond with bold intonation. However, her voice was slurred and no one could make out what she was reciting. Five eunuchs and palace maids stood around her in a daze. Upon seeing the Emperor’s arrival, they immediately wiped their mouths before kneeling.
Gentle Consort stopped reciting poetry and turned around, swaying as she looked at the Emperor. Suddenly she broke into foolish laughter. “The Emperor’s chickens and ducks are truly extraordinary. Their meat is more tender than those from other households. Your Majesty, come, come, let’s drink a toast together. It would be a shame to waste such a beautiful night, scenery, and delicious food.”
Han Ruzi strode up to Gentle Consort with a stern expression, about to question her when she suddenly lunged forward and fell into his arms, then immediately stood straight again and let out a long breath.
“Why did you…”
Before the Emperor could finish his words, Gentle Consort Deng Yun said: “Since this is about suppressing bandits, why does Your Majesty always think of using troops? The people available in the realm…”
Gentle Consort suddenly turned around and began retching violently into the pond.
Han Ruzi was stunned once again, but this time it had nothing to do with Gentle Consort’s behavior. Her words had given him an epiphany.
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