Chapter 149: Pleading Guilty and Maintaining Dignity.

Chapter 149: Seeking Mercy and Saving Face.

Just as the emperor needed the imperial clan, the Empress Dowager required the support of her maternal relatives.

Though Huo Shiming didn't voice it, a flicker of wishful thinking remained in his heart—that the Empress Dowager's harsh words were temporary, and once her anger faded, she might not truly cut off her own support.

But the Sang family's arrival brutally crushed this hope.

The Empress Dowager indeed needed her maternal relatives' political influence to maintain a presence in court.

Yet a disobedient relative was worse than having none at all.

When the Duke of Chengen showed ingratitude, the Empress Dowager wouldn't hesitate to replace him with another family to hold the title.

She'd refrained before for three reasons: first, the Huo family had remained relatively loyal and useful; second, Wen Shengan still stood in court, and building up a new family would be troublesome, requiring three to five years before they could be useful; and third, her connection to the Sang family was purely by blood, with no emotional bonds.

Having Qiu Hongzhen offer some assistance had been enough to acknowledge this blood relation.

But now, things were different.

The situation had changed.

Huo Ling's outlook had shifted too.

A connection based solely on blood, without emotional ties, could actually be an advantage.

Building up the Sang family from scratch and investing political resources in them would take effort and time, but it would make clearer who gave them their status.

She held little familial affection for them. The Sang family understood this and would likely avoid overstepping.

—Even if they did harbor improper thoughts, handling them would be simple.

Huo Ling assigned the duty of welcoming the Sang family to Qiu Hongzhen and Zhu Qingyun.

As Senior Vice Minister of Works, Qiu Hongzhen couldn't personally greet the Sang family. After leaving the palace, he immediately instructed his eldest son to request a two-week leave.

"I'll assign you a team to accompany you south," Qiu Hongzhen emphasized. "Remember, throughout this journey, you must follow Female Official Zhu's lead in all matters. Obey her instructions without question. Understood?"

His son wasn't the most capable, so doing less was better than more. As long as he safely brought the Sang family to the capital, he'd be credited for his efforts.

The pomp surrounding the Sang family's arrival surpassed even Duke Huo Shiming's entrance years before.

At every relay station, representatives of local elites awaited them—solely to offer greetings and present extravagant presents, hoping to forge connections.

The Sang family, formerly regular townsfolk, had never experienced such courtesy.

They were clueless how to respond, unsure whether accepting the gifts might cause trouble.

Only after Zhu Qingyun nodded did they hesitantly take the offerings.

After the guests left, Zhu Qingyun remarked, "This is just a small taste. The real spectacle awaits in the capital."

The family collectively gasped. If this was minor, how grand would the real event be?

"Female Official Zhu," the family elder ventured cautiously, "could you teach us how to handle these situations?"

Zhu Qingyun was happy to agree.

She understood the true purpose behind the Empress Dowager sending her.

She needed to teach the Sang family during this time, helping them learn the importance of propriety.

As long as they maintained their proper place, entering the capital would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for them. Even if it was just for appearances' sake, the Empress Dowager would not treat them poorly.

Thus, the Sang family arrived in the capital in high style.

When they saw the ornately carved and richly decorated "Sang Mansion," even though they had prepared themselves mentally, they couldn’t help feeling flattered beyond measure.

"Aunt Zhu, do we just go in directly?" Sang Xuanqing, the only young girl in the Sang family, asked Zhu Qingyun.

Zhu Qingyun had already spoken with the eunuch sent from the palace. Hearing Sang Xuanqing’s question, she explained, "Since you’ve just arrived in the capital, you probably don’t have proper staff yet. The servants here were all provided by the Imperial Household Department, and their salaries are paid by them. After the long journey, you should rest for a day or two. Once Her Majesty has time, she will summon you to the palace."

Sang Xuanqing asked, "Aunt Zhu, won’t you come in for some tea?"

Zhu Qingyun politely declined, "I must return to the palace to report to Her Majesty."

Sang Xuanqing gave a deep bow to Zhu Qingyun—a gesture Zhu Qingyun herself had taught her—and said, "Then I won’t keep you."

Zhu Qingyun quickly returned the courtesy, "You flatter me."

"You deserve it, Aunt Zhu," Sang Xuanqing replied with a warm smile. "Our entire family has been in your debt these past days. I will always remember your kindness."

Though Zhu Qingyun had been sent by the Empress Dowager to instruct the Sang family, their gratitude warmed her heart.

Sang Xuanqing stood watching as Zhu Qingyun boarded her carriage.

When she turned, she noticed the quiet, nearly empty gates of the neighboring Duke of Chengen’s residence, guarded by two rows of imperial soldiers.

What Zhu Qingyun could teach the Sang family was limited—the journey had taken only about half a month. More would have to be learned after their arrival.

But she had told them about the Duke of Chengen’s household—using it as a warning example.

Though Zhu Qingyun didn’t spell it out, the Sang family could guess their present good fortune was tied to the Duke of Chengen’s downfall.

"The state of the Duke of Chengen’s household is a warning for our family’s future."

***

In the palace, Huo Ling read a letter from the commander of the northern garrison, Zhou Jiamu, while listening to Zhu Qingyun’s report on the Sang family.

The eldest in the Sang family was Gu Shengyu’s cousin—Huo Ling’s blood-related uncle.

This uncle had two sons and a daughter, all married with children of their own. Now those children had reached the age to marry.

Huo Ling casually asked, "Are there any quick-witted ones among them?"

