Only after the couple left did Xie Rang happily sit down next to Yun Qing.
“His Majesty’s birthday is coming soon.” Yun Qing played with his fingers, her eyes and brows full of smiles. “Is there anything you want? I have to think for a long time every year to prepare a birthday gift for you.”
Xie Rang is the emperor, possessing everything under heaven, and lacks nothing. Yun Qing still wants to pick things that he doesn't have, which is really quite difficult. Now that they are together, Yun Qing plans to directly ask for his opinion.
"I don't want anything, I just want the Grand Tutor by my side."
Xie Rang didn't care what the birthday gift was; as long as it was from Yun Qing, he would keep it carefully.
What's important isn't the gift itself, but the person who gives it and the sentiment behind it.
"Then I'll just give it to you however I want?" Yun Qing teased with a laugh. "You can't say you don't like it later."
Although, based on her understanding, Xie Rang would definitely not say it.
"Okay." Xie Rang kissed her on the top of her head. "It's fine as long as the Grand Tutor presides over my coming-of-age ceremony."
Yun Qing felt that this relationship was complicated and that it was difficult for Cui Li. He didn't know how to record it.
-
As the weather warmed up, Yun Qing returned to Li Mansion and stayed there for a while.
Even in the palace, she could only be bothered by Xie Rang. This year was a turbulent one, and Yun Qing didn't want to distract him, so she left him alone in the palace to handle affairs. Meanwhile, she took the opportunity to discuss the coming-of-age ceremony with the Ministry of Rites.
His Majesty the Emperor appointed Yun Qing to preside over his coming-of-age ceremony, and no one dared to protest. Yun Qing had to review the entire process first to see if there was anything that needed improvement.
After the original Minister of Rites was replaced, the Ministry of Rites underwent another round of reshuffling. Some die-hards were squeezed out, and new people took their place. Everyone was very curious about the legendary female imperial tutor disguised as a man. In the short time it took for Yun Qing to come and go, many more people surrounded her, but no one dared to get close. They just secretly sized her up.
With more scrutinizing eyes, what was once clandestine has become almost as open as doing it.
After finishing her business, Yun Qing practically fled towards the entrance of the government office, only to unexpectedly encounter an interesting person there.
Yan Yangke seemed a little nervous when he saw Yun Qing: "Lord Li."
Yun Qing is not the kind of person who repays evil with kindness. Although Yan Yangke treated her badly at the beginning, he gradually changed and said many good things about her, which can be considered to offset the damages.
She nodded to the other person: "Mm."
Seeing Yun Qing turn to leave, Yan Yangke quickly called out to her, "Lord Li, I want to apologize to you. My previous remarks were inappropriate, and I hope you can forgive me... If you can't forgive me, that's fine too. I just want you to know my apology."
Yan Yangke didn't speak with much confidence after that, since what he had said before was indeed excessive. It was already very kind of Yun Qing not to hold it against him, and he couldn't ask for forgiveness.
"It's alright." Yun Qing paused, looking at Yan Yangke, the future head of the censors, who had matured considerably over time. She said, "The situation is changing, and even those involved may not be able to see clearly. From your perspective, you may be right. But the words of censors should not be taken as hearsay. They should be used for the benefit of the country. In the future, Lord Yan, you must be careful with your words and actions."
Officials who offer advice rely on their words; their words are like sharp knives in their hands. But they must ensure that the direction of these knives is always correct.
Unfortunately, throughout history, few people have remembered their original aspirations.
"Yes, yes." Yan Yangke nodded, somewhat ashamed. "In the past, I only cared about appearances and followed the crowd. I will change from now on."
Yan Yangke was also one of the remonstrating officials standing behind Yun Qing.
When he first learned that Yun Qing was a woman, in addition to the shock that everyone else felt, his respect for her deepened even more.
Keeping such a major matter a secret would be something no one could do with such composure. In fact, they all knew that without Yun Qing's behind-the-scenes manipulation, the court order would not have been restored so quickly.
However, people are always jealous, and not all the officials who offer advice are wholeheartedly devoted to the court, so they will try every means to slander her.
With Liang Bang's guidance, Yan Yangke returned to the right path in time, but the guilt still made him uneasy.
"That's good then." Yun Qing admired people who knew how to admit their mistakes and correct them. "I'll be going now. Please make yourself at home, Lord Yan."
Yan Yangke must have come here for some reason, so Yun Qing didn't keep him any longer and took her leave after speaking.
Yan Yangke responded, and only after seeing her get into the carriage did he hurriedly turn around and head towards the government office.
-
Yunqing went to the palace.
The coming-of-age ceremony is quite complicated. If the Ministry of Rites were to handle the coordination with Xie Rang, it would probably be troublesome. It would be better for her to tell him herself, which would make Xie Rang more patient.
Having been in Da Xi for so long, this was the first time Yun Qing had presided over such a complicated ceremony. She couldn't feel at ease without comparing herself to Xie Rang.
When she arrived, Xie Rang and Gu Yun were discussing matters, and she happened to run into Gu Yun coming out from inside.
Gu Yun bowed to her: "Lord Li."
"Lord Gu," Yun Qing smiled, "I'll go in and find His Majesty."
Gu Yun subtly reminded him, "His Majesty is not in a good mood right now."
After saying that, he realized he had overthought things; even if he was angry, he could always appease the person in front of him.
Yun Qing nodded: "Thank you."
After saying that, she stepped over the threshold and went inside. Sure enough, she saw Xie Rang staring at the memorial with an unhappy expression, as if he had a deep-seated hatred for him.
"What's wrong now? What did these memorials do to you?" Yun Qing walked over, casually picked one up to look at, and chuckled, "Still not giving up, huh?"
The imperial court is so vast, and there has never been a shortage of bold people in the past. Although everyone is now well aware of the relationship between the emperor and the imperial tutor, Xie Rang has neither appointed an empress nor established a harem. There will always be people who are unwilling to give up and try to climb up the social ladder by trying to establish this relationship.
"I find them annoying." Xie Rang deeply loathed these memorials, frowning. "Tomorrow, announce the abolition of the harem."
Xie Rang had been talking about this before, but it had been put on hold for various reasons. Now that his relationship with Yun Qing was out in the open, there was nothing to worry about.
“Alright.” Yun Qing naturally didn’t think she was a particularly magnanimous person when it came to matters of the heart. Xie Rang’s words were also in line with her own selfish desires. “I’ll talk to His Majesty about the coming-of-age ceremony.”
This is such an important matter, and there's only one chance like this. All the procedures need to be checked carefully. Seeing that there were no more fold cards on Xie Rang's desk, Yun Qing simply slowed down and spoke to him slowly.
Xie Rang had been looking forward to his coming-of-age ceremony for a long time, and since Yun Qing was the one to tell him about it, he listened very attentively, nodding occasionally, his eyes sparkling, completely dispelling his unpleasant mood from before.
Seeing this, Yun Qing couldn't help but chuckle: "You like it that much?"
Xie Rang nodded in agreement. He put his arm around Yun Qing and made her sit on the same chair as him. He smiled and kissed her lips: "After all, we've been waiting for this for so many years."
He has hoped for much more than just this little bit; he is determined to make it come true one by one.
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