Chapter 61: I dared not let my tears fall on the paper, I couldn’t even cry or laugh…

The Queen stopped smiling.

Xie Jing said, "Master Chen told me that the Empress wishes to take me in as her daughter, and that I will be the Empress's daughter from now on. However, I just visited Yongning Palace and felt that it was much more magnificent than the Empress'."

The Queen said calmly, "Although Concubine Rong is a good woman, she has no relatives to support her. The Chen family still has deep roots among the aristocratic families."

Xie Jing said, "If we talk about family background, the Noble Concubine's family background is higher, right?"

The Queen: "Although the Imperial Concubine has a family background, she lacks favor. Her high position and power only serve to inflict fear upon Your Majesty."

Xie Jing asked, "In terms of favor and family background, Your Majesty can't even compete for first place, yet you can provide me with the most support?"

"I know what you want. Since I've decided to take you under my wing, I will naturally do my utmost to help you," the Queen said. "I've held this position for over thirty years, so a momentary ups and downs don't mean anything. You've been outside the palace for so long, you probably don't know that the Rong Concubine you know today was just a madwoman imprisoned within the palace walls just a few years ago. When you rise to prominence in the future, you won't regret your choice today."

The corners of King Jing's snow-white jaw tightened a little under his mask, and the queen thought he was persuaded.

She continued, "Furthermore, for you, their biggest disadvantage is that they already have their own children. No matter how filial or outstanding you are, you will never be able to surpass their biological children. Can they really help you wholeheartedly?"

King Jing said, "That makes sense, but doesn't Your Majesty have children too? How can you guarantee that you'll value me more?"

The queen was startled: "I don't have any prince anymore."

The noble and mysterious young man chuckled upon hearing this and said, "That's wrong. Isn't the Third Emperor still alive?"

The queen's true intention was revealed, and her face turned pale after she understood what was said.

"The Third Prince... Ting Xuan has made a terrible mistake and can no longer be supported!"

Prince Jing looked directly at her and spoke loudly, "My Second Brother has been demoted to a commoner for over a decade, yet he still reigns supreme. Given this precedent, I naturally cannot afford to be careless. I'm afraid that after all the hard work I've put into clearing the way for Your Majesty, when My Third Brother returns, there will be no place for me."

This was exactly what the Queen wanted. She hadn't expected the Ninth Prince to be so straightforward and reveal her thoughts so openly, and she was momentarily stunned.

"You worry too much. The Third Prince is imprisoned now. He doesn't have the courage to do that," the Queen finally breathed a sigh of relief. "I and the Chen family will make a promise to you."

"Promises are the most unreliable," King Jing said with a smile. "To be honest, as long as my third brother is alive, I can't rest easy."

He actually... wanted to kill Tingxuan? How could she agree to that!

"You are just a prince without a backer. Without me, no one else can help you. Even without you, I am still the Queen Mother! You..."

Xie Jing raised his hand to interrupt her, saying, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Please think about it carefully. I will also tell the Chen family this later. Then you can all come to me with a conclusion. Goodbye."

The queen opened her eyes wide and opened her mouth, but King Jing had already walked away.

When Xie Jing walked out of the palace, he saw several rows of palace maids waiting outside. They immediately bowed their heads when they saw him.

Lan Yun was kneeling in the corner of the palace, with red marks on her cheeks.

...When he was a child, he was the one kneeling there.

The Queen didn't have to do it herself to harass him. Whenever she disliked him, she would just give him a look and the palace maids, led by Lan Yun, would come over to make things difficult for him.

Qingjia is an orphan with no relatives. Once the palace gates are closed, even the maids can easily take advantage of her.

If you don't learn etiquette well, you will be punished. If you greet too softly, you will be punished. If your handwriting is messy, you will be punished. There are so many reasons that I can't remember them all. Anyway, if you make a mistake, you will kneel silently in the corner and won't even be able to have dinner.

Later, when she was older and started taking medicine, she often fell seriously ill and her health deteriorated. The people in the palace became more restrained, fearing that they would go too far and really lose the princess' life.

But there were also many other ways to entertain him, such as being forced to copy scriptures and pray for blessings according to the Queen's requirements when he was sick to get rid of the disease. He opened his red and blurry eyes, with Lan Yun supervising him behind him. He didn't dare to let tears fall on the paper. If the handwriting was blurred, he would have to rewrite a page.

I can't even control myself whether to cry or laugh.

Therefore, he looked at everyone with disgust. The Queen, with her treacherous appearance, was the most deserving of death. Lan Yun and others could not be let off either. He often thought that when he got out, he would lock these people up and torture them every day to avenge his grievances.

But now, looking at Lan Yun who was being punished, he let out a breath of frustration, but he did not become very proud.

He discovered that Lan Yun was just a slave who relied on the power of others to bully others, and the cage that trapped him was just a three-foot red wall.

Looking back at the palace, Xie Jing suddenly felt that there was no need to compete with these people. Whoever harmed others would pay with his life, and revenge was enough.

Thinking about these ugly faces all day long is simply punishing yourself. There is a world out there for him, and he has his own beloved one, so why waste time and energy on this?

After all, she is no longer the helpless princess with nothing.

The threshold that blocked his way now crossed over with a light step.

"At this hour," he thought, "Yu Qing should still be in Beichensi, right? There's still time to go there."

·

Xie Jing only took half a day off, and then he came to Beichensi as usual, at the same time and place.

He never slacked off, and was quite dedicated to his duties. The princes were privileged; they could take the positions they wanted, and no one would stop them if they didn't want to. Many of the royal family members came to the court for mere nominal positions, spending their days enjoying the sights and sounds of the world, enjoying a life of luxury, and receiving a generous salary.

