Extra 1-1: King of Chu (Part 1)

On the day the eldest prince was born, the sunset lit up the palace. The older men in the palace said this was a good sign, meaning the eldest prince would be a lucky and blessed child.

Zhaoyi Qiao, who had just given birth to the eldest prince, was very happy when she heard the news.

She was already one of the emperor’s favorite concubines, and now she had given birth to his first son. This meant a bright future for her.

Maybe the emperor also heard people praising the eldest prince for his blessings and quickly gave him the name Xiao Ze.

The Empress Central was often sick and had no children for many years. The birth of Xiao Ze made the Emperor extremely happy. When he turned one, Xiao Ze was named “King of Chu,” and Qiao Zhaoyi was promoted to the first-rank concubine. This made them both very popular.

People in the palace said that Xiao Ze’s birth brought good luck. Since he was born, many other princes were born as well. In just five years, there were six.

Xiao Ze used to be the emperor’s favorite, the eldest son. But with so many princes now, he wasn’t as special as before.

Even though there were many princes, Xiao Ze still got the most attention from the emperor because he spent the most time with him. He was innocent and liked by everyone, so even when new princes were born, Xiao Ze still got more attention.

But as he grew up, Xiao Ze’s flaws started showing.

He looked cute when he was younger, but when he got older, he became fierce, which worried people.

Shufei ^[1]refers to Xiao Ze’s mother, Qiao Zhaoyi. originally thought Xiao Ze would be fine. After all, his father was the emperor, his mother was a first-rank concubine, and he had many powerful uncles.

But the “Eight Kings Rebellion” soon caused serious problems.

Xiao Ze always cared about friendship and loyalty. Even when the emperor was angry, Xiao Ze asked for mercy for his uncles, which put him in danger.

Not only was Xiao Ze in trouble, but his family and supporters were also punished by the emperor.

Other officials in the court began to distance themselves from Xiao Ze.

Soon after, the emperor made the third prince the new crown prince, showing that Xiao Ze would never be the emperor.

Shufei thought her son would never recover. He would stay at home, reflect on his mistakes, and live peacefully.

But Xiao Ze wasn’t someone who could sit still.

After being locked up at home for three months, he couldn’t take it anymore. He sent people to the palace every day, asking when his punishment would end.

What did “reflecting on one’s mistakes” even mean? Did it mean he couldn’t leave the house at all? Not even during festivals or to visit relatives?

Being stuck in the mansion was boring, so Xiao Ze wrote to the emperor every day, asking when he could leave. The emperor found it unreasonable and asked Concubine Shu to visit and mediate.

When Concubine Shu arrived at the Prince of Chu’s mansion, she told Xiao Ze seriously, “Son, if you leave, people will look down on you. It’s better to stay at home and keep a low profile.”

Xiao Ze puffed up his chest and said, “I am the legitimate son of a dragon and phoenix. Who dares to disrespect me? I’ll beat them!”

Concubine Shu: …

Xiao Ze’s confidence was touching, but after being locked up, he seemed less intelligent. What was happening?

Xiao Ze used to be a serious young man in front of the emperor, but after being locked up for a year, he became a slacker. Now, he cared more about sending greetings to the emperor than anything else.

If his letter didn’t reach the emperor, he would punish the people handling it.

No matter how poor the King of Chu is, he is not someone ordinary people can afford to offend. The Emperor only asked him to reflect on his actions at home, without stopping his salary or removing his title. Confronting him now would be like hitting a rock with an egg^[2]means that challenging the King of Chu would be useless and only cause harm to the weaker person without affecting him.

The messengers hurried to deliver a letter to the King of Chu, completing their mission as soon as they gave it to the chief steward, Gao, at Xuanzheng Hall.

Eunuch Gao was very careful and would never intercept any private letters from the King of Chu, always delivering them to the Emperor.

The Emperor was both annoyed and soft-hearted toward his son, Xiao Ze. He felt complicated every time he read a letter from him, but he still read all of them.

The Emperor wanted to see if Xiao Ze had made any progress, realized his mistakes, or understood the difficulties of being an Emperor. Sadly, Xiao Ze had not changed. He remained reckless and clingy, making the Emperor frustrated every time he read his letters.

Xiao Ze always found a way to send letters, and the Emperor, despite being annoyed, would read each one.

By the fourth year of the Eight Princes’ Rebellion, the Emperor, seeing how troublesome the Crown Prince was becoming, praised his eldest son more and more.

During that year’s imperial exams, the Emperor found new talented officials. One of them, Ji Yanming, passed the top six exams, something unprecedented in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The Emperor liked him immediately for his writing and personality.

