The two half-brothers thus met like this — no outsiders, no introductions, and certainly no familial affection. They took the measure of one another — more so the young boy who had arrived later; Han Ruzi quickly lowered his head.

That young boy was the other prince, Prince Donghai. Even though he was also “chased” out of the palace three years ago, he appeared to be very familiar with his surroundings. He was as comfortable as he was in his own home. He walked a few steps to another chair and slouched on it. His feet did not touch the ground.

“I thought I would encounter a formidable opponent. You disappoint me.” Prince Donghai’s voice brimmed with an unnatural maturity and coldness. His eyes did not look at the brother beside him, instead focused on his own shoes. “But when I become the Emperor, I shall still have to kill you. Or at least have you locked up, never to see the light of day. As the saying goes, a precious stone lands its innocent possessor in trouble. You must understand, as long as you are the Emperor’s son, you are a threat to me.”

Han Ruzi did not wish to continue paying heed to Yang Feng’s warnings. He said softly, “But the current Emperor did not kill the two of us.”

“Hah, the current Emperor? He is already dead. He was the Empress Dowager’s only son, he was old enough, and he was the eldest son by the principal wife — we were in no position to contend with him. Hence, he had no need to pull up the weeds by the root. But the two of us are different. According to birth, I am much nobler than you; according to age, you are a little older than me, perhaps by a mere few days. The Empress Dowager’s son has died, so it should be me who succeeds the throne. But there will always be pedantic Confucians who insist on adhering to seniority, spreading chaos in the hearts of people, forcing me to get you out of the way.”

Han Ruzi grunted in agreement, thinking that Prince Donghai’s words seemed quite reasonable.

“But…” Prince Donghai took his measure of Han Ruzi again. “You don’t seem that bad, more of the honest type. Perhaps I could spare your life, and lock you up in some secluded corner of the palace for a few years. When my position is secure, I could even grant you… No, no, I should not grant you a Princedom. You would stay in the Imperial Palace so I can keep an eye on you. You might as well be a eunuch then.”

Han Ruzi shook his head. He did not have a bad impression of eunuchs, but he knew that was a lowly profession.

Prince Donghai leaped off his chair, he arms crossed. He stood in front of Han Ruzi and said, “From now on, you must learn how to gain my favor. Otherwise, I would still kill you.”

Han Ruzi did not raise his head. Only after a while did he say, “I want to go home.”

“Hahaha!” Prince Donghai laughed until there were tears in his eyes. “Are you a fool? The winner becomes king and the loser becomes an outlaw. I am the king, you are the outlaw — what home would you have? It would be better for you to think about how to gain my favor.”

Han Ruzi remained soundless for quite awhile, and then he raised his head and shot Prince Donghai a look. “Palace Attendant Yang Feng was the one who brought me to the palace.”

Prince Donghai’s eyebrows creased. “So what? Palace Attendant is but a minor position within the Imperial Palace. I know of Yang Feng. He had served the Emperor since he was still the Crown Prince. Once the Emperor died, he became an ownerless dog. But you do remind me — once I ascend to the throne, I should get rid of Yang Feng.”

Han Ruzi looked at Prince Donghai in shock.

“Yang Feng is treacherous. You have no idea how many bad deeds he has committed — enough to warrant ten beheadings.” Prince Donghai harrumphed in disdained and sat back on the chair. “You are truly ignorant. But I suppose you are not to blame — your Mother was of low and vulgar birth, Lord Father did not even like you… What are you doing?!”

Han Ruzi had gotten on his feet and was staring angrily at Prince Donghai, his face red with fury.

“You must get used to hearing the truth.” Prince Donghai was not afraid of this brother who was older than him by a few days. “The truth is the truth. Your mother was but a servant-girl in the palace, with no relatives outside the palace. As for my Cui clan — do you know who my maternal grandfather was? He was the Martial Emperor’s chancellor. My eldest maternal uncle is the current Grand Marshal of the Southern Army — half of the Capital’s military is under his control. My second maternal uncle…”

Prince Donghai went on unceasingly, listing a long list of relatives. According to him, it would seem like the entire Chu Empire was held up by the Cui clan.

