Chapter 110: [Celestial Reign Year Six]

Chapter 110 "The Sixth Year of Celestial Reign"

For Huo Ling, there were two red lines she would never cross.

One was power, the other her child.

Wen Shengan repeatedly overstepped her authority, and she could tolerate it.

Because Wen Shengan was chief among the court officials, a Regent.

His attitude toward her represented that of many courtiers.

But when Wen Shengan interfered with her education of Ji Xianshan and meddled in her plans, that went beyond Huo Ling’s tolerance.

The two sides butted heads repeatedly over Ji Xianshan’s education.

Wen Shengan wanted to take on the position of Grand Tutor and become the emperor’s rightful teacher.

Huo Ling put forward Lu Hang instead, installing him as Grand Tutor.

Since they were all Regents, she had to be fair.

Wen Shengan was additionally honored as Grand Tutor, and Chen Haoyan was granted the title of Grand Guardian.

Want to teach the emperor?

Go ahead, teach.

All Three Grand Councilors would oversee the emperor’s education.

But with how busy the Three Grand Councilors were, how could they find much time to instruct the emperor?

The younger generation should also be given opportunities to prove themselves.

So Huo Ling brought in Ding Jinghuan, Song Xu, and Cui Yuan—young officials she favored—and assigned them to tutor Ji Xianshan in the classics.

Wen Shengan took issue with the heavy use of passages from *The Classic of Filial Piety* and teachings on filial piety in the texts she had compiled.

So Song Xu made a point of assigning *The Classic of Filial Piety* to Ji Xianshan.

Even Huo Ling herself, despite her busy schedule, carved out time to personally instruct Ji Xianshan in riding and archery.

The two elder princesses had long since moved out of the palace, so Ji Xianshan was the only child left in the imperial household.

Teaching one child was teaching, and teaching several was also teaching. Huo Ling selected children from the imperial clan and high-ranking officials’ families to enter the palace as companions for both study and play.

Ji Sanlang of the House of Su Commandery Prince was one of them.

Their ties went back to when she was named empress.

At that time, Emperor Jingyuan had no biological heirs, so he raised the eldest son of Prince Duan in the palace. But everyone knew that Prince Duan’s house and Huo Ling were at odds.

It was from then on that the House of Su Commandery Prince began currying favor with Huo Ling.

Later, when Huo Ling gave birth to a son of her own, some of their plans naturally fell through.

But the house quickly shifted gears and stayed in her good graces.

Huo Ling had never slighted the Prince of Su's household either. After the prince emerged from mourning, she arranged for him to return to office in the Ministry of Personnel.

When choosing study companions for Ji Xianshan, she immediately thought of Ji Sanlang.

***

Distant mountains crouched among misty peaks, while a steady gale blew from north to south, setting the pines whispering and bending the grass low.

On the smooth, open imperial road advanced a procession nearly ten thousand strong.

The convoy was surrounded by imperial guards clad in light armor, with long swords hanging at their waists.

At the center of the procession, black banners embroidered with golden dragon patterns snapped in the wind. The sunlight flooded the sky, illuminating the golden dragon motifs and the two golden carriages beneath them, casting dazzling reflections.

Zheng Xinjue, Deputy Commander of the Black Tortoise Guard, rode at the forefront when he suddenly heard rapid hoofbeats approaching from behind.

He turned to see the rider haul back on the reins as they neared him.

"Deputy Commander Zheng."

Wu Mo, dressed in a trim riding habit, greeted him with a smile.

Zheng Xinjue saluted with clasped hands, not daring to slight this trusted lady-in-waiting by the Empress Dowager's side.

"Female Official Wu Mo, does Her Majesty have any instructions?"

"Her Majesty wishes to know when we will arrive at Cangzhou."

Zheng Xinjue replied, "After advancing a few more miles, we will reach the Cangzhou border stele."

"Then once we enter Cangzhou, we will make camp immediately. We shall continue our journey tomorrow."

After conveying the Empress Dowager's command, Wu Mo turned her horse and rode back toward the golden carriage.

In the distance, Wu Mo saw Princess Yang'an riding alongside the carriage.

Whoever was inside must have said something amusing, for the princess suddenly cheered, flourished her whip in the air, then led seven or eight noblewomen away from the main procession, galloping toward a distant hillside.

