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(A/N: Don't forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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Lie Fan nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to face the rest of the ministers, raising his voice so it carried across the courtyard.
"Furthermore," Lie Fan announced, looking directly at Chen Qun and Xun You, "begin the immediate preparations for a Grand Imperial Court session. The time for marching is done, the time for rewarding is upon us. I want the ledgers of merit brought before me. We will be giving out royal rewards, distributing captured lands, and issuing major promotions to every general, strategist, and soldier who proved themselves worthy during this brutal campaign."
A murmur of excitement rippled through the assembled generals behind him. Zhang Liao and Taishi Ci stood a little taller.
"We must solidify the new hierarchy of this unified empire," Lie Fan concluded, his voice ringing with absolute authority. "We will honor the blood shed for Hengyuan, and then... we will publicly discuss the fate of Cao Cao and the Cao Clan, ensuring the realm understands the justice and the finality of our victory. Let the ministries prepare!"
"By your command, Your Majesty!" the advisors chorused, instantly shifting their minds toward the massive bureaucratic undertaking that lay ahead.
With the most pressing matters of state delegated to his flawlessly efficient government, Lie Fan felt the heavy, suffocating mantle of the Emperor finally begin to slip from his shoulders.
He turned away from the sweeping jade stairs of the main political hall. He looked down at Crown Prince Muchen, whose eyes were bright with the excitement of returning home.
Lie Fan placed his heavy, armored hand on his son's shoulder, giving it a warm, affectionate squeeze. "Come, Muchen. We have kept the empire waiting long enough. Now, we have kept our family waiting."
Leaving the generals and ministers to coordinate the massive logistical undertaking of settling the returning army and securing the prisoners, Lie Fan and Muchen walked side by side, flanked only by the Yellow Ghost Bodyguard, Zhang Mancheng, away from the political epicenter of the palace.
They walked through a series of beautifully carved moon gates, crossing over arched stone bridges that spanned tranquil, lotus filled koi ponds.
The harsh, metallic clanking of armor slowly gave way to the soft, serene sounds of trickling water and the sweet, intoxicating scent of blooming osmanthus and jasmine.
They were entering the Harem Palace, the sprawling, breathtakingly beautiful private sanctuary of the imperial family.
As they approached the intricately carved, golden lacquered double doors of the main hall of the Harem Palace, the doors were thrown open from the inside by a pair of beaming, tearful Imperial Maids.
Lie Fan stepped over the threshold, and the breath caught in his throat.
The main hall was a vision of absolute, heartwarming splendor. Standing in the center of the vast, silk draped room, their faces radiating a mixture of overwhelming relief, profound love, and tearful joy, were the women who anchored his soul.
At the forefront stood Empress Ying Yue. She wore a stunning, regal gown of deep crimson and gold, the imperial phoenix embroidered across her chest, but all her royal composure melted away the second she laid eyes on her husband. Her eyes brimmed with tears, her hands clasped tightly together over her heart.
Flanking the Empress were his beloved concubines, each a peerless beauty who had carved out a unique place in his heart. The ethereal Diao Chan wept openly, her delicate features flushed with emotion. The scholarly and graceful Cai Wenji offered a smile of profound, quiet gratitude to the heavens.
Lu Lingqi stood tall, her eyes shining with fierce, martial pride at her husband's absolute conquest. And the captivating Zhen Ji, her charm undeniable even in her tearful relief, beamed at him.
But it was not just his wives waiting for him. The hall was a chaotic, joyful swarm of his legacy.
Standing just beside Empress Ying Yue was Muchen's twin sister, the thirteen year-old Princess Yaoyao. She had inherited her mother's breathtaking grace and her father's sharp, intelligent eyes.
She practically vibrated with excitement, desperate to run to her father and her twin brother but trying her hardest to maintain the dignified poise of an imperial princess.
Hovering nervously behind her were the two nine year old girls, the younger Yaoyao and Nuonuo, clutching each other's hands, their eyes wide as saucers as they looked at the towering, blood stained armor of their legendary father.
