Chapter 148: “Is It That Aunt from the Marquis of Wuwei’s Mansion…”

Chapter 148 "It's that aunt from the Marquis of Wuwei's household..."

The news that Duke of Chengen Huo Shiming had entered the palace to seek an audience with the Empress Dowager and was subsequently placed under house confinement upon leaving spread like wings among the court officials.

Once the Empress Dowager's edict was issued, without Lu Hang, Song Xu, or Ding Jinghuan needing to do much, the officials stirring with ambition who had considered submitting memorials alongside Huo Shiming immediately quieted down.

What a joke—even the Duke of Chengen had been used as a warning by executing the chicken to scare the monkeys. Their frail frames could hardly withstand the Empress Dowager's wrath.

That very afternoon, An Hongyu entered the palace to apologize to Huo Ling, confessing he'd acted foolishly.

Having retired from service years ago, he now only held the honorary title of Grand Secretary of the Huiwu Pavilion, essentially serving as a military consultant. On matters related to warfare in court discussions, his opinions were sometimes consulted for reference.

"You truly have become muddle-headed—being manipulated without even realizing it," Huo Ling said. "As the former defense commander of Yanbei, surely you understand how your public stance would influence court officials' attitudes and alignments."

An Hongyu flushed with shame. "This subject awaits Your Majesty's punishment."

Huo Ling did not immediately penalize him, only deducting three months' stipend to make her stance clear.

She was still awaiting news from Yanbei.

As she had previously told Huo Shiming, if no conflict erupted in Yanbei and his memorial caused no consequences, leniency could naturally be shown.

But if that memorial triggered warfare in Yanbei, failing to impose severe punishment would leave the world without justice.

Wu Mo stepped behind Huo Ling, massaging her head with measured pressure.

"Your Majesty, the imperial kitchen has prepared a few new dishes today. Would you like to sample them?"

"What dishes are there?"

Wu Mo listed a series of names.

Huo Ling replied, "Just add pouch-style fish to the usual menu. No need to be overly lavish."

After dinner, Huo Ling took her usual thirty-minute walk in the imperial garden before preparing to bathe and retire.

When Cui Hongyi arrived, Wu Mo was just leading the palace maids out of the inner quarters.

Cui Hongyi lowered his voice. "Has Her Majesty retired?"

Wu Mo answered, "The lights were just extinguished. What is it?"

Since she knew about Tianzhang Pavilion affairs, Wu Mo was not kept in the dark. Cui Hongyi shared some information: "The matter Her Majesty tasked me to investigate—I've gotten to the bottom of it and wished to report immediately."

Wu Mo: "Is it urgent?"

Cui Hongyi: "Not particularly."

Wu Mo: "Her Majesty hasn't rested well these past two days. If it can wait until tomorrow morning—"

Before she could finish, movement came from within the chamber. Soon, a night-duty maid hurried out: "Aunt Wu Mo, Attendant Cui, Her Majesty requests your presence inside."

Huo Ling, wrapped in an outer garment with her hair casually pinned up, sat by the bed examining the documents Cui Hongyi had brought under the glow of the ever-burning lamp.

After a lengthy pause, she closed the dossier, her face impassive.

"So this is what happened."

"Your Majesty..." Cui Hongyi hesitated, at a loss for words.

Huo Ling said, "Keep this quiet."

Cui Hongyi replied, "Don’t worry, Your Majesty. This matter is entirely under my responsibility, with no others involved."

"I trust your work." Huo Ling handed the dossier back to Cui Hongyi. "Make sure it’s handled cleanly. Also, have Qiu Hongzhen come see me first thing in the morning."

Cui Hongyi withdrew respectfully. Wu Mo hesitated for a moment but stayed behind. "Your Majesty, I’ll stay in the palace tonight to stand watch. If you wake and need water, just call for me."

Huo Ling said, "With all the attendants in the palace, why would I need you to keep watch? If you don’t wish to leave, sit and talk with me instead."

Wu Mo obediently sat down.

