Chapter 55: “It feels completely different.”…

Chapter 55 "It feels completely different..."

Emperor Jingyuan granted himself a five-day leave, leaving the court officials with no choice. After all, there were no pressing matters in the court at the moment, and no minister would be so tactless as to disturb him at this time.

However, on the third day of the wedding, Emperor Jingyuan took the initiative to bring Huo Ling to the imperial study.

The painting of the victorious city entry and prisoner offering was hung in the most prominent spot on the wall. Huo Ling remarked, "Your Majesty isn’t afraid of being laughed at by the ministers?"

Naturally, Emperor Jingyuan was unafraid. He even declared that he would personally invite his ministers to admire the painting.

The poem and seals on the painting were an intimate matter between them. To actually present it for the ministers’ appraisal... Huo Ling wasn't as shameless as the emperor and hurriedly tried to persuade him to reconsider.

After much coaxing and laughter, Emperor Jingyuan finally put on a reluctant expression and conceded, "Fine, I can change my mind, but on one condition."

"What condition?"

"A Ling must prepare the ink for me."

"What kind of condition is that?"

Huo Ling sat beside Emperor Jingyuan’s desk, selected an inkstick, and began grinding it slowly. "What does Your Majesty wish to write?"

Emperor Jingyuan replied, "Titles and honors for your family."

According to imperial custom, the fathers of Great Yan’s empresses were all granted the title of "Duke of Chengen." However, even among Dukes of Chengen, there were three grades—first, second, and third class.

Empress He’s father had been a first-class Duke of Chengen.

In the decree Emperor Jingyuan was drafting, there were posthumous titles for Huo Ling’s mother and maternal grandmother, as promised earlier, and Huo Shiming was also to be granted the title of a first-class Duke of Chengen.

Having suffered once during the empress enthronement ceremony, Huo Ling was determined not to repeat the experience. Before entering the palace, she had made thorough inquiries about Empress He.

So now, seeing Emperor Jingyuan grant her father the title of first-class Duke of Chengen, Huo Ling paused, at a loss for words.

Emperor Jingyuan noticed her hesitation. "What’s wrong?"

Huo Ling said, "Your Majesty, wouldn’t it be inappropriate to directly grant my father the title of first-class Duke of Chengen?"

At first surprised, Emperor Jingyuan seemed to recall something. "Because the previous empress’s father was initially granted the title of second-class Duke of Chengen and only promoted to first-class several years later?"

Huo Ling nodded.

"There’s no need to align everything with the previous empress." Emperor Jingyuan took up the imperial seal and impressed it firmly on the lower right corner of the decree. "Back then, the Empress Dowager’s father was still alive, so the empress’s father couldn’t outrank an elder—hence the demotion by one grade."

"Now, your father is also the father of an empress, so naturally, he should hold the same title as the previous empress’s father."

"Moreover, your father has rendered great service to the state and will continue to defend the Empire’s frontiers in the future. As for that other Duke of Chengen, he has achieved nothing of note all these years."

With Emperor Jingyuan putting it so clearly, Huo Ling no longer insisted.

Her attempt at counsel had served two purposes: first, to fulfill her duty as empress in offering advice, and second, to clarify the emperor’s intentions.

—It seemed that Duke of Chengen from the He clan, who repeatedly interfered in the empress selection process, had thoroughly angered His Majesty.

That same afternoon, the Huo family received the decree.

Though he had anticipated it, when the official decree arrived, Huo Shiming couldn't contain his joy.

While this title didn't equal the perpetual hereditary titles like those of the Duke of Liu or the Duke of Jingguo, it was still a dukedom after all!

The rank spoke for itself, and for the Huo family, this title could already be considered a stroke of incredible luck.

Compared to the pure joy of Huo Shiming and Huo Ze, Fang Shi, while happy, couldn’t help but harbor some private misgivings in her heart.

"First-Class Lady of Loyalty and Virtue"—such a fine title was surely something Huo Ling had requested for her late mother.

However, remembering that she too had benefited from her stepdaughter's favor to become the Duchess of Chengen, Fang Shi quickly pushed aside the twinge of resentment in her heart and began planning the celebrations with her husband and son.

At the dinner table, Huo Shiming brought up their departure from the capital.

Their trip to the capital this time had been for the purpose of preparing Huo Ling's wedding and attending her coronation as empress. Now that everything had concluded, they would soak in the hot springs for a few days in the western suburbs to relieve their fatigue before setting off back to Yanxi.

Upon learning that he would soon be leaving the capital, Huo Ze was heartbroken at the thought.

Yanxi was completely incomparable to the capital, which boasted the finest food and entertainment in the realm. Every day here was an eye-opening experience.

After hemming and hawing for a long time, he couldn’t help but ask, "We rarely get to come here—can't we stay a bit longer?"

He even came up with a stroke of genius: "Father, you have official duties and can't stay away from Yanxi for long, but Mother and I are different. How about this—you make haste back to Xingtang Pass, and Mother and I will stay in the capital a while longer, returning to Yanxi before the New Year to celebrate with you."

Unfortunately, neither Fang Shi nor Huo Shiming was interested in this brilliant idea.

Fang Shi brushed him off with a wave: "I'm going back with your father."