Although he still looked like a vase, he was not really just for decoration. At least Yu Qing felt more and more satisfied with him. Usually, Xie Jing stayed with her the longest, and even her personal guards could not compare with him.

Sometimes, whenever Yu Qing mentioned something, he would immediately respond. If he wanted to get some official letter, Xie Jing would quickly get it. Even when discussing matters with others, he would remember a lot if asked.

He did not fight for power and did not covet the authority in Yu Qing's hands. She made the decisions on everything, and he just served as her deputy.

Yu Qing was sometimes a little hesitant. After all, generally speaking, it was the ministers who assisted the prince, helping with the work and giving up the credit. Her situation and Xie Jing's was the opposite.

But then she thought again, since she was the commander anyway, Xie Jing himself had no objection, and Prince Rui would definitely not care, so why should she worry about it? Just keep using it if it works.

Xie Jing often brought some things from his house. He had replaced his desk with a larger and wider one. On it were his white jade paperweight, rosewood pen holder, carved incense burner, several exquisite vases and bouquets, several ornaments, and a mirror - occasionally he would comb his hair in front of the mirror, and there should be his comb, hairband, jade crown and other things in the drawer.

In comparison, Yu Qing's desk is too simple.

The only conspicuous vase was placed there by Xie Jing.

Yu Qing looked at Prince Jing's desk and felt that the style was really incompatible with her solemn Beichen Division. But when Xie Jing brought it for the first time, Yu Qing thought it would be okay if he just put one. But later, seeing that he put more and more, it was too late to stop him.

That day, when Xie Jing entered the palace, two guards from the palace followed him in and presented him with a scroll.

"What is this?" Yu Qing frowned.

Xie Jing said, "Our Beichensi is too simple. This is an authentic work of a great man from the previous dynasty. How about hanging it on the wall, Your Highness?"

Yu Qing thought, this is the Imperial Guards' Mansion, what's the point of that? But Xie Jing spread out the painting, and Yu Qing's refusal was silenced.

It is indeed a work of a famous artist. The scroll depicts the magnificent scenery of the Jiangnan region, with a wonderful composition and ingenious craftsmanship.

On the right side is a poem, "Looking at the Sea Tide"*.

"I heard that I lived in Jiangnan since I was a child, so someone gave me this painting..." Xie Jing said.

Yu Qing looked at the words again, and finally nodded and said, "Okay, hang it up."

However, it seemed even more strange that all other places were empty with only one painting hanging there. Later, Xie Jing began to decorate the main hall, and it was out of control. Yu Qing could see something new every day when he entered the room.

Yu Qing felt complicated, but she let him go, thinking that after he left, she would have to let him clean up all these things.

A few days later, the entire hall was completely different from the original one, but the final product was grand and spacious without losing its elegance. In fact, Yu Qing also brought some precious weapons from the warehouse of the mansion as exhibits.

"Well, this time it looks much better than the Golden Feather Guards." Xie Jing said with satisfaction.

Yu Qing was both amused and confused for a moment, and asked, "Why compete with the Golden Feather Guards?"

Xie Jing said, "We can't lose momentum. We have to be more impressive than them."

Yu Qing said: "They have always been good-looking but useless. There is no need to compare them."

Xie Jing said, "That's true. I heard that their leader relied on the title of Loyal and Martial Marquis to rise to power. I don't think he's that capable."

Yu Qing thought for a moment, "He used to be a master, but all these years of drinking and carousing have worn him down... Now he can barely rank in the top ten in the capital?"

Xie Jing said seriously, "That's indeed normal."

Yu Qing laughed: "What a big tone! Where can you rank, Your Highness?"

In terms of military strategy and tactics, His Royal Highness Prince Jing might not even be on the list. But if the men in the capital were ranked by appearance, Xie Jing would definitely make the list—perhaps even take first place.

Xie Jing said: "Anyway, he is definitely far inferior to the prince..."

At this moment, a report came from outside the door: "Commander, Your Highness, General Duan, the Deputy Envoy of the Golden Feather Guard, has arrived."

Yu Qing: “…”

Xie Jing: “…”

The two of them turned around and saw Duan Zhirui not far away. He coughed lightly and said, "...Well, I'm just here to deliver an official letter and discuss the rules of the imperial guard from now on, haha."

Yu Qing said expressionlessly, "Well, sit down."

Duan Zhirui praised sincerely: "You know what, this place looks much more magnificent than when it was first built, and even better than the Golden Feather Guards."

Yu Qing: “…”

She held her forehead and said, "Thank you."

Duan Zhirui seemed restless. While discussing the matters of the honor guard, he quietly looked at her and Xie Jing, as if thinking about something. She wondered if he might misunderstand and think that the two of them often took pleasure in badmouthing the Golden Feather Guards behind their backs.

Yu Qing wanted to defend herself but couldn't open her mouth. After sending Duan Zhirui away, she breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at Xie Jing, who also looked at her quietly.

"Who knew he would come so suddenly?" Xie Jing said, "...Should we just ignore him?"

Duan Zhirui was indeed an acquaintance. Yu Qing had known him for two or three years. He was a nice guy, and he was currently thriving within the Golden Feather Guard. He was currently in charge of the handover with the Golden Feather Guard and the demarcation of responsibilities between the two parties.

Yu Qing herself made a mistake, too. She was so engrossed in her conversation with Xie Jing that she didn't even hear the approaching footsteps outside.

She said helplessly: "He still has to take care of it, be careful next time."