Chapter 37: Quelling Internal Rebellions, Deng Sui Dies

Compared to disaster relief, governing the empire was vastly easier.

This allowed Gu Xi to gradually find time to rest.

What Gu Yi cared about more was:

——As the realm gradually stabilized, Gu Xi finally had several offspring.

This had always been Gu Yi's hidden worry.

Although Gu Clan no longer suffered from the scarcity of members it once faced, its descendants now spread across the land.

But for Gu Yi,

the true core still required direct lineage.

Although these offspring had very average attribute values—even worse than Gu Liang had once been—

Gu Yi's anxieties slowly eased.

How could a family produce extraordinary talents generation after generation?

Gu Clan's growth to its current scale was already remarkable.

Even Gu Liang, the most unremarkable of these generations' patriarchs, was a capable man who had upheld the Gu Clan.

Now that the clan's descendants were mediocre, it was only natural.

Gu Yi had considered selecting a newborn and using a "Wall-Breaking Card" on him.

But since he knew he could simply take control after Gu Xi's death, he suppressed the idea entirely.

The effect of the "Wall-Breaking Card" was too risky.

First, it required a newborn just born.

Then, depending on various factors, it might even lower the child's original attributes.

For Gu Yi, that was too great a gamble.

Luoyang.

Today's Luoyang was utterly renewed, finally regaining the prosperity of its former days.

As history had originally unfolded.

Great inventions such as Cai Lun paper and the water-powered armillary sphere emerged one after another.

In fact, when Gu Yi had initially left technological knowledge for his clan, he had once guided Gu Kang on certain papermaking techniques.

Of course, these materials were sourced by Gu Yi from the internet.

Perhaps because of this, or perhaps because Gu Clan had never produced a genius inventor,

over the years, despite never ceasing research into papermaking, Gu Clan had never achieved a major breakthrough.

And as Gu Yi had expected,

when Gu Xi first saw the paper delivered by Cai Lun, he immediately thought of the carved-block printing technique long sealed within the Gu Clan.

Yet he did nothing about it.

As time progressed, institutional reform was an inevitable trend.

Gu Xi's talents were indeed exceptional.

But to directly break free from the constraints of his era was clearly impossible.

Yet Gu Yi was quite eager to see what would happen.

He had originally left behind the complete data on carved-block printing precisely to test whether this method could yield Achievement Points.

If it truly could generate Achievement Points,

it would be an enormous boon for Gu Yi.

Everything seemed to have returned to its proper course.

Emperor Liu Hu had also fathered an heir.

Though not born to Empress Yan, this news greatly uplifted the court.

The boy was named Liu Bao.

Though still young, he possessed a sharp wit.

Deng Sui and Gu Xi both loved this child.

Deng Sui even named him Crown Prince, and Gu Xi himself began to consider personally instructing the boy.

He wished to cultivate a worthy Son of Heaven for the entire Han.

Regarding this matter,

whether Liu Hu or Deng Sui, both naturally offered full support.

Who in the realm did not know the abilities of Gu Clan's descendants?

Even Gu Clan members serving as local officials were more capable than ordinary officials.

This was entirely due to the Gu Clan's superior educational methods.

And it was no secret.

Yet no one could fully replicate them, for the Gu Clan's overall atmosphere differed markedly from other great clans.

If Gu Xi could now personally instruct the Crown Prince, perhaps he truly could mold a wise ruler like Emperor Xiao Ming.

Of course, some were Burdened with Worries about this.

Gu Xi already wielded such immense power.

If he became the Son of Heaven's teacher, given the Han's deep reverence for mentors, what would his status become then?

Even setting aside Gu Xi himself,

would not Gu Clan's descendants also benefit?

The Gu Clan had already enjoyed four generations of glory!

Gu Xi, now only in his thirties, has already reached this point.

Could it be that the Gu clan truly intends to coexist with Han?

This is truly difficult for some to accept.

Soon, whispers arose in the court: "The Son of Heaven has long been capable of ruling; Deng Sui and Gu Xi should return power to him."

Gu Xi cared not at all about this matter.

In fact, Han has already emerged from the consecutive deaths of emperors and years of natural disasters.

He could say he had fulfilled his promise to Liu Zhao.

He had also brought the Gu clan's prestige to its peak.

What harm is there in returning power?

And perhaps precisely because of the Gu clan's presence, Deng Sui never intended to hold power indefinitely.

It looked as if the matter was about to be settled.

Yet, to everyone's surprise, Liu Hu refused!

In his own words, he was still young; even if power were returned to him, he still needed Gu Xi and Deng Sui to jointly govern the empire—why make such a needless gesture?

This answer left the ministers utterly stunned.

Not to mention them.

Even Gu Yi was greatly surprised.

But after careful thought, he accepted it calmly.

Liu Hu's character had always been this way.

