In the Imperial Study.

The young Yongxing Emperor sat behind the yellow silk-draped desk with a solemn expression, listening to the report from Qian Qingshu, the new Prime Minister and Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall.

After Wang Zhenwen took sick leave, following internal court recommendations and factional struggles, the position of Prime Minister fell to Wuying Hall’s Grand Secretary Qian Qingshu.

Still of the Wang faction.

“Bandits are plundering gentry and noble families everywhere. In Jiang Province and Jian Province, some city residents even colluded with bandits, coordinating from within to open city gates and let bandits into plunder.”

“A rough estimate shows significant numbers across all regions.”

Qian Qingshu, with his graying goatee, said gravely:

“Your Majesty, please dispatch troops to eliminate these bandits, or chaos will eventually erupt. If we cannot stabilize the rear, the Qing Province situation will be dire.”

Members of the Wang faction echoed their agreement.

Among other faction members, half remained silent while half agreed.

Bandits specifically targeting the scholar-official class had undoubtedly struck a nerve with the ministers.

“Your Majesty, please reconsider!”

Amid the shouts, Liu Hong, Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, stepped forward and bowed:

“The war in Qing Province rages on. The court should focus all efforts on helping Yang Gong hold back the rebels in Qing Province. How can we waste national strength on suppressing refugee bandits when the court lacks money and food?”

“They’re just a disorganized mob, incapable of becoming a major force.”

Former Wei faction members immediately supported Liu Hong’s remonstrance, backing their current faction leader.

Wang faction members immediately jumped out to refute:

“A disorganized mob? Now refugees have become a disaster, plundering for food, already a force that cannot be underestimated. If left unchecked, these refugee bandits will reach the capital gates before the Cloud Province rebels.”

The two sides launched into debate. The Imperial Study discussion, also known as the “Small Court Meeting,” was more casual and relaxed compared to morning court. The argument gradually devolved into a shouting match.

The Yongxing Emperor watched coldly from the sidelines. Even now, with Wei Yuan dead and Prime Minister Wang sick, the court structure remained a struggle between two factions, with other factions joining in the chaos.

He swept his gaze across the ministers, landing on the Minister of Justice, and said flatly:

“What insights does the Minister have?”

The ministers’ gazes inevitably turned to the Minister of Justice.

The Minister of Justice was over fifty, but his hair and beard showed no white – he had maintained himself quite well.

“Your Majesty, this subject believes we could adopt a policy of amnesty toward the refugee bandits, granting their leaders official positions and having them lead their forces to Qing Province to resist the rebels.”

The Minister of Justice said.

The Yongxing Emperor pondered in silence, then after a long while said slowly:

“Let this matter rest for now.”

After a pause, he continued gravely:

“The first line of defense in Qing Province has fallen to the rebels. Yang Gong has been unable to inflict heavy losses on the Cloud Province rebels. Can any of you beloved ministers tell me if Qing Province can be held? And for how long?”

No one answered.

The Yongxing Emperor’s face darkened as he looked toward the Ministers of War and Finance:

“Ministers, what progress have you made in dispatching troops and supplies to support Qing Province as I ordered?”

The Minister of Finance stepped forward and bowed:

“We still need time. Please grant us another ten days, Your Majesty.”

The Yongxing Emperor had intended to rebuke him but, seeing the Minister’s haggard appearance sighed inwardly and didn’t press further.

He turned to look at the Minister of War and said flatly:

“Zhao Junru, whom Minister Xu recommended, submitted a memorial to me yesterday suggesting that he lead the reinforcement troops to Qing Province on a detour to raid Cloud Province and destroy the rebels’ base.”

“What a rare military talent indeed.”

The Minister of War’s heart tightened. Seeing the Emperor’s smiling face but ice-cold eyes, cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead as he hurriedly said:

“This subject was blind. Please punish me, Your Majesty.”

The Yongxing Emperor ignored him, letting him maintain his bowing position as he swept an ugly look across the ministers:

“No supplies when we need them, no capable fighters when we need them. Is this all the court has to show for six hundred years of nurturing scholars? Fortunately, the Western Regions haven’t invaded, only harassing the borders of Lei Province.”

