Chapter 119 A Ten-Year Promise
Only two people remained in the hall.
Xiao Qing invited Fu Mingyi to sit down before starting to talk about Ying Ying.
Fu Mingyi asked, "Does Your Majesty have any plans for Ying Ying?"
Intend?
Xiao Qing thought for a moment and said, "If we could let him leave the palace, it might be better for him."
Fu Mingyi shook his head. "As far as I know, Yingying is unwilling to leave the palace."
Xiao Qing knew this, and she was also very troubled by it.
"His Majesty and General Zhao saved him from danger, and it is only natural that he wants to repay them. Moreover, Ying Ying has no relatives left and no business in Nanhua City. If he leaves the palace, those people might still come looking for him. So leaving the palace is not necessarily better than staying in the palace."
Perhaps because Fu Mingyi spoke calmly, Xiao Qing gradually relaxed and followed Fu Mingyi's guidance to imagine.
Yingying must have thought that way, which is why she preferred to be a palace maid rather than leave the palace.
But being around this fake emperor isn't necessarily better, is it?
"Then what does the Grand Tutor think is the best course of action?"
Fu Mingyi gazed at her: "I know Your Majesty is kind and would not want Yingying to suffer the hardships of being a palace servant. But Yingying has no one to rely on and is only focused on repaying the favor. So I think that this favor does not necessarily have to be repaid by becoming a palace servant."
Xiao Qing nodded; Ying Ying's idea was indeed somewhat flawed.
"Your Majesty lacks trustworthy people around you, both in the court and in the palace. We need to cultivate them properly. I have also heard General Zhao mention that with Yingying's talent, being a palace attendant would probably not be enough to fully realize her potential and ambitions."
Xiao Qing nodded in agreement. The thing Ying Ying had done most during the time he'd been by her side was take care of the cats. He looked after them very well and trained them very well. To be honest, she often felt that it was a waste of Ying Ying's talents to have him by her side.
When Ma Hong and Liu Yi wanted to take him as their apprentice, she thought it was a good idea, but unfortunately he disagreed, so the matter had to be dropped.
"Therefore, I believe it would be better to let Yingying join the army. Within ten years, he will surely make great achievements."
Xiao Qing was taken aback. "Join the army?"
Fu Mingyi nodded, "The humiliation of Nanxiao must be avenged. I believe that with ten years of preparation, we may be able to fight."
A thought flashed through Xiao Qing's mind.
She stood up and blurted out, "Was Yu Zaiting's trip to Jiangzhou also..."
Fu Mingyi nodded, "The Prime Minister has been living in a prosperous place for a long time, and his foundation is already solid. Even if he is faced with half a ruin, he will most likely only want to maintain and repair it, and has no intention of starting a war."
He paused, then said, "But the North must be recovered, at any cost."
He stood up and bowed deeply to Xiao Qing, saying, "Ten years is the time limit I have set for myself, and it is also the time limit Your Majesty has set for the people of the world."
Xiao Qing finally realized what Fu Mingyi was planning to do.
The blood and fire of Yongxiao Palace, the panic and flight of everyone—these were deeply etched into his soul as shame and hatred, forming indelible wounds. All his composure and forbearance were preparation for a furious counterattack ten years later.
So why did he value military generals, why did he insist on holding a grand ceremony to commemorate the spirits of the warriors, and why did he travel thousands of miles alone to the north to bring back hostages—in fact, it was all to bring back the bodies and ashes of those soldiers. What he brought back was faith, was will…
All of this tormented him daily, making it impossible for his wounds to heal.
The peace of the South was an illusion to him, and the prosperity of the South was nothing more than funds to prepare for that day.
Xiao Qing had no way to refute him.
This was his country, his deepest sorrow. She had to admit that even if she felt something, it was far less profound and painful than what the person before her was experiencing.
His relatives were forced to migrate, and his older sister also fell into the hands of the northern barbarians.
Xiao Qing stared at his bowing posture for a long time, feeling that any words seemed inadequate.
"Then Ying Ying..."
"Your Majesty, are you willing to grant me, and the people of the world, this deadline?"
Xiao Qing felt somewhat embarrassed. She realized that what he said about Ying Ying was a lie; everything he had said before was probably just a prelude to this question. He was waiting for her to find out.
While she was still dazed and confused about whether to stay or leave, life or death, he had already begun planning and preparing for what would happen ten years from now.
And she was, in essence, one component of all his preparations.
Fu Mingyi should know very well that she is probably the one with the least say in whether or not to fight.
There are many things she cannot decide.
In other words, she was probably the only one who could support any decision he made.
Xiao Qing slowly sat back down, remained silent for a while, and then asked, "Are you so sure that I've been here for the past ten years?"
If not, what's the point of giving or not giving?
"Therefore, I need Your Majesty's ten years."
Xiao Qing rubbed his temples. "Grand Tutor, there are some things that you and I both know. It's not just a matter of time."
She sighed. "Firstly, I don't even know what strange things might happen to me. So let alone giving you ten years, I can't even guarantee I'll still be here in ten years. Secondly, even if I'm still here in ten years, you know my physical condition. Do you think I have a few more years left to..." (The question is incomplete and requires more context to be fully translated.)
In five years at most, her body will definitely have undergone changes. Not to mention those close to her, by then, even outsiders will probably notice.
How confident must Fu Mingyi be to believe that by then, the things they were hiding from the world would not cause any unforeseen events?
However, Fu Mingyi had clearly thought about this issue long ago. "Therefore, I have hired a tutor for Your Majesty. Your Majesty's lessons in riding, archery, martial arts, and other subjects will all be taught separately."
Xiao Qing blinked. "It's not just these, is it?"
Fu Mingyi looked at her, "Of course not. I will arrange everything Your Majesty can think of, and I will do my best to ensure Your Majesty's safety. If Your Majesty does not need to worry about these issues, could Your Majesty give me a promise?"
"Then, the first question I wanted to ask..."
"Did Abbot Jueyin give His Majesty a token?"
Xiao Qing was startled, but quickly remembered the silver bell hanging on her wrist.
But she never told Fu Mingyi how he found out.
Fu Mingyi said, "I don't know what it is, but I have heard that Your Majesty is protected by the power of Jueyin. As long as Your Majesty does not remove it easily, there will be no worry about your soul leaving your body for at least twenty years."
Xiao Qing was helpless.
She thought about it carefully. Ten years from now, she would be twenty years old, which, in her world, would mean she hadn't graduated from university yet. She could just imagine herself as a student, graduating and looking for a job. Thinking about it that way made it less unbearable.
Moreover, by then she will be considered an adult in this world, and it will be much easier for her to leave the palace and live her own life than to find her own way out now or in a year or two.
She finally nodded, "Alright, if the Grand Tutor is so confident, I can still afford to give you ten years."
She paused for a moment, then said, "However, I would like to see Yingying. If Yingying is unwilling to join the army, I hope the Grand Tutor will make other arrangements and not force her to do something against her will."
Fu Mingyi smiled, "Your subject obeys the decree."
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