The emperor would rather have a

Chapter 75: Inspecting the Armies

"Cousin."

When Li Yi was woken up, he was still a little dazed. He was startled to see his cousin Liu Yulan standing in front of the bed.

"Yulan, why did you come to Tokyo from your hometown in Xiajin?"

As soon as he said this, Li Yi suddenly slapped his forehead again.

Look at the question. I brought my uncle and his family here today... No, it's been overnight. They should have arrived yesterday at noon or in the afternoon.

Li Yi recalled carefully that yesterday Zhang Yongdra dragged him home to drink, and they got drunk without realizing it. In the end, they even put their arms around each other's shoulders and called each other brothers.

It seems that Zhang Yongde’s alcohol tolerance is not that good... I can drink on par with him.

Of course, the other party may also be pretending.

Li Yi shook his head and returned his attention to the room. He raised his eyes and glanced around. The layout of the room was very unfamiliar.

Ever since he moved into the new house, he has been sleeping in Guo's room. Although the servants helped him clean up the master bedroom in the main house, he has never gone in.

Judging from the size and furnishings of this room, I think it should be the master bedroom of this house.

"Who did I sleep with last night..."

Li Yi couldn't help but blurt out the question, but then realized that he had asked the wrong person.

The relationship between him and Guo is currently still uncle and sister-in-law.

But the servants in the house actually noticed something... They were already sleeping in the same room, so could they still say nothing happened?
But the servants didn't dare to gossip, and Li Yi didn't think about hiding it.

You've already done it, why are you afraid of gossip?
"Ah?" Cousin Liu Yulan was taken aback by the question, but she didn't think much about it and answered honestly, "My cousin slept alone last night."

"Then how did I get back?"

"My cousin was brought back by carriage."

Liu Yulan is like the so-called intelligent voice in later generations, only answering one question at a time.

Li Yi couldn't help but look at her a few times. She was still wearing the clothes he brought her when he returned to his hometown.

There was just an extra silver hairpin on her head. Li Yi felt that the hairpin looked very familiar, as if he had seen Guo wearing it before. It was one of her few accessories.

Li Yi casually asked, "Did your sister-in-law give you the hairpin?"

"Yes." Liu Yulan nodded. "My cousin gave it to me when I arrived yesterday."

Li Yi said: "Okay, I'm awake now, you can go out first."

He thought his cousin Liu Yulan was here to wake him up.

Unexpectedly, after she finished speaking, Liu Yulan stood there without moving.

She lowered her head and twisted her fingers together tightly, obviously feeling very nervous.

"You..." Li Yi was about to ask a question, but suddenly remembered the morning when he returned to his hometown in Xiajin.

My cousin also came to call me and said that my aunt asked her to help her get up.

I don't know what my aunt is planning...

Li Yi sighed and said, "When I left Xiajin, you were not yet eleven years old. I, your cousin, only considered you a half-grown child."

"Now, you have passed the age of marriage and are of marriageable age."

"Even though I'm your cousin, there are still differences between men and women, and there are some things I should be careful about."

Liu Yulan stammered, "Mother..."

"You are you, and your mother is your mother. Can your mother marry you?"

Li Yi's tone unconsciously became a little heavier.

But seeing his cousin on the verge of tears, he could only lower his voice and say, "You can't just listen to your mother. Some things concern your future happiness, so you should think for yourself. Don't belittle yourself, understand?"

"I, I know..."

After persuading his cousin Liu Yulan to leave, Li Yi couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

He originally just wanted to bring his uncle's family to Tokyo to enjoy a good life, and didn't have any other thoughts.

But as I gradually held higher positions, in the eyes of my relatives, I was no longer just their nephew, cousin or brother.

Instead, it becomes a mountain that they can only look up to, and they will only become more and more cautious and try their best to please themselves.

This family affection is inevitably mixed with some considerations of interests.

However, this kind of thing is unavoidable... because that's how human nature is.

Li Yi decided to remind his aunt a few words while having breakfast, so that she would stop thinking about things and not do anything weird.

……

"Brother Yi has always been a promising young man. Now he has become such a high-ranking official and lives in such a beautiful mansion. Even the county magistrate of Xiajin can't afford to live there."

At the dinner table, Aunt Chen kept praising Li Yi, as if she had known for a long time that Li Yi would be as rich and powerful as he is today.

In fact, Chen didn’t think so when she was in Xiajin.

She even complained to her husband privately that her nephew didn't want to find a job and just wandered around with a bunch of boys all day long.

I'm afraid I'll become an idle playboy in the future.

But now... Chen felt that although her husband was not very capable, he had a good sister. Look at how capable the son she gave birth to is!

"We are all benefiting from Erlang now. You used to say..." Uncle Liu muttered loudly, but after his wife rolled her eyes at him, he swallowed the rest of his words.

Then he sighed again, "Sister's life is really miserable. She has never had a good life. She won't be able to see Erlang become so successful..."

Uncle Liu Da was still thinking about his deceased sister. Thinking that his sister could not enjoy the rich and prosperous life today, he couldn't help feeling a little depressed.

