The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 160 Inspector of the Palace Guard

Inside the dining room of the inner courtyard, Fu Erniang was wearing a light blue wide-sleeved silk skirt. Her slender white fingertips unconsciously stroked her lower abdomen—as the months progressed, she had begun to show her pregnancy, but fortunately, the wide skirt concealed it, so it was not very obvious.

Fu Erniang was born with fair skin, and the high-quality silk fabrics that adorned her body added a touch of nobility to her beauty.

Perhaps it was because she had become a wife, but the original delicate beauty in her eyes had been mixed with a mature charm. When her eyes moved, they were like dewdrops about to fall from the branches in March, both clear and vibrant.

The maids entered one after another, and the table was soon filled with cups, plates and dishes. Fu Erniang did not rush to pick up her chopsticks, but turned to look at the girl sitting to the side.

Xian'er lowered her head, her slender fingers tightly twisting the hem of her clothes. Sunlight filtered through the window curtains, casting dappled shadows on her cheeks, making her look like a startled fawn, her breathing so light it was almost inaudible.

Fu Erniang took Xian'er's hand and gently patted it to comfort her, saying, "Silly girl, I didn't blame you, what's there to be afraid of?"

Her voice was soft like a spring breeze rustling willows, which calmed Xian'er's mind considerably. "You have been with me since you were a child. Although you are called a maid, I have long regarded you as my own sister."

"I had always intended for Alang to take you as a concubine, and now it's just the right time to make it happen... I wonder if you, Xian'er, are willing?"

"This servant...this servant..." Xian'er's voice was barely audible, her face instantly turning bright red, even the tips of her ears were tinged with the color of the sunset.

The young woman was naturally more than willing, but how could she possibly say it aloud? After a long pause, she finally managed a mumbled reply: "This servant will follow Madam's arrangements..."

Fu Erniang suddenly chuckled and tapped her nose with her fingertip: "Silly girl, from now on, you and I are true sisters."

"I'll have the embroiderer make you a few new outfits later. You can't keep wearing your maid's clothes..."

Just then, steady footsteps came from outside the door.

Li Yi stepped into the hall, the hem of his crimson brocade robe swaying gently with each step.

When he saw the scene inside the hall, he paused in his tracks, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his handsome face.

Fu Erniang glanced at him with a knowing look in her eyes, but said, "Husband, you've come at the right time. Come and have breakfast."

Li Yi coughed lightly and slowly walked to sit down next to Fu Erniang. A maid carefully brought over a bowl of white porridge. The rice grains in the celadon bowl were crystal clear and emitted a faint fragrance of rice.

Li Yi took the bowl of porridge, paused for a moment, and then said with a forced smile, "Second Aunt, I need to discuss something with you..."

“Xian’er has already told me everything.” Fu Erniang picked up a piece of pickled vegetable and gently placed it into Li Yi’s bowl. “When does my husband plan to take Xian’er into the family?”

“This…” Li Yi’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly. He glanced at Fu Erniang’s face and saw that she was smiling and not dissatisfied. He then said, “I will listen to my wife on this matter.”

Upon hearing this, Fu Erniang gently placed the bamboo chopsticks in her hand on the celadon chopstick rest, making a soft sound: "I have told my husband long ago that I am not the kind of person who is jealous."

“My husband is deeply devoted to me and always considers my feelings, which I know in my heart. But my husband is the head of the household, and he has to be mindful of my feelings even when he takes a concubine. Wouldn't people laugh at us if word got out? What would outsiders say about me?”

Li Yi felt somewhat helpless after hearing this. He had been so cautious about taking a concubine out of respect for Fu Erniang, but in the end, he was the one being blamed.

However, this is no one else's fault. In this era, having multiple wives and concubines was common. His constant hesitation and indecisiveness did indeed make him seem too hypocritical.

