Chapter 13 Sudden Doubts
This was the first time Fu Mingyi had returned from the Imperial Study alone, leaving Xiao Qing and unfinished memorials on the table, which he had completely forgotten to tidy up.
Xiao Qing glanced helplessly at the table he usually avoided, then at the memorial still in his hand, and cursed inwardly.
However, Xiao Qing had already died once, so she had become quite indifferent to many things.
The fact that the Grand Tutor seemed unhappy was all too common for her. She had never seen him ever be particularly happy.
So something like this really doesn't affect her mood.
She then pursed her lips, casually tossed the folded document in her hand onto the table, and then amused herself by making a V-sign.
If she knew that Fu Mingyi was standing outside and could see this scene, I wonder if she would regret it a little.
Now that the Grand Tutor has left, it doesn't seem quite right for her to stay here alone.
So she slowly turned around, took the book "Flying Flowers Enter Spring" from the bookshelf, stuffed it into her sleeve, and leisurely walked out, preparing to return to her Chengde Palace to read it at her leisure.
As she stepped out the door, the guards with swords at the entrance bowed and respectfully saw her off.
Her gaze lingered on the guard's face for a couple of seconds. After walking out and turning a corner, she saw Mingxiu looking around.
Upon seeing Xiao Qing emerge, Mingxiu quickly took two steps to greet her.
"Your Majesty has come out earlier today." She walked beside Xiao Qing, and when she got closer to the imperial carriage, she lifted the curtain for her ahead of time.
But Xiao Qing pulled a book out of his sleeve and stuffed it into the sedan chair. Then he gestured for Mingxiu to put her hand down and said, "Let's not ride in this today. Let's walk back."
"this……"
Xiao Qingcai didn't care whether Mingxiu agreed or not.
Aside from being extremely cautious and almost unconditionally compromising when dealing with the Grand Tutor, she was quite carefree with everyone else.
Seeing that she had already walked forward on her own, Mingxiu ordered the palace servants to carry the imperial carriage back first, while she caught up with Xiao Qing.
"Which garden would Your Majesty like to visit?"
"Gardens are all pretty much the same. Let's go take a look at Feihong Bridge."
Mingxiu nodded and said, "I heard a few days ago that Feihong Bridge was renovated again. The scenery of Yunguang Lake is indeed very nice."
Xiao Qing raised an eyebrow, "When was it renovated?"
"I heard that before His Majesty entered the city, the Nanhua Palace had been uninhabited for quite some time, so it was thoroughly renovated for the purpose of establishing the capital."
"How long did it take to repair it properly?" Xiao Qing suddenly stopped, sensing that something was amiss.
Mingxiu was taken aback. "I haven't inquired about the specifics. However, if it's a large-scale renovation, it will take at least a month."
Xiao Qing shook his head. "Beiming is advancing south, and it's wartime right now. Neither manpower nor resources will be sufficient. If we normally expect it to take a month, it probably won't be enough to properly repair it in a month."
Mingxiu was completely bewildered. "What does His Majesty mean?"
Xiao Qing hadn't quite figured it out yet, but a vague, elusive thought lingered in her mind.
Based on her experience fleeing from Beidu Ping'an City, she was in a state of extreme panic throughout the journey.
The ministers were filled with worry and tears, struggling to evade the pursuing barbarian troops behind them while also trying to devise a route for their southward escape.
Military reports kept arriving along the way, and by the time they reached Nanding City, almost all of the territory to the north, with the Xiao River as the boundary, had fallen into the hands of the barbarians.
Afterwards, they established their capital in Nanding, renamed it Nanhua, and issued an edict to the world, dividing the country with the northern barbarians along the Yangtze River. Although the process itself was correct, however…
"Let's take a look at the Flying Rainbow Bridge first."
Upon arriving at Feihong Bridge, Xiao Qing slowly walked across it, touching a section of handrail that was clearly made of new wood. The entire Feihong Bridge was painted vermilion and bright red, reflecting on Yunguang Lake in the fading sunlight. The bridge and water complemented each other perfectly, and with the green plants and flowers along the lake, it was truly a breathtaking sight.
"Were those originally there?" Xiao Qing pointed to the flowering trees on the southwest side of Yunguang Lake, where the pink and red blossoms against the green leaves swayed gracefully in the breeze.
Mingxiu had no idea about these things, so she could only say, "This servant hasn't inquired about these matters yet; I only overheard someone mentioning them by chance. Why don't I go and ask them?"
Xiao Qing smiled. "It's nothing important, no need to ask anyone."
She thought for a moment, then said, "But if the Grand Tutor asks you to do anything, just do it."
Mingxiu was taken aback again, but quickly knelt down. "Your Majesty, now that I have entered the palace, I am one of Your Majesty's people and will never listen to any orders from the Grand Tutor. My grandfather and the Grand Tutor both told me this before I entered the palace."
Xiao Qing helplessly helped her up. "I'm not doubting you, I really want you to do this. In fact, following the Grand Tutor is much more reliable than following me. You'll see later."
If she is fortunate enough to leave the palace in the future, she will naturally go alone. Mingxiu is a good child; let her get closer to the Grand Tutor. If anything changes in the future, hopefully the Grand Tutor will remember their past friendship.
Mingxiu clearly didn't understand Xiao Qing's thoughts, and upon hearing this, she wanted to pledge her loyalty again.
Xiao Qing slammed his head down to stop her, and had no choice but to change the subject, "Find an opportunity to find out who is in charge of the renovation of Nanhua Palace."
At the same time, Fu Mingyi returned to his residence in Nanhua City. He sat alone in his study for a while, and then a faint knocking sound came from the roof beam.
Fu Mingyi turned and walked to a bookshelf, gently pulled out half of a book, and then pushed the bookshelf to the right about half an arm's length away, revealing a deep doorway.
He stepped sideways into the doorway, walked thirty steps through a series of twists and turns, and finally came to two tightly closed semi-circular carved iron archways.
He touched the iron gate with both hands for a while, then stepped back.
A moment later, the two doors slid open quietly to the sides.
Fu Mingyi walked in, and there was a person who was completely covered in black, with only his eyes showing, kneeling on one knee, his breathing somewhat unsteady.
Fu Mingyi frowned. "You're injured. Are you alright?" As he spoke, he walked to a row of display shelves and started rummaging through something.
The man said, "It's alright. I just rushed back and used up my internal energy. I'll be fine after a period of rest."
Fu Mingyi finally poured out a pill the size of an eyeball that was wrapped inside a narrow-mouthed, tall, dark blue porcelain bottle.
He sniffed the pill under his nose, then walked back and handed it to the man. He gestured for him to get up and said, "Since your internal energy is depleted, this will do the trick."
Without hesitation, the man opened the pill and swallowed it, then respectfully thanked him.
Fu Mingyi looked at him, and his tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.
"I'm relieved to see you back. How's everything going with the things I asked you to do?"
The man said, "It seems that His Majesty has not fallen into the hands of the Northern Underworld Barbarians. As for the little princess... she was indeed in His Majesty's palace that night. Judging from the time, it's impossible for anyone else to have entered."
Fu Mingyi frowned, remained silent for a while, and then asked, "What is their reaction to the peace agreement?"
The man hesitated for a moment, then said, “We will govern along the river and pay tribute every year. As for releasing the hostages… it depends on the sincerity of the Great Xiao. Those who are still alive can be released in batches.”
Fu Mingyi was half worried and half happy, "Then Consort Ming..."
The man knelt down, head bowed, his brows furrowed even deeper. “Mingfei has been taken away from Beidu by Prince Lie, and she is not among the hostages held in Beiming.”
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