"Your Majesty."

Wu Mo took Princess Yang'an's former place beside the carriage and softly called out to the shadowed figure within.

A silk fan gently lifted the golden gauze curtains.

Following the black-draped hem upward, Wu Mo met a gaze as fathomless as far peaks.

Yet more captivating than those eyes was their owner.

For a fleeting moment, past and present intertwined across time.

Wu Mo felt as though she had returned to the early summer of twelve years ago.

Back then, Her Majesty had also ridden amidst a tide of black-armored soldiers, seated atop a magnificent carriage. Upon entering Luocheng, she had earned the reputation of the Luo River Goddess incarnate.

Years had passed, yet time had left no trace upon Huo Ling. It had only honed away her girlish edges, banked her fire, and deepened the ambition in her eyes.

She no longer flaunted her brilliance; every gesture exuded composure, making her far more captivating than she had been twelve years ago.

Yet none dared meet her gaze anymore.

Enthroned upon the golden carriage, she was like a cloud-wreathed summit—aloft and untouchable.

"How far have we come?"

Hearing Huo Ling's voice, Wu Mo snapped out of her reverie and replied softly, "Earlier, when I met Deputy Chief Censor Zheng, he said we were just a few miles from the boundary marker of Cangzhou. By now, we’ve likely entered Cangzhou."

As soon as she finished speaking, Wu Mo noticed someone at the front of the procession giving flag signals, instructing everyone to stop and make camp.

...

Huo Ling was headed to the imperial hunting grounds in Cangzhou.

She had always enjoyed hunting, but aside from the first two years after arriving in the capital—when she accompanied the deceased emperor to the imperial hunting grounds—she had not returned for the past decade due to various reasons.

This sudden decision to visit the hunting grounds was, in fact, tied to the court power struggles.

Earlier that year, in the third month of the sixth year of the Celestial Reign, a violent storm hit the capital. Amid thunder and lightning, the Xing Tai Hall of the former dynasty was struck by lightning and completely consumed by flames.

Xing Tai Hall was no ordinary palace.

During Emperor Taizong’s reign, he often handled state affairs there and received court officials.

After becoming Empress Dowager Regent, Huo Ling also chose Xing Tai Hall for conducting official business and receiving ministers.

The fire spread outward from Xing Tai Hall, nearly reaching the nearby Tai He Hall.

Due to the intensity of the flames, Huo Ling withdrew with Ji Xianshan to Feng Yi Palace, where they stayed overnight.

By the next morning, the fire had died down, leaving only ruins in its wake.

With several important palaces destroyed, Huo Ling called the court officials together to discuss reconstruction. However, as soon as she began, a minister boldly stepped forward with a memorial, claiming the disaster was a sign of divine retribution and that appeasing the heavens’ wrath was necessary before any rebuilding could commence.

The method to appease the heavens' wrath was simple.

Emperor Yuan of Han had once issued an edict of self-reproach and issued a general amnesty after the White Crane Pavilion in Maoling was destroyed by fire.

The fire at Xing Tai Hall was even more severe, and the ruler should follow Emperor Yuan’s example by cultivating virtue to align with heaven’s will. [Note]

The term "ruler" was used quite subtly.

The emperor was only eight years old and had only just begun his studies at Tianzhang Pavilion two years prior. All state affairs were handled and decided by the Empress Dowager.

Thus, the one who should cultivate virtue to align with heaven’s will could hardly be the emperor.

And this was still a relatively tactful remonstrance.

The memorial from the Deputy Chief Censor of the Censorate didn’t bother with subtlety, directly stating that this divine retribution was directed at Empress Dowager Huo and urging her to issue an edict of self-reproach and issue a general amnesty.

But Huo Ling was no longer the isolated figure she had been when she first ascended as Empress Dowager.

Over the years, she had built a strong faction of officials in court.

Without any prompting from her, some stepped forward to refute the claim that the fire was divine retribution, arguing instead that it was human error—the guards of Xing Tai Hall had failed to alert others in time to extinguish the flames, leading to the fire’s spread.

The two sides bickered endlessly about whether the fire was divine retribution or human error.

Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the true nature of the fire was irrelevant.

What truly mattered was that, under the guise of this disaster, those who opposed Huo Ling and those who supported her once again clashed in a power struggle.

