Chapter 390 Xiao Yan, I Will Support You

"Look at how well you've taught San Ya. You'll definitely be able to teach others in the future," Lu Qiniang said confidently. "I don't know what's wrong with you all. You all have such sullen faces. I almost collapsed!"

"The worst outcome I had imagined was that the Emperor would give me a sinecure. I never expected that he would actually ask me to oversee the studies of the princes and grandchildren."

"I actually don't like the word 'idle job'. If it's an assignment, just do it well. It's better to do it if you have nothing to do, okay?" Lu Qiniang whispered. "How can you accept such a large salary from the court and then not do anything?"

She couldn't do it, she felt uneasy.

"Xiao Yan, we listen to the Emperor. We'll do whatever he tells us to do," Lu Qiniang said. "I think it's very good to teach children. So many children have been raised astray, but you definitely won't. You're a kind-hearted person with strong abilities, so the Emperor can trust you to raise his children. If it were someone else, he definitely wouldn't be so confident."

"Is that the case?" Xiao Yan liked to see Lu Qiniang smiling.

It seemed that all the difficult and bad things turned into good things when they happened to her.

"Of course. Think about it, the descendants of the emperor and the phoenix will become princes if not emperors in the future, and will be in charge of so many people. If you teach them well, teach them to follow the right path, and teach them to sympathize with the people, what a great merit that would be!"

"Perhaps, the emperor really thinks so?" Xiao Yan shook his head.

The emperor's arrangement contained some suspicion towards him.

He also knew where this suspicion came from.

——King of Yan.

He was too close to the King of Yan before, so he went to Nanjing again this year.

The emperor is now determined to pass the throne to the prince. After learning about the prince's assassination, he did not mention the matter again. Now all signs show that the emperor has no intention of changing the heir.

Therefore, the emperor would not entrust him with important tasks until he had warned him and was confident enough that he would not side with Prince Yan.

The current task should be to observe and see how he performs.

Lu Qiniang didn't understand these things, but she had her own top-level understanding.

"I think you can do anything well. The emperor asked you to teach the princes and grandchildren, so you should do it well. What's the big deal? Every job has someone to do it. If no one wants to do it, then we will take it. What's the big deal?"

"Abandoned Mother, we are unhappy because we feel that the Emperor does not trust me."

"You did do something that made the emperor distrust you before." Lu Qiniang said, "Let's do it well this time and tell the emperor that we have changed. It's okay to make mistakes, as long as we change. And I think—"

"What?"

"The Emperor is not nice either, he immediately gave you a lucrative job."

"Why?" Xiao Yan said, "I have made contributions. I have compiled the evidence regarding Cheng Jiuwan's case and reported it to the Emperor."

He himself gave the emperor the opportunity to reinstate him.

"You have made contributions, but didn't you also offend many people in the past? Didn't you kill the military supervisor and behead the sixth daughter of the Xie family?"

He was young and frivolous, full of ambition and complacency, and could not tolerate any injustice.

The sixth daughter of the Xie family was beheaded by Xiao Yan in front of thousands of troops, without any mercy and without giving any face to the Xie family.

But now the cabinet ministers are secretly headed by Grand Tutor Xie.

The person Xiao Yan killed was the granddaughter of Grand Tutor Xie, and it was a slap in the face of the Xie family.

The military inspector Li Sheng also came from a prominent family. The descendants of the Li family were spread throughout the court and the country, and had a huge influence.

"I'm not saying you did something wrong, but since you did it, you've completely offended the Xie and Li families. How can they just watch you act like nothing happened and just sit back in your original position?" Lu Qiniang said, "Yes, we have some feelings for the Emperor, but the Emperor and the Xie and Li families have nothing to do with each other."

The emperor is a good man and is kind to everyone.

The Xie family and the Li family are both important families in the court, and the emperor has to take them into consideration.

"I don't know what you think, but I think the emperor is in a difficult situation." Lu Qiniang said, "Now that he has promoted you and handed his descendants to you, isn't that good? Besides, even if he really is suspicious, there's nothing we can do. We just do what we have to do."

If you are allowed to teach the children, then teach them well.

Just do it.

"Abandoned mother, living with the king is like living with a tiger. In the past, I was alone and fearless. Now I have to think about you and my three children. I can't act rashly. I have to think three steps ahead."

"What are you looking at? Just go your own way." Lu Qiniang said, "Do you know why I always say there's no need to hire servants? I'm never idle myself."

"Because you can't sit still."

"Yes, I can't sit idle, but I'm also afraid of ruining myself. Xiao Yan, I'm afraid I've had too many good days and can't go back to the old days. I'm afraid that after you become an official, you'll take money you shouldn't take in order to cover the expenses of such a large family."

"Abandoned Mother, you have to believe me, I know what's going on."

"I don't believe your 'knowing the number' at all." Lu Qiniang looked at the beams with a wistful look. "For example, Shunzi told me before that he knew the number, but he still accepted such valuable things from others. Yes, those things may not mean anything to you, but I'm stubborn. I feel that if I take even a penny from others, I will lose my dignity."

One should be grateful for what one has received, and be soft-hearted when receiving favors from others. This is a fact.

"Xiao Yan, we're living well enough now. We have two big shops and other businesses, bringing in 10,000 to 20,000 taels a year. So, don't touch anything you shouldn't take. Just like the Fifth Young Master, even if people say he's unsociable, it's better than taking other people's things. I don't like that kind of sociability."

If we go along with the crowd, it will be good for us, but what about the common people?

"No matter what others think, I believe that being an official is not for getting rich, but to protect yourself from being bullied and to serve the people." Lu Qiniang turned her head to look at Xiao Yan, "You can teach people to read and practice martial arts, or change to another official position in the future. Xiao Yan, it's not ours, so we don't want it."

"Okay." Xiao Yan nodded seriously, "Abandoned Mother, don't worry, I will do what I say."

"I know it's not easy being in the officialdom. I have such a big business now, and I have to think about all the relationships, which gives me a headache. You officials are all smart and have your own plans, which makes things even more chaotic. But we won't go against our conscience. At worst, we can let you go as an official and come back to do business and live a comfortable life."

"Let's take a step back and say that you offended someone because of your adherence to principles and were framed, and we lost everything, I can still support you!" Lu Qiniang said generously, "As long as I have this strength, I can support my family."

Xiao Yan can go and be an official himself, and she can support the family.