Chapter 107: This Was Exactly What She Most…

**Chapter 107: This Was Precisely What She Had Been Like in Her Youth…**

To be honest, An Hongyu wasn’t particularly familiar with Fang Jianbai either.

Fang Jianbai truly had a promising future in the military, while An Hongyu had already reached the peak of military ranks.

To him, Fang Jianbai was at most a junior officer.

Yet Fang Jianbai served under his command, and given his special status, over time An Hongyu had formed some impression of this young man.

He was diligent, humble, and courteous—never taking advantage of his position as the “Empress’s cousin.” Whatever tasks were assigned to him, whether favorable or not, he completed them all successfully.

An Hongyu sighed. “Honestly, Your Majesty, considering Lieutenant Fang’s special status, I didn’t want him getting hurt on my account. If there had been any chance to save him, I would have done everything I could.”

An Hongyu spoke these words sincerely.

Fang Jianbai’s status had shifted from “the Empress’s cousin” to “the Regent Empress’s cousin.” To ask such a person to stay behind and risk his life covering his retreat—An Hongyu may have had old injuries, but he wasn’t out of his mind.

But the battlefield was perilous, and the situation dire. At that time, he was seriously wounded, and the unit Fang Jianbai was in had already been completely surrounded by enemy forces, leaving no way to retreat…

Huo Ling listened quietly.

It had been more than half a year since she first received news of Fang Jianbai’s death. No matter how great the grief, time had softened the pain.

Still, she couldn’t help feeling a lingering sense of loss.

“There’s also a wooden box,” An Hongyu suddenly recalled, hurriedly retrieving it from his robes. “General Huo asked me to give you this.”

The box was small, its surface worn smooth, as if someone had often held and caressed it.

Huo Ling’s fingertips rested upon it, already suspecting what lay inside.

And An Hongyu’s words confirmed her suspicion.

“These were Commander Fang’s belongings.”

Huo Ling remained silent, tucking the box away before returning to official matters.

“General An has served Great Yan with distinction for decades, guarding the borders with unwavering dedication. Now that you have laid down your heavy duties and returned to the capital, I should not disturb your convalescence. Yet among all the court’s civil and military officials, none are more familiar with Yanbei’s military affairs than you.

“Would General An be willing, while recovering, to take on a ceremonial position in the capital and continue serving the Empire?”

A faint smile appeared on An Hongyu’s face as he clasped his hands. “As Your Majesty wishes.”

Huo Ling’s arrangement for An Hongyu was simple.

She granted him an honorary title—Grand Secretary of the Huiwu Pavilion—and had him accompany Zhou Jiamu.

She also disclosed to An Hongyu: “The late Emperor left an edict ordering General Zhou to be stationed in Yanbei. His remaining in the capital is only temporary.”

Having risen to the rank of Supreme Commander of Yanbei, An Hongyu was not only skilled in leading troops but also politically astute.

He immediately understood Huo Ling’s intent and resolved to brief Zhou Jiamu thoroughly on Yanbei’s situation when the moment arrived.

After An Hongyu withdrew, Huo Ling took out the wooden box once more, gazing at it, unopened.

Wu Mo had slipped out unnoticed earlier. When she returned, she carried a bowl of warm pear juice: “Your Majesty, please drink something to warm yourself.”

The warm and sweet pear juice soothed her spirits nicely. Huo Ling set down the bowl and finally reached out to open the box.

Inside were far fewer items than expected.

A jade thumb ring for archery, a hair ribbon embroidered with a delicate feather at its tip, and a small painting.

Huo Ling picked up the slightly small thumb ring and suddenly smiled, saying to Wu Mo, "He really held onto this."

Wu Mo examined the ring and asked in confusion, "What's this?"

Huo Ling recalled, "My first bow was a gift from my father. I used it for a long time, but it eventually broke, and I moped for days.

"When he found out, he dipped into his long-saved silver to buy me a new bow. But his eyesight wasn’t good, and the vendor tricked him into spending twenty taels on a bow worth five at most."

Hearing this, Wu Mo finally remembered as well. "Then, Milady spent fifteen taels to buy this jade thumb ring for the young master as thanks."

