After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Chapter 113 You Have to Treat Me to Dinner

The Hongzhi Emperor emerged from the Fengtian Hall, looking somewhat tired.

Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, they saw Yang Shen and a young woman already waiting outside the door.

Yang Shen moved swiftly, lifting his robe and kneeling to kowtow: "Your subject Yang Shen respectfully greets Your Majesty!"

Liu Qing, following the rules she had practiced countless times the night before, first took a half step back, then knelt down, clasped her hands at her sides, and lowered her head slightly: "Your subject Liu Qing respectfully greets Your Majesty."

The movements were standard, the posture was upright, and there was nothing wrong with them.

It just had an indescribable strangeness about it.

The Hongzhi Emperor glanced at her and said indifferently, "You're that female physician?"

Liu Qing remained in a half-squatting position, not daring to move, and replied, "Yes."

"Alright, everyone, come in!"

Emperor Hongzhi entered the Imperial Study, and Yang Shen and Liu Qing hurriedly followed.

After entering, he looked Liu Qing up and down.

She wasn't very old, dressed in a simple dress, her hair neatly tied up, standing straight, her eyes not daring to look around, her whole body exuding stiffness.

As he looked at it, he suddenly smiled.

"Who taught you this pose?"

Liu Qing was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Yang Shen.

Yang Shen was completely unprepared and was momentarily at a loss.

The Hongzhi Emperor said, "Alright, stop pretending! I already know your background. With your temperament, what's the point of learning these etiquettes? Aren't you tired?"

Liu Qing was completely stunned, and asked in confusion, "Your Majesty—you know?"

The Hongzhi Emperor said irritably, "I am the emperor. If I don't even know this much, what kind of emperor am I?"

Liu Qing paused for a moment, then let out a long sigh of relief and said, "Your Majesty is truly wise!"

Her posture immediately changed; she no longer stood up straight, her shoulders relaxed, and her whole body became more relaxed.

Yang Shen watched in stunned silence.

Was all that etiquette training for nothing?

The Hongzhi Emperor was not angry. Instead, he smiled and shook his head, then said, "Speaking of which, I should thank you! If you hadn't discovered the poison of aconite, I would still be in the dark."

Liu Qing blinked and naturally replied, "Then how does Your Majesty plan to thank me?"

Yang Shen was stunned.

Xiao Jing was stunned.

The Hongzhi Emperor was also stunned.

The Imperial Study was deathly quiet.

Xiao Jing's forehead was covered in sweat. How could this girl be so disrespectful!

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Liu Qing's stunned expression and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Interesting, very interesting!"

After laughing enough, the Hongzhi Emperor looked at her and asked, "How would you like me to thank you?"

Liu Qing thought for a moment, then said earnestly, "How about Your Majesty invites me to a meal? I've never eaten in the palace before!"

The Hongzhi Emperor burst into laughter again.

Xiao Jing was initially very nervous, but seeing the emperor laughing so heartily, he felt relieved.

Just now in the imperial court, the Hongzhi Emperor showed not a trace of a smile.

Yang Shen stood to the side, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

What on earth is all this?!

He couldn't help but secretly tug at Liu Qing's sleeve, trying to remind her not to be too presumptuous.

Liu Qing looked puzzled, as if to say, "Why are you touching me?"

The Hongzhi Emperor ordered, "Xiao Jing, go and prepare the imperial meal!"

Xiao Jing bowed and asked, "Your Majesty, what specifications should we follow?"

"Prepare it the way I usually eat."

Xiao Jing then asked, "Should we invite Her Majesty the Empress?"

The Hongzhi Emperor thought for a moment and said, "Please! Let her see Miss Liu as well."

"This old servant obeys the decree!"

Xiao Jing accepted the order and left.

The Hongzhi Emperor stood up, walked to the window, and suddenly sighed.

"Seeing you all makes me feel much better!"

Yang Shen understood the implied meaning and tentatively asked, "What's troubling Your Majesty?"

The Hongzhi Emperor was no longer so upset and briefly recounted the debate that had taken place in the court.

Although he knew very well that the two kids couldn't be of much help, having someone to confide in made him feel a little better.

After listening quietly, Yang Shen's expression gradually became serious.

"Your Majesty, I dare to ask what your plans are next?"

The Hongzhi Emperor sat back down in his chair and said, "Wang Zongli advocates sending troops. I will give him a day to come up with a plan. We'll see how well he writes it tomorrow."

Yang Shen asked, "Does it mean that if the writing is good, we send troops, and if it's bad, we don't?"

The Hongzhi Emperor nodded: "Of course! Why do you ask that?"

Yang Shen remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I have some doubts. If we send troops, have we considered the cold weather in the north and the difficulty of marching? If we don't send troops, what will happen to the soldiers, civilians, and people in the border towns who are being harassed?"

