Li Chengyan's sudden question to him must mean that something has happened in the court.
"What happened? Did something happen to Shen Yun?"
Li Chengyan picked up the cup, took a sip of milk, and then recounted Shen Yun's story from beginning to end.
However, Chong Ning was not informed about Ning Yin and Xiao Xuan's affair.
Xiao Xuan told him to keep it a secret for the time being, so he dared not mention it to anyone.
"Is my younger brother alright?"
"It's nothing, it's just that we need someone to take charge of the military command. After thinking it over, I still think you, sister, are the most suitable. Which of those soldiers doesn't admire you wholeheartedly?"
Chongning knew perfectly well that Xiao Ling's power was stirring, and now even Shen Yun had switched sides. As the older sister, she couldn't just sit idly by and wait for her doom.
Thinking it over, Chongning gave an order to Duan Li behind him.
"In that case, Duan Li, why don't you quickly bring me my Xuanjia armor!"
After changing into black armor, Chongning went to the military camp with Li Chengyan.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xuan finished his court session and was thinking of going back to be with Ning Yin as soon as possible.
No sooner had he sat in the sedan chair than he saw the old eunuch beside the emperor running towards him.
"Your Highness, wait for this old servant. His Majesty requests that Your Highness come to the Imperial Study."
The old eunuch ran and shouted, his whisk swaying in the wind.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan frowned slightly, knowing that Consort Chen must have been gossiping in front of the Emperor again.
Presumably because of Shen Yun's demotion, Xiao Ling finally got the chance, so he had to have his mother speak highly of him to the emperor.
When they arrived at the Imperial Study, the Emperor was reviewing the latest military expenditures.
Early this morning, the Ministry of Rites reported to the Emperor the military expenses that Xiao Xuan had paid.
The emperor was somewhat displeased to see hundreds of thousands of taels of silver disappear just like that.
Just as she was pondering how to give Xiao Xuan a little nudge, "His Highness the Crown Prince said..."
As the eunuch's shrill voice came from outside the door, Xiao Xuan strode into the study.
Wearing a dark blue brocade python robe, she exuded nobility and elegance. Her eyebrows were prominent, her nose was high, and her sharp eyes held a hint of coldness and majesty.
Xiao Xuan lifted his robe and bowed to the emperor. The emperor, seated at the head of the table, glanced down at the man with solemn eyes, and then spoke in a low voice.
"Your Highness, please rise."
Although the emperor showed no emotion, his displeasure was clearly evident.
Xiao Xuan stood up, his eyes sweeping over the memorials from the Ministry of Rites on the table, and he understood everything.
"I wonder what brings Father Emperor to summon me here today?"
"Your Highness, I heard that you accepted Shen Yun's military tally and also requested several hundred thousand taels of silver from the Ministry of Rites as military expenses. Is this true?"
The emperor looked at Xiao Xuan, his eyelids slightly lowered, his voice carrying the unique majesty of an emperor.
"The border is now stable. We only fought off some bandits. Why do we need to use so much silver to reward the soldiers?"
That being said, little did the emperor know that these soldiers had followed Chongning through thick and thin from the very beginning, and that Chongning had treated them like his own family.
Later, Chongning resigned from his position as general, and Shen Yun took over the troops.
Shen Yun earned the title of God of War by relying on them.
But in private, he was corrupt and embezzled the soldiers' rewards.
Many soldiers who died on the battlefield did not even receive their families' compensation.
Those who survived the battlefield haven't been home to visit their families for seven or eight years.
There were already widespread complaints in the military camp, and the emperor at the time turned a blind eye to these things.
Those in the highest positions always try to win over powerful ministers to consolidate their own power, and they don't care much about whether the people at the bottom are doing well or not.
Now that the emperor is old and his eyesight is poor, most of the affairs of state are handled by Xiao Xuan, and those bad practices have been somewhat improved.
“Father, General Shen is greedy for merit and reckless, disregarding the people and soldiers. He has also repeatedly withheld the salaries of his subordinates. Now, relying on his power, he has forcibly broken into an official’s residence, injured his subordinates, and shown great disrespect to me. I believe that such a person is not suitable to serve as the Grand General.”
"The soldiers shed their blood and sacrificed themselves to defend the country,"
"We cannot assume they are useless just because the border is peaceful. It is precisely because of the existence of these soldiers that enemy countries dare not invade at will."
"In peacetime, we should make sure the soldiers are well-fed and clothed, take care of their emotions, and make them feel a sense of belonging. Only in this way can we motivate them."
Xiao Xuan spoke at length, and the majesty emanating from his brows startled even the emperor at the head of the table. This Xiao Xuan was truly exactly like himself when he was young.
However, this child lost his mother at a very young age. If Empress Yao were still alive, how gratified she would be.
The emperor didn't really want to blame his son for being so successful.
Xiao Xuan's words made perfect sense.
The emperor had been so well served by Consort Chen last night that he couldn't resist her coquettishness and feigned weakness.
Consort Chen is only thirty-five years old now, and she gave birth to Xiao Ling at the age of 16. If it weren't for Empress Yao, she might have already sat on the throne of empress.
However, Empress Yao's position in the emperor's heart was unparalleled. Even after Empress Yao passed away, the emperor preferred to leave the empress's position vacant.
Xiao Xuan was Empress Yao's only son, so how could he not like him?
Seeing that the emperor remained silent for a long time, Xiao Xuan assumed that the emperor was displeased, so he cupped his hands and said to the emperor again, "What I have said today is all true. If Father Emperor feels that I have offended you, I am willing to accept the punishment."
The emperor closed his eyes, sighing slightly. How could he possibly blame him?
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