Chapter 81: To this day, she has finally fully established her power…

Chapter 81 — At long last, she had fully established her authority...

Lu Hang was capable and possessed good judgment. Huo Ling had no worries about entrusting matters to him and waited patiently to see how things turned out.

Before they knew it, the Spring Festival had arrived.

Huo Ling was enjoying herself thoroughly this year.

Last year, she had been just three months along, with heavy snow falling outside. To avoid any mishaps, there were many places she couldn’t go and things she couldn’t eat.

Now that she had given birth, those restrictions were gone. She could go wherever she wished and eat whatever she wanted.

When the imperial concubines came to wish her a Happy New Year, they also brought gifts they had prepared—mostly hand-embroidered pouches and handkerchiefs for Huo Ling, and for the eldest prince, children's bellybands, shoes, and jade pendants to keep the child safe.

"How thoughtful of you all," Huo Ling said, then asked what they had been up to during the festival.

From the moment Huo Ling entered the palace, the concubines had never dared step out of line in her presence. Now that she had borne the eldest prince, they had completely given up any hope of winning favor.

After all, the Empress was generous by nature and never shortchanged them on supplies. As long as they kept out of trouble and didn't cross her, she wouldn't make things difficult for them.

Occasionally, when she received the latest silks and jewelry or new treats from the south, she was happy to share them with the other concubines.

With no worries about food or clothing, life was comfortable. They often got together to play cards, kick shuttlecocks, or enjoy a game of arrow tossing for fun.

Hearing Huo Ling’s question, they all started talking at once.

Huo Ling listened quietly, occasionally adding a comment here and there.

When the time seemed right, before the concubines took their leave, she announced that on the tenth and eleventh days of the New Year, their families would be allowed to apply to visit the palace.

At this news, many lower-ranking concubines couldn’t hide their excitement.

Those of high status and noble birth could easily arrange visits with their families.

But for those like them—low-ranking women whose families lacked the rank to enter the palace—it had been nearly impossible.

What amused Huo Ling was that on the tenth day of the New Year, the Huo family also applied to visit the palace.

Huo Ling greeted them in Fengyi Palace: "Father and Mother, you're getting in on this too?"

Huo Shiming replied, "We originally wanted to see you one more time before leaving the capital. When we heard about this, it worked out perfectly."

Huo Ling: "Leaving so soon?"

Huo Shiming sighed. "Though the capital is pleasant, I can't stop thinking about the Swallow Feather Army."

Since Yanxi was central to Huo Ling’s plans, she didn’t try to persuade him to stay longer. Instead, she said, "The Lantern Festival in the capital is grand and lively. Why not wait until after it ends? It's better than celebrating on the road."

A few extra days wouldn’t make much difference anyway.

Huo Shiming smiled and agreed, then asked about the eldest prince.

After lunch, Huo Ling invited Ho Shiming to her study for a private conversation.

Huo Shiming said, "After receiving his transfer orders, Jian Bai headed back ahead of us."

Fang Jianbai had to return to Yanxi first to transfer his responsibilities, then handpick a contingent from the Swallow Feather Army to accompany him to Yanbei. With the timeline tight—only two months allowed for him to assume his new post—he didn’t linger in the capital.

Huo Ling nodded slightly and raised another topic.

“You must have heard that Yanxi is establishing a prefectural academy.”

“This matter won’t go smoothly. If the officials in charge come to you for help, Father, remember to lend them a hand.”

Anyone with eyes could see that the prefectural academy project was entirely driven by Huo Ling. This was the first time she had fully used her own will to shape the direction of a political initiative.

The officials overseeing the academy, even if not her direct confidants, would inevitably be stamped as part of the Empress’s faction.

Since they were allies, Huo Shiming naturally wouldn’t hesitate to assist where needed.

“Don’t worry,” Huo Shiming thumped his chest confidently.

Huo Ling smiled and added, “Huo Ze is still just a boy. It might be worth considering sending him to the academy for a few years of study.”

Huo Ze, the Emperor’s brother-in-law, held a far more credible status than He Tai, the Empress’s cousin.

If Huo Ze enrolled in the academy, officials and local gentry in Yanxi would leap at the chance to send their children to study alongside him.

Moreover, Huo Ze’s temperament was still too impulsive—reining in his impulsiveness through schooling would do him good.

Huo Ling didn’t expect Huo Ze to be of great help to her in the future, but at the very least, she wanted to prevent him from bungling into disasters and dragging her down.

Huo Shiming hadn’t thought as far ahead as Huo Ling, but he agreed that sending Huo Ze to study was a good idea.

Father and daughter deliberated on Yanxi affairs for quite some time, only stopping when Fang Shi and Huo Ze arrived carrying An Er.

Fang Shi had been stunned by what happened—she had gone to the palace to ask Huo Ling to persuade Fang Jianbai, only for him to be shipped off to Yanbei soon after.

However, after Fang Jianbai spoke openly with her and Huo Shiming offered reassurances, Fang Shi had to swallow it.

There was nothing else she could do.

