Chapter 66: Why doesn’t she fight?

Chapter 66 Why Shouldn't She Compete?

Such a thought would have seemed unthinkable, even forbidden, to Huo Ling herself in the past.

But now, it arose so naturally.

If even nephews and cousins could compete for inheritance...

If his legacy and her future dignity were to depend entirely on a designated heir...

Then why shouldn't she compete?

She was the one who had been by his side day and night, sharing his every moment.

The heavy rain fell like pearls bouncing off marble, splashing onto her skirts. Huo Ling picked up speed, ignoring the puddles underfoot as she strode forward without hesitation.

"Slow down," Emperor Jingyuan cautioned.

Reaching the foot of the steps, Huo Ling let go of her oil-paper umbrella and lifted her skirts, quickly climbing the last few steps to throw herself into Emperor Jingyuan’s arms.

He made him step back half a pace before steadying himself and catching her.

Looking at Huo Ling, slightly out of breath from her hurried run, Emperor Jingyuan said with amusement, "Such impulsiveness. Be careful, or the palace attendants will laugh."

Huo Ling replied, "They serve Your Majesty and me daily. They're quite used to it by now."

Containing her excitement stirred by that earlier thought, she smoothly changed the subject. "Why did Your Majesty rise so late today?"

Emperor Jingyuan didn’t elaborate, only saying, "I slept late last night."

Huo Ling did not press further.

Whether or not her words had moved Emperor Jingyuan the previous night, she already knew what she wanted—and how to achieve it.

"Have you taken the midday meal yet?"

"Not yet. I was waiting for you."

"Then let us go inside."

Meanwhile, in Jingren Palace, where Prince Su lived.

Though Prince Su's health had improved slightly, he remained far weaker than most people. On such rainy days, his persistent headaches returned.

Thus, when the children's fight broke out the previous day, he had only heard a brief account before retiring, unable to investigate further.

That morning, as soon as Prince Su awoke, he was informed of Empress Huo’s punishment of the Princess Consort of Duan.

Ignoring his lingering discomfort, he summoned his second son.

"The matter of the children's fight—wasn't it already settled? Why did Her Majesty suddenly order the Princess Consort of Duan to copy scriptures?"

After a moment’s thought, the second son surmised the reason.

However, instead of relaxing, Prince Su’s frown deepened. "Tell me everything about yesterday’s events again—from start to finish, in detail."

Seeing his father’s serious demeanor, the second son didn’t dare omit anything and gave a full account.

Prince Su listened silently until the end, then let out a long sigh. "When your wife argued with the Princess Consort of Duan, why didn’t you stop her?"

Second Uncle Ji stammered in response: "When my wife and I saw Third Young Master's face covered in blood, we both felt angry and lost our temper..."

Under Prince Su's increasingly piercing stare, Second Uncle Ji's voice grew softer and softer until it finally disappeared completely.

"You all—"

Prince Su abruptly set down his teacup, frustration evident in his tone: "Do you dare try to be clever in front of me?"

Second Uncle Ji hesitated: "Father..."

Prince Su sneered, "Your little schemes are obvious to me at once. Do you really think you can hide them from His Majesty and Her Majesty?"

Second Uncle Ji showed visible discomfort.

Seeing this expression, Prince Su lost interest in continuing. He sipped some tea to calm himself before sighing, "Even if Her Majesty hasn't decided to adopt Third Young Master yet, even if she truly intends to, we must not become smug. Instead, we must stay vigilant and modest."

"Prince Duan's household's greatest mistake is treating First Young Master too much like their own child."

"They've already decided to adopt him, yet they can't completely relinquish their claim. This hesitation will only harm the child."

Second Uncle Ji was startled: "Then... what should we do...?"

Prince Su waved his hand dismissively, "We haven't reached that point yet, but you and your wife must understand your position."

"There are times when we must stand our ground."

"But what benefit do we gain from vying against Princess Consort of Duan?"

This was what angered Prince Su most.

It wasn't that they couldn't compete, nor that others couldn't see their ambitions and plans. But to fight over something with no gain was simply cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Second Uncle Ji now stood quietly, receiving the scolding without uttering another word.

After finishing his tea, Prince Su slowly rose, leaning on the table for support.

Second Uncle Ji hurriedly reached out to assist him: "Father, where are you going?"

Prince Su replied, "I shall seek an audience with His Majesty and Her Majesty."

At that time, Huo Ling was reviewing the personal manuscripts of the Grand Ancestor from the previous dynasty that she had brought back from Changxin Palace.

"Show Prince Su in."

Closing the book in her hands, Huo Ling first went to the study to find Emperor Jingyuan before accompanying him to the main hall to meet Prince Su.

Before Prince Su could rise to bow, Huo Ling waived the formalities and asked with concern, "We heard you summoned Imperial Physician Hu last night, Uncle. Are you unwell?"

Prince Su smiled gently, "The rainy weather aggravates my headaches. A chronic condition—thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."

Emperor Jingyuan said, "Uncle, you should rest in your palace."

Taking this opportunity, Prince Su stated his purpose: "This morning, I heard about what happened yesterday. Alas, it is my failure in disciplining them. Children's squabbles shouldn't have troubled Your Majesties. I am deeply ashamed."

"So it's about this matter," Huo Ling chuckled. "We are all family. Such a trivial issue isn't worth your personal visit, Uncle."

