Yan Qingqing rolled her eyes when she saw Xiao Mochen's expectant little eyes; she knew he'd pull this on her.
They must have taken advantage of her soft heart, but she really couldn't do it, so she refused, saying, "Mo Chen, your aunt admits that she has some talent."
But my aunt's talent is insufficient to instruct a future ruler.
Yan Qingqing wasn't being modest; she genuinely lacked that confidence.
Besides, being the Crown Prince's third tutor carries a heavy responsibility. If she were to lead Xiao Mochen astray, future generations would surely condemn her.
Therefore, she is absolutely incapable of shouldering this heavy burden.
Seeing Yan Qingqing's resolute attitude, Xiao Mochen spoke up again in a low voice, "Then it may be a bit late. I have already accepted the position of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince on behalf of my aunt."
I reckon the Emperor's decree is already on its way.
Yan Qingqing: ……
Xiao Mochen is truly capable; he actually acted first and informed her later.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing's expression wasn't too good, Xiao Mochen cautiously said, "Auntie, don't worry. You don't need to teach me to read and write. You just need to teach me some things you already know."
The regular teaching duties are handled by Zhao An and Song Lianzhi.
When Yan Qingqing heard that Zhao An and Song Lianzhi were actually acquaintances, she thought that Xiao Mochen still had some conscience, at least he arranged for her to have two acquaintances as colleagues.
What else could she say? Xiao Mochen had first made such a grand display, parading around the city and using his status as the Crown Prince to personally invite her to serve as the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor.
Furthermore, given the emperor's decree, if she were to continue acting arrogantly, it would be a disgrace to the royal family.
What a clever trick Xiao Mochen has played on her; he's truly worthy of being her student.
Sure enough, half an hour later, the eunuch from the inner palace arrived to deliver the imperial decree. It was Eunuch Xiang himself who delivered the decree.
A large crowd of onlookers gathered outside Mingzhao Prefecture, all very curious. First, His Highness the Crown Prince arrived at Mingzhao Prefecture in a grand manner, and now a group of imperial messengers had come from the palace.
They all guessed it must be a good thing, after all, Lady Mingzhao had such a good relationship with the Crown Prince and had done so many great things that benefited the country and its people.
Yan Qingqing reluctantly accepted the imperial edict from Eunuch Xiang and said to him, "Thank you for making this trip, Eunuch Xiang."
With a smile, Eunuch Xiang replied, "Madam Mingzhao, from now on you will be a person with an official position."
His Majesty asked me to convey a message to you before he came.
Yan Qingqing quickly and respectfully said, "Please speak, Eunuch Xiang."
Eunuch Xiang smiled and said, "His Majesty said he trusts you completely, so please trust him too."
Yan Qingqing pondered the meaning behind those words carefully. They were probably telling her not to have any reservations and to teach Xiao Mochen freely.
Having taken on this important responsibility, Yan Qingqing will naturally do her best.
So he cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Please convey to His Majesty the Emperor that His Majesty has shown such great favor and placed such trust in me. I will certainly do my utmost to teach His Highness the Crown Prince well."
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Xiang grinned from ear to ear, realizing that Lady Mingzhao was indeed no ordinary woman.
As a woman, she was the first in the Great Yan Dynasty to be appointed Grand Tutor. If it were anyone else, they would have been overjoyed or terrified.
But look at Lady Mingzhao's calm demeanor; only with such composure can the three tutors of the Crown Prince properly instruct the future ruler.
After Eunuch Xiang left, the news that Lady Mingzhao had been promoted to Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince spread throughout the capital.
The entire government and the public were once again shaken.
The Emperor has been acting very capriciously lately. First, he dismissed a group of officials in charge of salt tax, and then he directly established the Crown Prince without consulting anyone.
Now Yan Qingqing has been further appointed as the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor.
Therefore, a large number of court officials could no longer sit still and hurriedly went to the palace to see the emperor.
However, the emperor seemed determined not to see anyone, and none of the memorials submitted by these ministers were allowed into the Hanlong Hall.
Even if someone occasionally came to the emperor's presence, the emperor would always keep them hidden and not issue them.
That day, Eunuch Xiang brought in another thick stack of memorials.
Upon seeing this, the emperor frowned and asked, "Why are there so many? Could they all be against Lady Mingzhao being appointed as the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor?"
Eunuch Xiang laughed and said, "No, Your Majesty ordered that none of those memorials be allowed to enter Hanlong Hall. The cabinet has already screened them."
These are the performance evaluations of officials from various regions this year; Your Majesty, please review them.
The emperor breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, as long as it wasn't against Yan Qingqing becoming Grand Tutor.
In fact, the emperor did not want to go against the will of the people by appointing a woman as Grand Tutor, but it was Xiao Mochen who requested it, and the emperor also felt that Yan Qingqing was indeed very capable.
It would be good to let Xiao Mochen learn from her. Just imagine, what could possibly be difficult for someone who can even extract fine salt?
Perhaps Lady Mingzhao has some valuable things that he doesn't know about.
She might not trust the emperor or hand over those confidential documents, but she would definitely trust Xiao Mochen.
Besides, Yan Qingqing is the lucky star that the Imperial Observatory is looking for. It would be a waste not to use such a person.
Therefore, after thinking it through, the emperor immediately issued an edict to appoint Yan Qingqing as the Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince.
The emperor looked at the thick stack of memorials and sighed, "Alas, I have been emperor for more than twenty years, working diligently every day, getting up earlier than the rooster and going to bed later than the dog, and I am constantly hampered by those ministers. Tell me, what am I doing all this for?"
Eunuch Xiang deeply agreed with the Emperor's words. Having always been by the Emperor's side, he knew best how hard the Emperor worked in handling state affairs.
In addition to managing court officials and dealing with the harem, it's really not a job for a human being.
However, Eunuch Xiang dared not say such a thing.
Eunuch Xiang rolled his eyes and smiled, "Actually, Your Majesty doesn't have to go through so much trouble. You can easily find a helper."
The emperor looked at Eunuch Xiang with some confusion, waiting for him to continue.
With a smile, Eunuch Xiang explained, "The Crown Prince has just been established, so the Emperor can take this opportunity to train him. These political affairs can be taught to His Highness."
"It's good for him to know how hard the Emperor works, and besides, once the Crown Prince gets busy, he'll have fewer opportunities to visit Mingzhao Prefecture. The Emperor can also take this opportunity to cultivate a father-son relationship with His Highness."
It must be said that Eunuch Xiang was a very wicked old eunuch. But his words struck a chord with the emperor.
The emperor immediately slapped his thigh and said, "This suggestion is excellent."
"Guards, summon the Crown Prince to the Hanlong Palace."
Xiao Mochen lived in the East Palace and soon arrived at Hanlong Hall.
It wasn't until dusk that Xiao Mochen left Hanlong Palace, looking slightly tired. After all, he was still young, and it was his first time reviewing memorials, so he needed to be extra careful.
In contrast, the emperor was in high spirits and ate heartily at dinner, even overeating.
The emperor hadn't entered the inner palace for several days, but today he surprisingly went there to digest his food.
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