“Otherwise, Western Region armies would be at the capital by now.”

By the end, the Yongxing Emperor was shouting.

The ministers remained silent, knowing he was complaining about the delayed preparation of funds and supplies, preventing immediate deployment of reinforcements to Qing Province.

If the national treasury had money, reinforcements would already be on their way to Qing Province.

During this period, the Ministry of Revenue had been collecting taxes, and squeezing the common people – an inevitable action by the court during wartime, as had been done throughout history.

Such actions accumulated public resentment and depleted national strength.

If the war could be settled, all would be well, but if the court lost, public resentment would backlash and instantly drain the nation’s destiny.

“Battlefield situations change in an instant. Front-line soldiers resist with their lives. Do you know how many strategic opportunities your delays in preparing funds, supplies, and troops have wasted?”

The Yongxing Emperor berated them harshly.

The ministers remained silent.

At this moment, pure light rose, and a figure materialized between the ministers and the emperor – it was Zhao Shou.

He wore a meticulously clean but faded scholarly robe, his graying hair falling naturally, his overall appearance like that of a down-and-out scholar, an elderly one at that.

The Yongxing Emperor and court ministers were startled, having never expected Zhao Shou could “break into” the palace.

“Your Majesty!”

Zhao Shou smiled and bowed.

The Yongxing Emperor collected himself and forced a polite smile:

“Academy Director wouldn’t visit without cause.”

Zhao Shou smiled:

“The matter is already on Your Majesty’s desk.”

The Yongxing Emperor looked down in confusion to see an additional memorial on his desk. He picked it up somewhat startled, and when he looked up again, Zhao Shou had vanished.

The ministers watched the Emperor, waiting for his response.

The Yongxing Emperor opened the memorial, and as he read, his expression underwent extremely vivid changes – first complete surprise, then furrowed brows, and when he reached the end, his eyes widened as if seeing something shocking.

Then the shock turned to wild joy.

“Good, excellent!”

The Yongxing Emperor’s face beamed with delight: “With the Poison tribe elites joining, we can temporarily relieve Qing Province’s urgent crisis. Inspector Xu continues to surprise me.”

Poison tribe elites? Inspector Xu… The ministers below exchanged glances.

Qian Qingshu’s eyes flickered as he asked:

“Your Majesty, is there good news?”

The Yongxing Emperor didn’t answer, looking toward Chief Eunuch Zhao Xuanzhen below the throne, and smiled:

“Pass it around to the ministers.”

Zhao Xuanzhen respectfully accepted it. Though intensely curious, he dared not peek at the contents, respectfully passing the memorial to the new Prime Minister Qian Qingshu.

Qian Qingshu maintained a calm expression but took the memorial very quickly. He opened it and read intently. After a while, he took a deep breath:

“Minister Liu can sleep well now.”

Minister Liu was the Minister of Finance who had aged several years and lost several inches of hairline since the cold disaster.

Hearing this, Minister Liu suddenly looked over, saying urgently:

“What does it say? Quick, let me see!”

We’re not of the same faction… Qian Qingshu passed the memorial to Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice behind him, his expression unchanged.

Minister Sun read it silently, his expression extremely complex – both joyful and wistful.

The wistfulness came from realizing that the youth they had once viewed as a thorn in their side was now an unreachable figure, one of the Nine Provinces’ top experts.

The memorial passed through the ministers’ hands, their aged faces showing either relief or great joy, with Minister Liu being the most excited.

“Excellent, excellent! This will surely ease the situation in Qing Province. I can finally relax and get some good sleep…” Minister Liu nearly wept with joy:

“That Inspector Xu could get the Poison tribes to ally with Da Feng – inconceivable, truly inconceivable!”

His tone did not attempt to hide his admiration and praise.

The ministers began discussing in low voices.

“How did he manage to get the Poison tribes to deploy troops at such a small cost?”

“The Poison tribes harbor a deep hatred for our Da Feng, yet this time they allied with us instead of Cloud Province?”

“He always manages to exceed expectations. Though he’s not like Wei Yuan who could command armies and win every battle, as a martial expert, he’s become quite a figure in the transcendent realm.”

