It has just entered early autumn. Although it is not obvious yet, the flowers, trees, insects and birds in the palace garden are already infected with a thin layer of autumn. The autumn sun shines through the mottled leaves, bringing warmth to the body. Looking at the beautiful scenery, one feels relaxed and happy.
Liu Chengyou was wearing a strong military uniform, with a little belly protruding, and he felt refreshed and sighed: "This difficult summer is finally over!"
Between the gardens is a wide and flat grassland with a wide field of vision, where Liu Chengyou is practicing archery. The target was set ten feet away, not very far away. Ten arrows were fired in succession, but only six or seven were hit, and none of those hit the bull's-eye.
Beside them, the sparring partners were Yang Ye, the envoy of the Dingxiang Army, who had returned to Beijing to report on his duties, and Li Wancao, the envoy of the Ninghua Army. After another round of practice, Liu Chengyou put away his carved bow, stretched his aching arms, and said, "That's it for today!"
He took the towel, wiped his face and hands, sat down behind the prepared table, took a sip of water, looked at Li Wanchao and Yang Ye walking over, and said, "I have practiced archery for many years, and this shooting skill has always been outstanding." It’s hard to cum, far inferior to the two of you!”
"Your Majesty has the world in mind, and his expertise lies in running the country as a general. He wears clothes and eats at night, and manages everything every day. With such shooting skills, he is already outstanding!" Li Wanchao said with a smile, defending the emperor's shooting skills from the side.
Yang Ye also followed up and said with a serious expression: "What General Li said is true. The last general has been in the army for a long time and is good at being in the army. His bow, horse, riding and shooting are all his own skills. He practices them all the time and does not dare to slack off. I treat him as your Majesty." , Contribute to the great man!"
"This is what makes a military commander tireless in his bows and horses. With a general like this, why worry about border troubles or worry about the injustice of the world!" Liu Chengyou chuckled and looked at Yang Ye with the same fondness and appreciation as before: "But listen carefully. Your words, this desire to make great achievements is ready to move!"
"Your Majesty has a sharp eye!" Yang Ye bowed respectfully: "You can see through this little thought of the general at a glance!"
Yang Ye had been in the garrison for many years and had made many meritorious deeds, but most of them were small. With the peace talks between Han and Liao, the border conflicts were reduced, and when he heard about the Han's southward and westward expeditions, his desire for meritorious service was indeed a little uncontrollable.
"It is a good thing to be enterprising, but you still need to temper your will. There is no need to rush!" Liu Chengyou looked deeply, picked up two pears on the fruit plate, threw them to the two of them, and said in a calm tone: "I will reorganize the troops in Hedong, and set a plan The Xiang, Ninghua, and Baoning armies are in northern Shanxi, and I have asked you to lead the army and train troops. What is your goal? Opening up territory and expanding the territory is a merit, protecting the land and settling the people is also a merit. The world is not yet settled, and there are many merits waiting for you to build. But ,be patient!"
"Yes! Your Majesty's teachings will always be remembered in my heart!" Yang Ye said.
"How about the carved bow you just used?" Liu Chengyou asked.
Li Wanchao replied: "Exquisite craftsmanship, strong and powerful, good bow!"
"These are new bows made by the famous craftsmen of the Arms Supervisor. We will select the best ten and donate them!" Liu Chengyou said: "I think it is a pity that such a good bow and sharp weapon should be left in the palace treasury to collect dust. They should be held in the hands of heroes. , you can show off your abilities! You can each choose one!"
"In addition, I will give each of you a set of fine armor!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li and Yang thanked him immediately. As a military minister, there is no one who does not love a good bow and armor, especially armor, which is almost a second life on the battlefield.
Liu Chengyou himself took a pear, bit it in one bite, and the juice splashed, saying, "It's been more than a month since you arrived in Beijing!"
"Exactly!"
"Although Tokyo is prosperous, I can't let you hang around any longer. If you take the trouble to clean up, go back to Yanmen and take Kelan's appointment!" Liu Chengyou said with a smile on his face.
"Yes!" The two of them didn't hesitate at all.
"It's bitterly cold in the north, and it's also important to defend the border. Please!" Liu Chengyou straightened up, his tone and demeanor becoming solemn.
"The officials came from Qiuhua Palace to report that the virtuous concubine is about to give birth!" At this moment, a chamberlain hurriedly came to report.
After hearing the news, Liu Chengyou's face suddenly lit up with joy, and he said to Li Wanchao and Yang Ye: "There is something going on in the palace, so I won't hold a farewell banquet with you. I will report to the Ministry of War and then go to the border to take office!"
"Yes!" The two responded, while Li Wanchao chuckled: "I would also like to congratulate Your Majesty in advance on the birth of your son!"
"I accept it!" He waved his hands to the two of them, and Liu Chengyou hurried away.
...
Inside and outside the Qiuhua Hall, everything was busy again. Giving birth was like going to hell. Although Madam Zhe had given birth to her second child and was always in good health, it still made people worried.