She could still meddle in Fang Jianbai’s marriage,

but when it came to his career and the future of the Fang family, everything now hinged on her husband and stepdaughter—no longer within her control.

Before her stepdaughter married into the imperial family, Fang Shi could vent her frustrations with complaints.

But now, if she couldn’t keep her mouth shut, not even her husband, let alone her son and nephew, would take her side.

Looking at her stepdaughter, whose majesty far surpassed what she once knew, Fang Shi had come to deeply understand the meaning of hierarchy.

After the Lantern Festival, the Huo family set off back to Yanxi, loaded down with imperial favors.

The Ministry of Rites spent half a month assessing the civil service exams submitted by commoners, selecting the twenty highest scorers.

To prevent proxy test-takers, the ministry arranged a separate examination for these candidates.

Only after confirming their genuine talent and ruling out any fraud were the results reported to the palace.

A few days later, these twenty scholars selected from the commoners, along with twenty-seven students chosen from the Imperial Academy, were all appointed to office.

It was extremely rare in the Great Yan Dynasty to appoint forty-seven officials at once, which immediately drew skepticism from court officials.

However, they were quickly shut down by the joint efforts of the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Academy.

If the court needed to employ talent, how could it not confer official positions?

Moreover, among these appointees, only a few outstanding individuals were granted seventh-rank academic posts, while the rest were minor eighth- or ninth-rank positions—too minor to affect the overall situation.

Most were convinced, but a handful still frowned slightly.

Seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-rank positions were naturally beneath them.

What alarmed them was this method of large-scale recruitment through examinations…

The court was indeed in an uproar over this.

The fuss started over those forty-seven appointees, yet it had nothing to do with them.

Once they took their posts, they packed their belongings under the guidance of several senior officials and set off for Yanxi to begin establishing the state schools.

By the time the court quieted down, An Er had already learned to say “Niangniang.”

Ten months old now, the child could sit steadily and crawl around on the floor.

Huo Ling had a carpet laid out and placed the child on it to play.

As they watched the child, she and Wu Mo discussed how to celebrate her and Emperor Jingyuan’s birthdays this year.

As they spoke, the child, who had crawled away earlier, returned to Huo Ling’s arms, grabbed her sleeve, and babbled, “Niangniang.”

Indeed, since coming into the world, little Ji Xianshan’s first word was neither “Mother Empress” nor “Imperial Father,” but “Niangniang.”

Wu Mo jumped at the sound, instinctively covering her mouth.

Huo Ling was also taken aback. She hugged the child and corrected, “An Er, call me ‘Mother Empress.’”

Wu Mo made a face. “He must have picked it up from hearing us call you ‘Niangniang’ so often.”

The child giggled in Huo Ling’s arms, drooling as he babbled.

Dabbing his mouth with a handkerchief, Huo Ling smiled. “I’m to blame too—I thought he was too young and didn’t rush to teach him ‘Mother Empress’ or ‘Imperial Father.’”

When Emperor Jingyuan arrived and heard about this, he couldn’t wait to go see the child.

Huo Ling ignored him, finishing her tasks before going to find the emperor and the child.

In the side hall, she found Emperor Jingyuan kept coaxing the child to say “Imperial Father.”

The child, thinking it was a game, kept giggling.

Huo Ling stayed back watching them, not interrupting.

Emperor Jingyuan took a moment to notice her presence.

He teased, “Cat got Niangniang’s tongue?”

Huo Ling teased back, “Niangniang didn’t want to upstage Your Majesty.”

Just then, the child called out "Mommy" again.

Huo Ling hadn't expected the child to cooperate with her so perfectly, and she laughed heartily, "See? Last-minute studying doesn’t work."

Emperor Jingyuan couldn't help but chuckle as well, teasing her, "An Er called 'Mommy,' not 'Mother.' When he finally calls 'Father' first, don’t you go getting impatient with me."

Huo Ling realized he was right and quickly leaned in closer.

Once the child spoke his first word, picking up others came much faster. After several days of teaching together, Huo Ling and Emperor Jingyuan finally managed to teach him to say "Mother" and "Father."

During this time, another amusing incident occurred.

At an imperial court session, a Ministry of Civil Office official surnamed Kang submitted a memorial urging Emperor Jingyuan to name a crown prince.

"The crown prince is the foundation of the state. Your Majesty’s early designation of the heir will reassure the court officials."

As for who should be named crown prince, the memorial did not specify—nor did it need to.

The moment this memorial was presented, all eyes turned to Kang Zizhen, the bushy-browed and wide-eyed official, inwardly cursing him for his cunning and slyness.

Especially the empress's loyal allies like Qiu Hongzhen and the Duke of Jingguo, who were nearly beside themselves with anger.

Like we needed you to bring up appointing an heir apparent?

As if the rest of us hadn’t thought of it?

We were just waiting for the right moment—and now, this nobody comes out of nowhere and beats us to it!

While cursing Kang Zizhen under their breaths, none of them wanted to fall behind, stepping up one by one to petition for the establishment of the heir apparent.

