My Wife Is a Battle Maiden Of The Horde

"Your Majesty!" Suddenly, a determined scholar got on his knees and kowtowed, his face set with resolve.

"Your Majesty! The earthquake in the Longquan Province has caused many deaths and severe damage! The people are starving, Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to send more relief to the common people!" The scholar pleaded, tears streaming from his eyes, his voice echoing through the grand hall.

Upon hearing this, the Imperial Court, which had been abuzz with the usual murmur of politics, suddenly fell into a deathly silence. It hadn't been long since the Young Emperor had ascended the Throne, and now, with a catastrophic earthquake to deal with, this was naturally not a good omen, potentially touching the dragon's reverse scale.

The young emperor on the throne felt a wave of nervousness wash over him, but he knew he couldn't let this show on his face. Inside the sleeves of his dragon robe, the Emperor's little fists were tightly clenched in anxiety. He moved his lips, wanting to say something impulsively, but immediately shut his mouth in a hopeless manner after sensing a chill behind his back.

There was no response from behind the curtains where the Regent or the Empress Dowager might be listening. Suddenly, the Deputy Officer from the Ministry of Revenue stood up angrily, his face red with frustration, "Nonsense! We have already allocated enough relief funds. This year the harvest was poor, we cannot afford to send more!"

His declaration was like a stone being thrown into a pond, causing ripples of dissent. The pond began fluctuating full of ripples as one after another, the scholars raised their voices, righteously demanding the Ministry of Revenue to send more relief. Meanwhile, the officials from the Six Ministries began retorting angrily, debating that the state could not afford to divert its attention further.

The scholars scolded righteously, saying that abandoning the people would invite the condemnation of the heavens, urging the emperor to take immediate action. Their saliva flew as they yelled out in indignation, while the officials trembled with anger, feeling the momentum slip away from their hands.

"Silence! How dare all of you quarrel like street dogs in the presence of the Emperor?!" Suddenly, a ragged, authoritative voice echoed through the hall, silencing everyone.

The old Imperial Censor stood up angrily, scolding the scholars and the officials in one go, his voice trembling not just with age but with reproach.

Seeing all this circus, the Minister of War, Marquis Dong Zhong, furrowed his brows. He then stood up and bowed towards the throne.

Marquis Dong Zhong was a retired general from the Military Dong Family. He had been serving as the Head of The Ministry of War since the Era of the late Emperor. The reason why he wasn't forced to resign was because he was needed in such tumultuous times, and the other reason was that the military Dong Family was the head of the neutral faction.

Although old, Marquis Dong still carried a sense of military might with his large and intimidating visage. Everyone was aware of his achievements and abilities, so the Imperial Court became silent, paying great attention to his next words.

The little emperor calmed down, nodding and waving his hand, permitting the old man to speak.

Marquis Dong faced the scholars, then, he sighed and turned towards the emperor and spoke, "Your Majesty, I have no opinion regarding the allocation of the relief fund, but I do have some relevant information."

Marquis Dong took a momentary pause, then, he faced the Imperial Court and continued, "I predict that next year, after the winter, the Northern Covenant will definitely take the opportunity to launch raids into our nation. Not only this, but intelligence suggests that the Jin State may also have similar intentions!"

Hearing this, the scholars' faces paled, the officials' expressions darkened while the military faction narrowed their eyes in contemplation.

However, no one was as affected as the Minister of Revenue, whose face was turning black and blue, as if he had eaten a fly or sniffed a rotten mouse.

The Minister of Revenue took this opportunity to speak with a sense of urgency,

"Your Majesty, if this is true, then the situation is dire, and we must think of countermeasures! The earthquake has already taken a large toll on the Imperial Treasury, on top of that, the Harvest was terrible this year, and much of it was also destroyed in the earthquake. If we spend more money, then the Court cannot sustain a two-front war at this time!"

Everyone suddenly became unprecedentedly solemn.

This was truly a disaster of tumultuous magnitude. It really made one wonder if the Emperor had lost the Mandate of Heaven. But this was even worse as the political situation of the Liang dynasty was already fragile; it could not handle both internal and external trouble so soon after the change in power.

Just then, there was a slight movement behind the curtains. The Empress Dowager, calm yet frowning, spoke, "This is a very serious matter. At this time, it's even more important that we stand united against the external threats! Does anyone have a solution?"

Hearing this, the court broke out in a hubbub as everyone began working their brains to think of something useful. One after another, scholars and officials began speaking out their ideas.

"Your Majesty, I think we should increase the taxes!" One official suggested, but was immediately refuted by the Revenue Ministry, "We can't do that! Do you want the realm to rebel?! The taxes are already very high…"

Then, a scholar suggested hesitantly, "Your Majesty, the aristocratic families must step forward and contribute to the realm!"

The aristocratic faction suddenly jolted and vigorously spat out one argument after another against this idea, like a dog whose tail was being stepped on. The Imperial Court suddenly resembled a vegetable market, and the scholar who had suggested the idea was nearly drowned in the nobles' saliva.

Suddenly, the directorate of the Minister of Rites came forward, bowing politely he said, "Your Majesty, the heavens are condemning us! I urge Your Majesty to offer sacrifices to the heavens and the ancestors and pray for the realm's safety and prosperity!"

