17. My teacher is...
"Crab, crab..." Although Jin Lanyue was very scared, she still remembered what her mother had taught her to be polite.
Wei Xiuming pinched her little face, then pinched it again: "Why are you so scared? I won't eat children."
The little dumpling clasped its two tiny hands together and stammered, "Y-you won't hit your palms, will you?"
She thought for a moment and then added, "And you won't hit the Grand Tutor's palm either?"
Wei Xiuming was taken aback, then chuckled, "No, I never hit anyone's hand."
Their emperors would directly punish people with a beating or behead them. Wei Xiuming silently swallowed his words and then said, "You little brat, you're so young, and you're already concerned about your tutor? Are you afraid I'll beat him, so you came here specifically to protect him?"
The sentence was a bit long, and the little one tried hard to understand: "You can't hit the dog, and you can't hit the tutor either. Hitting your palm hurts. The tutor and the dog, without intentional offense, will not change..."
So you can't hit her and the Grand Tutor like your father hit your second brother.
"No intentional offense, no remorse?" Similarly, Wei Xiuming was also trying to understand her words, "Oh, no knowingly committing a crime and refusing to repent, right?"
"Yes, yes! You're so smart!"
"Hmm, I'm so clever..." Wei Xiuming could hardly contain his laughter, finding the little dumpling really amusing.
Jin Lanyue looked at him timidly, then mustered her courage and said, "You, you are a good person, you don't hit people, hitting people is bad!"
“I am a good person, not a bad guy,” Wei Xiuming readily agreed. “Considering that you came all this way to protect your tutor, I will not punish him, and may even reward him.”
"Really? Thank you." The little dumpling loosened her clenched little hand.
That's great!
He doesn't hit people!
Wei Xiuming smiled and looked at Qu Zijin: "You do have a good student."
Qu Zijin looked at Jin Lanyue, his heart softening.
This little dumpling was clearly terrified, but in order to protect him, it traveled a long way to his side, and one can only imagine how helpless it must have felt along the way...
Of course, he was unaware that this little brat had also beaten up a young prince on the way.
Wei Xiuming put his arm around Jin Lanyue while looking at Qu Zijin, preparing to continue the conversation.
This little bundle of fluff is so soft and chubby, it feels like holding a cotton doll when you hold it in your arms.
Although she was a bit timid, she was very obedient, completely different from his rebellious son and daughter. He was reluctant to put her down for a moment, so he simply held her in his arms and discussed matters.
Anyway, a three-year-old wouldn't understand what they were saying.
Wei Xiuming spoke first: "Your idea is—what is taken from the people should be used for the people?"
Qu Zijin glanced at the little dumpling nestled obediently in the emperor's arms. Seeing that she was no longer so frightened, he breathed a sigh of relief and cupped his hands, saying, "That's right. Those corrupt officials have been plundering the people's wealth. Now they even dare to take bribes and demand money for disaster relief. They are truly insatiable. Why not take this opportunity to make them spit out what they have taken and use it back on the people?"
“Indeed,” Wei Xiuming also deeply abhorred these corrupt officials. “The Northwest only submitted to the government at the beginning of this year. If it weren’t for the thought that a major reshuffle of officials would inevitably lead to unrest, I had no choice but to slow down the pace and replace them little by little… Unexpectedly, a severe drought occurred this summer, and those people actually dared to take advantage of the situation. They are truly courting death!”
Those who are blinded by greed will eventually suffer the consequences.
Jin Lanyue shrank back. Although she couldn't understand what they were saying, their aura was terrifying.
Wei Xiuming lowered his head and cupped her small face in his palm, making it easy to pinch her cheeks.
With a pinch of her index finger and thumb, her chubby cheeks squeezed her little mouth into a pout: "Mmm... tonic, pinch me."
The somewhat oppressive atmosphere was completely dispelled.
Wei Xiuming released his grip, suppressing a laugh while feigning seriousness as he looked at Qu Zijin and asked, "How exactly do you plan to implement this, my dear minister?"
“Send the army directly with the imperial edict, warning them that either they resolve this drought, or the army resolves them,” Qu Zijin said.
"Aren't you afraid they'll fight to the death?"
