In the court hall, Deng Yi’s word wasn’t absolute law. After all, not everyone was of one mind with him—for instance, Xie Yanfang.

Even the officials who were aligned with him each had their own family backgrounds and positions, so they would also consider their own interests.

However, none of this mattered. Court affairs were like this. Deng Yi didn’t stubbornly persist when one matter was obstructed.

But Chu Zhao was different.

Chu Zhao was the Empress. She wasn’t among the court ministers—she was high above them. Especially with the Emperor still young and her accompanying him to attend to government, when she spoke in the court hall, and moreover opposed the Grand Tutor, the significance was completely different.

Chu Zhao understood this principle and sighed.

“I regret that yesterday, even if it displeased the Grand Tutor, I should have barged in to see him,” she said. “That way, today’s misunderstanding in the court hall wouldn’t have occurred.”

Deng Yi’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. “Since Your Majesty has made up her mind, yesterday and today make no difference.”

Chu Zhao said, “Don’t be hasty. Let’s sit down and talk.” As she spoke, she sat down first and even poured tea. “Grand Tutor, morning court was taxing. Have some tea first.”

Over this past year and more, there had been disputes between them, but disputes aside, they could always sit down and speak calmly.

Deng Yi didn’t speak but also sat down and accepted the tea Chu Zhao handed him.

“First, I’ll speak of my private motives. I do indeed want Xie Yanlai to receive an appointment—he’s a good talent, brave and skilled in battle,” Chu Zhao said. When she reached this point, she changed direction. “But this person truly does lack private virtue.”

Deng Yi glanced at her.

“Appointing him is for Uncle Zhong—Zhong Changrong’s sake,” Chu Zhao said, not avoiding Deng Yi’s gaze as she continued. “He’s brave but doesn’t cultivate private virtue, and he’s a Xie family member. Such a person is both useful and easy to control. Grand Tutor, you also know that Zhong Changrong doesn’t match my father’s prestige or his talents. I use my status as Empress to help him command the border army, but his position as commander isn’t easy to maintain.”

This was fact. Deng Yi had known it before. How could commanding the border army be easy? He hadn’t approved of Chu Zhao’s choice of candidate.

But Chu Zhao had stubbornly refused to relent.

Deng Yi also understood—this girl had turned the border army into her private property. She had gone to risk her life fighting to build prestige and would never let go.

Just like the Dragon Guard she still held in her grasp now.

The Dragon Guard itself was irregular—private troops from the Late Emperor and Chu Ling’s reckless schemes. With both the Late Emperor and Chu Ling gone, the Dragon Guard should be disbanded. But not only did Chu Zhao not disband it, she was privately expanding it.

“I’m not expanding it—I’m replenishing losses. These past few years with constant troubles, the Dragon Guard the Late Emperor left has lost more than half its forces. It was precisely because of the Dragon Guard that His Majesty was protected. Now with the Xi Liang King eyeing us hungrily and Prince Zhongshan harboring improper intentions, before His Majesty comes of age, we should keep them as they were when the Late Emperor lived. The Late Emperor’s spirit in heaven would surely feel at ease knowing this.”

These words Deng Yi just listened to. Put plainly, wasn’t it still greed for power? She had risen to prominence through the Dragon Guard—it was also her backing and support.

All people in the world had private motives, especially those sitting in this imperial city, and moreover, their private motives would grow ever larger.

This was difficult to avoid. Deng Yi didn’t demand perfection. She had been frank about her private plans for the border army. Deng Yi’s expression eased slightly. He sipped his tea and asked, “So preventing Liang Qiang’s promotion is naturally also Your Majesty’s private motive?”

That was indeed a private motive. Chu Zhao nodded.

Deng Yi said, “That matter back then between you and the Liang family was nothing at all—it was just the Xie family using it as a pretext. The Liang family understands this in their hearts. Even if they don’t understand, you’re now the Empress. If you show them favor, how could they bear resentment? Those they truly resent are the Xie family.”

Deng Yi set down his teacup and tapped the table.

“If it’s for private motives, the Empress should actually be promoting the Liang family.”

This way, the Empress would have one more ally to constrain the Xie family. Chu Zhao understood Deng Yi’s meaning and smiled bitterly inwardly. Her private motive wasn’t this private motive. Her private motive was something she couldn’t speak of.

“I understand,” she nodded, looking earnestly receptive. “I’ll keep it in mind. But just this once, let it be. Right now the border army’s campaign has reached a critical juncture. The officers and soldiers are all accustomed to things as they are—don’t make changes. After victory is achieved, we can reward Liang Qiang and his son according to their merit. At that time, I’ll definitely step forward again to refute the Grand Tutor—”

She smiled at this point.

“Refute that what the Grand Tutor gives is too little, and request the Grand Tutor give three times more in rewards.”

In the past when she made playful remarks, Deng Yi would smile. But this time Deng Yi didn’t. He only looked at Chu Zhao with a calm expression.

“Changes are precisely for the sake of victory,” he said. “Your Majesty may not know, but the commanders of the three passes surrounding Luocheng Guard are all Xie family people. Once Xie Yanlai is appointed, the entire western front will all be in the Xie family’s grasp.”

Chu Zhao froze. She truly didn’t know this. But—she smiled bitterly again. She also couldn’t say she didn’t know.

She knew the Xie family wasn’t simple. Though they seemed very quiet, who was the Xie family? In that previous life, when the person who became Emperor wasn’t to their liking, they had directly rebelled.

