Chapter 193
Even after Wang Xiang had been gone for a long time, Xiao Qing still hadn't fully recovered.
Fu Mingyi had already anticipated the matter of her taking over the reins of power and had given her a heads-up in advance.
But he didn't say that if he wanted to rule in his own right, he should first fill the harem!
My goodness, what does "filling the harem" mean? This is a selection of imperial concubines!
She hasn't even fully accepted the idea of ruling in her own right, so how could she possibly accept being chosen as a concubine?
Besides, what is her status, and what is her physical condition? Others may not know, but doesn't she know herself?
If we were to let her choose concubines to fill the harem, wouldn't that be utterly ridiculous?
This is absolutely harmful to both yourself and others, okay?
What Winter Solstice Banquet? In the end, it was actually preparation for the selection of imperial concubines, wasn't it?
This kind of thing should normally be handled by elders or the wife.
She now has neither elders by her side nor a principal wife by her side, so Wang Xiang could not bring up the selection of a concubine in a straightforward manner, and thus used this roundabout method to bring it up.
She was certain that the Winter Solstice banquet wasn't the main point; the main point was that all the ministers would be bringing their daughters of marriageable age!
Xiao Qing felt uneasy at the thought of this, and she paced back and forth, unable to calm her mind.
No, she had to go find Fu Mingyi and ask him what she should do.
How could she possibly choose a concubine for herself!
She walked out quickly, calling out to Ma Hong as she went.
Ma Hong trotted over and respectfully asked, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
"What has the Grand Tutor been busy with lately? He hasn't been seen coming to the palace."
Ma Hong hesitated for a moment, but chose to remain silent.
Xiao Qing figured out something.
"Just say what you mean. If you're being secretive, people will find out eventually."
As Xiao Qing walked, he said, "Prepare the carriage. I need to go to the Grand Tutor's residence."
Ma Hong agreed, but did not go immediately.
Xiao Qing found it increasingly strange.
"What's wrong?"
After thinking it over, Ma Hong decided to tell the truth.
"Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor's residence may be somewhat unavailable these days."
Xiao Qing was taken aback. "What do you mean?"
"Rumors are circulating in Nanhua City that the patriarch of the Fu family intends to arrange a marriage for him. Previously, the Grand Tutor had declined, citing the importance of state affairs. However, recently… it seems the household has hired a matchmaker to look at potential partners, and…"
Xiao Qing and the others were momentarily stunned.
But afterwards, she felt that her emotions were not quite right.
It seems that she wasn't the only one being forced into marriage; Fu Mingyi's situation wasn't much better either.
Thinking about it this way, she felt a hint of schadenfreude.
Over the years, she had never heard anything about Fu Mingyi's marriage. Fu Mingyi seemed to have always been single, with only Fu Shan by his side, and not even a maidservant.
She touched her chin and quickly said, "Get the car ready." She had decided to go to the Fu family's house after all.
Ma Hong then went to make preparations.
Mingxiu heard everything clearly and felt a little flustered.
Xiao Qing turned around and saw her looking at him, and quickly understood the emotions in her heart.
Over the years, she has been bound to this position, pretending to be "Xiao Qing". Without Mingxiu's cooperation, it would have been impossible for her to keep it a secret for so long.
While Mr. Wu's disguise skills are certainly useful, it's impossible for her to be perfect in every aspect of life, and she will eventually give herself away.
Mingxiu played a very good role in making up for it.
Seeing her somewhat uneasy expression, Xiao Qing went over and patted her hand, saying, "What's wrong? These are all things that haven't happened yet, don't overthink it."
"But if the Prime Minister has such plans, and the Grand Tutor... what will His Majesty do then?"
Hearing her say that, Xiao felt that he was no longer flustered by the matter.
"Don't worry, Fu Mingyi will definitely find a way. This whole thing started with him, he won't just ignore it."
Mingxiu disagreed.
"If he wanted to get involved, why is he busy with his own wedding at home right now? Such a big matter is right in front of him, yet he hasn't even been to the palace once."
"That's why I'm going to the Fu residence to see what's going on."
Mingxiu wanted to say something, but Ma Hong had already entered.
"Your Majesty, the carriage is ready and can depart at any time."
Xiao Qing said, "Let's do it now. Mingxiu will stay in the palace."
Soon, Xiao Qing arrived at the Grand Tutor's residence.
Ma Hong exchanged a few words with Uncle Li, and then they were invited inside.
Uncle Li was going to the study to report, but Xiao Qing waved his hand and walked towards the study in the Fu residence.
Uncle Li and Ma Hong stayed by his side, neither of them saying a word.
Xiao Qing asked, "I heard that the Grand Tutor is being forced into marriage recently?"
Uncle Li said, "That's true. The Fu family has sent several people over, all talking about this matter."
"What did the Grand Tutor say?"
"My lord has always prioritized national affairs and has no interest in such matters."
"Why is the Grand Tutor now locking himself in his residence and refusing to come out?"
Uncle Li whispered, "There's been a backlog of official documents lately, and the master has been spending the last few days in his study, even sleeping there at night."
"No matchmaker came to visit?"
Uncle Li smiled. "Yes."
He thought to himself: Their master's talent, ability, demeanor and elegance are famous throughout the entire Great Xiao. What's a matchmaker coming to the door? He's even seen people offering themselves up for marriage.
However, his master is a man of integrity and has never liked such things, so he never gets involved.
As they were talking, the study came into view.
Xiao Qing stretched out a hand to signal them to be quiet, and then walked towards the study.
When Fu Shan saw them coming at the door, he was about to go in to report.
Xiao Qing waved to him and quickly went inside.
Just as Uncle Li said, Fu Mingyi was indeed processing official documents.
When he is doing serious things, he always stands tall with a slightly furrowed brow and a serious expression.
She had seen this look many times before and was quite familiar with it.
She tiptoed inside, looked around, and then found several scrolls on a small table next to the bookshelf.
She walked over curiously and keenly noticed that these scrolls were unusual.
Sure enough, when she unfolded it, she found that it was full of paintings of beautiful women.
The beauties depicted in this era were different from the anime beauties she had seen.
The people here are skilled in meticulous brushwork painting, and their portraits and depictions of people and objects are lifelike, realistic, and natural.
Even with such brushstrokes, Xiao Qing could see that although the beauties in these paintings had different temperaments, they were indeed worthy of the word "beauty".
Why would there be a painting of a beautiful woman in Fu Mingyi's study?
Could it have been brought over by the matchmaker?
So, is Fu Mingyi really on a blind date?
"Which one do you like?" Fu Mingyi's gentle voice suddenly came from behind her.
Xiao Qing unconsciously pointed to one of them and said, "This one is nice, it looks gentle and cute."
Fu Mingyi nodded, "This is Miss Li. Although she is not from Nanhua, the Li family is still a prominent family south of Xiaoshui. What's even more remarkable is that this Miss Li is in her prime and is very gentle and lovely."
Xiao Qing came to her senses.
She put down the painting and said, "If the Grand Tutor likes it, why not send betrothal gifts and bring him into the household? Wouldn't it be a joyous occasion to live in harmony with his wife?"
Turning her head, she fell into Fu Mingyi's deep, dark eyes, which were filled with a smile.
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