Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 77

The Winds of Change (3)

A lot has happened in the capital in a short period.

Selim, who had occupied the capital, couldn’t last a month, and those who sided with him faced a merciless tribunal.

It was fortunate if it ended with the deprivation of official posts; the Janissary Commander, who had greatly helped Selim, was torn apart and fed to the dogs.

The vacant positions were filled with new people, and the entire capital moved busily, to the extent that even ordinary citizens felt it.

The only place that had resisted this flow, even the Harem, now had to face change.

“Oh, what should I do?! That witch is back!”

A woman with disheveled hair chewed her nails anxiously.

“Asiye Hatun, it’s too late to worry now.”

“Daye Kalfa! Do you think you’ll be safe?!”

Kalfa was a position equivalent to a court lady, and Daye spoke as if resigned to Asiye’s rebuke.

“Perhaps Allah is punishing us for the past.”

“So, you’re telling me to stay still?! That witch will definitely kill me!”

The venomous green eyes that had not yielded to any threats were vivid in her mind.

To think that she would return as Valide Hatun [Mother Sultan, the most powerful woman in the Ottoman court]… no nightmare could be worse than this.

“I need to go to Eski Saray [Old Palace, typically where former sultans’ mothers or consorts resided] right now.”

She had stubbornly refused to live quietly in the old palace until she withered away, but now that was her last lifeline.

In that place, she could be out of Valide Hatun’s sight.

But, unfortunately, this desperate escape was also impossible.

“It has already been three months since the Padishah [Ottoman Sultan] restricted the movement of everyone in the Harem. Do you intend to disobey the order?”

This order was obviously to give his mother a chance to settle old scores directly, and there was no way to escape this trap.

While she was wavering and wasting time, a stern voice echoed throughout the Harem.

-Valide Hatun is arriving!

It was the voice of the chief eunuch, Hazineadar Agha, and with the sound of the door opening, the women moved busily.

The number one person in the Harem was about to arrive, so they couldn’t stay in their rooms, and the two women went outside.

The scent of women longing for the Sultan’s favor filled the air, and the women who came out of more than 400 rooms lined up to greet Valide Hatun.

As Asiye slipped into the crowd, the thick door of the Harem opened smoothly.

As the door closed and Fatima removed her hijab as she entered the women’s space, they all bowed.

-We greet Valide Hatun!

The women, who had learned court etiquette to serve the Sultan, bowed flawlessly, and Fatima moved through the bowing figures.

As if to emphasize that this was her territory, Fatima stopped and pointed to a woman.

“You, stand up.”

“Yes, yes!”

Fatima hurriedly lifted the woman’s chin with her thumb to examine her face, then ran her hand over the other woman’s body.

After blatantly sweeping from her chest to her hips, Fatima asked.

“What is your name?”

“I am Nigar.”

“You are useful; I will remember you.”

“Th, thank you!”

At Fatima’s words, exclamations mixed with admiration and regret rippled through the crowd.

If the Sultan didn’t come to the Harem himself to choose a woman to sleep with, but simply summoned one, there was a high possibility that the woman who caught Fatima’s eye would be chosen.

The ecstatic woman bowed and paid her respects, and Fatima moved again.

As the women hoped to be chosen next, Fatima pointed to a woman again.

“Stand up.”

When she hesitated at Fatima’s command, the black eunuchs guarding Valide Hatun glared fiercely.

Unable to withstand the gazes, the woman stood up, and Fatima smiled mockingly.

“Asiye Hatun, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Y, yes. Valide Hatun.”

Fatima, who approached with heavy steps, gently stroked Asiye’s trembling cheek.

“Even ten years ago, you boasted beautiful skin, but I don’t know how it became so rough. How unfortunate. How does my skin look?”

“…You are still beautiful.”

It was not an empty compliment, and despite being in her forties, she had not yet lost her beauty.

Fatima wore a faint smile.

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

Asiye tried to feel a little relieved at Fatima’s reaction, but it was too early to judge.

Fatima grabbed her neck and pulled her in, whispering in Asiye’s ear.

“When the Padishah was in my womb, I still feel the sting of the cheek you slapped, so it’s a relief.”

“Th, that was because I was foolish…”

“Was it only then? I don’t know how many times I heard threats that you would throw me into the Bosphorus Strait [the strait that separates Europe and Asia in Istanbul]. Now that I think about it, it’s not a bad idea.”

Asiye’s body trembled as she met Fatima’s green eyes, and soon the smell of urine spread everywhere.

Fatima, who pushed Asiye away as if she was dirty, took out a handkerchief from her bosom, wiped her hands, and said to the chief eunuch behind her.

“I saw something dirty from the first day; get her out of my sight.”

Asiye was dragged away by the hands of the hastily stepping Kalfas, and the women bowed their heads even deeper in fear.

It was a moment that made them fully realize whose hands the fate of the Harem women was in.

***

Yusuf chuckled as he received the report of what happened in the Harem.

“Did you choose to torment them to death? My mother doesn’t have an ordinary personality either.”

Indeed, a woman who has endured all kinds of humiliation to save her son until now cannot be weak.

‘I thought a few women would go missing, but rather, she is making them experience a living hell right in front of her.’

I was a little worried because my right-hand woman, Nene, was away, but at this point, there is no reason to worry.

“I should tell them to send the women I will sleep with soon.”

My virile body in my early 20s is looking for a woman, and producing heirs is also an important task for the Padishah.

