I Became the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire

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The Twisted Situation (3)

Struggling to conquer and keep it as a vassal was similar to buying a company through hostile M&A while retaining the existing management.

That isn’t the norm, so there’s usually a good reason for it.

The principality of Wallachia, ruled by Vlad the Impaler, who served as Dracula’s inspiration.

It was a place with formidable foes like Prince Stephen of Moldavia, a national hero of Moldova and a saint of the Romanian Orthodox Church, where rebellions could flare up at any time.

When the Crimean Khanate outsourced defense and raiding, it became a vassal state, and one could say that even vassals received certain treatment.

Finally granted permission, Mengli sensed that the atmosphere was tense upon his visit to the capital.

“Only three guards are allowed to accompany you in the capital.”

“What nonsense is this?!”

Saaed protested the Janissary’s firm words, but fell silent at what came next.

“It’s the padishah’s command. Are you planning to refuse?”

With this statement, the Janissaries surrounding the guards all placed their hands on their sword hilts.

It was an action that conveyed their intent to kill the guards if need be, and an unsettling air lingered at the harbor.

“Saaed, let it go. Surely the padishah wouldn’t harm us.”

“…Understood.”

There was no benefit in raising a fuss, and it was clear that the guards wouldn’t even cross the gates of Topkapi Palace.

Once in the capital, Mengli understood well from his past captivity that life and death depended on the sultan’s hands.

‘But the atmosphere is worse than I expected.’

Just as Mengli felt a touch of tension, a commotion arose from the five galleys that had brought them.

– Ah! This wench?!

“Don’t touch her! These are gifts for the padishah!”

Despite his old age, Mengli shouted in a booming voice, and moments later, bound women began to disembark from the galleys one by one.

As the women, hastily groomed, set foot in the harbor, the atmosphere became charged.

It wasn’t just their number; the beauty of the women was striking as well.

A small girl was roughly shoved down, held by the nape, and no one could afford to worry about that.

“Hm, looks like a lot of preparations were made.”

Even the Janissaries, who were forbidden from forming families, seemed slightly shaken, and the oppressive atmosphere lifted.

While wealth might not be a concern, the women required basic education and body searches before being presented to the sultan, so they were taken in separately.

As Mengli was escorted to Topkapi Palace under Janissary protection, he casually remarked to Saaed.

“The expressions of the people seem alright.”

Though he spoke lightly as the Janissaries glared at him, Saaed picked up on the underlying meaning.

Despite the remnants of past disasters still lingering throughout the capital, the citizens’ expressions were bright and full of hope.

This landscape indirectly showed how exceptional the new sultan was.

Upon entering Topkapi Palace, Mengli underwent an even stricter body search by the Silahtar before gaining entry to the audience chamber.

“Wait for the padishah to enter.”

With this, the Silahtar stood in strict formation, and time passed.

Standing without the comfort of sitting and preparing to bow at any moment was tiring for the elderly Mengli, and it was then that his body started to tremble.

– The great padishah Yusuf Shah bin Bayezid Khan is entering. All, present your respects!

With the shout of the chamberlain, the Silahtar all bowed in unison, and Mengli and Saaed knelt with their heads bowed.

The only sound in the audience chamber was the soft sound of small footsteps, and as Yusuf took his seat, Mengli called out on behalf of them.

“May the great padishah be blessed by Allah!”

“Rise.”

Upon receiving Yusuf’s permission, Mengli stood up, suppressing a groan inside.

No matter how remarkable you are, it takes time to adjust to a new position, yet the heavy gaze seemed overly suited for the ruler of an empire.

“Mengli Gerai, Saaed Gerai. You must have endured much traveling.”

“It is nothing. It is an honor to see you like this.”

“By the way, why hasn’t Mehmed Gerai accompanied you?”

It was only natural to bring a successor for emergencies, and as Mengli was pointedly reminded of this, he answered calmly.

“Given the current turbulent situation, we needed to be cautious. I hope for your forgiveness.”

