Bad Timing
The emperors had a deadline to meet and they were doing everything in their power to prepare.
In one month they were going to have a celebration where they would invite all the soldiers and the ruling families within their empire.
Inviting all classes of soldiers was to show that they didn't feel they were above anyone else despite their status. On the other hand, inviting the ruling families would be their way to extend a hand towards them and say that there wasn't any bad blood despite the previous emperor's reputation.
In order to prepare, the biggest concern was more housing for visitors and new housing for soldiers. They were already bursting at the seams with the soldiers who already lived there. Varya wanted to prove that comfort of their men was their highest priority.