04, Easy Festival

Huo Guang looked at his little daughter, who was holding his hand with a face full of innocent charm, and couldn't help but smile, saying: "With us, the Chengjun, by your side, who would dare to bully your mother?"

The calmness of Huo Guang was once again stirred as his anger flared up.

His Majesty decreed the transfer of his attendants, charioteers, and official servants from the State of Changyi to the capital, totaling more than 200 individuals, who were granted gold, money, swords, jade, and silk. If it were only this, it would be acceptable; however, His Majesty also bestowed the sashes of the feudal lords, marquises, and officials of the rank of 2,000 stones upon those officials from Changyi. More than 200 attendants from the State of Changyi were allowed free access to the Weiyang Palace

Huo Shan has recently purchased a residence in Shangguanli, reportedly for Huo Yun to live in. To celebrate, it is estimated that all their people have gone to Shangguanli these past few days

Such a response was akin to a bolt from the blue, leaving everyone present utterly speechless. The Hall of Chengming fell into a profound silence, and Huo Guang's expression finally changed as he trembled with rage and shouted, "How could such a significant matter not have been reported earlier?"

Madam Huo adjusted her shoulders and said, "Thirteen is not too young. How old was Ruyi when she entered the palace? Now that the new emperor has ascended the throne and the mistress of the harem has not yet been established, this is your golden opportunity. Have you not considered that once you become the empress, you will be the revered matriarch of the world? Which man in the world can be more powerful than the emperor? In the future, even if you choose thousands of husbands, they will not compare to even one of the emperor's worth!"

Fan Mingyou understood what his father-in-law was about to ask and immediately replied: "It is not that we dare to let them pass freely, but those individuals possess official seals when entering and exiting the palace gates, and as the Weiwei of Weiyang, I am simply unable to stop them"

His thoughts were in disarray when a guard quietly approached and whispered a few words. Huo Guang's expression changed dramatically, and he hurriedly stood up, excusing himself to change clothes before heading out of the hall. Just as he exited the Chengming Hall, he saw four or five people standing in front of the central government office. The leader of the group was ignoring the admonitions of the officials at the door, loudly scolding while attempting to force his way inside.

What?

Madam Huo's eyelashes trembled slightly, and a tear rolled down her cheek to her chin. She did not wipe away the tear, still biting her lip as she sobbed: "I... I did not mean to put Your Excellency in a difficult position, it is just... it is just..."

Although Ruyi has become the Empress Dowager, she ultimately bears the surname of Shangguan. If... if our Huo family could produce another Empress, who would dare to act presumptuously in front of us mother and daughter from now on

What exactly does Liu He want to do, or rather, what is he doing, and for what purpose? The answer has long been evident. Those present are seasoned veterans in the political arena, adept at navigating the complexities of power struggles. They can discern a few traces of the political maneuvers involving overt and covert tactics. Moreover, Liu He has no intention of concealing his actions; everything he does reflects his usual demeanor—arrogant, ostentatious, and unruly.

Huo Guang was also aware that it was unlikely for his wife to manage their son, but he was currently troubled and could not attend to the trivial matters at home. In a fit of anger, he could only stamp his foot and leave in a huff

The change of the ceremonial insignia color occurred only once in the entire history of the Han dynasty, and that instance was initiated by Prince Liu Ju of Wei. At that time, Liu Ju was compelled to rebel due to the calamity of witchcraft and sorcery. In order to seize the initiative in gathering military power, he ordered the original red insignia to be rendered invalid, and the color of the insignia was changed to yellow. Unexpectedly, after a span of seventeen years, such an extraordinary event of changing the insignia occurred once again within the city of Chang'an.

To whom will the vast dominion of the harem ultimately belong? It is necessary to first inquire whether the one surnamed Huo consents.

