The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 192 Anecdotes
Li Yi truly did not expect that the hidden relationship between him and Guo would be revealed to him by his wife, Fu Erniang, in such a way.

However, things in this world cannot always unfold according to one's own plans or personal ideas.

Unexpected situations are always unavoidable.

Fortunately, although there was a hint of resentment in Fu Erniang's tone, she also demonstrated the responsibility of a mistress. Instead of being jealous, she spoke up for Guo Shi and demanded a proper title.

“My lord, you are a grown man, and you naturally have the advantage in matters of gender, and the world is much more lenient towards you. But what about your sister-in-law? She is a widowed woman, with no parents or relatives around, and has long lost her support. Now that she has left you, she can hardly even find a place to settle down and make a living.”

At this point, Fu Erniang lightly punched her husband's chest, "Since you have already taken my body and done something that goes against propriety, if you don't give me a clear explanation... wouldn't that be too unfair to me?"

Li Yi coughed lightly, his rough fingertips unconsciously stroking the stubble on his chin.

He paused for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "Second Aunt is right. I did not think this through. I had too many concerns and neglected my feelings for my sister-in-law and for you, Second Aunt."

He paused for a moment, then quickly added, "Actually, before I went to war against the Han people with the emperor last year, my relationship with my sister-in-law was completely innocent, and there was absolutely no transgression between us..."

Before she could finish speaking, Fu Erniang extended a slender, delicate finger and gently placed it on Li Yi's lips.

The touch was cool and soft, just like the person.

A gentle and serene smile spread across Fu Erniang's lips, and her voice flowed out like a spring stream: "My lord and sister-in-law have already told me in detail about their affairs."

She paused, her gaze lowered slightly, staring at the air between them, her tone carrying an indescribable sense of melancholy.

"You and your sister-in-law grew up together, childhood sweethearts, your bond was extraordinary. If it weren't for that unforeseen tragedy... you would probably be married by now, surrounded by children..."

Li Yi frowned slightly, and almost instantly understood his wife's thoughts—although Fu Erniang was very magnanimous about his taking a concubine, Guo Shi was different from Xian'er and Zuo Ling'er; she had grown up with Li Yi.

In fact, Fu Erniang was a latecomer.

Li Yi remained silent, but his warm, large hand, as if carrying a solemn force, gently took Fu Erniang's jade hand that was resting on her lap.

Their fingers were intertwined, the pressure from their fingertips carrying a soothing yet unwavering strength, tightly enveloping the slightly cool fingertips in their warm palms.

Li Yi gazed intently into his wife's eyes, his gaze burning like a spark thrown into a deep pool, his voice low and clear.

"In this world, how can there be so many 'what ifs' about the karmic connections? The emotional ties in people's hearts cannot be forced or calculated. There is no such thing as a first come, first served principle."

As he spoke, his tone became increasingly deep and gentle.

"If that tragedy in Beizhou had not happened back then, I might still be a servant of the Guo family, and in the end, being able to marry an ordinary maid in the mansion would be a blessing from my master."

Li Yi paused briefly, then changed the subject, his tone filled with deep emotion, "But it is precisely because of all the changes and hardships I have experienced that I have achieved my current status. And it is because of this that I have been fortunate enough to find and win the favor of such a noble, beautiful, and virtuous woman as Meng Erniang among millions of people!"

He tightened his grip on her soft hand, his gaze fixed on the depths of his wife's eyes.

"What a blessing! What incredible fortune! In my eyes, nothing in this world is as heavy as your smile!"

Every word came from the bottom of her heart, filled with genuine emotion. Her voice wasn't loud, yet it seemed to carry the immense power of thunder, striking straight into Fu Erniang's heart.

Upon hearing this, Fu Erniang trembled slightly, and a thin mist settled over her eyes.

She couldn't help but stare blankly at the man before her, a man with a resolute face, invincible on the battlefield, and renowned throughout the world.

At this moment, however, he uttered the most tender and moving words of love to her.

The thin mist that had been building up in Fu Erniang's bright, clear eyes could no longer bear the weight, and crystal tears, like pearls that had broken their strings, rolled down her cheeks without warning.

There were no sobs of grievance, nor any attempt at modesty to conceal them; only uncontrollable tears silently streamed down her flawless, white cheeks.

She was overwhelmed by intense emotions, enveloped by an unprecedented warmth in her lover's words and gaze.

"Yi Lang—"

In the end, all those myriad emotions, twisting and turning, were transformed into a soft, trembling cry, expressing all the emotions evoked.

With tears in her eyes and a smile on her face, Fu Erniang buried herself deeply in her husband's strong and warm chest.

……

After dinner, he chatted with Fu Erniang for a while.

After his wife fell into a deep sleep, Li Yi carefully tucked her in before quietly leaving the bedroom.

Under the eaves, he looked up at the pitch-black sky, shook his head and smiled helplessly.

It is said that it is normal for women to have unstable emotions during pregnancy, and this is indeed true... That is why he has never been able to decide how to bring up the matter between him and Guo.