“With him and the Supervisor around, Da Feng still has some hope…”

The Yongxing Emperor smiled:

“Let the Inner Cabinet draft the alliance terms. Do any beloved ministers object?”

The ministers said:

“Your Majesty is wise.”

…

After concluding the discussion, the Yongxing Emperor’s heavy mood of recent days eased somewhat. The news of the Poison tribes allying with Da Feng was undoubtedly heartening.

But one matter still weighed heavy on the Yongxing Emperor’s mind.

“Your Majesty, Prime Minister Qian seeks an audience.”

Zhao Xuanzhen entered the imperial chambers.

The Yongxing Emperor frowned, saying: “Show him in.”

Since Qian Qingshu hadn’t spoken during the Imperial Study meeting, he must have something to discuss privately.

Led by the eunuch, Qian Qingshu with his graying goatee returned to the Imperial Study.

“What matter does Prime Minister Qian wish to discuss privately with me?”

The Yongxing Emperor asked expressionlessly.

Qian Qingshu said gravely:

“Your Majesty, bandits run rampant everywhere. If we don’t dispatch troops to suppress them, it will eventually lead to disaster. Now that pressure on Qing Province has eased, we can spare troops for this suppression.”

The Yongxing Emperor pondered in silence.

Qian Qingshu spoke loudly:

“Your Majesty, having received your trust, this subject would gladly give his life for you, never shrinking from death!”

The Yongxing Emperor was slightly moved:

“Very well, let it be as you say.”

Such a quick agreement startled Qian Qingshu, who bowed joyfully:

“Your Majesty is wise.”

The Yongxing Emperor nodded:

“You may withdraw now, beloved minister. I am weary.”

Watching Qian Qingshu’s retreating, the Yongxing Emperor sat expressionlessly for a long time without moving.

The matter weighing on his mind was Xu Xinnian’s previous suggestion to secretly dispatch experts to organize refugees into bandit groups, targeting merchants and gentry to ease the increasingly rampant refugee crisis.

Such a class-betraying decision, if exposed, would turn everyone against the Yongxing Emperor.

After careful consideration, he had chosen to abandon the idea.

But unexpectedly, someone in court had secretly implemented this strategy and achieved great success, with the scale growing daily.

“My enemies are not just the Cloud Province rebels.”

The Yongxing Emperor muttered softly.

He knew exactly who that enemy was.

At the same time, he secretly made a decision – he could delay no longer. The marriage bestowal was now urgent.

Xu Xinnian had already developed different loyalties, secretly pledging allegiance to the former Fourth Prince, now the Yan Prince.

And his decision would inevitably affect Xu Qi’an.

If Xu Qi’an also defected to the Yan Prince, his throne would surely become unstable.

Xu Qi’an had been promoted by Wei Yuan, and Wei Yuan was an old friend of the Empress, steadfastly supporting the Fourth Prince. Moreover, Xu Qi’an had quite a good relationship with Huai Qing.

Now with Xu Xinnian pledging allegiance to the Fourth Prince…

The only solution the Yongxing Emperor could think of was to marry his sister Lin’an to Xu Qi’an.

This way, the throne could be secured.

…

Dexin Garden.

Recently, Huai Qing had renovated the study to some extent, bringing in sand tables, and maps of Qing Province, and filling the desk with military texts, including the “Art of War” written by Xu Qi’an.

Xu Qi’an claimed the book was written by Sun Tzu, but Huai Qing knew better – where would he get Sun Tzu’s work?

He was just making things up to fool people.

For a princess to be so concerned with the Qing Province war situation was quite extraordinary.

Huai Qing wasn’t actually well-versed in military strategy and was completely inexperienced in actual warfare, but these days of studying military texts and practicing with sand tables led to rapid progress.

Of course, this progress was only in terms of overall strategy – actual troop deployment relied heavily on experience, and paper theories meant little.

Behind the desk, the First Princess in her simple elegant dress and cold demeanor unfolded a note with her delicate fingers.

The note mentioned two things:

First, under Xu Qi’an’s influence, the Poison tribes had allied with Da Feng to aid Qing Province.

Second, Zhao Shou had personally delivered the Qing Province memorial.

