Chapter Sixty-Two: Overlooking the Imperial Guards

Over the next few days, the emperor’s actions finally put the empress’s heart at ease. Though he continued to dote on the young girl, his affection was restrained by propriety; while it appeared to border on impropriety, it remained within acceptable bounds. The only reason for these lapses was the girl’s youthful innocence, her own initiative in seeking physical closeness with the emperor.

Each time the empress saw her younger sister pestering the emperor, his helpless yet earnest demeanor always made her smile. Yet she also sensed his genuine sincerity.

Day after day, aside from his training and reviewing the state affairs sent to the palace, and occasionally holding court, the emperor had assumed another task: instructing the young girl in knowledge and martial arts. He even demanded, as emperor, that she strictly follow his own schedule.

Thus, the training ground in the inner court now featured a new figure each day: the little girl, Zhang Sirou. Sometimes, the mischievous monkey would join in for some fun.

“Your Majesty, my father has quietly asked me several times—when will Your Majesty leave the palace?” After several days, Lady Wang could no longer hold back her curiosity. After breakfast, she anxiously posed the question.

Liu Tan had originally intended to negotiate personally, but gradually his thoughts shifted. He wondered whether he could entrust the entire matter to Lady Wang. In the past few days, he had deliberately imparted new ideas, unknown to the world, and some crucial points. Both women proved capable of drawing inferences and learning by analogy.

He replied, “You two have the right to leave the palace twice each month to visit your families. I think this business partnership should be handled by you both. Agree on the terms, draft the contract, and I will simply seal it.”

Lady Wang and Lady Li exchanged a glance, their eyes betraying uncertainty and anxiety.

Liu Tan encouraged them, saying, “If I personally handle everything, you two will never learn to stand on your own. There is only one project right now, papermaking. Treat it as practice. Even if something goes amiss, I can fix it. If the enterprise grows and you still cannot manage it, it will be harder to control. So for this first venture, treat it as a trial and go forth with confidence.”

They took a deep breath and agreed. Lady Wang immediately said, “Your Majesty, then we will leave the palace today. If there’s progress, we’ll report back.”

“Go ahead,” Liu Tan said.

He had thought about this thoroughly. His energy was limited; if he could cultivate a few trusted aides to shoulder burdens, he would have more time for other matters, like training the troops. He wondered how far the Imperial Guard had advanced in their exercises—he was truly eager to see. He also wanted to check on the Armory to see if his methods for improving forging and assembly lines had been adopted, and whether standard measurements had been established.

There was also the establishment of the death squads and treasure-seekers, and Li Shan’s recruitment for the Eastern Bureau—had there been any progress?

In short, there was much to be done, but the only thing he could delegate was the money-making enterprise. Financial matters could be tracked, but military forces required his personal oversight.

At that moment, a commotion rose outside the hall. When consorts left the palace to visit their families, eunuchs, maids, and guards accompanied them—not only for their safety but to preserve the royal dignity. If a consort were bullied or entangled with men outside the palace, it would be a scandal for the royal family.

These attendants served both as protectors and as monitors to deter misconduct.

Of course, Liu Tan didn’t need to worry about such things. Once the hall quieted, he rose, comforted his sister-in-law, urged her to study diligently, greeted the empress, and left the palace.

Outside the city, at the Imperial Guard encampment.

Liu Tan and the empress wore the simplest blue robes, riding horses along the woodland path. Zhao Yun followed behind. From a distance, they could hear the thunderous drums and see clouds of dust rising from the camp.

The Imperial Guard camp was built against the cliffs of a great mountain. Liu Tan led them up to the cliffs, where they could overlook the entire camp. In the three training grounds below, all the guards were present, forming horizontal, vertical, and square formations—some practicing military posture, others drilling in formation, marching in step to shouts of “one, two, one, left, right, left, or one, two, three, four” mixed with the drumbeats.

From above, it truly looked impressive.

Liu Tan chuckled to himself. His rewards had indeed greatly increased the guards’ motivation to train. In the past, they trained, but never with such thunderous vigor.

Accompanied by the empress and Zhao Yun, he watched for a long time. Both were perplexed.

Especially Zhao Yun, who had spent decades in the military. He had never seen a unit train like this.

One formation stood motionless in the field for a long time.

Another group seemed to be practicing marching, though their pace was slow. Still, their lines were impeccably neat, coordinated front, back, left, and right. It looked less like marching drills and more like practicing formation alignment.

A third group, numbering over a thousand, was split into more than ten teams, walking back and forth across the field. Their steps seemed odd and unnatural.

Though they were too far to hear the footfalls, they could see the dust raised by each synchronized step.

Seeing their confusion, Liu Tan explained, “This is my own method of drilling the troops!” He pointed, “Uncle Zilong, look—this group is practicing military posture, that one is drilling formations, and the last is learning the formal march.”

Zhao Yun shook his head, “Your Majesty, I see them standing upright for ages, and another group training their formation’s neatness—but on the battlefield, what’s needed is agility and flexibility! As for the last group, marching like that is exhausting—it would not be advisable in combat.”

“Uncle Zilong, you have a point,” Liu Tan agreed, “But my method has its merits. Standing in military posture may seem simple, but anyone who tries it will feel the strain—it’s a severe test of endurance and willpower.”

The memory of standing in formation during university military training in his previous life was still vivid for Liu Tan, unforgettable.

“Formation drills train each soldier’s coordination and the team’s overall cohesion. The formal march greatly enhances the soldiers’ morale and bearing. Right now, their training time is brief, but given time, Uncle Zilong, you’ll see the subtleties.”

Zhao Yun was not entirely convinced, but replied, “Then I shall await the results.”

“Come, let’s head to the camp,” Liu Tan turned and led the way down the mountain. There was another project he had given special instructions for—though today it might not meet the standard, at least they could make a start.