Shen Yu froze for a moment before he realized what Shang Junlin was referring to. Unwilling to be outdone, he said, "Your Majesty, you can try."
"A Yu has promised me. You can't go back on your word." Shang Junlin chuckled.
"What do I have to regret?" Shen Yu licked his lips. "A different Majesty should have a different taste."
Shang Junlin bit his earlobe and picked up the painting on the table. "Why did A Yu want to paint me like this?"
"Maybe I've heard too much these days. I can't help but wonder what Your Majesty looks like when you go to the battlefield." Shen Yu had never seen Shang Junlin like that. People would always be interested in things that they had never seen before.
"If A Yu wants to see you, just say so. The armor that I wore in the past is in the palace. I'll ask Meng Chang to find it." Shang Junlin was happy to fulfill his small wishes.
Eunuch Meng received the order and went to the warehouse to find the armor that Shang Junlin wore in the past. After wiping it clean, he presented it.
Shang Junlin raised his arm and motioned for the palace servant to put it on for him. However, Shen Yu stopped him.
Shen Yu looked at the cold armor and said, "I can already imagine Your Majesty wearing it."
Shang Junlin walked over. "Why don't you want to see it?"
"This armor, I hope that there will never be a day when I see Your Majesty wearing it." Shen Yu's voice gradually lowered.
When would the Emperor wear the armor?
This would only happen when there was no one in the court who could be used. Shen Yu hoped that Daheng would be able to maintain peace and stability for a long time and that such a day would never happen.
"Since A Yu doesn't want to see it, I won't wear it." Shang Junlin waved his hand. "Take it away."
The palace servant took the armor and left.
Seeing that Shen Yu was not in a good mood, Shang Junlin deliberately said something that would make him happy.
"Northern Mo was defeated. I asked the Prime Minister and the Minister of Revenue to discuss compensation. Does A Yu have anything he wants?"
"The Northern Desert is willing to compensate? Shen Yu was surprised. No matter how he looked at it, the Northern Mo didn't seem to be so generous.
"Of course not. They only sent me a letter of surrender. The compensation is what I asked for. They took the initiative to provoke me, so they should pay the price."
"Your Majesty is right. If we don't let them feel the pain, they will dare to do it again." Shen Yu couldn't agree more with Shang Junlin's decision.
Shang Junlin was dissatisfied when he spoke of these old officials. "Some of the officials in the imperial court even feel that this is a loss of grace. We think that they have been studying too much these past few years. Compared to the robbers who invaded the Great Huan Dynasty, what is there to talk about?"
"Your Majesty, you don't have to care about them. Compensation is a must. Which war doesn't have sacrifices? Even if it's for the sake of these soldiers who sacrificed their lives, they should compensate us. "
As for the people who were sacrificed, what were they? Weren't you the ones who wanted to start the tournament? What does it have to do with the Great Huan Dynasty?
"In this war, Gu Huai's performance was very outstanding. After a while, he will be able to return to the capital to report on his work." Shang Junlin stroked Shen Yu's long hair.
"Your Majesty, have you announced his achievements in the imperial court? Does Imperial Physician Gu know what Gu Huai has been doing during this time? "
No matter what, they were people who went through thick and thin together in the previous life. In this life, there was Imperial Physician Gu between them. Shen Yu couldn't ignore Gu Huai's situation.
"Not yet. There are some problems with his identity. I plan to wait until he comes back."
Originally, without this sudden war, Gu Huai would have to stay in Subei for at least three or four years. With such a long time as a buffer, the possibility of manipulating things in the middle would be high enough.
Subei.
In the barracks of the Subei Army.
After the victory of the war, the general of the Subei Army waved his hand and held a celebration banquet to reward those who deserved it.
"What is Young General Gu doing?"
Gu Huai sat alone in a corner drinking wine. A general who was on good terms with him came over.
The two clinked their wine pots. Gu Huai said, "What should I say when I go back?"
"Just say it. Young General Gu has made a great contribution this time. Even if you don't say anything, the imperial court will remember it."
"It's not that. I don't know how to tell my family. I didn't tell them that I came out." Gu Huai took a sip of wine.
"So that's what you're worried about. It's okay. A good man's ambition is to travel far. Besides, you've made a great contribution. Your family won't blame you." He could understand. Gu Huai was still young. At first, many of his subordinates were dissatisfied with him leading the army. After a few victories, everyone was convinced.
They couldn't help but be convinced. Although he was young, he was indeed talented in the field of military strategy. No matter how difficult the situation was, he could turn it around. It could be said that as long as he took action, there was no chance of defeat.
The people who were sent to his army were dissatisfied and disdainful at the beginning. Now, they called him "General Gu." They were convinced.
Gu Huai looked at the moon in the sky and didn't say anything. It was the first time he had been separated from his brother for so long. He didn't know if his brother was angry.
"By the way, you're from the capital. The medicine in the capital is really good. Thanks to the medicine brought by Imperial Physician Wu, many of the wounded soldiers were saved. Our current emperor is also generous. He gave the soldiers' pay and provisions as if they didn't cost money. If it weren't for the fact that we replenished the provisions immediately after the disaster relief, it would have been much more difficult to win this time."
After winning the war, the people in the North of Subei were jubilant. On the contrary, the atmosphere in the Northern Desert was gloomy.
When they started the war, the people of the Northern Desert didn't expect that they would lose so badly.
