Chapter 3, The Clever Child

Han Rizi got up, rubbing his eyes while yawning

Han Rizi was also tired, closing his eyes and listening intently to the sounds outside the door. Uncertain whether it was an illusion or a real sound, he thought he heard the sound of sobbing

Outside the palace, there was a sedan chair along with more than ten eunuchs and palace maids. The Empress Dowager signaled for the two princes to enter, while she remained outside to walk.

The King of Donghai tightly grasped Han Rizi's wrist, his body trembling slightly

"Fool, only the emperor can have his wishes fulfilled; you can only hope for the emperor's grace. If you wish to return to your mother, you must have the emperor's—my—permission." The King of the East Sea turned and fell asleep, and soon a faint snoring sound could be heard.

Han Rizi had no idea what the family banquet was about. The King of Donghai interjected, "Three years ago, when my father ascended the throne, it should have been a time of universal celebration. However, Wang Meiren was secretly crying in the palace, and when discovered, it was deemed a great disrespect. Therefore, during the family banquet, my father did not invite them mother and son."

The King of the East Sea, seeing a favorable opportunity, released Han Ruzi and jumped to the ground, saying, "Child pays respects to the Empress Dowager. The young one attempted to escape, but I captured him."

In the main hall, there were two palace maids standing guard at the entrance of the Eastern Warm Pavilion, where the Empress Dowager was inside. She had summoned the two princes but had not yet appeared. The King of Donghai and Han Rizi could not help but glance in that direction. The King of Donghai slowed his pace and suddenly rushed towards the two palace maids, shouting: "Empress Dowager! I am the King of Donghai, I wish to see you!"

The palace maid holding the box stepped forward, gently nudging it aside. The King of the East Sea involuntarily ran towards the door, his steps unsteady, nearly tripping over the threshold. The maid turned her gaze towards another prince, while Han Rizi quickened his pace to exit. He felt puzzled; this maid had a very peculiar appearance, lacking any gracefulness, resembling... a man.

On the night of the third day trapped in the Empress Dowager's palace, Han Rizi curled up on the chair, silently reflecting on the experiences of the past few days. The night grew deeper, and he felt no trace of drowsiness. The King of Donghai lay alone on the large bed, tossing and turning, unable to fulfill his wish of ascending the throne on the day he entered the palace, which made him extremely angry

I want to escape; the ministers will proclaim me as emperor. I truly regret not leaving with those students from the Taixue at the Dongqing Gate. It's all their fault; they only know how to shout, yet not one of them dares to take action. That old eunuch Jingyao has me firmly restrained.

Han Rizi struggled a few times but was unable to break free from his restraints, so he could only advise: "It won't happen. If the Cui family is truly as powerful as you say, the Empress Dowager would not kill you"

Han Rizi pondered for a moment and said, "Why do you always say 'our Cui family'? Shouldn't you also have the surname Han?"

Han Rizi knelt down, but did not help to push the window. "You cannot escape; this is the Empress Dowager's palace. There are two gates in front and behind. If you wish to leave through the Penglai Gate, you must pass through three layers of gates and four long alleys, not to mention the imperial guards that are everywhere."

The King of Donghai did not pay attention to the palace maid, and wept, saying: "The child also misses his mother, so I momentarily lost my composure; the Empress Dowager is my true mother."

Ah?

"Do you recognize me?" Empress Dowager Shangguan curiously examined King Donghai. Beside her, the eunuch Zuo Ji held a lantern, and there was also a palace maid carrying a long wooden box.

My mother often complains about my height, saying that it is because of me that she cannot pay her respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress every day

"There must be treacherous officials obstructing from within. Yang Feng? He is a villain, but his position is too low. It must be the Right Censorate Shen Mingzhi. Could it be that the Prime Minister Yin Wuhai and the Grand General Han Xing have also betrayed us?" The King of Donghai muttered to himself for quite a while, not daring to raise his voice.

