Chapter 49: “If such a woman cannot be the queen, then…”

Chapter 49: "If a woman like this can't become Empress..."

Prince Duan’s bad feeling was confirmed, and he felt a strong sense of being deceived.

From the moment he left the Commandery Lady's residence to entering the palace, just over an hour had passed.

If the Emperor had decided to name an Empress in that short time, Prince Duan would never believe it.

In other words, Emperor Jingyuan had long since resolved to make Huo Ling his Empress.

Huo Ling’s calmness now suggested that the Emperor had already informed her of this decision.

Yet, when he had confronted her and sought an alliance, she hadn’t let on at all.

Standing in the hall cooled by ice basins, another cold sweat broke out on Prince Duan's back.

Fretting over Huo Ling’s secrecy was useless now—what truly mattered was whether she had suddenly entered the palace after his departure and revealed everything he had said to the Emperor.

If she had disclosed their alliance, what about the matter of Yanxi?

Fear hit him late, and Prince Duan's teeth chattered faintly as he lowered his head to Huo Ling under Emperor Jingyuan's impassive gaze.

"Your brother greets the Empress."

A familiar voice came from above.

"No need for formalities, Thirteenth Brother."

Only then did Emperor Jingyuan nod in satisfaction. "Sit. I was going to ask you about overseeing the capital. Since you're here, you may as well report."

Prince Duan wanted to bolt from the study immediately, but with the Emperor's command, he had no choice but to sit stiffly below, his lips moving on autopilot, barely aware of his own words.

Even after leaving the study, he remained in a daze, like a man possessed.

Emperor Jingyuan paid him no further mind and resumed his game of chess with Huo Ling.

Huo Ling said, "Now that Prince Duan knows about the Empress appointment, he will surely rally Duke Liu and others to oppose Your Majesty's decision to make me Empress."

"Tomorrow’s court session won’t be peaceful."

"No matter," the Emperor said. "I wish to see exactly who will step forward in opposition tomorrow."

Huo Ling understood.

Her becoming Empress would be a flashpoint in the power struggle between the Emperor and his ministers.

Emperor Jingyuan probably intended to use this opportunity to gauge the loyalties of his courtiers, make his position clear, and scare off the waverers or those picking sides.

With that in mind, Huo Ling stopped worrying.

By the time their chess game concluded, Cui Hongyi, who had been waiting outside, hurried in to pay respects to Emperor Jingyuan and Huo Ling. He reported that the maids had been picked and asked if Huo Ling wanted to look them over to see if she liked them.

Cui Hongyi had taken great care in choosing.

Among his chosen maids was one named Yungu, who used to tend the flowers in Taihe Hall.

Another was named Shanglan, who had originally served in Shangyi Palace, teaching palace manners.

Huo Ling caught Cui Hongyi's friendly overture right away.

These two maids could not only protect her closely but also become valuable allies once she entered the palace.

After reviewing Yun Gu and Shang Lan, Huo Ling gave a quick nod and kept them both.

When she left the palace again, apart from Wu Mo and Wu Feng, she was followed by two additional maids and a squad of imperial guards.

***

By the time July arrived, the capital became unbearably muggy.

The children were too young to stay long in ice-cooled chambers. Early in the morning, Princess Consort of Duan took the two children to a lakeside pavilion.

Ji Yuanwan and his younger brother Ji Yuankang sat on the carpet, constructing a wooden castle, while several maids surrounded them, keeping close watch to prevent any accidents.

Princess Consort of Duan sat by the railing, fanning herself with a round fan, her gaze fixed on the two children.

Nurse Zhuang, who attended to Ji Yuanwan, stood nearby and quietly reported to Princess Consort of Duan about the incidents involving Ji Yuanwan during the royal tour over the past month.

"...After hearing the palace maids gossiping behind his back, the young lord kept saying he wanted to return home to find you. Even when the two princesses came to play with him, he showed no interest."

"It wasn’t until the royal tour returned that the young lord cheered up again."

Princess Consort of Duan felt her heart ache, resenting both the gossiping maids and Prince Duan.

If only she had known...

If only she hadn’t given in to her temper.

She could only hope that Huo Ling would truly agree to ally with Prince Duan's household and Duke Liu’s household, making peace instead of war.

"His Highness has been gone for so long—has he still not returned?" Princess Consort of Duan suddenly asked.

Prince Duan had left at dawn, and it was already afternoon.

As she spoke, Princess Consort of Duan saw the Royal Guards escorting Prince Duan toward the pavilion.

Before she could feel relieved, she noticed Prince Duan's completely devastated look, and her heart instantly sank.

When Prince Duan approached, Princess Consort of Duan, disregarding the children playing nearby, seized his arm and asked urgently, "Did she refuse?"

"Did she find our terms insufficient?"

Prince Duan looked at her weakly and said, "His Majesty intends to make her Empress."

Those seven words left Princess Consort of Duan stunned for a long, long time. It was as if something had tightly gripped her throat—she couldn’t make a sound or react in any way.

But soon, she let out a strangled cry, and her entire body began to tremble violently.

"This can’t be! How could this happen?"

Just the thought of the consequences of Huo Ling becoming Empress made Princess Consort of Duan wish the ground would swallow her.

Her body swayed twice, startling Prince Duan into reaching out to steady her. Clutching his sleeve desperately, she shrieked, "How could His Majesty possibly make her Empress? If she becomes Empress, what becomes of Yuanyuan?"

"How could she ever agree to Yuanyuan’s adoption?"

"Even if Yuanyuan were adopted, would my son be forced to call Huo Ling 'Mother Empress'?"

"A Qiao! Calm down!" Prince Duan glanced at the frightened children and snapped at the attendants, "Get the boys out of here—now!"

