Chapter 186: “The Best Opportunity to Reclaim Yan and Yun…”

Chapter 186: "The Best Opportunity to Reclaim the Lost Territories of Great Yan..."

The repercussions of the military protest at the Ancestral Temple were destined to be profound.

Seizing this opportunity, Huo Ling removed a large number of royalists and conservatives who supported the emperor's personal rule.

The vacancies left by their departure were quickly filled by officials aligned with the Empress Dowager.

Qiu Hongzhen, who had served as Senior Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works for over a decade, finally achieved his lifelong ambition and took the most crucial step in his career—ascending to the position of Minister of Works.

Holding the imperial edict of appointment, Qiu Hongzhen broke down in tears.

If not for fear of violating court etiquette and offending Her Majesty, he would have prostrated himself at her feet, weeping in gratitude.

Back in the small county of Yong'an, he had once bowed solemnly to Huo Ling, thanking her for her guidance, believing it to be the stepping stone to his ascent.

But later, mentorship turned into sponsorship, and the ladder became a stairway to heaven.

His life's journey was nothing short of legendary.

Yet compared to the fate of Her Majesty, what were his own fortunes?

Huo Ling rested her forehead on her hand, shielding her eyes. "Enough, stop crying. You're giving me a headache."

Qiu Hongzhen wiped his eyes. "This humble official is simply overwhelmed with joy. Truly, too overjoyed."

Hearing his utterly sincere words, Huo Ling couldn't help but smile.

Even Zhu Qingyun, standing behind Huo Ling, couldn’t help feeling a pang of envy at Qiu Hongzhen's extraordinary luck.

Truly, Zhu Qingyun considered herself among the most fortunate—after all, she had encountered the Empress Dowager during a disguised inspection and successfully caught her eye, entering the palace as a Female Official.

She was already far luckier than most.

But compared to Qiu Hongzhen’s, hers seemed meager.

As the first official to pledge allegiance to the Empress Dowager, Qiu Hongzhen proved that opportunity trumps hard work.

Especially when contrasted with the former Duke of Chengen.

As the turmoil of the military protest gradually subsided and the court returned to normalcy, the seventy-year-old Lu Hang submitted his resignation.

A new generation replaced the old, and this longstanding pillar of the court finally stepped down to clear the path for new blood.

Moreover, having served as an official of Great Yan his entire life under three emperors, it would have seemed incongruous to suddenly be recorded in history as a minister of another dynasty in his twilight years.

Lu Hang had been flexible and shrewd throughout his career, but with one foot in the grave, there was no need for further flexibility—a dignified retirement was fitting.

Huo Ling had a sense of his intentions. After failing to persuade him to stay, she bestowed him with full honors, allowing him to retire with dignity.

The vacancy left by Lu Hang's departure as Minister of Personnel was ultimately filled by Li Hansong, the former Minister of Rites.

Ding Jinghuan, the former Minister of Justice, took over the now-vacant position of Minister of Rites.

Li Hansong was steady but lacked adaptability. Under normal circumstances, his competence would have sufficed for the Ministry of Rites. But now, with Huo Ling needing the ministry to amplify her authority, his performance left her unsatisfied.

Ding Jinghuan, upon taking up the post, proved capable.

Nüwa repaired the heavens and molded humans from clay; the Queen Mother of the West presided over Kunlun and governed female immortals; the Goddess Houtu, as the earth goddess, governed mountains, rivers, and fertility; and regional deities such as Mazu and the Meishan Goddess...

Within just a few months, myths and legends about female deities sprang up like bamboo shoots across the populace.

Apart from myths, there were also legendary tales of women joining the military, receiving immortal-bestowed military tactics, and achieving great victories against enemy forces.

Stories of women entering the palace as Female Officials, rising through the ranks to become powerful chancellors, and leaving their names in history.

Of course, there were also numerous fictional accounts depicting a mythical overseas kingdom.

In this divine kingdom, rulers were women for generations, the land enjoyed seasonal rains and bumper harvests, and the people lacked nothing.

Even the Divine Stele that descended from the heavens had at least twenty different interpretations circulating among the people.

