Caiyu lowered her head and said, "This maid has only been in the Prince of Yan's Mansion for half a year. But in the Yan region, I've seen that the Yan troops on the border are well - disciplined. Although their military pay is meager, they never harass the common people."
"They only get four steamed buns and a bit of pickled vegetables for their daily rations. On a good day, they might get an extra bowl of plain porridge... But they've never complained."
"Among the two hundred thousand Yan troops, almost every one of them has a family member who got separated in the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun."
"Whether it was seven years ago or even longer, they were forced to part with their loved ones, be it their parents, siblings, or children..."
"Every day they guard the border, and the only thing they look forward to is meeting their long - lost family members on the border."
"They all hope that the court will fight another war against the Tartars, break through the border, and find out the whereabouts of their relatives. They also long for the Great Ye to be unified and prosperous so that the people on the border will no longer be harassed by foreign enemies."
"If these hundreds of thousands of military and civilian people find out that the court has no intention of recovering the lost territory, the morale of the army will surely be scattered, and there will be turmoil on the border. By then, not only will it be impossible to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, but even Yanjing, Jiaodong, and Wan Region... will all fall step by step."
"How dare you!" Emperor Guangwu couldn't hold back anymore. He angrily slapped the dragon throne and roared, "Matters of the court and the military are not for a low - born maid like you to comment on!"
"Father!" Song Yinghuai suddenly knelt down, "This maid is disrespectful and has offended Your Majesty. Your son is guilty!"
He knew that Caiyu was eloquent and bold.
But he never expected that she would dare to say such things.
Although what Caiyu said was what countless military and civilian people in the Great Ye were thinking, it might not be what Emperor Guangwu had in mind.
He was secretly anxious.
If Emperor Guangwu really wanted to punish Caiyu, she would surely be severely punished.
But at this moment, it was not appropriate for him to stand up for a maid too much. If it caught Emperor Guangwu's attention, it would backfire.
"This maid doesn't understand matters of the court and the military!" Caiyu raised her head, and a cold light flashed in her eyes, "But this maid knows that there can be no country without a family! The families of hundreds of thousands of military and civilian people in the Yan region have been broken up for many years!"
"Their wishes are like a fully drawn bow! If released, it can shoot the enemy! If not released and pulled further back, the string will break!"
"Presumptuous!"
Emperor Guangwu roared and was about to stand up when suddenly a loud laugh rang out:
"Good words!"
Everyone quickly looked towards Sheng Jiangli.
His crimson military uniform made his face look as handsome as jade.
Sheng Jiangli raised his eyebrows slightly, with a curve on his lips, and said in a lazy tone, "Why are you all looking at me, my colleagues?"
Song Chengyuan coughed with a gloomy face, "General Sheng, for the sake of the people of the world, Father doesn't want to go to war. Can't you see that Father is angry?"
Song Chengyuan had a splitting headache. He thought that Sheng Jiangli always acted unexpectedly.
Why did he suddenly want to speak for Song Yinghuai?
Didn't he know whose side he was on?
Sheng Jiangli stared at Emperor Guangwu in surprise with wide - open eyes, "What? Your Majesty doesn't want to go to war?"
"This humble general is guilty. This humble general has been leading troops outside the pass all the time. I really didn't know that Your Majesty doesn't want to unify the country and achieve eternal prosperity! It's only the Crown Prince who understands Your Majesty. This humble general is ashamed."
Song Chengyuan's face turned green, "Sheng Jiangli! I didn't mean that. Father is not unwilling to unify the country! Father and I have always been looking forward to recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun. It's just that..."
"It's just that the time is not right!" Sheng Jiangli said with a smile, "This humble general understands, and everyone else does too, right?"
Song Chengyuan was at a loss for words, "Yes, that's... exactly what I meant."
He felt that he had been led astray by Sheng Jiangli.
Sheng Jiangli said, "This humble general has been leading troops outside the pass for many years. I'm very familiar with the hardships of the people on the border, and I've often submitted memorials to Your Majesty. Your Majesty is fully aware of the situation on the border. Your Majesty must be determined to unify the Great Ye. On this point, whether it's Your Majesty, the Empress, the Crown Prince, the Prince of Yan, and all the ministers, our opinions are the same, right?"
Since Sheng Jiangli had asked like this, who would dare to say no?
Immediately, everyone nodded their heads like pounding garlic.
Emperor Guangwu's face visibly softened.
Of course, he hoped to be the overlord who unified the country.
But there were many practical problems that restricted his steps.