Aunt Chen secretly pinched her husband, then looked at Li Yi with a flattering expression and said, "Brother Yi, your cousin doesn't have much ability, but he still has a lot of strength. You should bring him with you to run errands and do odd jobs for you. You can't let him eat and drink here for free, right?"

"Aunt, you're being too formal. We're all family. Why would you say you're eating and drinking for free? Are you worried that I, your nephew, can't support a few people?"

Li Yi sat in the main seat, took the porridge handed to him by the maid, and replied with a smile, "But if my cousin really wants to find something to do, after this busy period is over, I will have someone find a job for him. He can work on it first and we'll talk about it later."

His cousin was just like his uncle, a simple and honest person, but he really didn't have any special talents and could only do hard labor.

Li Yi has no shortage of people to run errands and do odd jobs around him, so there is naturally no need for his cousin to follow him. It would be better to find him a job to do. If he can make some money, then he can make some. If he can't, it doesn't matter.

Anyway, with Li Yi's current position as the commander-in-chief of the inner palace guards, plus the double salary of the remote governor, it is more than enough to support dozens of people.

Aunt Chen smiled happily and said, "It's just a matter of a word from you, Brother Yi."

Li Yi smiled but didn't respond. He took a sip of porridge from the bowl and glanced at his uncle's family of eight.

Uncle Liu Da was rather silent and didn't like to talk much, but my aunt was always trying to make small talk, but she was basically trying to please Li Yi.

My cousin Liu Zhengqi is quite unique. He doesn't sit at the table to eat, but squats by the doorstep, holding a bowl in one hand and a pancake in the other, and concentrates on eating.

I don’t know if it’s a habit developed in the countryside.

My cousin's wife, Mrs. Qi, was a little reserved. She didn't say much or look much, and she had to take care of two young children while eating.

As for my cousin, they didn't say a word and just focused on eating.

The ones who are probably the most relaxed are Li Yi's cousins ​​and nieces.

The two little guys didn't have much thought in their mind. They just drooled at the sumptuous breakfast on the table.

I wanted to fill my mouth up so much that my hands and mouth corners were all dirty.

The diverse expressions of the crowd reminded Li Yi of a famous painting from later generations: The Last Supper.

Li Yi was amused. He turned and leaned close to Guo's ear, whispering, "That silver hairpin is a bit tacky. I'll get you a nice set of hairpins when I have time."

Guo was stunned. Feeling Li Yi's warm breath blowing on her ear, her face suddenly became hot and red all the way to her ears.

She glanced secretly and her aunt seemed to notice Li Yi's little movement and looked over here.

Guo quickly pushed Li Yi gently.

Only then did Li Yi distance himself from Guo.

He had no intention of hiding his close relationship with Guo from his uncle's family, but he knew that Guo was shy, so he didn't take the initiative to make it clear for the time being.

But after my uncle's family stays for a while longer, everyone will understand the matter without having to say it.

In this way, the family's breakfast ended in a slightly awkward atmosphere.

Before leaving, Li Yi casually said to his aunt Chen: "Yulan has grown into a lady. Don't treat her like a child anymore. You should also pay attention to the differences between men and women."

Although he said this very tactfully, I think my aunt Chen should understand.

……

Ride a horse to the yamen.

Many commanders from various divisions of the Palace Army have already arrived. The Imperial Guards have rested for more than half a month since returning from the expedition, and each division has gradually begun to resume normal duty.

However, Li Yi did not see Zhang Yongde come to the yamen, and he didn't know if he really drank too much yesterday.

Sat in the official room for a while.

Li Yi couldn't help feeling a little bored, and there was nothing he needed to deal with for the time being, so he simply prepared to go to the barracks of the Inner Palace Guards.

Unexpectedly, at this time, the Deputy Privy Councilor Wei Renpu sent someone to invite him.

As soon as he saw Wei Renpu, he smiled and said, "I'm afraid Envoy Li's leisurely days are over. His Majesty is preparing to assign you a new mission."

Li Yi asked in confusion, "Envoy Wei, what is your mission?"

Wei Renpu said, "His Majesty has ordered you to be the inspector of the appearance of the troops in front of the palace, to assist the two commanders of the Palace Army and the Imperial Guard, and to supervise the rectification of the imperial guards."

I rely on!

Palace Inspector...It would be better if the last five characters could be removed and a "都" (all) could be added in the middle.

Of course, Li Yi was just thinking so.

He's still far from qualified...

Seeing Li Yi was a little dazed, Wei Renpu joked, "Could it be that Envoy Li is unwilling to share His Majesty's worries?"

"My subordinates dare not!"

Li Yi instantly came to his senses and immediately expressed his loyalty, "I am honored to have your Majesty's trust in me and to have entrusted me with such an important task. I will definitely give it my all."

“It’s not about going all out, but about getting it done.”

Wei Renpu reminded him sternly, "Although the Inspector General is only a temporary assignment, the army is the foundation of the nation. The task of rectifying the imperial guards is a heavy responsibility, and no mistakes can be made."

After a pause, he said earnestly, "His Majesty has high hopes for you, Li Dushi!"

(End of this chapter)