The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 167 The News of Liu Chong's Death

In the afternoon, Xuan'er officially moved into the west courtyard.

Li Yi ordered people to bring over her dressing table, embroidery frame, and other items. He also placed a newly made dressing table by the window, with a polished bronze mirror reflecting the osmanthus tree outside the window, its blossoms just beginning to fade.

As dusk settled, Li Yi strolled alone to the newly painted moon gate in the side courtyard.

The red silk under the eaves had not yet been removed, swaying gently in the evening breeze, reflecting the newly lit silk oil lamps under the corridor, and dyeing the blue brick floor a warm color.

Li Yi stepped through the courtyard gate and, through the half-open window, saw Xuan'er sitting in front of the dressing table, carefully applying makeup to her face.

"Ahem!" Li Yi coughed lightly as he entered the bedroom.

"My love..." Xian'er hurriedly stood up, her voice tinged with shyness. The hem of her peach-red wedding dress swept across the dressing stool, carrying a faint scent of perfume.

Li Yi stepped forward slowly, took the girl's delicate hand in his, and examined her closely. Although the girl's wedding dress was not extravagant, it was embroidered with exquisite intertwined floral patterns, which made her even more beautiful and charming.

“You look beautiful today…” Li Yi raised his hand and gently stroked Xian’er’s cheek, feeling its smooth and delicate texture, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

Since that night when he lost his virginity while drunk, although they had not yet officially married, the two had shared a bed and made love several times.

Li Yi knew every inch of the girl's skin intimately, so there was nothing to be coy about, and sweet words flowed naturally from his lips.

Upon hearing this, the tips of Xuan'er's ears instantly flushed crimson. She lowered her head, her thick eyelashes casting a shadow.

"I'm glad you don't mind, Ah Lang..." The girl's voice was as soft as a petal falling outside the window.

"How could I possibly dislike you?" Li Yi chuckled, lifting Xian'er's chin with his fingertips and gently caressing the corner of her lips. "I'm too busy cherishing you to care for you."

"Ah Lang..." A single sentence moved Xian'er deeply, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Li Yi naturally put his arm around the girl's slender waist, inhaling the faint fragrance of her hair, and whispered in her ear, "It's late, you should rest..."

Xuan'er trembled slightly, but obediently gave a soft "hmm" and let Li Yi carry her to the bedside.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew gently outside the window, carrying a few fallen leaves.

Inside, however, springtime was in full bloom, the flickering candlelight casting two overlapping shadows on the window...

……

Battle reports from the Huai River front continued to arrive, and official documents from various places were being sent to Tokyo day and night. Although the emperor had temporarily left Daliang City, the entire country was still operating in an orderly manner.

Li Yi rarely enjoyed this moment of warmth and beauty, but he dared not indulge in it too much, after all, he still had the task entrusted to him by the emperor.

The next day, at the third quarter of the hour of Yin (3:45 AM), before the morning light had even penetrated the window paper, Li Yi had already quietly gotten up.

Xian'er was fast asleep on the bed, a strand of her black hair clinging to her sweaty neck, and the lingering blush of spring still lingering on her rosy cheeks.

Li Yi couldn't help but smile, recalling the girl's tender and submissive manner last night... He pulled himself out of his thoughts, covered the girl with the brocade quilt, and then lowered his head to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Hmm... Ah Lang..." A cool touch came from her forehead, causing Xian'er to murmur in her sleep and instinctively curl up.

Li Yi smiled slightly, dressed, and went to the outer room. Soon, a maid brought in a copper basin filled with perfectly warm water. He washed himself in the warm water, while the maid carefully straightened his robes. Perhaps he had become accustomed to a life of luxury, Li Yi accepted the maid's service with a clear conscience... but it was limited to these trivial daily chores, far from requiring help with bathing or wiping his bottom.

After breakfast, Li Yi, as usual, first went to check on Fu Erniang, who was still sleeping peacefully.

Then he led his personal guards out the door.

The four men who remained in Tokyo each had their own tasks. Xiang Xun was ordered to oversee both internal and external affairs and spent most of his time in the Imperial City, keeping a close eye on the reports sent from various places.

Wang Pu, who was concurrently in charge of the affairs of Kaifeng Prefecture, had to find time to review documents at the prefectural office and assist Xiang Xun in handling complicated official matters, so he traveled back and forth between the prefectural office and the imperial city all day long.

Han Tong is currently in charge of the construction of houses and city walls. He stays on the construction site all day long and does many things personally. It is no exaggeration to call him the "General of Civil Engineering".

As for patrolling the capital and its surrounding areas to investigate illegal activities, that naturally fell to Li Yi, the deputy inspector.

He was also responsible for arranging and training personnel and soldiers from various places to be sent to Tokyo to serve as imperial guards.

As the Empress's brother-in-law, Li Yi has been stationed in Tokyo for nearly a month. He is responsible for many matters concerning the Imperial Guards, assists Han Tong in inspecting the defense and security of the capital region, and helps Wang Pu re-plan the layout of Daliang City.

Basically, he would go wherever he was needed to help. This kind of back-to-back job was no less demanding than fighting a war, and even more mentally taxing than the battles on the front lines.

Li Yi could only console himself with the thought that with great power comes great responsibility... But thinking about it, it was a good thing, as it showed that he was trusted by the emperor and could get involved in anything.

In the morning, Li Yi, as usual, toured the various military camps. After having lunch at the government office, he led his men to inspect the city and its surroundings in the afternoon, while also checking on the progress of various construction sites.

At the hour of Shen (3-5 PM), Li Yi stepped onto the battlements of the southeastern city wall, overlooking the capital city that was under expansion.

The autumn wind, carrying the scent of sawdust and earth, swept over us. The city beneath our feet resembled a slowly unfolding scroll painting—the kilns in the southeast corner were being demolished, the streets and alleys planned by the imperial court were beginning to take shape, and thousands of laborers moved about the construction site like ants.

"Commander Li, the newly expanded streets in the east of the city have been paved with stone foundations and will be completed in another half month," came the report from an official of the Ministry of Works behind me.

Li Yi nodded slightly: "Very good... The streets and alleys in the city need to be re-divided, and all the shops that are occupying the roads should be moved to the newly built market in the south of the city. In addition, the military camp in the north of the city also needs to be expanded, and it must be completed before the first month of the lunar calendar."

Since Zhu Wen established his capital in Daliang City, the city has become increasingly crowded.

This imperial decree ordered the expansion of both the inner and outer capital cities. It not only required widening the main streets but also relocating many unnecessary facilities outside the city to make the layout of the city more rational.

Li Yi knew that a well-ordered capital city could not only demonstrate the nation's majesty but also improve the lives of its people. He suspected the emperor shared this vision.

Just then, someone ran up the city wall and bowed respectfully to Li Yi, saying, "The garrison commander has ordered me to invite Commander Li to the Imperial City Office!"

Li Yi turned his head and frowned, asking, "Is there something important?"

The man hurriedly replied, "A report from Xingzhou states that Liu Chong of Hedong has died..."

Emperor Liu Chong of the Northern Han Dynasty is dead?

Li Yi was stunned for a moment, then realized that historically this guy seemed to have died after Chai Rong's counterattack on Jinyang and subsequent withdrawal... Well, that's perfect timing, he died at just the right time.

With Liu Chong dead, the Northern Han is certainly busy with the transfer of power and will not have the resources to harass the Later Zhou border in the short term. The emperor can now focus on deploying troops for the Huainan campaign.

(End of this chapter)