The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 138 Family Banquet
There were only seven people in the hall, seemingly chatting casually.

Soon, Xiao Yi understood Guo Wei's thoughts.

There are three problems at present. If the Tianxiong Army returns north, we cannot completely entrust the heavy responsibility of protecting the capital and the emperor to the Imperial Guards. If the court reduces taxes, the military funds will not be able to supply the entire Zhou Dynasty with so many troops. In addition, we must worry that the local warlords will follow Guo Wei's example and seize the throne.

The solution wasn't hard to come up with, but Xiao Yi remained silent, sitting quietly.

He guessed that Guo Wei, Wang Chong, Wei Renpu, and Wang Pu probably already had a general plan, and discussing the details with the three young men had a bit of a testing feel to it.

Since his status is not as close as Li Chongjin or Zhang Yongde, he shouldn't steal the limelight.

Therefore, Xiao Yi relaxed and noticed that during the pause in Guo Wei's speech, there was a "click" sound of a door being pushed open from behind the hall, followed by rustling sounds. Then, he saw a pair of white embroidered shoes slightly visible through the gap under the screen.

Everyone knew that the women had arrived, so it was time to remind them that the banquet could begin.

But as the conversation was getting into place, Guo Wei didn't move, and neither did anyone else.

"Xiao Yi, you haven't uttered a single word in ages, what do you have to say?"

"This morning, during military drills, I considered dividing the soldiers into three ranks—superior, middle, and inferior—based on their level of elite status. Could we also conduct selection within the army, choosing the elite from the various regional armies to serve in the Imperial Guard, while we weeding out the old and weak from the Imperial Guard? In this way, we could have fewer provincial troops and a stronger Imperial Guard, supporting more loyal and elite soldiers with less food and provisions..."

Xiao Yi knew that this method had a problem: over time, the Imperial Guards would become weak if they didn't fight for too long, and the border troops would be unable to fight, turning the Song Dynasty into a weak one. But even if it was an overcorrection, it had to be corrected before getting back on the right track.

Upon hearing this, Guo Wei remained calm, simply nodding slightly, and said, "Bao Yi, what's your opinion?"

“Father-in-law, I believe that the power of the Imperial Guards rests with the Imperial Guards Cavalry and Infantry Division. If the best soldiers in the country are selected for the Imperial Guards, it will be difficult to control in case of any unrest. It would be better to set up another division to check and balance the two.”

"Chongjin, you tell us too."

“Uncle, I think both methods are good, so we can use them together. We can assign the arrogant and fierce soldiers to the Imperial Guard. If any of them are dissatisfied, I will beat them into submission one by one!”

"You black bastard, all you ever do is fight and kill."

Although Guo Wei scolded Li Chongjin, he then sighed slightly and asked, "Do you like marrying Ma Shi?"

"If my uncle makes me like it, then I'll like it."

"Don't mistreat them. I've chosen a house in the capital to bestow upon you. Take your wife to see it tomorrow."

"Thank you, Uncle. I will definitely treat her well!"

“Baoyi, once I move into the Daning Palace, this residence will be given to you and Fourth Sister.”

"Thank you, Father-in-law. I will definitely protect every blade of grass and every tree here."

Xiao Yi listened from the side, thinking to himself that Guo Wei liked this kind of down-to-earth and obedient person, and that he definitely couldn't compete with these two in this field.

"Since we're on the topic of residences," Guo Wei then looked at Wang Jun and said, "Brother Xiufeng, how about I bestow that residence of Su Fengji upon you?"

Wang Jun shook his head and said, "That was originally Li Song's residence. Su Fengji wanted to seize the residence, so he killed Li Song's entire family. I do not wish to live there."

"Between Yang Bin and Li Yezhai, which one does Brother Xiufeng prefer?"

"Your Majesty is frugal; how could I possibly live in a grand mansion?"

"What does this have to do with Jian Pu? You meritorious officials in the capital should have residences to live in."

Xiao Yi was distracted. Looking at the gap below the screen, he saw a corner of a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) peeking out, clearly made of cotton.

