Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 47

#47 Those Who Move (2)

From their first meeting, Ayşe and Hatice were at odds, but Yusuf didn’t pay it much mind.

For a concubine who becomes the Sultan’s consort, fate held only two paths.

Either bask in glory with her son on the throne or be cast aside to the remote provinces, clutching the corpse of her son who failed in the succession war.

‘Mehmet is born, so I must think of Ayşe as a mother before my woman.’

It’s only natural to keep elements that could endanger one’s child in check.

Moreover, when it came to value, Ayşe outweighed Hatice.

It wasn’t even certain if Hatice was truly the daughter of Grand Vizier Ahmet, and even if she were, daughters in this era could easily become political sacrifices.

Hatice was, in essence, a gift for friendship, and such flimsy friendly relations could easily fall apart.

On the other hand, Ayşe, though a slave, held immense influence in Circassia [a region in the North Caucasus]. It was clear which one was more important.

‘Not that I intend to take Ayşe’s side.’

There were too many instances of foolish rulers being born because affection for a concubine influenced the selection of an heir.

He could leave the concubine issues to Fatima. No matter how much they soared or crawled, they couldn’t compare to Fatima, who had endured the harsh harem for over a decade.

Indeed, as Yusuf expected, Fatima was effectively controlling the two, who had shown an unstable start.

Yusuf dismissed the unnecessary thoughts.

He had no time to waste worrying about women.

It was already 1506, and if he turned his gaze away from the Ottoman Empire, where princes were snarling at each other, there were many noteworthy events.

In 1504, the Italian Wars, waged by France and the Habsburgs over Italy, came to a conclusion.

Spain, having dealt a significant blow to France, seized the Kingdom of Naples in Italy.

This meant that the titles to be inherited by the still-young Charles V included the ruler of Italy.

‘Ismail’s power to recover after losing so many troops was still astonishing.’

In 1505, Ismail even occupied the Hormuz region, known today as the Strait of Hormuz.

The Aq Qoyanlu dynasty [a Persianate Sunni Turkoman dynasty] lost much of its territory and now barely maintained its existence in the Iraq region, including Baghdad, based on modern standards.

‘Barely maintaining it, that is.’

How long would a country that trembled at the mere sight of Ismail last?

Left alone, internal divisions would arise on their own, so Ismail regarded them as easy prey.

In short, this meant Ismail had gained leeway, and it was time to turn his attention to Dulkadir.

‘Signs of it are already visible.’

Soldiers who had advanced eastward were beginning to gather westward, and the movements of spies, presumed to be sent by Ismail, had noticeably increased.

His brothers must have sensed the signs as well, as they were internally bustling.

“Things are turning interesting.”

Yusuf clenched and unclenched his fists.

Even he couldn’t clearly grasp the flow of this era, but he knew that the princes were stepping forward faster than in the original history.

This meant the conclusion of the succession war could come sooner than before, and thinking so, his heart pounded.

‘Is it fear? Or anticipation?’

What was certain was that he couldn’t distinguish between the two.

Yusuf chuckled, feeling he had truly become an Ottoman living as Yusuf, and was about to resume his work when-

-Father.

“Open the door.”

At Yusuf’s command, the firmly closed door opened, and a child with chubby cheeks slowly walked in.

“Mehmet, come here.”

Mehmet toddled over and clung to his leg, and Yusuf lifted the child onto the desk.

The child’s calm, composed eyes, unlike those of a typical child, shone with a radiant green like his parents, and strands of dirty blonde hair peeked out from under the disheveled turban.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

It was a difficult question to ask a mere 20-month-old child, but Mehmet answered without difficulty.

“Want see Papa.”

“Is that so?”

Yusuf chuckled lightly at the clumsy voice and straightened the disheveled turban.

Thanks to excellent genes, his language development was faster than other children. He couldn’t definitively say if he was a genius, but.

‘Still, he must be smart. Everyone who has raised children directly has said so.’

Mehmet was born in 1504, making him only 15 years younger than Yusuf.

The small age gap could be unfortunate for Mehmet.

‘Since longevity is among my traits, I might live longer than Mehmet.’

Princes rarely lived happily under long-reigning kings.

Imagine being tormented by false hope your entire life, only to die of old age. How could you be happy?

Perhaps the succession war would be fought by his grandsons, not his sons.

‘That would be interesting in its own way.’

He didn’t know how many children he would have in the future, but there was a high possibility of having double-digit grandchildren.

Since this country always recycled a few names, it was common to have the same name. Even now, the name Suleiman was used by the children of Ahmet and Selim.

“Papa?”

Perhaps his thoughts had wandered for too long, as Mehmet tilted his head and called out.

Yusuf stroked Mehmet’s plump cheeks and replied.

“It’s nothing.”

Yusuf patted Mehmet’s head a few times as he giggled, tickled.

He enjoyed spending time with the child more than he thought, but he didn’t have time to play for long.

Yusuf placed Mehmet back on the ground.

“I’ll play with you later. Go back now.”

“…Okay.”

