The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 150 Zhao Da's father is about to die?

"Whoo~"

Li Yi walked out of the bedroom, turned around and closed the door, letting out a long sigh.

Fu Erniang didn't have any severe pregnancy symptoms, such as vomiting or nausea, but she was somewhat sleepy.

After lunch.

The couple chatted for a while, and then Fu Erniang started yawning. Li Yi could only coax her to sleep before leaving the room.

"Now it seems that fighting is the easiest thing. All you have to do is think about how to kill people. Dealing with family matters is more troublesome than fighting."

Standing at the bedroom door, Li Yi was at a loss for what to do.

He originally planned to confess his relationship with Guo Shi to Fu Erniang after returning from the expedition, but he did not expect that Fu Erniang was now pregnant.

Although Li Yi has not yet experienced marriage and childbirth, he has at least eaten pork, so he knows a little about the precautions for women during pregnancy.

During pregnancy, a woman's body and mind undergo significant changes, and it is important to take special care to avoid upsetting the pregnant woman.

It is important to keep the other person in a stable emotional state and a peaceful and relaxed mental state to prevent adverse effects on the mother and fetus.

Li Yi felt that now might not be the right time to be honest with Fu Erniang.

But what's even more infuriating is that the Guo family's problems haven't been resolved yet, and now there's another one, Zuo Ling'er.

The day after their temporary rest in Luoyang that night, Li Yi arranged for a carriage and a dozen personal guards to escort Zuo Congqin and his daughter to Tokyo.

He specifically instructed his personal guards to come to the mansion to get the keys as soon as they arrived in Tokyo, and then take the father and daughter directly to the breakfast shop.

Judging by the dates, it should have arrived the day before yesterday.

Thinking of this, Li Yi decided to go to the breakfast shop to find Zuo Ling'er later. After all, the little girl was new here, and it wouldn't be right for him to just leave her there.

But before that, we need to go and see the Guo family.

At the gate, she looked hesitant, as if she wanted to say something to me.

Li Yi immediately walked towards the side courtyard, but as soon as he turned the corner of the eaves, he bumped into the maid Xian'er carrying a food tray.

"Oh, my lord." Xian'er quickly bowed.

Li Yi nodded slightly, recalling Fu Erniang's suggestion that he take Xian'er as a concubine, and couldn't help but take a few more glances at the girl.

Although he acted like a gentleman, he was secretly thinking: Xuan'er was a maid who came with him as part of his dowry, and her final fate would be one of two things.

She could either be chosen by the master of the house and taken into his household as a concubine, or she could wait until she was older and be married off to a servant in the household.

If you really want to say which situation is the best, Li Yi wouldn't dare to say for sure... However, although being a concubine is a bit of a humiliation in terms of status, he treats all his women with sincerity. He wouldn't say he treats them all equally, but at least he can give them all his attention, and not just use them as tools for venting his frustrations.

As for marrying outside the family or marrying a servant, their future life might not be very secure, but they would at least get the status of a legal wife.

"My lord, have I done something wrong?"

When Xuan'er noticed that Li Yi was looking at her strangely, she thought she had offended her husband in some way, and she was at a loss for what to do.

Li Yi reassured him, "You didn't do anything wrong, I just suddenly thought of something..."

Xuan'er breathed a sigh of relief, but then she heard Li Yi say, "Oh right, I forgot to ask Second Madam, besides her family, does the palace know about her pregnancy?"

She quickly replied, "Her Majesty the Empress knew that the Second Lady was pregnant, so she sent a physician from the palace and also sent many tonics."

Li Yi nodded upon hearing this. The reason she asked this question was because she suddenly remembered that Wei Renpu had mentioned that the emperor had given her another special reward.

He wondered if it was because the Empress had learned that Fu Erniang was pregnant that she was using the Emperor to give him benefits.
After all, these days husband and wife are considered one entity, so if the brother-in-law benefits, it's the same as the sister benefiting too.

