Chapter 69: Both conditions for building cavalry are met…

Chapter 69: Both Conditions for Building a Cavalry Force Are Met...

Back then, the House of Duke Liu had chosen to withdraw and lay low.

Now, the House of Duke Liu has been forced to retreat and keep a low profile.

Prince Liu spoke at length with Prince Duan and consoled the Princess Consort once more. In the end, he could only sigh inwardly.

Both of Prince Duan's children are A Qiao's.

Even if not for the sake of the House of Duke Liu, Prince Duan would still maintain A Qiao's status for the sake of their two children.

As for the rest, it is a matter between husband and wife—something he, as both father and father-in-law, can hardly intervene in.

A month after the verdict was issued, Prince Liu wrapped up his official business and left the capital to assume his new position.

The House of Duke Liu had enjoyed generations of honor, with marital alliances throughout the realm. On the day Prince Liu departed the capital, many gathered by the Luoshui River to see him off.

Yet no matter how many came to bid him farewell, they couldn't mask the melancholy.

In the palace, Cui Hongyi shared the news as gossip to amuse Huo Ling.

Huo Ling merely smiled.

In the game of power, triumphs and defeats are temporary—only those who laugh last become the ultimate victors.

This was the lesson the House of Duke Liu had taught her.

"Your Majesty, the feed is here."

Wu Mo approached holding a small dish of feed.

Huo Ling was strolling by Mooncrest Lake at the moment, seeking some fresh air.

It was late summer; the lotuses in Mooncrest Lake had all withered, leaving only the scent of osmanthus carried on the breeze.

After walking along the lakeside for a while, she noticed koi fish occasionally surfacing and had fish feed brought.

Taking the dish from Wu Mo, she casually scattered a handful into the lake.

"The first time I met His Majesty was right here."

"It seems like just yesterday. Over two years have passed."

From her arrival in the capital to her official installation as empress, five months had elapsed.

After entering the palace, she spent another six months restructuring the staff of the Six Palaces.

Subsequently, the case of He Tai uncovered the wider scandal of corruption within the horse administration.

The investigation lasted a total of one year and three months. She remained by Emperor Jingyuan’s side throughout, watching as more and more officials were implicated in the affair, advising him at every turn.

Several of the final judgments were even handed down by her own authority.

Standing behind Huo Ling, Wu Mo watched as the koi fish that had been lurking below now surfaced to compete for the bait, and sighed, "How time flies."

Huo Ling tossed the remaining feed into the lake. "Where is His Majesty now?"

At that moment, Emperor Jingyuan was in conference with the Minister of Revenue in the imperial study.

The horse administration corruption case has seen most implicated officials prosecuted, and now the court is focused on recovering embezzled funds from those involved.

The Ministry of Revenue worked for ages to finally catalog and organize all the gold, silver, treasures, land deeds, shops, and mansions.

The Minister of Revenue came to see Emperor Jingyuan for two reasons: first, to report how much silver had been recovered for the national treasury this time; second, to hint at asking about the emperor’s plans for these funds.

Emperor Jingyuan opened the memorial, skipping the lengthy detailed listings, and went straight to the bottom line.

From this case alone, the confiscated silver exceeded 2.5 million taels.

Even though he had anticipated it, when Emperor Jingyuan actually saw the figure, he couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.

“No wonder the court spends hundreds of thousands of taels every year on horse breeding, only to end up with shoddy, underfed horses.”

“Turns out the silver didn’t fatten the horses—it only fattened those who raised them.”

The Minister of Revenue lowered his head, not daring to reply.

Emperor Jingyuan was indeed furious. He sent the Minister away to await further instructions and sat alone in the imperial study, going over the report.

Li Man entered twice to ask if the emperor wished to have lunch served, but both times he was refused.

Just as Li Man was getting worried, he spotted the phoenix carriage of the Empress from afar and immediately hurried to greet her.

“Perfect timing, Your Majesty.”

