The Prodigal Son

When Qin Yu returned home after having dinner with Zhao Luan, Jiang Ci was still at the Qin family home.

Upon seeing Qin Yu, Nan Que'er cast a helpless glance at him.

Clearly, she and Luo Qingyi also wanted Jiang Ci to leave as soon as possible, but they couldn't figure out how to directly kick her out.

"Have you had dinner yet?"

Luo Qingyi stepped forward and asked softly.

"have eaten!"

Qin Yu answered with a worried expression.

Seeing Qin Yu's troubled expression, Jiang Ci tentatively asked, "What happened? How did you end up like this after just one trip to the palace?"

"My head hurts!"

Qin Yu sat down, utterly exhausted. "The Northern Qi have already reached our doorstep, yet the Minister of War and the Regent don't want to fight? Isn't that just utter nonsense?"

Upon hearing Qin Yu's words, Luo Qingyi and Nan Que'er instantly understood.

Qin Yu rarely discussed important court matters at home.

Knowing full well that Jiang Ci is a spy for Bei Qi, they are still talking about these things at home, clearly intending it for Jiang Ci's ears.

"what?"

Nan Que'er feigned surprise, "Why wouldn't Lord Xue want to fight?"

"It's not that I don't want to fight! It's just that I don't want to fight right now!"

Qin Yu briefly explained to them why Xue Chengdao and Su Yu didn't want to fight now, then chuckled self-deprecatingly, "So all that silver I brought back, making the national treasury full, has become a constraint?"

Luo Qingyi looked puzzled. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with what they're thinking, right?"

"Yes! I think so too."

Jiang Ci chimed in, "Our dynasty has only just occupied Min, so it's reasonable for them to wait until we've developed before attacking, isn't it?"

Qin Yu rubbed his head, saying with a headache, "Their idea isn't inherently wrong! But they're thinking too perfectly!"

"Northern Qi is so vast, do you really think that if we prepare for war with all our might for several years, we can definitely annihilate it in one battle?"

"Who can become fat overnight? Do they think Beiqi is like the Min and Chu states?"

"Emperor Xiaowu was such a capable general, yet he couldn't destroy Northern Qi in a single battle!"

"What if we're fully prepared but still lose to Bei Qi? Wouldn't that make it even harder to fight in the future?"

"If we don't expend the effort now, we might not even have the chance to do so in the future..."

Qin Yu seemed to have found someone to confide in, and kept complaining.

"That's true!"

Nan Que'er nodded in agreement. "Then what is His Majesty's opinion?"

Qin Yu sighed, "Her Majesty does want to wage a war of attrition, but even the Minister of War doesn't support her. She's in a real bind now!"

"I just don't understand. It's understandable that Lord Su doesn't want to fight now!"

"But Lord Xue, as the Minister of War, why can't you even understand such a simple principle?"

"I seriously suspect he's been terrified of Bei Qi..."

Qin Yu harbored a great deal of resentment.

As he spoke, he started complaining again.

Seeing Qin Yu's expression, Luo Qingyi couldn't help but pat his hand to comfort him, "To be honest, I don't want to fight either! I don't understand all those big principles, I just know that if we go to war, you'll probably have to risk your life again..."

"If we don't attack Beiqi, Beiqi will attack us!"

Qin Yu smiled helplessly, "I can skip fighting others, but I absolutely have to fight Bei Qi! I want to avenge my father and the others with my own hands! Alright, alright, I won't complain to you anymore, you guys chat first! I have to attend the court assembly tomorrow, I need to think about the arrangements..."

With that, Qin Yu got up and walked towards his small courtyard.

After taking only a few steps, Qin Yu suddenly stopped and turned back to Jiang Ci, saying, "It's getting late. If you don't mind, you can stay at the manor. If you want to go back, Da Chui can take you! It's not safe for a young woman like you to be out so late at night."

After saying that, Qin Yu sighed again and walked towards the courtyard.