But then the Emperor saw another letter from Xiao Ze, and his handwriting still hadn’t improved. The Emperor was annoyed and decided to arrange for Ji Yanming to teach Xiao Ze to read, write, and understand the ways of the world.

What the Emperor didn’t know was that Xiao Ze had received a signal from Eunuch Gao, which led him to believe that Ji Yanming had chosen to work with him. This misunderstanding made Xiao Ze very happy.

For the first time since losing power, Xiao Ze felt hopeful. Ji Yanming and his cousin, Tao Sheng, had become his supporters, helping him rise to power once again. Tao Sheng helped Xiao Ze win over his father through music, and Ji Yanming guided him step by step.

But Xiao Ze soon realized that not many people were truly loyal to him. Besides Ji Yanming, Tao Sheng, and their families, most had left.

One day, Xiao Ze discovered Ji Yanming’s feelings for Tao Sheng. He thought, “If I can bring these two together, I’ll be secure for the rest of my life.”

But a problem arose—Xiao Ze’s rival, King Rui, had also fallen for Ji Yanming, and wanted to make him a relative by marrying Tao Sheng.

No one with common sense could come up with such an idea.

After hearing this, Xiao Ze was happy for several days.

This wasn’t a sign of goodwill towards Ji Yan. It was an attempt to take someone’s beloved and made their already bad relationship worse.

Xiao Ze was right.

Originally, Ji Yanming hadn’t planned to act against Prince Rui so soon, but when this guy invited the Guan and Shen families, who were just as foolish, to propose marriage, Ji Yanming joined forces with Grand Master Luo to plot against him.

How could Lao Liu handle the plans of these two powerful figures? He was soon disliked by the emperor for being unclear in his thinking, starting the path to his downfall.

The newlyweds Xiao Ze had always supported finally got married and became the main couple he would support for the rest of his life.

Years later, the emperor died, and most of the other princes were dead. Xiao Ze naturally took the throne, following the emperor’s wishes.

On the day Xiao Ze ascended the throne and gave titles to his officials, the newly crowned empress and empress dowager exchanged surprised glances as they held the imperial edict.

These two people, who knew Xiao Ze best, seemed very surprised by his rise to the throne, even doubting it at one point.

After Xiao Ze became emperor, he gave titles to the previous emperor’s concubines and to his own concubines. Now it was time to promote his own people.

What Xiao Ze envied most about his father was that he could always summon Tao Sheng to play the zither. Unfortunately, due to a period of national mourning, all entertainment was prohibited, so he had to let go of that wish and focus on other activities.

For example, promoting Tao Sheng and Ji Yanming to higher ranks.

Ji Yanming had already become a cabinet minister in charge of the Ministry of Personnel, so there was no room for promotion. Tao Sheng was now the highest-ranking official in the Taiyue Bureau, Taiyue Ling, and had no plans to change.

Xiao Ze waved his hand. “In that case, just nod your head.”

He looked through the booklet from the Minister of Personnel. It seemed suitable to promote Tao Sheng to a third-rank doctor and give Ji Yanming the title of Prince Guardian of the Eastern Palace.

When Xiao Ze discussed it with his ministers, no one opposed Ji Yanming’s promotion. But some objected to Tao Sheng’s promotion to the third rank, arguing that her contributions weren’t enough, and especially because she was a woman.

Xiao Ze was unhappy when he heard this.

How could Tao Sheng’s contributions be underestimated? In recent years, she had repaired rituals and music ceremonies, sent envoys to northern countries, revived traditional culture, and ensured the late emperor had a good quality of life. She had done far more than those who just sat around collecting salaries.

After thinking about it more, Xiao Ze got angrier. He wondered if these ministers had opinions about him but were too embarrassed to say so, so they opposed everything he wanted to do.

But conferring a title wasn’t necessary. There were two main benefits: the title sounded good, and the salary was higher.

But Tao Sheng didn’t seek fame or money. After returning to the Luo family, she had enough wealth, so she wasn’t eager for this promotion. Xiao Ze believed it was better to take things step by step and wait for the future.

There were so many tasks to handle after becoming emperor that Xiao Ze soon put this matter aside and focused on other important work.

After a new emperor ascends, he usually rewards some people and punishes others. Now, Xiao Ze couldn’t reward the ones he wanted to, so he decided to punish those who had old grudges against him—those who had been allies of the late Crown Prince and Prince Rui and had once sabotaged him.

But after becoming emperor, Xiao Ze realized that even an emperor can’t do whatever he wants. Many things are interconnected and require balance. If that balance is lost, it could lead to court turmoil and public unrest, damaging the Great Zhou’s long-standing stability.

Xiao Ze turned to Ji Yanming for advice.

