It wasn't realistic for both ministers to accompany Huo Ling, and in front of Huo Ling, the Minister of Works, Li Gongming, who clearly had more utility in the management of the Yellow River than the Minister of Revenue, Gong Yi, stood out.
"Since Minister Li is volunteering, I'll leave the Crown Prince to you," said the Emperor to Li Gongming after singling him out. "The Crown Prince is not very mature, so en route, you'll have to be responsible for him." He hoped that when he returned, his beloved minister would still have the vigor of his prime.
"Clearly, I'm the one leading him. How did this become him leading me?" grumbled Huo Ling, displeased.
As if he hadn't heard Huo Ling's complaint, Li Gongming, with an unchanged expression, bowed to the Emperor. "I will certainly not fail the grace of the Emperor."
After confirming the selection, and discussing some minor matters, the chief steward sounded the whip three times, signaling the end of the court session.
After the court session, Huo Ling should have gone to the study room to attend the lesson. However, he always had a headache whenever he saw the Grand Tutor Wang Ancheng recently—during the court session, he had missed several cues from Wang Ancheng. So, he shamelessly left Gong Sunyun to face Wang Ancheng alone, using the excuse of "packing up luggage" to take leave for himself.
Taking leave, Huo Ling did not return to the Eastern Palace. Instead, he made his way to the Yushu Palace to enjoy both food and drink—he had learned a lot about "eating" from his Birth Mother, and the resulting dishes were very well-received.
Sitting side by side with Noble Consort Ye, while enjoying the rehearsal of the palace maids and eunuchs for the "Wives Army Outwitting the Bandits" performance, Huo Ling, while quietly letting Noble Consort Ye know about his intention to go far away, carried on.
Noble Consort Ye had no concerns at all about her son going far away, casually responding with "Oh" to the news, and even waving her hand, annoyed that Huo Ling's words had distracted her attention. "I understand, don't bother me."
"...Oh."
Huo Ling leaned back in his chair, quietly accompanying Noble Consort Ye while watching the performance, and at the same time, getting the eunuch on the side to get him another bowl of almond tofu.
Just as Huo Ling was ready to take his leave after having his fill, the somewhat slow Noble Consort Ye finally reacted, and hurriedly grabbed the collar of Huo Ling, who was walking out, and asked, "What did you say? What does disaster relief have to do with you? Can you handle it?"
Noble Consort Ye's hand reached out too suddenly, causing Huo Ling to almost crash at her feet. Thankfully, his mother firmly grasped him, or he would have really embarrassed himself.
However, Huo Ling did not want to thank Noble Consort Ye at all.
Shaking off Noble Consort Ye's hand holding his collar, he straightened out his rumpled collar and glared at Noble Consort Ye dissatisfiedly. "Mother, if you have something to say, say it nicely. Don't use force."
"And besides, a man can't say he can't do it, don't you know?"
"I feel like I can't do it, but I can't resist Father Emperor's belief that I can." Ignoring Concubine Ye's sarcasm, Huo Ling shrugged, not feeling guilty at all. "So, I can do it."
Realizing that the other party would not let him go for the time being, Huo Ling, being very self-aware, didn't need Concubine Ye to remind him. He reached out and hooked her shoulder, leading her and his mother to the direction of the pavilion. "Let's go, we can enjoy the flowers and talk at the pavilion. It's silly to stand here and chat."
Concubine Ye glared, "Who are you calling silly?"
"I'm silly, I'm silly, I'm the silliest."
Huo Ling's comfort was perfunctory, but Concubine Ye fell for it anyway. Not only did she happily walk forward without Huo Ling's further coaxing, but she also instructed the maid beside her, "Bring my things over."
"Yes."
In the end, Huo Ling didn't end up chatting with Concubine Ye at the pavilion, because midway Concubine Ye felt the road was too far and just sat down in the midst of the blooming flowers on the roadside, not caring if her skirt would get dirty or how long the flowers she sat on would last.
Being pulled by his sleeve and almost stumbling, Huo Ling muttered, "Alright, she's my mother after all. What can I do?"
Surrounded by blooming flowers, Concubine Ye, who had rarely shown her childish side, plucked a flower she liked and handed it directly to Huo Ling.
Taking the flower, Huo Ling was pleasantly surprised but also at a loss. Before he could express his gratitude for the flower given to him by Concubine Ye, she pushed him and said, "What are you standing there for? Help me arrange the flowers." With that, Concubine Ye brought her face close to Huo Ling.
Accidentally overreacting, Huo Ling said, "Oh." He obediently arranged the flower in Concubine Ye's hairpin, looking at Concubine Ye who wore green clothes but had a large red peony flower, he forced out various insincere words of praise, making Concubine Ye happily smile.