“I’m not reproaching you. I just wanted to see who would take your place soon.”

At Yusuf’s words, Mengli’s expression hardened.

Being an old man, he eventually had to hand over the reins, but the word “soon” made its meaning clear.

“Is it the padishah’s wish that I, Mengli, step down from this position?”

“Spending your remaining days comfortably in the capital wouldn’t be a bad thing for you. Isn’t that so?”

The suggestion to step down and then come in as a hostage made Mengli clench his teeth.

As the self-proclaimed Khagan, who ruled the Mongolian steppe, he felt immense humiliation.

“Living in a foreign land in an old body might be lonely, so spending time with your son wouldn’t be bad.”

“…You are being too greedy.”

At his impudent statement, the Silahtar glared fiercely at Mengli, but for someone like him, who had led many battles to victory across the steppes, it posed no threat whatsoever.

Yusuf twisted his mouth at Mengli’s words.

“Too greedy? Just whose greed is excessive? How dare you step into the heart of the empire without permission and say such things?!”

“That was Selim’s fault…”

Mengli, who was trying to use Selim as an excuse, stopped speaking at Yusuf’s admonition.

While Selim could be simply labeled a loser, within the Ottoman Empire, he was branded as the source of disaster.

This meant he was a person to be kept at arm’s length.

“I’ll give you time, so think it over carefully. It would rather be beneficial for the Crimean Khanate.”

Realizing Yusuf’s true intent behind suggesting he should cleanly take responsibility and cut ties with Selim, Mengli bowed his head.

“I will consider it.”

In his mind, he knew this was the best course of action, but voluntarily relinquishing power was not an easy task.

He would need time to contemplate.

Yusuf eased the heavy atmosphere slightly.

“By the way, I hear you brought quite a number of women?”

“Yes. I thought there was a need to refill the harem.”

It was right to send away women who had belonged to Bayezid, his father, or Selim.

There were plenty of women to go around, so there was no need to take his father’s or brother’s women. It wouldn’t reflect well publicly either.

Certainly, vacancies would need filling.

“A hundred seems a bit excessive.”

“They are the chosen women, so please dispose of them at the padishah’s discretion.”

It was a common practice to gift women during this era, and it was a good method to gain loyalty.

Even if many women were brought, it meant there was nothing wrong with it.

Of course, the person bringing them had their intentions as well, so there was a need to keep some women for the harem as well.

“Then let’s take a look.”

This was continuing as Yusuf had initially planned, but.

Upon stepping out of the audience chamber and meeting the women after their body searches and grooming, events started to go awry.

A small girl looking up with deadly eyes was completely unexpected.

‘Sultan Hürrem.’

While the historical Hürrem had grips of poison and the flexibility to conceal it while overcoming countless intrigues, the young girl before him was still merely a child.

The poison that needed to be hidden was oozing from her body.

Honestly, he had not expected to meet Hürrem in this way, making his head spin, yet it could be seen as a stroke of luck.

‘The likelihood of being kidnapped in a weakened Crimean Khanate and presented as a slave for the sultan and catching my eye is exceedingly low.’

Yet this kind of fortune was not needed.

It would have been better if he had not recognized her at all and handed her over to some lowly official, but given her status, it was hard to ignore.

“Padishah, do you fancy this woman?”

“$%@!”

Though he couldn’t understand what was said, he recognized it as a curse due to the women’s pale faces beside him and the men’s shocked expressions.

Yusuf raised a hand.

“Enough. This is a wild, untamed creature. If I gift her, I’ll just be cursed back. Don’t you think?”

With the joke eliciting light laughter, Yusuf looked down at Hürrem.

Though the atmosphere calmed down, he knew that if he let this go as it was, he would face all sorts of difficulties.

For a mere slave to dare to insult the padishah was a serious matter. He could very well be killed over it.

“Send this girl to the harem for now.”

“Understood, padishah.”

