novelSusiti Chapter 77 New Year's Eve Talk
Chapter 77 New Year's Eve Talk
Feng Niaoniao was six months pregnant, making it quite inconvenient for her to move around. Today, Li Xuan and his adopted sons were keeping vigil for the New Year. Feng Niaoniao left the women's gathering early and returned to her bedroom to rest alone.
At midnight, Li Xuan and his adopted sons exchanged timely New Year's greetings. He tiptoed to his wife's bedside—which, of course, was also his own bedside. He secretly took off his shoes and socks, preparing to crawl onto the bed.
Feng Niaoniao, heightened by her pregnancy, was startled awake by Li Xuan. Watching her husband's retreating figure, she squinted and lazily asked, "Did you stay overnight? Have the children all gone home?"
Li Xuan gently slipped into bed, carefully trying not to let any warmth escape. After adjusting his position under the covers and checking his wife's temperature, he replied reassuredly, "They've all gone back. They didn't call the younger ones to keep watch. I just checked the side rooms, and the younger ones are all asleep." (The older ones have already been allocated houses and married off by Feng Niaoniao. Their marriage partners are almost all these adopted children. Their properties, dowries, and bride prices were all prepared by Feng Niaoniao; it wasn't much, but she did her best.)
Feng Niaoniao, relieved, said, "There's something I've been wanting to discuss with you. Last time we presented our books, the court rewarded us with a lot of land. But it's all barren land and mountains, and the whole family has to work hard to clear it. Your personal guards and our adopted sons and daughters have helped a lot since last year, almost without asking for any money."
I think, since we can't manage all those fields in a short time, we might as well divide them among them, which will be a way of leaving them some property. Even if we don't have the energy to manage them all this year, in a few years everyone will have a foundation, and our family will finally have a foothold in Bianliang.
He always tells our family to increase our property and assets. Your personal guards only get wages and rewards. The children have almost no income besides housing and a few monthly stipends; even after they get married, they're still struggling financially. It's really not a good situation.”
Li Xuan agreed with his wife's idea. He said, "My wife is right. The imperial court has indeed given too much. Here's what we should do: our adopted sons and daughters are very poor, so we should take better care of them. Regardless of gender or marital status, we should distribute the land equally to all of them."
My personal guards, on the other hand, have fought many battles and have some money. Giving each of their families twenty acres of land is a token of our goodwill. These brothers have enough money to buy some wasteland or cultivated land outside Bianjing.
In a couple of days, I'll gather everyone together to inquire. If they're willing, after the New Year we'll survey the land and try to purchase new fields near the land granted by the imperial court. This way, we can form several estates, making it easier for them to support each other.
Feng Niaoniao said happily, "Does Your Excellency mean we should go to the county government office and cause a scene again? To get big results with little money?"
Li Xuan said humorously, "My good friend Zhao Quanyi has come to ask for my help several times. How can I bear to let his good intentions go to waste? The Great Zhou has not yet unified the four seas, and there are many barren fields around Bianliang. This is a good time to enrich our family. In ten or twenty years, there won't be so many good deals to be had."
Feng Niaoniao asked curiously, "Does Your Excellency mean that in ten years, the world will be in the hands of the Great Zhou?"
Li Xuan nodded and said, "Although this southern campaign was short, it allowed me to see the true strength and weakness of the Yu Kingdom. They could only defend themselves against the Great Zhou. They were suspicious of each other and their demands were excessive. If it weren't for my cousin Li Jue's good reputation and his rallying cry, Huaixi might have truly fallen to Commander-in-Chief Li. When Jianghuai was under Yu's control, Yu always had the strength to advance into the Central Plains. Now that Jianghuai has fallen to Zhou, the world can only gradually return to Zhou."
Feng Niaoniao said dismissively, "But Li Jue has finally stepped forward. With Li Jue and General Liu Renzhan working together, I think Huaixi is an impregnable fortress. After all, the Great Zhou is surrounded by enemies on all sides. If it cannot achieve a quick victory, there will inevitably be setbacks."
