19 EIGHTEEN

The Shang Di Emperor was the second Emperor of the Xi dynasty. He was originally given the personal name Li Yuan Tian, the second eldest son of The Late Emperor with The Empress Dowager.

The Late Emperor was the governor of Shanxi who rose in rebellion along with his supporters. His first born son died in war therefore the throne was passed to Li Yuan Tian who also joined the war with Li Liang Rong. After The Late Emperor reigned for eight years, he decided to retreat to the second palace at Luoyang , passed the throne to Li Yuan Tian, and became Taishang Huangdi.

While The Emperor was attending the regular assembly, it had crossed his mind that this year marked the year that he was reigning emperor longer than The Late Emperor.

"Huáng shang, the military conflict on the northwestern side still cannot be appeased and gets even more heated. In order to weaken both Western and Eastern Turks, please Huáng shang immediately give orders for military campaigns to be dispatched to the Western Regions against Gaochang." The Minister of War and Defense, Duke of Lin bowed down along with his first son, Commander Lin Rui En.

"This subject is in position to accept Huáng shang's edict for the campaigns." Commander Lin Rui En, who was about the same age as the two eldest sons of The Emperor, sounded confident to join the campaigns.

The Emperor acknowledged the Duke of Lin's loyalty and his capability. Duke of Lin was one of The Great Generals who fought along with him at the war. The Late Emperor bestowed him the title of a Duke and allowed him to retire after the Xi dynasty was established.

Laer after The Emperor succeeded the throne, The Emperor appointed Duke of Lin to become The Minister of War and Defense based on his experience and knowledge. The Emperor needed Duke of Lin's capability to manifest his intention to expand the empire.

"Duke of Lin… how old are you this year?"

Inside the court, The Emperor's voice sounded echo. From where he seated, he could spreaded his vision to all the directions where all subordinates did not dare to look directly towards him.

All his adult sons stood among the other ministers and other members of the government. Only The Grand Chancellor who has his own post which was in the middle of The Emperor and The Minister. This was the regular view everytime The Emperor attended the assembly.

The Duke of Lin did not raise his head and even lowered his forehead.

"Huáng shang, this year this subject will turn sixty years old. Heaven blessed this subject with health and three grown up sons. This official is fit to join the campaign." The Duke of Lin's voice was loud and stern.

The Emperor just nodded his head. "Since Duke of Lin is still capable of his post, Zhen assigned Duke of Lin to assist this campaign thoroughly with Zhen from the palace together with The Grand Chancellor. Both the Minister of War and Defense and The Grand Chancellor will choose each capable person from each department and form a faction to specifically report to Zhen on Xi's campaigns against the Western Turks."

"This official accepts The Emperor's words." The Grand Chancellor lifted up his hands while Duke of Lin perplexed.

Obviously ignoring Duke of Lin's request to be in the front line, The Emperor just put him back on his post at the office and even made him have to work along The Grand Chancellor which actually he disliked.

Knowing that The Duke of Lin was stunned, The Emperor ignored him and continued, "By mandate of Heaven…"

As soon as the words were said, all the qin Wangs and his subordinates lowered their heads to accept his words.

The Emperor continued, "Commander Lin Rui En, Duan Qin Wang, and Chen Qin Wang will lead military troops towards Gaochang effectively three days after the faction is final."

"Fuhuang…" Li Qing Feng dared to cut before Commander Lin and his brothers honoured the Imperial Edict.

He lifted up his palm and looked demur. "Among us, the four qing wang, even though sandi and sidi are also capable of joining the war, erchen is equally capable as dage is. Erchen requests to join the campaign."

The Emperor grinned as he witnessed his second son was burning up to join the military campaign. His family line has a military sense tied in their bloodline. Between the four grown up sons, only his third son did not have interest in physical ability. But The Emperor has his own motive behind the selection.

The Grand Chancellor bowed once again. "Rui Qin Wang's wedding day has not even passed a week. In my humble opinion, this is not appropriate for a newlywed to leave for a war."

Li Qin Feng was actually annoyed because The Grand Chancellor interrupted his ambitions to join the campaign. He was in complete darkness from knowing The Emperor's intention of choosing Duan Qin Wang to be in the front line.

Ever since The Emperor got the report about the perpetrator behind the tragic accident that led to Duan Wang Fu losing an heir, The Emperor noted that Jing Gui Fei possesses a huge ambition for Duan Qin Wang to succeed to the throne.