Ji Yuankang was immediately picked up, but Yuanyuan refused to leave, wriggling out of the servant's grasp and rushing to the Princess Consort’s side. Tearfully, he hugged her and said, "Don't cry, Mother. Yuanyuan won't call anyone else 'Empress Mother'."

The Princess Consort knelt down, holding Yuanyuan as she sobbed.

Prince Duan immediately signaled the Royal Guards with a glance, ordering all non-essential staff to leave the waterside pavilion.

He also knelt down but hadn't even begun to speak when he was suddenly slapped across the face.

A sharp sting radiated from his cheek, and Prince Duan stared at the Princess Consort in disbelief.

"It's all your fault!"

"If not for your indiscretions, if not for you bringing Huo Ling back to the capital, how could Yuanyuan face such humiliation!"

The Princess Consort raised her right hand, wishing she could slap him again.

But the second slap never came. Instead, she hugged Yuanyuan again, tears streaming down her face but her jaw set in determination: "Huo Ling must not become the empress."

"Have the carriage readied at once. We’re going back to the Duke of Liu's estate to see Grandfather."

Prince Duan hesitated for a moment but ultimately chose not to dwell on the slap. He took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to the Princess Consort, then patted Yuanyuan’s head before standing up to order the servants to prepare the carriage.

Inside the carriage, the Princess Consort sat on one side holding Yuanyuan, while Prince Duan sat alone on the other. No one spoke.

Yuanyuan looked back and forth between them, his young face filled with worry.

By the time the carriage arrived at the Duke of Liu's estate, it was already dinnertime.

The Duke of Liu had initially thought the couple had come to discuss the alliance, but upon seeing their expressions, he wordlessly laid down his chopsticks, drank the bowl of soup in front of him, and then led them to his study.

The Duke of Liu's heir followed as well.

When they learned that Emperor Jingyuan intended to make Huo Ling the empress, the Duke of Liu's heir looked thunderstruck.

The Duke of Liu's expression also darkened.

But soon, the Duke let out a long breath and said, "We've underestimated the Huo girl. His Majesty already knows about the affairs in Yanxi."

The Duke of Liu's heir froze, about to say something, but the Duke raised a hand to stop him and continued, "The Yanxi matter is settled. There's no use dwelling on it. The most urgent matter now is to stop His Majesty from making her empress."

The capital had no curfew, and that night, the Duke of Liu's estate remained brightly lit.

Early the next morning, during the morning court session, Emperor Jingyuan openly proclaimed from the throne the matter of appointing an empress before all the officials.

Apart from a select few who were privy to the truth, most courtiers speculated privately—did His Majesty intend to promote one of the imperial consorts to empress?

Hardly had this notion formed than Emperor Jingyuan declared, "Xiang'an Commandery Lady is virtuous and talented, steeped in ritual decorum, and thus worthy to serve as empress."

For a moment, the chamber went deathly quiet.

It wasn’t that they didn’t remember who Xiang'an Commandery Lady was.

The incident of Xiang'an Commandery Lady’s horse bolting in the training grounds had set tongues wagging, and most had taken for granted that she would enter the palace—but empress!?

This elevation defied all expectations.

The empress, as the mother of the nation, is responsible for managing the inner palace and exemplifying virtue for the empire.

Whether appointing or deposing an empress, the emperor must seek the court’s approval. Thus, after a brief silence, the assembled ministers discreetly turned their eyes toward Prince Duan and the Duke of Liu at the front, awaiting their stance.

The first to step forward was the Right Vice Minister of War.

After a deep bow, he declared outright, "Thirty years ago, Huo Yingshao, the grandfather of Xiang'an Commandery Lady, was ordered by the late emperor to lead troops to Yanyun but suffered a devastating loss. Out of lingering regard, the late emperor merely stripped the Huo family of their noble title and demoted Huo Yingshao."

"Though her father achieved a great victory against the Qiang Rong and captured Li Xiangdi, how could a woman of *her standing* ever mother the realm?"

Another censor stepped forward, arguing that many consorts outrank Xiang'an Commandery Lady in birth—such as Consort De, who bore the First Princess, and Consort Xian, who bore the Second Princess—both of whom had greater merit. Moreover, Consort De had been with Emperor Jingyuan since his princely days, making her the most suitable candidate for empress.

Beyond questioning Huo Ling’s background, even typically prudent officials alluded to the scandal between her and Prince Duan, implying that the emperor’s honor would suffer if he took a subject’s wife or a brother’s spouse. To preserve Emperor Jingyuan’s honor, Huo Ling might enter the palace, but at most as a consort—never as empress.

The court erupted in debate, but the truly influential figures remained silent.

Emperor Jingyuan sat unmoved, coldly observing the spectacle below. Only when the ministers began repeating themselves, exhausting all objections, did he finally speak.

"Huo Yingshao’s defeat was already punished by the late emperor. If you believe the punishment insufficient, go speak to the late emperor and ask him to send me a dream tonight."

"Minister Zhou recalls events from thirty years ago with such clarity—yet forgets the petition Prince Duan submitted?"

At the mention of the petition, Prince Duan, who had been silently bowing his head at the front, suddenly widened his eyes, realizing he had truly hoist himself with his own petard.

Emperor Jingyuan signaled to Li Man beside him, who promptly stepped forward and read aloud the full text of the petition.

Once finished, the emperor continued, "Last year, Qing Yanxi suffered severe disasters. Xiang'an Commandery Lady donated all her personal savings to assist Yong'an County Magistrate in relief efforts. During the New Year, the play *Qing Yanxi* spread across the counties, with all lauding Huo Xiangan as benevolent, wise, courageous, and resourceful. If such a woman cannot be empress, who else is fit to mother the realm?"