Li Xuan sneered:
"If my lady were the emperor of Yu, that would naturally be the case. However, the Li family emperor of Yu is not as magnanimous as my lady. The military governor of Desheng Army in Luzhou was originally Liu Yanzhen, a favorite minister of the Yu emperor. After Liu Yanzhen's defeat, the people of Luzhou were outraged, imprisoned the military governor, and unanimously elected Li Jue's elder brother as their leader."
The actions of the people of Luzhou were a slap in the face to Emperor Yu, and also made Emperor Yu realize the influence of Li Jue's elder brother in Huaixi. Once our dynasty withdraws its troops, how could he tolerate his brother continuing to command the righteous armies throughout Huaixi? Therefore, after the beginning of this year, Li Jue's elder brother will inevitably be dismissed and transferred to another place.
Feng Niaoniao thought for a moment and slowly said, "Even so, as long as the newly appointed military governor of Desheng Army is a normal general, and works together with Liu Renzhan, it will be difficult for the Zhou army to gain a foothold in Huaixi."
Li Xuan sighed deeply and said, "Hmph, a normal general? When I met with Li Hehuang (Li Jue's courtesy name was Hehuang) in the twelfth lunar month, Emperor Yu had not yet dismissed Liu Yanzhen from his position as military governor of Desheng Army."
Feng Niaoniao exclaimed in shock, "How could the Emperor of Yu be so foolish?"
Li Xuan said calmly:
"It's not surprising. Because Liu Yanzhen is a private retainer. In order to counter the Zhou army, Emperor Yu has already authorized Prince Qi, Li Da, to lead the Huaidong troops north to reinforce the area. With Huaidong entrusted to Li Da, it's natural to feel at ease using a private retainer for Huaixi. In Emperor Yu's view, as long as the Desheng Army holds Bagong Mountain, that's all that matters. Defense is so simple; it doesn't matter who defends it."
On the contrary, which ordinary generals and famous ministers could guarantee their personal loyalty to Emperor Yu? Emperor Yu appointed Liu Yanzhen as the military governor of Desheng Army precisely to monitor and guard against Prince Qi. The more power Prince Qi had, the more secure Liu Yanzhen's position would be.
Furthermore, only five days after Liu Yanzhen's defeat, Li Hehuang led a group of local militia to decisively defeat the imperial guards and occupy Bagong Mountain. The shift between victory and defeat was too rapid; given the influence of a corrupt official like Liu Yanzhen in the court, he could easily have manipulated the situation. Perhaps he's even a hero of the War of Resistance now.
Feng Niaoniao found it unbelievable, but quickly said with relief, "I wonder if your prediction will come true. If it does, then it will probably be within a year or two before Jianghuai is annexed by Zhou."
Li Xuan said softly, "My lady is right. If Emperor Yu had acted impartially, the struggle for the Jianghuai region might have lasted for ten years. But if he is confused again, the tide will likely turn entirely in Bianliang's favor. Bianliang already possesses the Central Plains, and now it has the advantages of the Huai River's abundant fish and rice fields and the strategic location of the Yangtze River. The Mandate of Heaven is in Zhou, and its momentum is unstoppable."
Therefore, I said we must do our best to accumulate wealth in Bianliang. Once the world is unified under the Zhou, the situation in Chang'an, where it was so difficult to live, will repeat itself in Bianliang. It's better for us to endure hardship than for our descendants to do so."
Feng Niaoniao agreed: "What you say is true, my lord. We plan for our livelihood and our descendants. Alas, this time last year, we were still calculating our livelihood in our old home in Guangling, planning for the spring planting and autumn harvest. Who would have thought that we would have built such a huge fortune in Bianliang today? I just don't know how the harvest is from the fields back in our old home in Guangling this year. We'll have to wait until Brother Chang returns to find out."