The Emperor knew all along that Jing Gui Fei and Shu Gui Fei shared the same ambition and had been putting their eyes on Han Yao Ying. Because The Emperor has huge respect towards his sister, The Grand Princess Li Liang Rong and The Empress Dowager who put her trust in Han Xiu Wen, for sure Han Yao Ying seemed like the most eligible bride for the next Crown Prince.

To be actually fair, The Emperor has not yet decided between both qin wang who will be The Crown Prince because he felt that he was still in his prime age. Even though the Xi Empire was prosperous and stable, The Emperor had a clear vision to keep expanding their territory.

Duan Qin Wang and Rui Qin Wang's age were just only a few months apart. Both of them are at the appropriate age to marry their wang fei. Meanwhile, Han Yao Ying and Jiang Xi Yu were in the top selection of noble daughters that were the same age and ready to be married to.

At first The Emperor paired Duan Qin Wang with Han Yao Ying while Rui Qin Wang with Jiang Xi Yu with the arrangement of the older with the older while the younger with the younger. There is no other meaning in it. It was simply because of their age.

But somehow The Empress acknowledged that Duan Qin Wang was once actively finding out information about the only daughter of the Duke of Jiang, Jiang Xi Yu. The rumour got into The Emperor's ear and he assumed Duan Qin Wang had some feelings towards the girl.

The marriage degree got modified right away before it got announced. The Emperor was satisfied with the marriage life that Li Fei Long showed to the public until he found out about the attempt to get rid of Jiang Xi Yu before Li Qing Feng wed Han Yao Ying.

The Emperor became enraged by Jing Gui Fei and also Duan Qin Wang as he was skeptical whether Li Fei Long shared the same motive with Jing Gui Fei or not. Since then The Emperor had his sight watch closely what Li Fei Long has been doing.

"Fuhuang, dage also not gifted with an heir yet. Erchen suggests for Fuhuang to reconsider dage to join this war. In Erchen's opinion, it is enough to have erchen and Commander Lin to lead the troops." Li Jin Qiu tried to change The Emperor's mind. He wanted to be at the front line and return as a hero.

"Erchen is willing to join the campaign and does not see erchen's current status of not having an heir yet as something that could pull out erchen from this post." Finally Li Fei Long voiced his opinion.

With fist up and head bowed, Li Fei Long continued, "Fuhuang was even one year younger than erchen by the time Fuhuang joined Fuhuang's first war. This is an honor for Erchen to follow Fuhuang's heroic trait as a devoted son."

In The Emperor's view, appointing Li Fei Long to be one of the leaders of the military troops was to prove Li Fei Long did not have the same greed as his birth mother. An Emperor has to think about his empire first and if Li Fei Long refuses or appears to object, it would show his true color.

"Good." The Emperor replied in satisfaction. "The edict is final. Therefore today 's assembly is done."

Raised from the throne seat, The Emperor did not wait until everyone finished their bid. By the time the last person who kneeled was raising his body, The Emperor had long gone to the back of the hall.

***

Back in Rui Wang Fu, Li Qing Feng went straight to his study room.

After receiving the edict, Li Qing Feng could not stop thinking about the assignment on his older and younger brother. It was actually an advance for him to stay safe back in the imperial city instead of joining the campaign that was just started. But on the other side, Li Qing Feng felt competitive.

He always craved for an acknowledgement of his capability to lead troops and provide a heroic move for his empire. Knowing his own older brother's skill, Li Qing Feng knew the possibility Li Fei Long would return as a winner was more likely than being death in the war. They grew up and learned many skills together. Li Qing Feng admitted how good Li Fei Long was and considered them both as equal.

"Wang ye, wang fei is here." Xiao Ya Zi gonggong informed him carefully.

Li Qing Feng turned his body and found Han Yao Ying already at the door and was walking closer to him with a flat face.

Han Yao Ying really uses her title as Rui Wang Fei to the fullest. She was always ready with full makeup everyday, wore only the finest fabrics she could find, and put on many pieces of jewelry and accessories on her hairdo and her body to show off her status.

He assumed that his wife wanted to be the richest woman in the empire. She was really compatible with his mother, Shu Gui Fei, which he found ironic as he started to fond someone that preferred to appear in a simple but yet radiant look.

"All of you wait for us outside." Han Yao Ying's order apparently also includes Xiao Ya Zi gonggong as she glared at him annoyingly.

Xiao Ya Zi bowed to them before turning around and led Han Yao Ying's yahuan to move outside. Only after the door was closed did Han Yao Ying open her mouth.

"I heard wang ye tried to join the campaign against the western Turks at this morning's assembly." She started the conversation.

"Apparently the palace birds fly fast enough and reach this fu in no time." Li Qing Feng replied back in a satirized tone. He moved his eyes back on the table where his work was widely open and his hands started to tidy it up one by one.

