Chapter 327: A Nighttime Conversation Between Husband and Wife

This year’s military banquet for the Suiye New Year invited only women, while the men had to drink at home. As soon as it darkened, Li Fei Yuanli brought two bottles of wine to his brother Li Fei Shouyu’s house. Neither of them was stationed in Suiye. Li Fei Yuanli was the highest military commander in the Hezhong region; he returned to Suiye to report to Li Qingan. Li Fei Shouyu, on the other hand, was the deputy governor of Anxi and the military commander of Shule, based in Shule itself. His home was in Suiye, and he came back this time to spend the New Year with his family.

Li Fei Shouyu’s home was located west of Suiye City, a large mansion covering thirty acres. Li Fei Shouyu’s wife was Qian Niang, who had been rescued from the Liyuan residence years ago. Unlike many high-ranking officials in Anxi who had multiple wives and concubines, Li Fei Shouyu was deeply in love with his wife and refused to take concubines. Qian Niang gave birth to two daughters, and feeling guilty, she advised her husband to take concubines to have sons. But Li Fei Shouyu refused firmly, saying, “There is only Qian Niang in my heart; I can’t accommodate any other woman!”

Touched by his words, Qian Niang stopped advising him, and the family lived together in harmony and happiness. Li Fei Shouyu’s family had originally hired over a dozen maids and servants. After the abolition of slavery in Anxi, he followed Li Qingan’s example and burned all their slave contracts. The maids and servants could leave at any time, but because of the kindness and integrity of Li Fei Shouyu and his wife, they preferred to stay and live with them. Qian Niang then doubled their wages, treating them as her own servants.

Li Fei Shouyu chose to live in Suiye not because of Li Qingan’s request, but because Suiye had Anxi’s only girls’ school, with over twenty female teachers and hundreds of female students. The students learned reading, writing, music, and dancing. Desiring his daughters to succeed, Li Fei Shouyu sent his five-year-old eldest daughter to the school, planning to send his younger daughter there in two years when she was older.

While Li Fei Shouyu was playing with his two daughters, someone came to inform him that their eldest brother had arrived. He quickly went out to greet him. “Elder brother, I actually needed to talk to you.”

Li Fei Yuanli waved the wine bottle in his hand and smiled, “This is the best Sarab from Persia. Let’s talk while drinking.”

Qian Niang also came out; she had just returned from the banquet and hadn’t had a chance to talk to her husband yet. She smiled and said, “You two brothers, go to the study and drink. I’ll prepare hot wine and dishes for you.”

Li Fei Yuanli winked and said, “Sister-in-law, let me tell you something—Shouyu has taken five concubines in Shule.”

Li Fei Shouyu slapped the back of his head and scolded him with a smile, “Really? Now that your wife isn’t around, your mischief instincts are kicking in again.”

“Hehe! Admit it, you’re feeling guilty, right?”

Qian Niang shook her head and laughed, “You! You’re always so irresponsible. I won’t believe your nonsense. You guys sit down; I’ll heat up the wine for you.”
She took the wine bottle and left. Li Fei Yuanli stretched his neck and shouted, “Sister-in-law, I’m telling the truth. If you don’t believe me, go ask in Shule.”
“Enough! Enough! Will you ever stop?”
Li Fei Shouyu punched him again. Li Fei Yuanli laughed and said, “I was just joking with you. Actually, I took five beautiful foreign concubines in Hezhong. Are you envious?”
“I’m not envious of you at all. Come with me to the study; I have serious matters to discuss with you.”
The two brothers entered the study. Li Zi Shouyu poured a cup of hot tea for his elder brother. Li Fei Yuanli was about to make a joke when he saw their serious expressions, so he swallowed his words.
“Just say what you have to say!”
Li Fei Shouyu turned around and closed the door before sitting down and lowering his voice, “Have you heard about the General?”
“Qi Lang? What’s wrong with Qi Lang?”
Li Zi Yuanli had just returned from Hezhong and hadn’t heard anything about Li Qingan. He hesitated for a moment and said, “I only heard that he went to Hexi to suppress bandits. It seems strange—why would he go there? That’s crossing the border!”
“It seems you’re unaware. Don’t you know? The General is actually a descendant of Li Jiancheng.”
“A traitor?” Li Zi Yuanli was stunned. “Which traitor?”
“Nonsense!”
Li Fei Shouyu slapped him on the head. “I’m talking about Prince Li Jiancheng, who was killed in the Xuanwu Gate Incident. The General is his descendant and has been hiding in Suiye.”
“That can’t be! When I took him in at the fortress back then, he was almost starving. He doesn’t seem like a member of the royal family at all. Besides, if he lived in Suiye, he should speak Turkic, but I know he learned it later.”
Li Fei Yuanli knew quite a lot about Li Qingan’s background and remained skeptical about this claim. But Li Fei Shouyu shook his head and said, “Stop doubting. Everyone knows now. I heard even the court has acknowledged it—the General is indeed from the royal family. But that’s not important. What’s important is what the General wants to do.”
“What does he want to do?”
“Idiot!”
Li Fei Shouyu slapped him again and gritted his teeth, “Can’t you guess? The General wants to ascend the throne and become emperor!”
“He wants to rebel?”
Li Fei Yuanli jumped in shock. Li Fei Shouyu pulled him back down and said, “Don’t get excited!”
At that moment, the door knocked. Qian Niang called out from outside, “The food and wine are ready. Open the door quickly!”

