When he first ascended the throne, Nangong Qing had a lot of things to deal with, but the most pressing issue was still the war on the border.
"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the border: Prince Yu has been poisoned and is unconscious. The Deputy Minister of Agriculture is to travel alone to Beiliang to find an antidote for Prince Yu."
Upon hearing Ah Xu's words, Nangong Qing felt as anxious as an ant on a hot pan and stood up from the dragon throne.
“She can’t go. Beiliang and Nanning are at war right now. It would be too dangerous for her to go to Beiliang at this time.”
"Your Majesty, what do you mean?"
"I hereby issue a secret decree: the Vice Minister of Agriculture must not act rashly."
A-Xu played a crucial role in Nangong Qing's ascension to the throne. He was not only Nangong Qing's confidant but also became the Vice Minister of War, and may even become the Minister of War in the future.
Gao Yi was the chief eunuch by the late emperor's side, and now he serves Nangong Qing.
After he prepared the ink for Nangong Qing, he waited until Nangong Qing finished writing the secret decree, then presented the imperial seal to Nangong Qing with both hands.
Ah Xu's face stiffened, and Nangong Qing also frowned. He didn't use the imperial seal for this secret decree, but handed it directly to Ah Xu.
"His Majesty……"
"Your Majesty, I will send out this secret decree immediately."
Before Gao Yi could finish speaking, he was interrupted by A Xu. He was very puzzled, because all of His Majesty's decrees, whether secret or otherwise, required the imperial seal to be affixed.
Without the imperial seal, it cannot be considered a royal decree.
"Go quickly..."
After giving Ah Xu his instructions, Nangong Qing looked at the head eunuch beside her with a sense of annoyance.
"Gao Yi, I am tired. You may leave now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Gao Yi and A Xu came out together. After arriving at the main hall outside, Gao Yi couldn't help but remind A Xu.
"My lord, this secret edict doesn't have the imperial seal, so it can't be considered a royal decree. Perhaps..."
Axu stopped outside the main hall and presented the secret edict in his hand to Gaoyi.
"Eunuch Gao, now that the new emperor has ascended the throne, you need to be more careful about some things, such as this secret edict."
This is a secret edict for the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, who is also the Princess Consort of Yu. If she disobeys the edict and goes to Beiliang, do you want Your Majesty to execute her?
Gao Yi was drenched in sweat. He was so focused on etiquette that he completely forgot about the friendship between His Majesty and the Vice Minister of Agriculture.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture was not even required to attend the morning court session; she was the only female official in the country, and given her personality, she would surely defy the imperial decree.
His Majesty is leaving her a way out. Just now, my words were blocking the path to becoming the Deputy Minister of Agriculture. No wonder His Majesty was angry.
In hindsight, Gao Yi felt a wave of fear wash over him.
"Ah, this old servant still has a long way to go to serve his new master. Thank you for the reminder, sir."
...
Nangong Qing was filled with worry for several days. After finishing his affairs of state, he would go to see the Grand Preceptor.
"Imperial Preceptor, my father often said that you have connections to the heavens. I just want to know, will she be alright if she goes to Beiliang?"
Su Luo was a knot in Nangong Qing's heart that he could not express. If the Imperial Advisor was truly all-knowing, he would surely know what he was asking.
"Your Majesty, the word 'fate' is something we are born with. You inquire about me every day. In what capacity do you wish to know?"
Nangong Qing was speechless. He was already the ruler of a country, and Su Luo was his subject and also the Princess Consort of Nanning.
Even though he knew they would never cross paths again in this lifetime, he still selfishly wanted to keep an eye on her.
"I care about every subject, and besides, Nanning cannot be without the Vice Minister of Agriculture."
The Imperial Advisor's lips curled slightly, as if he could see right through Nangong Qing no matter how he tried to disguise himself.
"I have performed one last divination, and no matter how many times Your Majesty inquires, the result will be the same."
The imperial advisor placed several ancient coins into the tortoise shell, shook it, and the coins collided with the shell, emitting an ancient sound.