He just didn't dare to act rashly.
Song Yinghuai's birthday gift was clearly a special one. But he was overly sensitive and always on guard against his fourth son's popularity overshadowing the Crown Prince. So he didn't want to show his appreciation. Instead, he put on a gloomy face.
He didn't want the war - hawks to see hope and put pressure on him to send troops quickly.
Song Yinghuai naturally understood Emperor Guangwu's thoughts.
He presented the gift on the occasion of the Empress's birthday banquet to test Emperor Guangwu's attitude.
It was a pity that he was disappointed.
Emperor Guangwu had too many concerns and was reluctant to give the order.
If they didn't launch a war during the Tartar's internal strife, the chance of recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun would be even slimmer.
Sheng Jiangli added, "So Miss Caiyu was just expressing her wish for the country's unification as an ordinary citizen. She's just a little maid and doesn't know how to be tactful. Please don't mind. Just understand her meaning."
Sheng Jiangli's joking remarks lightened the atmosphere on the scene.
Xiao Rencheng was the first to hold back his laughter and said, "I fully understand and won't take it to heart."
"It's extremely rare for a maid to be able to say such things. Although she's a bit rash, if all the military and civilian people and officials in the Great Ye have this kind of enthusiasm, Your Majesty's unification of the country will be just around the corner!"
Xiao Rencheng then linked the wishes of the people of the world together.
The ministers nodded even more vigorously, "Yes, yes! Lord Xiao is right! Miss Caiyu said it well."
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Don't argue with this little maid."
Taking this opportunity, Song Yinghuai said loudly, "Father, if one day the court is ready to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, even if the Tartars have thousands of troops, your son will march forward bravely. Your son is willing to use his flesh and blood to build the Great Ye's territory and bring peace to the world!"
Xu Buyue, who had been sitting beside Empress Ma without saying a word, looked at Song Yinghuai intently after he expressed his determination again.
At this time, she finally spoke:
"Uncle Emperor, Yue'er thinks that the Prince of Yan's birthday gift has a very good meaning. The Prince of Yan hopes for the country's unification. He doesn't mean to urge Uncle Emperor to send troops immediately..."
"I've heard that Uncle Emperor has always personally taught the Prince of Yan. Their father - son and monarch - subject relationship is different from that of other princes. It's a closer relationship. How could the Prince of Yan not understand what Uncle Emperor has in mind?"
Her eyes glanced at Song Chengyuan intentionally or unintentionally, and she implied, "Uncle Emperor, don't be misled by some people's words and get entangled in the topic of whether to go to war or not."
Song Chengyuan was insinuated and almost got angry.
But the Xu family was so powerful that they were almost unshakable in Emperor Guangwu's heart, among the common people, and in the military.
They couldn't be easily shaken and brought down like the Lan family.
Song Chengyuan had no choice but to swallow his anger and took a big gulp of wine while sitting at his seat.
After everyone had finished speaking and seeing that Emperor Guangwu's face had softened, Empress Ma knew that he was just taking the opportunity to show his authority and didn't want to put the matter of sending troops on the agenda. So she said with a smile:
"You little girl are really amazing. You have a sharp tongue and are very bold... When I was young, I was just like you. I didn't want my eyes to be filled only with my husband and needlework. I just wanted to go on expeditions with His Majesty."
A tender look appeared on Emperor Guangwu's face.
Obviously, Empress Ma's recollection of the past made him nostalgic.
After Empress Ma said this, he really thought that Caiyu looked like his virtuous wife when she was young, with the spirit of a woman not inferior to a man.
This completely lifted his mood.
Emperor Guangwu suddenly burst into laughter, "What the Empress said is really true... Good, good. The fourth son's birthday gift is excellent, and the servant he taught is also excellent..."
The birthday - presenting ceremony finally passed without any major mishaps.
To save face, Emperor Guangwu immediately rewarded Song Yinghuai, Caiyu, and Sheng Jiangli handsomely.
After Song Yinghuai stood up, he looked at Sheng Jiangli and nodded slightly.
Although Sheng Jiangli had stood up for Caiyu, he still owed him this favor.
The night wind of early summer blew from behind him. The men's gazes intertwined in mid - air, and invisible sparks burst out in the bright imperial garden.
Song Chengyuan was so angry that his nose was crooked.
His birthday gift was ignored and despised, while Song Yinghuai received a reward.
He gritted his teeth and looked at Caiyu who was about to step aside. Suddenly, he said:
"Fourth brother, I've heard that this maid of yours used to be a Yangzhou courtesan?"