Huo Ling asked, "Have you guessed who the mastermind is?"

Wu Mo shook her head.

Huo Ling smiled faintly. "You’ve guessed, but you can’t bring yourself to believe it—nor do you want to, am I right?"

Wu Mo lowered her head.

Huo Ling’s voice was very soft. "Family can also be enemies. Compared to ordinary foes, they are like a bone-deep rot."

She had long passed the age of caring whether her father loved her, yet she still wondered—when he did these things, had he ever considered that she was his own daughter?

If he had truly regarded her as family, he wouldn’t have used such methods against her.

If he had never seen her as family...

Then why go easy on an enemy?

Huo Ling’s birth mother was named Gu Shengyu, born into the House of Marquis Wuwei as the third concubine-born daughter.

***

Due to old grudges, Gu Shengyu’s circumstances in the household were dire.

After her mother took ill and died, Gu Shengyu sent a letter to Huo Shiming, whom she had met only once. In it, she wrote that if Huo Shiming was willing, he should come and propose to her. She would wait only a month—if he did not appear, she’d consider it a refusal.

Later, Gu Shengyu cut all ties with the House of Marquis Wuwei and, as Huo Shiming’s betrothed, followed him back to Yong’an County.

She observed the three-year mourning period for her mother there. Once the mourning period ended, she formally married Huo Shiming.

But their happiness was short-lived. After giving birth to Huo Ling, Gu Shengyu died in childbirth.

When Huo Ling first arrived in the capital, the Wuwei Marquis’s family, recalling this past, gave her trouble.

But now, in Great Yan, the House of Marquis Wuwei no longer exists.

During Prince Duan and Duke Liu’s rebellion, the Wuwei Marquis’s household was implicated for providing assistance to the Duke of Liu.

After the incident, the families involved faced confiscation of property or exile. The Marquis of Wuwei’s title was revoked, and the entire clan was banished to Lingnan, banned from official posts for three generations.

After settling court matters, Huo Ling once sent a palace attendant to the former Wuwei Marquis’s residence to relocate her maternal grandmother’s grave to better feng shui ground.

Additionally, she ordered Qiu Hongzhen, then the Capital Prefect, to investigate whether any other members of her maternal family remained.

The years in between were long, but Huo Ling’s grandmother had once been the personal maid of the old Marchioness of Wuwei. Following the trail from the old marchioness’s maiden family, they eventually—after some effort and a dead end—found the surviving relatives.

Huo Ling’s maternal family bore the surname Sang. After being driven out by the old Marchioness of Wuwei’s family, they returned to their hometown and opened a noodle shop. Their life was not wealthy, but they lived comfortably, without want.

Huo Ling had little memory of her birth mother and even less attachment to her long-deceased maternal grandmother.

She never intended to acknowledge the Sang family, only instructing local officials to quietly keep an eye on them.

All these years, she'd never asked about the Sangs. So when Huo Ling suddenly summoned Qiu Hongzhen, he assumed it was about Duke Chengen's petition for the Northern Expedition.

To his surprise, the Dowager asked about the Sang family the moment he finished bowing.

"How are they doing these days?"

Qiu Hongzhen hesitated before remembering who the Sangs were.

He couldn't help but sweat nervously.

Luckily, he'd always known where his standing came from and who put him there.

He never slacked off on the Dowager's orders—better to go the extra mile than stumble over his words when questioned.

He got regular updates on the Sang family every few months, so after a quick mental review, he had it all down.

After his summary, Huo Ling asked, "What kind of people are they?"

Qiu Hongzhen replied, "Decent folks—make their living honestly. No trouble to report, good reputation in the neighborhood. They run an honest business. That noodle stall of theirs grew into a popular spot, one of the best-known in their county now."

Huo Ling nodded.

Unsure of her intent, Qiu Hongzhen asked cautiously, "Is there something Your Majesty needs from the Sang family?"

Huo Ling took a sip of tea. "Send people to bring them to the capital. Make sure it's a high-profile trip."