The beauty was indeed beautiful, so beautiful that Huo Ling even started to think that green clothes and red flowers weren't such a big deal after all.
Indeed, a beautiful face made everything beautiful.
Thinking this way, while continuing to praise Concubine Ye's beauty as "astonishingly heavenly," Huo Ling couldn't help but add a hint of genuine emotion.
Concubine Ye was delighted by the praise. Seeing her silly son finally coming around, she reached for the wooden box that her maid had brought and casually handed it to Huo Ling. "Since you're going on a long journey, I have nothing much to give you. Here, take these little things, so you don't get into trouble and bring trouble to your cousin."
Speaking with a heartfelt concern, Concubine Ye caressed Huo Ling's head, "Be careful on the road, don't cause trouble for your cousin."
Moved by this strong motherly love, Huo Ling couldn't help but wonder if he was really her biological son. However, he refrained from saying anything that might provoke Concubine Ye and instead expressed with a touched face, "Mother, you are indeed a good mother to me." With this statement, Huo Ling promptly and deftly opened the wooden box.
The box wasn't heavy, and it didn't contain a lot of things, but everything inside was of good quality.
A hollow hairpin that could hide things, a jade bracelet that could hold medicine powder, and a delicate bird ornament that could transform into a small knife with just a twist… all of them were good items.
However—
Looking at Concubine Ye who didn't seem to think there was any problem and even believed she was doing this for his own good, Huo Ling couldn't help but feel his soul shaking. "Mother, are you serious?"
"Why wouldn't I be?"
Having some regrets after giving away the good items, Concubine Ye pursed her lips but ultimately didn't ask for them back. "These are all good things I had tucked away. Just be content with them."
Huo Ling: "..." He sighed silently, then took out the jade bracelet with exceptionally fine workmanship from the wooden box and showed it to Concubine Ye. "Do you think I can wear this bracelet?" Before Concubine Ye could answer, Huo Ling picked up a delicate and heavy hairpin, and asked seriously, "Can you tell me where I can wear this hairpin?"
"And this attire that won't be afraid of being cut by swords, do you think I… dare to wear it? After wearing it, will I have any face left? Am I really your biological son?"
Concubine Ye blinked and then blinked again. "Aren't you always shameless? What are you afraid of?" Actually feeling a bit regretful, Concubine Ye didn't wait for Huo Ling's answer. She simply snatched the box still in Huo Ling's arms. "Since you don't want them, then I'll give you something else."
Handing the wooden box to the maid beside her, Concubine Ye pulled Huo Ling up by the sleeve and then took her son, whose butt was now imprinted with a peony flower, to her palace, where she gave him all the items she had played with when she dressed as a man in the past.
"Since I don't need them anymore, it's better to give them to you rather than let them gather dust."
The folding fan that could reveal a small knife when closed, the white male outfit that could be used as nightwear when turned inside out, and the hairpin that could produce pear blossom-shaped needles during a storm... Looking at these old items, Huo Ling could fully imagine how colorful Concubine Ye's life was before she got married.
Unfortunately, that time had passed.
Concubine Ye didn't feel any sentimentality, nor did she think her current life was lacking in any way. She just felt a bit sorry that no one would inherit these good things. Her unruly and foolish son couldn't use them, and she was afraid of frightening her delicate daughter-in-law… Well, she would save them for her granddaughter.
Thinking this, she patted Huo Ling's shoulder, and with a gaze full of expectation, she said, "My dear, you have to work hard."
"I believe in you. You can do it."
Although Huo Ling didn't understand why Concubine Ye said this, his survival instinct as a small animal told him that he didn't need to say anything at this moment. Just smiling was enough.
Thus, with a smile, Huo Ling left Yu Shu Palace with the items given by Concubine Ye, and even took the bird ornament with him. Under the strange gaze of Concubine Ye, who said, "My son's wings are growing stronger. He should learn to fly," he left without turning back.
Watching Huo Ling, whose butt still had a peony flower print, leave, Concubine Ye leaned on the shoulder of the head palace maid, Lu E, and laughed loudly, "Did you see that? There's a flower on my foolish son's butt! There's actually a flower on his butt! Hahaha!"
The palace maids by Concubine Ye's side didn't understand what was so funny, but after exchanging a glance with each other, they all followed Concubine Ye in laughing together.
"Yeah, so funny."
"That flower... Hahaha."
"Hahaha..."
—Today, as always, the people in Yu Shu Palace were dutifully providing comic relief to Concubine Ye.