After the imperial court session, a flood of memorials came in, each filled with gushing praise for the eldest prince.

Huo Ling randomly picked one up, skimmed through it, then glanced at the child nearby who was holding onto a railing, stumbling every few steps as he learned to walk. She whispered to Emperor Jingyuan, "Reading these petitions, one would think An Er is the reincarnation of the legendary Yao and Shun, born wise."

It was truly impressive how these court officials could heap such extravagant praise on a child not even a year old.

Emperor Jingyuan laughed heartily, "You're such a tease."

Huo Ling tossed the petition aside without further discussion about naming the crown prince, instead shifting the conversation to the upcoming Zhua Zhou ceremony (first birthday object-grabbing ritual).

Both Huo Ling and Emperor Jingyuan intended to make this Zhua Zhou ceremony a grand affair. From imperial relatives to court officials and titled ladies, all of sufficient rank were invited to witness the event.

For most court officials, this was their first glimpse of the future heir apparent of the Great Yan Dynasty.

—Though at this moment, the heir apparent was merely a rosy-cheeked toddler.

The table specially crafted for the Zhua Zhou ceremony was exceptionally wide, surrounded by a barrier to prevent the child from accidentally falling.

The table was already piled high with items—precious metals and jewels, classical texts, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, all meticulously prepared in advance by the Imperial Household.

Huo Ling placed the child on the table.

Sitting there, the child—with eyes entirely inherited from Huo Ling—looked left and right before slowly crawling across the surface.

Palace attendants encouraged him to choose something, but he just poked and prodded at the items without actually grabbing any.

"An Er, come here."

Emperor Jingyuan suddenly clapped his hands, using the clapping to get the child's attention.

At his signal, the previously cheering palace attendants fell silent, all eyes nervously fixed on the child.

The emperor clapped a few more times, and the child finally noticed him, shoving aside the books and brushes in his path before crawling toward Emperor Jingyuan.

Emperor Jingyuan stopped his movements.

With no sound to follow, the child continued to touch and look around.

As if making his choice, he finally settled on what he wanted. When his hand brushed against a bright yellow scroll, he suddenly grabbed it and flailed it about excitedly.

Cui Hongyi opened his mouth to announce what the eldest prince had picked up.

But when he took a closer look, his words caught in his throat.

"The eldest prince has picked up an... an imperial edict—"

Li Man shot his timid foster son an exasperated look and declared loudly, "The eldest prince has picked up an imperial edict!"

A stunned silence fell over the hall.

Huo Ling was also surprised and instinctively glanced at Emperor Jingyuan.

Though the items for the ceremony had come from the Imperial Household Department, they had been reported to Huo Ling beforehand. The department would never have included an imperial edict.

Clearly, this one had been brought by Emperor Jingyuan himself.

With a slight smile, Emperor Jingyuan took the edict from An Er's hands and handed it to Huo Ling. "Care to take a look?"

Huo Ling could guess what it was.

When she unrolled it, she confirmed it was indeed an imperial decree appointing the eldest prince, Ji Xianshan, as the crown prince.

Li Man spoke again.

"By His Majesty's decree—"

Everyone present, except for Huo Ling and Emperor Jingyuan, knelt to receive the edict.

Li Man recited the contents of the decree word for word.

The already festive ceremony became even more magnificent and joyous with the proclamation of this edict.

The appointment of a crown prince was no small affair.

Just as the enthronement of an empress required a grand ceremony, the designation of a crown prince required an official investiture ceremony to announce it to the people and honor heaven, earth, and ancestors.

An Er was much too young to go through the ceremony by himself, so in the end, Huo Ling and Emperor Jingyuan guided him through every step.

The Eastern Palace was readied as well.

However, until An Er turned six, he would remain in Fengyi Palace under Huo Ling's personal care.

In what felt like no time at all, the crabapple flowers outside Fengyi Palace faded and bloomed anew. Huo Ling saw the flowers bloom four times over and marked four years in the central palace.

In the first two years as empress, she streamlined the six palaces' operations and centralized their management.

By arranging for the two princesses to study at the Tianzhang Pavilion, she gauged the court's response.

By using He Tai's death to assert her authority, she showed the court officials how she operated.

Building on the He Tai case, she began investigating corruption and dereliction of duty in oversight regions across the empire.

Capitalizing on these moments, she displayed her political talent, earning Emperor Jingyuan’s growing trust in her abilities. He began to guide her, allowing her to take part in imperial affairs, listening in on discussions between emperor and ministers in the imperial study, and even letting her review and decide upon certain memorials, granting her decision-making power.

After she became pregnant, Emperor Jingyuan placed her father in charge of the Swallow Feather Army.

With just a few words, she cost the He family their marquis title.

Ji Yuanwan, the child, was also expelled from the palace.

In the fourth year of her reign as empress, she personally promoted and led the establishment of imperial academies in Yanxi.

Without her needing to give any indication, those in court who sought to align with her eagerly submitted memorials urging for the formal designation of a Crown Prince.

Now that her son had been officially named Crown Prince, she had finally cemented her authority.