"Wouldn't it be better to be in a safe position here instead of standing at the front line?" Han Yao Ying sounded confused this time.

With his hand holding his official paper, Li Qing Feng returned his gaze on Han Yao Ying. "Do you really think Fuhuang would let anything happen to dage on his first war? Do you think dage is not ready for a military campaign like this?"

Li Qing Feng crushed the paper in his hand and threw it away. He looked down on Han Yao Ying who stood very close to him.

"Fuhuang only used this chance to punish Jing Gui Fei. By the time dage returns to the capital, he will carve his name as a hero and he will get more chances to be The Crown Prince." Li Fei Long said in anger.

"If Duan Qin Wang does not return alive, what he gets is just a name." Han Yao Ying replied to him quickly.

The way she said it made Li Qing Feng taken back. Her lips were thin but her words were sharp. With her flat expression, Han Yao Ying gave time for Li Qing Feng to digest it well.

"My father will submit General Jiang's name to join Commander Lin and Duan Qin Wang. At the front all of them will join The Great General Kong Li Jun. On the other hand, my brother, Han Hong Yuan, is set to marry the Great General Kong's daughter. When the Great General gives his support to The Grand Chancellor and The Grand Princess, it is an easy task to report to the palace that the three heroes have to sacrifice their lives in the war. " Han Yao Ying talked fluently like she was telling a fairy tale with a flat boring plot.

Li Qing Feng saw the silver lining. "The Grand Chancellor and The Grand Princess already planned it thoroughly."

By this time, the tip of Han Yao Ying's lips tugged. With pride, Han Yao Ying teased him. "Now wang ye can clearly see the difference between qie and Jiang Xi Yu."

Thinking about Jiang Xi Yu, Li Qing Feng's hands gripped Han Yao Ying's shoulder. Their eyes locked together.

Li Qing Feng asked with full worry. "Is there any plan for Duan Wang Fei that you have not told me about? What are you planning for her after dage came back in a lifeless state?"

The smile on Han Yao Ying's face vanished as soon as Li Qing Feng asked that question. She returned the gaze in anger.

"Since when did wang ye have interest in her? Is it worth it?"

Without realizing it, Li Qing Feng was gripping Han Yao Ying's shoulders very tightly until Han Yao Ying sighed in pain.

"The dragon seat…." She whispered in between her teeth to remind him about their main ambition together in the first place.

Half pushing her away, Li Qing Feng took his hands off of Han Yao Ying. He turned his body back on Han Yao Ying and then spreaded his hand on the table. He yelled at her angrily.

"All right. Do as you please!"

***

Having a busy day, Jiang Xi Yu did not realize it was already afternoon until a pair of hands circled her body and Li Fei Long pulled her close to him for a warm hug.

Her husband leaned his head on her shoulder and sniffed her neck sensually. His action made Ru Ming and Ru Qing step back in embarrassment. They tried to retreat as far as they could so their masters could have their own moment together at the main yard.

"New scent?" Clearly sniffing her neck instead of paying attention to the experiment on Jiang Xi Yu's hands, Li Fei Long made Jiang Xi Yu tickled by his action.

"Wang ye is sniffing me." Jiang Xi Yu tried to escape from him but his power was greater than her. In the end it was him who controlled her moves.

One of his hands trapped her body tightly. Slowly, the other hand started to go along her body. His breath created a sensation in Jiang Xi Yu's ear. Jiang Xi Yu giggled uncontrollably.

"Stop it. The servants could see us." Whispered, Jiang Xi Yu even dropped the new bottle of scent that she was creating to the ground and it broke. The scent spreaded around them and created a more intimate surrounding for them.

"I have something I need to tell you." Li Fei Long stopped his hand and Jiang Xi Yu waited.

"By the Imperial Edict, Commander Lin, Sidi, and I will start a campaign to the north." Li Fei Long dropped the news casually as he did not want Jiang Xi Yu to get a shock.

"Campaign?!" Jiang Xi Yu did not understand what he meant. She was trying to face Li Fei Long but he held her so tight until she could not move.

"Fuhuang always has the intention to weaken both, Western and Eastern Turks by trying to intervene in the rivalry between the both sides. As a result of that, a military conflict was created and we will have to start the official campaign to Gaochang at the northwest border of the empire." Li Fei Long explained slowly so Jiang Xi Yu could understand him.

"You meant a war? You got sent to a war?!" Shocked, Jiang Xi Yu tried to break off from Li Fei Long's hug. And it was easy as Li Fei Long let her be.

