After the failed attempt to pretend to be dead, the sickly child was favored by the treacherous mini

"What do you think of this letter of surrender?"

"The Eastern Japanese are all rats, with no sense of shame and no moral integrity. The promises made today will definitely be reneged on tomorrow. I think we should make a concerted effort to completely eliminate the threat of the Eastern Japanese for future generations."

"I second your proposal. The Tiger Army is now at its most motivated. This time, we will surely win the battle against the Eastern Japanese."

"Since the war with Japan, the navy and warships have suffered huge losses. If we want to cross the ocean to pursue the victory this time, I am afraid that the national treasury will not be able to sustain it."

"Yes, in order to support this war, the Ministry of Revenue has even raised the taxes on the people this year. If the war continues, how will the people live?"

"If we don't wipe out the Eastern Japanese in one fell swoop this time, they will seize the opportunity to counterattack and may even annex our vast territory. By then, we will have no time to live a normal life. All the subjects of our land will have to kneel down and become their slaves."

"Now that the Eastern Japanese have been driven back to their lair, I think there is no need to rush to wipe them out. Let the two Korean generals train the Tiger Power Army on the border and cultivate the land in their spare time to achieve self-sufficiency first. When the national treasury has a surplus, we will wipe out the Eastern Japanese in one fell swoop."

"The East Territory is not the West Territory or the North Territory. Where did the large piece of wasteland come from for reclamation?"

"With neither wasteland to be reclaimed nor good farmland to be used, are you trying to find a way to make these meritorious officials die in the East Territory?"

"Then we can think of a way. Let them use warships to fish. I think this is a good idea."

"You are so easy to talk when you are standing. If it is so easy to be self-sufficient, why don't you take your whole family and live there for two years, and compete with the people in the East Territory for a little food?"

……

The morning court session, which usually ended in one hour, took more than two hours today.

The pro-war faction and the pro-peace faction each thought they were right, and they started arguing fiercely right in the Golden Palace.

The neutral faction was like a fence-sitter, wanting to take advantage of both sides and please both. In the end, even after leaving the throne room, they were scolded all the way out of the palace by both sides.

This dispute naturally also allowed Xia Hong to understand the attitudes of various forces in the court towards this war.

Most of the old ministers advocated war, while the new ministers had never witnessed the Eastern Japanese's past behavior, so half of them advocated war, while half advocated peace. The remaining neutral people's words were of little reference value.

Naturally, by the end of the morning court session, no conclusion had been reached.

What Xia Hong wanted was to not be able to come to a conclusion.

Without someone who has experienced it firsthand to speak out the pros and cons, how can we decide on matters that concern the present dynasty and future generations?

The sun at noon was so hot that it could melt a person. Eunuch Lin fanned Xia Hong with the remaining ice on his folding fan, but he could not extinguish the heat in Xia Hong.

Xia Hong frowned and snatched the folding fan from Eunuch Lin's hand. He waved the fan himself, but the more he fanned, the hotter he felt.

"Lift it steady and walk faster."

After instructing the guards who were carrying the imperial sedan chair, Eunuch Lin sent the young eunuchs behind him out and said, "Hurry up and run to the front to take a look. If the guards who are carrying the ice jar don't come, I will break their legs."

This summer is indeed hot, but Eunuch Lin doesn't feel it is much hotter than in previous years, especially under the shade of the trees. It is really not so hot that it feels like being in a frying pan.

Eunuch Lin felt a little puzzled, but judging from the results of Doctor Shu's pulse checks every time, he could only attribute it to the fact that Xia Hong was now old and could neither stand the cold nor the heat.

The chattering voice of Eunuch Lin beside him made Xia Hong even more annoyed. He gave Eunuch Lin a disdainful look, and all the sounds around him disappeared completely.

A dozen young eunuchs carrying four ice jars came to Xia Hong's side, and several of them fanned together to suppress Xia Hong's heat.

Xia Hong's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and his gaze was naturally drawn to Shen Jinmo who was standing beside the imperial chariot.

He was wearing a dark official robe with a red edge. The sweat from being exposed to the scorching sun flowed down his jawbone into the lapels of his clothes, which was particularly pleasing to the eye.

It's no wonder that Xie Nanxing got attached to such a powerful, handsome and loyal man and couldn't bear to let him go.

As soon as they entered the Golden Palace, Eunuch Lin helped Xia Hong take off his heavy court robes and change into light bedclothes.

Holding the court robe in both hands, the slightly moist feeling made Eunuch Lin feel that it was normal for Xia Hong to be immune to the heat.

If a healthy person wears such hot clothes in the summer, he will sooner or later get heatstroke.

This dragon chair, this imperial throne, is really not that easy to sit on.

After the emperor and his minister had a cup of tea, Sui Yi personally presented the two scrolls to Xia Hong.

Xia Hong drank the refreshing ice drink while flipping through the files with one hand: "What does Wang Heng think of Xun Xiang's actions today?"

Shen Jinmo held the silver skewer in his hand and put the freshly peeled chilled loquat into his mouth, chewing and swallowing slowly, as if he was slowly chewing what Xun Xiang had done today.

In fact, it was according to Xia Hongzhi's expectations, slowly finding a balance between the emperor's heart and the court.

However, Shen Jinmo did not respond as Xia Hong expected, not because he could not find them, but because he did not know what the two scrolls that Sui Yi handed over were for.

"The original intention of beheading first and reporting later was to unify the country. If we look into the method of doing so, the lightest crime is to be charged with the crime of being a figurehead, and the worst is to be charged with the crime of deceiving the emperor."

Xia Hong was actually surprised when he heard this, but his surprise disappeared very quickly.

Shen Jinmo is a killing knife. Whenever his master mentions someone, his first reaction is how to kill that person.

It's totally normal.

With an inaudible sigh, Xia Hong looked towards Shen Jinmo's eyes, with a hint of reluctance in them.

"Since Xun Xiang can firmly hold the position of Prime Minister, he must be a man of great potential. Although I am a little unhappy, I have no intention of touching him."

Apart from occasionally doing things for the people that did not affect the overall situation, Xun Xiang always cared about Xia Hong.

Xia Hong naturally wanted to retain such a court official.

Shen Jinmo put the silver stick in his hand into the jade disc, and caught a glimpse of Xia Hong closing the file from the corner of his eye.

Xia Hong is definitely not the kind of person who can let go of suffering generously. Since he cannot touch Xun Xiang, the person he has to touch must be someone extremely important to Xun Xiang.

"Xun Zhan is now the only useful person under King Ming. After King Ling was imprisoned, a man of Xun Lan's talent suddenly became useless."

"I see that Xun Lan and Han Shu seem to have a lot of contact. What do you think will happen if I promise Han Shu to Xia Ling?"

Xia Ling had tried every possible means to win Han Shu, but was still unable to do so. Now Xia Hong was willing to take the initiative to promise her to Xia Ling?

What Xia Hong pulled Shen Jinmo to talk about today was not the matter of Xun Xiang at all, but the attack and defense of the East Territory and the ownership of military power after the Huwei Army returned to the court.