Chapter 87: “Deploy the troops.”

Chapter 87 "Deploy the troops."

"As you command."

Several tense moments passed between Empress Dowager Huo issuing the order and Censor Ding Jinghuan accepting it.

During those silent moments, Ding Jinghuan was neither hesitating nor wavering—he was contemplating the Empress Dowager's true intentions.

Once he had thought it through, he wasted no time in bowing deeply and directly accepting the young Dowager Empress’s command.

Empress Dowager Huo had summoned Ding Jinghuan alone in a side hall. Even Wu Mo was not by her side at this moment, having been sent to care for Ji Xianshan.

She lowered her gaze, looking at Ding Jinghuan standing below in the main hall, and said calmly, "This matter must not alert too many people. The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate Court will not be involved, but Cui Hongyi will assist you. If there is anything, simply instruct him to handle it."

Ding Jinghuan naturally knew who Cui Hongyi was.

With Cui Hongyi's cooperation, Ding Jinghuan felt even more assured.

"Censor Ding, do not disappoint this grieving widow."

"Your Majesty need not worry. Your servant knows what must be done."

After a faint sound, the grand doors closed once more. The pale dawn light was cut off by the scarlet gates, leaving Empress Dowager Huo seated in the shadowy hall, her eyes gently closing.

Her conflict with Prince Duan’s faction had begun when she was poised to become his concubine, threatening the position of the Princess Consort of Duan.

Later, when she ascended to become Empress, she became a threat to Ji Yuanwan’s standing, further intensifying the strife with Prince Duan’s faction.

Then, after giving birth to An Er, Ji Yuanwan was sent out of the palace.

At this point, the tables had turned—she was now the one holding the initiative.

With Emperor Jingyuan’s support, Empress Dowager Huo had ample time and patience to slowly erode Prince Duan’s faction, bit by bit. In just a few more years, Prince Duan’s faction would no longer pose any threat to her or An Er.

This was the most ideal scenario Empress Dowager Huo had envisioned.

But the best-laid plans often go awry.

Whether Emperor Jingyuan had died of poison or not, and regardless of who had administered it, Prince Duan’s residence and the Duke of Liu’s estate could no longer be allowed to remain.

***

After Emperor Jingyuan’s passing, the palace and the capital were placed under heightened security. The four battalions of the Imperial Guards were all mobilized, stationed along major streets and palace gates, thoroughly screening all who came and went.

Normally, the capital had no nighttime curfew, but after the funeral bells tolled forty-five times, unauthorized persons were no longer permitted to roam or linger in the streets.

The civil and military officials knelt outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony for most of the day and remained in the palace for hours, not returning to their residences until late at night under the escort of the Imperial Guards.

As the gates closed behind him, Prince Duan lifted his head and saw the lanterns overhead adorned with white funeral banners. The grief on his face vanished instantly.

He asked the gatekeeper, "Who put these up?"

The gatekeeper replied, "My Prince, after hearing the bell toll forty-five times, the steward ordered us to remove all brightly colored objects and replace them with funeral white drapery."

Prince Duan praised, "Well done."

Just as he was about to walk away, the steward hurried to his side. "Your Highness, the Princess Consort and the Crown Prince have been waiting for you in the study."

Prince Duan smoothed the creased sleeves of his robe from prolonged kneeling and turned toward the study.

"My Prince."

The Princess Consort of Duan jumped up the moment she saw Prince Duan and hurried forward to greet him.

Prince Duan shot her a look.

Biting back her impatience, the Princess Consort turned to Ji Yuanwan and said, “Yuanyuan, your father has been in the palace all day and probably hasn’t eaten anything. Go to the kitchen and have them bring something gentle on the stomach, then go check if your younger brother is asleep at Qiyun Courtyard.”

Only after the study door was shut again did the Princess Consort press for answers: “What exactly happened in the palace today?”

Prince Duan held nothing back and told her everything in detail.

Her face twisted into something unnatural: “Before the new emperor’s wedding, military and state affairs will be left to the Empress Dowager’s decision… So the edict has given Huo Ling full regency power.”

As he spoke, Prince Duan had been keeping an eye on the Princess Consort.

Now, hearing her words, he blurted out, “How did you manage it?”

His question came abruptly and was veiled.

The Princess Consort stared blankly for a long moment before understanding what he meant.

She sounded incredulous. “What kind of joke are you making, Your Highness?”

