Chapter 58: Due to He Tai’s heinous crimes, sentenced to immediate…

Chapter 58: Because of He Tai's atrocious crimes, he was sentenced to immediate execution...

The incident involving Chancellor Jiang gave the court quite a show.

In truth, many understood Chancellor Jiang's actions.

Chancellor Jiang was a man who had long buried himself in scholarly pursuits, known for being a bit bookish and standoffish.

When the Emperor decided to make Huo Ling the Empress, Chancellor Jiang had filed a protest against it; when the Duke of Chengen proposed reducing the expenses for the coronation ceremony, Chancellor Jiang had also backed the proposal.

Regarding the matter of the two princesses attending Tianzhang Pavilion for studies, he was naturally dead set against it.

However, due to various reasons, he couldn’t openly express his dissent, though he held a grudge.

This resentment inevitably surfaced during his lessons with the princesses.

Of course, understanding didn’t mean sympathy—few genuinely pitied Chancellor Jiang for his predicament.

Most officials saw through Empress Huo’s methods from the incident.

The powerful held life-and-death authority; punishing a subordinate who displeased them was a simple matter.

The true challenge lay in punishing in a way that crushed the subordinate and left bystanders shaken.

Empress Huo achieved precisely that.

In this incident, was Chancellor Jiang foolish?

No question about it.

Teaching both the Crown Prince and the two princesses, yet playing obvious favorites—no wonder the Second Princess was furious.

But how many could accurately pinpoint this flaw and quickly put Chancellor Jiang in his place?

Veteran officials like Lu Hang, who had interacted with Huo Ling several times, read much more into it.

Having served alongside Chancellor Jiang, Lu Hang was quite familiar with him.

He believed that given more time, Chancellor Jiang could have gotten his act together. But the Second Princess tattled too fast.

After careful consideration, however, Lu Hang shook his head: perhaps, for Empress Huo, the Second Princess’s complaint was the wild card.

Chancellor Jiang’s personality, his past statements in court, and his political leanings were no secret.

By examining his previous conduct, you could’ve seen it coming regarding how he might behave while instructing the princesses.

Even if the Second Princess hadn’t gone running to tattle, Empress Huo could have inquired about their lessons at Tianzhang Pavilion herself.

Unless Chancellor Jiang had suddenly altered his temperament and conduct, leaving no room for criticism, Empress Huo would have found her opening anyway.

With Chancellor Jiang’s precedent, Emperor Jingyuan was extra careful in selecting the next Princess Tutor.

***

Before the Emperor could pick someone, Huo Ling recommended a candidate first.

"Cui Yuan of the Qinghe Cui clan currently serves in the Hanlin Academy. Your Majesty might consider him."

Cui Yuan and Huo Ling went way back—during their time at the imperial retreat, Cui Yuan had once had a thing for her. After learning of her plans to enter the palace, however, he kept his distance.

The two princesses are still young, and with Cui Yuan's knowledge and insights, he is more than capable of teaching them well.

Emperor Jingyuan also had some impression of Cui Yuan.

Every few days, Emperor Jingyuan would summon a Hanlin scholar to give him lectures on the classics. Cui Yuan had been called in several times as well.

"His lectures are indeed well-delivered."

The next day was when the Hanlin scholars were scheduled to enter the palace to lecture on the classics. Emperor Jingyuan specifically summoned Cui Yuan.

According to the normal rotation, it should not have been Cui Yuan's turn the next day, but with the Emperor's summons, Cui Yuan couldn't refuse.

After Cui Yuan finished his lecture, Emperor Jingyuan asked if he would be willing to serve as the Princess Tutor.

Though surprised inwardly, Cui Yuan showed no hesitation and immediately thanked him profusely.

This display greatly pleased Emperor Jingyuan.

After what happened with Chancellor Jiang, anyone with a clear mind would teach the princesses diligently. Cui Yuan was not only clear-minded but also intelligent, putting in extra effort to prepare his lessons. He made history engaging and lively, effortlessly weaving in various allusions without sounding like a know-it-all.

"Academician Cui is far better than Chancellor Jiang."

When paying respects to Empress Mother Huo at Fengyi Palace, the Second Princess said excitedly, "Empress Mother, I think the position of Rector of the National Academy should be given to Academician Cui."

The First Princess shook her head. "Academician Cui is indeed impressive, but he's too young. The Rector of the National Academy should be someone with a beard—the whiter, the better."

The Second Princess asked, "Why?"

The First Princess replied, "Because it makes them seem wiser."

"But Chancellor Jiang's beard wasn't white either," the Second Princess pointed out, finding her sister's reasoning sound. "Whenever I fall ill, my mother always asks for Imperial Physician Hu. He has the whitest beard in the Imperial Hospital."

Huo Ling, hearing this, chuckled, as did her attendants Wu Mo and Shang Lan.

When Emperor Jingyuan entered Fengyi Palace, he heard laughter. After inquiring, he couldn't help but smile as well. "Your grandfather also liked Imperial Physician Hu."

The Second Princess exclaimed, "Oh! Then why did Your Majesty choose Chancellor Jiang for us before?"

The First Princess gave her sister's sleeve a quick tug. That's no way to speak to the Emperor.

The Emperor noticed the children's exchange and said gently, "Next time, let your Empress Mother choose. Academician Cui was her pick for you."

The Second Princess turned to her sister, about to ask why she had pulled her, but upon hearing the Emperor's words, she quickly added, "Our companions were also chosen by Empress Mother."

Huo Ling took the opportunity to ask, "How have you been getting on with your companions these days?"

After the children left, Huo Ling and Emperor Jingyuan took a walk together in the courtyard.