“Actually, back when I rushed to the border commandery to see my father, before I’d even met Minister Deng, I had already seen the letter Third Young Master Xie wrote to my father,” she said softly. “So one can imagine that even before the war began, the Xie family had already been cultivating the border commandery. But—”

Chu Zhao looked at Deng Yi.

“No matter what, right now the war is stable, the border commandery is stable, the border army is winning victory after victory. Grand Tutor, if we just wait a bit longer—”

Deng Yi heavily set down his teacup. “Empress, don’t be confused. This matter absolutely cannot wait.”

He stood up.

“You grew up in the military with your father. You yourself know very well what warfare means to military officers!”

“Though to the state and the people, war means disaster, displacement, and devastation of life, for officers and soldiers who live by warfare, it means opportunity—merit and achievement.”

“The court, you and I, the people—all hope to quickly achieve victory and end the war. But if you could dig into the hearts of more than half the border army’s officers, you would see they don’t hope for this. They even wish it would last longer, because that way they can exchange for more merit, promotion, wealth—”

Hearing this, Chu Zhao also heavily threw her teacup on the table and stood up, shouting, “You’re talking nonsense!”

The hall was like an exploding firecracker. Xiao Man, who had been standing to one side, tensed her body in an instant, as if arriving at the battlefield front.

And the officials who had retreated far outside the hall also heard this sudden commotion—a male voice rising, a female voice reprimanding.

They were quarreling!

The officials exchanged glances.

……

……

Deng Yi looked at the girl who had stood up before him. Her brows and eyes were full of anger—this kind of anger was something he was seeing for the first time.

“I grew up in the military, so I’ve always known that civil officials hold military officers in much contempt and slander. The greatest malice is saying military officers love war and are greedy for merit,” Chu Zhao said with raised brows, grief also in her eyes. “But Grand Tutor, how can you also speak this way?”

His earlier words had truly hurt her. Deng Yi lowered his eyes slightly and said, “Because I am a villain, so I speculate about others with malice.”

“The officers and soldiers outside risk their lives to protect home and country. Today they live, tomorrow they die—who doesn’t want to live? Who doesn’t want to quickly end the war?” Chu Zhao said through gritted teeth. “Their merit is exchanged with their lives, not something you people standing in the court hall exchanged with your malice.”

“I’m not talking about the officers and soldiers,” Deng Yi said. “I’m talking about certain commanders. Officers and soldiers are different.”

Chu Zhao looked at him. “But this is wartime. Officers and soldiers are one body, difficult to separate or choose between. You can’t disrupt the entire battle situation just because certain officers, certain people harbor selfish schemes.”

Deng Yi looked at her. “Luocheng Guard can remain unchanged.”

Was this his compromise? An expression of apology for what he had just said? Chu Zhao looked at him and asked, “And then?”

Deng Yi said, “Liang Qiang must be appointed. Otherwise, it will be difficult to satisfy everyone, and people will speculate that you, Empress, are acting on selfish motives.”

Chu Zhao laughed and nodded. “Many thanks to the Grand Tutor for thinking of this palace.”

She had often spoken playfully before, but this was the first time with such sarcasm. Deng Yi looked at her woodenly.

Chu Zhao continued, “Since that’s the case, then to prevent people from speculating that you, Grand Tutor, are acting on selfish motives, Xie Yanlai must also be appointed.”

Deng Yi said coldly, “This minister will immediately have people deliberate on it.”

Chu Zhao looked at him. “I trouble the Grand Tutor. This palace takes its leave.” With that, she walked toward the exit.

Xiao Man hurried to follow, reaching the door first and opening it.

Chu Zhao strode away.

Deng Yi stood silently in the hall until the officials outside entered and carefully called to the Grand Tutor.

Deng Yi didn’t look at them but glanced at the table. The teacup that girl had thrown down lay toppled, tea spilled everywhere.

“Clean it up,” he said.

……

……

The Empress suddenly speaking in the court hall, and the Grand Tutor and Empress quarreling in the hall after court was dismissed, overturning tables and smashing teacups and vases—supposedly the whole room was in chaos. More exaggerated versions said the Grand Tutor and Empress had even come to blows—all kinds of news flew out like the wind.

Of course, the common people didn’t yet know about court affairs. It was just that discussions rang out in the deep residences of aristocratic families.

Xie Yanfang, sitting before a chess board, smiled slightly and said, “At this moment, I should immediately submit a memorial refusing the appointment for you, declaring that we Xie Yanlai have only one heart for country and people, that your virtue and talent are still shallow. This would achieve our Xie family’s reputation for modesty and humility.”

Sitting on the pavilion railing with his legs nearly dangling to the water surface, Xie Yanlai made a scoffing sound toward the fish in the pond.

“However,” Xie Yanfang said, placing a chess piece down, his eyes without mirth, “why should we be modest and yield? Just because you’re surnamed Xie, you cannot receive an appointment, while that Liang Qiang because he’s surnamed Liang must receive an appointment? How absurd and laughable—”

“Enough,” Xie Yanlai turned his head, interrupting him, saying coldly, “Just tell me directly what I should do.”

Xie Yanfang looked at him and said, “Go make a scene. Go demand it. Go let everyone know it’s you, it’s our Xie family forcing the Empress.”

Xie Yanlai lifted his long legs and turned around, landing on his feet and standing up, striding toward the exit with large steps.