Contrary to what Chu Shaoling had expected, everyone did not stay at Donghua Temple for very long. On the seventh day, the Emperor sent someone to pick up the Empress Dowager.

The eunuch bowed in front of the Emperor and said, "The Liaoliang country from the border has invaded, causing some chaos. The Emperor is worried about the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince, and the Fourth Princess, so he sent this servant to bring three thousand imperial guards to escort the Empress Dowager, the Prince, and the Princess back to the palace early."

The Empress Dowager's heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "Has something major happened?! Speak clearly."

The eunuch hurriedly said, "Nothing major, nothing major. Alas, the Empress Dowager is really making it difficult for this servant. How would this servant know about the important matters of the court? This servant only knows that the Emperor has been troubled by this small foreign country these past few days, unable to eat or sleep well. Although it's not a big deal, it's still not peaceful. The Emperor is concerned about the Empress Dowager being outside, so he urged this servant to come pick you up. Besides, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching. It would be good for the Empress Dowager to return to the palace early to prepare for the festival and moon appreciation."

"With the war at the border, how can I be in the mood to appreciate the moon? Forget it, let's pack up." The Empress Dowager thought for a moment and still felt uneasy. "Yang'er is also outside! Did the Emperor say anything?"

The eunuch bowed and replied, "The Empress Dowager can rest assured. The Emperor has also sent someone to deliver a message to the south. Fortunately, the Fourth Prince's task there is almost done, so he should be able to return before long without any issues."

The Empress Dowager felt slightly relieved and patted her chest. "That's good. Go tell Ling'er and Fuyi to pack their things. We'll return to the palace immediately."

Outside, the servants were hurriedly loading the carriages and saddling the horses. After receiving the message, Chu Shaoling first went to comfort the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was still sighing, "What's the use of me chanting scriptures and worshipping Buddha? Why is there always unrest?"

Chu Shaoling said softly, "It has been forty years since the late Emperor's western expedition against Liaoliang. The Xiongnu have gradually become restless again. Every autumn harvest and winter, they always invade the border, burning, killing, and looting. Who knows what happened this time? Imperial Grandmother, don't worry. Liaoliang is just a small country, not worthy of fear."

Hearing her grandson's comfort, the Empress Dowager's heart was still uneasy. She said, "How would you know how powerful this small country is? Back then, when the late Emperor personally led the expedition against Liaoliang, hundreds of thousands of soldiers were lost. That barren land delayed the war for half a year before the Liaoliang was subdued."

Speaking of past events, the Empress Dowager couldn't help sighing, "At that time, your imperial father was only seven years old and didn't understand anything. The old princes in the court were eyeing the throne like tigers. If it weren't for the late Emperor's trust in those old ministers to keep them in check, who knows what would have happened? In those days, I was always trembling with fear in the rear palace, afraid that something might go wrong. Even now, thinking back to that period, my heart still aches."

Chu Shaoling chuckled, "Imperial Grandmother has experienced great turmoil as an elder. The current situation is nothing in comparison. It'll be fine once we return to the palace."

The Empress Dowager was still worried and instructed again, "If things aren't good after returning to the court, you must not request to go to war! I know you young people have no fear of anything and only think about going to battle!"

The Great Chu always sent princes to war to boost the morale of the army. Hearing this, Chu Shaoling laughed lightly, "Imperial Grandmother, don't worry. I can't even lift my shoulders or hands, what can I do?"

After comforting the Empress Dowager, Chu Shaoling returned to the Bodhi Hall. The palace servants were coming in and out, packing things, but Wei Ji was nowhere to be seen. Chu Shaoling called Wang Muhan over and asked. Wang Muhan also had no idea and said, "This servant just saw him a moment ago. Guard Wei was just packing his few small bundles in Your Highness' room. In the blink of an eye, he's gone."

Seeing Chu Shaoling's expression darken, Wang Muhan quickly said, "Guard Wei probably had something to take care of and took the opportunity while Your Highness went to see the Empress Dowager. Guard Wei understands the rules and will definitely be back soon."

Wang Muhan's analysis made sense, but Chu Shaoling still couldn't help feeling anxious. Where did that silly thing run off to?! Knowing it's chaotic, he still wanders around.

Just as Chu Shaoling was about to send someone to look for him, Wei Ji returned. Chu Shaoling felt relieved, but there was still some anger in his heart. However, considering Wei Ji's thin-skinned face, it wasn't good to scold him in front of these people. He said, "Pack your things and have Eunuch Wang put them in my luggage. Don't let anyone else touch them."

Wei Ji didn't sense Chu Shaoling's anger at all. For some reason, he was still happily smiling, the corners of his mouth curled up. Hearing this, he nodded and went to pack.

An hour later, everyone had finished packing. Chu Shaoling helped the Empress Dowager into the carriage and settled her in. He also went to check on Fuyi's carriage behind and instructed the palace maids serving Fuyi a few words. Once everything was taken care of, he turned around and got into his own carriage.