Lady Huo said, "Rest assured, Mother will never let you suffer the slightest grievance." Remembering the ambitious Queen of Changyi, Yan Luohan, she couldn't help but smile even more proudly

Madam Huo thought to herself, it must be a biological son to be properly disciplined. Huo Yu is the only son in the family, having been arrogant since childhood, and now that he has reached adulthood, how could he possibly be disciplined by his legitimate mother of such humble origins

Huo Guang felt even more troubled: "Where has he gone again?"

Madam Huo remained silent, her gaze filled with sorrow as she stared at him. At that moment, a person sprang out from behind Madam Huo, grabbing Huo Guang's hand and shaking it: "Father! Mother is your wife; she has been wronged by others. Does that not mean you have also been wronged?"

Huo Guang's expression was ashen. One of the officials, although not fully aware of the subtle connections involved, was quite adept at reading the room and immediately rushed to report: "In addition to the sixteen tokens that were taken away, Your Majesty has also ordered that the yellow tassels attached to the tokens be changed to red."

"Father is unaware of this; Mother and I have just returned from the Chang Le Palace." Huo Chengjun spoke eloquently, holding his father's hand with one hand and supporting his mother, whose eyes were filled with tears of grievance, with the other. "In the past, we could come and go freely not only in the Chang Le Palace but also in this Wei Yang Palace, right? Yet just now, when Mother and I went to the Chang Le Palace to pay our respects to the Empress Dowager, we were stopped at the palace gate by the guards, who refused to let us in no matter what we said. I mentioned Father's official title, but they still showed no reaction and insisted on not letting us pass. It is not a big deal for us, mother and daughter, to lose face in public, but what matters is that Father's reputation was also tarnished along with ours. How can this not be infuriating? Is Father, the Grand General and Marquis of Bolu, merely a figurehead?"

The official helplessly said: "This is what Your Majesty has commanded, it is not that I do not report..."

Madam Huo, no matter how arrogant she may be, would not dare to act defiantly in front of her husband. However, she did not rush to defend herself; instead, she bit her lip, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Huo Guang, unable to bear her pitiful gaze, softened his tone and said gently: "The Empress Dowager no longer resides in the Weiyang Palace, so in the future, you should refrain from wandering around the Weiyang Palace with your daughter for no reason..."

Huo Guang's face was tense with embarrassment, while Madam Huo, with a face full of anger, pointed at the official and scolded: "I see you don't want to continue working..."

Huo Guang took a deep breath, and for some reason, he once again recalled Liu Fu's mocking smile at the moment of his death. Never before had he felt such regret at this moment—had he known today would come, he would have ensured that Liu Fu had an heir as soon as possible, regardless of whether it was a legitimate or illegitimate child, and would have supported a young son as emperor, which would have been a hundred times better than the current situation with the impetuous Liu He.

Huo Chengjun disdainfully said, "My brother is even busier than my father; I haven't seen him for several days."

The crowd held their breath in fear, and Zhang Anshi said: "Go and summon the imperial edict!"

Huo Guang's half-closed eyelids suddenly widened: "The talisman? Where did they get the talisman?"

Huo Guang's expression suddenly darkened; he was not angry that his wife and daughter were blocked at the gate of the Chang Le Palace, but rather surprised and indignant to suddenly hear that the palace had added a Guard Commander.

Huo Chengjun watched his father enter the government office, beaming with joy as he pulled his mother's arm and said, "That Anle will surely meet a bad end."

Changle Weiwei

Huo Guang looked around and found that his colleagues all wore expressions of anxiety and unease, looking at him as if seeking help, hoping he could come up with a solution. Liu He appeared absurd on the surface, but if this thunderous momentum continued, they would soon be kicked down from the political pinnacle.

Huo Guang's anger dissipated completely, and he couldn't help but hold her hand, glancing back at the main gate of the central government office: "Let's go back. I will take some time to return home tonight. We can discuss matters when I get back, alright?"

"Jun'er," Lady Huo grasped her daughter's hands, unable to conceal her inner excitement, "I just had a wonderful idea."