Though his face was slightly gloomy, Mehmet didn’t throw a tantrum like a typical child and turned back.

Most of those who came with Mehmet also left, but at Yusuf’s gesture, one of the maids naturally remained.

“What happened before Mehmet came here? Tell me everything without hiding anything.”

As mentioned earlier, it was the first time Mehmet had come to visit at this hour, when he was busy with work.

There must have been a reason for his visit.

“Yes, he had a brief conversation with Hatice before visiting.”

“The content?”

“Hatice said that he might have a younger sibling.”

At this, Yusuf burst into laughter.

Didn’t he know the target he had to capture better than anyone else?

‘So, she certainly isn’t of ordinary lineage.’

He was also looking forward to the children who would be born in the future.

***

The recent visit to the capital brought several benefits, but the greatest gain was establishing connections with the officials in the capital.

Thanks to this, he could roughly grasp the atmosphere in the capital.

The birth of Mehmet resolved the succession issue, which had been pointed out as a weakness, and Yusuf’s standing among the officials also rose.

‘But, the moment Mehmet dies, that standing will disappear.’

As Şemsi warned, the child could die at any moment.

In an era where one in five children died before the age of five.

It was a natural process to have a night together with Hatice, who had recently become a concubine, and they had already spent several nights together.

However, it was the first time she had come to visit him alone at night like this.

“Hatice, what’s wrong? I don’t recall calling for you tonight.”

It was a cold remark that didn’t seem like it came from someone who had shared intimacy, but it was a natural reaction for Yusuf.

The concubine’s nights were managed by Fatima, and this was an act that disregarded her authority.

Hatice, with a face that didn’t waver as if she had anticipated Yusuf’s sharp reaction, quietly knelt.

“Your Highness, I have a request.”

“A request so important that you had to come to me alone late at night?”

“Yes, it is.”

“What is the request?”

If it was an unimportant request, Yusuf had no intention of easily overlooking it, even if it was Hatice, with whom he had spent several nights.

Despite the moment where she could be rejected, Hatice answered without fear.

“Please punish the two maids who followed me.”

At the unexpected answer, Yusuf raised the corner of his lips.

It was a statement that she would cut off the two who could be said to be her people within the palace herself.

“The reason?”

“Those two are reporting information about Your Highness to my father.”

Having said that, Hatice lowered her head deeply, and Yusuf said nonchalantly.

“I already know.”

Trabzon was not an easy place where two maids who openly entered could act as spies.

The information they had managed to extract was close to trivial matters, and Yusuf was simply leaving them alone because it was content that Hatice could have written in a letter of greeting.

“Isn’t that why you’re asking me to punish them, knowing that I know? Isn’t it?”

“…That’s right.”

Hatice lowered her head deeply at Yusuf’s actions, as if he were watching a performance.

Still, it could be described as commendable that she had bravely reported herself.

“So, what kind of punishment do you want me to give them?”

“Behead them both.”

It was an excessive punishment for the information they had extracted. It was a situation where she could have sufficiently asked for leniency.

Of course, it wasn’t difficult to kill two maids who were merely slaves.

“What will you do if executing them strains the relationship with the Grand Vizier?”

“That won’t happen. It’s part of my father’s plan to have me report their actions to Your Highness and be punished.”

Yusuf smiled as if he was intrigued.

“He told you to gain my trust by doing so?”

“Yes. My father said that Your Highness is not one to easily trust people, so I had to gain your trust even in this way.”

It was a method that could have backfired depending on the person, but the Grand Vizier had a better eye for people than he thought.

It was a method that was quite effective for him.

“But, why did you tell me even this? It would have been better to hide it.”

“Because I am now Your Highness’s woman, not my father’s. And.”

Hatice paused slightly, sighed lightly, and said.

“Didn’t Your Highness expect even this fact?”

Yusuf smiled faintly.

She was a clever woman. Seeing her find a place to live so skillfully.

***

The Sanjak of Kefe [a district or province in the Ottoman Empire] is an important region occupying the narrow waterway connecting the inner sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Black Sea.

Just as one cannot enter the Black Sea without passing Constantinople [modern Istanbul], one cannot pass the Sea of Azov without passing Kefe.

Geographically, it was one of the most important ports that the Ottoman Empire considered, and it was a wealthy region.

Mehmet, who ruled such Kefe, tilted his head as he received the clothes.

“I don’t think I’ve seen these clothes before, where did they come from?”

Expensive fabrics were more valuable than ordinary jewels.

Mehmet, who had seen many clothes while ruling Kefe, was slightly surprised by how expensive the clothes were, and the maid answered politely.

“A merchant who came some time ago presented them as a gift to the Prince.”

“Is that so? I should meet him once.”

“He was a merchant who had been active in Kefe for a while, but I know he left after sending the gift. He said he had greatly benefited thanks to the Prince and would like to greet you when he comes again next time.”

He gave such a gift and didn’t ask for a big reward, which made Mehmet think it was a bit strange as he put on the clothes.

Mehmet smiled slightly at the soft, enveloping sensation.

Some time later, smallpox broke out in Kefe.