Chapter 101: Deputy Commander of Xingtang Pass.

**Chapter 101: Deputy Commander of Xingtang Pass (a key military post).**

Construction on Shouning Palace had only just begun, and during this time, Huo Ling conducted state business and received court officials in the Xingtai Hall.

The Heir to the Duke of Liu had already been escorted back to the capital by the imperial guards. After a thorough investigation, the Ministry of Justice compiled a newly compiled list of rebel conspirators.

Compared to the previous list, this new one merely added several omitted suspects.

Nothing of value could be extracted from these individuals, and instead, the Ministry of Justice’s prison cells were packed with prisoners.

After reviewing the Ministry of Justice’s memorial, Huo Ling dipped her brush in vermilion ink and scrawled a bold, crimson “Execute.”

These officials had served neither the empire nor its people during their tenure. Now that they were prisoners, there was no reason to waste resources keeping them alive through winter.

Wouldn’t it be better to use spare grain to feed the poor?

Those directly implicated in the rebellion were executed, while the rest faced exile or demotion according to the severity of their crimes.

Since Huo Ling pressed for urgency, none of them were allowed to stay in the capital for the New Year. The demoted officials had only moments to gather their things before being driven out of the city.

Those who had once sought patronage under Prince Duan or the Duke of Liu—but were not involved in the rebellion—were in a panic, terrified of being purged.

However, after waiting anxiously, they finally relaxed.

There was no sign that the Empress Dowager intended to carry out widespread purges.

Huo Ling truly had no intention of blaming others.

Those without power or influence needed patrons to climb the social ladder. Back when Prince Duan and the Duke of Liu held great sway, countless people sought their favor for advancement. As long as they had not aided in the rebellion, they were spared.

With the departure of the last batch of exiles, the aftermath of the rebellion was finally put to rest. Once the dust settled, the court officials began to scheme eagerly.

After all, a slew of offices now sat empty.

Especially in the Ministry of War—both the Minister of War and the Right Vice Minister of War had been implicated, crippling the ministry’s functions.

...

For Huo Ling, this was actually a good thing.

Over the years, she had cultivated a faction of mid-ranking officials around her. Their support had been indispensable in her crushing Prince Duan’s faction and the Duke of Liu’s household.

Now, with so many vacancies in the court, she could naturally seat her loyalists.

For instance, Qiu Hongzhen, who had served as the Metropolitan Governor for six years, was to be transferred to the Ministry of War as the Right Vice Minister.

Ding Jinghuan was reassigned from the Censorate to replace Qiu Hongzhen as the new Metropolitan Governor.

The Duke of Jingguo was appointed as the Right Vice Minister of Works.

Zheng Xinjue, the Heir to the Duke of Jingguo, was transferred to the Black Tortoise Guard as its Deputy Commander.

Wu Feng remained in the Vermilion Guard. Though his official rank was lower than Zheng Xinjue’s, privately, Huo Ling put him in charge of a shadow unit—a secret guard left behind by Emperor Jingyuan, now under her authority.

Meanwhile, she urged the Ministry of Personnel to draw up a roster of candidates as soon as possible.

***

In Fengyi Palace, Huo Shiming handed a few toys he had bought to Ji Xianshan.

Hugging the toys tightly, Ji Xianshan exclaimed loudly, “Thank you, Grandfather! It’s been forever since you visited me!”

Huo Shiming crouched in front of Ji Xianshan, bringing himself to the boy’s eye level. His smile was warm. “I didn’t expect you still remembered me.”

Ji Xianshan nodded eagerly. “Mother and Uncle often tell me stories about Grandfather.”

Curiosity lit up his eyes. “Uncle said Grandfather killed a tiger. Is that true?”

Huo Shiming laughed loudly. “It’s true—but I didn’t beat it to death. I shot it. And there were many guards with me.”

Ji Xianshan gasped in amazement. “Wow!”

Huo Shiming added, “If you like, when I return to Yanxi, I’ll have your grandmother sew you a tiger-skin coat and make you a pair of tiger-skin boots. You’ll look fierce and mighty wearing them.”