After much thought, it was decided that it would be more appropriate to wait until the child was safely delivered and Fu Erniang had recovered somewhat before making further plans.

Unexpectedly, it was Fu Erniang who took the initiative to bring up the topic, and fortunately, nothing went wrong in the end.

Li Yi suddenly realized that he seemed to have a talent for dating.

Look at that string of sweet words, they come out so easily. In this day and age, who would dare not call themselves a "love saint"?
Of course, Li Yi wasn't just deceiving Fu Erniang; he genuinely cherished his wife from the bottom of his heart.

at the same time.

Walking alone in the quiet corridor, Li Yi was also pondering how to handle the matter of taking Guo Shi as a concubine in a more pleasant way.

It was not uncommon for a deceased brother to marry his sister-in-law in ancient times, especially among poor families at the bottom of society. For them, being able to marry and have children was already a rare privilege, and they didn't have many such customs.

Although it may be morally controversial, it was only after the rise of Neo-Confucianism during the Song and Ming dynasties that it came under attack.

After all, human relationships and social norms change with the times and are not static from ancient times to the present. The fact that some people in later generations always use the present to judge the past only shows how deeply rooted "Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism" is.

Furthermore, in the chaotic Five Dynasties period, who cared about ethics and morality?

Even the core idea of ​​"loyalty to the emperor" was trampled into nothing by the military men, let alone the love between men and women.
Even in the Ming and Qing dynasties, when chastity was highly valued, if the man and woman were in love, the uncle and sister-in-law could still get together as they wished.

The government usually adopts the attitude of "if the people don't complain, the government won't investigate," and rarely intervenes unless it involves a murder case or a family complaint.

However, to sum up the matter...

If Guo were just an ordinary widow, Li Yi wouldn't have these concerns and could have simply taken her in as a wife... Since the Qin and Han dynasties, it has been common for widows to remarry.

However, given their relationship as uncle and sister-in-law, it's inevitable that some people will fabricate stories about "stealing his sister-in-law."

What is theft? Stealing or possessing something that belongs to the owner is theft!
While his elder brother was alive, Li Yi and Guo were indeed completely innocent. It wasn't until he returned from his campaign last year that the two of them finally confessed their affair.

Outsiders might not think that way. The concepts of a deceased brother taking a wife and a brother having an affair with his wife are quite different.

Therefore, Li Yi first needed to find a legitimate and reasonable "explanation" for the change in their relationship, and then rightfully marry Guo into the family.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, standing in the shadow of the pillars.

—I've got it!
An idea flashed through Li Yi's mind like lightning. Without hesitation, he turned around and strode briskly toward the front yard.

Afterwards, he sent someone to summon his personal guard, Xu Sheng, to see him.

Before long, hurried footsteps approached from afar, paused briefly outside the side hall, and then Xu Sheng's respectful voice rang out: "Marshal!"

"Come in."

As Xu Sheng stepped inside, Li Yi, without even looking up, said directly, "Go to the Longjin Bridge area, find a rogue named Zhang Hu, and bring him to see me..."

"Yes, sir!" Xu Sheng replied sternly. "I will immediately muster the men and bring that scoundrel to the commander!"

After saying that, he turned to leave, as if he was in a hurry to rush out the door to grab someone.

"Wait—" Li Yi shook his head helplessly and quickly called out to Xu Sheng, "When did I say you were going to arrest someone? I haven't finished speaking yet!" Upon hearing this, Xu Sheng did not understand his commander's meaning for a moment.

Li Yi tapped the table lightly with his fingertips and continued, "That Zhang Hu is a loafer from the Longjin Bridge area, nicknamed Zhang Ergou. He should still be living in that cluster of thatched houses a few hundred paces south of Longjin Bridge. Take my seal with you later, exit the inner city through the new gate in the southwest, cross the new gate bridge and head east, and you'll see him."

"By the way, I asked you to bring him to see me, not to capture him. Keep it quiet, don't scare Zhang Hu."

"Yes!"

After he finished speaking, Xu Sheng saw that Li Yi would not speak again, so he bowed and backed away from the side hall.

……

More than an hour later.

Trembling, Zhang Hu was practically dragged to a side hall by two bodyguards.

"I deserve to die! I deserve to die! I beg the general to spare my life..."

As soon as he entered the door, Zhang Hu seemed to have lost all his bones, collapsing to his knees with a thud, his forehead hitting the cold, hard floor tiles with a dull thud.

He trembled violently, his rapid-fire pleas filled with terrified sobs, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the ground, not even daring to steal a glance at Li Yi.

The flickering candlelight illuminated Li Yi's handsome face.

He watched quietly as the scoundrel at his feet kowtowed repeatedly, a faint, indifferent smile appearing on his face.

More than a year later, when he saw Zhang Hu, the rogue, again, he had a vague feeling that it was just yesterday.

The last time they met was when Li Yi asked this guy to inquire about the Zhao family. At that time, he was just a junior officer in the Imperial Guard, and he was uneasy because he had offended the Zhao family.

