dognovel Chapter 201: Keeping a Mistress in a Golden House
Chapter 201: Keeping a Mistress in a Golden House
Half an hour later, Chen Futu and Li Xiuning left the royal court hand in hand, and Dian Wei had prepared a carriage.
Chen Futu instructed, "Send Luo Wushuang to purchase some food, clothing and other necessities, and then arrange for a group of trusted members of the Women's Army to be stationed at No. 1 Pingkang Lane. Let her stay and take care of Xiuning. No unauthorized people are allowed to approach the mansion, especially regarding food. It is essential to use the Women's Army's own people."
"The last general takes orders."
Dian Wei immediately arranged for someone to deliver the order, and then drove to Pingkangfang.
Inside the carriage, Li Xiuning nestled in Chen Futu's arms, her eyes closed, her pretty face still flushed.
Chen Futu held her quietly, enjoying a moment of peace.
When the carriage arrived at No. 1 Pingkangfang shortly after, Yan Qing was spotted from afar as soon as he got off.
When Yan Qing saw Chen Futu arrive, he wanted to greet him, but the Tiger Guards stepped forward to stop him, their murderous aura frightening Yan Qing, who quickly retreated.
Chen Futu also saw her, but now was not the time to speak.
After helping Li Xiuning out of the carriage, Yan Qing's eyes flashed with sadness, and then he lowered his head and returned to his residence.
Seeing this, Li Xiuning teased, "Husband, your love interests are truly everywhere. How about it? The taste of being a widow isn't bad, is it?"
"Cough cough, stop talking nonsense, come inside quickly so you don't catch a cold."
Chen Futu felt guilty.
Like Cao Cao, he had a great fondness for married women. Yan Qing's taste was indeed wonderful, but all Yan Qing wanted was protection. Moreover, she had said she would never marry. Even if she entered the inner palace one day, she would at most be a concubine, which was not what she wanted. Therefore, it was impossible to force her to do anything.
The No. 1 mansion was bustling with activity.
Passersby saw the Tiger Guards standing guard outside and knew that the Crown Prince had arrived; the news spread very quickly.
Just as Chen Futu and Li Xiuning were whispering sweet nothings to each other, Zhang Liang, Liu Bowen, Guan Yu, and other civil and military officials living in Pingkangfang came to visit.
Chen Futu's face darkened. "Are you all here begging for alms instead of going to your posts in the government?"
However, seeing Li Xiuning's expectant look, Chen Futu still had Dian Wei invite all the officials in.
The moment Zhang Liang and Liu Bowen saw Li Xiuning, they understood everything.
Liu Bowen clicked his tongue in amazement, "Good heavens, General Qin hasn't returned yet, but General Li has already taken the credit."
Zhang Liang raised an eyebrow and said, "You talk too much. What the young master likes, why should we comment?"
"This concerns the very foundation of the nation, how can it have nothing to do with us?"
Liu Bowen valued Qin Liangyu more. After all, Qin Liangyu was a famous general of the Ming Dynasty, while Li Xiuning was Li Erfeng's sister. How could they be the same?
"Old Liu, don't even think about forming cliques for personal gain."
"Nonsense, I didn't. I'm just worried that the Crown Prince will be just like your Liu Laosan, unable to handle the affairs of the harem, and that the tragedy of Empress Lü and Consort Qi will eventually repeat itself."
"Shut up, you."
Zhang Liang quickly covered Liu Bowen's mouth.
This Mr. Qingtian dares to say anything. Can Empress Lü and Consort Qi compare to Qin Liangyu and Li Xiuning?
Empress Lü killed Consort Qi because Consort Qi had instigated Liu Bang to depose Crown Prince Liu Ying and wanted her son Liu Ruyi to become the crown prince. Neither Qin Liangyu nor Li Xiuning would fight each other over the crown prince issue. Besides, what if Li Xiuning gave birth to a daughter?
"With the throne at hand, things are not so simple..." Liu Bowen was still muttering to himself when Zhang Liang reminded him, "Have you forgotten how you died? Just keep causing trouble."
