Chapter 187: Mutual Respect Between Husband and Wife

Night fell, and a slight chill crept in.

The night wind carried cold air through the fine cracks of the window lattice, seeping into his body, making Liu Chengyou shiver twice. He could not help but tighten the sable fur robe draped over his shoulders.

Setting down the military report in his hand, Liu Chengyou could not help but rub his eyes. Looking up, he noticed the flickering candle flame. The red candle was nearly spent, its light dim. His brow twitched slightly as he called out, "Someone come."

"Your Majesty."

"Add a new candle!"

"Yes!"

Vaguely, Liu Chengyou seemed to hear the sound of a serving eunuch being scolded by his supervisor—so lacking in perception, to have the lighting of candles and adding of wicks require a personal order from His Majesty.

After the new candle was exchanged, the imperial desk was indeed much brighter, and his vision was far clearer. His gaze fell once more upon the military report in his hand. This battle report from Fengxiang, in the course of this single day and night, Liu Chengyou had read no fewer than five times. For the first external war since his ascension to the throne, to achieve such a great victory, his heart was truly delighted.

Since the winter of last year, when the Shu army marched north, up until the Battle of Jifeng Mountain, the Shu army had mobilized a total of over sixty thousand troops, with countless grain and equipment, and had lost more than half of them. Among these were large numbers of the Later Shu imperial army. The Feng Luan Su Wei troops led by Li Tinggui had fled too quickly at Xiegu Town, so their losses were not considered severe. But the Weisheng and Kuangsheng armies, which had been under Zhang Qianzhao's command, suffered heavy losses indeed. The Weisheng and Kuangsheng armies were the main forces of the Shu imperial army, troops that had existed since the founding of Shu by Meng Zhixiang.

Although Shu had over a hundred thousand imperial troops, after this campaign it could be said to have been badly hurt. It was only thanks to the unique natural advantages of the two rivers' terrain that they could resist external invasion, and the Han army lacked the remaining strength to press on—otherwise they could have fought all the way to Xingyuan Prefecture. Even so, Sanguan, this important gateway between Shaanxi and Sichuan, was lost.

Yet as Liu Chengyou examined the report closely, he could not help but feel a sense of lingering fear. In the strategies, calculations, and battlefield conditions surrounding the fierce fighting, although Wang Jun had not spoken in detail, Liu Chengyou, who had some military insight, could still perceive the risks involved. With the slightest misstep, it would have been total defeat. Losing a battle was not even the most frightening thing—if Fengxiang had been lost and the safety of the entire Guanzhong region affected, that would have been truly fatal.

Wang Jun's boldness and daring surprised Liu Chengyou for the first time. Had he led the troops himself, he would absolutely have held a stable defense at Baoji as a foundation, then sought opportunities separately. He would never have taken such extraordinary risks, pressing the enemy to close in on himself, leaving almost no room for error. Ever since that astonishing adventure at Luancheng last year, Liu Chengyou had secretly resolved never to take reckless risks again. After all, if one always stands by the riverbank, one's shoes are bound to get wet someday.

Of course, risk is usually proportional to reward. The great rout of the Shu army at Jifeng Mountain could basically declare that the northwest of the Great Han was temporarily free of external threats. If the Shu army wanted to march north again, they would have to think twice—they might even have to worry about whether the Han army would take the opportunity to counterattack and retake the four prefectures of Qinfeng, Jie, and Cheng.

On this point, Wang Jun was clearly in high spirits, somewhat carried away. In his memorial, he mentioned that he was inclined to move troops but did not dare act on his own authority, and requested instructions from the court.

In response to this, not to mention Liu Chengyou—by the time it reached the Bureau of Military Affairs and the Hall of State Affairs, it would basically be rejected outright. The Shu army had already been driven back, the safety of the region secured, and the enemy on one road defeated. The court's objective had already been achieved—how could they lightly reopen hostilities?

At this time, resting and recuperating, developing farming and weaving, and diligently honing internal strength were the foremost priorities of the Great Han. Because of this war, Liu Chengyou's position as Emperor was temporarily secure! For a successor with ambitions like Liu Chengyou, once his seat was firmly settled, he immediately wanted to stir things up.

At present, the most pressing problems before Liu Chengyou were only two: the court and the imperial army. The court had been temporarily stabilized and could be set aside for later, while the reform of the imperial army had only just begun.

Among the senior generals of the Great Han's imperial army today, there were too many old generals lacking virtue, talent, or competence, too few commanders who directly served him as the Son of Heaven, the rank and file were a mixed bag, and capable mid- and low-ranking officers found promotion difficult.

Liu Chengyou's desire for reform was strong, but his head was also clear—this matter could not be rushed. Being too hasty would easily cause chaos, and the army was the last place where chaos could be allowed.

Moreover, to reform the imperial army, he still needed a better opportunity. Thoughts churned endlessly through his mind, and Liu Chengyou's gaze involuntarily fell upon two other official documents placed on the desk. One was a letter, and the other was a secret memorial that Wang Jun had sent someone to present in explanation.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has arrived." The palace eunuch's announcement slightly interrupted Liu Chengyou's train of thought.

Hearing this, he showed no irritation. Liu Chengyou smoothed the somewhat somber expression on his face and said, "Summon her."