Prince Su replied, "Your Majesty is gracious and wouldn't take it to heart."

Huo Ling now understood why Emperor Jingyuan had regretted Prince Su's failing health.

This person truly understands.

"How is San Lang's injury?"

Prince Su replied, "It's already scabbing over."

Huo Ling said, "That's good. Kids tend to pick at their injuries, so make sure his attendants keep a close eye on him."

Emperor Jingyuan chuckled beside her, "The prince’s attendants will naturally pay attention—such matters don’t need mentioning."

Huo Ling replied, "Just making conversation."

Noticing Prince Su’s pale complexion, Huo Ling quickly had attendants help him back to rest.

As he left Changqing Palace, helped by palace attendants, Prince Su couldn’t help glancing back at the emperor and empress sitting side by side on the throne.

The empress didn't bat an eye about mentioning San Lang in front of His Majesty...

Prince Su believed that when it came to interpreting the emperor’s thoughts, he was no match for the empress.

Her lack of hesitation meant she was confident the emperor wouldn’t mind.

The more Prince Su pondered, the more his head ached. In the end, he set the matter aside: “No point worrying—better to wait and see.”

***

The unexpected storm made it impossible for the hunting party to enter the grounds, forcing everyone to stay in the palace or villas to rest.

After observing for several days, Huo Ling noticed Emperor Jingyuan was more likely to stick close to her than before.

Previously, though the emperor often visited Fengyi Palace, he wouldn’t always join her when she went to the study to practice calligraphy or play chess.

But now, even if she went to the study to write, he would move from reading in the main chamber to read there instead.

She joked with him privately about not minding the trouble, though inwardly she thought: The effect of that conversation a few days ago was far better than I expected.

The rain poured for five straight days before finally clearing, leaving only the last few days of the hunting trip.

In those final days, Huo Ling dragged Emperor Jingyuan into the hunting grounds, having a great time before setting off back to the capital.

Seeing her reluctant, lingering expression, Emperor Jingyuan asked, “Did you enjoy it that much?”

Huo Ling nodded. “I did. And since we won’t be coming here for years, I wanted to get my fill before leaving.”

Emperor Jingyuan’s brow lifted slightly—he didn’t recall telling her they wouldn’t return for years.

As if reading his thoughts, Huo Ling explained, “Coming here is too much trouble. Your Majesty was never big on hunting in the first place. Having you accompany me two years running is already more than I deserve.”

After considering, Emperor Jingyuan agreed, “Very well. Next summer, we can stay at the Western Suburbs’ summer palace for a while. There’s no need to come to this imperial hunting lodge every year.”

Perhaps because they had stayed at the royal hunting grounds longer than usual, everyone was in a hurry to get back on the journey home. They reached the capital in just seven days.

Back at Fengyi Palace, Huo Ling cleaned up first.

After changing into fresh clothes, she was told that Consort De had arrived with the eldest princess.

The moment Consort De saw Huo Ling, she smiled, “Am I interrupting Your Majesty’s rest?”

Huo Ling replied, “Not at all. These past days, I’ve been traveling in the phoenix carriage—not exactly exhausting.”

Only then did Consort De begin bringing her up to speed on the affairs of the inner palace.

Virtuous Consort had previously overseen the affairs of the Six Palaces, and now that she was handling them again, she managed everything in perfect order without any chaos.

Huo Ling said sincerely, "I truly appreciate your help this time."

Virtuous Consort quickly waved her hand. "You honor me, Your Majesty. It’s my pleasure to serve you."

Huo Ling smiled, thinking that Virtuous Consort was every bit a Lu—her temperament was so similar to Minister Lu Hang's. "You and the Eldest Princess haven’t seen each other for nearly two months. You must miss her dearly. Go catch up first, then come chat with me later."

After Virtuous Consort and the Eldest Princess left, Huo Ling had Cui Hongyi draw up a list of gifts, all of which were intended for Virtuous Consort.

After a good night's rest, the next morning, Huo Ling was planning to handle some palace affairs, but Emperor Jingyuan said to her, "Accompany me to the imperial study. I recently acquired a few new paintings and haven’t had time to review them yet."

Huo Ling smiled and agreed.

When they arrived at the imperial study, the two looked over the paintings together.

Of course, it was mainly Huo Ling listening to Emperor Jingyuan’s explanations, as she was no art expert herself.

Just as they were admiring the third painting, Li Man hurried in. "Your Majesty, Minister Wen and the others are here to see you."

Emperor Jingyuan said, "Let them in."

Huo Ling felt a flicker of understanding, having a hunch about the emperor’s intention in bringing her to the study, but she still asked, "Your Majesty, since Minister Wen and the others are here, should I step out?"

Emperor Jingyuan replied, "You’ve already read all the compiled materials from the Hanlin Academy, haven’t you? Wen Shengan and the others must be here to report on the investigation results of horse administration across the regions. No need to step out—just stay and listen, as you did last time."

When Minister of Personnel Wen Shengan, Minister of Justice Cui Ming, and the Left Censor-in-Chief were ushered into the imperial study, they saw the emperor and empress sitting side by side at the front.

Wen Shengan: "..."

Cui Ming: "..."

Somehow, it was both unexpected and yet not entirely surprising.

But Your Majesty and Your Highness—at least last time you were willing to put on a pretense to humor us. This time, you’re not even pretending anymore.