Yun Qing lowered her eyes, trying to calm down, but she couldn't.
She had studied basic physiology, but had never faced this situation before. Although she knew it was normal, the vague sense of helplessness rising in her heart revealed her panic.
She asked as calmly as possible, "So what do you want to do?"
Some questions, once asked, can never be taken back.
Xie Rang's eyes brightened slightly. He and Yun Qing leaned together, and the ambiguous atmosphere slowly fermented. His voice was hoarse as he asked, "Grand Tutor, please help me?"
Yun Qing closed her eyes. Could you please not use that kind of address at this time? She had a very strange feeling about it.
"...Is that not allowed?" The boy asked, sounding aggrieved, but managed a weak smile. "Fine, I'll go take a bath..."
As he spoke, he tried to get up, but the hand that Yun Qing had been holding was unable to break free.
Yun Qing's voice trembled slightly, but with a hint of determination. She sighed, "I didn't say it wasn't possible."
She was a few years older than Xie Rang, after all. If she couldn't even face her desires, wouldn't that be incredibly shameful?
Of course, losing face is secondary. What would the servants think if they found out that Xie Rang had gone out of her room to take a bath in the middle of the night?
In her line of sight, Yun Qing noticed Xie Rang's burning gaze, which held a glint of triumph in it. She immediately regretted her decision, but Xie Rang clearly wouldn't give her a chance to regret it. The moment he finished speaking, he began to push his luck.
As her hand was being led and explored, her blood was boiling. Yun Qing thought to herself in despair, "I really can't bear to see him suffer any injustice."
...
It was raining when I woke up the next day.
Large raindrops pattered against the eaves. Yun Qing, still half asleep, pulled up the covers to cover her ears.
However, out of habit, she closed her eyes and dozed off for a while, and then slowly woke up.
When I reached up to rub my eyes, I saw a faint mark on my right wrist.
She's prone to getting marks on her body; they don't hurt, but they're a bit unsightly.
That was left by Xie Rang when he lost control of his strength. Judging from the smell, he must have applied ointment, but it still hasn't faded.
Too lazy to think about it anymore, she threw off the covers, got up, dressed, and went to wash up.
No one dared to enter her room, especially after they learned that she was with Xie Rang. Even Diancui rarely came in, only knocking softly upon hearing the noise and asking, "Miss, are you up?"
"Yes, it's alright, come in."
Yunqing's biggest problem was styling her hair. She had never styled long hair before, and her hands were not dexterous at all in this regard. Even after so many years, she still couldn't learn how.
Fortunately, Li Yunqing doesn't seem to know much about it either.
Diancui pushed open the door and came in. Seeing Yunqing fiddling with her hair, she couldn't help but smile: "Let me do it, Miss."
It's like arguing that even the smartest person has their shortcomings, and Yunqing's clumsiness in daily life happens to balance out some of the stereotypical evaluations in officialdom.
However, Yun Qing is already so powerful, this little detail is insignificant.
Diancui quickly styled Yunqing's hair, then picked out two simple red hairpins from the box and put them on. She raised her eyebrows and said, "These are perfect for Miss."
If Yunqing hadn't really disliked it, Diancui could have come up with 108 different hairstyles, enough for her to have a different one every day of the year.
“That’s too much trouble,” Yun Qing said. “There’s no need for that in the imperial court.”
“I understand. Breakfast is still warm, Miss. Please have breakfast first,” Diancui said. “It’s raining today, the weather is comfortable, and everyone is mostly still resting.”
Once at the imperial palace, the daily court assemblies ceased. Ministers could simply seek out Xie Rang if they had any matters to report, which provided them with more flexibility in terms of time. However, they still needed to remain respectful and not act too presumptuously.
After breakfast, Yunqing went out for a walk.
Xie Rang slept with her at night, but she didn't see him when she woke up in the morning. Yun Qing felt that this was not in line with his usual way of doing things.
I went to take a look, and sure enough, there was no one in the main hall.
Shunfeng awkwardly tried to cover it up, but Yunqing saw through it at a glance. She smiled and asked, "Is there something you're not comfortable telling me?"
Shunfeng remained silent: "Perhaps..."
He frantically searched his mind for a reason, but before he could think of one, he saw someone hurrying towards him from around the corner. He immediately felt like he had found a savior: "Lord Li, His Majesty has returned. You can ask His Majesty directly!"
When gods fight, mortals suffer. Shunfeng has absolutely no desire to get involved in this matter.
Although the adult appears gentle, he is actually the most difficult to deal with.
Yun Qing heard footsteps and knew she wouldn't get anything out of Shunfeng, so she turned to look at Xie Rang, only to find that he was followed by a minister.
Then it's not a good question.
Xie Rang strode forward, not paying much attention to the expressions of the ministers behind him, his eyes and heart completely focused on Yun Qing, a smile playing in his eyes: "Would the Grand Tutor like to hear about the news concerning Rouran?"
He glanced at Yun Qing's face discreetly and, finding no unusual emotion, felt relieved.
It seems that the Grand Tutor was not angry about what happened last night.
Yun Qing's expression remained unchanged: "Listen."
She never misses these real-time updates. The changes that history brings are beyond anyone's expectations. She has fewer and fewer things at her disposal, but they might still be of some use.
"Then come in together."
Xie Rang walked alongside her, and under the cover of his wide sleeves, he gently touched her hand, with a hint of barely perceptible flattery.
When it was just the two of them, Yun Qing didn't notice these little actions at all, but when she thought about the several ministers watching them from behind, she really started to feel uncomfortable.
She certainly wouldn't mind going public normally, but doing it secretly like this just seems weird!
She gave Xie Rang a look, signaling him to stop making a scene.
Xie Rang smiled and temporarily restrained himself.
The seating arrangement in the temporary palace is different from that in the main palace. In the early years, when the emperor's power was not so centralized, the emperor and his ministers sat very close to each other to show that the relationship between the emperor and his ministers was harmonious. But now it is different. Perhaps only Yun Qing dares to sit near Xie Rang.
Of course, she will be the only one sitting in this position from now on.
Xie Rang poured Yun Qing a cup of tea and looked at the minister who had followed him: "Speak."
These people were unfamiliar. From their conversation, Yun Qing learned that they were the Inspector General of the Northern Desert and his subordinates. Their main responsibility was to patrol and monitor the situation. They had just arrived here this morning.
"The number of Rouran merchants has increased. After receiving Your Majesty's order, we notified all localities not to let them in for the time being. However, as time went on, some complaints inevitably arose. I wonder how Your Majesty intends to handle this?"
Itinerant merchants are like living maps. Once they enter the territory, it is unknown whether they will follow the prescribed trade routes exactly, especially the increasingly ambitious Rouran.
With the plague and disaster in Jiangnan preceding them, and itinerant merchants scouting the way following them, their true intentions are self-evident.
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