Upon hearing this, Liu Bowen shut up.
Guan Yu, Gan Ning, and the others overheard their conversation and were momentarily at a loss for words.
Cao Zhen muttered to himself, "No way. General Qin is virtuous and kind, and is the Crown Prince's chosen future Empress. General Li is also a generous person and would never fight for that position."
"Hey you guys, what are you talking about in your gibberish?"
Chen Futu frowned as he looked at the several civil and military officials loitering at the door and reprimanded them irritably.
Zhang Liang grinned and said, "We have come to congratulate the Crown Prince."
"Ah, yes, yes."
Gan Ning and Cao Zhen nodded repeatedly, while Guan Yu frowned and glanced sideways at Li Xiuning, seemingly lost in thought.
After everyone was seated, Zhang Liang asked, "What are your plans, Your Highness?"
“I intend to have Aning recuperate here, and then send the Women’s Army to guard her. What do you think, strategist?” Chen Futu asked with a smile.
"That's good. This place is quiet and convenient for the fetus to rest. However, the Crown Prince should also set a plan as soon as possible to give General Li a formal title."
Zhang Liang is Zhang Liang; his words are still as sharp as ever.
Currently, the Crown Princess of the Northern Frontier is nominally Liu Longyue, but if Li Xiuning gives birth to the child, the Crown Princess will have no offspring, which will cause public criticism. This matter concerns the foundation of the nation and must be handled with utmost care, especially since Liu Longyue has the entire Northern Wu behind her. If not handled properly, it could lead to chaos.
Chen Futu said calmly, "After the ceremony, I will become the King of the Northern Frontier, and the investiture will be made at that time. As for Princess Beiwu, all she asks for is for the two countries to unite in a decisive battle in the Central Plains. If this can be accomplished, she will definitely leave without any worries."
Guan Yu picked up the conversation and said, "Does our lord intend to let Bei Wu enter the pass?"
"No rush, that's a few years from now. The situation can change in an instant, and who can say for sure what the future holds?"
Chen Futu doesn't want to talk about state affairs right now. All you generals need to do is recruit soldiers and train them. There will be a day when they will be useful.
Next, Chen Futu ordered a banquet to be prepared to entertain everyone.
After the banquet, Liu Bowen hesitated to speak, and then Zhang Liang pulled him away.
Li Xiuning asked in confusion, "Just now, it seemed like Mr. Qingtian had something to say. Aren't you curious, husband?"
"What good words could Liu Bowen possibly say? If he could just say a couple of nice things, Zhu Yuanzhang wouldn't have killed him."
Chen Futu couldn't be bothered with Liu Bowen. In fact, he could probably guess what Liu Bowen wanted to say. It was nothing more than that he shouldn't have favored Li Xiuning so much, or how to arrange the status of Qin Liangyu when she returned, the order of seniority, the struggle for the crown prince, and so on. That guy always talked about the foundation of the country, which was so annoying.
In contrast, Zhang Liang was adept at navigating social situations, which explains why he was one of the few who managed to die peacefully under Empress Lü's watchful eye.
Before long, Luo Wushuang led the women's army to arrive.
Her expression turned very strange after she learned that Li Xiuning was pregnant.
After all, she was Qin Liangyu's deputy general. She had been injured and had been recuperating in Longcheng until now. Now that Chen Futu had asked her to take care of Li Xiuning, she was well aware of the ins and outs of the matter.
She would write to Qin Liangyu to inform her of this matter, and Chen Futu would not stop her, also wanting to see how Qin Liangyu would react.
Li Xiuning and Luo Wushuang were quite familiar with each other, and their conversation in front of Chen Futu was relatively harmonious.
Before leaving, Chen Futu repeatedly instructed Luo Wushuang to protect Li Xiuning, especially regarding her diet, and not to give anyone an opportunity to take advantage of her.
"The last general takes orders."
After seeing Chen Futu off, Luo Wushuang returned to her room. Facing Li Xiuning, she immediately frowned and said with some resentment, "This humble general congratulates General Li on achieving his wish."