Now she could enjoy his attentive service—tsk, tsk, truly fortune’s wheel had turned.

Yun Ya seemed to know what she was thinking and said softly, “If you’re willing to see me, I’d come to brew tea for you every day.”

She lowered her gaze to the clear tea in her cup, her lips curving slightly upward. “The great State Preceptor is truly dedicated. For the sake of the alliance between our two countries, you’re willing to humble yourself like this.”

Yun Ya’s jaw tightened slightly. “It’s no humiliation.” If it were merely for the alliance, why would he make this journey personally? Did this girl truly not know, or was she pretending?

The tea had been drunk, the courtesy paid—she should quit while ahead. After all, Yun Ya’s temper had never been particularly good; that he could swallow his pride to this extent was something she wouldn’t have dared imagine before. Feng Miao Jun sat up straight and spoke seriously, “Tell me, why must the Wei Kingdom ally with An Xia?”

“It’s only beneficial for An Xia.”

“I know.” At this stage, as long as there was no war or harassment from the Wei Kingdom, An Xia could gain precious time to develop and strengthen itself. So forming this alliance would benefit An Xia more, which was exactly what she couldn’t understand. How could either Yun Ya standing before her or Xiao Yan in the Wei capital possibly be so benevolent as to specifically benefit her?

When things are abnormally favorable, there must be a catch—the doubts hidden behind this were what made her so apprehensive. “But what advantage does it bring to the Wei Kingdom?”

Yun Ya glanced into the distance. “Yan Kingdom is urgently attacking Xi Kingdom and has already reached the banks of the Qinglan River. When summer arrives and the mountain snow melt decreases, Yan Kingdom’s resistance to crossing the river will greatly diminish. Moreover, they’ve divided their forces into four routes to invade Xi Kingdom, and the other routes have all made gains.” He paused, “The Qinglan River is the first natural barrier, and Xi Kingdom’s waterways crisscross, creating significant difficulty for the Yan Kingdom. But the Xi King is stubborn and cruel, and the country is riddled with internal conflicts. If left unchecked, Yan Kingdom’s absorption of Xi Kingdom is only a matter of time.”

Feng Miao Jun quickly deduced, “Wei Kingdom plans to send troops to aid Xi?”

“Yes.” This time, Yun Ya gave a very definitive answer. “The Yan King wants to emulate Emperor Haoli in unifying the world. Over the past hundred years, they have cleared out the surrounding small countries, and now they’ve finally made their move against Xi Kingdom. If we stand by and watch, their next target will be Great Wei.”

“Although Xi Kingdom tends to go back on its word and often breaks promises, the Xi King bullies the weak and fears the strong—he’s much easier to deal with than Yan Kingdom.” He shrugged. “We’d rather not replace him with a bad neighbor like Yan Kingdom.”

“Unifying the world—those words sound quite familiar.” Feng Miao Jun replied at her leisure. “Oh? Isn’t this also the grand ambition of the Wei King?” She had spent some time in the Wei army, secretly observing the high officials, especially the Wei King. When someone harbors ambition, it cannot be hidden.

“Xiao Ping Zhang has ambition, as does Xiao Yan.” Yun Ya made no excuses for them. “Precisely because of this, An Xia should establish this alliance and keep to itself in the coming chaotic times.”

She gazed at him steadily, slowly sipping her tea. “What does the Wei Kingdom plan to do next?”

“Aid Xi and resist Yan.” Yun Ya stood with his hands behind his back. “Wei and Xi have signed a secret agreement. The Wei Kingdom has already dispatched troops, with more assistance to follow.”

“A secret… agreement?” Her expression turned strange. “Yet you openly speak of it?”

“To demonstrate sincerity.” He poured another cup of tea for her, his expression stern. “An’an, allying with Wei is more beneficial for you.”

He was rarely so serious, making Feng Miao Jun even more curious. “How so?”

“Though you are the Queen of An Xia, I see that Fu Ling Chuan only wants to hold real power, treating you as a mere figurehead, isn’t that right?”

She tilted her head slightly, neither confirming nor denying. Whatever the relationship between her and Fu Ling Chuan, it was an internal matter of the An Xia royal house.

“But you’re different from the puppet he previously supported—you won’t allow him to manipulate you.” After spending three months together, he understood Feng Miao Jun’s character: the little girl was outwardly gentle but inwardly tough, with sharp talons. “However, Fu Ling Chuan has some abilities. He wants to use the Queen to control the powerful, while you need him to balance the aristocratic clans across the land. At present, you’re each taking what you need from the other. Am I correct?”

“What benefit does the alliance bring me?” This man was too shrewd—he could dig out and dissect the contradictions deep within the An Xia court, observing them in detail. Indeed, as soon as she had ascended to the throne, she had perceived Fu Ling Chuan’s ambition and had considered overthrowing him to take his place. After all, with the Yan King as an example, as long as one had sufficient energy, the sovereign and the State Preceptor could be the same person.

But the reality was never so simple.

Fu Ling Chuan stood with all of An Xia’s power behind him, especially the clans scattered across the country who held military authority. Without Fu Ling Chuan, a Queen without an army would be even less able to contend with these people. By then, An Xia, having just restored its kingdom, would likely fall into a new round of chaos.

After the external pressure from the Wei Kingdom was removed, internal strife would immediately surface.

This, then, was the predicament Feng Miao Jun currently faced.

Yun Ya smiled and leaned slightly forward. “With the alliance established, An Xia’s western border will be peaceful for years, eliminating the need for large troop garrisons. You know that maintaining an army is extremely costly. If border troops are reduced by half, you can save at least several million taels of silver annually.”

Indeed, the saying “feed an army for a thousand days, use it for one moment” also illustrates the heavy burden of a nation supporting its military. Those tens of thousands of men need to eat, drink, train, and receive pay. Then there’s the maintenance and renewal of armor, weapons, military equipment, and artillery—each one a bottomless pit. No matter how much money is thrown in, not even a splash is heard.

Only when managing a household does one realize the cost of necessities. Regarding this benefit, Feng Miao Jun was indeed tempted. Currently, An Xia still has a lean treasury and tight finances. Therefore, local military maintenance was implemented through a combination of national funding and local private recruitment—that is, the sovereign and local magnates each contributed half the money to maintain the army.

One shouldn’t ask why fiscal authority wasn’t directly delegated to the localities. This major taboo was something neither Feng Miao Jun nor Fu Ling Chuan would casually violate. Thus, reducing the number of local troops would lessen the financial burden on the entire An Xia, and the saved money could be used for the national economy and people’s livelihood.

What Yun Ya offered her was a solid, tangible benefit, not something as ethereal as “sentiment.”

His gaze fixed on her, not missing any subtle expression on her face. “Additionally, with no fighting on the western border, local aristocratic clans would have no reason to continue possessing massive armies. For a sovereign, this can only be advantageous.”

His words were light and slow, yet they were like dropping an explosive insect onto Feng Miao Jun’s heart.

A gleam of sharp intelligence flashed in her eyes.

Indeed, An Xia’s western and southwestern regions concentrated numerous aristocratic clans, all possessing powerful military forces originally meant to resist Wei Kingdom’s invasion. They continued to station and train troops in those areas, with the most important reason being to guard against Wei Kingdom’s reinvasion.

If Wei Kingdom no longer invaded, their justification for maintaining large armies would disappear, and the sovereign would have the opportunity to issue an “army reduction order” to cut back on troops and personnel.

Those who dared to resist the royal decree would harbor ulterior motives!