"Yes, I was teasing him. But he always had a good temper—even knowing I was teasing him, he didn’t get angry. Instead, he thanked me earnestly. He wasn’t some bookish scholar—why the fuss over manners?"

As for the hair ribbon, Huo Ling couldn't recall it anymore.

She had owned too many ribbons, and misplacing one or two wasn’t uncommon.

Huo Ling placed the jade thumb ring back and picked up the small painting, untying the red string around it before slowly unfolding it.

On it was a wild goose mid-flight, wings spread wide.

Huo Ling held the painting up to the sunlight.

Sunlight filtered through the sturdy paper, and the wild goose seemed to melt into the autumn glow.

Fang Jianbai had never once asked her why, but she believed he must have understood.

Every step she had taken, every choice she had made, had already revealed her answer.

He’d come to her, heart laid bare—precisely the last thing her younger self had wanted.

"Where is Huo Ze? Have him come see me."

Huo Ze had been back in the capital for half a month, but Huo Ling had been busy compensating the families of fallen soldiers and handling commendation petitions from the frontlines, leaving her no time to meet with him.

Huo Ze also knew she was occupied, so he hadn’t dared to disturb her, only visiting the palace every few days to play with Ji Xianshan.

Now, upon hearing that Huo Ling wanted to see him, Huo Ze hurried over to pay his respects.

Without needing to be asked, Huo Ze dished out the details of Yanxi like pouring beans from a sack.

The Fang family only had one son, Fang Jianbai, and one daughter, Fang Lanyun, with a ten-year gap between the siblings. When Huo Ling first came to the capital, this cousin was just seven, so she barely remembered her.

But now, hearing Huo Ze mention Fang Lanyun, Huo Ling suddenly grew curious. "With Cousin Jianbai gone, only Cousin Lanyun remains in the Fang family. She’s still unmarried—are Uncle Fang and the rest planning to keep her home and take in a son-in-law?"

Huo Ze scratched his head, unsure how to answer. After some hesitation, he whispered to Huo Ling, "Probably not. Actually, Aunt Fang pushed for me to marry Cousin Lanyun—to ‘keep it in the family.’ My mother already liked Cousin Lanyun a lot, and after Aunt Fang’s persuasion, she was tempted too.

"But then Father found out and hit the roof. He even said that if Cousin Lanyun were to marry, General An had his eye on her for his third grandson…"

Huo Ze’s few words packed a punch.

Huo Ling raised a brow, unsurprised that Fang Shi and Aunt Fang had Huo Ze in their matchmaking crosshairs, nor at her father’s maneuvering.

Yet this entirely predictable answer left her oddly heavy-hearted.

Though the Fang family had a daughter, they never considered keeping her at home to bring in a son-in-law. Instead, they wanted to use her marriage to further bind the Fang and Huo families together.

...

"Mother, look at my coat."

Huo Ling's thoughts were interrupted by Ji Xianshan, who ran into the main hall.

Ji Xianshan rushed up to Huo Ling and excitedly showed off his tiger-fur coat.

After letting her take a good look, he lifted his foot so she could admire his matching tiger-fur boots.

Huo Ling humored the child: "So impressive. Who prepared these for you?"

"Little Uncle gave them to me. He said Grandfather and Grandmother had them made for me."

The three-year-old was already quite articulate, though his tiger obsession remained unchanged.

Huo Ling patted Ji Xianshan's head and said she would take him to play with his two older sisters.

"Yay!" Ji Xianshan was thrilled. "I want to show Big Sister and Second Sister my tiger-fur coat too."

After the imperial mourning period ended, the two elder princesses had returned to study at Tianzhang Pavilion. However, their days of study were nearly over, as both were reaching the age to move to their own residences outside the palace.

When Huo Ling brought Ji Xianshan to Tianzhang Pavilion, the princesses had just finished a lesson.

The Hanlin academician Cui Yuan, who was giving them assignments, noticed the Empress Dowager and the Emperor and quickly bowed in greeting.

Huo Ling asked, "Has Master Cui finished the lesson?"

Cui Yuan nodded and left Tianzhang Pavilion with his scrolls.

Princess Yang’an cheerfully asked, "Mother, An Er, what are you doing here?"