Li Xuan knew that his wife was worried about their relatives and friends in Guangling. Just last year, she and her husband were leading the villagers in making lanterns. Without Li Xuan and his wife's leadership, the village's lantern industry would probably collapse. Furthermore, with the two countries at war, even a rural area couldn't escape the impact.
Li Xuan comforted her, "My wife, don't worry. The war will only last two months, so it won't cause too much suffering for the people back home. Before I left, I told Uncle Yuantu that if the government requisitions too much grain, we can waive the rent for the farmers, as long as the people and the land are safe. Your parents are not without connections, and no one will bother them in the countryside. As long as our army conquers Jianghuai, our whole family will be reunited."
Pregnant women are naturally more suspicious and sensitive, and with their parents and relatives in the midst of a battle, how could they not worry? Feng Niaoniao held Li Xuan's hand in bed, silently conveying her complex emotions. Her husband was trying his best to comfort her, but Feng Niaoniao didn't want to burden him with her negative feelings.
Li Xuan and Feng Niaoniao were a young couple. He could almost instantly understand what his wife was thinking and why she was silent.
Silence doesn't mean indifference. Li Xuan couldn't bear to see his wife immersed in fear and anxiety, so he whispered in her ear, "I never imagined that my wife could develop such a relationship with the Empress. I heard that our Yuan'er's rise to prominence and the great benefits she's received are all thanks to my wife's good relationship with the Empress."
Feng Niaoniao instantly understood her husband's little trick. But that's what married couples do – enjoy a little romance. Her husband's efforts to calm her down were a sign of his care, and Feng Niaoniao cleverly played along, subtly savoring her husband's precious affection.
After hearing her husband's teasing, Feng Niaoniao said irritably, "The Empress is from Hebei. What good relationship could we possibly have? We've only met once and hit it off a bit. Yuan'er's success is all thanks to his ancestors and his own hard work. You have no idea how heroic Yuan'er was in the Daqing Hall that day. So many ministers praised him, saying he truly deserves to be from a family of prime ministers."
Li Xuan joked, "So what if the Empress is from Hebei? Your Majesty's ancestral home is Bohai, so you're also from Hebei."
Feng Niaoniao couldn't help but pinch Li Xuan under the covers and said, "That's an old almanac from hundreds of years ago. I don't even know if there are still people with the surname Feng in Bohai. You're deliberately trying to make things difficult for me."
Li Xuan chuckled; pregnancy-related depression was no problem for him. He continued, "The Emperor told me that the Empress, inspired by you, is preparing to reorganize and expand the royal assets. We mustn't let her learn our little tricks. She's wealthy and powerful, with plenty of manpower and resources. If she manages to acquire all the valuable properties around Bianliang, we'll have nowhere to turn."
Feng Niaoniao said to her husband speechlessly, "Look at your lack of ambition. Developing industry and cultivating land is difficult for ordinary families. How difficult could it be for the royal family? Managing land is just a business. Wealthy families generally lack such talent, but the royal family certainly doesn't."
Empress Fu plans to recruit specialized farm management talent and establish a guild. She intends to use a guild system to manage the royal assets. Once the royal name is established, business acumen from all over the land will flock to Bianliang. They won't care about our family's petty plans.
I heard from Empress Fu that anyone who has rendered meritorious service in managing the royal estates will not only receive an official position but will also be granted the privilege of building private estates near the royal water conservancy projects. They will also have a share of the water usage for the royal estates. This condition alone is enough to make countless merchants, farmers, and wealthy households eager to apply.
"How about it? A woman can use her business acumen just as well."
Li Xuan exclaimed, "The Empress is truly generous. Putting myself in her shoes, my family couldn't possibly offer such favorable terms. Even Prince Fu probably couldn't. By the way, Madam, you mentioned that Empress Fu wants to establish a guild? A guild specifically for managing farmland and estates?"
Feng Niaoniao nodded and said, "That's right. Businesses inside and outside Bianliang City are monopolized by guilds. Guilds have the authority to supervise and manage shops and merchants within their respective industries. It's impossible to do business in Bianliang without joining a guild."