The door of the warm chamber was knocking, and the King of the East Sea had no time to return to bed. He hurriedly turned around and sat properly on the chair. Suddenly inspired, he knelt down again, grabbed one of Han Rizi's arms, and pressed him against the windowsill

Hmm? Han Ruzi thought through what he had eaten for lunch and dinner, and although he did not reach any conclusion, he felt much more at ease in his heart, because— I never intended to become an emperor

Han Rizi was taken aback, but since the King of the East Sea did not exert much force, he did not resist violently

When brothers are united, their strength can cut through metal. We must work together and deepen our understanding. Let's start with a casual conversation.

"You want to escape through the window!" shouted the King of the East Sea. The door opened, and the light from outside shone in. He shouted even louder, "Quick, someone come! The child is trying to escape!"

"Nonsense, of course my surname is Han, but—" The voice of the King of Donghai was originally very low, and at this moment it became even lower, "There are too many descendants of the Han family, and they do not take the princes seriously at all. Everyone only focuses on the emperor. In the Cui family, everyone likes me, even though I am just the King of Donghai, they still like me, so I prefer the Cui family."

Perhaps it was an inadvertent revelation of the truth, the King of the East Sea suddenly changed his tone, "But my surname is indeed Han, and my name is Han Shu, a prince without any falsehood. Everyone says I resemble Emperor Wu the most. You are called Ruzi, right? Why such a peculiar name? This cannot be your real name; our generation's names all have the 'mu' radical."

Han Rizi was pondering how to respond to this half-true, half-false question when the Empress Dowager smiled and said, "At your age, you still have the temperament of a child. Come with me, and I will take you to another place"

The Empress Dowager is mourning the Emperor, who is her biological son

The Empress Dowager Shangguan smiled without speaking

You... actually remember the way in?" The King of the East Sea was surprised

The emperor is the master of the world, yet apart from his mother, no one truly mourns his death. Upon reflecting on this, Han Rizi begins to feel sympathy for his prematurely deceased elder brother. They had lived in the same residence for nearly ten years, yet had never met, at least not in Han Rizi's memory.

Han Rizi could not sleep; he missed his mother and had no fondness for the palace, nor for his half-brothers with whom he shared a room. Gradually, his thoughts turned to Yang Feng, imagining that the eunuch was somewhere fighting a group of enemies, fighting for... Han Rizi hoped Yang Feng would win, but he truly did not want to become emperor

Han Rizi remained silent

The Empress Dowager smiled but did not respond, turning to leave the warm chamber. The King of Donghai, feeling helpless, could only follow her. Next was Han Rizi, followed by the palace maid carrying the box. Zuo Ji, holding a lantern, walked closely behind the Empress Dowager.

The King of the East Sea gently pushed the window and said, "Come over and help."

The King of the East Sea muttered, "A hypocritical fellow, almost deceived me; how can such a person be allowed to remain?"

Thank you... thank you. Han Rizi truly cannot think of what to say

Hey, fool, you do not understand the benefits of being an emperor. Once you become an emperor, you can... you can do as you please, do whatever you want, and have whatever you desire. 'All under heaven is the king's land, and all along the shores are the king's subjects.' Only the emperor is the master of the world, while everyone else is a tenant who must pay taxes to the emperor

Han Rizi pondered for a moment, "If both of us die, who will become the emperor?"

I only want to be with my mother

When can we see the Empress Dowager?" The King of Donghai immediately became alert.

The King of Donghai excitedly pushed Han Ruzi again, "The Grand Ancestral Temple is a place for ancestral worship, I am truly going to become emperor!"

The King of the East Sea laughed out loud, quickly closing his mouth. After listening for a while, he realized that this laughter had not attracted any attention from outside, and then he said with a smile: "Your mother really knows how to tell stories, do you believe it?"

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, reining in some of her smile, and asked: "Why did you want to escape?"

The King of the East Sea crept in again, approached the chair, knelt by the window, and said with great concern: "Something is amiss, very amiss. The Emperor is already dead, and the only ones qualified to ascend the throne are the two of us. The Empress Dowager should have proclaimed me Emperor long ago. What is she waiting for?"