The popular momentum spread like wildfire, using literary fiction and folklore to gradually acclimate the populace to the idea of women governing the nation.

Only after sufficient groundwork had been laid did these widespread folk tales begin to explicitly link to the Empress Dowager.

For instance, it was said that the Empress Dowager was actually an immortal reincarnated to save the suffering world, which was why the heavens had sent down the Divine Stele of Destiny.

Moreover, because the Empress Dowager’s fate was so extraordinary, Master Shikong, after unraveling the secrets of the Divine Stele, entered parinirvana—a karmic consequence for divulging heaven’s secrets.

If anyone asked what kind of immortal the Empress Dowager was, they need only recall the *Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River*—from the moment she arrived in the capital, she was hailed as the "Living Goddess of Luo."

The daughter of Fuxi, the goddess of the Luo River—thus, her rule over Luocheng, built beside the Luo River, was entirely justified.

Sure enough, once this narrative spread, people even found evidence to support the claim that the Empress Dowager was the Goddess of the Luo River.

Since her arrival in Luocheng, the Luo River had never flooded or clogged with silt again.

In the past, the canal would clog and overflow every two or three years, even causing floods in the capital. But for over a decade, such disasters had ceased entirely.

Of course, whether or not the Empress Dowager was the Goddess of Luo, this success was undeniably hers to claim.

After confiscating the estates of Prince Duan and the Duke of Liu, the Empress Dowager amassed a windfall.

For four straight years, she allocated over two million taels of silver to the Ministry of Works to organize large-scale dredging of the river channels.

Luocheng’s prosperity had always relied heavily on this canal. Once cleared, tens of thousands of downstream residents benefited, shipping traffic improved, and the city flourished even further.

...

As above, so below. Without any official decree, local officials spontaneously joined the movement, even offering tributes of auspicious signs.

In the 21st year of the Celestial Reign, Venus was visible in broad daylight.

Normally, Venus would vanish at sunrise, obscured by the sun’s brilliance until nightfall.

If Venus remained visible during the day, it signified "the rise of the feminine over the masculine."

Thus, the phenomenon of Venus in daylight had long been interpreted as an omen of "the sovereign’s decline, a woman ascending to rule."

After observing this celestial anomaly, the Imperial Director of Astronomy condensed it to eight characters:

—*"Venus shines by day; a woman shall rule the land."*

The moment these words were spoken, the entire court stirred—even Ding Jinghuan couldn’t help but glance twice at the Imperial Director of Astronomy. Who knew he had such hidden depths?

Before the Empress Dowager Faction could even coalesce around the slogan "a woman shall rule the land," the Imperial Director of Astronomy had already stolen their thunder.

However, with the Imperial Director of Astronomy leading the way, others refused to be outdone.

In the twenty-second year of the Celestial Reign, during Empress Dowager Huo's Longevity Banquet, five white peacocks descended upon the Palace of Longevity before the entire court.

White animals had always been regarded as divine signs in popular lore, and peacocks were often likened to the mortal embodiments of phoenixes.

Thus, as the white peacocks alighted upon the Palace of Longevity, someone immediately cried out, "Phoenixes gather at the Palace of Longevity—the phoenix’s auspicious descent!"

"The sun and moon unite, the nine tripods bow to the phoenix—does this not fulfill the Mandate of Heaven Prophecy?"

With these two proclamations, the previously subdued atmosphere erupted into a fervor of excitement. Even after the five white peacocks mysteriously flew away, the burning anticipation of the crowd remained undeterred.

Having presided over court affairs for twenty-two years, Empress Dowager Huo had long wielded de facto imperial power. Now, step by step, she cultivated the narrative, amplifying the divine mandate, all for the sake of claiming the title of emperor.

The day after the Longevity Banquet, a court official submitted a memorial requesting that Empress Dowager Huo establish seven ancestral temples for the Huo clan.

According to the rites of Zhou, only the ancestral temples of the Son of Heaven could number seven.

Empress Dowager Huo neither accepted the proposal nor punished the official, instead shelving the memorial without comment.

This deliberate silence greatly emboldened the courtiers, and soon more memorials followed.