Li Fei Shouyu quickly turned around and opened the door. Qian Niang brought in over a dozen plates of food and drinks with two maids, along with a bucket of hot water in which wine was warmed. Li Fei Shouyu said to his wife, “You go! I can handle it here.”
Seeing Li Fei Yuanli’s serious expression, completely different from his playful one earlier, Qian Niang realized they were discussing serious matters. She nodded and said, “Alright! Go ahead and talk. I won’t disturb you.”
She took the two maids out and closed the door. Only then did Li Fei Yuanli let out a soft sigh. “I never thought the soldier I promoted back then would try to seize the throne. Who would have believed it?”
“It’s not the time for reflections. Let me ask you—should we take this risk?” Li Fei Shouyu stared at his elder brother, his eyes almost popping out.
Li Fei Yuanli wasn’t foolish at all. He understood what his brother meant. “You’re saying whether we should support him in his bid for the throne?”
Li Fei Shouyu nodded slowly. “That’s exactly what I mean. If we support him, we risk losing all our wealth and glory for the rest of our lives. If he fails, we’ll also suffer ruin. If we don’t support him, we should leave as soon as possible.”
Li Fei Yuanli stroked his stubble-covered chin and smiled. “Brother, you and I refer to him differently. You call him the Great General, while I call him Qi Lang. No matter how high his rank becomes or whether he becomes my superior, I still see him as my brother. Do you understand what I mean?”
Li Fei Shouyu nodded silently. “I understand!”
Li Fei Yuanli patted his brother’s shoulder and smiled. “Brother, I know you can’t bear to leave Qian Niang and your two nieces behind. But you really don’t need to worry. We can leave our family in Suiye or Hezhong and join him. If he succeeds, we’ll enjoy wealth and glory together. If he fails, we’ll immediately flee back to Lingxi and take our family to Hezhong. I’ve heard from the Sogdians that there are many countries in the west. We can simply flee there. The court won’t be able to do anything to us. What do you think? Our feet are still on us.”
Li Fei Shouyu drained the wine in his cup and shook his head. “I think differently from you. If I decide to support him, I’ll be utterly loyal to him—fleeing with him if necessary, dying with him if needed. By then, Qian Niang and my two nieces will have to rely on you.”
“Stop saying such depressing things!”

Li Fei Yuanli smiled as he poured him a full cup of wine and said, “I don’t know about others, but I know Qi Lang extremely well. This kid is bold yet cautious—someone meant to achieve great things. I know he’ll leave himself a backdoor. With Anxi as his support, he can either sweep the world or dominate a region on his own. Brother, listen to me—let’s support him. If I come to this world without achieving something remarkable, it would be a real shame. Whether we live or die, let’s leave it to fate!”
Seeing his brother still pondering with his cup in hand, Li Fei Yuanli raised his own cup and said with a smile, “Enough! Let’s not talk about this on New Year’s Day. Let’s drink this cup together.”
“Okay, let’s not talk about it. Let’s drink!”
The two clinked their cups and drank them in one gulp.
…
That night, Qian Niang put her two daughters to bed and returned to her own room. After spending some time affectionately with her husband, she noticed he seemed preoccupied and asked with a smile, “What’s wrong? You seem worried on New Year’s Day. Could it be that my elder brother was telling the truth?”
“Do you believe him?”
Li Fei Shouyu sat down, staring blankly out the window. Qian Niang came over, stroked his head, and said with a smile, “I’m a woman, so of course I care whether you’ve been fooling around outside. But I’ve never believed my elder brother’s words. He’s the one who’s taken five concubines for himself.”
Li Fei Shouyu wrapped his arms around his wife’s waist and said with a smile, “Tell me, how was the banquet this afternoon?”
“Very good! I mean, Du Gu Mingyue was absolutely wonderful.”
Qian Niang sighed, “She truly lives up to being a noble lady—not only is she stunningly beautiful, but she also handled everything gracefully, making the banquet a huge success. What impressed me the most was that she didn’t neglect anyone. She even took care of the families of the soldiers. The wives of two soldiers who died were so moved that they cried. It’s really fortunate for the general to have such a wife.”
Li Fei Shouyu nodded and said, “The Du Gu family is a prominent clan in Guanlong. By marrying their eldest daughter, he’s connected with the powerful families of Guanlong. Before, I thought he just had a dancer; now it seems he’s the one meant to achieve great things.”
“Yes! But my husband is the best—he’s not infidel at all. It’s my fortune to be married to you.”
Qian Niang lowered her head and gave her husband’s cheek a deep kiss. Suddenly remembering something, she said with a smile, “Let me tell you, this afternoon, Shi Sanniang had a big argument with Chen Fengzhong’s wife.”
Li Fei Shouyu was surprised. “Why?”

