He had followed the emperor for more than twenty years and knew him too well. Xie Qichang sighed deeply and said, "You should go back."
"What about His Majesty?" Shi Mingyue asked.
Xie Qichang looked at her, his eyes revealing an indescribable determination. "Don't worry about it. Go back. I will find a way to deal with His Majesty."
Shi Mingyue nodded slightly, then turned and left.
The two princesses watched her leave and couldn't help but walk towards Xie Qichang, "Prime Minister, where is the emperor?"
"I'm going into the palace. You don't have to follow me." Xie Qichang walked towards the gate of the imperial city.
As the carriage drove back to the palace, Shi Mingyue knew Xie Qichang wasn't helping her; he was actually helping the emperor. He was preventing the emperor from such reckless and absurd behavior solely for the sake of the country. But regardless of his motives, his actions still indirectly helped her.
"Let's not go back to the palace first, let's go to Jingzhao Prefecture." Shi Mingyue lifted the curtain and said to the coachman.
The driver drove the carriage to Jingzhao Prefecture. Shi Mingyue knew that what he was going to do next was to risk his life.
At the gate of Jingzhao Prefecture, two large men were guarding the door. They were both surprised to see her. Everyone in Jingzhao Prefecture knew Shi Mingyue because she was the daughter of the prefect. In the past, they would call her "Miss", but now she had another identity: Princess Ling.
"Your Highness, are you here to see the prefect?" a big man asked.
Shi Mingyue said "hmm", "My dad is here."
"Yes, please come in." The big man motioned her to go in.
Shi Mingyue took the initiative to find Shi Yuanshan, who was very surprised. He had been paying close attention to the news about Fu Yueli during this period. Fu Yueli was now under house arrest in the mansion, and he was Fu Yueli's father-in-law. It was impossible for him to say that he had not been affected.
The first thing Shi Yuanshan said when he saw Shi Mingyue was, "Why are you here?" But there was no blame in his tone at all, but rather anxious concern.
There was no one else in the room. Shi Mingyue fell to her knees and said, "Dad, you must help me!"
Shi Yuanshan guessed that his daughter came to him most likely to seek help, but he was just a small official in Beijing, how could he help her?
"You get up first." Shi Yuanshan couldn't stop sighing and wanted to help Shi Mingyue up.
But Shi Mingyue didn't get up, so Shi Yuanshan had no choice but to ask, "What do you want me to help you with?"
Shi Mingyue said, "It's very simple. Dad, you should resign from your official position, and then have your brother resign as well. Then, take mother with you to Yunzhou to find your cousins."
Shi Yuanshan's eyes widened in shock: "Why! What do you want to do?"
"Father, I'll tell you the truth. Imperial Concubine Cen and the Second Prince can't tolerate Yue Li, but they won't act so quickly because it would arouse the Emperor's suspicion. They'll target those close to Yue Li, with the Lu family being the first. You'll be next. So, Father, listen to me. Resign your official positions with your brother and go to Yunzhou." Shi Mingyue's words were a mixture of truth and falsehood. Imperial Concubine Cen and the Second Prince certainly couldn't tolerate Fu Yue Li, but what they couldn't tolerate even more was the Emperor. She didn't need to explain too clearly to her father. Only if they left could she and Fu Yue Li be free from worries and constraints.
Shi Yuanshan was completely stunned. Witnessing all the things that had happened during this period of time, he believed what Shi Mingyue said without a doubt. However, if he just left like that, what should Fu Yueli do, and what should Mingyue do?
"But if we leave, won't you be in danger too?" This is what Shi Yuanshan is most worried about.
Shi Mingyue shook her head: "Dad, Yueli and I have our own countermeasures, you don't have to worry about us."
Shi Yuanshan probably understood what Shi Mingyue meant, but as her father, how could he just leave without protecting his daughter?
"Dad! As long as you arrive in Yunzhou safely, it will be the greatest help to me and Yueli!" Shi Mingyue knew her father's concerns, so she had to make it clear.
Shi Yuanshan was speechless. As long as they were safe, it would be the greatest help to her and Fu Yueli. Okay, then he would definitely do it.
Two days later, Shi Yuanshan and Shi Mingji submitted their resignations at the same time. Ten days later, the three members of the Shi family quietly left Shangjing City.
Upon hearing the news, Shi Mingyue held Fu Yueli's hand tightly, and the two looked at each other deeply. Now they finally didn't have to be restrained anymore.
It is the time of the year for the Jingyan ceremony. The Jingyan ceremony was established in the Han Dynasty. It was a special imperial lecture hall for the emperor to lecture on scriptures and history. Most of the lecturers were scholars from the Hanlin Academy or other Confucian officials in the court. The purpose was to lecture on scriptures and history for the emperor so that he could be influenced by the teachings of sages.
Since the founding of the Zhao Kingdom, Emperor Taizu, Fu Bo, was a military general and therefore held little regard for civil officials and Confucian scholars. Consequently, the Jingyan ceremony was held four times a year. In previous dynasties, these lectures would last at least nine months a year, with the emperor attending lectures on sutras and history for half of the month. For example, the Jingyan system in the Tianyun Kingdom lasted from February to the Dragon Boat Festival and from August to the Winter Solstice. The emperor was known for his diligence and eagerness to learn. However, because the Tianyun Kingdom was a Buddhist nation, the lecturers were not all Confucian scholars; many were eminent monks. Naturally, the lectures were not based on Confucian classics, but on Buddhist scriptures.
At the imperial lecture ceremony in July, the lecturers were last year's top scorer Yuan Xingzhi and second place winner Jin Xuanlin. In the hall, all civil and military officials sat down and listened quietly to Yuan Xingzhi and Jin Xuanlin's lectures.
Fu Xingkai had no interest in listening to the nonsense these pedantic scholars were spouting. From time to time, he glanced at Xie Qichang standing in the audience, filled with resentment. If it weren't for Xie Qichang, he wouldn't have been away from Shi Mingyue for so long. He was the ruler of a country, so how could he be reduced to acting at the behest of a minister?
With the instruction of Xie Qichang, Yuan Xingzhi is talking about the history of the Tang Dynasty today, and it is precisely the history of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.
Fu Xingkai knew what he meant, but he felt even more disgusted and didn't want to listen. However, Yuan Xingzhi's lectures were extremely vivid and truly fascinating.
Yuan Xingzhi was a renowned scholar of Jiangzhou, naturally gifted with eloquence. While ordinary historical lectures would inevitably be dull and boring, he delivered them with vivid detail, practically like a storyteller. He spoke for two hours, seemingly untiring. Finally, at the end, he summarized the life of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, stating, "Xuanzong's life was a mixed bag. In his early years, he diligently governed the country, but in his later years, he indulged in pleasure. He was hardly a wise ruler."
The imperial lecture ends here temporarily. After an hour's break, the afternoon lecture will begin.
Fu Xingkai had lunch with the other ministers. After lunch, they all returned to their seats in the main hall and closed their eyes to rest.
But gradually, everyone felt unwell and weak all over. When they opened their eyes to look at others, they were almost staggering.
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