Became The Sultan Of The Ottoman Empire [EN]: Chapter 85

Luck and Twisted Plans (1)

Hürrem’s hands were careful as she wiped the chair.

The luxurious room was like a palace compared to her own, and she couldn’t afford to make even a small mistake if she wanted to avoid punishment.

“Make sure to wipe away every speck of dust.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

The Odalıks [female servants in the Ottoman harem, of the lowest rank], the lowest rank in the harem, answered in unison to the Kalfa [a female servant in charge of other servants] who oversaw the women of the harem.

Hürrem, standing among them, glanced around the room.

The carpet on the floor was softer than the blanket she slept under, and the tiles decorating the walls were beautiful.

‘A Hatun’s [a woman of high rank or noble birth] room, huh?’

It was a room for a Hatun who wasn’t even here yet, and the clever Hürrem realized why they had been assigned to clean it.

Women who entered the harem started as Odalıks, the lowest rank, but they were divided into two categories.

Ordinary women served the Valide Hatun [the mother of the Sultan] and other women, eventually becoming managers like the Kalfa, but those with exceptional beauty or talent in dance and song were trained to become consorts.

The women here were all being trained to become consorts, and cleaning the luxurious room made them dream of becoming a Hatun.

‘How foolish.’

Only a small number of the many Odalıks would be chosen by the Sultan, and most were destined to marry officials or serve in the harem for the rest of their lives.

Hürrem scoffed at the women dreaming of an unattainable hope, but in her heart, she understood them.

The harem life, where everything could change with the Sultan’s favor, constantly instilled futile goals in the women.

Moreover, there was an incident yesterday that made that hope seem not so far away.

“Oh, Gülfer is so lucky. She was chosen by the Padishah [Ottoman Sultan].”

Yusuf visited the harem for the first time, and the women, beautifully adorned, danced and sang to be chosen by him.

Gülfer was the woman who received the purple handkerchief from among the many women, and she spent the night in the Sultan’s room prepared in the harem.

It was the moment when another woman, besides Nigar, rose to the position of consort.

As one Odalık, mindful of the Kalfa, brought up yesterday’s story, small voices of agreement followed.

“I couldn’t sleep last night. Her moans were so loud.”

“Most of us probably couldn’t, right? Alexandra, did you too?”

At the mischievous question, Hürrem’s face flushed instantly, and the women burst into laughter at the sight.

“She’s still a child. How can you ask her such a thing?”

“I’m sorry, was it too stimulating for the kid?”

The Odalıks, in their prime, teased Hürrem, who was only 10 years old, and as their voices grew louder, the Kalfa’s stern order fell.

“Who’s making a fuss?! If you’re done cleaning, get up quickly!”

“Yes!”

The Kalfa, after leaving the Hatun’s room, pointed at Hürrem and a few other Odalıks, handing them towels and clothes, and warned them in a low voice.

“You’re going to see the Padishah, so behave yourselves.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Follow me.”

The Odalıks had nervous faces at the Kalfa’s warning. A mistake in front of the Sultan wouldn’t just end with a beating.

The Kalfa, standing in front of the Sultan’s room, cleared her throat and said carefully.

“Padishah, we have brought the clothes. May we enter?”

-Enter.

The women who entered the room bowed deeply, and with the order to rise, the women stood up.

As Yusuf got up, leaving Gülfer covered in a blanket, the women tensed up.

Just receiving his indifferent gaze made them feel crushed, so much so that they didn’t even realize they were cleaning a man’s body for the first time.

Yusuf, looking down at the women wiping his body with trembling hands and dressing him, smiled lightly at one girl.

“So, it’s that little one. Are you doing well?”

“…I’m doing well.”

Hürrem flinched as Yusuf recognized her.

It was only after entering the harem that she realized how crazy her actions had been.

Yusuf asked mischievously at the sight.

“Do you know how much mercy I showed you?”

“Yes.”

“You look better than you did back then.”

Yusuf slowly examined Hürrem.

Hürrem slightly cowered at his gaze, and Yusuf chuckled.

“Don’t react like that. I’m not interested in your unripe body anyway.”

She was only 10 years old.

No matter how much Muhammad had intercourse with a 9-year-old, it was far from his taste.

Hürrem seemed slightly choked by Yusuf’s firm words and tried to glare, but she immediately lowered her eyes because of the Kalfa glaring fiercely from behind.

Yusuf’s eyes were filled with interest as he looked at Hürrem. It wasn’t just because she was a famous figure in history.

‘Is my existence more of a blessing or a curse compared to the original history?’

Many things had already been twisted, and more would change in the future.

Hürrem, for one, had her fate changed a lot because of him.

He didn’t know whether his existence would have a positive or negative effect compared to the original history.

Hürrem in front of him was living a worse life than in the original history.

‘She lost her family at a younger age and was dragged here. Moreover, she won’t be able to live as lavishly as she did in the original history.’

One never knows, and even if he were to take Hürrem out of a whim, he wouldn’t fall for her.

However, looking at it from a distance, she might be better off since there would be no reason to be evaluated as a villain in history.

He was curious whether she would be satisfied with her changed life or have excessive greed like in the original history.

“Padishah, did you have a comfortable night?”

As Fatima, who had come upon hearing that he had woken up, arrived, Yusuf readily answered.