But he is no longer the same person he once was.

Li Yi said loudly, "Raise your head!"

Zhang Hu dared not disobey, so he could only raise his head tremblingly, but dared not look directly into Li Yi's eyes.

He was truly terrified, terrified to death, his heart pounding with fear.

Especially after learning from those fierce-looking, burly men that the important figure in front of him wanted to see him, he even felt that his life was about to end.

After all, last year, this Commander Li asked me to inquire about the Zhao family, and specifically warned me not to publicize it.

And who is the best at keeping secrets in this world?

That's naturally... a dead person!
This person was someone I couldn't afford to offend in the past, let alone someone so powerful now—that person could crush me with just a little fingernail, no, even the tiny tip of a fingernail.

Just as Zhang Hu was filled with fear and unease, unexpectedly, this Commander Li spoke in a pleasant tone.

"Get up!"

Li Yi chuckled, "This general isn't here to cause you trouble, but rather to entrust you with a task. If you handle it well... you'll naturally reap the rewards!"

……

A biting wind swept through the empty streets, carrying a chilling cold.

Late at night, under the "escort" of several guards, Zhang Hu, a loafer who frequented the Longjin Bridge area, nervously walked out of the Li Mansion, a mansion with its deep red gates and towering walls.

At this moment, he was completely different from when he arrived, dragged along and terrified.

Although his back was still hunched and his knees seemed to still ache from kneeling, the fear that almost pierced through his skull had subsided considerably.

Instead, there was a sense of bewilderment and confusion.

Zhang Hu was clutching something tightly in his arms—a bag of copper coins that Li Yi had "rewarded" him.

The icy night wind stung his face like a knife, and Zhang Hu instinctively shrank back, but tucked the bag of copper coins even tighter into his pocket.

"My goodness... I guess I've been saved?"

Once he reached his doorstep and watched his personal guards leave, Zhang Hu finally let out a long breath. With heavy breathing, his fear receded like the tide, and his limbs and bones belatedly went limp.

He pushed open the door, slumped down on the broken wooden bed, leaned against the cold earthen wall, and looked down at the money bag he was clutching tightly in his arms, and his hands, which were white from excessive force.

The words of that Commander Li inevitably came to mind: This is part of your reward. There will be an even greater reward once the matter is settled.

Zhang Hu looked up at the pitch-black, bare room, paused for a moment, and then suddenly raised his hand and slapped himself.

"Damn it! Those god-like killers could take our lives with just a few words! What can we do even if we're scared?"

he muttered.

"On the contrary, if we handle this matter well and win that person's favor, even a small favor might be given to us, and we'll have endless benefits to enjoy!"

Zhang Hu, who had been anxiously waiting all night, finally felt relieved. All his strength seemed to have been drained, and his muscles, which had been taut like a bowstring, suddenly relaxed.

He clutched the heavy money bag to his chest, not even bothering to take off his outer garment, and like a lump of mud, he slumped heavily onto the cold, tattered bed covered only with a thin layer of straw, and fell asleep immediately…

Silent all night.

Only the howling wind outside the window seeped through the cracks in the dilapidated doors and windows, sounding like a sob.

……

The next day, just as dawn broke, a few cold, hard rays of morning light squeezed into the humble room.

Zhang Hu was jolted awake from his chaotic dream and almost instinctively sat up.

Last night's events were terrifyingly clear; the words of that high and mighty Commander Li, who held the power of life and death, still echoed in my ears, leaving no room for the slightest lapse in attention.

He rubbed his sore and dry eyes and hurriedly began to work.

Ignoring his disheveled appearance and lack of washing, the first thing he did was reach for the money pouch in his pocket.

He carefully untied the bag, reached in with his rough fingers, and took out a string of copper coins strung together with hemp rope.

The heavy copper coin exuded a cold metallic feel, and without hesitation, he stuffed this hard, resounding confidence tightly into the innermost layer of his worn-out inner shirt.

Then, Zhang Hu listened cautiously to the sounds outside, and after confirming that there was no one around, he hunched over and hid the money bag in a small hole under the bed, then covered the traces with dust and debris.

After doing all this, he finally let out a heavy breath, his forehead covered with a thin layer of cold sweat.

Without daring to delay for even a moment, he yanked open the creaking, almost falling-off wooden door—a sudden rush of air, carrying a chill and mixed with the hustle and bustle of the distant city.

Zhang Hu squinted slightly, facing the rising sun, and straightened his back.

Then, he strode out of the room and walked straight into the street shrouded in the morning light, his figure quickly disappearing into the smoke and crowds on the street.

Not even two days passed.

An anecdote about the emperor's brother-in-law by marriage began to circulate in and around the city of Tokyo.

First, a few idlers who had been hanging around Longjin Bridge for a long time whispered among themselves at the bridgehead, occasionally exchanging a few words with the peddlers who traveled the streets and alleys and were the most well-informed.

Then, whispers began to circulate sporadically in the bustling taverns and teahouses along the street.

This story was quickly embellished and spread by word of mouth...

(End of this chapter)