Except for the Queen Mother and the Empress who came to accompany her, the other concubines in the harem, especially the newly pregnant Concubine Fu Hui, were ordered by Liu Chengyou to live in their own palace. Not long after, after hearing the news, father and son Zhe Congruan and Zhe Decu also hurried over. Compared to the emperor, the father and son were obviously more nervous. Listening to the painful groans coming from the delivery room, their faces were full of anxiety.
Liu Chengyou looked calm and had no abnormality on his face. He just kept wandering in the hall with a steady pace, but it had lasted for nearly an hour.
"Erlang, it's better to sit down for a while!" Queen Fu stepped forward and gently shook his hand at Queen Mother Li's signal.
The softness and warmth coming from his hands finally made Liu Chengyou calm down. He lifted his robe and sat down, picked up the tea cup and took a sip.
"Second Master, sit down too!" Liu Chengyou looked at the father and son of the Zhe family who were also standing and ordered. Then he got a little sulky and said to the waiter in the palace: "Why don't you give Second Master a drink!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Zhe and his son thanked him.
After about half an hour, a crisp baby cry finally came from the inner room, and most of the people present breathed a sigh of relief.
"Congratulations to Your Majesty, the worthy concubine has given birth to a prince. Both mother and child are safe!"
After receiving this report, I was really happy and there were endless congratulations. Liu Chengyou also had a rare moment of joy. He waved his sleeves and said with a big smile, "Everyone appreciates it!"
The father and son of the Zhe family looked at each other and saw the joy in each other's eyes. He was a prince again!
In the autumn of the fifth year of Qianyou's reign, in July and autumn, Concubine Zhe gave birth to a son, the fifth son of the emperor, who was named Yun by the emperor.
In the Qiuhua Palace, Liu Chengyou rarely gently teased the baby wrapped in soft brocade, with a slight smile on his lips. The fourth son, Liu Fang, followed closely at his father's feet with his calves. He is about to turn two years old and can already trot, but he is unsteady and holds Liu Chengyou's calf from time to time.
Lady Zhe lay quietly on the couch, obviously gaining weight. Although she still looked weak, her complexion had recovered somewhat. Liu Chengyou stepped forward, sat on the edge of the couch, and said, "You have a good belly, and you can give me another Lin'er!"
Seeing that the emperor was happy, Lady Zhe said jokingly: "Don't the officials want a princess?"
"Hey! Regardless of whether they are male or female, they are all of my blood, and I like them all!" Liu Chengyou said with a gentle look on his face.
During the conversation, the swaddled baby started crying again. Liu Chengyou tried to coax her, but it didn't work. Instead, it became louder and louder. He looked helplessly at Madam Zhe asking for help and handed the baby to her: "Why does this kid love to cry so much?"
"Remember back then, Shiro, no matter how hard I tried, I didn't cry! Right!" As he said that, he looked down at Xiao Liu Fang, who was still leaning on his knees, and saw that the kid was wiping his nose with his dragon robe.
Seeing this, Liu Chengyou glared at him. Not only was this kid not afraid, he even moved to a clean place and wiped his face...
"You kid, you dare to use my dragon robe as a towel!" Liu Chengyou reached out, pinched his little face, and said with a smile: "When you grow up, you will definitely not be a peaceful master!"
Liu Fang smiled at Liu Chengyou: "Daddy, hug me!"
After hearing this, the lady said angrily: "I don't know what's going on, why should the officials argue with me?"
He picked up Liu Fang and climbed up onto Liu Chengyou's shoulders, easily suppressing him. Liu Chengyou turned his head and looked at Madam Zhe. Wu Zi has stopped crying and is focusing on the woman's untied skirt, sucking with his eyes closed, and unconsciously grabbing the other half...
There is nothing that a meal of milk cannot solve.
Soon, the nurse was ordered to take the second son down and help the lady cover the quilt with her own hands, pretending to be deep in thought.
"If the official has something to say, just say it directly!" Seeing his expression, the lady asked.
"The old lady has been in Beijing for a long time. The Baoning Army cannot be a general for a long time and needs someone to lead the army. He is familiar with border affairs and knows the situation of the government. I plan to release the old lady to the north!" Liu Chengyou said.
Hearing this, the lady responded: "This is a court military matter. Although my father is involved, there is no need to know who I am."
Liu Chengyou gently pressed his hand and said: "Your father and daughter have not seen each other for many years, and you gave birth not long ago..."
"It's enough to be understood by the officials!" The lady smiled.
"Take good care of yourself and recover! I want you to go hunting with me this autumn!" Liu Chengyou was obviously very satisfied with this lady's attitude and smiled at him.
As Liu Chengyou successively sent Li Wancao, Yang Ye, and Zhe Deku back to serve as envoys to the Trilateral Army, the reform of the military system in Hedong has come to an end. Zhao Kuangyin, who had stayed in Hedong for three months, also completed his mission and returned with a full selection of 5,000 elite soldiers from Hedong.
In Guanzhong, Southwest Governor Xiang Xun was ordered to reorganize the troops and horses in Guanzhong Prefecture Town. Before long, Liu Chengyou issued another edict, appointing Wang Jing, the Duke of Bohai County, as the training envoy, and went to Fengxiang to assist in military training. At the same time, he banned Han Chongyun, Ma Renyu and other young generals from the army to serve in the Southwest Army.