Behind Chu Shaoling's carriage, after Chu Shaoling got on, Wang Muhan, who was following Chu Shaoling's carriage, shouted "Start!" The eunuchs in charge in front also shouted one after another, the sound traveling all the way to the front. The head eunuch in the front heard it and shouted, "Start the journey!" With that, the grand procession of carriages slowly headed towards the Imperial City.

As soon as Chu Shaoling got into the carriage, he called Wei Ji. Wei Ji was still in a good mood, occasionally turning his head to the side and smiling with pursed lips. Chu Shaoling couldn't help laughing, "Did you sneak out just now and pick up something good? You're so happy?!"

Wei Ji smiled. When he received the message saying they were returning to the palace immediately, Wei Ji immediately thought that he hadn't had time to give the monks here incense money this time.

It was increasingly difficult for Wei Ji to leave the palace now, and it wasn't easy even to go home, let alone come to Donghua Temple. The incense money for Chu Shaoling's eternal lamp could not be lacking. Fortunately, he had ample funds now. The silver that Wei Ming had given to Chu Shaoling twice had all gone into Wei Ji's pocket. This time, Wei Ji directly gave the great monk two hundred taels of silver, in case he couldn't come for a while.

After giving the incense money, Wei Ji went to pay his respects and suddenly discovered that beside the eternal lamp he had lit for Chu Shaoling, there was another identical lamp.

According to the rules of lighting lamps, only one lamp could be lit on each shelf. The great monk smiled calmly, "A benefactor wearing clothes embroidered with dragons came once and gave this old monk ten thousand taels of incense money, asking this old monk to light an eternal lamp for one person for a lifetime. He specifically instructed that these two lamps should be placed together, accompanying each other for life after life. Amitabha."

At that moment, Wei Ji's eyes turned red. Chu Shaoling already knew and had even lit a lamp for him.

Chu Shaoling raised his hand and rubbed Wei Ji's head, saying, "I'm asking you, what did you go do just now?"

Wei Ji smiled and shook his head. Chu Shaoling had been anxious earlier, but now he could also guess what had happened. He still liked to tease him, "Why are you shaking your head? Speak, I haven't settled the score with you yet."

Wei Ji felt warmth in his heart. Chu Shaoling stretched out his body and leaned against the soft pillow, pulling Wei Ji to rest on him. He scolded softly, "If you dare to run around blindly next time, see how I'll deal with you. Are you hungry?"

"No, I'm not hungry yet." Wei Ji lifted a small gap in the carriage curtain and glanced outside. The imperial guards had protected their convoy very tightly. Wei Ji had never seen this before. He asked softly, "Your Highness, Liaoliang is not far from us, why are we still so heavily guarded?"

Chu Shaoling gently stroked Wei Ji's back and said softly, "During Emperor Ruizong's time, there was a conflict with the Northern Yi. At that time, Northern Yi assassins had infiltrated the imperial city and kidnapped a young prince."

Wei Ji had never heard of such a thing and said in surprise, "I don't know what happened afterwards."

Chu Shaoling chuckled, "Afterwards? The King of Northern Yi used the young prince as a hostage to force Emperor Ruizong to withdraw his troops."

"I remember Emperor Ruizong's withdrawal from the Northern Yi, but..." Wei Ji was a little confused, "there was never any mention of a prince being held hostage."

Chu Shaoling sneered, "Of course you don't know, because what happened next is not good to tell outsiders. Emperor Ruizong never intended to rescue the young prince. To the public, Emperor Ruizong said that the young prince had died suddenly, and that the Northern Yi's kidnapping was just of the prince's attendant, so the war continued."

Wei Ji's eyes widened. How could this be?!

Chu Shaoling gently rubbed Wei Ji's back and slowly said, "The generals may not have believed it, but they had to. The Northern Yi had invaded our country's territory and could not be tolerated. They had to sacrifice the young prince, even though he was Emperor Ruizong's own younger brother."

Wei Ji murmured, "Then what happened to that young prince?"

Chu Shaoling was silent for a moment, then said, "When the King of Northern Yi found out, he was furious and severely tortured the young prince. After learning of Emperor Ruizong's response, the young prince understood Emperor Ruizong's deep meaning. He gritted his teeth and insisted that he was just a guard. The King of Northern Yi was half believing and half doubting. Before the two armies fought, he brought the young prince to the front line. That day, the young prince was only a hundred steps away from Emperor Ruizong. The young prince cursed the Northern Yi dogs in front of the army to boost morale, and then was killed by the King of Northern Yi."

"Later, after the war was settled, Emperor Ruizong greatly honored the young prince who had been sacrificed, promoted the young prince's eldest son to a prince, and bestowed nobility for ten generations. To the public, it was only said that Emperor Ruizong cherished his young brother who had died early. Of course, this kind of thing cannot be known to outsiders. After many generations, most of the imperial family members do not know about this old incident. It's just that whenever there is a war, the imperial family and relatives must be well protected, for fear of another kidnapping incident."

"Do you find it unbelievable?" Chu Shaoling looked at Wei Ji with a smile, "It's different from what you thought, right?"