Today's reality is utterly unlike history; Gu Xi's presence has completely changed Liu Hu's view of Deng Sui.

Now he can enjoy himself daily.

He bears not the slightest burden.

He feels no threat of being deposed at any moment, yet retains all the dignity befitting an emperor.

As long as Gu Xi and Deng Sui govern the empire well, he too will leave a fine reputation in the annals.

Why not embrace this?

"So it's become a tale of a virtuous mother and filial son?"

Gu Yi couldn't help but laugh and sigh; his expectations for Gu Xi grew ever stronger.

How far could he go?

With the effect of his Longevity Card, might his achievement points surpass Gu Kang's outright?

All of this is possible!

Someone like Gu Xi is destined never to stop advancing.

His character has already been forged.

He showed promise from childhood, and now, having quelled the natural disasters,

His hunger for great achievement and fierce confidence have become ingrained in his very bones.

After the empire gradually recovered in the third year of Yuanchu,

He resolved to begin pacifying the threats.

——The Xianling Dynasty.

The Qiang rebellions had long been an unresolved problem for Han.

In original history, the rise of the Xianling Dynasty was tied to the Western Regions rebellion.

The Western Regions rebelled; Han mobilized troops.

The Qiang feared being sent far away and never returning, and later launched a large-scale uprising; Dianling declared himself Son of Heaven in Beidi Commandery, recruited various Qiang tribes, and established a state threatening the Three Auxiliaries.

But today's Han is entirely different.

The Western Regions were pacified early, and a series of effective policies had already turned them into an impregnable barrier.

Yet even without Western Regions unrest, these consecutive natural disasters gave rise to the Xianling Dynasty.

As early as the second year of Yuanchu, Gu Xi had already dispatched forces to quell the rebellion.

But fearing the people's exhaustion, he refrained from large-scale military mobilization.

Now that Han has fully recovered,

He would not let this opportunity slip away.

Gu Xi is utterly unlike Gu Xiao and Gu Cheng; he is more like a strategist who masters the art of human nature.

He understood that before a restored Han, all barbarian tribes felt only fear.

Precisely because of this,

For this campaign, Gu Xi made an enormous show of force.

Even before his troops arrived, the whole empire knew of it.

Gu Xi's current renown was not earned by chance.

His past victory, when he marched north and shattered the combined forces of the Southern Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan, stood as undeniable proof.

This psychological assault was unavoidable.

The Xianling Dynasty was merely a coalition of Qiang tribes.

Upon hearing this news, chaos erupted instantly.

Han's strength had long been etched into their hearts.

The fragile alliance collapsed completely from that moment.

With the regent Lang Mo assassinated, the fate of the Xianling Dynasty was sealed.

One tribe after another came to surrender.

The divine might of Han was once again echoing its former glory; all barbarians from the four directions submitted, and the Qiang troubles in the Three Auxiliary Regions were utterly resolved!

——Yuanchu Sixth Year.

The various tribes of the Southwest Yi, dissatisfied with Han, saw their leader Feng of Yuexi Commandery unite neighboring tribes in collective rebellion, even capturing several counties and killing officials and seizing civilians.

Gu Xi personally led a large army to suppress the rebellion.

He continued to leverage Han's overwhelming momentum, striking at the enemy's morale.

While secretly courting individual tribes, he fought the main rebel forces.

This was a war whose outcome had long been decided.

Unless there existed a truly impregnable Si Alliance, it was utterly impossible to fully evade Gu Xi's psychological warfare.

Especially now that Han had long since recovered.

Whether in troop strength or equipment, Han soldiers were far beyond what these Yi commoners could match.

After a great battle.

The Han army won decisively, slaying nearly twenty thousand.

All thirty-six rebellious ethnic groups surrendered.

Gu Xi enacted new policies in Yizhou, reformed the court's system toward the Yi people, reduced taxes, and implemented the Jimi (loose-rein) policy to win hearts.

He was like a repairman.

He sought to use this opportunity to plug every crack that had opened in Han due to years of natural disasters.

Yet, fate is unpredictable.

In Yuanchu Ninth Year, news from Luoyang forced Gu Xi to halt his progress.

——Deng Sui was ill.

This was, in truth, a normal occurrence.

Since Gu Xi had first gone north, Deng Sui had taken on the burden of famine relief.

Even though Gu Xi had established detailed systems.

It was still bound to be an exhausting task.

Deng Sui had long suffered the same problem as Gu Xi.

Whenever she heard of disaster, she could not sleep through the night.

This relentless drain on her vitality now demanded its price.

This matter had a tremendous impact on Han.

Although the nominal Emperor was Liu Hu.

Who did not know that Deng Sui and Gu Xi were the true powers behind the throne?

And most crucially, Deng Sui did not rely on Gu Xi for everything.