Ji Xianshan pulled at his coat. "Big Sister, Second Sister, look!"

Both princesses responded enthusiastically, praising how majestic Ji Xianshan looked in his outfit.

After letting them have their fun, Huo Ling said, "The other day, the head of the Imperial Household Department mentioned your princess residences when he paid his respects. I thought it really is time for you to choose homes to your liking."

Princess Yang’an felt both excited and hesitant. "I've been very comfortable living in the palace."

Huo Ling replied, "Asking you to set up residences outside the palace doesn't mean you're being kicked out. The palace will always be your home—you may stay as long as you wish."

Princess Yang’an said excitedly, "Then I must choose carefully."

Princess Leping added, "The location isn't that important to me, but I'd like my residence to be close to Yang’an’s."

Yang’an reassured her, "Don’t worry, Elder Sister. All the capital's properties suitable for princesses are located near each other."

Though princesses were of equal rank to imperial princes, interestingly, the princess residences in the capital were slightly smaller in scale than the princes' mansions.

After reviewing the plans, Huo Ling straightforwardly had both the princess residence and prince mansion designs brought for the two princesses to choose from—they could pick whichever they liked.

Whether they guessed her intentions or simply preferred them, both princesses chose vacant prince mansions to be converted into their residences.

"I have one more request for you, Mother," Princess Leping said softly. "After our princess residences are built, could we occasionally bring Mother out to stay with us for a while?"

Yang'an's eyes lit up as she clung to Huo Ling's arm, smiling ingratiatingly. "Big Sister's idea is brilliant! Mother, please agree to it."

"I know some princes, after moving to their fiefdoms, are allowed to bring their mothers to live with them. Elder Sister and I aren't asking for anything outrageous—we just hope to occasionally take Mother out of the palace to stay with us and let her see the world outside."

Huo Ling had already agreed in her heart, but she maintained a stern expression. "Your mothers help me run the Six Palaces. If you take them out for short stays and something goes wrong, who will take responsibility?"

After some thought, Leping came up with a workable plan. "Mother, how about this? When I bring my mother out to stay, Dowager Consort Shu remains in the palace. When Younger Sister brings Dowager Consort Shu out, my mother stays behind. This way, your important affairs won’t be neglected."

Huo Ling, along with Wu Mo, Shang Lan, and others nearby, burst out laughing.

Ji Xianshan joined in the laughter too.

Yang'an said, "Elder Sister, Mother is just pulling your leg."

Huo Ling was indulgent toward the two princesses and happy to let them dip their toes into politics.

Their status was one-of-a-kind.

As the late emperor’s daughters and the current emperor’s elder sisters, their greater involvement in politics and public presence could subtly influence the zeitgeist.

Huo Ling wouldn’t pigeonhole them into any particular path, but if they took the initiative to set examples, she would gladly support them.

***

Despite some twists and turns, the marriage between the An and Fang families was finalized before the new year.

An Hongyu personally came to the palace to inform Huo Ling. She smiled and said, "Empress Dowager has never met Third Young Master An, but judging by the An family’s reputation, he must be an excellent match for my cousin."

She ordered an edict to be drafted, issuing imperial approval for the union to make the marriage more honorable.

Since Third Young Master An was posted up north in Yanbei, Huo Ling never got to meet him or Fang Lanyun before their wedding.

Nevertheless, she arranged a generous trousseau for Fang Lanyun.

The rebellions in the northern tribes of Great Mu were gradually suppressed. With the surrender of the two major tribes—the Dieli and Wugu—the smaller tribes that had followed suit fell in line. Coupled with the peace in Yanbei, by the third month of Celestial Reign’s second year, Song Xu returned to the capital and immediately requested to see Huo Ling to report.

Huo Ling hadn’t been staying in the palace recently.

During the New Year, Ji Xianshan had caught a cold. After he recovered, Huo Ling took him to the western estate for a stay.

The estate, like Fengyi Palace, was filled with Weeping Crabapple trees. A spring breeze stirred the blossoms, setting the courtyard ablaze with red and white flowers.

Guided by palace attendants, Song Xu walked through the sea of blossoms to the western equestrian field of the estate.