As everyone fell silent hearing this, a palace eunuch hinted to the emperor secretly beside him with the instructions of the Regent. The child emperor understood immediately. "Zhen will personally travel to Mount Wensheng for the Ritual, make the appropriate preparations!" The Emperor said, though full of reluctance inwardly.

The old man of the Ministry of Rites bowed and sat back in his seat in faint satisfaction. Then, the Empress Dowager spoke again, "Certainly, the heavens are merciful. However, does no one have any solid countermeasures against this predicament?"

The Empress Dowager's gaze swept over everyone in the court, taking in everyone's expressions. Then, her gaze fell on a familiar young man who looked like he wanted to say something. For a brief moment, it seemed as though their gazes met. She had already recognized the young man; he was the highest-ranking scholar who had passed the imperial examination, achieving the title of Jinshi, his name was Wang Liren.

"Jinshi Wang, what are your thoughts?" The Empress Dowager asked abruptly in expectation, immediately drawing all the eyeballs at the Young Jinshi.

Wang Liren was momentarily startled but still managed to keep calm. Under all the scrutinizing gazes, he came forward and bowed deeply towards the throne.

"Your Majesty, I beg your pardon, but I can only think of one possible solution with my pitiful abilities." Wang Liren said humbly, his gaze lowered respectfully.

"Sir Jinshi, you may speak freely."

Wang Liren nodded, then, he took a deep breath while gathering his thoughts and then finally spoke confidently, "The barbarians will not be able to attack during the winter, this gives us a buffer time. However, the Jin State is an immediate threat."

Narrowing his eyes sharply, he continued, "Offense is the best defense. Instead of waiting for the Jin State to invade, we should immediately launch an offensive on the northern front. However, we cannot prolong this war. The key is to gain a decisive advantage and then push for peace talks. This way, before the barbarians begin their offensive, we will be prepared."

The Imperial Court immediately erupted in discussions and whispers. Everyone began to assess the feasibility of this plan, and to everyone's shock… this wasn't a bad plan at all!

The Empress Dowager changed her posture and began thinking, while the Minister of War's eyes flashed with a peculiar glimmer as he looked at the young Jinshi.

"This is not a bad plan, but what if the Jurchen refuse to agree on peace after being attacked? After all, they are not stupid and know of our predicament." He asked seriously.

Wang Liren smiled, raising his arms he spoke, "The Jurchens have always been more interested in Yulong as it is more fertile and rich. If we surprise them first and gain advantage, they will not risk fighting to death with us in a disadvantageous situation. At that time, a peace offering would come at the right time. The Jurchen would most likely agree and set their sights on Yulong Empire."

Marquis Ping'an heard this and glanced at the young Jinshi. "Impressive…" He muttered.

Others were also impressed as gasps of astonishment could be heard. Suddenly, everyone's gazes were very different as they looked at this year's Jinshi. Wang Liren would definitely become famous in the capital after this day.

Just as the court was starting to settle, Marquis Chen smiled and came forward. He then bowed and announced, "Your Majesty, the Chen Family is willing to share the financial burden of the relief efforts as much as we can. Long Live The Emperor!"

Hearing this, most people were very happy while some gritted their teeth in secret. These were the people of other aristocratic families. Now that the wealthy Chen Family had come forward, it would be very inappropriate for them to sit silently. This was essentially forcing their hand. Not having any choice but to bite the bullet, noble houses one after another also pledged their help to the relief efforts. In the end, the chants of "Long Live, Long Live The Emperor!" Echoed loudly in the hall.

Seeing this completely opposite scene, the corners of the Empress Dowager's mouth curled up. Raising her hand, she silenced the clamour and announced, "Very Well, the Emperor appreciates the Noble Clans for stepping forward in this difficult time."

The Empress Dowager looked at Marquis Chen briefly and nodded, she then continued, "This is the time to take strong action! Prime Minister Cui and Lord Dong, prepare to move against the Jurchen as soon as possible! The Northern Army will lead this charge; inform General Shangguan immediately! Know that failure and disunity will not be tolerated, for the sake of our motherland, we must succeed!"

"The Court is adjourned!" The Empress Dowager declared with vigour.

The court session ended as the Emperor left and everyone scattered. The palace and all the six ministries became busy in preparations. The Dong Family mansion especially became extremely bustling as war preparations began.

Two days later, an Imperial Decree arrived at the Chen Family manor personally carried by eunuch Wu, who was the 'Emperor's' close attendant. In front of the Chen Mansion, Chen Yijun—the father of Chen Li—received this Decree on his knees as the eunuch proclaimed.

"By The Imperial Decree; Princess Ye Hua is bestowed in matrimony to Chen Li. In honor of the union between Princess Ye Hua and Chen Li, and in recognition of Chen Li's loyalty and Noble Lineage, he is granted the honorary title—Prince of Xinchuan."

"Additionally, five thousand mu of fertile farmland in Jiangyuan Province, ten chests of gold, one hundred bolts of fine silk, and a pair of white jade ornaments are bestowed to him as tokens of imperial favor. May this union bring prosperity and harmony to the realm."

Just as this news shook the capital like a thunderclap, even bigger news completely overshadowed the whispers of this union. The Liang Dynasty had officially declared War on the Jin State, and the Army reinforcements were leaving from the capital to the northern frontier!