Han Ruzi’s anger had receded. He went back to his seat and quietly listened until Prince Donghai finally stopped talking. He asked, “Why did the students of the Imperial University stop you from entering the Imperial Palace at Dongqing Gate?”“The senior officials of the Court wanted to declare me Emperor outside the palace. But they were too timid and only sent a bunch of students still wet behind their ears,” Prince Donghai said indifferently.

Han Ruzi grunted in agreement. It was a meaningless sound, but it seemed to provoke Prince Donghai into anger. “Do you think I’m lying? Us Cuis have controlled the Imperial Court for more than a decade. My maternal grandfather’s sister was the Empress of the Martial Emperor. If she had not passed away early, she would be the Senior Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager would have to obey her. If you make me angry, I shall kill you once I ascend the throne. You and Yang Feng both, you are both treacherous.”

Hearing threats so many times actually caused Han Ruzi to no longer be frightened. He also wanted to ask a question — Why did Prince Donghai enter the palace alone? But he refrained from asking; he was growing ever more certain that the person who could make decisions was not this boastful “brother”.

Prince Donghai suddenly kept quiet. He leapt off his seat and ran to the door, watching the outside through a gap in the door. “Chancellor Yin Wuhai is here. That old cunning and treacherous fellow — he would never do anything that would cause him to stand out. It is hopeless to expect him to get anything done. When I become Emperor, I shall surely remove him from office. Of course, I mustn’t act too rashly. I would wait at least half a year. Not be in a rush for quick results like Father.”

Prince Donghai remained at the door, peeking outside. He seemed to be quite knowledgeable, recognizing many officials.

“The Chief Censor of the Right, Shen Mingzhi, is here as well. Everyone says that he is upright and unbending, but I think he is just brash. Sometimes, it is not good to read too many books and constantly go on about Confucian ideals. He might support you, just because you are a few days older than me. But don’t get smug about it, Shen Mingzhi is extremely unpopular in court — everyone is afraid of him but nobody agrees with him. The more he supports you, the more unlikely it would be for you to be Emperor.”

“Chief Censor of the Left, Xiao Sheng. Haha, he is with my Cui Clan, and is Shen Mingzhi’s rival. He would surely support me.”

“Chief Commander Han Xing. He is a senior member of the Imperial Clan, and also an honest man. According to seniority he is actually our granduncle. Just like Chancellor Yin Wuhai, he does not dare do anything but maintain the status quo. When I become the Emperor, I will get him to retire. Even though Chief Commander is just an honorary position with no real authority, it is a rank one position and must be entrusted to someone from the Imperial Clan who is trustworthy. Which would not be you, in any event.”

“We are tied for now. But don’t get smug. The true power brokers who can decide who would ascend to the throne are not these people.”

Han Ruzi did not want to appear too ignorant, so he interrupted. “That I would be the Empress Dowager, I think.”

This seemed to anger Prince Donghai again. He turned around fiercely, brows creased. “You are such a detestable fellow — stupid and irritating. Who told you that the Empress Dowager gets to decide everything? Your mother? You and your mother are both equally stupid. The Empress Dowager’s authority comes from the Emperor. When the Emperor passes away, she can only rely on her own clan. Lady Shang-guan[1] was the Empress for three years, and Empress Dowager for less than half a year. Her clan has not gained a proper foothold in the Imperial Court — they don’t even have the standing to discuss major matters. Unlike us Cuis, as early as the Martial Emperor’s reign our clan members have already taken positions throughout the Imperial Court.”

Han Ruzi shook rocked his legs lightly. “No wonder you recognize so many people.”

Prince Donghai mistook those words for an apology, so he calmed down and his tone eased up. “That was what my Teacher taught me.”

“You have a Teacher?”

“Don’t you have one?”

Han Ruzi shook his head.

