The Ministry of Rites and the Bureau of Imperial Clan Affairs had made thorough preparations for announcing the Emperor’s return at the Ancestral Temple. Han Ruzi cut more than half of the traditional ceremonies – including ancestral offerings, heaven worship, earth worship, receiving court officials, and granting amnesty. What normally took from dawn to dusk was completed in just two hours, and he was once again Emperor of Great Chu.

Right Chief Censor Shen Mingzhi was designated to lead the court officials in the ceremonies, indicating he would succeed as Chancellor.

However, when the Emperor expressed his wish to personally lead the military campaign, he met considerable resistance. In the Hall of Diligent Administration, dozens of officials took turns persuading him to reconsider. Their reasoning was sound: the court was not yet stable, and the Emperor’s departure would bring even greater instability. Even successfully eliminating Shang-guan Sheng would not be worth the risk.

The officials seemed deeply concerned for the Emperor’s safety. Some even wept openly, volunteering to lead the campaign against the rebels in his place.

Han Ruzi had seen similar accounts in historical records. Whenever an emperor wanted to do something unconventional – whether leading troops, touring the realm, building new palaces, or changing old laws – officials would strongly oppose it. Their true motives were hard to discern. Beyond loyalty, there was likely calculation involved: they could show concern for the emperor and build their reputation at minimal cost – just kowtowing and tears.

Only the Martial Emperor was an exception. After his middle years, open opposition gradually diminished until there was none. When the Graceful Emperor ascended the throne, this practice resumed. No matter how little officials cared for the emperor, they still had to voice their objections.

This time, Han Ruzi sat on the throne listening to officials detail the impropriety of personally leading troops.

After more than two hours, past noon, some officials’ stomachs began to growl. Han Ruzi declared, “We have made Our decision. Our beloved ministers need not persuade Us further.”

The remonstrations continued briefly before finally ceasing. The officials’ actions would be recorded in historical chronicles – future generations could not accuse them of disloyalty, and that was enough.

But the persuasion wasn’t wasted time. Han Ruzi listened to every objection, some of which he hadn’t considered before, allowing him to address potential problems.

Not waiting for the officials to make decisions, he issued imperial edicts rapidly, taking less than fifteen minutes. The court officials were caught off guard, and before they could object, the “deliberations” were over.

The first edict: In the Empress Dowager’s name, it was announced that the Great Chu imperial seal would be temporarily replaced by another imperial seal. However, the unique imperial seal still needed to be recovered, as it concerned not only the court’s prestige but also, in many people’s eyes, predicted whether the current Emperor could maintain his position.

The second edict: Right Chief Censor Shen Mingzhi would serve as acting Chancellor, remaining to oversee the Capital, with all matters requiring the Empress Dowager’s approval from the palace. This was a temporary appointment and a test for Shen Mingzhi – only after passing it would he be formally appointed Chancellor.

The third edict: Keeper of the Seal Liu Jie was promoted to Director of Palace Attendants, while Yang Feng would take over as Seal Keeper, with expanded duties to manage both the Emperor’s and Empress Dowager’s seals.

Many officials realized this meant that after the Emperor’s departure, real power would lie not with Acting Chancellor Shen Mingzhi or the Empress Dowager, but with a eunuch!

As some prepared to kowtow in protest, Han Ruzi gave them no chance, immediately issuing the fourth edict: Five thousand men each from the Southern and Northern Armies would join him – just ten thousand troops to campaign against Shang-guan Sheng.

The officials erupted in chaos, momentarily forgetting about the eunuch’s power, and again opposed the imperial campaign. Though Shang-guan Sheng had only several thousand troops, he had defeated Grand General Han Xing’s tens of thousands. Taking only ten thousand troops seemed absurdly reckless.

The clamor grew so loud that a eunuch had to ring a small bronze gong to demand silence.