“Kid, stay calm.” Guo Wei tossed over a map and said, “Since you’ve offered thirty acres of imperial land, you can pick one.”

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xiao Yi took the map, opened it, and roughly drew the various wards of Kaifeng, marking the residences of the disgraced officials and indicating how many courtyards each had. Yang Bin and Wang Zhang's relatives had all died, and their residences were now empty, but Shi Hongzhao's was not marked.

It's likely that Wang Jun wants Shi Hongzhao's large mansion.

After looking around, he thought Hou Kuangzan's house was very good; although it wasn't large, the location was excellent. Nie Wenjin's house was also good; it was large, so he could probably practice horsemanship at home.

But deep down, she longs for Li Song's former residence.

Just as I was thinking, I suddenly smelled a faint fragrance, neither incense nor floral scent. I looked up and saw that Guo Xin had come over at some point.

She still wore her hair in a double bun, decorated with two strips of cloth, which added a touch of charm.

She wore a very elegant cotton dress, looking graceful and like a lotus fairy.

Seeing him look up, she glared at him with considerable displeasure, then smiled and casually pointed to the map.

"Let's choose this one. Once we've chosen, we can start the banquet sooner."

Xiao Yi's gaze fell upon the beautiful, slender index finger pointing directly at Li Song's old residence.

Without any hesitation, he said to Guo Wei, "I have received a great favor from Lord Li..."

"Thank you."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."

Guo Wei suddenly looked displeased. With a stern face, he stood up and said, "Let the banquet begin."

Guo Xin gave a soft "humph," quietly waved her fist at Xiao Yi, and ran over to help Guo Wei.

"Grandpa, when we move into the palace, should we have the three of them help me carry it?"

Xiao Yi deliberately lagged behind last.

He got up, only to find Li Chongjin still there, looking lost and dejected.

"Brother Chongjin?"

"It's that piece of cotton cloth."

"Brother Chongjin, since you are already married, why bother with this matter?"

"That is my most cherished younger sister, and I will not allow anyone with ulterior motives to covet her."

"You've misunderstood. The cotton cloth was a gift from me, but I had no other intentions."

"Is that so?" Li Chongjin was taken aback. "Then I'll ask Fifth Sister how..."

"No need to ask. By the way, since His Majesty intends to establish another department in addition to the Imperial Guard Cavalry and Infantry Department, Brother Chongjin, who do you think should lead it?"

"No matter who is in charge, I will have no objections."

Xiao Yi had a vague feeling that he would have to practice martial arts more diligently recently, otherwise he might not be able to defeat Li Chongjin if they started fighting.

The banquet began, and the seven of them ate separately at different tables, continuing their discussion on the military system.

The food was also very simple, consisting of millet rice and roasted mutton, which was slightly better than the food served in the army, showing that Guo Wei intended to follow the path of diligence and frugality.

During the meal, Guo Wei went to change his clothes, and Xiao Yi also got up to relieve himself.

As soon as I stepped out of the small flower hall, I saw a small snowball being thrown at me.

He initially wanted to dodge, but then he changed his mind, lowered his head, and took the hit on his head.

Not far away, Guo Xin was standing there, patting the snowflakes in her hands, muttering, "Your reaction time has slowed down considerably."

"I'm too full." "There wasn't much good food at all." Guo Xin said, "The food in the market tastes better. My grandfather needs to be frugal. Will you bring me good food from now on? You owe me money."

"it is good."

"I know why you don't dare to come see me."

"Because I owe you money?"

"fart."

After saying that, Guo Xin quickly looked around before whispering, "Because they're talking about marriage with us, right? How annoying."

"You all know?"

"Yes, I scolded Grandpa and told him to stop thinking about marriage all the time."

"This is an act of insubordination."

“I’m not afraid at all. Just now, my fourth sister and sister-in-law were saying that you don’t seem as reliable as my brother-in-law or cousin. Tch, who would want to marry you?”

This made the atmosphere much more relaxed.

The two naturally walked side by side through the corridor.

Xiao Yi said, "I am indeed no match for Brother Bao Yi and Brother Chong Jin."

