The Child Emperor-Chapter 356: Uneasy

The candles went out, plunging the room into complete darkness. Neither of them spoke.

After a long while, Han Ruzi asked, “How… could it be you? The name on the ceremonial documents clearly wasn’t yours.”

Whether to recognize her as a daughter or granddaughter was merely a matter of words for the Great Chanyu, and bestowing a name was even simpler. Jin Chuiduo’s new name, when translated into Chu language, meant “Eagle soaring freely above the steppes, the Great Chanyu’s most beautiful granddaughter, the Great Chu Emperor’s most beloved wife.”

No wonder Han Ruzi couldn’t remember that long string of transliterated names when the ceremonial official read them out.

Jin Chuiduo remained silent.

“If you were forced into this, I could…”

“Could what?” Jin Chuizhu’s voice still carried anger.

Han Ruzi truly had no solution. This was a marriage alliance between two hostile nations, not an ordinary imperial consort selection. Moreover, they had already performed the ceremony – sending Jin Chuiduo back would only bring her greater humiliation.

Han Ruzi carefully walked forward in the darkness. After just two steps, his outstretched hand suddenly touched something – Jin Chuiduo was also walking forward.

She reacted quickly, seizing the Emperor’s wrist and twisting it forcefully – but couldn’t budge it. Though her archery was excellent, she lacked strength. Without another word, she kicked out with her foot, then immediately realized it was inappropriate and tried to pull back, losing her balance.

Han Ruzi’s wrist was seized, and he instinctively reacted by tensing his arm. He heard a soft cry from the other person, as if she were about to fall, so he quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him.

The two stood close together and fell silent again.

“The Great Chanyu…” Han Ruzi still had many doubts in his mind.

“Do you want to share a bridal chamber with the Great Chanyu?”

“Of course not. I just… I remember we were married once before, but I didn’t expect there would be a second time.”

That was back in the fishing village near the Capital, when a group of people had jokingly called Jin Chuiduo “Empress” and carried them both around in a parade, though there had been no formal wedding ceremony.

Jin Chuiduo’s hand suddenly gripped the Emperor’s throat. “You planned this in advance, didn’t you?”

The hand wasn’t applying pressure, so Han Ruzi felt no fear, only that his new consort had quite a temper. If an inner court official like Liu Jie heard of this, he would surely shake his head vigorously and might even issue an imperial edict questioning the consort. “Planned what?”

“During the negotiations, you said… you said you didn’t care who the marriage alliance involved, but privately you sent word to the Great Chanyu to have him send me… didn’t you?”

Han Ruzi was about to deny it, but the words that came out had a different meaning: “Yes, that’s right. The Great Chanyu was very clever and understood my meaning.”

The hand around his throat tightened slightly, then immediately loosened, but didn’t move away.

They fell silent again.

“You really are the Great Chu Emperor,” Jin Chuiduo suddenly said, though her meaning was unclear – there was both joy and regret, as if this weren’t entirely a good thing.

“And you really are ‘Her Imperial Majesty the Empress,'” Han Ruzi teased. As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. An emperor’s words carried weight – Great Chu had formally refused to name a Xiongnu woman as empress, not even as co-empress, only as imperial consort. Though “Her Imperial Majesty the Empress” was meant as a joke, it was highly inappropriate coming from the Emperor’s mouth.

Jin Chuiduo paid no attention to this, sighing softly: “This is what our Jin family owes to Great Chu.”

“Only to Great Chu?”

Noticing the Emperor’s increasingly teasing tone, Jin Chuiduo snorted heavily and tried to move away, but was held firmly in his embrace.

“This is our wedding night.”

There were no wedding candles, only the night.

The news that Jin Chuiduo, daughter of the former Marquis Guiyi, had become an imperial consort caused the entire city to boil over with excitement the next morning. The people of Jincheng City didn’t know much about the Jin family’s situation and inquired everywhere. The liveliness rivaled New Year celebrations, sweeping away the gloom that had hung over the city for days.

Han Ruzi rose slightly later than usual but still convened the morning court session. The next task was to supervise the Xiongnu withdrawal from Chu territory – every step required careful arrangement. One wrong move or misunderstanding between the two sides could trigger another war.