If the fire was deemed a divine punishment, then Huo Ling would need to take responsibility for it.

If the fire was deemed a human error, then only the guards of the Xing Tai Palace would be held accountable.

And the result was—

Neither side won outright.

Huo Ling did not issue an edict of self-reproach to take responsibility for the lightning-caused fire.

However, Qiu Hongzhen, who was on duty in the palace that day, and the chief of the Imperial Household Department were both banished from the capital.

Both were considered Huo Ling’s trusted aides, and their exile meant, to her, that she had lost the tug-of-war against Wen Shengan and Chen Haoyan.

The Censorate was overly eager in this matter—so much so that anyone with eyes could see that the two Regents, Wen Shengan and Chen Haoyan, had joined forces.

Afterward, Huo Ling did not take any action against Wen Shengan and Chen Haoyan, only assigning the reconstruction of the Xing Tai Palace to the Minister of Works, Zhou Ji.

Perhaps sensing Huo Ling’s displeasure, Ding Jinghuan presented a petition suggesting that the reconstruction would cause too much commotion, making it difficult for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to rest properly in the palace. He proposed that they move to the royal hunting grounds and celebrate their respective birthdays there.

...

The carriage procession gradually came to a halt.

With Cui Hongyi’s support, Huo Ling stepped down from her carriage and walked toward another carriage ahead.

Inside the carriage, Ji Xianshan sat obediently, listening to Song Xu recount the local customs and sights of Cangzhou.

People's connections can be strange—among his tutors, Ji Xianshan liked Song Xu the most.

Huo Ling had assigned Song Xu to teach the *Classic of Filial Piety*, though not entirely to spite Wen Shengan.

Song Xu had been raised by his widowed mother and held deep affection for her. His lectures on filial piety were naturally more effective than others’.

Moreover, Huo Ling had not restricted Song Xu to teaching only the *Classic of Filial Piety*.

At this moment, Ji Xianshan, now eight years old, was leaving the capital for the first time, bursting with excitement and curiosity about everything.

Making him study textbooks seriously would have been futile.

But having Song Xu, who had traveled through Cangzhou, tell interesting stories along the way kept Ji Xianshan engrossed while also helping him learn something new.

As the carriage stopped, Song Xu wrapped up the story he was telling.

Ji Xianshan lifted the curtain and, spotting Huo Ling standing nearby, happily leaped out of the carriage, startling the eunuch waiting to help him.

"Mother, have we arrived in Cangzhou?"

The eight-year-old boy had grown up to her waist, allowing Huo Ling to easily ruffle his hair. "Yes. If we leave early tomorrow, we’ll reach the Royal Hunting Lodge by evening."

"That’s wonderful! I’m so tired after days in the carriage."

After complaining, Ji Xianshan excitedly told Huo Ling about what he had just learned.

"Mother, Tutor Song told me that Cangzhou is where the dragon first rose—Emperor Taizu began his uprising here. The border marker standing there was even inscribed by the Grand Ancestor himself."

Huo Ling smiled at Ji Xianshan. "Tutor Song is indeed knowledgeable. I’ve visited Cangzhou twice but never knew the marker was written by the Grand Ancestor."

"The palace maids have just started cooking dinner. Want to take this opportunity to see the Grand Ancestor's calligraphy?"

Seeing Ji Xianshan nod, Huo Ling turned to Song Xu beside her and said, "Councilor Song, please join us as well."

Song Xu lowered his eyes and bowed in agreement.

Huo Ling then told Wu Mo nearby to go get Second Lady Ji, Third Son Ji, and Xu Shidu's daughter, Lu Zuo.

Before long, Second Lady Ji and Third Son Ji arrived together, and Xu Shidu also came holding her daughter Lu Zuo's hand.

The six-year-old girl was adorable as a porcelain doll. Huo Ling gently touched the child's pigtails and asked Xu Shidu, "Why did you come too?"

"Just joining in the fun," Xu Shidu replied. "If it were before I married and had children, I would’ve already gone riding with the Yang’an girls."

Huo Ling laughed. "You could still ride with them now—no problem at all."

Xu Shidu waved her hand dismissively. "We don’t really click. If you feel sorry for me, ride with me tomorrow instead."

Riding with the Yang’an girls could never compare to the joy of riding with A Ling.

Xu Shidu’s preferences had never changed.