Emperor Jingyuan remarked, "These two children have very different temperaments."

Huo Ling replied, "Everyone's different. The First Princess is refined, and the Second Princess is lively—both are wonderful children."

Emperor Jingyuan thought she was right. "I see they're both very fond of you."

In the warm glow of the palace lanterns along the corridor, Huo Ling turned to Emperor Jingyuan. "Clearly, they take after Your Majesty."

Not wanting to walk any further, Emperor Jingyuan took Huo Ling to the baths.

***

There are many clever minds in the court, but old foxes like Lu Hang are still few in number.

Few could match Lu Hang’s foresight and insight.

Thus, while they were awed by Empress Huo's seamless political maneuvering, they also privately marveled: Her Majesty’s approach mirrored the Emperor’s.

She had a heavy hand but stopped short of total destruction, letting Jiang off the hook and allowing him to pass through this ordeal unscathed.

However, the courtiers' impression of Huo Ling was soon completely overturned.

For, just days later during a grand court assembly, the low-profile Capital Prefect, Qiu Hongzhen, suddenly stepped forward and submitted a memorial impeaching He Tai.

The accusations in the memorial were shocking—

Abducting commoners’ daughters, annexing fertile farmland, embezzling military pay...

Stealing soldiers’ death benefits, replacing army steeds with inferior horses, skimming profits from border market trades...

The penultimate charge was He Tai's plot to murder Huo Shiming, resulting in the latter—who could have safely withdrawn from the battlefield—being left severely wounded and comatose.

The final charge was He Tai's order to his captain of guards to assassinate Huo Ling when she was still the Xiang'an Commandery Lady.

Emperor Jingyuan flew into a rage right then, commanding Qiu Hongzhen to investigate He Tai's case and hold him accountable before the empire.

Everyone was stunned.

Qiu Hongzhen had never concealed his ties with Empress Huo, so everyone knew he was in her camp.

The enmity between Empress Huo and He Tai was well-known among anyone remotely informed. Yet, after He Tai had sat in prison for six months without incident, most figured the issue was swept under the rug.

As it turned out, the prolonged silence was because Qiu Hongzhen needed time to gather solid proof against He Tai!

But once the shock subsided, no one stepped forward to plead for He Tai.

Even the He family and the Duke of Chengen kept completely silent on the matter.

Amid total silence, the Capital Prefecture followed protocol in trying He Tai's case. Given the severity of his crimes, he was sentenced to immediate execution.

In just three days, He Tai was put to death.

The day after He Tai's public execution, Qiu Hongzhen officially dropped the 'acting' from his title, securing his role as Capital Prefect.

Only then did everyone realize that Empress Huo and the Emperor were not at all alike.

She had spared Jiang because there was no deep-seated vendetta between them.

But if someone truly crossed her—no matter how much time had passed, no matter how vast the disparity in status—she would claim their life, as she did with He Tai.

No one dared speak against it publicly, though whispers abounded in private.

At Prince Su's residence, the prince remarked to his two sons, "The He family and the Duke of Chengen must be kicking themselves."

To provoke an enemy like Empress Huo for the sake of a washed-up He Tai was a grave miscalculation.

Had they succeeded in shielding He Tai, they might have consoled themselves.

But instead, they incurred Empress Huo's wrath and still failed to save him—what a disaster...

At the Jiang residence, Chancellor Jiang clasped his wife's hand and sighed, "Thank God I apologized to the Two Princesses in person."

Madam Jiang: "...I recall you were dead set against her becoming Empress."

Chancellor Jiang's back was drenched in cold sweat, but upon second thought, he calmed himself, wiping his forehead repeatedly with a handkerchief while muttering, "No, no, that can't be. So many officials submitted memorials opposing the empress's appointment and reducing the coronation ceremony—frankly, who am I? How could Empress Huo possibly single me out?"

At the Lu residence, Lu Hang was also voicing his concerns to his wife: "Henceforth, there will likely be very few who dare to openly clash with Empress Huo."

Lady Lu was puzzled: "Why is that?"

"Because she is too young."

Among the high-ranking court officials, those like Lu Hang and Wen Shengan were already over fifty; the Duke of Liu was nearing sixty; Prince Su, in his sixties, had been bedridden for two years and might depart this world any day now. Even the relatively young Chancellor Jiang was in his mid-to-late thirties.

And Empress Huo?

She not only possessed outstanding political talent but also had decades of political life ahead of her.

Most of their political careers were approaching their twilight, while she was just like the rising sun.

They might be able to deal with Empress Huo, to temporarily suppress her momentum.

But what about their sons and grandsons?

At the Wen residence, Wen Shengan poured himself a cup of wine and sighed softly: "His Majesty has made an excellent choice in his empress."

Why were people scrambling to align themselves with Prince Duan and the Duke of Liu? Beyond personal ambition, it was mostly for the sake of their descendants.

Originally, the power structure of the court had been fairly predictable—if one sought the rewards of backing the future emperor, there was only one path to take.

With Empress Huo assuming control of the inner palace, the situation became complex once again.

Under such circumstances, apart from those who were already in too deep to back out, few dared to stake their lives and fortunes lightly.

Offending neither side and prioritizing self-preservation was perhaps the best choice at the moment.

At the residence of the Duke of Liu, the Duke closed his eyes, a cold dread creeping into his heart.

The timing of He Tai’s execution was suspiciously perfect.

Was it merely a coincidence, or was it carefully planned by the Emperor and Empress?

Recalling the list of crimes compiled by Qiu Hongzhen, the Duke abandoned all illusions—this was clearly orchestrated by the imperial couple.