Chapter 200 Hesitation
It would be a lie to say I wasn't surprised.
Xiao Qing had seen the wounds on her fingers caused by the strings of the zither and told her to rest and recover in the palace for the time being, giving her time to consider. He hoped she wouldn't keep him waiting too long.
Mingxiu was equally surprised.
Mingxiu witnessed all of this, and her eyes practically widened in disbelief.
Before Xiao Qing went to sleep that night, Ming Xiu finally couldn't resist and leaned over the bed, blinking her eyes like a typical questioning child.
Xiao Qing was amused by her expression and kindly decided to answer her question.
In private, Xiao Qing is very down-to-earth. She treats being the "emperor" as a job, and in public, it's just like working hours. But now, she can't be asked to work overtime when she's about to go to sleep, can she?
Xiao Qing felt perfectly at ease about this.
So she sat cross-legged on the bed, leaned forward slightly, blinked, and said, "Are you curious?"
Isn't that obvious?
"I don't know why I said these things to her?"
Mingxiu nodded quickly. "Your Majesty, it wouldn't be a good thing if she leaked these words."
"She won't." Xiao Qing seemed very confident about this.
"His Majesty seems to trust her a lot?"
"I believe you." Xiao Qing nodded, thinking of what had happened at Tianyin Temple.
This wasn't the first or second time Chu Lianzhou had been bullied.
But today, in the main hall, she didn't blame anyone at all, and even covered up her wounds so that no one could see them.
Even if she had her reservations, her composure and forbearance were truly ingrained in her very being.
While at Tianyin Temple, she asked for her name, saying she would repay the kindness in the future. She still remembers how earnest she was then.
People who know how to be grateful are usually not bad-hearted.
The women she selected for the palace wouldn't be very happy, because she simply couldn't provide them with the life they desired.
But Chu Lianzhou is different.
Chu Lianzhou won't have a good life in the Chu family either. If she can accept the conditions she proposes, at least she'll be better off than in the Chu family, right?
Xiao Qing explained all this to Mingxiu in detail, and Mingxiu nodded as if she understood, her mind racing for a long time before she finally figured out what she should say.
"Does the Grand Tutor know?"
Xiao Qing pouted and leaned back. "Let's go to sleep. We'll think about these things tomorrow."
Mingxiu burst out laughing.
This is clearly because His Majesty failed to win over the Grand Tutor, so he's just running away from reality again.
Alright, go to sleep. As His Majesty said, even the most important matters can be discussed after you've had a good night's sleep.
Sometimes His Majesty is really adorable.
Xiao Qing closed her eyes, feeling a little apprehensive.
Choosing Chu Lianzhou means that, regardless of whether Wang Xiang's faction agrees or not, Fu Mingyi's side certainly won't agree either.
Chu Lianzhou was not on Fu Mingyi's list.
If Chu Lianzhou agrees, she will still need to think of a way to persuade Fu Mingyi.
But for now, let's get some sleep.
Of all things under heaven, sleeping is the most important.
Xiao Qing's adaptability and self-emotional regulation skills are already quite good. Especially since she secretly went out with Fu Mingyi and came back, she seems to have figured things out, and she is more uninhibited in her daily life, gradually forming her own style and methods.
She doesn't know how long she can stay here. If she's afraid of this and worried about that, how can she live a normal life? She'd be suffocating.
As for the path that Fu Mingyi had arranged for her...
Haha, since you don't need a puppet anyway, it's not surprising that I didn't do things exactly as you wanted.
With this comforting thought in mind, she quickly fell asleep.
Chu Lianzhou spent the entire night without sleep.
She often had trouble sleeping. When she was at the Chu family's house, she always felt like she was dragging a huge boulder through a swamp, every step was incredibly difficult, and she couldn't see any hope.
But today, hope was simply placed before her.
She fantasized about whether she would be lucky.
Now, luck is within reach.
His Majesty was the one who saved her at Tianyin Temple. His Majesty confessed his difficulties to her and gently asked her if she was willing, giving her time to consider.
This was something she had never even dreamed of.
While at Tianyin Temple, she secretly vowed that if she ever met her benefactor, she would find a way to repay him. As for consummation of their marriage, she didn't consider it particularly important.
Compared to his situation in the Chu family, the conditions His Majesty has given him are already quite generous.
She raised her hands in front of her eyes, looking at them over and over again. Although the rings of blood on her fingers looked particularly ugly, the thought of Xiao Qing holding her hands, his warm fingers gently touching her wounds...
Chu Lianzhou's heart felt as if it had been warmed by the winter sun.
She covered her slightly moist eyes with the back of her hand; she was actually tempted, she actually wanted to say yes, actually…
But even at this moment, she did not lose her temper and give up thinking.
The Great Depression has caused the capital to be moved south, and three years have passed since then.
After the late emperor passed away, the young emperor ascended the throne at less than ten years old, and was always assisted by Grand Tutor Fu Mingyi.
Today, there is still a prime minister named Wang Xiang.
Wang Xiang was renowned for his virtue in the south, and the Wang family had grown from an insignificant small family that had to rely on other major families to its current size.
Even she, a young lady confined to her chambers, had heard that nearly half of the people in the court were either members of the Wang family, disciples of Wang Xiang, or close associates of him.
Wang Yu was so confident, and everyone fawned over her, largely because of the Prime Minister's influence.
On her way here today, she had already heard Chief Steward Ming explain the whole story, and in the hall, she had also looked around at all the women.
Apart from princesses like Xiao Fu, it seemed that none of the ministers who brought their daughters dared to compete with Wang Yu, whether in terms of clothing or demeanor.
The prime minister appeared indifferent, but this was tantamount to tacit approval.
The Grand Tutor remained unmoved and made no response to her arrival.
She already understood that she was not the one who should be chosen.
But His Majesty has now left her alone in the palace, and told her the truth...
His Majesty is kind and gentle, and has not yet assumed personal rule, so he does not yet have the strength to oppose the Chancellor and the Grand Tutor.
This is one of the reasons why she didn't agree immediately.
The last time she and Wang Yu had a musical duel, it was Wang Yu who started it first. She hadn't touched the zither for many days, so she was naturally delighted and couldn't resist indulging herself.
Wang Yu was naturally unhappy, but she didn't really care what Wang Yu thought.
As a result, she was punished as soon as she got home, and even all the strings of her violin were cut off.
That doesn't matter. She has always kept her most precious zither well hidden and never showed it to anyone. She only touches it when her hands itch, but she doesn't let it make a sound.
Those were her mother's belongings.
Her mother was also the reason she persisted in supporting the Chu family.
She slowly closed her eyes, but her emotions were turbulent, and she couldn't fall asleep.
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