But after hearing what Xian'er said, Li Yi thought about it again and felt that it was unlikely.

Even if Empress Fu loved her younger sister dearly, she couldn't influence the emperor's political decisions. At most, she could only bestow more rewards in her own name.

It's likely that the emperor's special favor stemmed from his military achievements.

While Li Yi was still in a daze, Xuan'er took the opportunity to steal a glance at him and whispered, "I asked the kitchen to make a nourishing soup for Second Mistress, and I also prepared a portion for you, Master. I was just about to take it over. If you have something urgent to attend to, I'll keep the soup warm until you come back."

Li Yi shook his head: "Don't save my share. As for Second Aunt, she just fell asleep. Let's talk about it when she wakes up."

"Yes, I understand," Xian'er replied obediently. Then, the girl swayed her hips and gracefully left.

Looking at that graceful figure, Li Yi couldn't help but think that compared to Fu Erniang and Guo Shi, Xian'er lacked a bit of maturity and plumpness.

At seventeen or eighteen, she should have been in the prime of her youth, full of youthful vigor. However, having grown up in a large, secluded family, Xuan'er was very well-behaved and obedient. This was quite different from the innocent and carefree Zuo Ling'er.

No, damn it... why am I thinking about these things?
Li Yi cursed himself inwardly.

Could it be that he had been holding back for too long, and now that he was suddenly in a high position and surrounded by beautiful women, the deep-seated male flaws in his heart finally resurfaced?
As the saying goes, the more you suppress it, the stronger the rebound will be... It can only be said that there is indeed some sexual repression.

……

A side courtyard in the back of the mansion.

When Li Yi entered the courtyard, he saw Guo Shi sitting under the eaves, leaning against a pillar, seemingly lost in thought, not even noticing that someone had come in.

Yunniang, the personal maid who served Guo, sat on a low stool to the side, busy with her embroidery with her head down.

It's often said that maids resemble their masters, and there's some truth to that.

Fu Erniang and Xian'er have similar personalities, as do Guo Shi and Yun Niang... However, since Xian'er grew up with Fu Erniang, it's understandable that they have similar personalities.

The maid Yunniang was bought halfway through her life, yet she was able to match Guo Shi's personality so well, which can only be described as a great fate.

"Ahem—" Li Yi walked up to the two of them and coughed lightly.

The maid Yunniang quickly stood up and called out, "My lord."

Li Yi said, "Yunniang, go and stand guard at the courtyard gate. My wife and I have some things to discuss."

She might have to hide it from others, but Yunniang, a maid, had been with Guo Shi for over a year and was among the earliest servants in the household, as well as Guo Shi's "confidante".

As for the relationship between Li Yi and Guo Shi, the maid Yunniang was an openly aware person, so naturally she had nothing to hide.

Yunniang blushed immediately, responded, and quickly walked towards the courtyard gate.

"Why did Erlang come here? If someone sees him, it will be hard to explain."

Although Guo said these words, the joy in her eyes betrayed her, clearly indicating that she was not speaking sincerely. It's easy to understand; how could she not miss Li Yi terribly after he'd been away on campaign for months?

Without saying a word, Li Yi pulled Guo up, turned her over and pressed her against the pillar, then reached in and pulled her.

Then he quickly loosened his belt.

A thousand words can't compare to the power of actions...

……

Half an hour later.

Guo nestled in Li Yi's arms, the blush on her face not yet completely gone. She felt weak and sore all over, and didn't want to move a single finger.

After a long while, she finally spoke: "Second Mistress became pregnant right after marrying into the family, but Erlang and I have been together for so long, and my belly hasn't shown any signs of pregnancy."

Guo's tone was very low, and her voice was trembling with tears. Only then did Li Yi realize what was going on; no wonder Guo's emotions were acting strangely.

After all, Fu Erniang was roused by Li Yi's cannon, while Guo Shi had not reacted at all. She must have been wondering if there was something wrong with her body.

