The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 149 Fu Erniang is Pregnant

In the early autumn morning light, a large crowd had already gathered outside Guzimen Gate.

I heard that the army that went west is returning to Tokyo today, and many people have gathered here to watch the excitement. Many people arrived here early in the morning.

Where there are people, there are naturally businesses. The shouts of vendors selling flatbread and candied hawthorns rose and fell, adding a touch of everyday life to the triumphant ceremony.

On the main road outside the city gate, a large group of officials were eagerly waiting. Privy Councilor Wei Renpu stood in front of the crowd, his crimson official robe fluttering in the morning breeze. He was representing the emperor to welcome the triumphant army.

Before long, billowing dust could be seen in the distance, and the rhythmic sound of horses' hooves shook the ground slightly, interspersed with the faint sound of armor scraping against each other, which assaulted people's eardrums.

Wei Renpu squinted at the gray-yellow smoke rising on the horizon, and it seemed as if thousands of silver scales were about to burst out from that moving cloud.

suddenly.

The smoke was broken by a crimson straw hat, and a young general in black iron armor rushed out.

Hundreds of armored cavalry followed in single file, their armor gleaming in the blazing sun, forming a dazzling waterfall of light.

Its majestic aura inspires awe.

"Great Zhou is mighty! The Imperial Guards are invincible!" someone suddenly shouted.

Cheers erupted from both sides of the road, the waves of sound echoing across the fields...

Emotions are contagious between people. War may not be a good thing for them, but in this situation, shouting a few times seems to be the only way to express their inner joy.

Not to mention that many of the onlookers were family members of the soldiers going to war.

They didn't care about the devastation that warriors had inflicted on the era; all they knew was that their own men had won a battle and returned alive, bringing honor and rewards—something to be happy about and celebrate.

Amidst the clamor of the crowd, Li Yi reined in his horse and stopped in front of Wei Renpu. With a clang of his armor, he dismounted and saluted, saying, "Your subordinate greets Envoy Wei!"

The other party was the Privy Councilor who held military and political power, and a close and trusted minister of the emperor. Even Li Yi, who was the emperor's brother-in-law, still had to show great respect to Wei Renpu.

Wei Renpu was very composed. Although he was not a military man, he did not have the pedantry of a scholar. Instead, he was quite bold and unrestrained.

He had a good impression of Li Yi and said with approval in his eyes, "Commander Li led his troops on this expedition and recovered the four prefectures of Qin and Feng in just over a month, which has enhanced the prestige of our Great Zhou. His Majesty specially ordered me to go out of the city to welcome him."

Li Yi quickly replied humbly, "This victory was entirely due to the wise planning of His Majesty and the officials of the court, as well as the strategic brilliance and command of General Wang. I have only served as a humble servant. How dare I claim credit?"

Anyway, they won't get away with the credit they deserve, and saying a few nice words won't hurt them. In fact, it will win them some favor with Wei Renpu, so naturally they'll say whatever's nice to them.

Wei Renpu smiled without saying a word, then said, "His Majesty has seen Li Dushi's merits, and the court officials are well aware of them, so there's no need to be so modest."

"His Majesty will hold a banquet in the Jinxiang Hall tomorrow to celebrate your victory. At that time, he will surely show special favor to Commander Li."

Li Yi's eyes flickered slightly, and he bowed his head in gratitude, saying, "Thank you for informing me, Lord Wei."

However, he secretly wondered to himself, the emperor had already promoted him to a higher military rank and even appointed him as a military governor, but judging from Wei Renpu's words, did the emperor feel that the reward was not enough?

However, it wasn't appropriate to ask directly about this, and besides, Wei Renpu might not know the details, so Li Yi could only suppress his curiosity.

As they spoke, the two stepped aside, and the army passed in an orderly fashion before them, marching into the city through the Guzi Gate in a grand procession.

The subsequent arrangements were taken over by officials of the Privy Council. The troops that had been transferred returned to their respective posts, while Li Yi followed Wei Renpu to the Imperial City government office to hand over the seals and tokens.

After bidding farewell to Wei Renpu, he took Li Hanchao and several personal guards and headed straight home.

Having been away from home for almost four months, Li Yi missed Fu Erniang and Guo Shi terribly, wishing he could fly back immediately to embrace their soft and fragrant bodies... Compared to sweet words, the deepest connection of souls was a better way to express his longing.

They rode swiftly without delay, and when they arrived at their doorstep, Fu Erniang had already received the news and was waiting with a large group of people from the mansion.

They say a little goodbye is better than a wedding.

Moreover, Li Yi had only married Fu Erniang a few days before leading his army on a campaign, making it a true wedding in the modern sense.

In addition, we were separated for several months, which far exceeded the scope of a short separation.

The joy of this longing and reunion is many times greater.

Before the vermilion gate, Fu Erniang saw her husband appear and hurried forward, disregarding her ladylike demeanor.

Li Yi quickly dismounted, his warm palm enveloping her trembling hand: "It's getting chilly, don't catch a cold. Just wait for me in the inner courtyard, there's no need to come out to greet me."

Fu Erniang's eyes immediately reddened, and she whispered, "I miss my husband terribly and don't want to wait a moment longer."

"I miss you so much, I miss you everywhere," Li Yi whispered in Fu Erniang's ear.