The Emperor offered no explanation and continued with the fifth edict: Left Chief Censor Xiao Sheng and Prefect of Hongnong Zhuo Ruhe were jointly appointed as imperial envoys, tasked to tour all prefectures for six months – one supervising administrative conduct, the other overseeing disaster relief.

This was also a test – if Xiao Sheng performed well, he could still potentially become Chancellor. What puzzled the officials was the choice of Zhuo Ruhe, Prefect of Hongnong. Though he was the Martial Emperor’s son-in-law, he had no notable reputation and wasn’t even in the Capital. His selection by the Emperor seemed very strange indeed.

Han Ruzi had met Zhuo Ruhe in Shang County and vividly remembered his comment that “the government seems to both have and not have grain.” This was why he decided to assign him to disaster relief.

Getting refugees to return home wasn’t the most urgent problem facing Great Chu, but it was the most fundamental one. Since Han Ruzi couldn’t handle it personally, he had to delegate it to Zhuo Ruhe, whom he’d only met once.

While the court officials were still pondering the mystery of Zhuo Ruhe’s appointment, the Emperor issued his sixth edict: appointing Marquis Piyuan Zhang Yin as Captain of the Palace Guard, ordering him to immediately lead the Palace Guards to defend the frontier, starting with Shattered Iron City.

The Emperor added an explanation: “This is a rotation – the Southern and Northern Armies guarded the frontier last year, now it’s the Palace Guards’ turn.”

The officials supported this edict. After causing such trouble, the Palace Guards deserved punishment. And since the Emperor insisted on campaigning personally, the Palace Guards shouldn’t remain in the Capital anyway.

Zhang Yin wasn’t present in the hall, but several officials understood the Emperor’s ulterior motive – once at Shattered Iron City, the Marquis could free his grandson Zhang Yanghao. However, to legitimately bring his grandson back to the Capital, he would need to achieve a great military success.

Han Ruzi didn’t want to immediately send Zhang Yin to the Western Regions, as he was more concerned about Xiongnu invasion. Assigning Zhang Yin to defend the northern frontier was somewhat risky. Though the taciturn old general had many military achievements, he rarely had independent command experience. Han Ruzi wanted to use this opportunity to test the Marquis’s capabilities.

When more officials tried to persuade the Emperor to take more troops and revoke the eunuch Yang Feng’s authority, Han Ruzi didn’t give them the chance, immediately issuing the seventh and eighth edicts.

The seventh edict was simple: Prince Donghai was ordered to take his family to his fief, departing together with the Emperor.

The officials privately praised this edict. An emperor personally campaigning against subjects was rather unseemly, so throughout history there were always public pretexts like imperial tours or ceremonial offerings. The current Emperor’s pretext was even more perfect – he could suppress Shang-guan Sheng along the way while removing his competitor Prince Donghai from the Capital, achieving two goals at once.

The eighth edict allowed sons and nephews of imperial clansmen, nobles and officials to voluntarily join the army to protect the Emperor during his campaign.

While the officials were still trying to comprehend the meaning of these edicts, the Emperor announced the end of court. The eight edicts had to be officially proclaimed before nightfall, with preparations tomorrow and departure the day after.

Acting Chancellor Shen Mingzhi became busy, not wanting to displease the Emperor on his first day. For him, nothing was more important than removing the word “Acting” from his title.

Han Ruzi had lunch at the Soaring Cloud Pavilion, then summoned his true confidants.

He had nothing particular to say to Yang Feng, instead asking: “Does Lord Yang have any advice for this campaign?”

“Take the long route, and beware of assassins.”

Han Ruzi smiled. Yang Feng truly understood his concerns. In this campaign, suppressing Shang-guan Sheng was secondary – gaining the recognition of both Southern and Northern Armies and demonstrating the Emperor’s presence to all prefectures was the primary goal. That’s why Yang Feng suggested taking the long route.

This was also why Han Ruzi was only taking ten thousand troops – with the current poor state of the economy, local regions couldn’t support too large an army.