Li Yi frowned inwardly. Could it be infertility...? But medical care was backward in this era, and there was no way to diagnose it.

He could only comfort her, saying, "Don't overthink things. These things are unpredictable. There are women who don't give birth for several years after marriage."

“I just brought back a Taoist priest from Sichuan. He is skilled in alchemy and health preservation. As the saying goes, ‘one can understand many things by analogy,’ so I suppose he also has some knowledge of medicine. I’ll go and ask him about it later.”

"Alright then..." Perhaps having taken Li Yi's words of comfort to heart, Guo's tone immediately softened considerably.

Then she asked curiously, "Is the Taoist priest Erlang mentioned the one who came to our mansion a couple of days ago to get the key to the breakfast shop?"

Li Yi asked, "Did Yu Lan see Ling'er and her father?"

Madam Guo shook her head: "At the time, I asked Yunniang to bring the key to the front gate, and Yunniang only said that she saw a person dressed as a Taoist priest..."

At this point, she suddenly paused, looked up at Li Yi suspiciously, and asked, "Who is this Ling'er that Erlang is talking about?"

Li Yi then gave a brief explanation of his relationship with Zuo Ling'er.

Madam Guo wasn't dissatisfied at all; instead, she worried about Li Yi and sighed, "I'm still keeping my affair with Erlang a secret from Erniangzi, and now you've brought another young woman back. You... sigh!"

Li Yi remained silent upon hearing this, but in his heart he was thinking that if he were to speak of his affair with Guo Shi, Fu Erniang might not be completely unaware of it.

When they first moved here, the relatives and servants in the mansion could all see some clues about his ambiguous relationship with Madam Guo, but no one dared to gossip.

Fu Erniang has been in the mansion for almost four months, and she is accompanied by several maids, including Xian'er. So, we can always hear some rumors about her.

However, to be honest, Guo was just a widow who had no children. She was free after her husband's death because before the rise of Neo-Confucianism in the Song Dynasty, there was no rule that women had to remain widows.

Conversely, during times of war, the court even encouraged widows to remarry immediately in order to increase the population and raise the next generation.

Li Yi's taking Guo Shi was no different from taking a concubine in ordinary circumstances.

As a wife from a wealthy and powerful family, Fu Erniang was used to men having many wives and concubines. This was the situation she saw when she opened her eyes after being born.

Even if Li Yi had a bunch of women, it wouldn't be considered that he was betraying his wife... He was just being so cautious about taking a concubine out of respect for Fu Erniang's feelings.

Actually, when it comes to choosing a girl, Li Yi can bring any girl he likes into his household; it's just a matter of preference and importance.

Emperors rarely interfered in the family affairs of the imperial guards' generals. It was common for soldiers to casually abduct a few women during battles, especially during the chaotic Five Dynasties period, and no one seemed to suffer as a result.

Who else would dare to utter a word of complaint?
Li Yi suddenly understood, grasped Guo's hand, and assured her, "It's really not fair to you that we've been sneaking around like this. I had too many concerns before, always wanting to do it all at once."

“But I’ve thought it through now. Things have to be done step by step. I’ll give you a formal title for now, and we’ll talk about the future later. Please bear with it for a few more months, Yulan. After your second mother gives birth, I’ll tell her about taking you into the family.”

Guo nodded obediently: "Yes, I'll do whatever Erlang says."

……

After venting his pent-up emotions from the past few months, Li Yi cuddled with Guo Shi for a while longer.

He then went to the front yard to find Chen Ya'er and inquired about the Li family's wine shop.

When Li Yi got married, he asked Li Erniang to prepare a dowry in exchange for supplying him with alcohol. He wondered how the favor had been repaid in the past few months.

Chen Ya'er was very happy to see Li Yi, and her face was flushed as she reported her work progress to him.