Suddenly, a small blur of motion broke from the ranks of the women. The five year old boy, Xuanxuan, completely abandoning any concept of royal decorum, sprinted across the polished floor on his short legs.
"Imperial Father!" Xuanxuan shrieked with pure, unadulterated joy.
Lie Fan let out a booming laugh, tossing his heavenly halberd carelessly to Zhang Mancheng. He dropped to one knee, the heavy iron plates of his armor clanking loudly against the floorboards, and caught the five year old boy, lifting Xuanxuan high into the air as the child giggled uncontrollably.
As Lie Fan stood up, holding his son, the rest of the family surged forward.
Lu Lingqi walked toward him with a brilliant smile, cradling the three year old boy, Liangliang, in her strong arms. The toddler chewed on his fingers, staring curiously at the shiny dragons etched into his father's breastplate.
Right beside her came Zhen Ji, carefully holding the youngest of the imperial brood, the one year old baby boy Mumu, who babbled happily at the sudden commotion.
Empress Ying Yue closed the distance, entirely ignoring the grime and soot that still clung to Lie Fan's armor. She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face against his iron shoulder, sobbing quietly with the sheer, overwhelming release of months of terrifying anxiety.
"You came back to us," Ying Yue whispered, her voice trembling against his armor. "You won the world, and you came back safe."
Lie Fan wrapped his free arm around his Empress, holding her tightly, closing his eyes as he breathed in the scent of her hair.
He felt Diao Chan's delicate hand resting on his back, and saw Muchen being immediately swarmed by his twin sister Yaoyao and the younger girls, who demanded to know everything about the great campaign.
"I am home Yue'er," Lie Fan murmured softly, kissing the top of Ying Yue's head. He looked around the main hall, taking in the tearful, joyous faces of Cai Wenji, Lu Lingqi, and Zhen Ji, and the chaotic, beautiful noise of all his children laughing and talking at once.
The brutal siege of Chang'An, the agonizing philosophy of bloodlines, the heavy, suffocating weight of executing rival emperors, it all faded into the background, washed away by the brilliant, undeniable warmth of this room.
The brutal siege of Chang'an, the agonizing philosophy of bloodlines, the heavy, suffocating weight of executing rival emperors—it all faded into the background, washed away by the brilliant, undeniable warmth of this room. He was the Emperor of the unified central plains, the undisputed master of millions. But standing here, surrounded by the laughter of his children and the tears of the women who loved him, Lie Fan felt a victory far more profound and absolute than any crown could ever offer.
He gently, reluctantly pulled back from Empress Ying Yue's embrace, keeping his left arm securely around her waist. With his right hand still effortlessly holding the giggling five year old Xuanxuan, Lie Fan turned his attention to the rest of the extraordinary women who shared his life and his throne.
He stepped toward Diao Chan. The famed beauty, whose ethereal grace had once captivated tyrants and heroes alike, now looked at him with eyes that held only pure, unadulterated devotion.
Lie Fan leaned down, pressing a tender kiss to her forehead. "Your letters sustained my spirit during the darkest nights of the siege, Chan'er," he whispered, feeling her delicate hands squeeze his armored arm.
Next to her stood Cai Wenji, the scholar poet whose intellect rivaled the greatest minds of his court. She offered a serene, profound smile, the anxiety that had shadowed her features for months finally dissipating.
Lie Fan wrapped his free arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a warm embrace and pressing a kiss to the crown of her head. "The library of Chang'an is secured, Ji'er," he murmured against her hair. "We shall have lifetimes to study the ancient texts together."
He then moved to Lu Lingqi. The fierce daughter of the Flying General did not weep; instead, her eyes blazed with a fierce, possessive pride.
