Another rainstorm is coming.
Instead of extinguishing the late summer heat, the rain made the air even more stifling. At this time, there were hardly any people on the streets, only the faint aroma of food lingering in the air, undiminished by the rain.
A carriage from the palace silently stopped at the back gate of the residence.
The servants were all familiar with this kind of thing, and upon seeing this, they quickly rubbed their eyes and ran in to announce, "His Majesty has arrived."
Diancui had just come out of the room carrying a bowl when she saw this and widened her eyes slightly: "Young Master just woke up, why are you here now..."
She spoke the second half of her sentence very softly, and just as she finished speaking, someone came from the corridor.
The young man at the front was tall and slender, dressed in a white brocade robe that exuded nobility and indifference. Although the hem of his robe was slightly damp from the rain, he did not look disheveled at all.
Xie Rang grew up to be extremely handsome, with long and beautiful phoenix eyes, deep and dark in color, and thin lips slightly pursed, revealing his displeasure.
Diancui was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
In his youth, the young emperor would often act coquettishly around the prince, but as he gradually gained power over the years, his aura became increasingly imposing, making the servants dare not look him in the eye.
"Um."
Xie Rang wouldn't vent his anger on the servants of the Li residence. He nodded slightly to signal her to get up, then walked to the door with practiced ease. As he approached, he unconsciously softened his steps and knocked, asking, "Grand Tutor, may I come in?"
Yun Qing caught a cold a few days ago and has been sick for the past two days, but she is much better now. Fortunately, she had a premonition that Xie Rang might not be able to resist coming out to find her, so she has already pretended to be sick.
Hearing this, she said softly, "Come in."
Xie Rang opened the door and went in, and the people behind him fell silent, none of them daring to follow.
Yun Qing had changed into casual clothes and was sitting on a small couch by the window, looking at something in her hand. When she saw Xie Rang coming over, she put it down.
Seeing Xie Rang's tense expression, Yun Qing seemed to sense something: "Who has upset His Majesty this time?"
[They always come to me when they're unhappy; I feel like I'm becoming a master of facial expression analysis.]
Xie Rang felt that she was dressed too thinly, so he took a blanket from the side and draped it over her. His movements were gentle, but his voice carried a hint of displeasure: "What else could it be? It's just that those old guys want to send people into the palace."
Since capturing Liang Zhigong five years ago and gradually eliminating his followers, Xie Rang has naturally assumed power. He is decisive in his methods and has gradually pushed the Prince of Pingjiang's influence out of the center in recent years.
He was just a hair's breadth away from having complete control.
The once frail young emperor had already begun to grow up silently.
As a result, some people inevitably had ideas that Xie Rang should take in more concubines and send their family members into the palace.
"Hmm?" Yun Qing hadn't been paying attention to court affairs these past two days, and no one had been passing on information to her. Hearing this, she shook her head. "Now is not the right time."
[Besides, the little tyrant is still a few months away from turning eighteen, I won't allow it!]
Xie Rang learned from her inner thoughts that, according to the Grand Tutor, one was considered an adult at eighteen.
Besides, Xie Rang doesn't have that kind of thought right now.
“I also felt it was inappropriate, so I returned the document. But they went and tried to threaten me by kneeling down.”
Xie Rang sneered. He was no longer the pitiful little man who could be manipulated by others!
A premonition suddenly arose in Yun Qing's heart: "...So they're still kneeling?"
“Of course.” Xie Rang said calmly, “If they want to kneel, let them kneel. It will free up space.”
The little tyrant looked adorable and innocent when he was young, but the older he got, the more he resembled the tyrants in history. However, thanks to Yun Qing's correction, he possessed the mindset of an emperor but did not develop a bloodthirsty habit, which was fortunate.
“You…” Yun Qing hesitated, then said, “Never mind.”
It's a good thing that we're not being manipulated.
Xie Rang breathed a silent sigh of relief.
He knew that the Grand Tutor was the most lenient towards him and would ultimately stand by his side.
A slight smile crept onto the boy's lips. He walked over to Yun Qing, sat down, and asked, "Is the Grand Tutor looking into matters concerning the Harvest Festival?"
Xie Rang grew faster than Yun Qing had imagined. Five years ago, she could only look up at him, but now he was taller than her. It felt a little strange to sit next to him.
However, Xie Rang was very happy. He secretly looked at himself and realized that he had fulfilled his childhood wish and was able to completely protect the Grand Tutor.
"This year is a bumper year, so we must celebrate the harvest festival properly."
Yun Qing smiled.
A few years ago, Da Xi suffered a famine due to natural disasters. Fortunately, Yun Qing had stockpiled grain in advance, and Tan Zaiheng, Zhong Xiu, and others went to various places to improve farming practices, which increased grain production. The timely transfer of grain successfully filled the gap.
There were enough high-quality sweet potato and corn seeds to replant. At that time, the conflict between Xie Rang and King Pingjiang was at its most serious, so Yun Qing took advantage of this opportunity to go out and promote the grain seeds.
Now that the efforts have been effective, the people are very happy and want to hold a grand harvest festival.
"This is all thanks to the Grand Tutor." Xie Rang noticed the teacup was cold, so he quickly poured her a cup of hot tea and pushed it towards her, his gesture ingratiating. "When will the Grand Tutor be willing to come to the palace for a short stay?"
Xie Rang didn't think he and the Grand Tutor would drift apart, but as he grew older, he gradually noticed Yun Qing's silent estrangement from him, and even the number of times he stayed overnight in the palace decreased.
He feels wronged.
Wasn't he doing enough? Wasn't he acting like a wise ruler?
Yun Qing forcibly ignored the Emperor's resentful gaze and said without changing his expression, "Let's wait until the end of the year. Your Majesty, I will spend the New Year with you."
They've all grown up; it's not appropriate for them to be clingy with me all the time.
Yun Qing watched Xie Rang grow up little by little, from a skinny little pitiful boy to the handsome young man he is today. She has almost come to regard him as family.
However, with some reservations in her heart, she intentionally kept her distance from the boy.
[This sensitivity is all because I spoiled him.]
Xie Rang didn't feel there was anything inappropriate about it. He lowered his eyelids, reached out and gently held Yun Qing's hand. Her hand was very cold, so he carefully held it to warm it.
His voice was ambiguous, conveying neither joy nor anger.
"In the past, the Grand Tutor left me without a word for a year for the sake of the people, and I didn't take it to heart. I treated the Grand Tutor like family, so why has he become distant from me?"
"If Qi'an does anything wrong and annoys the Grand Tutor, please tell me and I will correct it."
The first half of his words were cold, but he started to play the victim later on.
Yun Qing instinctively tried to pull her hand away from his, but Xie Rang forcefully prevented her from moving, his gaze stubbornly fixed on her, as if he wanted to demand an explanation today.
Yun Qing sighed: "No, Your Majesty has done very well. It's just that the inner palace is a very important place, and in principle, officials from outside the capital should not stay there for long. If I go there frequently, the remonstrance officials will impeach me again."
Xie Rang snorted coldly: "If they dare to impeach me, I will shut them up completely!"
Hey, that's not how it works!
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