The phoenix carriage stopped, and Huo Ling, seeing Li Man’s agitated expression, teased, “Li Man, what’s the matter? Why do you look at me as if I’m your savior?”

“Well, aren’t you?”

Li Man went along with her jest before explaining the situation: “This morning, the Minister of Revenue came to see His Majesty. Whatever they discussed, His Majesty hasn’t eaten since. Your Majesty, please go and persuade him.”

It was long past lunchtime. Huo Ling frowned slightly and ordered, “At this hour, skip the rich food. Have the imperial kitchen prepare something light and easy, and send it over quickly.”

With her approval, Li Man brightly responded and sent a nearby eunuch to the imperial kitchen while he stayed behind to escort Huo Ling to the study.

Huo Ling no longer required announcement before entering the imperial study. She gestured for Li Man to stay back, walked around the screen alone, and approached Emperor Jingyuan.

“What is Your Majesty doing?”

Emperor Jingyuan had already noticed the commotion outside and wasn’t surprised to hear her voice. He pulled her to sit beside him. “Going through the report submitted by the Ministry of Revenue.”

“Is this why Your Majesty skipped lunch?”

“I wasn’t hungry today.”

Huo Ling said, “I’ve instructed the imperial kitchen to prepare some light and easy dishes. Even if Your Majesty isn’t hungry, please accompany me for a bite. Don’t leave me to eat alone.”

Emperor Jingyuan smiled and no longer refused. “Very well.”

Though he claimed to have no appetite, the refreshing and appetizing noodles soon revived it, and he ate most of it before setting down his chopsticks.

Seeing Huo Ling still eating slowly, he said, “Don’t overeat. You’ll regret it.”

Having lived together for two years, even without deliberate observation, Emperor Jingyuan was well aware of Huo Ling’s daily habits. She must have already had lunch before coming to the study.

Huo Ling put down her chopsticks, rinsed out her mouth, and then asked, “What did the report from the Ministry of Revenue say to put Your Majesty in such a state?”

Emperor Jingyuan handed her the report. “Take a look yourself.”

Huo Ling, accustomed to reviewing ledgers, had a sharp eye for discrepancies. After glancing through the report, she quickly understood the reason for Emperor Jingyuan’s displeasure.

The emperor's anger, which had mostly subsided, flared again when he saw the document once more.

"I've long known there were problems in the horse administration," he said, "but it seemed manageable until we started investigating. Now I see that the corruption runs much deeper than I imagined."

"Most of the officials involved don't hold high ranks, yet each skimmed their cut—some taking thousands, others tens of thousands of taels. It's no wonder the horse administration has fallen into such neglect."

He had suppressed this fury for a long time, and now that it erupted, he let loose a storm of anger.

Noticing Huo Ling's continued silence, Emperor Jingyuan checked his temper and softened his voice. "Did I frighten you?"

Huo Ling shook her head. "No. Your anger wasn’t directed at me."

"Then why stay quiet?"

"After all this time knowing Your Majesty, this is the first time I’ve seen you so enraged."

Back when Emperor Jingyuan learned about Prince Duan’s schemes in Yanxi, or when the prince sought her alliance to discuss her future, he had remained stone-faced and unreadable, never revealing his true thoughts.

This outburst, to Huo Ling, was truly something new.

Now caught between irritation and amusement, Emperor Jingyuan tapped her forehead playfully with his knuckles as a teasing scold. "So you came just to watch my tantrum?"

Huo Ling caught his hand. "What angers Your Majesty isn’t just those shocking numbers, is it?"

With a sigh, he replied, "No."

She returned the report to its place. "You've been here all day. Let me accompany you outside for some fresh air."

They ended up strolling to the imperial garden.

The August breeze carried a hint of coolness. As Huo Ling admired a blooming chrysanthemum, Emperor Jingyuan suddenly spoke again.

"The findings on the horse administration are appalling."

"And what about military governance?"

"The court pours money into managing the Yellow River every year, yet floods wipe out whole areas every few years."