She turned around then studied his face to find any hint if he might be capricious but she cannot find anything beside how handsome he was. Li Fei Long's hands by then already held her hips possessively while she unknowingly put her hands on his chest. Jiang Xi Yu looked very much worried and already had so much imagination of a battlefield might like.

"Ho-how long? Whe-when are you leaving?" She stammered.

She never experienced having someone close to her need to go to the war when she was still living in the modern time. Jiang Xi Yu did not know what to do. She did not know how safe it would be and how long it would be. The feelings of worry began to develop, she did not want Li Fei Long to leave her alone. He was the closest person she has for now, what would she do without him?!

Li Fei Long touched her chin and brought her face up so her lips met with his. He gave her a sweet little kiss and happily smiled.

"No one knows how long it will be. In a few days we will start leaving the imperial city toward the northwest. I have ordered Ming He to prepare my armour, so now I need my wang fei to listen to me carefully."

Seriously waiting, Jiang Xi Yu felt the tense coming out from her.

In panic she asked, "Did you people bring your wife to the war too? Am I allowed to follow you to the battlefield?"

Laughter filled the air, then Li Fei Long shook his head. Jiang Xi Yu completely felt confused why her husband still found it funny and looked very much unwinded about his assignment that might cost his life.

After he calmed down, Li Fei Long answered her with a formal intonation. "Ben wang needs wang fei to manage Duan Wang Fu and by the time ben wang returns with a great accomplishment, bid welcome for ben wang's arrival at the front gate."

"As wang fei, I need to stay at home and wait?! Count my days fully worried as I am waiting for you to return? How could I live like that?!" Jiang Xi Yu blurted it out loud as she worried for Li Fei Long's safety.

Li Fei Long trapped her face between his palms.

This time he looked at her eyes and got more serious. "There is nothing to be worried about. Before you know it, you will receive the news about our victory and will accept me by the front gate of Duan Wang Fu."

Her long inhale made her calmer. Slowly, Li Fei Long's hands left her face. His face was back with a grin and he continued to his usual wicked self every time he was with her.

"Besides managing the fu, there is one thing I demand of you…"

Frowning at him, Jiang Xi Yu waited. "What is it?"

But Li Fei Long did not answer her. Instead, he lifted her body up and carried her on his shoulder like she was his trophy. Jiang Xi Yu could not help but scream as she was scared he would drop her on the ground and hurt her.

Being upside down, Jiang Xi Yu revolted as she wanted to come back to the ground. His strong build steadily brought her back into the bedchamber. With her on his shoulder, Li Fei Long entered the chamber boldly. He put her down on the bed then he started to strip himself off from his daily official clothes. From his glares, Jiang Xi Yu found lust.

"Ben wang has a few days to make sure wang fei will be carrying a child." Li Fei Long seduced her.

She knew her duty was to bring a lot of heirs. But they just lost one, Jiang Xi Yu did not expect she would carry another baby that soon. Li Fei Long might read it on her face. As soon as he was completely naked and looked very much aroused, Li Fei Long came down to her. Softly, he started to help Jiang Xi Yu take off her clothes.

In between their kisses, Li Fei Long stripped her naked. His hand cupped one of her breasts. Teasing her as he was trying to convince her. Being pushed back onto the bed, Jiang Xi Yu let Li Fei Long play with her body. His lips left her lips.

His finger was touching one of her nipples and made her moan softly. His body weight was heavily pressed on hers and positioned himself between her legs. His kisses ran down to her shoulder then to her breast.

The combination of his finger's movement and his lips on her breast made the sensation inside her bloomed. By then she already wanted him, but Li Fei Long did not stop there. His mouth left her nipple and his lips ran down to her stomach. Licking her navel, creating different waves on her.

Jiang Xi Yu lifted up her head to take a look at Li Fei Long. She moaned even louder than before as she saw Li Fei Long left behind her navel and went even further low. Her mind cannot believe Li Fei Long's action but he really did it. His both hands pressed her breasts and played with it. The pressure he made also made her stay still as his breath teased her lower part of her body.

She knew he was there, watching her private part, breathing right in front of her, and made her embarrassed. She wanted him to just return back facing her face and put his member inside her but he was still there.

She moaned lustfully when she felt a different touch on her below. The warm and wet touch was teasing her. First, Li Fei Long's tongue felt sneaky inside her, but slowly it got more intense.

Jiang Xi Yu cannot hold it. She knew, she knew Li Fei Long was licking her. His tongue tasted her and he was very much thirsty for her. She wanted him. He sucked her juice and created a new sensation that never Jiang Xi Yu ever imagined before.