She shifted the three year old Liangliang to her hip, freeing a hand to trace the jagged scratch on Lie Fan's breastplate left by a Wei halberd. "You made them bleed for every inch," she stated, more a fact than a question. Lie Fan chuckled, kissing her deeply on the forehead. "I did. And I thought of your halberd forms every time I struck Qi'er."
Finally, he stepped toward Zhen Ji. The captivating beauty of the north, who held the youngest imperial prince, Mumu, offered a smile that could melt the winter snows.
Lie Fan leaned in, kissing her softly on the forehead before gently chucking the one year old Mumu under his chubby chin, earning a delighted, toothless gurgle from the baby. "You have kept our home bright and full of life, Zhen'er," Lie Fan told her softly.
Having greeted the pillars of his harem, Lie Fan turned his full, beaming attention to the chaotic, joyous swarm of his children. He lowered Xuanxuan to the floor, ruffling the boy's hair, before turning to his eldest daughter.
Thirteen year old Princess Yaoyao, Muchen's twin, had managed to maintain her imperial poise for exactly two minutes before the sheer relief of seeing her father shattered her decorum.
She threw her arms around Lie Fan's waist, burying her face against his armor. "We missed you so much, Imperial Father," she mumbled.
"And I missed you, my clever little phoenix," Lie Fan smiled, kissing the top of her head. He then crouched down, opening his arms wide to receive the twin impacts of the nine year old girls, the younger Yaoyao and Nuonuo, who collided with him in a flurry of giggles and questions.
He hugged them both tightly, kissing their cheeks, promising to tell them all the stories of the western mountains. He made sure to greet every single one of his children, ensuring they all felt the absolute, undivided warmth of their father's return.
Empress Ying Yue watched the beautiful, chaotic reunion with a heart so full it physically ached. She wiped the last of her tears away with a silk handkerchief, her regal composure slowly returning, replaced by the pragmatic, loving authority of the Empress and mother.
She stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Lie Fan's shoulder. "Husband, you reek of smoke, horse sweat, and the road," she teased gently, her eyes crinkling with affection. "I have already instructed the Imperial Maids to draw a hot bath for you in your private chambers. The waters are infused with lotus and sandalwood. You must go and clean yourself up."
Lie Fan looked down at his blood splattered, soot-stained armor and chuckled. "I suppose carrying the scent of conquered cities into the Harem Palace is a breach of etiquette."
Ying Yue then turned her attention to Crown Prince Muchen. The boy was currently being interrogated by his twin sister Yaoyao, who was demanding to know if he had actually seen Dian Wei throw a horse. Ying Yue stepped forward, enveloping her son in a fiercely tight hug that momentarily lifted him off his feet.
"Oh, my brave, brilliant boy," Ying Yue whispered fiercely into Muchen's ear. "You left a prince, and you have returned a man." She pulled back, holding him at arm's length, her eyes sweeping over his dusty traveling clothes and the newfound maturity hardening his jawline. "You have made us all so proud. But you also smell like a cavalry camp. Go to your quarters and bathe. We will all have a grand family lunch together as soon as you are both presentable."
Lie Fan nodded enthusiastically. He looked at Ying Yue, then glanced at Diao Chan, Cai Wenji, Lu Lingqi, and Zhen Ji. A hopeful, boyish grin spread across the Emperor's face.
"Tell me," Lie Fan asked, his eyes dancing with anticipation, "did you... did you and my beautiful wives cook the dishes yourselves today?"
The five women exchanged a warm, knowing glance. It was a cherished tradition within the Lie household, an intimate expression of love that transcended their imperial status.
Despite having a small army of the finest chefs in the empire at their disposal, the Empress and the concubines would often personally prepare the meals for the most significant family occasions.
Ying Yue smiled brightly, nodding her head. "We did. We have been in the imperial kitchens since dawn. Sister Diao Chan prepared the smoked duck, Sister Wenji made the lotus root soup, Sister Lingqi spiced the roasted lamb, Sister Zhen Ji baked the sweet pastries, and I prepared your favorite braised pork belly."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0