In famine relief, education promotion, academic advancement, and other matters, Deng Sui had her own accomplishments.

Her sudden critical illness.

For Han, was equivalent to the death of an Emperor!

Luoyang, Changlegong.

Gu Xi, frantic with anxiety, hurried into the palace.

The weeping within the hall ceased instantly the moment he stepped inside.

The officials instinctively parted to make way for him.

"Grand Tutor."

Liu Hu, at the front, face filled with grief, saw Gu Xi's return as a beacon of hope and rushed forward, "My mother—"

"Grand Tutor." Before Liu Hu could finish, Deng Sui's weak voice came forth.

Her face was pale.

She seemed to have only a single breath left.

Gu Xi hurried to her side, looked at Deng Sui, and sighed deeply, softly saying, "Empress Dowager, your servant has come."

"Grand Tutor."

Deng Sui struggled to turn her head toward Gu Xi; her once dim, lifeless eyes gradually regained a faint glimmer.

There was no fear of death—only a smile, as she said:

"To see Grand Tutor once more before my end, I am at peace."

Gu Xi smiled bitterly and asked, "Empress Dowager, do you have any final instructions?"

"Grand Tutor, how would you judge my reign?"

Deng Sui fixed her gaze on Gu Xi, her eyes brimming with expectation—as if his answer surpassed even the torment of her illness.

Gu Xi had not anticipated she would ask this.

He fell silent for a moment, then spoke with utmost seriousness: "When Emperor Xiaohe was alive, he told me that the Empress Dowager possesses the spirit of a true man."

"Now I see that Emperor Xiaohe had keen insight."

"Empress Dowager is not merely a true man—she also embodies the stature of a great sage."

Gu Xi's expression was grave; every word carried sincerity.

Hearing this, Deng Sui's smile deepened. "To receive such praise from Grand Tutor, I am content."

Her voice was faint, yet carried a thread of relief: "My life has been like walking on thin ice."

"When I first entered the palace, I dared not overstep even slightly, fearing to anger the Yin clan."

"Even when Emperor Xiaohe named me Empress, I had to repeatedly decline."

"To preside over the court and issue edicts was even more difficult."

"I dare not treat the empire of ten thousand chariots as a child's play; above, I seek not to deceive Heaven or betray the late Emperor; below, I seek not to defy the people's will or forsake my own conscience."

"Fortunately, the Grand Tutor has aided me."

"So that I may face Emperor Xiaohe with a clear conscience."

As she spoke, she looked again at Gu Xi, her gaze suddenly brightening, "Grand Tutor, my time is short."

"I entrust Han to you!"

Gu Xi stared intently at Deng Sui, sorrow deepening on his face.

At this moment, the scene was strikingly similar to when Liu Zhao had been on his deathbed years ago.

Time had ultimately taken too many, too many people.

No matter how great his talent, how lofty his ambitions.

In the end, he could not withstand the power of time.

Looking into Deng Sui's burning eyes, Gu Xi took a deep breath, then nodded solemnly:

"Your servant accepts the mandate."

Upon hearing this, as if her wish had been fulfilled, the Empress Dowager's pupils suddenly dilated.

Her entire eyes gradually closed in that instant.

"Mother Empress!!!"

With Liu Hu's cry, the ministers all knelt down, and a chorus of weeping erupted in that very moment.

The third day of the third month, year Yuanchu Nine.

The Regent Empress Deng Sui passed away in the Changlegong.

Her posthumous title was Empress Hexi.

Meaning: "One who brings peace to the people is called Xi"; she was buried alongside Emperor He in Shun Mausoleum.

On the day of burial, all ministers and officials attended; the palace eunuchs sounded the drums three times; bells and drums rang; the Son of Heaven mourned.

——————

"In the third month of Yuanchu Nine, Empress Deng Sui passed away.

She presided over the court for sixteen years, never boasting of her power or position, and jointly governed the state with Grand Tutor Gu Xi.

At that time, Heaven's order was askew; floods and droughts occurred repeatedly, unceasing for a decade;

Smoke of war rose along the borders; the Xiongnu invaded the frontier, and the Qiang and Rong harassed the realm;

Bandits and thieves swarmed like hedgehog spines; prefectures and commanderies were in turmoil.

Whenever she heard of the people's famine, she would rise from her pillow in the dead of night, pace her chambers in distress, and remain awake until dawn.

She canceled the Jade Forest banquet, reduced the imperial workshops' supplies, sold off the palace's pearls and jade to fund relief, and personally led the six palaces in eating coarse grain and wearing plain clothes.

Thus, her virtue spread throughout the land; displaced people returned to their fields; though floods turned the earth red and barren, the granaries remained full, and ultimately, the empire was restored to peace, with bountiful harvests year after year."

——Records of the Later Han Dynasty, Biographies of the Empresses

(End of Chapter)