Ji Xianshan imagined the scene and grinned ear to ear.

“I’ll kill a tiger too someday,” he declared, turning to Huo Ling. “And give it to Mother as a gift.”

Huo Ling, sitting by the charcoal brazier reading a letter while holding a hand warmer, glanced up at him without dashing his excitement. “Then Mother will wait for your big tiger.”

That made Ji Xianshan even more excited. He pressed Huo Shiming for details on how he had killed the tiger.

Huo Shiming played along, acting out the story with gestures and sound effects.

But children get bored easily. After a while, Ji Xianshan lost interest in tigers and wanted to pick osmanthus flowers instead.

In front of his own son, Huo Shiming would maintain a stern fatherly demeanor, often wearing a serious expression. But with his grandson, he dropped all pretense. He lifted Ji Xianshan onto his shoulders so the boy could reach down the hanging blossoms.

After tugging off a bunch of flowers, Ji Xianshan pointed to a nearby tree and murmured excitedly into Huo Shiming’s ear.

Huo Shiming carried him to the tree.

Huo Ling folded the letter she had finished reading and set it aside. She looked up at the two of them for a long moment before saying gently, “Father, rest a while.”

Huo Shiming called back from afar, then took Ji Xianshan around for another quick stroll before finally setting him down.

Ji Xianshan was picked up by Huo Ling, pink-cheeked and giddy with joy, his legs wiggling happily. “Mother, smell me! Do I smell nice?”

Huo Ling plucked an osmanthus flower from his hair and humored him. “Like osmanthus.”

Ji Xianshan dug into his pocket and pulled out another small handful of flowers. “Here’s more.”

Huo Ling held out her palm.

He placed them in her hand. “For you.”

Huo Ling saved the flowers and wiped a smudge from Ji Xianshan’s cheek with a handkerchief. “Go take a nap with Aunt Wu Mo… When you wake up, you can have sweet osmanthus drink.”

Children tire quickly. Ji Xianshan’s energy faded, and he began fighting sleep, though he still wanted to stay and play. Only when Huo Ling mentioned the sweet osmanthus drink did he obediently reach for Wu Mo.

Cuddled against her, he turned back and called out, “Grandfather, I’ll come find you again after my nap!”

Huo Shiming chuckled fondly. “Yes, yes, I’ll wait for you.”

A palace maid brought Huo Shiming a fresh cup of hot tea. Holding it, he mused aloud, “The boy looks a bit like you did as a child—maybe half as much. But his temperament? Exactly like yours.”

“I don’t remember that,” she laughed lightly, then changed the subject. “I called Zhou Jiamu to court the other day.”

Huo Shiming grew concerned. “What do you plan to do with him? General Zhou and I fought side by side for years. I know his prowess better than anyone. The men at Xingtang Pass swear by him. Since I was the one who brought him to the capital, if I return alone, the men will demand answers.”

Huo Ling did not elaborate on her conversation with Zhou Jiamu, only saying, "Zhou Jiamu's attitude was cooperative. He said he would accept whatever decision I make. I plan to keep him in the capital, assigning him a sinecure position while observing his conduct. As for his close associates, I will likely release some of them back to Yanxi."

Huo Shiming nodded. "That’s reasonable. After all, General Zhou hasn’t committed any major offenses."

Huo Ling then inquired about the situation with the Swallow Feather Army.

The Swallow Feather Army had hurriedly marched to the capital, bringing only a few spare clothes. With the capital growing colder, Huo Ling had a shipment of winter uniforms and bedding arranged to be sent to them promptly, though she worried the supplies might not be sufficient in such haste.

Huo Shiming replied, "As long as the weather doesn't get any colder, the clothes and blankets will hold up. When I left the camp today, the soldiers asked me when we’d return to Yanxi and whether we could make it back in time to ring in the New Year with our families."