"Didn't you say that the soldiers in the North of Subei don't have enough pay and provisions? Is this what you meant by a few days? "The emperor of the Northern Desert was angry when he thought about how he had been fooled by the Northern Army.
"This … the news from the Northern Desert was that the Northern Army's pay and provisions were used to help the people. At that time, our people hadn't been discovered yet. They couldn't have sent back fake news."
"Then how do you explain the current situation?"
The ministers stammered and didn't know what to say.
"Forget it. A defeat is a defeat. The surrender letter has been given. It's useless to say anything else." The emperor of the Northern Desert seemed to have accepted the situation and sighed deeply.
They couldn't win the war. What else could they do except to accept their fate?
"Your Majesty, I heard that a prince in the Great Huan Kingdom led the army to rebel. Why don't we cooperate with that prince …"
The emperor of the Northern Desert's eyes flashed. "There's such a thing? Tell me more. "
The official who spoke lowered his eyes, concealing the scheming look in his eyes. "I only heard about this by chance. Actually, the Emperor of Great Huan's most favored Emperor wasn't the one currently sitting on the throne, but another prince. His Highness, Prince Yue, is leading an army to reclaim his rightful position …"
Under the curtain of the night, there were countless conspiracies in the operation of the people with ulterior motives.
After dinner, Shen Yu and Shang Junlin took a walk in the corridor.
Shen Yu: "Even if we win this time, Your Majesty should pay more attention to the movements of the Northern Desert, especially now that the matter of Prince Yue hasn't been solved."
Shang Junlin: "A Yu thinks that Prince Yue will collude with the Northern Desert?"
Shen Yu said, "Your Majesty, do you still remember the people who controlled Feng Pingqi behind the scenes? At the same time, they were also in contact with the Subei officials who were punished. Although there is no conclusive evidence that they colluded with the Northern Desert, we can't rule out this possibility."
Shang Junlin: "After this defeat, the Northern Desert's hatred for the Great Huan Kingdom will only deepen. Especially since I made them lose so much. If the two sides have a way to contact each other, it's very likely that they will collude."
In order to prevent this from happening, Shang Junlin ordered all the officials, especially in places like the Northern Desert that bordered the Northern Desert, to report as soon as they found any abnormalities.
The imperial court's order quickly spread to the Northern Desert.
He Chengyu and Jiang Huaiqing were now able to take charge. After Fang Jun's departure, they grew quickly and firmly grasped the Northern Desert in their hands. They used the fastest speed to get the Northern Desert back on the right track.
Compared to the administrators, Fang Jiayi was more inclined to deal with the Northern Desert. Because of her previous achievements, the imperial court had also given her a more suitable official position.
Yaoji did not leave. Instead, she became a low-ranking official working under Fang Jiayi and changed her name to Jiang Yao.
With Fang Jiayi's outstanding performance, the people of the Northern Desert accepted the appearance of a second woman working in the government.
After the imperial court's decree was issued, the upper echelons of the Northern Desert gathered to discuss the follow-up matters.
"The imperial court means that the Northern Desert's surrender is not enough. They need to compensate for the losses they caused to the Great Huan Kingdom."
"I was originally worried that the imperial court would simply accept it. The document from the Northern Desert only had the title of surrender. It didn't have any intention of reflecting on their actions."
"They probably think that the Great Huan Kingdom won't care about them. After this document is sent to the Northern Desert, I can already imagine the expressions on their faces."
"This time, I'm afraid we'll have to trouble Master Fang again."
Everyone in the Northern Desert knew that as long as Fang Jiayi made a move, the Northern Desert would have absolutely no room to fight back. They could only lay down their weapons and surrender.
The weather was getting colder. Shang Junlin's birthday was coming soon.
Last year, Shen Yu gave him a copy of the flood-control manual. It was half a gesture of goodwill. Now that their relationship was very different from before, the gift should also be different.
The situation was special. Shang Junlin's birthday banquet this year was not grand.
On the day of his birthday, Shang Junlin was still busy with state affairs.
Shen Yu had prepared a birthday gift in advance. It was a painting.
Unlike the battlefield that Shen Yu had drawn last time, which was mainly black, this painting was mainly warm. It was full of spring, and hundreds of birds were singing. It presented a scene of vitality.
Shen Yu was thinking about sending the painting as soon as possible. That night, she couldn't sleep well.
Feeling the person in his arms turn over again, Shang Junlin had no choice but to hold her tightly in his arms. "A Yu, if you really can't sleep, you can do something else with me."
Shen Yu was actually very sleepy. She pushed Shang Junlin with half-opened eyes. "What time is it now?"
"It's almost midnight. Go to sleep. If there's anything, we can talk about it tomorrow." Shang Junlin gently patted Shen Yu's back as he said this.
"No." Shen Yu struggled to open her eyes. "I have to go down."
Shang Junlin didn't let go of her. "If there's anything, just let the palace servants do it. It's very cold outside at night."
"It's a gift for Your Majesty. Does Your Majesty not want it?"
Shang Junlin reacted for a while. Then he remembered that tomorrow was his birthday. He found it funny. "A Yu didn't sleep in the middle of the night just to give me a birthday gift?"
Shen Yu was sleepy. Her mind wasn't very clear. She thought that Shang Junlin didn't like it. She said in a low voice, "If Your Majesty doesn't like it, then forget it."
"Why wouldn't I like it?" Shang Junlin couldn't bear to see Shen Yu sad. He hugged her and comforted her. "No matter what A Yu gives, I'll like it."
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