“It’s all because of the General’s decree to abolish slavery! Everyone was talking about it this afternoon—some supported it, some complained. It’s quite normal, but Chen Fengzhong’s wife started cursing loudly, viciously attacking the decree, and even said her husband intended to go to Chang’an to sue Li Qing’an.”
Li Fei Shouyu frowned and said, “How can such a woman be so stupid?”
“I said the same thing—who would openly say they’re going to sue their superior? Later, I heard from Lady Duan that Chen Fengzhong’s family originally had thousands of slaves. After the decree was issued, most of them ran away to join the army or get land. The remaining hundred or so female slaves kept demanding their freedom papers, causing chaos in their household. Moreover, they had to release their slaves by March, so Chen Fengzhong’s wife took the opportunity during a banquet to cause trouble, angering Lady Shi. They had a fierce argument, and she almost drew her sword to kill her. Luckily, I held her back tightly; otherwise, Lady Shi would have killed her.”
Li Fei Shouyu shook his head and laughed, “My sister-in-law has suffered a lot and was saved by the General. Her fierce temper even scares my elder brother. Naturally, she wouldn’t tolerate Chen Fengzhong’s wife causing trouble at a banquet. But I wonder how the lady handled this situation?”
“The lady didn’t confront her directly. She told everyone that abolishing slavery in Anxi wasn’t decided by the General alone. Opinions from all officers above the rank of captain were sought first, and the vast majority agreed before the decision was made. She also said that everyone could see the results of abolishing slavery—slaves became self-sufficient farmers, got land, and were eager to join the army to fight. Aside from a few exceptions, most people’s lives weren’t greatly affected. If one treats their servants well, they won’t leave easily. Only those who treat their servants like beasts will surely have a hard time under the new decree.”
At this, Lady Qian smiled and said, “After she spoke, she received enthusiastic applause from everyone. In the end, Chen Fengzhong’s wife left in shame.”

Li Fei Shouyu said nothing. He had also attended the high-level discussions in Anxi regarding the abolition of slavery. It could be said that the abolition law was highly appropriate for Anxi’s situation—its territory was vast but sparsely populated, with at least 30% of the population living outside official records as private slaves. Abolishing slavery would free these people to become self-sufficient farmers. More importantly, it would attract many escaped slaves from the Central Plains, greatly increasing Anxi’s population and strengthening the Tang army’s control over Lingxi, ensuring a stable source of troops for Anxi’s army. This was a point of consensus among everyone. The only concern was that the abolition law might face criticism from the imperial elite. Yet after weighing the pros and cons, they all agreed to abolish slavery. Of course, it would also infringe on some people’s interests—such as Chen Fengzhong, who owned 30 hectares of fertile land near Kucha and had a thousand slaves, making him the richest slave owner in Anxi. But he was a beneficiary of the previous regime under Fumeng Lingcha; how could Li Qing’an’s subordinates accept him? The abolition law was essentially a form of reshuffling interests. Recognizing this, the main generals of Anxi’s army unanimously agreed to it.

Li Fei Shouyu had initially been somewhat worried and skeptical about Li Qing’an’s ambition to seize power. But after discussing the abolition law with his wife, his doubts were dispelled. From this matter alone, it was clear that Li Qing’an was a man of great courage and practical thinking. Everyone knew that slavery and land consolidation in the Tang Dynasty had led to severe consequences, and this trend had spread to Anxi as well. There, human traffickers were rampant, and even the most remote towns had slave markets. On one hand, there was a shortage of food and troops; on the other, a large population was trapped in private ownership, with slavery becoming a major problem in Anxi. Yet in the hundred years since Anxi returned to the Tang Dynasty, who had the courage to propose abolishing slavery? Could Gai Jiayun? Fumeng Lingcha? Gao Xianzhi? Everyone feared offending the imperial elite. But Li Qing’an did—it took courage to eliminate outdated practices, break the shackles of unfair interests, and redistribute wealth. Naturally, he won the support of the majority of Anxi’s army officers, as well as farmers and slaves. Such a visionary and courageous man, now a member of the Tang royal family, had a legitimate claim to power. So why should Li Fei Shouyu worry?

At that moment, Li Fei Shouyu’s doubts vanished completely. His worries from months past were gone. He had never felt so at ease before. He laughed heartily, scooped up his wife with one leg, kissed her deeply, and said, “Let’s have another daughter!”

Qian Niang smiled charmingly, wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck, and said softly, “Why have a daughter? This time, I want to give my husband a son.”