If it wasn’t the Princess Consort and Duke Liu—Prince Duan furrowed his brow. “Then what about earlier—”

The Princess Consort glared coldly at him. “From what you’re implying, the late emperor died suddenly.”

“If His Majesty was poisoned, it must have been a fast-acting poison. If Duke Liu’s household could slip such a poison past everyone unnoticed, my father would never have been exiled in the first place.”

Prince Duan had nothing to say to that.

Could it be that his elder brother truly died of sudden illness?

“Your Highness,” the Princess Consort interrupted his thoughts, “the cause of the late emperor’s death is a matter for the palace to handle—not for us.”

On her hollow-cheeked face, her eyes blazed like fire, as though a faint flame had rekindled in the silence.

“All I know is that the late emperor died suddenly, leaving the throne to a child barely two years old, who doesn’t know his left from his right. And the Empress Dowager who now holds regency power is your former lover—the one we fear most.”

Prince Duan’s face changed slightly, but he neither agreed nor denied her words.

A wild smile curled at the Princess Consort’s lips.

She rose from her chair and swept over to Prince Duan’s side, gripping the armrest as she leaned in. “Your Highness, don’t tell me you feel no resentment at all?”

“You were the late emperor’s own brother. The Huos’ return to favor, Huo Ling entering the capital as Commandery Lady—it all happened because of you. Yet they joined forces, played with your feelings, made you the butt of every joke across the city—”

Prince Duan cut in with a sneer, “Liu Qiao, have you finished?”

The Princess Consort’s smile grew even more intense. “I’m just calling it like it is. Or are you really willing to watch that woman enjoy a lifetime of honor while her son by Jingyuan Emperor keeps his seat on the throne?”

Prince Duan said, “You’ve gone mad.”

“Yes,” the Princess Consort spat, her smile cracking and falling away. “I have been going mad—since the day you brought that woman into the capital.”

“She stole my husband’s heart, her son took my son’s throne, and now she’s about to become Regent Empress Dowager, looking down on us for the rest of our lives.”

Prince Duan grabbed her arm. “Consort, Liu Qiao, get a hold of yourself.”

"Sober about what? I've never been as clear-headed in my entire life as I am now." Princess Consort of Duan wrenched her hand free from Prince Duan's grasp and hauled off, slapping him hard across the face. "You're the one who needs to wake up!"

Prince Duan stood dumbfounded, staring at Princess Consort of Duan in disbelief.

In recent years, Princess Consort of Duan had not enjoyed good health, and she lacked physical strength. The slap barely stung.

But that wasn't the point.

"Are you done with this madness?"

Princess Consort of Duan sneered, then caught Prince Duan off guard and hauled off, slapping him again. "I should be asking you—are you even awake?"

"What do we gain by sitting back and letting Huo Ling and her son secure the throne?"

"We could strike while the palace is unprepared, raise an army, overthrow that mother and son, and install Yuanyuan on the throne. I’d be Empress Dowager, and you’d be Emperor Father. Don’t you want payback against Huo Ling? Once it’s done, I’ll personally hand that woman over to your bed!"

Prince Duan was so shocked he briefly forgot about being slapped.

He frowned, deep in thought about Princess Consort of Duan’s suggestion to raise an army.

Princess Consort of Duan sneered again, assuming Prince Duan had been swayed by her last remark.

Prince Duan glanced at her, knowing full well what she was mocking, but couldn’t muster the energy to explain. His upbringing prevented him from striking a woman, but those two slaps had shattered whatever affection remained between them.

"If we’re going to raise an army, we must plan carefully. Your reckless words alone won’t take the palace."

Princess Consort of Duan caught the change in his voice and immediately set aside their quarrel, pressing forward: "So you agree?"

Prince Duan rubbed his throbbing temples. "Give me time to think."

"This is our golden opportunity," Princess Consort of Duan insisted. "Once the enthronement ceremony is over and legitimacy is fully established, raising an army will only become harder."

Prince Duan understood this well. "We’ll still need the support of the Duke of Liu."

"Agreed," Princess Consort of Duan said without hesitation. "We have time to plan for the capital, but there’s something else you must act on right away."

"What is it?"

Princess Consort of Duan lowered her voice, her tone low and threatening: "Mobilize the army. Write to Zhou Jiamu—order him to kill Huo Shiming and march a hundred thousand troops to the capital."

***

After Ding Jinghuan left, Huo Ling remained alone in the side hall, first taking stock of the situation in the capital before turning her attention to the border issues.

