Qin Yuxiu's face stiffened slightly. She calmed herself down before forcing a smile and replying, "Your Highness, the Dragon Prince's divine might has deeply impressed this humble subject. How dare I..."
Prince Qing interrupted him impatiently: "Alright, alright. You are, after all, a top scholar."
He looked at Qin Yuxiu's trembling and fearful demeanor with amusement, clearly looking down on her. Qin Yuxiu gave an awkward smile, bowed, and stood quietly to the side, not daring to say another word.
"Alright, have a seat."
Prince Qing stared at her for a while, then suddenly smiled and gestured for Qin Yuxiu to sit down in the chair below him.
Qin Yuxiu pulled his black clothes tighter before sitting down. He was quite reserved, his hands clasped in fists on his knees, his upper body ramrod straight. Before sitting down, he glanced around cautiously.
Prince Qing chuckled, "What? Scared?"
Qin Yuxiu hurriedly replied, "How could that be? It's just that when working for Your Highness, it's best to be cautious. I don't usually have much contact with Your Highness, so it's best not to let others know about my visit today."
Prince Qing glanced at him with a half-smile, knowing that he was afraid of trouble and dared not easily show his intention to take sides in public. He did not expose him, but simply said indifferently, "You only start to act like this after you have come to my residence. There is no need for that."
Prince Qing spoke in a dismissive tone, and Qin Yuxiu smiled awkwardly.
He seemed oblivious to the somewhat stagnant atmosphere in the room. Perhaps he didn't need to be aware of or pay attention to the feelings and emotions of those around him.
Qin Yuxiu remained silent, but Prince Qing did not take it to heart.
Without looking at Qin Yuxiu, he continued fiddling with the crossbow in his hand, casually recounting the recent discussions at the Ministry of Revenue regarding commercial drafts, picking out the key points to tell Qin Yuxiu. Finally, he said, "I called you here to ask you. Do you have any thoughts on the commercial drafts?"
Qin Yuxiu quickly stood up, bowed to Prince Qing, and replied with a slight bow, "Your Highness, I dare not."
When Qin Yuxiu stood up to bow again, Prince Qing was somewhat surprised. His fingers twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything and just watched quietly.
Hearing him say he dared not, he scoffed again: "What's there to dare or not dare to do? Lord Qin, how come you're so young, and have only just entered the court, yet you've already adopted the manners of those old foxes? Since I'm asking you, just answer! Stop beating around the bush!"
Qin Yuxiu bent her waist even lower.
He first said, "Please forgive my boldness."
Stealing a glance at Prince Qing's expression, and seeing his almost imperceptible nod, she boldly spoke: "Your Majesty, I have two points. First, the paper used for these commercial notes could be made from the Gu family's Pearl Xuan paper. However, the Gu and Lu families are, after all, merchants, and their methods are rudimentary. If it is to be used by the imperial court, this Pearl Xuan paper needs improvement. If a predetermined pattern could be printed on the paper during the printing process, it would be difficult for anyone to counterfeit it in the future."
Prince Qing nodded: "In your opinion, what pattern should be used for decoration?"
Qin Yuxiu's hands trembled, and she almost knelt down again, but she remembered that she was now an official and managed to keep her knees at a safe height.
"I am but a lowly official, how dare I speak of the design? It should be decided by His Highness, and I dare not interfere."
Prince Qing gave a nonchalant "Oh," showing neither joy nor anger, and then asked him, "And what about the second one?"
Secondly, in the past, commercial drafts served as proof of business transactions between the Gu and Lu families. The term "commercial draft" was merely colloquialism among merchants and hardly appropriate for formal occasions. Now that they are being manufactured under the supervision of the imperial court and are priced in silver, Your Highness should rename them. This would be in accordance with the new policies of the court and would not dishonor this initiative.
Prince Qing put away the crossbow he had been playing with, rubbed his thumb on his fingers for a long time, and then laughed loudly.
He finally stood up. Ever since Qin Yuxiu entered the room, he had remained seated in the armchair behind the desk, not even glancing at her directly.
Only then did he approach Qin Yuxiu.
Qin Yuxiu bowed her head and saw a pair of black official boots with cloud patterns on the blue stone bricks in front of her walking towards her. Immediately afterwards, she felt a chill on her arm.
Prince Qing's hands were cold, which seemed out of place with his robust and tanned physique. He placed his hands on Qin Yuxiu's arms, lifted him up, and straightened his body.
"Lord Qin, you are truly a remarkable person."
Qin Yuxiu and he had a long-standing relationship, and he had even arranged for Qin Yuxiu to do some things for him. However, he ultimately underestimated Qin Yuxiu. This person was indeed very adept at navigating the intricacies of court politics, and although she was somewhat servile, her flattery was spot on.
Although he didn't like it, he didn't dislike it either.
Qin Yuxiu was unexpectedly delighted, her face flushing slightly. She wanted to say a few more words, but Prince Qing interrupted her: "I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Lord Qin. Rest assured, I will not forget your contributions."
After saying this, he summoned the servants outside the door and escorted Qin Yuxiu out of the palace.
This sudden turn of events surprised Qin Yuxiu, but she dared not question it. Following behind the servants of the Prince's residence, she respectfully left the study.
He stepped across the threshold, but Prince Qing suddenly asked, "What do you think of Lady Gu?"
A thousand thoughts flashed through Qin Yuxiu's mind as she pondered what aspect of evaluation Prince Qing wanted to hear—appearance or temperament.
As he was thinking, he hurriedly turned around to bow and reply, but because one foot was outside the threshold and the other inside, he was caught off guard and looked rather comical.
The servants dared not laugh out loud, but Prince Qing had no such restraint and burst into laughter.
Qin Yuxiu's face flushed, and her steps became even more flustered.
Prince Qing smiled, his eyes glistening with tears, and waved him away, saying, "Enough, enough. What do you know?"
Qin Yuxiu had no choice but to bow again, turn around hesitantly, and walk outside.
Only Prince Qing remained in the study.
Prince Qing paced back and forth, then suddenly asked, "What do you think of Qin Yuxiu, sir?"
"He has talent but lacks the qualities of a scholar. He may be a weapon, but he is not fit for great use."
In the empty room, a middle-aged man's steady voice suddenly rang out.
Prince Qing seemed to be deep in thought, facing the direction of the screen, and remained silent.
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