The Hongzhi Emperor's smile gradually faded, and he stared at him, asking, "From what you're saying, sending troops or not sending troops is both wrong?"

Yang Shen shook his head: "That's not what I meant! I was just wondering if there's a third possibility."

The Hongzhi Emperor raised an eyebrow: "A third possibility? What exactly do you mean?"

Yang Shen carefully chose his words and said, "The Uriyangkhai attacked our border towns mostly because they were out of food. They won't let it go easily; they'll definitely plunder as much as they can. Also in the far north, there's a tribe called the Haixi Jurchens, whose lives are even more impoverished, with most of them relying on fishing and hunting for survival. If the Uriyangkhai are having a hard time, the Haixi Jurchens must be having an even harder time. Now that our military fortress has collapsed, the Haixi Jurchens will certainly take the opportunity to gain some advantage."

The Hongzhi Emperor nodded: "The Haixi Jurchens have indeed been restless. From what you've said, are you trying to remind me to send troops as soon as possible?"

'

Yang Shen shook his head: "However, given the snow disaster, it will be difficult to send troops anywhere, and there may even be a large number of non-combat casualties."

If I am not mistaken, the Ministry of War's report should have stated the proportion of combat casualties, with non-combat losses estimated to account for about half.

Emperor Hongzhi frowned, and pulled out yesterday's memorial from his desk, the very one that Liu Daxia had sent.

He looked closely, his expression changing slightly: "It really is! So many people froze to death, I didn't even notice until you pointed it out."

Yang Shen continued, "In my opinion, our army has suffered heavy non-combat casualties, and the Uriyangkhai must be in a similar situation. Otherwise, they wouldn't be risking the bitter cold to plunder so desperately. Therefore, regarding the Liaodong campaign, the current strategy should be defense, not offense."

The Hongzhi Emperor asked, "How do we defend it?"

Yang Shen said, "Contract our defenses! Our outer fortresses have collapsed under the weight of the snow, why should we continue to defend them? Retreat to Liaoyang! Liaoyang is the capital of the Liaodong Military Command, the city is well-fortified, and we have plenty of food and supplies. Holding out for several months should not be a problem."

"What Liaoyang needs most right now is not troops, but supplies. There is not much food in the area to begin with, and the imperial court will need even more food to send troops. How can we afford to feed them? If we abandon sending troops and instead form a grain transport team to deliver food, cotton clothing, and medicine to Liaoyang, then our people will be in the city and the enemy will be outside. They will come from afar to plunder, but they will not be able to take anything or capture the city. Once their supplies are exhausted, they will naturally retreat."

The Hongzhi Emperor listened attentively and remained silent for a long time.

Liu Qing listened from the side, seemingly understanding but not quite. He glanced at Yang Shen, then at the Hongzhi Emperor, and dared not utter a sound.

After a long silence, the Hongzhi Emperor slowly nodded: "That makes sense."

He raised his head, looked at Yang Shen, and his eyes showed a hint of appreciation: "Your suggestion is very good. Allow me to discuss it with the cabinet."

Yang Shen raised his head, looked at the Hongzhi Emperor, and said seriously, "Your Majesty, I dare to say that if Your Majesty discusses this with the cabinet, I'm afraid the result will not be as Your Majesty wishes."

The Hongzhi Emperor frowned slightly: "Why?"

Yang Shen carefully chose his words: "It's very simple. The court has already reached a decision. Censor Wang reprimanded Grand Secretary Liu in front of all the civil and military officials. Grand Secretary Liu is the head of the upright officials; even if he feels that sending troops is inappropriate, he will not publicly oppose it anymore."

The Hongzhi Emperor remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Continue."

Yang Shen said, "Grand Secretary Liu is not afraid of Censor Wang, but he is afraid of being seen as cowardly and afraid of trouble. Once he has this reputation, his words will have no weight in the court. So even if he knows that there are risks in sending troops, he can only grit his teeth and accept it, and at most make some remedies in the regulations."

The Hongzhi Emperor leaned back in his chair and asked, "You mean the final outcome is that we will send troops?"

Yang Shen nodded: "Most likely."

The Hongzhi Emperor sighed, stood up again, and walked to the window.

"I think your strategy of consolidating defenses, transporting supplies, and waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out makes sense. However, if the cabinet and the Ministry of War both advocate sending troops, it wouldn't be fair for me to suppress them alone. If you have any good ideas, just say them. It doesn't matter if you're wrong."

Yang Shen pondered for a moment before speaking, "What I mean is that Your Majesty should send someone to Liaoyang."

The Hongzhi Emperor raised an eyebrow: "Send Wang Zongli? He's a proponent of war!"

Yang Shen shook his head: "The person I am referring to is not Imperial Censor Wang."

The Hongzhi Emperor pressed further, asking, "Who was that?"

Yang Shen took a deep breath and slowly said, "Crown Prince!"