Some even went so far as to implore Empress Dowager Huo, for the sake of the people, to ascend the throne as emperor.

In full view of the court, Empress Dowager Huo flung the memorial to the ground: "This dishonors our forebears!"

Despite the officials' persistent urging, she stood firm.

Yet after the grand assembly concluded, Empress Dowager Huo called for Wu Feng to inquire about the state of Great Mu.

Wu Feng was blunt: "Xiao Guoying is on death’s door."

Empress Dowager Huo's gaze turned razor-sharp, her lips curling slightly. "Good. It seems the time for our dynasty to retake the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun has finally come."

***

By this point, Huo Ling's grasp on actual power was indistinguishable from that of a reigning emperor.

With no threats to her authority remaining, she no longer needed to rush. Instead, she meticulously cleared obstacles from her path to the throne, laying the foundation stone by stone to ensure her ascension would be both legitimate and welcomed by the people.

Thus, whether through folk legends or celestial omens, they were merely icing on the cake.

For Huo Ling, what mattered most had always been the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun.

Reclaiming them would be a feat for the ages—one even Emperor Taizu had failed to accomplish.

If, under Huo Ling's rule, not only were the Qiang Rong annexed but the Sixteen Prefectures also reclaimed, uniting the feats of territorial expansion and lost land recovery, her path to the throne would undoubtedly face no further resistance.

Ding Jinghuan, of course, understood Huo Ling's intentions better than anyone. Yet after wrestling with the thought, he could not help but seek an audience with her.

"Your Majesty, perhaps it would be better to ascend the throne first, then prepare for the reclamation of the Sixteen Prefectures."

Huo Ling studied Ding Jinghuan, as if seeing straight through his thoughts.

"You worry that if the campaign falters and we fail to reclaim Yan and Yun, it would damage my prestige and hinder my imperial claim?"

Ding Jinghuan smiled bitterly—Her Majesty sees right through me. "Your Majesty speaks truly. This is indeed my concern. Before the court, I would never voice such defeatist talk, but in private counsel, I shall not mince words."

He took a deep breath and spoke earnestly: "Once on the battlefield, no matter how overwhelming the advantage, none dare guarantee with certainty absolute victory.

"I know the lengths to which Your Majesty has gone in preparing for Yan and Yun. If we succeed, nothing could be more ideal. But should the unexpected occur..."

"I understand what you mean."

Huo Ling pressed her hand slightly, signaling Ding Jinghuan to take a sip of tea first.

She stood up and spoke slowly, "But changing dynasties is no easy matter. I am the Ji family's daughter-in-law. My throne can only be justified by my son's filial piety, leading him to abdicate to me. This is an unalterable truth."

Huo Ling had come this far step by step, enduring hardships and trials beyond what most could imagine.

For her, who held power originally didn't matter anymore. What truly concerned her was how to seize and sustain it.

Ascending the throne first and then launching a campaign to reclaim Yan and Yun—was it feasible?

Of course, it was.

Though there were obstacles to her immediate ascension, against the tide of history, such hindrances were nothing more than a futile resistance.

But what would follow her coronation?

What would she and her dynasty face then?

Holding actual power and taking that ultimate, irreversible step were entirely different. No one in history had dared to cross that threshold. Once she did, what awaited her beyond was something even Huo Ling herself could not foresee.

Yet one thing she was certain of: sitting on that throne did not guarantee smooth sailing thereafter.

Could she truly devote herself wholeheartedly to reclaiming Yan and Yun after ascending, without getting bogged down in countless distractions?

Even her closest confidants, before her coronation, would dedicate themselves to paving her path to the throne, for only then would their political rewards be maximized.

But once she was enthroned, without a shared goal to strive for, would these same individuals get caught in power struggles?

"With military and political authority firmly in my grasp, the opportunity to ascend the throne will come again even if we miss this one—it would merely require more effort. But the chance to reclaim Yan and Yun—if we let this moment pass, when will the next one come? No one can say."

What she desired was not merely to reach the pinnacle of power and briefly glimpse its view.

That would never truly satisfy her.

What she sought was to stand firm at the summit of power and to ensure its enduring legacy.