Fu Erniang suddenly chuckled and gave him a sidelong glance: "How about this, I'll go and ask someone to calculate the auspicious date and see if there are any suitable days in the next few days, so we can get things done as soon as possible. What do you think, my husband?"

Li Yi felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly nodded: "Second Madam, please make the arrangements."

Just as he breathed a sigh of relief and was about to drink his porridge, he heard Fu Erniang say leisurely, "It's not good to keep that young lady Zuo that my husband brought back by his side. Why don't we take her in this time as well?"

Upon hearing this, Li Yi's expression froze. He had been pondering how to bring up Zuo Ling'er's matter, but Fu Erniang had unexpectedly brought it up herself... and the implication was that she seemed to have known all along?

Seeing Li Yi's surprised expression, Fu Erniang glared at him. "Does my husband really think I'm deaf and blind? I am, after all, the mistress of the house. Even if I don't manage things much, there's still a living person in the house. Does anyone dare to hide anything from me?"

Li Yi was immediately embarrassed and didn't know what to say.

Fu Erniang sighed and said earnestly, "Husband, next time, please don't hide anything from me. We are husband and wife, what can't we say openly?"

I am your wife, and you value me highly, always considering my feelings. I see this and remember it all.

Do you think I'd be afraid of another woman stealing my place in my husband's heart?

Her words were very skillful, expressing both her magnanimity and asserting her position as the mistress of the house. No matter how many concubines Li Yi took in the future, they could not shake her status as the mistress of the house.

Only then did Li Yi realize that he had indeed been treating Fu Erniang like a fool all along. After all, she was a noblewoman from a prominent family, and her vision and knowledge were far beyond that of ordinary women.

Li Yi solemnly said, "Second Mother is right. No woman can compare to Second Mother's position in my heart... If I want to take a concubine in the future, I will definitely get Second Mother's consent first."

Fu Erniang said coquettishly, "We haven't even taken care of the current matter yet, and my husband is already thinking about taking a concubine in the future."

Li Yi smiled awkwardly upon hearing this.

Seeing how understanding Fu Erniang was, he hesitated whether to strike while the iron was hot and also mention Guo's matter. But after thinking about it, he decided against it. Everything should have its limits. Fu Erniang was already very open-minded and generous, allowing him to take two concubines at once.

If we push our luck any further, that would be going too far. Fu Erniang is currently pregnant, so it's best not to upset her too much for now.

Let's take Xian'er and Zuo Ling'er into the room first...

However, things in the world don't always go according to plan, and plans can never keep up with changes.

Before Li Yi could even take the two young ladies into his room, the imperial court suddenly made new arrangements for its attack on the Southern Tang.

……

On the 17th day of the ninth month of the second year of Xiande, Emperor Chai Rong officially issued an edict that he would personally lead a large army to conquer Huainan on the 21st of this month.

He then held a sacrificial ceremony and informed the altars and shrines in the suburbs. He also issued an edict to the soldiers and civilians of Huainan prefectures and counties, condemning Li Bian and his son Li Jing for disrespecting the Central Plains dynasty and listing their various acts of disloyalty and usurpation.

At the same time, he assured the people of Huainan that wherever the Great Zhou army went, the military and political affairs would be very clear, and they would not commit any offenses. They would be like timely rain, and the people and elders should live in peace. He also promised that plundering and burning would be strictly prohibited.

To put it bluntly, the plan was to first launch a propaganda war, demonstrating the legitimacy of the Later Zhou's attack on the Southern Tang, and reassuring the people of the Huainan region to prevent unnecessary resistance and casualties.

In fact, when Li Gu led the vanguard to conquer Huainan, a similar edict had already been issued. However, just before the emperor was about to personally lead the expedition, another edict was issued to emphasize the same point.

During this period, the mobilization of various units of the Imperial Guard was also proceeding in an orderly manner under the supervision of the Privy Council.

