Chu Fan gazed deeply at Liu Ruyan, a subtle admiration flickering in his eyes. He secretly sighed that women who could embody the name Liu Ruyan were truly extraordinary. Their wisdom and charm easily surpassed those of ordinary people.

Changsun Pinting scratched her head and said in a somewhat confused tone, "I originally thought that the declaration of war between the two countries meant that a large-scale war would really break out between our Wei Kingdom and the Canglan Empire.

I never thought that this was a move by the rulers of the two countries to consolidate their positions. I really thought there would be a real war between our two countries.

Chu Fan gazed at Changsun Pinting tenderly with a doting expression and explained softly, "Silly girl, a war between great powers is never as simple as it appears. You must learn to see through the surface and analyze who will gain the greater benefit from such decisions. Once you can see through this, you will understand why the decisions of some great powers can seem so outrageous."

Changsun Pinting nodded, half understanding. She had grown up in a carefree environment. As the youngest child of the Changsun family, the family didn't expect much from her. The burden of supporting the family fell on the shoulders of the Changsun family's male members and Changsun Pinqing, the eldest daughter.

This is one of the reasons why the Changsun family did not forbid Changsun Pinting and Chu Fan from playing together. The Changsun family did not have too many expectations for Changsun Pinting, they just hoped that she could grow up happily and live a carefree life.

However, even though Chu Fan and Liu Ruyan knew the true purpose of the Canglan Empire's declaration of war on Wei, the officials in the Wei court were completely unaware of this. If these officials were truly prepared to fight a decisive battle with the Canglan Empire, the situation would become uncontrollable and the consequences would be disastrous.

Therefore, Chu Fan felt it necessary to convene a court meeting to explain the interests involved to the officials in order to avoid unnecessary conflict. He knew that if some misunderstanding or misjudgment led to a full-scale war between Wei and Canglan Empire, it would bring great disaster to the people of both countries.

Chu Fan turned to Eunuch Li beside him and gave an order: "Notify all civil and military officials to hold a court meeting tomorrow regarding the Canglan Empire's declaration of war."

Chu Fan finished speaking and continued to enjoy his happy time with Mu Xi and the others. As the emperor, he only needed to grasp the general direction of the country. As for those tedious affairs, there would naturally be others to handle them. Otherwise, he would be exhausted.

The next day, the court meeting was held as scheduled. Upon learning of the Canglan Empire's declaration of war against Wei, many officials were filled with anxiety. After all, the Canglan Empire was a military powerhouse with a vast military force. Meanwhile, Wei had just experienced invasions by the Xiongnu and the Gan Kingdom the previous year, and its strength had yet to fully recover. If the Canglan Empire truly launched a war, Wei would face immense pressure.

However, the generals seemed extremely excited. They had been rubbing their hands in anticipation, eager to show their skills and achieve great achievements on the battlefield.

As Chu Fan sat upright on the dragon throne, he swept his gaze majestically across the court and asked in a deep voice, "My dear ministers, what are your thoughts on the Canglan Empire's declaration of war?"

The Imperial Government Affairs Office and the six ministers were all well aware of some sort of deal between His Majesty and the Empress of the Canglan Empire, and that His Majesty had not imposed any restrictions on Liu Ruyan's personal freedom. Therefore, the excuses put forward by the former Empress of Canglan for attacking Wei were not actually justified.

Furthermore, after Liu Ruyan handed over the two million taels of silver that His Majesty had allocated to the Canglan Empire to her mother, the former Empress of the Canglan Empire, she immediately took the lead in declaring war on the State of Wei. If His Majesty hadn't orchestrated all of this, they would never believe it.

However, the other ministers knew nothing about this. One of the Imperial Censors asked, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask if Princess Liu Ruyan of the Canglan Empire is in the Imperial Palace?"

Chu Fan nodded slightly and replied calmly, "Liu Ruyan is indeed in the palace. I wonder if this minister has any questions?"

After hearing Chu Fan's answer, the Imperial Censor sighed and said, "Your Majesty, you are truly foolish. How could you simply keep a princess from another country in the palace? If Your Majesty truly desired Liu Ruyan, you could have achieved it through diplomatic means. Why do such a shameful thing?"

Minister of War Mu Yundian stood up and refuted, "Secretary Si, aren't your remarks a bit too extreme? His Majesty's actions always have deep meanings, so how can you just speculate? Moreover, Princess Liu Ruyan has not been treated harshly in the palace. As the Emperor of Wei, can't you do what you like with a woman you like? If the Canglan Empire really wants to attack Wei, our Wei soldiers will not be pushovers."

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Censor's face flushed red as he argued, "Minister Mu, this is completely a warrior mentality. If His Majesty wants to obtain Princess Liu Ruyan, he could simply use diplomatic means to have the Canglan Empire send her over as a marriage partner. Why make it so complicated and cause a dispute between the two countries?"

You must know that although Liu Ruyan has a high reputation in the Canglan Empire, the policies she implemented when she was helping the previous Canglan Empress violated the interests of too many nobles and aristocratic families. As long as our Wei State contacts those nobles and aristocratic families in the Canglan Empire and makes some efforts, she will have no foothold in the Canglan Empire.

Then, if we give some benefits to those nobles and aristocratic families, Princess Liu Ruyan will naturally become the object of marriage. Why should we force her to stay in the palace? This will damage the reputation of our Wei State and will also make your Majesty's reputation unbearable in the Shengwu Continent.

Now that the Canglan Empire has declared war on this ground, how can we explain to the people of the world if we don't give a reasonable explanation?"

At this time, another minister stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, while the Censor's words may be a bit extreme, they are not without reason. The people are now uneasy upon hearing that war is imminent between the two countries. If this situation is not properly addressed, civil unrest may ensue."

At this moment, a young general stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that since the Canglan Empire wants to fight, then we should accept the challenge. As for the unrest mentioned by the two imperial censors, I did not see it. I only saw the soldiers' eyes filled with a desire for military merit. They all wanted to show themselves on the battlefield."

As the atmosphere of the debate in the court became more and more tense and fierce, if he did not stand up to stop it at this time, the Haotian Palace would soon become a vegetable market.

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