It's unclear what those words reminded her of, but her face flushed red instantly. "This concubine..." Fu Erniang glanced around and swallowed the rest of her sentence.

“Let’s talk in detail back in the room.” Li Yi chuckled, his eyes meeting unintentionally with Guo Shi beside him. He noticed that she was glancing at him as if she had something on her mind, looking hesitant to speak.

But with so many people around, Li Yi couldn't bring himself to ask, so he could only give her a reassuring look.

The couple entered the gate hand in hand. Fu Erniang led Li Yi directly to the bedroom in the back courtyard.

Once inside the room, Li Yi embraced Fu Erniang's delicate body, rubbing his nose against her temple with a low laugh: "Why are you in such a hurry to pull me back to the room? Could it be that you've thought of something, Erniang?"

Fu Erniang rolled her eyes at him, gently pushed him away a little, and said coquettishly, "My lord, you have no manners at all. I have something to tell you."

Li Yi asked curiously, "What is it?"

"I...I'm pregnant..." Fu Erniang blushed and pressed down on the large hand that was playing tricks on her body.

Li Yi was taken aback: "You've started your period... Well then, I'll just bear with it."

Fu Erniang said anxiously, "Oh dear, it's not my period, it's... I'm pregnant."

"What?"

Li Yi was immediately taken aback, "This, this..."

Upon hearing the news, he found it hard to describe his feelings... After all, he had lived two lives and had never experienced fatherhood before.

He was momentarily stunned, standing there grinning foolishly, looking rather comical.

Fu Erniang burst out laughing, pointing her fingertip at Li Yi's brow: "The majestic General Li, now looks like a silly goose." She couldn't stop laughing as she spoke.

Li Yi then came to his senses, looked into her bright eyes, and said softly, "Why didn't you write to tell me about such a big thing?"

Fu Erniang said, "My lord is busy with military affairs at the front, and I don't want to distract him... Besides, it's inconvenient to send messages back and forth from the front."

“That’s true.” Li Yi carefully helped Fu Erniang sit down on the bed, then gently placed his palm on her still flat stomach.

Not satisfied with just a few touches, he pressed his ear to his stomach, holding his breath and listening intently to any sounds.

"My lord!" Fu Erniang said coquettishly, "It's not even four months yet, and you're not showing any signs of pregnancy. How could you possibly hear anything?"

Li Yi chuckled to himself and gave up... Reason told him that at such a young age, he definitely couldn't hear anything, but he just couldn't help wanting to hear it.

Fu Erniang nestled in Li Yi's arms and murmured, "I feel like I'm dreaming. Suddenly I'm going to be a mother, but the thought of being able to carry on the family line for my husband makes me very content."

Li Yi gave a soft "hmm," thinking that he had been working on Guo Shi for almost half a year, but her belly showed no signs of pregnancy.

However, Fu Erniang had only been married a few times and had only been intimate with him a few times when she became pregnant.

There's really no logic to this kind of thing.

After whispering sweet nothings to each other for a while, Fu Erniang suddenly blushed, seemingly realizing something.

She hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I'm not feeling well right now, so... so let Xian'er serve you tonight."

Fu Erniang wasn't stupid; she knew that Li Yi had been holding back for months and must really want to do *that*.

Upon hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but picture a pretty little face. Whether it was her figure or her looks, the maid Xuan'er was truly outstanding.

He was tempted for a moment, but quickly shook his head and said, "No need. It's not like I have to do that to live. I can just bear it."

Fu Erniang said softly, "I know that my husband dotes on me and loves me, so I am considerate of my feelings. But Xuan'er was originally my dowry maid. Letting her serve my husband in my place will also give her the status of a concubine."

After saying that, she looked up at Li Yi and said, "With your status and position, it's no big deal for you to take a concubine. I'm not a jealous woman... As long as you have me in your heart, that's enough."

Humans are inherently selfish, and it would be a lie to say that Fu Erniang didn't mind at all. But people are also influenced by their environment. In this era, it was considered normal for men to take concubines, and once people got used to it, there was nothing they couldn't accept.

Moreover, taking concubines was not entirely about demonstrating male power or merely satisfying personal desires; it also had significant practical implications.

Ancient societies placed great importance on the continuation of the family line and the reproduction of offspring, but due to limitations in medical conditions and sanitation, the mortality rate for infants and children was high.

This was also an important factor for men to increase their chances of having children and ensure the continuation of their family bloodline by taking concubines.

Therefore, those "jealous women" in ancient times often had a bad reputation... To put it bluntly, in ancient times, due to limitations in productivity, there weren't many jobs available for women to create value.

They couldn't do physical labor as well as men, and they weren't good at fighting on the battlefield.

It seems that a woman's greatest role is limited to procreation, and any attempt to obstruct this is subject to criticism.

Li Yi hurriedly replied, "No one can replace Second Mother in my heart!"

Fu Erniang was immediately flattered and beamed with joy. Then, as if remembering something, her face flushed, and she whispered, "Actually, I have my own selfish reasons. Xian'er has been close to me since childhood, like a sister. If Xian'er becomes your concubine, she can help me share your burdens..."

At this point, she suddenly felt embarrassed to continue.

Li Yi immediately understood, and couldn't help but find it a little funny. He was indeed very capable in that area, and both Guo Shi and Fu Erniang were always exhausted by him.

(End of this chapter)