Cai Xinghai and Chao Hua would remain to guard the palace, one managing internal affairs and the other external, both under Yang Feng’s authority.

Northern Army Commander Liu Kunsheng would also stay behind, commanding the Northern Army and some former supporters of the Weary Marquis outside the city. As long as no major mistakes occurred, this was sufficient to keep the Southern Army under Grand Tutor Cui in check.

Only Chai Yue and Fang Daye would accompany the Emperor’s campaign.

Chai Yue received an additional task – to find an axe-wielding general among the Palace Guards. Han Ruzi had nearly died under this man’s axe while attacking the North Gate.

By evening, everything was arranged. Shen Mingzhi acted quickly, officially proclaiming all eight edicts. Meanwhile, numerous memorials flooded into the Chancellor’s residence and through the Secretariat to the palace – half still begging the Emperor to reconsider, the other half requesting to join the campaign.

Everyone understood that while the Emperor said military service was “voluntary,” those who didn’t volunteer could consider their careers ruined.

Han Ruzi approved all applications. In the final batch, he saw the names of Cui Hong and his son Cui Teng.

Cui Hong’s memorial was lengthy, recounting the Cui clan’s contributions to Great Chu while subtly reflecting on his past mistakes. He earnestly advised His Majesty to remain in the Capital, volunteering himself to campaign against Shang-guan Sheng. Finally, if the Emperor insisted on personally leading the campaign, the father and son of the Cui clan were willing to serve as vanguards.

It was already very late, but Han Ruzi still went to visit his mother. The Empress Dowager had already retired, but Maiden Wang was waiting for the Emperor. Instead of inviting him into the inner chambers, she dismissed everyone at the main entrance and said seriously, “Do you know how dangerous it is to personally lead the army?”

Han Ruzi nodded. He hadn’t consulted anyone before making this decision, guessing his mother wouldn’t particularly approve. “It must be done. There are too many entanglements in the Capital. I need to take Grand Tutor Cui and the others out of the capital to handle them under military law – it will be faster and more convenient. Moreover, it will strengthen both the Southern and Northern armies’ support for me. When I return to the Capital, dealing with the officials will be easier.”

Consort Wang sighed deeply. Her son was right – taking the hidden threats out of the Capital would indeed be easier to resolve than dealing with them inside, but it was also more dangerous. “The journey will be perilous…”

“Still better than being trapped here with nowhere to go,” Han Ruzi smiled, not particularly worried about the future.

Maiden Wang pondered for a moment. “Your Majesty is betting everything on Yang Feng.”

With the Emperor leading the campaign, Yang Feng would become the most powerful figure in the capital. This was part of Han Ruzi’s plan. “I need to have some trustworthy people, otherwise I’d truly be alone.”

Maiden Wang smiled slightly but said nothing more.

Han Ruzi returned to his chambers where Empress Cui Xiaojun was still awake, greeting him with a smile.

“Your father and second brother have volunteered for battle. As long as they fight earnestly, I promise to bring them back to the Capital with me. What else is there to worry about?” Han Ruzi could tell at a glance that the Empress still had concerns.

Cui Xiaojun forced a smile. “Father sent people to find me three times, and I reassured them three times. That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“What else is there? Don’t worry, I’ll defeat Shang-guan Sheng in a month at most. With some time spent traveling, I’ll definitely return within three months.”

Seeing the Emperor’s confidence, Cui Xiaojun’s smile became more natural, but she quickly grew serious again, pointing to a sword on the table. “Do you recognize it?”

Han Ruzi had already noticed the sword. “The Founding Emperor’s sword?”

“Yes. When I heard you were leading the campaign, I thought you should take it for good fortune, but…”

“The Founding Emperor suffered consecutive defeats, is that what worries you? But he was victorious in the end.” Han Ruzi smiled as he walked to the table, picked up the sword and drew it halfway. His expression suddenly changed.

Cui Xiaojun said, “Someone has switched the Founding Emperor’s sword.”

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