"It means putting the people of the world before yourself." The emperor corrected him, "You can't think of yourself as an emperor. You should think of yourself as a commoner, a special citizen who supervises the civil and military officials and works for the welfare of the people."
"The reason why our Great Zhou has prospered for nearly six hundred years is that our ancestors upheld this philosophy, which is why our Great Zhou has continued to this day."
"Looking back at all the dynasties throughout history, which nation has ever been as prosperous as our Great Zhou? The Qiang people, since the founding of our Great Zhou, have had their royal families changed three times. Southern Xinjiang has had two, while the Northern Di and Western Regions have had their royal families changed six or seven times each."
The emperor spoke of this with great pride: "No one can do what I, the Emperor of the Great Zhou, do. I put the people before everything else. That's why the people won't rebel. And you princes, for the sake of the people and the prosperity of the Great Zhou, why can't you make some sacrifices?"
Xie Qing felt a chill in his heart: "There's no need to raise a poison like that, letting your son fight with his brothers. If you don't investigate, you could lose your life."
The emperor said this with a look of deep regret: "Who am I doing this for? Do you think I want to? If you weren't incompetent, would I have to do this? Back then, I was the only candidate for the crown prince for your father, your grandfather!"
"Oh." Xie Qing responded indifferently, you bully me because I was born late, so I don't know. But can't I hear it even if I don't know?
The emperor snorted coldly. How could he not know what nonsense his son, whom he had raised, was up to? He simply changed the subject: "You did a great job with the Shenyang matter. But I'm confused. Why did you take Miss Qin with you? If you didn't take her, how would you have ended up in this situation?"
Xie Qing would not allow the emperor to say anything bad about Qin Wan. He said sternly, "Father, do you know that if Miss Qin had not accompanied me this time, your son's affairs would not have been so smooth? Many things were led by Miss Qin."
Xie Qing knew that the emperor must have arranged spies among the accompanying guards, but the spies could only see a limited amount. He recounted everything Qin Wan had done in detail and added, "I only regret that Miss Qin is a woman and cannot serve in the court. Otherwise, with her ability, at her age, she would surely have been an official!"
The emperor was shocked. "You think so highly of her? Didn't you fall in love with her at first sight?"
Xie Qing shook his head. "Father, the words 'love at first sight' were just a prevarication to Marquis Xuanwu. I'm not marrying a wife, but the future Queen Mother of the Great Zhou. She is someone who will stand by my side, rule the world with me, and teach and raise the next generation of heirs to the Great Zhou."
"So, my choice cannot be hasty. This trip to Shenyang is a rare opportunity to get to know Miss Qin, so I asked Marquis Xuanwu to bring Miss Qin along."
The emperor glared at him and said, "Have you ever considered that if Qin Shi doesn't turn out as well as you expected, how will you explain this to Marquis Xuanwu?"
Xie Qing laughed dumbly. What was there to dislike? The one he liked was Qin Wan, and he would marry her!
Of course, this couldn't be said in front of the emperor. Xie Qing said calmly, "If she doesn't like it, then she doesn't like it. I didn't ask her to serve me personally. I don't want her to have a formal status when she comes back."
"I only heard that Miss Qin was extremely talented, so I asked her to accompany me as a staff member. So what's the point of liking or not liking? Who said that? What's more, Miss Qin accompanied Shen Yang, disguised as a man. As long as the Qin family didn't say anything, who would know that I had a woman with me?"
The emperor looked at Xie Qing inquiringly, and knowing that he was not sentimental, he inquired carefully about Qin Wan's affairs. The more he heard, the more regretful he felt. He regretted that Qin Wan was a woman and could not serve as an official in the court.
After a long pause, the emperor sighed and said, "Well, if that's the case, then let her be the Crown Princess. However, have you told her that she won't receive any credit for going with you to provide disaster relief in disguise?"
Xie Qing nodded and said, "Of course I did. Marquis Xuanwu also knows about this. He believes that the people are the most important. He doesn't care whether the merits are achieved or not."
The emperor chuckled and said, "The Marquis of Xuanwu is also an old fox! Never mind, let's just do as they wish."
"What does father mean?" Xie Qing was puzzled. If he followed Marquis Xuanwu's wishes, would that mean the Qin family would really not be rewarded at all?
The emperor waved his hand, unwilling to say more. He looked at the memorial in his hand and threw it back to Xie Qing: "The memorial is well written, but there are too many typos. Please correct them."
Xie Qing took the memorial and asked with a playful smile, "If I write without a single typo, can Your Majesty punish Old Five?"
"Want to know?" The emperor stood up and looked at Xie Qing, regaining his aloof and regal demeanor. "I can tell you right now. The evidence is irrefutable. I will not tolerate anyone, nor will I implicate any innocent person."
The emperor's words were as good as saying nothing. The prefect and the governor of Shenyang must be held accountable, but he was ambiguous about whether to punish Rupin and the fifth prince.
Xie Qing endured the pain in his legs and stood up with difficulty: "Your Highness, I respectfully bid you farewell."
When he came, he was a caring father, but when he left, he was an emperor who was high above everyone else.
Xie Qing sat back on the couch, looked at the memorial in his hand, pondered for a moment, and then continued to write quickly.
At dawn, Xie Qing, with dark circles under his eyes, was carried to the grand court meeting.
The Fourth Prince had heard about Xie Qing's affairs a long time ago. Seeing Xie Qing in such a state, and still attending court, he could not help but sneer and mock him: "Second brother is really diligent. He didn't attend court before because he was away on an errand. This time, he came back and ignored his injuries and came to court straight away."
Xie Qing looked down at the Fourth Prince and said quietly, "Fourth brother, have you forgotten to bow? Although I am your second brother, I am also the Crown Prince. When you meet me, you should at least perform the proper etiquette."
The Fourth Prince was stunned when he heard this. It turned out that the Crown Prince always looked cheerful when he was teased and mocked, so why was he so aggressive now?
However, the Fourth Prince did not want to leave a bad impression on the court officials, so he straightened his clothes and was about to greet them when he heard Xie Qing say:
"But this is the former dynasty. If Fourth Brother meets me and performs family etiquette, I'm afraid it would be inappropriate. I'm afraid you'll be reported to the Censorate for disrespecting the Crown Prince. So for Fourth Brother's sake, it's better for you to perform the etiquette between the monarch and his subject."
When did the prince become so eloquent!
The Fourth Prince was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but he could only respectfully greet the emperor and his subjects: "Your Highness, I pay my respects to the Crown Prince!"
Xie Qing happily watched the Fourth Prince salute, and his eyes fell on the Fifth Prince who came with the Sixth Prince not far away.
When the Sixth Prince saw Xie Qing, his face was filled with excitement and anticipation, and he ran over quickly: "Second brother, second brother, you're back? Why are you sitting in a sedan chair? Second brother, how is Shen Yang? Is the disaster over? Did you find any rare flowers or plants to bring back to me?"
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