"I know controlling the Yellow River has always required immense resources across dynasties. But I can't help wondering—how much of that money actually serves its purpose?"

Huo Ling's hand still rested on the flower, listening without interruption.

Emperor Jingyuan moved beside her, gazing at the chrysanthemum before them.

"In my early reign, I was full of fire, brimming with ambition. I secretly vowed to curb the power of noble families, open doors for talented commoners, give the people good lives, reclaim the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, and expand our borders."

"But just cleaning up the mess left by my predecessor took over a decade."

Huo Ling turned to look at him, suddenly understanding the root of his frustration.

The empire, after eighty years of peace, was deeply mired in accumulated problems. Emperor Jingyuan had long recognized these issues but hadn't had the capacity to address them.

By the time he stabilized the court and consolidated power, he was no longer young.

"Your Majesty has done more than enough," Huo Ling comforted him.

"You're letting anger cloud your thinking. Put those numbers out of your mind—think of something else." It was only before Huo Ling that Emperor Jingyuan could speak so openly.

But he wasn’t one to dwell on emotions either. Following Huo Ling’s lead, he asked, “Tell me, what should I be thinking about?”

Huo Ling’s words of comfort to Emperor Jingyuan were thoughtful and well-founded.

She had reviewed so many memorials and listened to countless discussions between the emperor and his ministers, and was thoroughly familiar with the details of this case.

“The corrupt officials have been punished; the incompetent ones have been removed; those with average performance remain in their posts. The pasturage districts across the land are now running smoothly.”

“I heard from Minister Wen that during the Ministry of Personnel’s review, several officials proved themselves capable and are qualified candidates for promotion. Now that positions have opened up at higher levels, these individuals can be appointed to these roles.”

“The blood of those pasturage commissioners hasn’t even dried yet. With their fate as a warning, it’s unlikely anyone would dare tamper with horse management anytime soon.”

“With an improved government climate and these competent officials in place, given time, good news will surely come from the pasturage districts, and the number of horses bred will become substantial.”

“And that’s just the benefit regarding horse administration.”

“Didn’t Your Majesty send a group of young officials from the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Justice, and the Censorate to investigate locally? Among them, a few performed exceptionally well. Now that many good positions are available in court, they can be appointed accordingly.”

Emperor Jingyuan had indeed mentioned this matter to Huo Ling once, but hadn’t expected her to remember it.

He asked, “Who do you think performed exceptionally well?”

Huo Ling thought for a moment and listed five names: “These are the ones Minister Wen mentioned most frequently.”

Emperor Jingyuan recalled the merit list submitted by the Ministry of Personnel two days earlier. If he remembered correctly, all five names appeared near the top.

At the very top was a young censor from the Censorate named Ding Jinghuan.

Just then, Huo Ling added, “Among the five, the one who stood out the most was Ding Jinghuan.”

As a member of the Censorate, Ding didn’t investigate openly like those from the Ministry of Personnel or Justice. He operated covertly.

After being sent to Anping Prefecture, he disguised himself as a horse trader. Using this identity, he began his investigation at the horse markets, following the trail until he uncovered and apprehended all involved in Anping’s pasturage district.

Reports said that when the imperial envoy arrived in Anping with the imperial guards to raid the premises, Ding was sitting in the VIP section, exchanging pleasantries with the Pasturage Commissioner as if they were old friends.

With charm, bravery, and ingenuity, Huo Ling had remembered him after just one mention by Wen Shengan.

Emperor Jingyuan agreed, “Ding Jinghuan is indeed outstanding. He’s someone I hold in high regard as well.”

A thought suddenly occurred to Huo Ling, and she asked, “If Your Majesty ever plans to meet with these individuals, might I observe as well?”

Over this period, high-ranking officials like Wen Shengan and Cui Ming had become used to having her present in the imperial study during political discussions.

They wouldn’t defy the emperor’s will or obstruct her, but neither would they openly support her or rally behind her.