While helping Huo Ling prepare her dowry and wedding arrangements, Fang Shi had interacted with many noblewomen. Each of them radiated refinement, and standing before them, she felt like she was walking on eggshells, afraid of making any mistakes that might invite ridicule.

Though Yanxi was poorer and lacked the luxuries of the capital, she felt far more at ease there than in the capital.

Huo Shiming just laughed dryly. "Don't get your hopes up."

Huo Ze was heartbroken. "Why not?"

Huo Shiming patted his son's head. "I've let you play for two months—aren't you satisfied? If we don't leave the capital soon, I worry you'll lose yourself here."

When it came to yearning for the capital, Huo Shiming's attachment ran far deeper than Huo Ze's.

But he was rational.

He knew where his roots lay.

Now, the capital would always be there—there was no need to rush.

In the palace, Huo Ling soon learned of Huo Shiming's decision.

She fully supported it.

Before the Huo family left the capital, Huo Ling, in her capacity as empress, lavished them with gifts, including presents for Fang Jianbai and Li Yichun.

Even Zhou Jiamu wasn’t left out.

By the time the Huo family departed the capital, the hills were already ablaze with maple leaves. Huo Ling spent some time finding her footing in the palace.

She was no fan of pomp and ceremony, nor did she take pleasure in seeing Emperor Jingyuan's concubines bow and greet her daily. Thus, she set the audience schedule to once every ten days, and the treatment of the concubines followed established precedents.

The concubines clearly sensed that since this empress had entered the palace, their routines were barely disrupted, and their lives had even become more comfortable.

This wasn't because Consort De managed poorly. In fact, during her tenure overseeing the palace affairs, the inner palace had remained orderly without any major disturbances.

However, certain issues—such as the Imperial Household Department withholding ice and charcoal supplies from various palaces or passing off subpar supplies—were difficult for Consort De to investigate thoroughly without the authority of the Empress's seal.

Huo Ling had no such reservations. Following the clues, she conducted a thorough investigation, severely punished a group of people, and successfully established her authority throughout the Six Imperial Palaces.

Without these individuals manipulating supplies and passing off subpar goods, the consorts' official treatment remained unchanged, but the quality of what they actually received improved.

For this alone, the consorts were truly won over by the Empress.

Moreover, even if some harbored resentment, who would dare openly defy the Empress?

She was not only the Empress but also the Emperor’s clear favorite. In the two months since her entry into the palace, the Emperor had almost exclusively stayed in her Fengyi Palace. On the rare occasions he visited other palaces, it was only to Consort De or Consort Xian's residences to see their children.

How could consorts of lower rank, without favor or children, dare to challenge the Empress?

As for Consort De and Consort Xian, who had children—Consort De, of course, had been assisting the Empress in coordinating palace affairs, while Consort Xian swiftly fell in line.

The only one who might have clashed with Huo Ling was Consort Liu, a cadet branch member of the Duke of Liu's family.

But Consort Liu had already been cautioned by her family and wouldn’t be reckless enough to make a move.

With no troublemakers daring to provoke Huo Ling, she found her reign as Empress smooth. Given her capabilities, managing palace affairs was no burden, and within two or three months, she had largely adapted.

As the year-end approached and the palace prepared to host a banquet for ministers and their ladies, Huo Ling rewarded Consort De with many fine gifts in gratitude for her assistance before taking full charge of the preparations.

This would be her first public appearance before ministers and their ladies as Empress. After learning about previous banquets from Nanny Zuo and the head of the Imperial Household Department, Huo Ling made strategic tweaks rather than strictly following past arrangements.

"Alright, that's enough for today."

Noting the time, Huo Ling sent the officials away.

Wu Mo stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, shall I instruct the imperial kitchens to serve the meal now?"

Huo Ling nodded. "Go ahead."

After entering the palace, Wu Mo's way of addressing Huo Ling had changed.

In private, they could be informal, but in public, proper etiquette had to be maintained.

Even Huo Ling herself had adjusted many habits.

Before marriage, she often tied her hair with ribbons. After entering the palace, she replaced them with phoenix coronets and pins, which were more suitable for regal updos.

Once, when they were alone, Wu Mo expressed slight regret over the change, but Huo Ling smiled and said, "Life moves ever onward. Some habits are formed actively, others passively, but each stage brings new norms. You must adapt quickly."

After a full month of preparations, the day of the banquet finally arrived.

Having finished reviewing memorials, Emperor Jingyuan left his study and headed to Fengyi Palace.

Huo Ling was listening to reports from her subordinates when she spotted the Emperor in her peripheral vision and rose to greet him.

Emperor Jingyuan stayed to hear the reports with her before they changed into ceremonial robes and rode the royal palanquin to the banquet.

The banquet hall brimmed with guests. At Li Man's proclamation—"The Emperor and Empress have arrived!"—everyone stood and bowed. Emperor Jingyuan gave Huo Ling's hand a reassuring squeeze as they ascended to the main seats.

Only after the imperial couple had taken their places did the guests sit again.

Emperor Jingyuan gave Huo Ling's hand a reassuring squeeze and asked in a low voice, "Does it feel very different, sitting up here compared to down there?"

Huo Ling lowered her gaze slightly, taking in the shifting gazes of those below. "It feels entirely different."