Li Chang'an felt utterly annoyed by this person. She questioned Feng Beichuan with a stern face, and then naturally put on an aura that kept strangers at bay.

However, Feng Beichuan, being so shameless, naturally couldn't possibly consider himself a stranger to Li Chang'an. He automatically filtered out the somewhat disharmonious atmosphere around him and then changed the subject, saying, "Tomorrow's morning court session will likely be another tough battle."

Upon hearing this, a dark and ambiguous look flashed involuntarily in Li Chang'an's eyes. He then pondered in his heart what Feng Beichuan's purpose was in suddenly coming to tell him this.

Then, seemingly casually, she said, "So what? Eight out of ten morning court sessions will inevitably involve a heated debate. Are you not used to it? Even if you tell me, what can I do?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Beichuan was taken aback for a moment, then immediately became serious and said, "This time the situation is different. You have been very busy these days and there are some things you are unaware of. According to my people, the emperor has recently gone mad again and plans to send several civil officials to the Ministry of War to hold important positions. Do you think he is getting senile?"

Before Feng Beichuan could finish speaking, Li Chang'an's expression changed. This time, she no longer had that indifferent look she had just had.

Then, Feng Beichuan continued, "Not only that, that old emperor also plans to deduct the salaries of the military officers in the court to supplement the military pay. I suppose he will issue an edict to the world tomorrow morning."

Is this true?

As expected, no sooner had Feng Beichuan finished speaking than Li Chang'an immediately expressed his great concern about the matter.

Upon hearing this, Feng Beichuan merely shrugged slightly before retorting, "Do you think I would make up something so important?"

"This is utter nonsense!"

Li Chang'an immediately frowned and spoke in a deep voice.

If what Feng Beichuan said is true, Emperor Xingchang's move was indeed sudden. He clearly intended to suppress the military generals in the court and was preparing to implement a policy of emphasizing civil officials over military ones.

However, the civil and military officials in the court were originally evenly matched, and this situation had been maintained for many years. Li Chang'an really couldn't understand why Emperor Xingchang would suddenly want to break this balance.

Having studied the art of governing a country for so long, Li Chang'an has also seen many examples of debates on the relative importance of civil and military affairs.

The most important thing to achieve national stability and prosperity is to maintain a balance.

The relationship between the ruler and his ministers is one of checks and balances, as well as interdependence between ministers and between civil and military officials.

The reason why Sheng Nan Kingdom has been able to prosper for a century is because its predecessors have achieved this balance and laid a solid foundation for the country's stability.

Moreover, as the representative of the military generals in the court, Li Chang'an was naturally even more unable to accept Emperor Xingchang's sudden suppression of the military generals.

Although Li Chang'an had only been in the military camp for a mere three years, she had a deep understanding of the hardships she had endured.

The court appears harmonious on the surface, but undercurrents are surging beneath.

Those civil and military officials have always maintained a state of mutual respect and dislike for each other.

Military officers were often referred to as mere commoners by the civil officials in the court who seemed to be full of knowledge and eloquent but were actually bloated with money and fed by the national treasury. They were even misunderstood as brutes who could do nothing but brandish swords and spears.

The civil officials were secretly called "old good-for-nothings" by the military officers, who were only good at talking big.

However, what many do not realize is that to effectively manage an army, one needs both literary and military talents.

Although literature and martial arts seem to be polar opposites, they are actually one family.

Li Chang'an has always been quite fond of studying battle formations and tactics, and she has a deep understanding of them. In fact, to some extent, the principles of managing an army and governing a country are the same.

If what Feng Beichuan just said is true, and Emperor Xingchang intends to issue such an edict, then that would be going too far.

Then, Li Chang'an spoke up again: "He plans to use the salaries of military officers to subsidize military pay, what about the silver in the national treasury that was originally used to supply military pay?"

The more Li Chang'an thought about it, the uglier his expression became.

Historically, military pay has been largely maintained by annual national taxes. If it were now supplied by the salaries of military officers, the national treasury would have a considerable surplus.

Based on Li Chang'an's understanding of Emperor Xingchang, she simply couldn't believe that the man would return such a large sum of extra silver to the army.

Thinking about this, Li Chang'an suddenly felt that he seemed to have grasped the key to the whole matter.

So she boldly guessed that perhaps Emperor Xingchang made this decision suddenly because he had his sights set on this.

Upon hearing this, Feng Beichuan simply shook his head, then added, "I'm not entirely sure about that either, but if Chu really decides to implement a policy that emphasizes civil affairs over military matters, what do you plan to do?"

Upon hearing this, Li Chang'an pondered for a moment, then said solemnly, "Let's see how things go at tomorrow's morning court. If he really intends to act recklessly, as the head of all the military officers, I will certainly stand up for everyone."

So, are you planning to face this alone tomorrow?

Feng Beichuan raised an eyebrow.

After hearing what the other party said, Li Chang'an merely glanced at him indifferently before speaking: "What do you mean by facing this alone? All the military officials in the court are on my side. If I were to insist on going my own way, it would likely harm the very foundation of the nation. I believe that as a wise ruler, I would certainly consider the greater good."

Wise ruler?

Upon hearing this, Feng Beichuan couldn't help but let out a mocking sneer.

I really don't know whether that person insulted those two words, or those two words insulted him.

"What if he insists on doing things his own way?"

After speaking, Feng Beichuan stared straight at Li Chang'an, taking in every detail of the woman's expression.

Do you have a solution?

However, Li Chang'an did not answer the other party's question. Instead, he threw a question at the other party.

Upon hearing this, a glint of light flashed in Feng Beichuan's dark eyes, and he smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness's mind is indeed sharp; you guessed it before I even had to say it."

Looking at the man's ill-intentioned expression, Li Chang'an felt a wave of exasperation. He thought to himself that this guy practically had his wicked intentions written all over his face; no one else needed to guess what he was up to.

Therefore, she didn't respond to him, but simply watched quietly as he continued to put on an act.

Seeing that Li Chang'an showed no reaction to his lavish flattery, Feng Beichuan wasn't embarrassed. Instead, he smiled and said, "In my opinion, the old emperor is doing this simply to take this opportunity to suppress Your Highness's momentum. However, I have an idea that will work if Your Highness agrees."