For An Er to ascend the throne smoothly, ensuring both the safety of the capital and stability along the borders was crucial.

Thanks to several years of governance by Great Yan, the likelihood of another uprising among the Qiang Rong was small.

The most unstable region remained Yanbei.

As she pondered this matter, a knock suddenly came at the door, followed by a voice announcing, "Your Majesty, Minister Wen requests an audience."

At this moment, Wen Shengan’s visit could only be about arrangements for Emperor Jingyuan’s funeral.

The previous night, after the emperor’s death, the bells of national mourning had already tolled. From palace halls to common homes, all bright colors were removed, replaced with white mourning decorations.

The nation mourned as one.

The mourning hall had been hastily prepared, and starting that day, officials of the sixth rank or higher and titled ladies were required to enter the palace to perform mourning rites.

After finishing the funeral arrangements, Wen Shengan shifted the conversation: "There is another matter, Your Majesty, that requires your immediate attention."

Huo Ling looked at Wen Shengan.

Wen Shengan uttered two words in a deep voice: "Great Mu."

Huo Ling said, "Minister Wen is worried about unrest in Yanbei?"

Wen Shengan replied, "Over the years, Great Yan and Great Mu have appeared to coexist peacefully, but beneath the surface, they have never ceased their confrontations and probes. Now that Great Yan's situation is unstable, if Great Mu takes this opportunity to march south, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Huo Ling said, "I will arrange for someone to notify General An and order him to prepare defenses and increase security."

After Wen Shengan bowed and withdrew, Huo Ling also rose to look for Ji Xianshan and Wu Mo.

Ji Xianshan had already changed into mourning clothes and was obediently sitting beside Wu Mo, eating.

Wu Mo fed him while speaking softly to him.

Ji Xianshan nodded his little head occasionally. Suddenly, he caught sight of a long shadow out of the corner of his eye and looked up happily, "Mother, you're back."

Huo Ling sat beside Ji Xianshan, "Mother just stepped away for a moment. Were you good and listened to Aunt Wu Mo?"

Ji Xianshan showed her the half-eaten porridge. Huo Ling stroked his little face and asked Wu Mo, "Is there more porridge? I'll just grab something quick."

"Yes, yes, I'll serve some for you right away," Wu Mo hurriedly replied.

After finishing the meal, wailing could be heard coming from the memorial hall.

Officials and noblewomen came to pay respects one after another. Huo Ling saw Prince Duan and Princess Consort Duan, as well as the weary-looking Princess Elder Ningxin and Xu Shidu.

Princess Elder Ningxin supported Huo Ling and comforted her, "Sister-in-law, please don't grieve too much."

Huo Ling held Princess Elder Ningxin's hand and glanced at Xu Shidu behind her, disapprovingly saying, "You haven't even finished your recovery period after childbirth. Why did you come to the palace?"

Xu Shidu insisted, "I'm almost done with my recovery. I had to come to pay respects to the Emperor, my uncle, and I was worried about you."

Since she was already here, given Xu Shidu's stubborn nature, there was no way she would obediently leave the palace.

But Huo Ling couldn't let her kneel like this either. The memorial hall was filled with tubs of ice, and it would be easy to catch a chill.

"Then go pay your respects first. Afterward, come with me to the next room to rest."

After Princess Elder Ningxin and Xu Shidu finished paying their respects, Princess Elder Ningxin remained in the memorial hall while Huo Ling took Xu Shidu to the adjacent room.

Xu Shidu held Huo Ling's hand, "Your hands are so cold. Colder than my own."

Huo Ling said, "From spending too much time in the memorial hall."

Xu Shidu shook her head, "You couldn't have slept all night. A Ling, if you're sad, just cry."

Huo Ling withdrew her hand and smoothed Xu Shidu's hair, "No need for tears. As for you, don't come again in the next few days. When you're fully better, you can come every day if you wish."

After talking with Xu Shidu for a while and asking about her daughter, Huo Ling left with Wu Mo.

She didn't return to the memorial hall immediately but stood under the eaves, staring at the cloudy sky for a long time without speaking.

Wu Mo watched her with concern.

Noticing Wu Mo's gaze, Huo Ling said calmly, "In life, times of happiness and fulfillment are always fleeting. But at least, I had that once."

Wu Mo almost cried again.

But this time, she clenched her teeth tightly, holding back her tears.

"Your Majesty, I understand."