Perhaps due to improved living conditions, coupled with being in a critical period of growth and development, Chen Ya'er's physique and appearance have changed significantly compared to when she first arrived.

Not only has her skin become much whiter, but she is also less thin and gaunt, and seems to have grown taller. Her whole demeanor is refreshed.

Chen Ya'er said in a light tone, "The Li family's wine shop delivers a batch of wine every few days. After it's distilled into alcohol, they come back to pick it up. After deducting the cost of the wine, they can make more than five thousand coins per jar of alcohol."

“The alcohol we supply to the Li family’s wine shop only needs to be distilled three times. We can produce more than ninety jars a month, which is about five hundred strings of cash. That’s equivalent to six thousand strings of cash a year.”

Li Yi hadn't expected Chen Ya'er to improve so quickly. She spoke fluent Mandarin, which was unlike what one would expect from a country girl from Hedong, especially since she had only been in Tokyo for a little over a year.

He nodded and said, "You did a good job, but don't rush it. Do what you can in the distillation of alcohol, and don't overwork yourself."

Chen Ya'er nodded vigorously.

Li Yi gave a few more instructions, then called Li Hanchao and several personal guards, and rode off to the breakfast shop outside the city.

He planned to bring Zuo Ling'er and her father to the mansion first, with Zuo Congtan staying in the guest room in the front courtyard and Zuo Ling'er being arranged to stay in the side courtyard of the back residence, so that she could keep Guo Shi company.

Of course, the matter of taking Zuo Ling'er into the family should be postponed, just like with the Guo family.

We arrived at the breakfast stall.

Zuo Congqin was performing a strange set of martial arts moves at the door; it was unclear whether this was the legendary health preservation technique.

Zuo Ling'er sat to the side, resting her chin on her hand, lost in thought.

Upon seeing Li Yi, she jumped up excitedly and hugged his arm without any hesitation.

"Brother Lang, you've finally come to see me and Father. It's been so boring staying here these past two days."

Li Yi held her small hand and smiled, "I just got back to Tokyo today, and I came to see you right away... Tokyo is much more prosperous than Qin and Feng, with lots of delicious food and fun things to do. Come on, I'll show you around."

"Okay, let's go quickly!" Zuo Ling'er cheered, then looked at Zuo Congqin, "Father, are you coming too?"

Zuo Congqin stopped what he was doing and shook his head: "Go ahead, Father will wait for you here."

……

It's approaching dusk.

Li Yi led the still-enthusiastic Zuo Ling'er back to the breakfast shop.

The two of them came and went in a carefree manner, but it was tough on the soldiers behind them, each carrying large and small bags of things, all of which were gifts that Li Yi had bought for Zuo Ling'er.

"Brother Lang, Tokyo is so much fun! There are so many things I've never seen before... Will you take me out to play again next time?"

Zuo Ling'er was still immersed in great excitement. Having been confined to the Qinling Mountains since childhood, the farthest she had ever been was near Xingzhou City. A place as prosperous as Tokyo was beyond her imagination.

Li Yi chuckled and said, "Okay, when I have some free time in a few days, I'll take you around properly."

Seeing that it was getting late, they tidied up and then some of them took carriages and others rode horses, returning to their mansion in the inner city.

After arranging a suite for Zuo Congqin in the front yard, Li Yi then took Zuo Ling'er to Guo Shi and entrusted the little girl to her care.

At the same time, Ma Renyu and several other members of the Righteous Society also met at the mansion after their shifts.

Li Yi is back from leading the army for several months, and the brothers will definitely have a good get-together.

However, during meals.

Li Yi learned a surprising piece of news from the group: Zhao Hongyin suddenly fell seriously ill last month, and his condition was getting worse.

Historically, Zhao Hongyin should have died in the third year of Xiande, but considering that the timeline had been moved forward because of his existence, he realized that the timeline had been moved forward.

A bold guess couldn't help but pop into Li Yi's mind—

Is Zhao Da's father about to die?

(End of this chapter)