After the reorganization of the Imperial Guards, the Imperial Guards Command had about 60,000 soldiers of various kinds, while the Palace Guards Command had about 50,000 soldiers.

After the war began in early August, Li Gu took nearly 20,000 men from the Imperial Guard. Later that month, Li Chongjin was ordered to lead more than 10,000 Imperial Guards out of Tokyo, which were also troops under the command of the Imperial Guard.

Now that the emperor is about to personally lead an expedition, he will naturally bring a large army with him, and the main force will definitely be selected from the Palace Guard, the emperor's personal guard.

The emperor decreed that four thousand and eighteen thousand troops be allocated from the two main forces under the Palace Guard, the Iron Cavalry and the Crane Control Army, respectively, to be led by Zhang Yongde, the Commander of the Palace Guard Infantry, and Shi Yanchao, the Commander of the Palace Guard Infantry.

At the same time, another 5,000 men will be drawn from the Imperial Guard to accompany them.

Including other miscellaneous imperial guards, there were approximately 30,000 men who accompanied the emperor on his expedition.

In this way, the Imperial Guards remaining in Tokyo numbered about 50,000, and the number of troops in the Imperial Guard Division and the Palace Guard Division was roughly equal, which maintained a good balance of power between the two sides.

Of course, simply balancing the number of troops is not a reliable approach; the main constraint on power lies in the upper-level structure.

On September 20th, the day before the emperor's personal expedition, the personnel arrangements for those remaining in Tokyo were officially announced at the court meeting.

"Xiang Xun, the Commissioner of the Southern Court of Xuanhui and Military Governor of Zhen'an, was appointed as the acting Governor of Tokyo... Wang Pu, the Academician of Duanming Hall, was appointed as the Deputy Governor and concurrently in charge of the affairs of Kaifeng Prefecture."

"Han Tong, the military governor of Caozhou, was transferred to the position of military governor of Chenzhou. He was also appointed as the commander of the Imperial Guards and the Infantry, and concurrently served as the chief inspector of the capital and the inner and outer city, and was given the authority to oversee the Imperial Guards.

"Li Yi, the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards and Military Governor of Lizhou, was appointed concurrently as the Deputy Inspector of the Capital and the Commander-in-Chief of the Palace Guards."

Prime Minister Wang Pu stood in the Chongyuan Hall holding the imperial edict and personally read out the proposed personnel arrangements to the crowd.

"Your Majesty, I humbly obey your imperial decree and thank you for your great favor!"

After bowing and paying his respects, Li Yi returned to the ranks of the military officers, and the heavy weight in his heart finally lifted.

Two days ago, the imperial court announced the list of generals who would accompany the emperor on the expedition. Zhang Yongde and Shi Yanchao, the three most important generals in the Palace Guard, were included, but Li Yi, the commander of the cavalry, was excluded.

Although Li Yi was mentally prepared for this, he still couldn't help feeling somewhat depressed and frustrated when it actually happened.

Last month, the emperor sent out Li Chongjin, the commander of the Imperial Guard, as well as Han Lingkun and Li Jixun, the commanders of the cavalry and infantry.

Now Zhang Yongde and Shi Yanchao will also be going on the expedition.

Of the six nominal commanders in the Imperial Guard, which consisted of two major systems and four main forces, only Li Yi had not received any official assignment.

Everyone says that thunder and rain are both blessings from Heaven, but that's just something to take with a grain of salt. Who the hell wants to be ignored for no reason? If the emperor is deliberately ignoring you, it doesn't look like a good omen at all.

However, the appointment announced so far has completely dispelled Li Yi's worries.

Sending troops to Huainan was certainly an important task, but being entrusted with the important responsibility of guarding the capital city also demonstrated the emperor's trust in him.

As long as you don't lose the emperor's favor, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Furthermore, the Southern Tang was by no means an easy enemy to defeat. If the emperor suffered a setback on the Huainan battlefield, he might very well send someone else to fight there!
(End of this chapter)