“Thanks to my mother.”

“Then may I have a word with you for a moment?”

“Of course.”

Upon his willing response, Fatima led Yusuf to her room.

Light refreshments were laid out, and at Fatima’s gesture, Hürrem and the other women all retreated.

Fatima, having dismissed everyone, opened her mouth first.

“Now, tell me what you want to say.”

“How did you know?”

As Yusuf asked with a smiling face, Fatima lightly drank her beverage to moisten her throat and answered.

“I know how busy the Padishah is these days, and you wouldn’t have come to the harem just to take a woman.”

It wasn’t an empty compliment, and he felt like he needed two bodies to handle everything.

Even though he had delegated a lot of work to the officials, he couldn’t help but intervene in many things to speed them up.

And there were many areas that required his decision.

‘Just taking the matter of amending the law, for example.’

From Yusuf’s perspective, there were many loopholes in the laws of the Ottoman Empire, and filling these loopholes would require touching the Sharia [Islamic canonical law], the basic law of Islam.

It was obvious that not only the Islamic scholars who were already sending impure gazes but also those who were taking unfair advantage of the loopholes in the law would express their dissatisfaction.

There were many things that required Yusuf’s decision, starting from identifying those who would oppose it.

“What is the level of education of the women in the harem?”

“As you saw yesterday, it is not lacking.”

In this era, what kind of education they received was more important than being smart.

In that respect, the women of the harem, who received various educations to teach the princes in the future, were incredibly elite.

They were the talents that Yusuf needed.

“I need women who are interested in literature.”

“Literature?”

Fatima tilted her head at the unexpected answer.

“Yes, I need people who can be role models for Ottoman women.”

It was obvious, but it was too early to advocate for gender equality, even outside the Islamic world.

Yusuf had no intention of forcibly changing this climate.

‘But it’s a shame to let the already prepared talents play around.’

Not only the women of the harem but also the women of wealthy families and high-ranking officials all had basic education.

Slaves were in charge of household chores, so they didn’t have much to do, and the only social life they were allowed was gathering at bathhouses to chat.

Yusuf first chose literature as a productive task to entrust to these women.

Fatima, after hearing Yusuf’s thoughts, said as if it wouldn’t be easy.

“The Padishah’s intentions are good, but other men, even if not the harem, will not easily allow it.”

It was an era where there were plenty of men who would say that women dare to write.

“There’s no need to worry. It’s also a man’s pride to have a good woman.”

“Then the beginning will be important.”

He needed writings that would be a source of pride when shown to others.

That way, men who felt envious would encourage their women.

‘Literature is also needed in this situation.’

In modern times, science and technology are more important than literature, but literature has the power to unite people.

It’s not for nothing that education and literature were used when uniting regions with different identities under the framework of a nation.

“I will try my best.”

Fatima, not taking Yusuf’s request lightly even without hearing these reasons, nodded firmly.

As trivial small talk flowed in a friendly atmosphere, a knock was heard.

-Padishah, there’s a message from the palace.

“Come in.”

The Kalfa, who carefully entered at Yusuf’s words, handed over a carefully folded paper, and Yusuf raised the corners of his lips upon seeing it.

“May I know what it is about?”

“It seems that Mehmed, the son of Mengli, died because the support army led by Saadet was late.”

The Crimean Khanate could now be completely in his grasp.

***

Ismail’s face was coldly hardened.

He had eliminated the rats he had been enduring for a long time simultaneously with the secret agreement with Venice, but things had gone awry.

“Say it again.”

“…It, it seems we missed one person.”

“How did that happen?”

At the sound of footsteps approaching, the subordinate bowed even deeper and trembled.

“I deserve to die! The captured guys were so stubborn in hiding it that we only found out now.”

It was because of those who had kept their mouths shut even under severe torture that flayed their skin with knives.

One of the guys who had barely endured finally confessed, but it was already too late.

“Well, it can happen.”

As Ismail spoke softly, the subordinate, who had briefly harbored hope, coughed up blood from the knife stabbed in his back.

“Wh, why?”

“But, it shouldn’t have happened.”

Ismail, answering indifferently, sat down and watched the corpse being dragged away, leaving a long trail of blood on the floor.

Things had gone wrong from the start.

“It’s become troublesome.”

“They probably don’t know what kind of conversation you had with Venice.”

“Don’t underestimate that Yusuf.”

Of course, even if he didn’t know what kind of conversation had taken place, it was obvious that he would somehow deal with it.

Ismail, who tapped the chair for a moment, revealed his fierce teeth.

“I need to move faster than planned.”

He had been planning to move after confirming the movement of the Western fleet, but it seemed better to move at the promised time.

Otherwise, he might miss the prey he had been aiming for.

“Yusuf, I will return the humiliation you gave me. I will take your women.”

Ismail’s eyes were fixed on Trabzon.

***

“Captain! We can see Tunis over there!”

At the news that they had arrived at their destination, Tunis, the crew members moved busily.

Urzi, who was watching the scene with an excited face, frowned at the voice coming from behind.

“Se, send me to Venice quickly!”

“Shut up! What can a beggar do!”

“Argh!”

The man, kicked in the foot, groaned and rolled on the floor, saying sadly.

“I really need to go quickly.”