After performing several special gestures, pour out the ancient coins and arrange them into a trigram shape with your fingers.
As Nangong Qing watched the Imperial Preceptor's brows furrow deeper and deeper, her heart clenched.
"How is it? Imperial Preceptor..."
"Why……"
The Imperial Advisor sighed deeply, took out a pen, and wrote four large characters: 'Survival Through Death'
Nangong Qing held those four large characters in his hand as if they represented Su Luo's fate.
He didn't dare to use force, and carefully tucked it into his sleeve.
After a sharp pain in his heart, he finally recovered and asked the Grand Preceptor his last question.
"Imperial Advisor, what should I do?"
His question was ambiguous; how could he possibly save Su Luo?
"A country cannot be without a ruler for a day, nor can a court be without a monarch for a day. Your Majesty has brought prosperity to Nanning. Other matters will take their own course."
Nangong Qing returned to the Imperial Study from the Imperial Preceptor's office, flipped through the memorials, but had no interest in reviewing them. He turned his head to look at Gao Yi beside him.
"Gao Yi, bring A Xu to the palace to see me."
"Yes, Your Majesty..."
Soon Ah Xu entered the palace, dressed in official robes, and bowed to Nangong Qing.
"May Your Majesty be well..."
Nangong Qing reached out her hand, signaling Ah Xu to stop with these empty formalities.
"Ah Xu, you have been with me since childhood and you understand my thoughts best."
The border is in chaos now, so I order you to lead 70,000 reinforcements there.
If Beiliang makes any move, you must be prepared to fight at any time.
The Northern Liang army has already withdrawn. His Majesty's actions are undoubtedly to prepare for the rescue of Su Luo at any time.
Although His Majesty did not say it explicitly, after so many years of getting along, Ah Xu still knew His Majesty's feelings for Su Luo.
"Your subject obeys!"
Nangong Qing nodded in satisfaction and continued.
"Prince Yu has been poisoned by a strange poison in Nanning. I will send the best imperial physicians to treat him."
Furthermore, you've gone to the border and we don't know when you'll return. As for your wife and children, I will have people take good care of them.
Ah Xu's face lit up with joy. He had never cared much about being alone since childhood, but now that he had a wife and children, he had something to worry about.
It is a great honor for His Majesty to know what he is thinking.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will do my utmost to fulfill the request Your Majesty has made."
Time flies, and Nangong Qing gradually adapted to his position.
With Ah Xu gone, he doesn't even have a confidant by his side.
Although the ministers all did their best for the country and the people.
But the higher you climb, the colder it gets, and he inevitably felt lonely.
The morning court sessions were always the same old things, and he was tired of hearing them.
"Your Majesty, the farming season has begun, but the rain has been slow to fall. This year's drought is likely to be severe! We hope Your Majesty will make a decision soon."
The Minister of Revenue is an old man from the previous dynasty, and the new emperor's biggest fear upon ascending the throne is that he will not be able to manage things in a timely manner.
When natural disasters strike, food is the lifeblood of the people.
"Minister Han, I was prepared for this matter long ago. The late emperor had already purchased a large amount of grain."
And the Deputy Minister of Agriculture had previously kept all the dryland rice.
This year's rainfall is likely to be very little. I will issue an edict ordering the Ministry of Agriculture to distribute dry-harvested rice to every farmer free of charge, so that the people will have no worries.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
The morning court session was already more than halfway over when Gao Yi shouted in a hoarse voice, "If you have something to say, speak up; otherwise, the court session is adjourned."
No sooner had he finished speaking than several ministers stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, I have a report to submit!"
Just as he feared, Nangong Qing was about to leave court, and he knew without even guessing what these people were going to say.
"Your Majesty has been on the throne for quite some time now, yet there is only the Empress in the harem. We urge Your Majesty to select a consort as soon as possible to ensure the continuation of the royal family and to make plans accordingly."
The emperor's position is not easy to hold, and Nangong Qing also understood that the ministers' eagerness for him to choose a concubine was not truly for his own good.
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