Soon, accompanied by two palace maids, the elder Lady Fu walked into the hall with graceful, measured steps. In the maids' hands was a food box—clearly, this was a midnight snack delivered for Liu Chengyou.

Liu Chengyou rose to greet her, his tone gentle: "The Empress has come."

"Your Majesty." The elder Lady Fu gave Liu Chengyou a warm smile: "I hope I am not disturbing Your Majesty's handling of state affairs?"

Waving his hand, he invited her to sit beside him. Liu Chengyou patted his stomach: "My stomach was just feeling hungry. The Empress is thoughtful."

Glancing at the food taken out of the box—something between soup and a thick broth, the main ingredient in silken strands, crystal clear in color, topped with some minced meat and seasonings, its fragrance wafting up and quite appetizing—Liu Chengyou pointed at the strand-like items and asked curiously, "This seems to be fish cut into shreds?"

"Your Majesty has good eyes." The elder Lady Fu's praise was not flattering. She explained to Liu Chengyou: "This dish is called Crystal Slices. It is made by finely slicing fish and meat into shreds and cooking them. This dish is a famous street delicacy of the Eastern Capital."

"Oh?" Liu Chengyou was somewhat surprised. Could the folk cuisine of the Eastern Capital already be refined to this degree? Showing some interest, he said, "Then I shall taste what the common folk of the Eastern Capital eat..."

In truth, Liu Chengyou knew well that although this dish might circulate in the markets, not many could afford to eat it. Against the backdrop of the entire nation mired in famine and hardship, merely getting a full stomach was no easy feat. Aside from the high officials and nobles, how many people would be so particular about their meals?

But seeing the elder Lady Fu's well-intentioned expression, Liu Chengyou held back, suppressing that nameless lament so as not to spoil the mood. First, a eunuch tasted the food; finding nothing unusual, Liu Chengyou then took the small bowl and spoon and began to eat.

Seeing Liu Chengyou wolfing down his food, utterly unconcerned with the image of the Son of Heaven, a soft light flickered in the elder Lady Fu's beautiful eyes. With a hint of amused smile, she could not help but ask, "Your Majesty, how does it taste?"

"Tender in texture, smooth and refreshing—not bad. As Confucius said, one does not tire of fine food, nor tire of finely sliced meat. Something like that, I suppose." Liu Chengyou picked up a silk napkin and wiped his mouth.

After a moment's thought, he could not help but mention casually, as if in passing: "We are now in the season when the old crop is exhausted and the new not yet ripe, and the state has little stored grain. Many of the Great Han's people go hungry, without enough to fill their bellies. The entire court should put frugality first. As the master of the nation, I should set an example. In matters of food, there is no need to be so refined..."

Liu Chengyou's words were not particularly veiled. The elder Lady Fu was a clever woman. Her expression dimmed for a moment, but she quickly recovered her composure. In the clear gaze she cast at Liu Chengyou was a trace of respect, and she said generously, "I understand Your Majesty's heart."

Hearing this, Liu Chengyou gave the elder Lady Fu a stiff smile. Perhaps afraid his smile might startle her, he reached out and took her hand, gently rubbing it as a sign of affection. This was nearly the limit of tenderness Liu Chengyou could manage, and the elder Lady Fu clearly sensed it as well.

Also, the Empress's hand was truly soft—and more importantly, the warmth carried in her palm easily stirred a restless heat in Liu Chengyou's heart.

Shaking his head to suppress the wanton thoughts flooding his mind, Liu Chengyou could not help but rub his eyes again and drew a deep breath of cool air.

Ordering the food box removed, seeing Liu Chengyou's weary face, the elder Lady Fu straightened up and knelt beside his seat, reaching out to massage the acupoints on his head: "Your Majesty is diligent in governance, but must also take care of your health."

Clearly unaccustomed to serving others, Lady Fu's technique was quite poor—far inferior to Lady Geng's. Nevertheless, Liu Chengyou rather enjoyed this feeling of mutual respect between husband and wife.

"The toil of today is for the ease of tomorrow." Liu Chengyou closed his eyes and sighed.

Seeing this, the elder Lady Fu could not help but ask: "These past days, Your Majesty has been worried and weary over the war within the passes. I heard the court won a victory at Fengxiang and defeated the invading enemy, and the western frontier is now secure. Why does Your Majesty remain so burdened with concerns?"

"The external threat has been temporarily dispelled, but internal worries remain." Liu Chengyou said.

With that, Liu Chengyou opened his eyes, picked up one of the letters from the imperial desk, and handed it to her: "Take a look!"

The elder Lady Fu shook her head. Though curiosity showed in her eyes, she dutifully observed feminine propriety and expressed that she dared not. Although the Great Han had no explicit rule that the harem must not interfere in politics, a truly clever woman would never lightly cross that line.

"It's fine, I permit you to look."

With Liu Chengyou's authorization, the elder Lady Fu hesitated briefly, stealing cautious glances at Liu Chengyou from the corner of her eye, then took the letter and scanned it. She reacted at merely seeing the salutation—her beautiful eyes knitted in a frown, her tender lips parted slightly, and a doubtful voice escaped her: "How dare he do such a thing?"