Cui Li's presence was so subtle that Yun Qing would have almost forgotten about him if Xie Rang hadn't suddenly brought him up.
She saw Cui Li approaching, coughed, and thankfully didn't do anything excessive.
As Cui Li cautiously stepped aside, Xie Rang had already opened his notebook for taking notes.
The dates were all written clearly, so even though some of the details seemed nonsensical, Xie Rang quickly figured out what Cui Li was writing about.
He and Yun Qing slept in the same bed, and Cui Li wrote that they talked late into the night by candlelight; he and Yun Qing embraced and hugged, and Cui Li wrote that they had a deep teacher-student relationship; he and Yun Qing talked about love, and he wrote that they discussed national affairs together...
What a nice beautification.
Xie Rang couldn't help but laugh.
He flipped through the pages again, and when he got to the period of the Southern Tour, things seemed much more normal. He wondered if Cui Li's thinking had evolved or regressed.
"What are you laughing at?"
Seeing that Cui Li was shrinking into a quail, and then seeing Xie Rang laughing, Yun Qing was a little confused.
She took the booklet from Xie Rang's hand, read it, and then she became: ...
Her expression was somewhat complicated, but she didn't make things difficult for him: "Lord Cui, just record it truthfully here. The Records of the Grand Historian is meant to be truthful; there's no need to fabricate anything."
She emphasized the last word, feeling that she had made herself clear enough.
Yun Qing used to think about how future generations would react when they saw these records, but not anymore.
Anyway, she can't go back now. She's destined to turn into dust a hundred years from now, so there's really no need to worry about what happens after her death, since she won't have the chance to see it anyway.
Xie Rang has already made concessions in many aspects. This is a good opportunity to truly show what their daily lives are like. Otherwise, would Xie Rang really be content with that?
Yun Qing's gaze swept over the boy, and seeing the obvious pleasure on his face after she finished speaking, she immediately felt that she must have guessed correctly.
Cui Li looked at this and then at that, and finally asked, with a token struggle, "Are you sure you don't need me to polish it a bit?"
Xie Rang shook his head: "No need. Just listen to the Grand Tutor and write it down truthfully. Let's revise the previous ones as well."
Xie Rang didn't care at all whether his actions would increase Cui Li's workload. If this person had insisted on writing truthfully from the beginning, none of this would have happened.
Official Cui was deeply shaken, but showed no dissatisfaction: "Your subject obeys."
Although I may still wonder how to write in the future, at least I won't have to struggle with this anymore.
Cui Li could already imagine how future generations would feel when they saw his records.
"Alright, stop laughing and focus on your report."
After this interruption, Yun Qing had forgotten what she was going to say. She casually tossed a folded document to Xie Rang, who caught it quickly.
That's what she said, but Yun Qing also wanted to laugh a little.
In a sense, both Cui Li and Tan Zaiheng are quite interesting. The former can be written into a story with the flavor and interest of a folk tale in official history, while the latter never forgot his original intention even when he was sent to a foreign land. He worked late into the night for many years and contributed a lot of excellent folk tales.
However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Xie Rang's surroundings can't always be so dull; he needs some people to liven things up.
Xie Rang opened the memorial and saw: "It is a memorial requesting the title of Princess."
Yun Qing: "Which princess?"
Except for Xie Rang, all of the late emperor's sons were killed. Only the princesses survived because they were far from the center of power.
The mothers of those princesses were not prominent figures in the harem, and they were not very close to Xie Rang. Later, with Xie Rang's tacit approval, they moved to their fiefdoms and lived a peaceful life, which was not too bad.
"Princess Xuanle." Xie Rang showed her the memorial, "Grand Tutor, please give her daughter a title."
"She's fine."
Historical records about princesses are mostly in obscure corners. Yunqing only remembered Princess Xuanle because she vowed to never surrender to the rebels after the fall of the Great Xi Dynasty. However, this is hardly a good story – the princess's achievements are not recorded, and only the posthumous reputation she earned with her life is remembered.
It wasn't the right time to say it, so Yun Qing thought for a moment and suggested, "How about Yonghe?"
Xie Rang decided: "This one will do."
He wrote his comments and then asked Shunfeng to bring a blank imperial edict. After it was written, he had it sent to Princess Xuanle's fiefdom.
"Actually, if it's convenient, we can call these princesses back for the year-end palace banquet in the future. It's a bit heartless to have them send gifts every year but not to let them come."
Yun Qing casually teased, knowing that Xie Rang did this simply because he was afraid of trouble or disliked noise. It was clear that Xie Rang was indeed weak in terms of family ties, but there was no need to change it.
"Let's talk later."
Xie Rang was indeed not interested in this topic, and his emotions did not fluctuate much when it was brought up. His empathy was not as strong as Yun Qing's, and all the few softer sides he showed were in front of Yun Qing.
...
Overall, aside from a few minor mishaps, life in the palace was more joyful than distressing.
The method of changing the environment worked well. When it wasn't so hot around, Yun Qing wouldn't mind Xie Rang. This made him more and more skilled at snuggling into the bed. When he cuddled Yun Qing to sleep, he was well-behaved, afraid of repeating the same mistake, which would really be a loss.
Xie Rang was very good at distinguishing between short-term and long-term benefits.
It only takes seven days to form a habit, and besides, they were already so familiar with each other. Yun Qing hadn't developed a strong sense of vigilance in ancient times, and through subtle influence, she had become accustomed to having people around her. As long as Xie Rang didn't go too far, she would turn a blind eye.
She was aware of all of this, and there was no need for her to be coy and avoid it. Besides, she wanted to see just how far she could be affected by the boy's burning passion.
Yun Qing never oversteps the bounds. In modern times, she is a good student in the eyes of those around her, and in ancient times, she is a good tutor in the eyes of everyone. She only seeks to do things without shame before heaven and earth. She just wants to be unrestrained this once.
The palace was only so big. They didn't deliberately avoid people, but no one dared to run into the place where the emperor was, so they had always lived in peace.
However, Xie Rang's ambitions clearly did not stop there. As time went on, he began to test the ministers' level of acceptance. Yun Qing had given him a clear answer on this point, so he was very confident in his actions.
There were always a few pitiful ministers who would become the test subjects, so when they turned the corner and saw the scene before them, they all stopped in their tracks in shock—
The emperor and the imperial tutor sat in the hall, seemingly the same as usual, yet somehow different.
At least that gentle, tender gaze didn't seem like the kind of gaze a student would give a teacher.
His Majesty didn't seem to care about them at all. Even though he knew they had arrived, he kept his hand on Lord Li's waist and didn't take it off, looking quite arrogant.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
