On the day of the New Year’s Grand Court Assembly, the weather was not favorable. Fine snow began to fall early in the morning.

The court ceremonies followed the traditions of previous years. The Emperor proceeded to Baohe Hall, where civil and court officials in formal attire lined the hall. Officials from various provinces came forward to present tributes, after which the Northern Jin’s Xuanhui Northern Agency Envoy Zhao Hui was summoned to present diplomatic letters.

The contents of the national letter were announced openly in court, surprising the civil and military officials. However, since the Emperor and the two bureaus had already deliberated on the matter, once the imperial edict was issued, no one in the hall expended further words on it.

After the court proceedings concluded, they had intended to hold a feast and archery at the Northern Garden, but due to the heavy snow, it was changed to a banquet in the Grand Celebration Hall of the palace.

At the banquet, music and dance filled the air, but everyone’s thoughts differed.

Jiang Ping, unable to contain his impatient nature, stared unblinkingly at Zhao Hui, his face clearly showing contempt for this Northern Jin official. He only remained silent out of respect for the Emperor.

Meng Tinghui sat quietly in her seat, aware that the Emperor had not asked Zhao Hui about the number of troops Northern Jin intended to reduce. This left several high officials of the Strategic Military Bureau, including Fang Huai, with little interest in enjoying the state banquet. They were only looking for an opportunity to inquire about this matter.

The expressions of several executives from the Secretariat were not pleasant either, likely due to the Emperor’s agreement to reduce Northern Jin’s annual tribute. Officials like Three Agencies Commissioner Pei Hua, who valued the treasury’s finances, would certainly be displeased seeing Northern Jin’s annual contribution of tens of thousands in cash and silk reduced.

With state affairs unresolved, she had little appetite for the food and wine on the table. She merely surveyed the officials around her, calculating matters between the two nations in her mind.

For the past two consecutive nights, she had stayed up reviewing all military documents related to the northern border in the Strategic Military Bureau. She now had a general understanding of northern military affairs, but her concerns had also multiplied.

Lost in thought, she vaguely sensed someone staring at her from an oblique seat across from her. The gaze was so intense that her face grew warm.

She couldn’t help but look up, searching among the officials in blue robes for a while before meeting that seemingly unconcerned gaze.

It was Yin Qing.

Having not seen him for over half a year, she had almost forgotten his appearance. Yet the moment she saw him, his faint smile felt like that of a long-lost friend, natural and unaffected.

Seeing her looking back, Yin Qing merely gave a slight bow as a greeting before casually glancing elsewhere.

His composed demeanor momentarily made her wonder if it had all been her imagination, that he had merely happened to catch her eye.

She couldn’t help but recall the dozens of private letters used to impeach Xu Ting.

To this day, she still didn’t know how Yin Qing had managed to obtain those letters from Hao Kuang.

This man appeared detached and unambitious, but she always felt he was not as simple as he seemed. As long as he remained in court, she would remain uneasy. However, he was now stationed in the Three Academies, which was beyond her purview. She only regretted not taking measures earlier to have him transferred to a distant post.

While lost in thought, she noticed Zhao Hui step forward toward the imperial seat, bowing as he said, “I have long heard that Your Imperial Majesty possesses extraordinary bearing and excels in both civil and military affairs. I have admired you from afar for a long time. It is truly regrettable that due to the heavy snow, we cannot proceed with the feast and archery at the Northern Garden. Perhaps tomorrow we could have the feast and archery, allowing me the honor of witnessing Your Imperial Majesty’s prowess?”

The area near the imperial presence grew quiet, with everyone staring intently toward the seat of honor.

Jiang Ping’s eyebrows furrowed as he was about to stand up, but Fang Huai quickly pressed him down.

Below the hall, two rows of imperial insignia stood in magnificent array. Ying Gua on the throne curved his lips slightly, smiling, “There are many false rumors in the world. I am not skilled in riding and archery, and I fear I will disappoint the Northern Envoy.”

Meng Tinghui had been coldly watching Zhao Hui’s back, but upon hearing these words, she was stunned and couldn’t react for a while.

His tone was so calm, his expression so ordinary. At this moment, his regal demeanor completely concealed his usually valiant side, almost convincingly so.

But Zhao Hui replied from below, “Your Imperial Majesty is surely being too modest. In Northern Jin, I often heard people speak of Your Majesty’s impressive display at riding and archery ceremonies over the past ten years, never missing one.”

