Chapter 206 Honor
Seeing the smile on Ma Hong's face, Xiao Qing probably realized that the book she was reading was not quite right.
She cleared her throat, picked up the book, and walked towards the bookshelf.
To be honest, was it easy for her to collect a book for leisure?
This is the best medicine to soothe her wounded heart; those "Confucius's sayings" cannot achieve this effect.
Ma Hong acted as if he hadn't seen it.
"Your Majesty, shall we dine here or return to Chengde...?"
Xiao Qing rubbed her temples, stretched out her arms and waved them, "Oh, don't mention Chengde Palace, just put it here."
Ma Hong couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he thought of the person in the side hall of Chengde Palace.
Xiao Qing, with her sharp ears, turned around and looked over, and immediately became a little unhappy.
Ma Hong quickly waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This servant did not mean to laugh."
Xiao Qing had been lectured by Fu Mingyi, and although she knew she had made a mistake, she was still unhappy.
She had finally cheered up a bit by reading some light reading, but then Ma Hong started laughing again...
This must be a joke about her, right?
"What are you laughing at? Tell me, I won't punish you."
Ma Hong glanced at Xiao Qing's expression and said honestly, "This servant couldn't help but laugh because His Majesty was unwilling to return to Chengde Palace, but it was definitely not to laugh at His Majesty."
"Then who are you laughing at?"
Ma Hong composed himself and said solemnly, "This servant is Grand Tutor Xiao."
Xiao Qing stared wide-eyed; this was truly unexpected.
Ma Hong was suddenly struck by a burst of inspiration.
“Your Majesty, you see, two days ago, the Grand Tutor didn’t come. Although Your Majesty didn’t say it, you were always thinking about it.”
Xiao Qing raised an eyebrow. Was it that obvious?
"Actually, this servant also thought that the Grand Tutor would not care about such a small matter, but today the Grand Tutor came with a stern face and held the ruler bestowed by the late Emperor in both hands, which scared this servant so much that his heart almost jumped out of his chest."
Xiao listened intently.
“But this servant is happy. This shows that the Grand Tutor still cares about His Majesty…” Ma Hong’s voice slowed down and became even softer, and his eyes slowly looked up at Xiao Qing.
Xiao Qing was no longer so unhappy, but he still said, "This shows that you all think I have done something wrong and that the Grand Tutor must advise me."
Ma Hong considered for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, if I may say something inappropriate, I will use the common people as an analogy. Your Majesty should just take it as a joke and not take it seriously. If I say something inappropriate, you may punish me, is that alright?"
Xiao Qing nodded. "Go ahead and say it."
Ma Hong nodded, "Your Majesty, in the common people, it's not uncommon for wealthy young men to go to great lengths to win the heart of any woman they like, even emptying their coffers. A woman's charm and vulnerability can sometimes be irresistible. Young men from ordinary families, by this age, are generally more mature, but the first woman they like isn't necessarily the one they fall for later. And it's rare for a man to marry only one woman..."
Xiao Qing was surprised that Ma Hong would say such a thing.
She glared at him, then heard him say, "Your Majesty possesses the wealth of the four seas, rules the world, and is benevolent and kind to others. Even if you have done something wrong, you know how to do it properly. How wrong could it be?"
Xiao Qingting understood. Ma Hong felt that it was normal for her, a "man," to act strangely because it was the first time she had liked a woman...
She was truly at a loss for words, both laughing and crying.
However, she thought again that apart from Mingxiu, no one in the palace knew that she was a woman.
She has always been exceptionally cautious in this regard, and she has never forgotten this instinct in front of Fu Mingyi.
This is a necessity for survival.
"Alright, that's enough. Let's serve the meal."
However, Ma Hong was right about one thing. Even though she had intentionally acted as if she was indulging in sensual pleasures these past few days, she still kept her distance.
She ate her meal slowly, thinking about what Fu Mingyi had said, sorting it out bit by bit, and finally calmed down.
"Let's go back to Chengde Palace." Xiao Qing stood up.
Ma Hong laughed and said, "Has His Majesty come to his senses?"
Xiao Qing raised his chin slightly with a very elegant air.
"Chengde Palace is my palace, there's no reason why I can't go back there, is there? Chu Lianzhou is injured, so don't move him for now. But I'll still do what I need to do, I'm very busy."
Ma Hong nodded. "Your Majesty is right."
"By the way, what has Xiao Yan been doing lately? We haven't seen him anywhere."
"I heard that His Highness Yan is practicing calligraphy diligently, saying that he wants to copy a sutra and send it to Tianyin Temple."
Xiao Qing raised an eyebrow. "Who told him to do this?"
Ma Hong laughed. "Although His Highness is young, he has a strong will. If His Highness himself is unwilling, who can make him do such a thing? His Highness himself said that this is a practice to cultivate his character and expel inner demons, which is a good thing."
Xiao Qing smiled faintly, recalling the Winter Solstice banquet that day, and remained silent.
Xiao Yan wants to copy scriptures, saying it's for self-cultivation and to expel inner demons. This news will probably reach her ears sooner or later.
Xiao Yan, oh Xiao Yan, you're still quite cunning.
They returned to Chengde Palace, and Mingxiu no longer wanted to stay by Chu Lianzhou's side.
She left some medicine behind, and watched as Chu Lianzhou swallowed a bowl of bitter medicine without even flinching, which made her somewhat apprehensive.
She had never felt this way when she was with Xiao Qing.
"It's getting late, Miss Chu, please rest. This servant must return to report." Mingxiu bowed and quickly tried to slip away.
Chu Lianzhou looked at her, neither saying good nor bad, just watching coldly, his expression truly indescribable.
Mingxiu left with a heavy heart.
After she went outside, she felt something was wrong again.
She serves His Majesty, not Chu Lianzhou. It's only natural for her to return to His Majesty's side. Why should she feel guilty?!
That's insane.
That night, Mingxiu brought up these things before Xiao Qing went to sleep, and Xiao Qing just smiled.
"You should stop thinking about those things. Someone even the Grand Tutor praises, how could you possibly handle him? He might not even stay in the palace. You should just change your prescriptions again."
Mingxiu was indignant. "Did the Grand Tutor praise her? Then why was she punished by having His Majesty flogged because of her?"
Xiao Qing was filled with melancholy.
"That's a two-way street. You wouldn't understand even if I explained it to you. Forget it, let's just go to sleep."
Xiao Qing closed her eyes, cleared her mind, and fell asleep very quickly.
Mingxiu was on duty on a makeshift bed on the floor in the palace, but she tossed and turned and finally fell asleep in the middle of the night.
Chu Lianzhou sat by the window all night.
The feeling of having your skin forcibly peeled off is truly awful.
She didn't know where Fu Mingyi found out about these things, but she knew one thing: once a secret is known to the first person, it is very likely that it will no longer be a secret.
She wouldn't allow that to happen.
Fortunately, neither the Grand Tutor nor His Majesty seemed to intend to make a fuss.
She guessed that the Grand Tutor's words were meant to ask her to do something.
She has value to be exploited.
She curled her lips in a sarcastic smile. How honored she was.
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