The Empress Dowager has not appeared for a long time, and it is very likely that... she has already been killed. We are not under house arrest; we have been kidnapped, perhaps..." King Donghai leaned closely against Han Rizi, as if this way he could block the sudden onslaught of swords and daggers.

I... am called Ruzi," Han Ruzi said uncertainly, "My mother said... that Emperor Wu has seen me and praised me, saying 'Ruzi is teachable,' so...

"Pah, how could there be such a foolish person like you? Even in deep sorrow, the Empress Dowager must first establish a new emperor; this is the custom, this is... this is the duty of the Empress Dowager. Moreover, by keeping both of us under house arrest, it shows that her mind is very clear."

"You fool, of course, it is someone from the Shangguan family." The King of Donghai himself felt that this answer was too foolish, and quickly changed his words: "They will select a puppet from the royal family to be the emperor. We are both too old; they will choose a two or three-year-old infant who cannot even speak. Indeed, such things have happened in previous dynasties... Oh my God, I am going to be killed!" He quickly changed his words: "They will select a puppet from the royal family to be the emperor. We are both too old; they will choose a two or three-year-old infant who cannot even speak. Indeed, such things have happened in previous dynasties... Oh my God, I am going to be killed!"

The Empress Dowager Shangguan turned around and smiled, saying: "The smarter the child, the less obedient they are"

Finally, the King of the East Sea was quiet for a moment, then said softly: "I didn't expect you to be quite bold, not afraid at all."

Han Ruzi, who was subjected to unjust accusations, began to resist, but his strength was on par with that of the King of the East Sea. After losing the initiative, he found it impossible to turn the situation around and was instead increasingly suppressed.

Han Rizi remained silent, and the King of the East Sea found it rather dull. He jumped down from his chair, returned to the large bed, and lay down to continue sleeping

Are you sure? Oh, that's right, killing me would be equivalent to forcing the Cui family to revolt, haha... The King of Donghai released Han Rizi, but still felt somewhat uneasy, and did not speak again along the way

The two brothers sat in the darkness, and after a long time, neither of them could come up with a suitable topic. The King of the East Sea grew angry again, "You are truly a blockhead, unable to even speak. How about this, let's take turns asking questions, you go first."

The sedan chair jolted forward, and the King of the East Sea nudged Han Ruzi, saying in panic: "Do you understand now?"

The King of Donghai sat down, pushed Han Rizi aside a little, and then whispered, "I have thought it over; after all, we are brothers, both descendants of the Han family, sharing the blood of Emperor Wu. When I become emperor, I will not kill you, and I will even grant you the title of king. If you can remain honest and obedient, perhaps I will allow you and your mother to leave the capital and go to a small county to be a small king."

The sedan chair came to a stop, and the eunuch Zuo Ji lifted the curtain of the chair, peering inside, "The Grand Ancestral Temple has been reached, please disembark, Your Highnesses."

A gentle voice said: "We are all brothers, why fight?"

On the tenth day after the ascension of the Emperor, a family banquet was held in the palace, and the child paid respects to the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Grandmother. The King of Donghai stood with his hands clasped, appearing as obedient as could be.

He had just fallen asleep when he was jolted awake, groggily thinking that this was his own home. He mumbled a couple of sounds, but suddenly sensed that something was amiss. He immediately opened his eyes and, in the darkness, vaguely discerned a figure.

I do not remember very clearly

What is understood

Empress Dowager Shangguan revealed a smile, "That's right, I remember now. At that time, you were only this tall. Children grow up so fast, and now you are almost as tall as I am."

The King of Donghai gave Han Ruzi a heavy push on the shoulder, saying, "It's pointless. Your mother was born a palace maid; didn't she teach you how to please others?"

The Empress Dowager nodded with a smile, her gaze turning to Han Ruzi, "I don't believe I saw you at the family banquet that time."

Han Rizi raised his hand to point at the King of the East Sea, just as he was about to say that he had been framed, the King of the East Sea once again interrupted him, "He wants to return to the side of the beautiful Wang. From the moment he entered the palace, he has been crying and saying he misses his mother. Am I not correct, Rizi? Did you not say that?"

Well

"You really can sleep soundly." This is the voice of the East Sea King