Chapter 16 Deep Affection, Distant Feelings
Wang Xiang sat on the carved wooden chair in his study, his back relaxed against the backrest. His hands, resting on the armrests, were naturally spread out with five fingers. His right index finger tapped the beast head on the armrest slowly and rhythmically.
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in." Wang Xiang's voice was somewhat lazy, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
The door was gently pushed open.
A middle-aged man wearing a scholar's robe and sporting a small mustache slowly walked in.
"My lord, His Majesty went to the residence of Grand Tutor Fu, but unfortunately encountered assassins. Grand Tutor Fu and General Zhao have mobilized the palace guards, who are now stationed at the residence."
Wang Xiang nodded, seemingly pondering for a moment, before saying, "Our Emperor and Grand Tutor Fu have a teacher-student relationship, and later, with the Grand Tutor's help, he came all the way to Nanding... Now it should be called Nanhua. This relationship is indeed extremely close."
The middle-aged man shook his head, his expression somewhat profound.
I think otherwise.
Wang Xiang seemed intrigued. "What insightful opinion does Mr. Sun have?"
"They say they have a close relationship. I believe it. But in my opinion, although they have deep feelings, they are not of one mind."
Wang Xiang smiled and said, "Mr. Sun always sits alone in his room, yet he knows everything that's going on in the world. But where does this judgment come from?"
"What does Your Excellency think of His Majesty?"
"Although he is just a child, the Emperor's power is divinely bestowed, so we, as his subjects, have nothing to 'think' about."
Mr. Sun smiled and said, "Even if you don't say it, I can guess."
He paused, then continued, "These days, many officials come to visit you, Your Excellency. Some even submit joint petitions recommending you for the position of Prime Minister without your explicit suggestion. Has Your Excellency not noticed anything amiss?"
Wang Xiang glanced at Mr. Sun, and finally smiled.
"So, Mr. Sun, do you think this recommendation is likely to succeed or not, and whether it's better to succeed or not?"
Mr. Sun stroked his mustache and said with a faint smile, "Sir, you have already made up your mind, so why ask such a question?"
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Meanwhile, in the Grand Tutor's residence, Mingxiu, worried about Xiao Qing, couldn't sleep soundly even lying by the bedside. Hearing faint sounds outside, she looked up at Xiao Qing.
Upon closer inspection, one could see her bright eyes.
She rushed over in surprise: "Your Majesty, you're awake!"
Fu Mingyi and Zhao Youchen were talking outside when they heard Mingxiu's voice and both looked toward the closed door.
Xiao Qing helped Mingxiu sit up, supporting her shoulders, and asked in a low voice, "Did I scare you just now?"
She remembered that Fu Mingyi had protected her back then, but Mingxiu, a mere girl, had no one to protect her. Dodging among those men in black and stray arrows, it was no easy feat to keep her life.
They must have been terrified.
Mingxiu was stunned for a moment, then burst into tears.
Xiao Qing was startled by her, then felt somewhat helpless.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
Fu Mingyi, who was listening outside, frowned and had to call out loudly, "Has His Majesty woken up?"
Upon hearing Fu Mingyi's voice, Mingxiu realized that she had lost her composure.
She was already on edge, and when Xiao Qing asked her so gently if she was scared, all her tension, fear, and grievances mixed with her worry and gratitude towards Xiao Qing turned into tears.
Compared to Xiao Qing, Ming Xiu was just a child.
She had never experienced the brutal scene in the Northern Capital Palace. Even though she fled south with her grandfather, she had never truly witnessed such a close brush with death.
What made her even more ashamed and uneasy was that when the whole thing happened, her first thought was not how to protect the young emperor Xiao Qing, but how to save her own life.
"Your Majesty, at that time... at that time... this servant... is guilty, I only cared about myself and failed to protect Your Majesty..."
Xiao Qing reached out and squeezed her hand. "It's alright. You did a great job."
Mingxiu was still very uneasy, eager to explain something, but she couldn't explain it, and her whole face was burning.
Xiao Qing smiled and said, "Mingxiu, you're not General Zhao Youchen, nor are you the Grand Tutor. You're still a young girl. You don't know martial arts or lightness skills. Your expertise is in healing and saving lives, not fighting and saving lives. Don't worry about these trivial matters."
“But…” Mingxiu’s heart skipped a beat.
Xiao Qing continued, "Besides, you once said that you wanted to open a clinic with your grandfather in the future and save many people. It would be such a pity if you were killed by a few assassins here. I think you did the right thing. In the future, if you encounter a situation like this, even if you can't find someone to protect you, you should still find a way to protect yourself. As long as you're alive, you can always find a way to fight again. As for me, you've seen that I have plenty of people protecting me. If you really rushed over, you would only get in my way."
Hearing these words, Mingxiu felt a little better. However, she then thought that it was clearly her own fault for not doing well enough, and that it was this young emperor who had been injured and unconscious before, yet she had still cried so pathetically, causing the young emperor to have to trouble and comfort her. She then felt even more guilty.
"Your Majesty," Fu Mingyi called out again from outside.
Mingxiu quickly wiped away her tears. "Thank you for your comfort, Your Majesty. Are you hungry, Your Majesty? I'll bring you some porridge. It's been kept warm. Have some first to calm your mind. If you're still hungry, then have some other food."
As she spoke, she placed a large cushion behind Xiao Qing's back so she could lean comfortably. Then, she looked at Xiao Qing's tightly wrapped ears with concern, turned on all the lights in the inner room, and hurried out.
Fu Mingyi frowned as he glanced at Mingxiu, who was rushing out in a panic, and felt dissatisfied with her.
Not only was she unreliable, but she also cried like that in front of His Majesty, requiring His Majesty to comfort her. This is clearly not something a qualified servant would do.
As expected, Physician He has been too pampered. He is not used to being a servant. If he is to be of use, he will need to be trained for a long time.
Mingxiu was clearly afraid of the Grand Tutor's gaze, so she bowed with a trembling heart and hurriedly went to the kitchen.
Zhao Youchen glanced at Mingxiu's hurried departure before slowly withdrawing his gaze.
Fu Mingyi knocked twice on the open door and said, "Your Majesty, may I come in?"
Xiao Qing thought to herself, "When did the Grand Tutor become so polite?" But she still pretended to be polite and said, "Grand Tutor, please come in."
Fu Mingyi walked in and went straight to the bedside. He saw Xiao Qing with her ears covered, looking somewhat listless but still trying to put on a brave face. His heart softened a little.
"Please forgive my overstepping of bounds." After bowing, Fu Mingyi walked to the table, adjusted the wick of the oil lamp, and dimmed it slightly to make the light in the room softer and more suitable for a person who had just woken up. Then he moved a chair over and sat down by the bed.
Xiao Qing actually wanted to stay quietly for a while, but for her, dealing with the Grand Tutor was a major matter and had to be her top priority at all times.
Thinking about it, she unconsciously became nervous again and began to put on a mask from the inside out.
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