The Xiongnu might not be able to win a war, but they could still easily kill the Emperor. For Great Chu, that would be the greatest defeat of all.

Prince Donghai remained in charge of the negotiations, but when the court session ended, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he stayed before the Emperor, and after all the ministers had departed, leaving only the eunuchs and Cui Teng, he stepped forward and said, “Did the Great Chanyu really send the Jin family’s daughter?”

Han Ruzi nodded solemnly, hoping this might prevent Prince Donghai from mentioning the matter further.

Prince Donghai was not deterred, however, and shook his head. “The Xiongnu are truly cunning with their schemes – giving her a new name, turning a daughter into a granddaughter. So… she is now Noble Consort Jin?”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Han Ruzi asked.

Prince Donghai smiled. “Your Majesty intends to bring Noble Consort Jin back to the capital, right?”

“Should I not?”

“You should, it’s just… Noble Consort Jin won’t run away again, will she?”

Han Ruzi’s expression darkened. Prince Donghai maintained his smile – he understood his brother too well. If the Emperor were truly angry, he would not show it on his face so quickly. He turned to Cui Teng. “Won’t you say something?”

“Say what? This is a palace matter. Everything is decided by the Emperor. What can a subject say? What should he say?” Cui Teng was not foolish at such moments.

Prince Donghai smiled and took his leave. After watching him exit the room, Cui Teng immediately said to the Emperor, “Your Majesty need not worry. The Chai clan dare not cause trouble. If there truly is an incident, I will handle it – Your Majesty need not intervene personally.”

The people of the Capital remembered clearly Jin Chuiduo’s killing of Chai Yun with an arrow.

“I’m not worried about the Chai family,” Han Ruzi said flatly.

With the death of the Elder Princess, the Chai family were merely ordinary nobles who would never dare oppose the Emperor. In the succession struggle, the Chai family had chosen to support the Weary Marquis at the last moment, earning considerable rewards that left them quite satisfied. They would be even less likely to challenge Jin Chuiduo now that she had become a noble consort.

What Prince Donghai worried about was the Empress and the Cui clan.

Rumors about the Emperor and the Jin family’s daughter had always been numerous. Even if the Empress didn’t mind, the Cui clan would feel that a powerful enemy had been added to the palace. Cui Teng’s intelligence was limited – he had thought of the Chai family but not his own.

Han Ruzi understood Prince Donghai’s meaning and couldn’t help staring at Cui Teng for a while.

“What’s wrong?” Cui Teng was puzzled and looked down to check himself, seeing nothing dirty on his person. Suddenly remembering something, he hastily said, “Hu You… no, no, Noble Consort Jin and I have never met. When I was in the Capital, I only heard her name mentioned. The one who was truly interested in her was Chai Yun.”

“Stop talking nonsense and go attend to your duties.”

Cui Teng was still rebuilding the Ceremonial Guard Battalion. He accepted the command and withdrew. Han Ruzi returned to his study to continue handling government affairs, keeping only two eunuchs and Palace Drafter Zhao Ruosu by his side.

Han Ruzi felt somewhat uneasy. After reviewing several documents, he asked Zhao Ruosu, “Regarding marriage alliances, what are your thoughts?”

Zhao Ruosu was a meticulous person. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Could Your Majesty be more specific about which aspect of marriage alliances?”

“Princess Pingjin was not a descendant of the imperial clan, and the person Great Chanyu sent is not his actual granddaughter either. Might there be a connection between these two facts?”

“Perhaps there is some connection, but I believe this was not the Great Chanyu’s primary purpose.”

“Mm.” Han Ruzi waited to hear Zhao Ruosu’s analysis.

But Zhao Ruosu was deliberate by nature and thought for another moment. “I cannot guess the Great Chanyu’s purpose. Moreover, since the marriage alliance is accomplished and the Xiongnu will soon withdraw beyond the passes, the Great Chanyu’s thoughts are no longer important.”

“What’s important is the Cui clan,” Han Ruzi realized. “What more can I do? Cui Hong is already Grand Tutor and Grand General – the court has no higher positions. I can hardly make him Chancellor, can I?”

“The Chancellor is the head of all officials, reached through gradual advancement – this has become established practice. Grand Tutor Cui has long served in the military and clearly has no interest in the chancellorship. If Your Majesty wishes to put Grand Tutor Cui at ease, there are only two approaches.”

