Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

According to the regulations of the Great Chu royal family, women reach marriageable age at sixteen and men at eighteen.

Even if you are an empress, you cannot be older than eighteen and must choose a suitable marriage partner.

However, weddings in the imperial family are usually arranged by the elders, and the Prime Minister's Mansion only has the right to recommend candidates.

However, the current Empress Dowager is not the Empress's biological mother, and the Chu etiquette stipulates that if the Emperor's biological parents are both deceased, he has the right to personally appoint his husband.

Therefore, from the perspective of etiquette, Ye Mo's words were perfectly correct.

When it comes to matters of the heart, Jiang Mengxuan had her own dreams when she was young. For example, she had a strange feeling for her fellow disciple, Xu Jingyan.

Unfortunately, Xu Jingyan's beloved was Chu Youwei, the most beautiful girl of the Xuanyu Sect, and the two had been engaged long ago.

This caused Jiang Mengxuan, who was only eight years old at the time, to feel disappointed for a long time. She even imagined Chu Youwei as an old witch.

But as she grew older, Jiang Mengxuan gradually realized that her feelings for her third senior brother were simply admiration, not the romantic love she thought she had for him.

Besides, as an empress, she couldn't possibly engage in the same kind of "searching for a lover" thing that ordinary women do when it comes to matters of life.

Their spouses were most likely in political marriages, not based on genuine affection, but simply for the purpose of producing royal offspring and acquiring political resources to consolidate their imperial power.

Jiang Mengxuan has a very clear understanding of this.

However, Jiang Mengxuan does not want to get married so early. She only wants to devote herself to official duties and make the Great Chu prosperous.

So she asked, "Prime Minister, the country is in turmoil these days. Isn't it too early to talk about my marriage?"

Ye Mo replied, "If Your Majesty thinks it is too early to get married now, then this old minister suggests that a suitable person for marriage should be selected first. As for when the marriage will take place, Your Majesty can decide that personally."

During this period, His Majesty can also assess the character and abilities of the prospective sons-in-law, and choose the most suitable one to enter the palace and marry.

Ye Mo's words were very skillful, without any aggressive attitude, and he looked like he was only thinking about Jiang Mengxuan, making it impossible for anyone to find fault with them.

Such opponents are the ones that are truly formidable.

If Ye Mo adopts a tough stance to force Jiang Mengxuan to compromise, then the problem will be easier to solve.

But this old fox didn't do that; instead, he offered advice by asking for his own opinion.

Jiang Mengxuan pondered for a while, glanced at Ye Mo's composed demeanor, and replied directly:

"Then let the Prime Minister handle this matter. I have only recently ascended the throne, and I still need the Prime Minister's support in everything."

Ye Mo bowed and replied, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for trusting this old minister. I have already inquired with the Observatory."

Three days from now will be an auspicious day. At that time, this old minister will bring together talented individuals from all walks of life to carefully select the best candidates for Your Majesty.

"Well, so be it, Prime Minister. If there's nothing else, then the court is adjourned."

"Welcome Your Majesty."

After the officials showered her with compliments, Jiang Mengxuan left the Taiji Hall with the help of her maid.

As soon as the court session ended, Lü Lin immediately came to Ye Mo's side and whispered, "Prime Minister Ye, how should we handle the matters concerning the Li Kingdom and the Western Xia Kingdom? I would appreciate any guidance you may offer."

Ye Mo waved his hand, signaling Lü Lin to leave the hall together.

After putting on his shoes and walking on the jade steps, Ye Mo asked, "Lü Lin, what do you think of the Great Chu compared to the Great Yan?"

"The Great Yan is located east of the Northern Region and has been fighting with barbarian tribes for many years. Its people are naturally fierce. In terms of combat strength, our Great Chu is indeed slightly inferior."

Ye Mo nodded: "That's right. In terms of military strength alone, the Great Chu is certainly inferior to the Great Yan. But if the Great Chu really wants to have a decisive battle with the Great Yan, I predict that the Great Yan will definitely lose!"

Lü Lin: "Why is Prime Minister Ye so certain?"

Ye Mo smiled and said, "As the Minister of War, you only value the military might of the Great Chu. However, between nations, it's not just about having a strong army."

According to statistics released by the Ministry of Revenue last month, at least three thousand households from the Yan Kingdom have migrated to the territory of our Great Chu and settled there over the past ten years, and have been registered.

Do you know what this means?"

Lü Lin shook his head: "The State of Yan is located in a bitterly cold land, and its ruler levies taxes and levies excessively. The people of Yan have no means of livelihood, so they have come to seek refuge in our Great Chu."

Ye Mo: "That's right. How long can a country that relies solely on military force last?"