From afar, he heard the sound of galloping hooves and the cheers of the attendants.

Even faster than the sounds was the streak of a horse that blew past.

Whether the rider had spotted him or not, she pulled sharply on the reins, bringing the horse to a halt right before him.

Huo Ling wore a lake-blue riding outfit, free of adornments, her long hair tied simply into a ponytail with a ribbon. From atop the horse, she looked down at Song Xu, the sunlight throwing a shadow that swallowed him whole.

Song Xu dared not meet her gaze, lowering his eyes as he bowed. "It has been too long since I last saw Your Majesty. You’re more dazzling than ever."

Huo Ling seemed to smile. "Minister Song, you’ve grown thinner. But with your head lowered, this dowager can’t get a good look at you."

Song Xu hesitated, unsure whether to raise his head or remain as he was.

This time, Huo Ling let loose a laugh. "Your Majesty, you do know how to ride, don’t you?"

"Of course."

"Then have someone bring you a horse. You arrived a bit early and cut my ride short, so ride along with me for a while."

A horse was soon brought over, and Song Xu mounted it, staying half a length behind Huo Ling.

Huo Ling said, "The unrest in Great Mu has long been settled. I had thought you would return to the capital before the New Year, but you didn’t return until after."

Song Xu replied, "The Dielie and Wugu tribes did indeed surrender before the New Year, but I had never had the chance to set foot in the Qiang Rong royal court or travel through western Yan before. So I thought to stay a while longer, to explore and take in the sights—and even attended a few lectures at the prefectural school."

Huo Ling raised an eyebrow slightly. "How do you find the prefectural school?"

Song Xu affirmed, "It’s thriving. Though the school has only been established for three years, many young nobles in the Qiang Rong royal court are already speaking Chinese, writing Chinese characters, and embracing Chinese culture."

"Cultural transformation doesn’t happen overnight. The foresight of the late Emperor and Your Majesty in planning for western Yan and the Qiang Rong is already showing results."

Huo Ling asked, "How long do you think it will be before we see full results?"

After a moment's consideration, Song Xu gave a measured answer: "Another decade or so, when a new generation replaces the old, should be the time for Your Majesty to achieve our goals."

Huo Ling asked a few more things, all of which Song Xu answered earnestly.

As this was not a formal meeting between ruler and official, Huo Ling did not maintain too serious a demeanor. Listening, she suddenly sighed, "Minister Wen, with his rigid and upright nature, could actually teach a student like you."

Song Xu smiled wryly. "...My teacher has always been thus."

Huo Ling glanced at him and stated firmly, "It seems he has complained about me quite often in front of you."

Song Xu's expression froze, unsure how to respond.

Huo Ling shifted the topic. "No matter. Now I shall complain about him in front of you, and we’ll call it even."

Song Xu thought the Empress Dowager was really witty.

Not just witty—

As Song Xu carried a box of warm hawthorn pastries through the sea of blossoms on his way out, he couldn’t help but wonder: Did Ding Jinghuan tell Her Majesty about my sweet tooth? Otherwise, why does she always favor me with treats from the imperial kitchens?

Upon returning to the Wen residence, before Song Xu could exchange more than a few words with Wen Shengan, the Empress Dowager’s rewards and the edict of promotion arrived together.

Originally a commoner, Song Xu had been appointed as Junior Court Sacrifices Officer by Huo Ling to facilitate his work among the Qiang Rong and Great Mu.

This position was merely provisional. Now that Song Xu had returned to the capital with great achievements, it was only natural for him to take an official post.

His new appointment was as Director of the Ministry of Rites.

In addition to his promotion, Huo Ling also granted him a residence.

Coincidentally, this residence was in Pear Wine Alley, right across from Ding Jinghuan’s home.

Fully furnished and spotless, all he needed was to hire two or three servants from an agency to easily move in with his belongings.

Wen Shengan inexplicably felt as though "the Empress Dowager was poaching right under my nose."

Shaking his head to dispel this odd sensation, he remarked with some regret, "I had originally intended to transfer you to the Ministry of Appointments to assist me. I hadn’t expected the Empress Dowager to place you in the Ministry of Rites, working under that old fox Lu Hang."