This time, it was to give Fatima more power.

‘If it were the era after Suleiman [Suleiman the Magnificent, a famous Ottoman Sultan], I wouldn’t have acted like this, but it’s okay now.’

Suleiman, who was called the Great, loved his concubine Hurrem Sultan so much that he allowed the Harem forces to get involved in politics, which became one of the main culprits of the Ottoman decline.

But now, even if Valide Hatun’s influence grows, it’s only within the Harem, and that influence can be withdrawn at any time.

There is no need to be afraid for no reason.

‘Rather, Hurrem Sultan. She must be about ten years old now.’

She is a woman who is often portrayed as a villain who led the Ottomans to ruin, but my personal evaluation is neutral.

What good would it do for a woman who was abducted by the Crimean Khanate [a Turkic state that was a protectorate of the Ottoman Empire] to be loyal and patriotic to the empire?

However, putting aside the emotional issues, if we look only at the historical accounts that she indulged in luxury and power and contributed to the country’s decline, she is a person who can be criticized.

She is a person whose evaluation can vary depending on the point of view.

‘There is little chance that Hurrem Sultan will appear in front of me, so it’s a meaningless thought.’

The fate of the Crimean Khanate, which kidnapped her, has been greatly altered.

“Grand Vizier [the chief minister of the Ottoman Empire], is the Crimean Khanate still asking to meet?”

“Yes. They are requesting it more strongly as the days go by.”

“Isn’t it because they’ve become impatient?”

Shemsi’s assessment was accurate.

If they supported 30,000 cavalry, the Crimean Khanate must have bet very heavily on Selim, but in the end, Selim was removed from power.

The investment, the cavalry, were captured as prisoners, and even if they wanted to beg for their lives, they couldn’t even get an audience with Yusuf.

‘If Selim had stayed in Kefe [a city in Crimea], I would have caught him and sent him as a gift of apology, but that didn’t work either.’

He would never have dreamed that Selim, who had escaped, would set foot in Kefe and return to the capital with Suleiman.

Hasan could bet that Mengli, the Khan of the Crimean Khanate, grabbed the back of his neck when he heard the news.

The Grand Vizier, who was watching Yusuf’s mood, said carefully.

“Padishah, we cannot postpone the disposition of the Crimean Khanate forever.”

“That’s true.”

It’s not that I’m worried that the fearful Crimean Khanate will betray me.

The current Khan, Mengli, is a person who angered the Ottomans and was dragged to the capital by his grandfather, Mehmed II.

He is a person who knows the power of the Ottomans well, and with 30,000 of his main forces gone, he couldn’t even dream of betrayal.

“The problem is the countries around the Crimean Khanate, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. We don’t know how long they will continue to watch the weakened Crimean Khanate.”

The surrounding countries have been grinding their teeth at the Crimean Khanate, which is famous for its brutal looting, and now is the best opportunity to take revenge.

They are watching the Ottomans for now, but no one can be sure how long they will stay still.

“I have to make a decision.”

Postponing the decision is not only to make the other party anxious, but also because I have not decided on a definite course of action.

Yusuf quickly turned his head.

‘The Crimean Khanate is a kind of subcontractor from the Ottoman point of view.’

There is a reason why they are kept as vassals without being completely incorporated into their own territory.

Looting is an effective way to weaken neighboring countries, but if you do this directly, it will cause great friction with other countries.

However, if the Crimean Khanate loots, they can avoid responsibility by saying, ‘We don’t know anything about it, so deal with it directly!’

It means that they act as a buffer, preventing direct conflict.

“I want to cut off the lifeline of the Crimean Khanate, but I shouldn’t.”

“The border will only widen, and the power will only be dispersed.”

There is no need to waste power in the north with the tempting Mediterranean in front of you.

Especially in an era when new sea routes are being developed and everyone is going out to sea.

“Hmm, but I can’t end it without any punishment. Should I bring down Mengli, the person in charge?”

Mengli has led the Crimean Khanate for a long time.

He is two years older than Bayezid, who has already passed away, so I think it’s time for him to step down gracefully.

“Then I should evaluate it this time.”

“What do you mean?”

“We have confirmed the brotherhood of our empire and the Samtskhe Principality [a Georgian principality]. This time, we should evaluate how strong the brotherhood of the Crimean Khanate is.”

Yusuf smiled sharply.

***

“Damn it. Why are they still refusing! What do they want!”

Mengli, consumed by anger, threw the table in front of him, and one of the soldiers who was standing silently was hit and fell.

As Mengli gasped and suppressed his anger, his son Mehmed said confidently.

“You don’t have to worry too much. The empire will not abandon us.”

“…That’s right.”

Mengli sat down with a thud at the words of Mehmed, who was his designated successor and had been acting as a co-ruler. His other son Saadet said carefully.

“However, it is unsettling to see them blatantly avoiding us.”

“Saadet, what do you know to interfere? Stay still.”

Saadet took a step back at his older brother Mehmed’s rebuke.

Unlike his 46-year-old brother, Saadet was only 19 years old, and he did not have the same standing compared to his brother, who had been in the position of official successor for a long time.

Mengli, who was listening to their conversation, waved his hand.

“Saadet’s words are not wrong either. We should prepare plenty of gifts, Mehmed.”

“Order me.”

“Gather gifts to offer to the Padishah.”

“I understand.”

The remnants of the once-feared Crimean Khanate cavalry began to prepare for diplomacy.