The boy held the bottle in his palm, his eyes brimming with laughter, wanting to please others, yet acting with great caution, like a puppy wagging its tail, quietly testing the waters.
Yun Qing's lips trembled slightly. In that instant, she abandoned all her previous prejudices against the little tyrant, reached out and took the bottle, and whispered, "Thank you, Qi An. I like it very much."
At this moment, the young man was not yet the tyrant criticized in history books. Yun Qing had clearly discovered this long ago, but still called him the little tyrant. Whether it was to remind herself not to forget history, or simply because she had a prejudice against him, it was hard to say.
But many things can be completely resolved with just one good thing.
Yun Qing thought to herself—
I'll treat him even better from now on.
But the Grand Tutor has clearly been very good to him.
Xie Rang was very happy that his gift was appreciated. After experiencing so much insult and abuse, he was able to gradually lower his guard, a choice made after much internal struggle.
He smiled and nodded: "I'm glad the Grand Tutor likes it."
This thing is fragile, and it was uncomfortable for Yun Qing to hold it in her hands. Fortunately, Xie Rang had brought a box with soft cotton cloth inside to protect the glass bottle.
When I get back to the capital, I'll definitely put this bottle in my study and look at it every day!
Xie Rang smiled.
-
The journey back was much smoother than I had imagined.
The two sides were probably too busy confronting each other to pay them any attention, and they didn't encounter another assassination attempt. They soon arrived at the foot of the capital.
Before that, Yunqing learned another piece of good news.
The high-yield crop she had previously instructed people to find seems to have materialized; the merchant has already handed the goods over to Uncle Jiang, and they are just waiting for her to return to confirm it before exchanging the goods for the benefits.
[Sob, I miss my sweet corn and sweet potatoes! I hope it's true!]
The diet of the Da Xi people is so monotonous that it's a miracle if the common people can eat their fill and not starve. There's no chance to improve their lives. The nobles are slightly better off, but even that doesn't really suit Yun Qing's taste.
In fact, she never expected that the first major problem she would face upon arriving in ancient times would be food.
[Never mind, I won't tell the little tyrant yet. I'll tell him after I've confirmed it.]
Since giving the gift last time, Xie Rang noticed that the Grand Tutor spent less time criticizing him in his mind. Although he still called him the Little Tyrant, it sounded a little different from before.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that Xie Rang had already found out through her thoughts, even though she wanted to keep it a secret. He was just pretending not to know, waiting for her to bring him a surprise.
The capital is currently under martial law, and they arrived after the city gates were locked. The person who came to pick them up was Lin Chen, the commander of the Imperial Guard.
The firelight illuminated the night, and amidst the crackling of the flames, the Imperial Guards stood at regular intervals, protecting the path to the palace gates.
Lin Chen knelt before the carriage, his voice deep and heavy: "It's late and the dew is heavy, Your Majesty, please come to the palace as soon as possible."
Upon hearing this, Xie Rang turned his gaze to Yun Qing and asked, "Does the Grand Tutor still intend to return to the Li residence?"
Yun Qing shook his head and sighed deeply: "Forget it, there's no need to make a fuss. I will follow Your Majesty into the palace."
Upon returning to the capital, the atmosphere became oppressive; the days ahead were going to be tough.
Yun Qing knew that after returning this time, she would have more opportunities to go out, especially in the later stages of the power struggle, when she couldn't be separated from her for even a moment.
Xie Rang curled his lips slightly and said to the person outside the carriage, "Let's go back to the palace."
With Lin Chen personally clearing the way, they didn't encounter any fools.
Back at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, all the servants and maids of the palace were still waiting. The bedchamber was spotless, indicating that they hadn't been neglecting their duties during this time.
Exhausted from the journey, Yun Qing had slept well in the carriage during the day and wasn't particularly sleepy now. However, since it was inconvenient for her to bathe and wash in the palace, she could only endure it until tomorrow.
She called out to Lin Chen, "Commander Lin, what exactly caused their conflict?"
There are limitations to sending messages, so Yun Qing endured it for a long time before waiting to return and ask in detail.
Having received Xie Rang's warning, Lin Chen respected Yun Qing, and since they were family, there was nothing he couldn't say. He said, "It's about the ancestral worship ceremony. Liang Zhigong, with the late emperor's edict, wanted to take control, but the Prince of Pingjiang refused. The cabinet made a scene, and Grand Secretary Feng was so angry that he suffered a stroke. In the end, both sides compromised."
But anyway, it's not exactly harmonious.
Yun Qing frowned: "You can't trust anyone. After you go to the imperial mausoleum, you will lead your troops to surround the inner circle. No unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter."
Because of her intervention, history has changed, and without this incident, Yun Qing dares not take the risk.
Lin Chen accepted the order: "Yes."
During their conversation, Xie Rang noticed the commotion outside and saw that they were still standing on the veranda. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Grand Tutor, are you still not resting?"
"I'll go now." Yun Qing had said what she needed to say, turned around and walked towards him without looking back. "Commander Lin, you should go back first too."
Xie Rang muttered, "What were the Grand Tutor and he talking about? It's so late..."
Yun Qing raised her eyes in thought.
Why does this kid care so much? He's getting more and more mature.
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