"The late emperor's mourning attire has not yet been removed, what nonsense is this?" He turned to Madam Huo and said with considerable dissatisfaction, "As the biological mother, how can you not properly discipline and manage your son?"

Huo Guang questioned the matter of the talisman orders, to which the talisman officer nervously defended himself: "It is not that we have neglected our duties; rather, it was Your Majesty who personally came to the Talisman Platform to request them from us. Not only did we not hand over the official seal and the letter seal for safekeeping at the Talisman Platform, but we also took away sixteen talismans in total."

"Jun'er, ah." Mrs. Huo, who had been silent, suddenly interrupted her daughter's words

Enough." Huo Guang pulled his wife over, dragging her a bit further away, "What nonsense are you talking? Is this a place for you to come?"

Huo Chengjun nodded, affirming that she had not spoken falsely. Lady Huo pushed her daughter from behind, and Huo Chengjun suddenly realized, quickly adding: "I had someone investigate thoroughly; that person's surname is An and given name is Le, originally the Prime Minister of Changyi State."

After waiting for nearly half an hour, the official Feng Jie Ling finally arrived at Chengming Hall, accompanied by two young officials bearing the imperial seal. Prior to this, the officials from the central court had gathered together, chattering incessantly about Liu He’s shortcomings. Their complaints were primarily centered around the belief that with the ascension of the new emperor, those ministers who had contributed to the regency had yet to receive their due rewards, while those younger officials from the State of Changyi were being promoted instead.

Unexpectedly, Lady Huo appeared unusually silent, not as happy as anticipated. On the way home, the restless Huo Chengjun could no longer hold back and asked his mother: "Are you still angry about today’s incident? Father will definitely make that An Le regret it. Didn’t you often tell me that those who dare to go against Father’s wishes and oppose the Huo family never end well?" She counted on her fingers, "Look, just among the Tingwei, two have already died, and there are also Zuo Fengyi, Jingzhao Yin... Oh right, even that chancellor's son-in-law has died, hasn’t he?" Father will definitely make that An Le regret it. Didn’t you often tell me that those who dare to go against Father’s wishes and oppose the Huo family never end well?" She counted on her fingers, "Look, just among the Tingwei, two have already died, and there are also Zuo Fengyi, Jingzhao Yin... Oh right, even that chancellor's son-in-law has died, hasn’t he?

However, I have never seen what the Son of Heaven looks like. The late emperor had a decent appearance and character, but who knows what kind of person the current emperor is? What if he is an ugly and coarse individual? Am I then to sacrifice my entire life for that?

You and your mother should go back first; I will be very busy these days and probably won't have time to return home. He waved his hand at his daughter, forcing a faint smile, and said in a gentle tone, You must listen to your mother and elder brother at home

Huo Guang pondered for a long time before calling out, "Ming You."

With the sound of choked sobs, her shoulders trembled slightly, appearing utterly frail and helpless

Huo Chengjun raised her eyebrows; her appearance was seventy percent like her mother and thirty percent like her father. Compared to the unparalleled beauty of Madam Huo, she lacked some of the charm but added a touch of Huo Guang's elegance and grace, with an aura akin to that of orchids. Thanks to the fusion of her parents' virtues, she possessed ample qualities that made her likable from a young age.

Huo Chengjun is not foolish; her mind works very quickly. She opened her mouth, and upon seeing her mother's gaze filled with intense eagerness fixed upon her, she could not help but feel a mix of shame and anger, and she shook off her mother's hand, saying: "Mother, I am only 13 years old"

Huo Chengjun let out a natural "hm" and turned his head, only to unexpectedly find his mother's eyes shining brightly, as if she had recalled some good news, her cheeks flushed with excitement.

General Huo! Upon seeing Huo Guang emerge, the young official immediately felt a sense of relief

Huo Chengjun glanced at his father's expression, then exchanged a knowing look with his mother, smiling playfully and triumphantly