Not only did you have to join a guild to do business, but you also needed a guild as an intermediary and witness to hire workers. The guild would even audit the government's accounts, and the audited accounts would serve as the basis for the government to levy taxes.
The origins of these guilds were almost entirely within the palace. Therefore, the better Bianliang developed, the wealthier the palace became.
Li Xuan frowned and said, "The profits of guilds are so enormous. I wonder if they will become a scourge many years from now."
Feng Niaoniao chuckled and said, "Wait until you become the Grand Chancellor and take charge of the government before you start to sort out and reorganize the guilds. Right now, we can't worry about things that far ahead. All you need to know is that Empress Fu is truly remarkable. With the Manor Guild in place, we'll have a basis for judging whether the manors near Bianliang are good or bad, what their evaluations are, and what their past achievements are."
Similarly, those who perform poorly in the royal court's evaluations or are careless in their work will face dire consequences if dismissed. With incentives in place and punishments looming behind, the system achieves a remarkable effect of controlling people's hearts without firing a single shot. This Empress Fu is hardly like a rough-around-the-edges girl from a military family; she is clearly a monarch with absolute authority.
Li Xuan thought of something and said in surprise, "This time, the commander of our Eastern Route Army is Empress Fu's second brother. He led 44,000 Eastern Route Army soldiers and first annihilated 25,000 Yu Kingdom reinforcements, making great contributions. However, he was attacked from both sides by 80,000 troops under the Qi King of Yu Kingdom and more than 10,000 troops from Chuzhou. He held out for a month without winning or letting the Yu army gain any advantage."
My lady, the Empress Fu you described is so shrewd and capable that it makes me a little suspicious of Second Brother Fu. Commander Fu has been fighting the wars too cleverly these past two months.
He led his soldiers to achieve great merit, saving their lives and fulfilling the mission assigned to him by the emperor: to block the enemy's reinforcements from the eastern route to the Shouzhou battlefield. In the end, because he failed to defeat the main force of the Yu army facing them, no one even found his achievements remarkable. Instead, everyone was afraid he would be discouraged and tried to comfort him.
If all of this was the result of Brother Fu deliberately holding back, then Empress Fu's family is incredibly powerful. No wonder her father is a prince. In this day and age, to become a prince of a different surname is truly an extraordinary feat.
Upon hearing this, Feng Niaoniao thought about it carefully and comforted Li Xuan, saying, "Nothing in this world can be predicted perfectly. Don't scare yourself, my lord. That Brother Fu might have his own considerations for self-preservation. But if the opposing Yu army isn't strong enough, and the pressure isn't great enough, how could he possibly let the enemy go?"
Not only will his soldiers push him along, but the Emperor will also not spare any generals who are cowardly or preserving their strength. The world is not yet settled, and our dynasty only occupies a small corner of the land. How can we harbor any thoughts of preservation? Every attack by the Imperial Guards must be carried out with full force. For the sake of our family's land, my lord, you cannot be foolish or resort to petty tricks.
Empress Fu is no simple woman, and Emperor Guo, who has won her heart, is even more difficult to fool. What are the plans for the army after the New Year? Were you no longer in Bianliang when the child was born?
Li Xuan thought about it and agreed with his wife's opinion. Man proposes, God disposes; on a battlefield where 100,000 troops are fighting back and forth, how can human beings possibly foresee everything? It seems that his own mental state has become as sensitive and suspicious as his pregnant wife's during this period of campaigning.
He heard his wife ask about his plans after the Chinese New Year.
Li Xuan, invigorated, replied, "The Emperor has revealed that the Privy Council will assign a group of Huai Army soldiers to my and Ji Ge's command. We will both be transferred out to lead separate armies composed entirely of Huai people. These Huai people are prisoners of war who were defeated and surrendered since October. It will take several months to train them."