It was the first time Wei Ji had come into contact with imperial secrets, and he was only shocked. From Chu Shaoling's few words, he could vaguely feel the forbearance of Emperor Ruizong when he made this decision back then, as well as the tragic heroism of the young prince who was not afraid of death in front of the army.

Wei Ji could understand the young prince. If one day he himself became a burden to Chu Shaoling, he would also choose to end his own life so that Chu Shaoling would have no worries. Wei Ji thought for a while and said, "The young prince was a loyal subject, and Emperor Ruizong was a wise ruler. It was not easy for Emperor Ruizong to make this decision, to exchange his own brother for the peace of the people, and to suffer the criticism of others. It was not easy."

Chu Shaoling nodded, thinking to himself that this was why he could not be a wise ruler. If the same thing happened to Chu Shaoling, he would never be able to make the same decision as Emperor Ruizong.

Chu Shaoling looked at Wei Ji, who was still commemorating the heroes, and chuckled. He also wouldn't have the opportunity to make such a decision. How could he let Wei Ji leave his side and let others take him away?

After being moved for a while, Wei Ji thought of this matter again and asked softly, "Wasn't Liaoliang conquered by the previous emperor and had already submitted? Why are they attacking again now?"

"Half of Liaoliang's country is in the desert, with barren land and nothing else to exchange for food. In good years it's barely enough, but if there are any natural disasters or famines, they simply cannot support themselves." Chu Shaoling softly explained to Wei Ji, "Submitting is only a temporary matter. When they were defeated, of course they had to submit. But as soon as they catch their breath, they will still do evil."

Wei Ji thought of the general situation of Liaoliang that Zhang Lifeng had told him before and also had a general idea in his mind. He said, "General Zhang told me before that the people of Liaoliang are brave and fierce, and even women can go into battle and kill enemies, very heroic. I think they are also forced to do so, otherwise they would have no way to fill their stomachs."

Chu Shaoling nodded and chuckled, "I heard that Liaoliang even had a queen before."

Chu Shaoling chatted with Wei Ji about Liaoliang from time to time, while inwardly pondering over this war. He didn't know if the emperor was for war or peace. If he was for war, should he find a way to push Chu Shaoruan or Chu Shaomo to go fight? Actually, Chu Shaoling would prefer to let Chu Shaoyang go, but Chu Shaoyang was too young and it was not very feasible.

What if the emperor was for peace? Chu Shaoling secretly planned that when he returned this time, he had to hurry and settle the matter with Fuyi. If the emperor was for peace, the matter of Wei Zhan and Fuyi would be somewhat uncertain. Although the Great Chu had never had the custom of marrying princesses for peace, it was better to be cautious.

While Chu Shaoling was dealing with Wei Ji's occasional questions, he was also thinking about matters after returning to the palace. When he came back to his senses, he saw that Wei Ji had somehow taken a piece of paper and started drawing. Upon closer look, Chu Shaoling was shocked to see that it was actually the border line between Great Chu and Liaoliang.

On each side of the border, Wei Ji drew a circle representing their respective capitals. On the Chu side, he also drew a few troops, each labeled with one thousand soldiers, two thousand soldiers, one thousand soldiers.

Chu Shaoling was slightly shocked in his heart. Not to mention anything else, just this border line, he himself would not be able to draw it so clearly. Did Wei Ji learn so much from following Zhang Lifeng? Or did this child know this before?

Chu Shaoling's face remained calm as he pointed to the ink marks representing the troops and asked, "Why arrange the eagle formation, and how did you determine these numbers?"

Wei Ji was stunned for a moment, then said, "There are not many places where Liaoliang and our borders intersect, and the terrain suitable for war is not a plain, not wide. I remember this place when I looked at this terrain before."

Wei Ji drew a circle in the northwest and continued, "This area has many mountains and valleys, but here and here, there is a flat and vast area. However, because it is not a plain, the wings do not need to be opened too wide, so one thousand soldiers are sufficient. The key is to use the eagle head to split the enemy formation, then gather here to embrace, and then the eagle head turns into eagle wings, killing together towards the center. This way, there is no need to go deep into Liaoliang's hinterland, and it is not too far from the supply points on our border. If it goes smoothly, we can devour fifty thousand of Liaoliang's military strength in one go."

After Wei Ji finished speaking, seeing that Chu Shaoling did not say anything, he raised his head to look at Chu Shaoling and said timidly, "I was just talking nonsense."

Chu Shaoling leaned down and kissed the top of Wei Ji's head, his eyes full of delight, "When did you understand so much? Quietly, you already know these things."

Wei Ji's face flushed red. He had learned some of these military laws and regulations since he was a child, while others were taught to him later by Zhang Lifeng. When he was studying, Wei Ji thought about how Chu Shaoling had specially invited a teacher for him, and that he would be letting Chu Shaoling down if he didn't study hard. He also thought that if Chu Shaoling decided to test him one day, he needed to be able to answer correctly. Wei Ji studied diligently, all for the sake of receiving even a word or two of praise from Chu Shaoling someday.