Watching Qin Yu's retreating figure, the three women couldn't help but show worry on their faces.

"Sigh, these things in the court are so troublesome!"

Jiang Ci sighed softly and said to the two women, "I should go back! Don't worry about me. Lord Qin is feeling down, go and keep him company! This is the first time I've seen him like this."

"Even I've never seen him like this before," Nan Que'er said with a wry smile.

"Who told the Qin family to be mortal enemies with Bei Qi?"

Luo Qingyi sighed helplessly and ordered someone to call Qi Dachui to take Jiang Ci home.

After seeing Jiang Ci off, the two women returned to the courtyard.

As soon as they entered, the worry on the two women's faces vanished instantly.

"You're putting on quite a convincing act!"

Nan Que'er sidled up to Qin Yu, teasing him with a smile.

"Of course!"

Qin Yu laughed heartily, "See? Jiang Ci's role has been brought into play, hasn't it?"

"That's true."

Luo Qingyi smiled sweetly, then asked with some concern, "Is the imperial court really going to war?"

"We definitely have to fight!"

Qin Yu took Luo Qingyi's hand. "I know you're worried about me, but when it's my turn, I have to step up!"

"I understand."

Luo Qingyi sat down next to Qin Yu, resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't understand state affairs. I just want to stay with you."

Actually, she has a lot on her plate.

But because she wanted to spend more time with Qin Yu, she didn't do many things.

The Qin family already has enough silver.

For now, all we need to do is ensure that the existing businesses continue to operate normally.

She just wanted to be by Qin Yu's side all the time.

Otherwise, if war breaks out, it will be a separation of at least six months.

Qin Yu nodded gently and embraced the two women.

……

The next morning, Qin Yu was forced to get up early to attend the court assembly.

Today's topic has become whether or not it is necessary to fight this war of attrition.

As expected, when Zhao Luan raised today's topic, the ministers once again engaged in a fierce debate.

Xue Chengdao, Su Yu, Cui Xu, and others formed a faction that firmly opposed fighting an endless war of attrition.

Qin Yu, who should have stood with Xue Chengdao and his group, instead sided with Gao Yi and others, believing that a war of attrition was the best way to deal with Bei Qi at the moment.

As usual, the argument quickly escalated into a fight.

"I'll say it again: if you want a war of attrition, fine, let's send all our own men to Zhenzhou to fight a war of attrition!"

"Lord Su, this is utterly unreasonable! You're simply trying to use this to manipulate the will of the court officials!"

"Exactly! You're always thinking about preparing for war, preparing for war. During the late emperor's reign, our dynasty didn't experience a major war for many years. Wasn't that enough preparation? In the end, didn't we still end up fighting a bloody war a few years ago?"

"If you don't expend resources now, can you guarantee you'll win in the future?"

"All you do is talk the talk, not walk the walk. We're not asking you to risk your own children's lives for them; don't you feel any remorse?"

"War is not child's play! To abandon the best strategy for the worst is foolish! Only you stupid pigs who think about war with your asses would do something so stupid!"

"His Majesty also agrees with waging a war of attrition. So, are you implying that His Majesty is also the stupid pig you're describing?"

"I wasn't talking about His Majesty, I was talking about you, you son of a bitch, you traitor..."

The discussion in the court today escalated into a war of words exceptionally quickly.

As soon as the Ministry of War's people took the lead in forming a group, the others immediately followed suit.

Suddenly, all sorts of insults and profanities poured out.

As the verbal battle escalated, the two sides began to push each other.

Seeing that a full-blown brawl was about to break out in court, Zhao Luan finally spoke up to stop the crowd, then coldly asked, "Lord Xue, I don't want to hear any more of your grand pronouncements! I'll only ask you one question: if I insist on waging this war of attrition, what will you say?"

Faced with Zhao Luan's questioning, Xue Chengdao immediately frowned.

"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

Just then, a loud shout suddenly rang out from outside...