To be honest, he hadn’t yet made up his mind about what to do with Hürrem.

He thought about pairing her with Suleiman like in the original history.

‘It might cause unnecessary trouble, and perhaps they might not even end up loving each other like in the original history.’

She certainly had the potential to be beautiful enough to be sent as a gift to the sultan in the future.

However, it wasn’t just appearance that gained Hürrem the affection of Suleiman.

‘Unlike the other women who are simply obedient, she is wise and has provided helpful advice.’

This woman was akin to a cliché of a pure love manga, something he had never encountered before!

He found himself enchanted by her different aura compared to the women he had grown weary of in the harem now that Suleiman’s circumstances had changed.

For now, he figured he could just observe her and see how things played out.

“There could be a bit of fun in watching.”

It might be interesting to see how Hürrem, who entered the harem earlier than in history, would grow.

Yusuf pressed down on Hürrem’s head.

“Your fate will soon rest in Allah’s hands.”

Whether she would struggle and make a name for herself in history or become food for the fish in the Bosphorus.

Before that, he had to survive today’s ordeal handed out by Fatima.

But that was his own karma.

*

‘What is happening?’

Due to the thick black clouds, it was hard to see ahead, and walking through the Topkapi Palace, which felt sinister compared to daytime, Saaed wore an anxious expression.

Having entered at Yusuf’s secret summons late at night, both fear and curiosity coexisted within him.

As he stepped into the audience chamber where he had visited earlier that day, the sound of flowing water brushed against his ears.

This signified that conversations not meant for the outside world were unfolding within the audience chamber.

“You’ve come.”

“I greet the padishah.”

The lamps brightly illuminated the room, and Saaed hurriedly greeted Yusuf, who looked down with cold green eyes.

With the suffocating pressure making his body tremble, Yusuf opened the conversation.

“Saaed Gerai.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Do not be afraid. I merely called you to alleviate my curiosity.”

There was no way he had called him alone late at night just to satisfy his curiosity, so Saaed remained uneasy even at this statement.

“Do you remember the conversation I had with your father today?”

“Of course.”

“Your father seems to regard your brother Mehmed as a successor.”

Perplexed by Yusuf’s words, Saaed answered.

“Yes, my brother has been serving as a co-ruler for a long time. He thinks he is most suitable.”

“Do you think the same? Do you consider him better than you? Perhaps it is just that you haven’t had the opportunity.”

At Yusuf’s question, Saaed felt his breath catch in his throat.

As the repressed feelings poured out, his head spun.

There was a 27-year age gap between them, and defeating his elder brother with such a significant difference was nearly impossible, making it a hidden emotion.

“Your thoughts are utterly transparent. It’s not easy to overcome an elder brother born over twenty years earlier.”

“…That is true.”

“However, it’s not impossible.”

As Yusuf spoke, Saaed looked up at him as if entranced.

His green eyes, reminiscent of the steppes, gleamed ominously, like the cruel life of a nomadic warrior.

“I have done just that, Saaed.”

“Yes, yes! Padishah!”

“I shall give you an opportunity.”

“What…?”

At Yusuf’s mention of an opportunity, Saaed felt confused.

“An attack on the Crimean Khanate is soon to commence. Perhaps it is due to their frequent outbursts. A weakened Crimean Khanate will find it hard to hold them back. Of course, I have no intention of allowing it.”

At these words, Saaed was startled.

“To aid this, I will release the soldiers I captured from the Crimean Khanate, and appoint you as commander.”

“Are you really referring to me and not my father?”

“Yes, for he is a hostage of the empire.”

Even if there were many deaths and injuries, they were still over twenty thousand elite soldiers.

Upon hearing Yusuf’s words, a wave of dark ambition surged within Saaed.

“If the timing is off, your brother will be in great danger. The choice is yours.”

As Yusuf turned away and disappeared, the sound of water ceased with the faucet being turned off.

In the silent audience chamber, Saaed was unable to move for a while.