Ying Gua raised his eyebrow slightly, resting his chin on his right arm, and said lightly, “Those were merely displays for the common people to see. Since the Northern Envoy has not witnessed it personally, how could you know it’s not just hearsay? I have not been skilled in military matters since childhood. For many years, I have relied on the support of these loyal and veteran ministers of the Strategic Military Bureau. If the Northern Envoy wishes to have a feast and archery at the Northern Garden, I shall certainly select several skilled military officials to accompany you for archery, to satisfy the Northern Envoy’s interest.”

Zhao Hui turned to look at the several veteran generals seated, then smiled more broadly, “The generals are advanced in years. How could I dare to trouble them?”

Ying Gua’s handsome face showed a slight smile, with a flash of sharpness in his eyes, as he said leisurely, “I hear the Northern Envoy was once an old minister in the Northern Jin Emperor’s residence, with a background in the regular army. Now you hold an important position, so you must be quite knowledgeable about military affairs.”

“I wouldn’t dare claim so,” said Zhao Hui. “These past two days at the embassy, I heard reports that Your Imperial Majesty has already sent people to the northern border to begin troop reduction. May I ask how many troops Your Majesty intends to reduce?”

It seems both sides have the same thoughts, Meng Tinghui silently noted.

Ying Gua frowned slightly, waving his hand casually toward the lower left, saying, “I never remember these things clearly. Which provinces reduce which troops, all of these are decided by them.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Huai immediately stood up and formally addressed Zhao Hui, “If the Northern Envoy wishes to discuss this matter, please step over here.” Seeing Zhao Hui approach the seat, he continued, “How could we determine the number of troops to reduce without detailed discussions with the Northern Envoy? We must reach an agreement with the Northern Envoy before sending orders to the northern border.”

Jiang Ping, restless beside him, blurted out directly, “Just tell us how many troops Northern Jin plans to keep at the border, and we will reduce our Imperial Guards at the northern front accordingly!”

Zhao Hui was startled by his outburst, but then smiled again, lowering his voice to say, “If I were to give a number, I fear the general would not easily trust it. Conversely, if the general were to agree on a number with Northern Jin, how could Northern Jin truly trust the general’s sincerity?”

Ying Gua idly played with a crystal wine cup in one hand, his gaze already drifting toward the imperial musicians in the corner of the hall. His expression remained clear, completely undisturbed by the low discussions below, as if he truly did not care about this major military matter between the two nations.

Others in the hall, being somewhat distant, couldn’t hear clearly. Seeing the Emperor’s apparent indifference, they assumed this was merely casual conversation with nothing important being discussed.

Fang Huai pondered briefly, then said, “What the Northern Envoy says is not untrue, but whether troops are reduced at both borders can be verified by scouts. Since His Majesty the Emperor of Northern Jin has made this request, why can’t an agreement be made in advance? Our Emperor has not been involved in military affairs for a long time. If the two nations can truly reduce troops and avoid conflict in the future, it would be a great blessing for the people.”

Jiang Ping grunted on the side, “If Northern Jin can do it, we certainly can too!”

But Fang Huai stared at Zhao Hui, pressing the question, “Can the Northern Envoy make this decision conclusively? Or must it be reported back to His Majesty the Emperor of Northern Jin?”

Zhao Hui smiled again, “Can General Fang also make this decision? In the presence of the Emperor of Great Ping, don’t you need to ask for his opinion?”

At this point, Ying Gua finally turned his gaze back, still appearing casual as he said, “After the banquet, the Strategic Military Bureau will draft a troop reduction order with the Northern Envoy on my behalf, so that both sides can discuss it mutually in the future. I will not inquire further into this matter. I’ll trouble Minister Fang to take more care of it.”

Fang Huai clinked his wine cup decisively, “Let’s agree to half.”

Meng Tinghui, listening from the side, felt a chill down her spine.

The number of troops to be reduced at the northern border had already been determined by the Emperor and the generals of the Strategic Military Bureau that night, and orders had already been sent to the northern border. Fang Huai was speaking falsely now. And how could Zhao Hui, the Northern Jin Xuanhui Northern Agency Envoy, be a mediocre person who would easily believe this? Most likely, the northern border on their side was also making some moves, and Zhao Hui was merely putting on a show here.

However, the Emperor’s act of pretending to be cultured and uninvolved in military affairs today was something she hadn’t anticipated. Thinking about it, she found it somewhat amusing.