“Speak.”

“Grand Tutor Cui still has one son and one grandson. His own rank and title are too high to be elevated further, but according to precedent, his descendants can receive hereditary honors.”

“Mm, this is feasible.” Han Ruzi had long intended to reward Cui Teng, feeling this matter would not be difficult to arrange. Cui Teng had indeed performed meritorious service, so outsiders could say nothing against it.

“The second is…” But Zhao Ruosu did not continue.

The ruler and subject had not yet achieved mutual trust, so Zhao Ruosu had to be careful with his words. Han Ruzi had to grant immunity first: “Lord Zhao, speak freely – I will absolutely not blame you.”

“If Your Majesty were to have a son born of the primary wife soon, the Cui clan would naturally feel secure.”

Han Ruzi smiled helplessly. The Emperor clearly possessed the most heavily guarded palace in the realm, yet not only did he fail to receive the security he deserved, even his personal life could not be kept hidden. Who knew how many people were “concerned” about the issue.

Han Ruzi thought of his mother. Once he thought of his mother, he suddenly remembered many more things. “Which minister is responsible for the marriage alliance affairs?”

“Minister Yuan of the Ministry of Rites.” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“He came from the Capital a few days ago.” Han Ruzi remembered very clearly that Minister of Rites Yuan Jiuding was one of more than ten groups of envoys who had come from the capital. His official rank was the highest, so he had stayed behind to preside over the court assembly. Thinking about it now, the marriage alliance matter must also be his responsibility.

“Ha, the Ministry of Rites is truly skilled at pleasing people in the palace.” Han Ruzi said with a cold laugh. Yuan Jiuding had originally been one of the first ministers to side with Empress Dowager Shang-guan, and now he was walking the same old path, beginning to curry favor with Consort Wang.

Zhao Ruosu stepped back and knelt on the ground without speaking.

Zhao Ruosu possessed Yang Feng’s wisdom as well as Liu Jie’s upright caution. Han Ruzi was not particularly fond of the latter trait, but still smiled and said, “We should not make baseless speculations. Lord Zhao, please rise. We will not reveal what was spoken here, nor will We pursue anyone.”

Of course Han Ruzi would not investigate. If it was ultimately proven that his mother had secretly interfered with the marriage alliance, it would be even more difficult for him to handle.

The matter of taking a consort had at least caused no harm to anyone so far. Han Ruzi preferred to remain ignorant.

Yet in the time that followed, he remained restless. Zhao Ruosu, being in his thirties and more experienced, said, “This subject has already reviewed today’s documents – there are no urgent matters. If Your Majesty feels weary, you may rest early and prioritize your health.”

How could a newly married couple go an entire day without meeting?

Han Ruzi smiled and shook his head, continuing to read the documents until he could no longer bear it. Only then did he rise and leave, but he left orders that if there was new information from Prince Donghai’s side, it should be reported to him immediately without delay.

The small courtyard where the Emperor resided still retained many festive decorations, though there were few people about. Ni Qiu, who had returned to Jincheng City with Zhao Ruosu, was cheerfully chatting with Jin Chuiduo’s maidservant in the courtyard, introducing his new name “Chao Jing.”

If Han Ruzi had seen this maidservant earlier, he would have guessed the truth at the time. But he had barely participated in yesterday’s wedding ceremony and had not noticed the maidservant at all.

“I knew it.” The maidservant, having spent time with the Xiongnu, was even less concerned with etiquette and kept laughing as she looked at the Emperor.

“Your name is Qingting?” Han Ruzi asked.

“Hehe, Your Majesty still remembers me.”

“Of course I remember.” Han Ruzi smiled. “Why are you still wearing Xiongnu clothing? Hasn’t anyone given you new clothes?”

“I’ll be leaving in a few days, so changing back and forth is too troublesome.”

“Leaving?” Han Ruzi was very surprised, because Qingting’s mention of “leaving” clearly did not mean returning to the capital.

Qingting covered her mouth, knowing she had misspoken, and shook her head repeatedly at the Emperor.

“I am, after all, a Xiongnu.” Jin Chuiduo had appeared at the doorway at some point.

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