All were equally evasive.

Only some mid-to-low-ranking officials, through Qiu Hongzhen, Wu Feng, and Zheng Xinjue, had reached out to support her.

Their competence varied, and being restricted to palace life, she couldn’t evaluate each one herself, leaving it to Qiu Hongzhen and others to handle.

But the five she mentioned now—especially Ding Jinghuan—had already demonstrated their competence and gained widespread recognition.

Moreover, they were all in their twenties or thirties, of modest backgrounds, without ties to noble families, making them worth recruiting.

Emperor Jingyuan saw no issue with her request and, seeing her interest, agreed without hesitation.

After discussing these five, Huo Ling continued, “Beyond everything I’ve mentioned, the greatest gain from this case is the confiscated funds.”

As you know, the annual revenue of Great Yan's national treasury amounts to about ten million taels of silver.

Though ten million taels may seem substantial, when allocated to various ministries and regions, it becomes a drop in the bucket.

Now, the confiscated lands and shops will take some time to process, but the 2.5 million taels of silver is already enough for them to accomplish many things.

Emperor Jingyuan's composure had returned. Hearing her mention the silver, he calmly said, "The Minister of Revenue came this morning to ask where I intend to spend this sum."

Huo Ling was also curious: "Has Your Majesty come to any decisions yet?"

A slight smile appeared on Emperor Jingyuan's face: "With such a large sum, I'll need to consider this carefully."

Seeing him smile, Huo Ling also laughed: "I'm afraid Your Majesty won't have the time to deliberate at length."

Emperor Jingyuan raised an eyebrow.

Huo Ling continued, "Every ministry probably has its eye on this silver."

The treasury isn't flush, and neither are the ministries. Sometimes, when they suddenly want to undertake something and Your Majesty has already given his approval, they go to the Ministry of Revenue only to find no extra funds available.

Now, hearing that the treasury suddenly gained an additional 2.5 million taels of silver, how could the ministries remain idle?

Just as Huo Ling was thinking this, Li Man hurried over and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Minister of Works requests an audience."

Huo Ling turned her face away and chuckled: "I thought it would take until tomorrow for someone to come plead their financial difficulties, but here we have someone already."

Emperor Jingyuan could only sigh helplessly: "They're watching too closely."

"Two months ago, Minister Zhou mentioned several times that the layout of the northern city district is flawed—every time there's heavy rain, the flooding rises above knee level."

The northern district has many markets, and this recurring issue not only detracts from the capital's dignity but also disrupts the people's travel and business.

Minister Zhou had long wanted to renovate the area. He had already redesigned the plans for the northern district and even calculated the budget: 300,000 taels.

But when he inquired with the Ministry of Revenue, he was told this year's budget was already exhausted—not even 100,000 taels could be spared, let alone 300,000.

Minister Zhou had originally planned to wait until next year, but upon seeing Emperor Jingyuan's sudden windfall, he rushed to the palace to plead his case. Emperor Jingyuan immediately approved the project.

Yet, Emperor Jingyuan hadn't expected Minister Zhou to come so quickly and urgently, as if fearing he might change his mind.

"Your Majesty should go now—don't delay Minister Zhou."

As Huo Ling spoke, she suddenly remembered something and quickly tugged at Emperor Jingyuan's sleeve: "Your Majesty, approving Minister Zhou's request for 300,000 taels is fine, but if he asks for anything else, please don't be quick to consent."

"And for the other ministries too—please don't be too hasty."

Emperor Jingyuan chuckled wryly: "I know."

This sum may seem large, but if he agrees to every request, it could all be allocated within half a day.

Huo Ling said, "I'm just reminding you. You're compassionate by nature—you might find yourself consenting upon hearing their pleas."

Emperor Jingyuan said playfully, "If they start pleading their financial difficulties before me, I'll tell them I still need to discuss how to use this money with the Empress."

While Huo Ling knew he was joking, she still laughed and let go of his sleeve.