Ji Yanming believed that stability needed to be maintained during the transition to the new reign.

He wrote a list for Xiao Ze, saying the court had been purged after the late Crown Prince and Prince Rui’s issues. Most of the remaining officials didn’t have serious problems, but a few had committed major offenses. These officials should be severely punished, while the others could be given lighter punishments or shown leniency. This would establish authority and benefit the future.

Xiao Ze agreed. There was no better solution.

Xiao Ze also noticed something interesting. He joked with his trusted general, Lord Ji: “Since you married Tao Sheng, you seem much gentler. If you were still your old self, I don’t think the list would just be those people suffering. But I like this new side of you. You’re like the famous ministers in history books—smooth on the outside, but strong and just on the inside, just like Grand Master Luo.”

Hearing Xiao Ze mention his wife’s name, Ji Yanming smiled warmly: “That’s Tao Sheng’s influence.”

It’s no exaggeration to say that Tao Sheng is the guiding light of Ji Yanming’s life.

Seeing Ji Yanming like this, Xiao Ze felt relieved. 

The emperor was right. Once Ji Yanming marries, he will become stable and mature. It is especially important to marry a good wife. Matching him with Tao Sheng is a good idea for everyone.

Although Ji Yanming and Tao Sheng are both Xiao Ze’s confidants, Xiao Ze personally prefers Tao Sheng. She is gentle, strong, optimistic, and beautiful. Every time he sees her, he feels peace and comfort.

Though he can’t hear her play the zither now, Xiao Ze often asks Tao Sheng to join him. Their talks bring him peace of mind.

Xiao Ze also made a new discovery. Ji Yanming spends money carelessly and often runs out of it. He has no concept of money. Simply giving him things doesn’t improve their relationship. But if Tao Sheng is rewarded, Ji Yanming seems more grateful and his attitude softens.

In just a few months, Xiao Ze has learned a new way to get along with Ji Yanming. He feels he’s growing quickly as emperor.

Being an emperor is smoother than expected, but life still has troubles. Recently, Xiao Ze has been bothered by Tao Sheng being too popular in the harem. The empress and other concubines often call her for long talks, taking up time that he could spend with her.

The harem and the outside world were never closely connected. When the empresses want to know about things in the court, they ask women from outside the palace. But these women only have second-hand information, while Tao Sheng has first-hand knowledge.

Tao Sheng speaks wisely, knowing what to say and what not to. She also understands the emperor well. By carefully listening to her, one can understand the emperor’s intentions and what’s happening in the court.

Because of this, Tao Sheng is a precious resource in the harem. 

Lately, Tao Sheng has been very popular and is often invited by the empress to join the women in the palace. This means when Xiao Ze wants to speak with her, he can’t find her.

Today, it’s the same. So, Xiao Ze leaves the Xuanzheng Hall and goes to the Queen’s Zhaoyang Hall.

The harem has always been peaceful. Even now, there is little jealousy or competition between the concubines.

At the Zhaoyang Palace, many concubines are gathered, all happily chatting around Tao Sheng. Xiao Ze stands at the door, feeling irritated. He thinks they’ve stolen his opportunity to enjoy Tao Sheng’s company.

However, with so many concubines, even if Xiao Ze showed his power as emperor, he wouldn’t win. The harem belongs to the Queen, and if she supports them, nothing good will come from fighting.

He remembers a saying from *The Art of War*:

“If you can’t beat them, join them.”

Xiao Ze proudly walks forward, tells the Queen to move aside, and sits in the seat closest to Tao Sheng.

The Queen glares at him with hate, but she can’t do anything. She’s new as the queen and must set an example of virtue for the harem.

Xiao Ze smiles slightly, enjoying the fact that she can’t get rid of him.

“You all continue talking. I just got bored reading the memorials, so I came to see what you were doing.”

His words are exactly what the empress and concubines wanted, so they ignore him and keep chatting.

Tao Sheng is the main guest invited to the Queen’s tea party. She is the one telling stories about Mr. Wei’s travels and Zhang Xinyue’s journey to the West. She mentions Western inventions like clocks, fans, oil paintings, dresses, different measurements, and weapons.

Xiao Ze remembers that Tao Sheng had talked about these things when his father was still alive. She had recommended a weapon called the “bird gun” that could spit fire. At that time, his father wasn’t interested in new technology, but now Xiao Ze, as emperor, understands its importance.

If the bird gun really works as Tao Sheng said, Xiao Ze plans to ask the Ministry of Revenue to fund a firearms battalion for Great Zhou.

The concubines weren’t interested in the weapons, but they loved the Western ornaments and asked Tao Sheng to buy them as “agent purchasing” ^[3]phrase used to describe someone buying something for others..