The key to governing a country lies in governing its people; life is a matter of comparison.

No matter how strong your military is, if your people can't even get enough to eat, such a country will never be truly strong.

Lu Lin hurriedly said, "If that's the case, then why did my mentor force His Majesty to cede three counties to the Yan Kingdom? We should use all the power of the country to wipe out the Great Yan in one fell swoop and eliminate future troubles."

Ye Mo paused upon hearing this, then turned to look at Lü Lin.

Lu Lin, however, did not back down and stared at Ye Mo with indignation.

After a long silence, Ye Mo slowly spoke: "Lü Lin, are you blaming me?"

Lu Lin shook his head: "No, I know that my teacher must have had a reason for doing this, but I really don't understand."

The State of Yan is the greatest threat to our Great Chu. Since our master says we have the ability to defeat them, why do we still cede territory to sue for peace and send hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in tribute every year?

Ye Mo shook his head: "Are you in a position to sit in this position, acting so impulsively?"

Do you know what price my Great Chu will pay for conquering and destroying the Great Yan?

Is this the kind of militaristic victory you want, requiring at least ten years of financial expenditure?

"Have you thought about how many people from our Great Chu will be displaced after the war is over?"

Lü Lin: "But in this way, at least we can wash away the humiliation of the Great Chu."

"What a load of humiliation!"

Ye Mo pointed directly at his forehead.

"Tell me, what was humiliating? Where was it humiliating?"

"To lose territory and be forced to sue for peace, is this not humiliation?"

“Three insignificant abandoned prefectures, all within enemy territory, were used to exchange for peace in Bingzhou. This is humiliating.”

Three hundred thousand taels of silver were exchanged for the opening of border trade. The Great Chu could earn several times that amount of silver in annual revenue from the border trade. What kind of humiliation is this?

Lü Lin, what did I teach you? You must observe things from multiple perspectives; don't get stuck on one particular detail.

If you were a man of principle, uttering such words, I wouldn't even bother speaking to you.

But you are now a second-rank official in the Great Chu, the Minister in charge of the Ministry of War. Do you still want to have the same low standards as those purists?

Sacrificing the dignity of imperial power in exchange for the people's peaceful and prosperous life, what kind of humiliation is that?

You...

Ye Mo pointed at Lü Lin, his face filled with disappointment and frustration.

"It seems you're still not convinced. Then let me ask you, if the Great Yan Dynasty were to perish, what would you do?"

Lu Lin subconsciously said, "The Great Yan is gone, the hidden dangers on the borders of our Great Chu have been eliminated, and the world is now completely at peace."

"What a peaceful and prosperous world!"

Ye Mo slapped him on the head.

"Border threats eliminated? How could such a thing come out of the mouth of a dignified second-rank Minister of War?"

No matter how good or bad the Great Yan was, it was still a country guided by the king's rule. At least they, like us Chu people, understood propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame.

If the Great Yan falls, my Great Chu will face the most powerful kingdom in the east, Wu Zhao, and its vassal kingdom, Tian Lang, with its formidable army.

That was a primitive tribe whose minds were consumed by nothing but reproduction and slaughter, possessing an unprecedented greed and obsession with the land.

Do you want my Great Chu army and its people to directly confront these bloodthirsty beasts?

Upon hearing this, Lü Lin immediately understood.

He bowed and apologized: "Master, I understand now. The reason you chose to compromise with the Yan state was to have them bear the threat from the Wu Zhao state for the Chu state, right?"

Ye Mo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, after saying all that, do you still think the matter between Li Kingdom and Xia Kingdom is difficult to handle?"

Lu Lin shook his head: "No, after what you've said, Master, I no longer think these things are a big deal."

Compromise is not always a sign of weakness, but rather a way to accumulate strength and wait for the most crucial strike.

Ye Mo finally showed a relieved expression: "There's still hope. Remember this: those who command troops must assess the situation and not fight unjust battles."

If you continue to be so stubborn, then you can forget about holding the position of Minister of War.

"Please calm down, teacher. I understand."

Ye Mo pointed at his face, then left the palace without looking back.

……

night.

While the court was embroiled in endless disputes, a carriage slowly moved forward in front of Huaiyan Street in the East Market of Jinling.

"How is it, my good brother? This place is pretty good, isn't it? I wasn't lying to you, was I?"

"Hehe, that is indeed interesting."

"It's more than just interesting; the full-body massage here is incredibly stimulating. Their main focus is on doing things the unconventional way."

I was fortunate enough to experience it once, and I still find it unforgettable!

Looking at the brightly lit brothels on both sides, Shen Lang felt a sense of loss.

If all goes well, I will eat my first bite of meat in this world tonight.