Although it was said to be a summer vacation at the imperial palace, it wasn't actually that relaxing. Yun Qing had just begun her reforms, and she had quite a lot of official business to take with her. The most important thing right now was waiting for Dai Liangchun to send people over.
At the same time, she also announced that interested noble ladies could try to enroll in the course. With her as a precedent, everyone's attitude softened, including some of the courtiers who were usually the most vehemently opposed to her, who even sent their people to the course.
This shows how important it is to have a good leader.
Most aristocratic families prioritize profit. If a woman can attend school and, like Yunqing, pass the imperial examinations, obtain official rank and title, the benefits might far outweigh those of a simple marriage alliance.
If everyone else goes and I don't, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?
To put it bluntly, it's driven by self-interest and a competitive mentality.
Regardless of what they think, as long as it benefits Yunqing's reforms, that's all that matters.
After all this delay, it was already mid-June when they arrived at the imperial palace. Fearing that Yun Qing would find it too hot, Xie Rang specially chose to set off in the evening. However, this meant traveling at night, and the Imperial Guards escorting them kept the carriage tightly protected.
In the past, no one would object to the emperor and the imperial tutor riding in the same carriage, but now that their true identities have been revealed, it is not so convenient. However, they have no way of knowing who is actually sitting in the carriage. Not long after they started traveling, Xie Rang slipped into the carriage where Yun Qing was.
Ice was placed in the carriage to cool it down. Yun Qing had been busy all day, and now that it was cool, she was feeling drowsy and propped her head up to sleep. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, a gentle breeze brushed her face, and the young man pulled her into his arms.
Xie Rang touched her brow with a touch of tenderness, afraid of disturbing her, and lowered his voice: "Grand Tutor, you don't need to be so busy."
Some officials in the court still had reservations about Yun Qing, but no one could deny her achievements over the past few years. Everyone acknowledged that she was capable of shouldering this responsibility. In addition, with the emperor's cautious attitude, they also understood that as long as Yun Qing was in office, the position would not be changed.
Yun Qing yawned lazily, too lazy to even open her eyes, and leaned against the boy's shoulder, which was much more comfortable than supporting herself with her hands—at least when it was cool, she was still quite willing to be close to His Majesty the Emperor.
She mumbled, half-asleep, "I need to finish this quickly... Someone... Someone asked me for help."
She could wait, but young women of marriageable age like Shen Xian Yue couldn't. They wanted to be the ones to try out the new policy, in a sense, to escape this kind of life.
No matter the era, there is never a shortage of people who dare to resist.
Xie Rang was speechless. All he could do was understand and support him. After all, he couldn't truly empathize with her; only Yun Qing could do that.
Xie Rang reached out to support her, making her more comfortable leaning against him. At this moment, he couldn't bear to disturb her at all.
He gazed at her quietly, his eyes gentle: "Rest well. When you wake up again, we'll be at the palace."
Yun Qing responded with a "Hmm".
The carriage swayed and rocked. This time, the journey was leisurely, and the only priority was to travel steadily. The slow pace was quite comfortable, and apart from the sound of the carriage moving, no other sound could disturb the tranquility.
Xie Rang let out a breath, vaguely recalling how he used to deliberately act coquettishly and linger in Yun Qing's arms, unwilling to let her go. Now the situation had changed, yet it seemed not so much had changed. They had both become dependent on each other, and Yun Qing was willing to stay in this world for him.
The duckweed, drifting aimlessly, has finally found its home.
-
When Yun Qing woke up again, she heard the sound of a waterfall. The gauze curtains were drawn, blocking the sunlight from shining into the hall. She slowly came to her senses and realized that the place looked familiar.
She looked familiar because she had been here before, but that wasn't the biggest problem. The biggest problem was that Xie Rang had lived here when he was in the imperial palace, while she had lived in a side hall.
Yun Qing sat up and was about to look around when the people waiting outside heard the commotion inside. Shunfeng instructed the eunuch to bring over washing supplies and a change of clothes.
Shunfeng didn't dare to step forward, but stood not far away and said, "His Majesty went to practice his sword this morning. If Lord Li wants to go, just call me after you've washed up."
"Um."
Yun Qing and Xie Rang have the same habits. Unless necessary, they will not let others serve them. Yun Qing is more influenced by modern factors, while Xie Rang may be due to not having much trust in the people around him and relying on himself for everything.
Xie Rang couldn't run away from there. After she finished washing up, she slowly ate breakfast. Before she could go out, he had already finished practicing his sword and returned.
Both literary and martial skills are especially important for emperors. Xie Rang never slacked off in practicing his skills, knowing that he needed to have enough resources to protect those he wanted to protect.
"Grand Tutor!"
There weren't as many rules at the imperial palace, so Xie Rang didn't have to wear the dragon robe all the time. He changed into a casual outfit, which was mostly black with subtle patterns on the collar and cuffs. Upon closer inspection, it was still incredibly luxurious. It was getting hot outside, and he had just finished practicing his swordsmanship. His forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, but his eyes, which he looked at, were undisguisedly bright.
Shunfeng handed him a handkerchief, then discreetly dismissed the surrounding eunuchs and followed him out.
It's best not to disturb these two when they're together.
"Come sit down." Yun Qing narrowed her eyes, and as he approached, trying to get closer to her, she slowly spoke, "What did you do last night? Why are they all looking at me so strangely?"
Xie Rang said seriously, "Nothing happened."
Yun Qing: "Really?"
Xie Rang: "Yes."
He seemed quite self-righteous, at least not like he had done anything wrong. Yun Qing thought she would deal with it later and let him eat breakfast first.
Xie Rang didn't mind at all. At this age, he had a big appetite, and he quickly finished Yun Qing's leftover breakfast without wasting any food.
Many high-ranking officials also came to the imperial palace. The place was cool and refreshing, and the afternoon's work was finally less stressful. After Yun Qing and Song Qiuping finished discussing matters related to the Imperial Academy, she noticed that the other man's gaze was constantly shifting and hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Yun Qing had a premonition: "Lord Song, is there something you want to tell me?"
“Uh…” Song Qiuping was extremely conflicted. He felt suffocated if he didn’t say it. He asked quietly, “Lord Li, do you know that His Majesty carried you into the palace last night?”
They arrived at the palace late at night. All the carriages stopped. Although the visibility was not very good when everyone got out of the carriages, many people still saw the young emperor carrying Yun Qing out of the carriage. His hands were steady, as if he were holding the entire country.
Everyone instinctively wanted to say that the teacher and students had a deep bond, but when they looked at each other, no one could say anything.
Many of them had been through similar experiences, and no matter how they looked at it, the atmosphere of that scene seemed very strange. Could it really still be explained by pure teacher-student affection?
Yun Qing remained expressionless: "...I don't know."
She just knew it!
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