The imperial carriage had disappeared from sight before Huo Ling returned to Fengyi Palace—Phoenix Majesty Palace.

She was in the study, pondering the matter of Ding Jinghuan and the others, when Wu Mo entered holding a letter.

"Your Majesty, a message has arrived from the Western Yan region."

The sender was Huo Shiming.

Western Yan lay hundreds of miles from the capital, making communication difficult. Still, Huo Shiming wrote every two or three months, filling her in on family matters, updates about Western Yan, and asking how she’d been.

At the end of the letter, both Huo Ze and Fang Shi had added a few lines for Huo Ling.

After reading it, she tossed it aside, planning to reply to her father and the others the next day.

Just then, as if something clicked, she picked the letter up again, her eyes quickly scanning to a particular passage in the middle.

In that section, Huo Shiming mentioned "cavalry."

The Qiang Rong were only vassals of Great Yan, not fully incorporated into its territory, so they maintained their own army.

Huo Shiming had seen a cavalry unit led by Li Yichun, which left him in awe.

……

Huo Ling closed the letter and shut her eyes, slowly piecing things together.

Ever since the ill-fated northern campaign during the late emperor’s reign—which drained the nation’s resources and destroyed the two elite cavalry units—Great Yan had been left without a functional cavalry force.

Creating an effective cavalry required not only excellent warhorses but also a ton of money.

Previously, after subduing the Qiang Rong, Great Yan had acquired over ten thousand elite warhorses, plus ten thousand sturdy horses suitable for logistics.

Now, the court had also received this huge windfall.

It could be said that both conditions for building a cavalry force were now met.

If the court intended to train cavalry, it would have to be done in bitterly cold regions like Western Yan or Northern Yan.

Northern Yan bordered Great Mu directly, making it too unstable for training.

The best training ground would still be Western Yan.

Within Great Yan’s military, many knew how to train troops, but few had experience with cavalry.

Her father had no such background, but during the previous dynasty, the Huo ancestors had long been stationed in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. By the time of her grandfather, Huo Yingshao, the family had developed considerable expertise in cavalry—an invaluable, passed-down legacy.

……

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Emperor Jingyuan’s voice came from behind.

Huo Ling turned in surprise. "How long have you been here?"

"I’ve been here a good minute," he replied. "You were too deep in thought to notice."

"Did the Minister of Works leave already?" she asked.

The emperor chuckled. "That greedy geezer wanted more even after 300,000 taels—he tried to throw in city wall repairs too. I shooed him off."

If we really allocate such a large sum of money to the Ministry of Works in one go, tomorrow the ministers of the other five ministries would come knocking at his door for tea.

Huo Ling gathered her thoughts and dropped a bombshell: "Has Your Majesty ever considered using this silver to raise another cavalry force?"

Emperor Jingyuan did a double take, his playful expression immediately turning serious.

He lowered his gaze, beginning to see the merits in Huo Ling's suggestion.

Great Yan already had a cavalry unit, but within what the treasury could bear, even Emperor Jingyuan—who was no horseman or military enthusiast—hoped to build another.

After a long pause, Emperor Jingyuan said, "This matter is of great importance. We still need to think it over carefully."

His response let Huo Ling breathe half a sigh of relief.

If Emperor Jingyuan had not liked the idea, he would have shot it down right away.

The fact that he wanted to deliberate meant the notion had already hooked him.

After all, building an army was no small thing—it couldn't be decided in just a few words.

Emperor Jingyuan asked, "How did you suddenly come up with this idea?"

Huo Ling smiled and replied, "Your Majesty were teasing me just now, saying you wanted to discuss how to spend this silver with me."

"After returning to Fengyi Palace, I came across a letter from my father. In it, he mentioned how envious he felt after seeing the mounted troops surrounding the Qiang Rong leader, Li Yichun."

"Reading those words, and thinking about Great Yan’s lack of cavalry, the notion struck me."