After all these years without acknowledgment, why bring them in now, at this pivotal time...

Though his head spun with questions, Qiu Hongzhen answered fast: "I'll make sure their arrival turns heads."

Huo Ling turned to Zhu Qingyun standing nearby. "Take some of your team along. Show them the ropes—you know what they'll need to learn."

Wu Mo was the Dowager's most trusted aide, but she couldn't spare her from palace duties.

Out-of-town assignments were better suited to Zhu Qingyun.

Fang Shi eventually learned the whole story—not from Advisor Kong, but from Huo Shiming himself.

***

Huo Shiming spoke in riddles, leaving Fang Shi confused, but one thing was clear:

His actions had made the Dowager furious—maybe even disgusted.

Huo Ze, caught in the fallout and bearing her redirected anger, got stuck in the palace.

Her daughter-in-law Guan Shi, who'd just started relaxing, heard about the decree. This time she came herself, child in arms, instead of sending a maid.

"How do I explain this to her?" Fang Shi panicked.

Huo Shiming, looking crushed, couldn't bother repeating himself. "Just tell her. She's strong—won't fall apart so easy."

And Guan Shi wasn't one to fall apart.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

She even tried to comfort Fang Shi in return: "I thought it was something serious. Mother, don’t worry. Even if Her Majesty takes her anger out on A Ze, it’s only temporary. Once Her Majesty cools off, A Ze will return. After all, staying in the palace won’t leave him lacking in food or necessities."

Fang Shi gave a bitter smile at her daughter-in-law’s words, but she didn’t know how to respond.

Her husband had said the same thing just yesterday—and look how that turned out?

At a loss, Fang Shi got an idea from the old maidservant beside her.

"Why not take ill, madam?"

Fang Shi sighed. "With things as they are, how can I afford to fall ill?"

The maidservant said, "If you fall ill and request the young master’s return to fulfill his filial duties, it would be perfectly justified."

Fang Shi brightened.

She didn’t have to fake it. These past few days, she had already been consumed by worry. She just had to sit in the cold wind at night, and by morning, she would wake up dizzy and feverish.

Guan Shi hesitantly sent a petition to the palace.

Huo Ling didn’t bother looking, just had it sent straight to Huo Ze instead. She then dispatched two imperial physicians to the Duke of Chengen’s residence to examine Fang Shi.

...

Huo Shiming had been holed up in his room lately, ignoring everything outside.

He didn’t even know Fang Shi was sick until the imperial physicians showed up.

Once they left, Huo Shiming went to see Fang Shi. "Getting sick won’t sway Her Majesty. A Ze’s safe in the palace—what’s the rush?"

Fang Shi dabbed at her tears silently. "Not having A Ze home unsettles me. No matter what, it’s always better for the family to stay together."

Just as Huo Shiming was about to say more, a thunderous noise suddenly came from outside.

"What’s happening out there?"

A maidservant hurried in to report, "Master, Madam, the noise isn’t from our house—it’s next door."

"Next door?" Fang Shi dabbed the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. "That sprawling five-courtyard estate has been empty for over a year. Is a new family moving in?"

The Empress Dowager’s confinement order only applied to the Duke of Chengen himself, not the servants of the Huo household. Of course, given the delicate atmosphere, the servants kept a low profile, but there was no harm in sending someone to inquire.

Before long, the maidservant returned with news.

Accompanying her was the Huo family’s steward, who had served for decades.

Despite the cool autumn weather of August and September, the steward was drenched in sweat. "Master, Madam, the neighboring mansion is being prepared for the Sang family."

Huo Shiming’s brow furrowed. "The Sang family? I’ve never heard of any high-ranking court official with that surname."

The steward bowed slightly. "It’s for that concubine of the Marquis of Wuwei. Her maiden name is Sang."

The concubine of the Marquis of Wuwei?

Even Huo Shiming was stunned for a long moment before realizing whom the steward was referring to. The next instant, his face clouded over.