“That is the consequence of not being favored. My Teacher is a renown Confucian with countless students. At least ten of his students are senior officials of rank three and above, though he himself does not like being an official. My maternal uncle went to great lengths to get him to tutor me. If you don’t have a Teacher, then who taught you to read?”

“My mother.”

Prince Donghai chuckled in disdain. “Then you must not read very well.” With that said, he continued to keep an eye on what was happening outside the room. Not long later, he smacked the door excited. “My uncle is finally here. Cui Hong, you must surely have heard of him. Grand Marshal of the Southern Army — half of the Capital’s military forces are under his control. With that I can rest assured, and so can my Teacher. When I ascend to the throne, I shall appoint him Chancellor.”

“You just said he did not like being an official.”“That’s because I am not Emperor.” Prince Donghai turned to look Han Ruzi in the eye, not understanding why that was even a question.

A few more officials entered the palace, and Prince Donghai grew evermore pleased with himself. He incessantly went on about the rewards and punishments he would dish out once he became Emperor. Suddenly, he shut up and ran back to his seat. He sat squarely and with proper posture, and had an aggrieved look upon his face. Instantly, his domineering demeanor became one of timid sadness.

Han Ruzi was just finding this puzzling when the door opened and a young, handsome eunuch entered the room. He paid his respects to the two princes before standing upright. Smiling with a tinge of sadness, he said, “May the two princes follow me. The Empress Dowager has summoned you.”

Han Ruzi thought that Prince Donghai would cheer in victory. Unexpectedly, it seemed like Prince Donghai had become a totally different person. He stood up and spoke as though holding back sobs. “My Imperial Brother has unfortunately left us in this world. Us two are but ignorant brats, if there is anything that would ease the grief in the Empress Dowager’s heart, I hope you can let us know. How may we address you?”

“The two prince’s entrance into the palace is the greatest consolation to the Empress Dowager. I am Zuo Ji, just an ordinary attendant in the Empress Dowager’s palace.”

Han Ruzi could hardly believe his eyes. He felt like he should say something, yet he could not think of anything to say. All he could do was follow behind Prince Donghai and walked out of the room.

“Older brother, please go ahead.” Prince Donghai humbly made way by stepping aside.

Han Ruzi was momentarily stunned. He then walked in front.

The young eunuch smiled and led the way. He led the two princes out of the room in the western wing, towards the central hall. The courtyard was empty, and arguing voices could be heard from the eastern wing opposite.

Seven or eight eunuchs and servant-girls stood in the central hall, with the Empress Dowager nowhere to be seen. Han Ruzi thought things did not seem right. Prince Donghai’s eyes darted around looking at his surroundings. He wanted to ask questions but ultimately held back.

Zuo Ji led the two princes to a warm chamber in the western side of the hall. The chamber was spacious, and had a large bed flushed against the wall, with a full set of beddings. Under the window was a long couch.

The Empress Dowager was also not in the chamber.

Prince Donghai could hold himself back no longer. “Lord Zuo, the Empress Dowager…”

Zuo Ji stood at the door and said lightly, “The Empress Dowager is torn with grief. She cannot meet with anyone at the moment.”

“But you said that the Empress Dowager summoned us.” Prince Donghai could not hide his severe dissatisfaction.

“And you two have been brought to the Empress Dowager’s palace-chambers. Thence you have answered the summons. May the two princes rest well here.”

“Rest for how long? Are we going to be sleeping here?” Prince Donghai was astounded.

“The Empress Dowager regards the two princes as her own flesh and blood. Ordinary people have no right to stay within the premises.” Zuo Ji laughed for a moment. “The Empress Dowager is in the chamber at the other end. She does not like noise, so please…” Zuo Ji made a “keep it down” gesture with his hands. “If you have any requests, knocking lightly on the door will do.”

Zuo Ji left the room, shutting the door behind him.

Prince Donghai stood still in shock, then said in a low growl, “Damn it! That detestable eunuch! We have been detained!”

[1] Both the Empress Dowager and the Grand Consort are called Lady Shang-guan because they are sisters.