“They dare not. For them, solving the drought is just a loss of some benefits. But if a large army really marches in, it will be a catastrophe.”
Qu Zijin continued his analysis: "Moreover, the Northwest has only just submitted and has not yet had a chance to demonstrate its role to the dynasty. It is not a dangerous or strategic location. For our dynasty, it is even a burden."
“We have no reason to insist on the Northwest, and they understand that too,” Wei Xiuming continued. “They are not willing to gamble. It’s something that can be settled by sacrificing a little bit of profit; there’s no need to risk their lives.”
“That’s right,” Qu Zijin continued, offering a follow-up plan. “The dynasty sent disaster relief grain to them in an attempt to appease them, but they were still relentless. Now that we’ve turned against them and are cracking down hard, this contrast will inevitably create internal conflicts. In addition, their internal power is not balanced, and after a disaster relief effort, their morale will inevitably crumble… That will be the best time for us to strike.”
“You won’t listen to a toast, so you’ll have to drink a forfeit. Ha,” Wei Xiuming leaned back on the dragon throne. “We were just being stubborn before, only thinking about how to provide disaster relief and how to get rid of corrupt officials, but we forgot that we could let corrupt officials provide disaster relief.”
He then pinched Jin Lanyue's hand again: "Your idea is excellent, my dear minister."
"I have named this idea the 'Returning to One's Roots' method."
"Fallen leaves return to their roots? That's certainly a fitting description. How did you come up with that, my dear minister?"
"To be honest, it was my teacher who gave me this guidance," Qu Zijin said, bowing.
"Oh?" Wei Xiuming became interested. "Where did you study under, my dear minister? Which famous master?"
"Mmm... Mmm?" Jin Lanyue, whose little face was being pinched, opened her eyes wide and unexpectedly met Qu Zijin's gaze.
Um?
Uh-huh?
This doesn't seem right, Grand Tutor.
Qu Zijin, oblivious to her inner doubts, spoke up: "My teacher is none other than the three-year-old child in Your Majesty's arms, the daughter of the Marquis of Beiding—Jin Lanyue."
"What?"
"Hmm, ten?"
Wei Xiuming and Xiao Tuanzi spoke at the same time.
Wei Xiuming looked down at the little bean curd who was a bit sulky after he pinched her cheeks, but there was nothing he could do about it. He lifted her up with both hands, looked her over from left to right, and fell into deep thought: "My dear minister... you call this little potato 'teacher'?"
Small potatoes?!
"No, it's not a little potato! No, it's not!" Little Jinlanyue kicked her legs in the air, but to no avail.
She thought sadly, "I'm not a potato!"
My mother said she was fair and tender, and even if she were a potato, she would be a white jade potato!
Qu Zijin looked at his teacher, who was struggling but unable to escape the clutches of evil, and hesitated to speak: "The story is like this, Your Majesty... Before that, Your Majesty, why don't you put the teacher down first?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Xiuming, though not quite understanding, still hugged the little boy back into his arms: "Go ahead and tell me."
He really needs to hear this story carefully.
Then, Qu Zijin recounted in detail why he recognized Jin Lanyue as his teacher and how his teacher had guided him to come up with this idea.
After listening, Wei Xiuming raised his eyebrows repeatedly, his expression conveying a sense of "not understanding but respect".
"Ah...I see..." Wei Xiuming said slowly, "In that case, the credit will go to the two of you."
He didn't dwell on it: "Then, my dear minister, tell me, what reward do you want?"
Qu Zijin's face showed the joy of finally getting what he had been looking forward to. He was about to speak without thinking, but then he suddenly stopped.
What does he want?
He wanted to return to the imperial court and find a position where he could truly serve the people and showcase his talents.
The position of tutor to the princess is certainly not what he wanted.
Qu Zijin always thought he was very determined, after all, wasn't this his long-held wish?
But why can't he say it?
He stared blankly at the little baby being held and teased in the emperor's arms.
He couldn't help but think of it.
If he were no longer the Grand Tutor, he wouldn't be able to see this little girl often, nor would he be able to teach her.
How will the new Grand Tutor treat her?
Would that be an insult to her talent? Would I really slap her hand?
She's so young...
If he abandons her and leaves, will she be very sad?
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