The first piece of information didn’t stir Huai Qing’s heart at all, as she already knew.

But she pondered the second piece for a long time.

The light at the doorway dimmed as a palace maid stood outside the study, saying softly:

“Your Highness, the Yan Prince has arrived.”

Huai Qing tucked the note into her sleeve, stood up, and led the palace maid to the inner hall.

In the inner hall, the imposing Yan Prince in his purple robe and jade belt exuded nobility, holding a cup of tea with a grave demeanor.

“What brings Fourth Brother to my Dexin Garden?”

Huai Qing said coolly.

After the Yongxing Emperor’s ascension, he had “sent” his brothers out of the palace, but unmarried sisters could remain within.

Princes rarely entered the palace.

The Yan Prince dismissed the palace maids in the hall and said gravely:

“I heard Xu Qi’an allied with the Poison tribes, securing their elite forces to aid Qing Province at an extremely low cost.”

Huai Qing said coldly:

“This is good news.”

The Yan Prince nodded:

“Indeed it is good news. For me, it’s neither good nor bad – at most, I’ll just wait for another opportunity. But I came today for another matter.”

“Please speak, Fourth Brother.”

The Yan Prince said gravely:

“Zhao Shou entered the palace today. The Supervisor suppressed the Cloud Deer Academy for two hundred years, and Zhao Shou has only entered the palace twice in his life – once to force Father Emperor to issue an edict of self-blame, and now this time.”

“What does Sister Huai Qing think the Supervisor means by this?”

The first palace entry was understandable, but this time, just to deliver a memorial?

Huai Qing lifted her hand slightly, letting her wide sleeve slip down so it wouldn’t interfere with her tea drinking. She took a slow sip and said coolly:

“Fourth Brother must have his speculation.”

The Yan Prince made an “mm” sound, nodding as he spoke:

“In these critical times, the Supervisor likely wants to compromise with the Cloud Deer Academy, letting Zhao Shou take an official position. A peak Third Realm Confucian scholar is worth the Supervisor lowering himself.”

“I’ve come to you, Sister, hoping we can visit Clear Cloud Mountain together to pay respects to Academy Director Zhao.”

He spoke quite directly. Huai Qing was considered half a Cloud Deer Academy student, having studied there for several years.

Zhao Shou wouldn’t refuse her face.

Huai Qing nodded:

“Even if Fourth Brother hadn’t sought me out, I would have come to find you.”

The Yan Prince smiled: “Good sister.”

…

Phoenix Rest Palace.

Lin’an, accompanied by two personal palace maids, crossed the great courtyard and entered the cold and quiet Phoenix Rest Palace.

She stepped over the threshold into the inner hall, finding it as quiet as the courtyard, with the number of palace maids and matrons kept to a minimum.

Lin’an knew this was Mother Consort making things difficult for the Empress.

However, since her brother the Emperor’s ascension, the Empress had completely lost her temper, ignoring Mother Consort’s bullying and provocations.

Lin’an had originally thought this meant the Empress had submitted and given up. But once she heard Mother Consort say sarcastically that since Wei Yuan’s death, that贱人 had become like a dead person, completely uninteresting.

In the simple, elegant inner hall, the Empress sat by the table in casual clothes, watching her expressionlessly.

Lin’an hadn’t seen the Empress for many years, but in her memory, the Empress was like Huai Qing – cold and aloof, not warm to anyone. But not like now, where there was nothing but coldness.

“Greetings, Mother Empress.”

Lin’an respectfully bowed to her nominal mother.

The Empress was an extremely beautiful woman. Even though her prime had passed, time seemed reluctant to destroy her beauty. Her kingdom-toppling beauty showed no trace of age, instead gaining a sense of temporal depth.

“His Majesty just came to see me.”

The Empress looked at the young woman before her, with rounded cheeks and alluring peach blossom eyes – the type of woman who could captivate without saying a word.

Compared to her daughter Huai Qing, who matched her in figure and appearance, she was too cold.

“Royal Brother?”

Lin’an was somewhat surprised.

The Empress nodded slightly, her tone flat:

“Lin’an has also reached marriageable age. His Majesty came regarding your marriage.”

Lin’an’s expression changed dramatically.