Zhu Qingyun replied, "Given their shared blood with Your Majesty, they are all quite bright. But the most talented is the girl from the Sang family’s second branch."

Huo Ling became interested. "What’s her name?"

"Sang Xuanqing."

After a moment’s thought, Huo Ling said, "Tomorrow afternoon, I’ll hold a family dinner in the palace. Invite my uncle and his family, and let An Er meet them too."

Huo Ling’s meeting with the Sang family was quiet and formal, without much warmth or excitement. But by calling it a family dinner, she acknowledged their kinship.

Aside from giving the younger generation lavish gifts, Huo Ling told her uncle, "You and I are family by blood, Uncle. If you face any difficulties in the capital, simply send a message to the palace."

Uncle Sang felt a warmth in his heart: "Your Grace's kindness to the Sang family is something this unworthy one can never repay."

Huo Ling replied, "We're family, Uncle. Such words are too formal."

Uncle Sang rubbed his hands together, somewhat uneasy, and said, "Actually, I do have a presumptuous favor to ask at the moment."

He glanced at Sang Xuanqing, who was seated below—this was the suggestion she had made before entering the palace.

"Tomorrow, I wish to take the children to visit our aunt’s grave to pay respects. All these years, living so far away in our hometown, we never had the chance to offer incense to her."

The "aunt" Uncle Sang referred to was Huo Ling’s maternal grandmother.

Huo Ling studied Uncle Sang more carefully.

Her connection to the Sang family stemmed from her grandmother. Whether out of genuine sentiment or to curry favor with her, the Sang family’s intention to visit her grandmother’s grave first was a smart play.

Huo Ling agreed directly: "Tomorrow morning, I’ll have a palace attendant guide you there."

When the Sang family left the palace, Huo Ling sent them off with several carts of useful gifts.

Ji Xianshan also granted them plenty of fine gifts.

From Zhu Qingyun and Eldest Son Qiu being sent to fetch the Sang family to the dowager empress bestowing them a residence, everything had been handled with deliberate spectacle.

Even before the Sang family arrived in the capital, news about them had already spread far and wide.

The court officials had not immediately paid visits because they were still observing the situation. But now, seeing the Sang family return from the palace loaded down with imperial gifts, there was nothing left to hesitate about.

Clearly, the dowager empress intended to elevate the Sang family. As her subjects, they naturally had to send their visiting cards and prepare congratulatory gifts.

For a time, the Sang residence’s gate was jammed with carriages and buzzing with activity, forming a stark contrast with the eerily quiet Duke of Chengen’s estate next door.

A young official waiting in line outside couldn’t help but glance at the neighboring mansion and sigh, "Not long ago, such liveliness belonged to the Duke of Chengen’s household."

"Silence," hissed a colleague who was on good terms with him. "The Dowager Empress' judgment is beyond reproach. It is not for us to question her intentions."

Anyone with eyes could see—the Duke of Chengen’s household had lost the court's favor.

The commotion outside the Sang residence lasted only a few days before quieting down. For in early September, a battle report from Yanbei shattered the capital’s fragile peace.

—Xiao Guoying, the Great Mu’s commander, and Lieutenant General Feng Xin, under Emperor Yongqing’s orders, used so-called self-defense as their excuse to mobilize 200,000 troops southward to attack Great Yan.

Along with this report came a steady stream of intelligence.

Emperor Yongqing had indeed suffered a stroke from his son’s attempted coup, but court physicians were keeping him alive with needles.

Xiao Guoying supported the Tenth Prince, while Feng Xin backed the Second Prince. Though they played at being rivals in public, both were secretly loyal to Emperor Yongqing. Their power struggle had been theater all along.

Xiao Guoying had indeed led a contingent of soldiers away from Yanyun, but shortly after leaving, they changed their appearance and, under Feng Xin’s cover, returned to Yanyun.

They planted misleading clues and set clever traps, all to lure Great Yan into launching the Northern Expedition.

Yet, no matter how long they waited, Great Yan’s army showed no signs of movement.

It wasn’t until the Duke of Chengen of Great Yan formally petitioned for war that Emperor Yongqing seized the opportunity, using it as an excuse to win over Great Mu’s nobility and officials to support his military campaign.

...

When the news reached Huo Shiming, he knew he was utterly finished.

Though Huo Shiming believed from start to finish that this was Great Mu’s rapacious ambition—that even without his memorial advocating war, Great Mu would have found another pretext for battle—his share of blame was minimal.

But his thoughts meant nothing; what mattered was the Empress Dowager’s judgment. The three-month house arrest was merely the beginning; the real tempest was still brewing.

An Hongyu fell ill upon receiving word from the front. Already advanced in years and plagued by old battlefield wounds, the sickness sapped nearly all his vigor.

Yet he mustered his strength to draft a letter of atonement and sent his eldest grandson to deliver it to the palace.

Huo Ling unfolded the letter, glanced over it, and remarked to Zhu Qingyun at her side, "At least General An knows his place—he’s spared me the headache."

Zhu Qingyun forced a thin smile, uncertain how to reply.

General An had merely added his name to the petition, yet he still rushed to submit a plea for mercy. So who else could be the fool making the Empress Dowager’s life difficult?

"Since the Duke of Chengen won’t save face, I’ll save it for him."

Huo Ling summoned Cui Hongyi and murmured a handful of orders.

The next day, Fang Shi, newly recovered from a long illness, was taking a stroll in the courtyard when an imperial guard strode up to her.

"Madam Duke of Chengen, Her Majesty demands your presence. You will accompany me at once."