"Those two are so boring, I hate talking to them." Guo Xin realized she had said too much, covered her mouth with her hand, and asked, "Anyway, let's not ruin our friendship, okay?"

"it is good."

"Then why will you still ask me to hang out?"

"Ah."

"You're lying. I think we should wait for Third Brother to come back."

"When Guo Xin comes back, I'll treat you to an expensive meal."

"Then I'll write a letter to Third Brother... Hmm? What are you standing there for?"

"I'm going to change over there."

"I'll go this way. By the way, tomorrow you'll escort me and my father to the palace, won't you?"

"Yes, Your Royal Highness."

Guo Xin's cheerful personality made Xiao Yi feel much more at ease.

Come to think of it, they weren't even of marriageable age yet, how could they understand the feelings between men and women?

The next day, when escorting her into the palace, she asked Li Chongjin about Xiao Yi and An Yuanzhen.

"I heard that you were dismissed from your post because of the An family, is that true?"

"It wasn't Lady An, it was a palace lady."

"It's rumored that you were having an affair with the former empress. That sounds interesting. Is Lady An prettier or the lady-in-waiting?"

"Everyone has his own merits."

"Let me teach you, if you're afraid you can't resist women next time, shave off their eyebrows."

Xiao Yi rode his horse beside the carriage, but before he could reply, Li Chongjin suddenly laughed behind him.

"Haha, Fifth Sister is really clever."

"well enough."

"Xiao Lang, you really are something, so easily seduced by women. Look at me, I never get involved with women."

"Yes."

Seeing that Li Chongjin had become much more cheerful, Xiao Yi thought that this fight was unlikely to happen for the time being.

Upon entering the palace, Guo Xin was led by a female official to choose a palace.

As Xiao Yi passed by a long corridor, he saw Zhang Wan hiding behind a pillar, looking in his direction. The beautiful woman had a graceful figure, exuding tranquility, and her expression was gentle, as if she were waiting for her husband.

He paused, deliberately lagging behind, and passed by.

"Lang Jun."

"His Majesty has agreed, and I will take you out of the palace today."

"Yes, my lord, I have finished preparing."

"Wait for me at Zhimen."

Xiao Yi naturally couldn't bring Zhang Wan back to the guard quarters in the two corridors. Since Li Song's old residence had already been given to him, it would be fine to settle her there.

After settling the matter, he turned around and saw that Guo Xin had also stopped and was looking this way. She seemed to be pouting and waving.

Xiao Yi walked over, but Guo Xin ignored him and looked at Zhang Wan instead, praising, "You're so beautiful."

"Princess."

"I just arrived in the palace, and it's so deserted here. Would you like to stay with me for a couple of days?"

"This……"

"Just two days, you don't need to do anything, just play backgammon with me, chat and relieve your boredom."

Guo Xin turned to Xiao Yi and said, "I won't stop you from meeting. If you want to see her, then come and see her."

Xiao Yi wasn't worried that Zhang Wan would reveal the secret, but he was slightly taken aback when he sensed a hint of jealousy in Guo Xin's eyes.

She was clearly still in a daze last night.

Guo Xin gave a light "humph," took Zhang Wan's hand, and left, her skirt fluttering, leaving only a faint fragrance behind.

……

After completing this task, Xiao Yi had a premonition that his time as the Inner Palace Commander was coming to an end.

The successor should be Zhang Yongde.

Sure enough, as soon as they returned to the guardhouse in the two corridors, a eunuch came to announce the imperial decree—

"As we establish a new nation and prepare our military, we must refine our ranks to strengthen our military might. Therefore, the 'Twentieth Command of the Left Wing Cavalry of the Tianxiong Army' is hereby renamed the 'First Command of the First Iron Cavalry Army of the Left Wing of the Palace Guard.' From the date of this decree, all military designations, flags, registers, and documents shall be changed. The army shall be placed under the command of the Palace Guard Command and shall select elite troops within one month to replenish the troop strength..."

Xiao Yi did not receive any new assignments.

But his only remaining assignment underwent a dramatic change.

(End of this chapter)