Chapter 192 sequel
Before leaving, Ying Ziye mentioned Qiao Bai.
When Qiao Bai's mother passed away, it was Uncle Li from Fu Mingyi's household who helped with the funeral arrangements.
Ying Ziye also asked for leave from the camp and then helped out at Qiao Bai's house until the matter was resolved before leaving.
However, when he returned to the palace, Xiao Qing was no longer there.
Whether it was Zhao Youchen, who was on duty almost every day, or Ma Honggang and Mingxiu, they all kept their mouths shut. No matter who came to see them, they all said that His Majesty was unwell and recuperating, and that he would not see any guests.
Ying Ziye realized something was wrong after visiting twice.
And then he never went to the palace again.
Even today.
By this time, Qiao Bai was no longer in Nanhua. Before leaving, he had a long talk with Ying Ziye, and then packed his bags and left the next morning. He didn't take his favorite books with him; they were already in his head.
Perhaps because of Qiao Bai, Ying Ziye also seemed to have different thoughts about her life.
Originally, he only wanted to stay in Nanhua and become a guard in the Nanhua Palace.
But now, he has come to say goodbye to Xiao Qing.
He wanted to go to Jiangzhou.
After meeting Xiao Qing, he went to the Fu residence.
When Fu Shan reported to Fu Mingyi, Fu Mingyi was handling official business in his study. He thought for a moment, then smiled.
Fu Shan was quite puzzled.
"What are you laughing at, Master?"
Fu Mingyi walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a palm-sized envelope from a book, and handed it to Fu Shan, saying, "Give this to him, and he'll know."
Fu Shan took the envelope and saw that Fu Mingyi had hidden it in a book. When he handed the envelope to Ying Ziye, he deliberately avoided other people and didn't say anything.
Just as Fu Mingyi said, Ying Ziye took the envelope and seemed to understand it even before opening it.
He carefully sealed the envelope, clasped his hands in a fist salute to bid farewell to Fu Shan, and didn't say another word.
When Fu Shan returned, he touched his head in confusion, unable to figure out what had happened.
But Fu Mingyi acted as if nothing had happened and continued doing his own thing.
Meanwhile, in the palace, Zhao Youchen arrived shortly after Ying Ziye left.
Xiao Qing wanted to talk to him about Zhao Ziyuan, so he asked Ma Hong and Mingxiu to stand guard outside and prevent others from disturbing them.
Seeing this, Zhao Youchen knew that what Xiao Qing wanted to say was related to his uncle, so he quickly knelt down to beg for forgiveness on behalf of his uncle.
Xiao Qing stopped him, "I told you last time, you don't need to do this. But after thinking it over, I think it would be more appropriate for you to have another copy of this roster here."
She had a vague idea in her mind, but she hadn't really realized it yet, so she didn't say it out loud.
Zhao Youchen took the list and felt a heavy weight in his heart.
Xiao Qing did not hide anything from him because he was also a member of the Zhao family. Nor did he, like many emperors of the Xiao Dynasty, use this matter as political capital or a means of controlling people.
Her inherent kindness led her to not follow in the footsteps of the late emperor when dealing with many matters.
Xiao Qing felt that her arrangements were all in place, so she stayed in the South Study copying books.
Not only did she have to copy books, but she also had to fast and abstain from alcohol. She called this "quietly reflecting on her faults and examining herself."
After returning this time, Xiao Qing's three-year-long teaching at the Southern Study came to a halt. Xiao Yan went directly to study at the Imperial Academy and no longer attended classes with Xiao Qing at the Southern Study.
Ultimately, only Fu Mingyi can be called the Imperial Tutor, and now he is simply restoring everything to its original state.
Unfortunately, the young men sent by the imperial family and ministers to study with him spent three years in the Southern Study, but due to Xiao Qing's laziness and Xiao Yan's indifference, they failed to meet their families' expectations and gain the emperor's favor and be regarded as his right-hand men, so that he could be given important responsibilities in the future.
Xiao Qing's opinion on this is: as long as Fu Mingyi is around, no matter how good these people are, they are useless.
She never intended to befriend these people in the first place.
Xiao Yan's view on this was: as long as the Grand Tutor was there, these people were just superfluous decorations.
From the very beginning, he never took these young masters who were outwardly respectful to him but secretly gossiped about his birth, let alone cared about them.
However, it seems that Xiao Qing's courses at the Imperial Academy have been completely finished. Even if he were to learn something else, it would be taught by the Grand Tutor. He felt that he had lost his value in Fu Mingyi's heart and eyes.
The change in Xiao Qing's attitude towards him made him feel deeply unhappy.
Thinking this way, his temper has become increasingly sarcastic and unpredictable in recent days.
This matter had a different impact on the imperial family and the ministers in the court.
Many others had also thought of what Wang Xiang had considered. They were all waiting for an opportunity, or for someone to speak up first.
Now, Wang Xiang is ready to make the first move.
It's not hard to open your mouth.
When Wang Xiang entered the palace to pay homage to His Majesty, he mentioned the Winter Solstice Festival gifts to be given before the new year.
The winter solstice is an important festival every year. In previous years, the Emperor Xiao would hold a banquet in the palace and invite members of the imperial family and court officials in Nanhua to celebrate together.
This could have been done by following the old customs, but this year, Wang Xiang proposed that it should be different from previous years.
Xiao Qing asked curiously, "How are they different?"
Wang Xiang then smiled.
"Your Majesty, after three years of recuperation in Nanhua, the people are now at peace and living happily. This is all thanks to Your Majesty. I think it would be better to make the Winter Solstice Festival gifts even more lavish this year and allow ministers to bring their families..."
Xiao Qing had a bad feeling.
Moreover, she thought of the things Zhao Ziyuan had said before.
Hosting a Winter Solstice banquet always costs money, right?
Before the Great Xiao Dynasty moved its capital, Wang Xiang had already taken charge of Dingzhou, Yingzhou and other places, and was very familiar with the situation of the states south of the Xiao River.
Now, as the prime minister, he is in charge of the six ministries, among which the Ministry of Revenue is the most important.
The Ministry of Revenue couldn't even deliver military supplies to Zhao Ziyuan and his men in time, yet they still had money to hold a Winter Solstice banquet.
Xiao Qing didn't want to agree at first, but Wang Xiang talked slowly for a long time, making it seem like he wouldn't leave if she didn't agree.
Xiao Qing had no choice but to say that although there were many people invited to the banquet, everything should be kept simple and that the national treasury resources should not be used too much. In the end, he agreed.
Overjoyed at the success of Project Wang, he showered Xiao Qing with compliments, praising him to the skies as the most enlightened ruler in the Great Xiao Dynasty.
Finally, he subtly probed, "Your Majesty is growing older and is becoming increasingly opinionated. According to established practice, Your Majesty should soon assume personal rule. The first step in this is to enrich the harem. The harem is like the court; does Your Majesty have any women you favor?"
Xiao Qing was dumbfounded.
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