With the capital gradually stabilizing, Huo Ling thought for a moment and said, "I’d like to wait for news from Yanbei first. But tell the soldiers not to worry—if nothing goes wrong in Yanbei, they’ll definitely return to Yanxi before the New Year. In fact, I’ll send someone to the Ministry of Revenue tomorrow to arrange a three-month bonus stipend for them. With that, they can enjoy a proper New Year."

Huo Shiming smiled. "They’ll be thrilled. I’ll thank you on their behalf."

"By the way—" Huo Shiming pointed to the letter beside Empress Dowager Huo. "Have you finished reading it?"

The letter was written by Sun Yucheng, who had remained at Xingtang Pass. It mainly reported the situation at the pass and the movements of the Qiang Rong to Huo Shiming, the Commander.

Empress Dowager Huo handed the letter back to Huo Shiming. "Uncle Sun handled it perfectly."

Huo Shiming echoed her praise. "It’s a good thing it was your Uncle Sun left in charge at Xingtang Pass. If it had been anyone else, I wouldn’t have been able to stay in the capital with peace of mind."

"Think about it—I took General Zhou and so many mid-ranking officers away all at once. The army must have been in chaos. But your Uncle Sun is capable—not only did he restore order, but he also organized soldiers to patrol the walls day and night to deter the Qiang Rong."

Empress Dowager Huo smiled. "Uncle Sun has always been Father’s most trusted aide."

"That’s true." At this, Huo Shiming sighed nostalgically. "I don’t know if you remember, but when you were little, every time your Uncle Sun visited, he would lift you onto his shoulders, just like I did with An Er earlier."

"You were always a pretty child, like a porcelain doll. Your Uncle Sun and Aunt Sun never had a daughter, so every New Year, your Aunt Sun would personally sew you a new set of clothes, practically spoiling you rotten."

Empress Dowager Huo’s expression softened at the memory. "How is Aunt Sun’s health these days? Did the tonics I sent help at all?"

...

Wu Mo came to collect the cooled teacup and, seeing Empress Dowager Huo staring into the hearth, deep in thought, couldn’t help but ask with a smile, "What are you pondering so deeply?"

"I was thinking about Xingtang Pass," she replied.

"Didn’t the Duke of Chengen say everything was fine there?" Wu Mo asked.

A dried leaf spiraled down beside the brazier. Huo Ling rolled it between her fingertips, then tossed it into the fire. "After Father was promoted to Commander of Xingtang Pass, the position of Deputy Commander became vacant."

***

Huo Shiming rode out of the city, heading straight for the hillside where the Swallow Feather Army was temporarily stationed.

Upon returning to camp, he dismounted, tossed the reins to a guardsman, and hummed a local ditty as he ambled leisurely toward his quarters, looking completely relaxed.

On the way, he happened to meet his military advisor, Kong Yi.

Kong Yi had pledged allegiance to Huo Shiming three years prior. Initially, he wasn’t highly regarded, but after offering several pieces of strategic counsel, he gradually earned Huo Shiming’s trust.

Kong Yi asked, "What has put you in such high spirits?"

Huo Shiming laughed heartily and beckoned him. "Come, come inside."

Plucking a peanut with his chopsticks and tossing it into his mouth, Huo Shiming chewed as he spoke. "Didn’t I tell you before that I wanted to back Old Sun for the position of Deputy Commander of Xingtang Pass?"

Kong Yi raised an eyebrow. "Did Her Majesty the Empress Dowager agree?"

Huo Shiming replied, "Not outright. But today, I made a special trip to the palace to commend Old Sun’s merits and bring up their old ties when she was young. His promotion is as good as done."

Kong Yi smiled. "General, care to make a bet?"

Huo Shiming asked, "What bet?"

Kong Yi replied, "A bet: will the Empress Dowager appoint Lieutenant General Sun as the Deputy Commander of Xingtang Pass?"

Huo Shiming trusted and leaned heavily on this strategist.

Hearing these words, he suddenly found the peanuts in his mouth turn to ash.

"You think she won’t? But… with the full support of the Yanxi army behind the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, that’d make their hold on the capital more secure, right?"