Moreover, our Black Spear Dragon Cavalry suffered over half its casualties in this battle, and the Emperor has ordered us to be fully replenished and equipped. In my estimation, we'll remain in Bianliang for the first half of the year, and we'll definitely see the baby born.
Furthermore, spring plowing and summer harvesting are both crucial to the survival of the nation. The Central Plains have not yet recovered, and the imperial court will not act rashly. The first half of the year will only involve minor skirmishes; the real action will take place in the second half.
Feng Niaoniao calculated, "An army has 2,500 men. You are the army commander, and so is your brother Ji. If the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry is at full strength, there are a total of six armies, and you brothers occupy two of them. Be careful, I suspect some people will be envious."
Li Xuan gently took his wife's hand in bed and said, "I know what's important. After I get a military rank, I will definitely focus on doing more and talking less, and avoid the limelight. Once I've made more contributions, those people will naturally shut up. When I'm on the same level as them, they'll be jealous. But once I surpass them, they'll only come to flatter me. You can't prevent all the jealousy from petty people by just trying to guard against it. Only a significant difference in status can suppress all gossip."
Feng Niaoniao, smelling her husband's scent, said softly, "Good, good, it's good that my husband has confidence. I only hope that you are both safe and sound, and that you can live a peaceful life soon. Last year, I encouraged you and your brother Ji to come to Bianliang to seek your future. Soon after, you were busy fighting in the north and south, and more than half of the soldiers you brought were killed or wounded. I suddenly regretted it."
Li Xuan sighed, "There will inevitably be a war between the North and the South. If we remain in the countryside of Guangling and do not step forward, once the war begins, we able-bodied men will inevitably have to fill the ditches for the army. Our family's fields, houses, and wealth will likely be harshly seized by the government. In an emergency, I'm afraid even my father-in-law will not be able to stop those lackeys."
My wife did nothing wrong. In this era of great strife, where is there truly a paradise on earth? Whether it's me or Brother Hehuang, aren't we all just going with the flow, struggling to find a sliver of opportunity amidst the turbulent waves?
The world's affairs are governed by an unstoppable force; those who follow it prosper, and those who oppose it perish. The Emperor and Empress Fu are so outstanding, truly embodying the qualities of a founding monarch. My lady, there is no need for worry.”
Feng Niaoniao seemed genuinely relieved, but then asked nervously, "Since you're going to stay home for half a year, how about I get you a concubine? I haven't been feeling well lately, so I don't want you going out and fooling around."
Li Xuan, both amused and exasperated, said, "My wife, you're wronged! When have I ever gone out to fool around? Our family is perfectly fine, and children have been born one after another. We have no worries about having offspring. Why would I need to take a concubine?"
Feng Niaoniao said frankly, "You are an only child. It would be better for me to face my parents-in-law in heaven if I had more children. Our family is not what it used to be, and your status is becoming more and more precious. If we don't even have a concubine, we will inevitably be ridiculed."
Li Xuan asked curiously, "People can say whatever they want. Why would you think that, my wife? Did someone say those things to you?"
Feng Niaoniao smiled slightly and said, "In the past, my lord always addressed me as 'elder sister.' But since returning from the campaign, he's been much more polite, calling me 'wife' all the time. I think it might be because you've been out having fun and your mind has wandered. Now that you've achieved so much, I have to go along with you."
Li Xuan felt greatly wronged and said, "Sister Niaoniao, that's so unreasonable. You always had Xiao Xuan coming and going. Why are you singled out me?"
Feng Niaoniao feigned grievance and said, "I don't care, this is what I'm concerned about right now."
Li Xuan said, both amused and exasperated, "Alright, alright, I'll coax you, okay? My dear sister Niaoniao. The baby is still in your belly, let him hear his parents' sweet words more often."
Feng Niaoniao chuckled and said, "Yes, listen more, learn more, and get it sooner. Don't be as dull as your father, who always needs others to guide him."
Before we knew it, the sky had brightened on the first day of the new year.