Chapter 231 So sad
Although Xiao Qing was in a daze after receiving such terrible news these days, she did not fall into those depressed and dark emotions and lose her mind.
On the contrary, as time went on, she became more and more able to think calmly.
At this moment, she was burdened with several important matters: first, the Zhao family's lawsuit, with the Dali Temple getting involved; second, the hidden troops in Feng County, with Zhao Youchen's itinerary already set; third, the selection of concubines for entering the palace, with the winter hunt imminent; and fourth, the sudden change in the He family, which led to the departure of Mingxiu.
She looked at each item separately, then put them together, and then thought about what Fu Mingyi had told her about the reason for He Shu's death. She had some other thoughts in her mind.
A thought that sent chills down her spine.
"Please punish me, Master!"
Perhaps because she had been silent for too long, their heads lowered even further.
She looked at them and knew that what they said was probably true.
Fu Mingyi is a methodical and decisive person. Since he has given these people to her, he is unlikely to take them back even if she doesn't use them. Moreover, realistically speaking, she does need to use these people.
However, she wasn't feeling well at the moment.
It wasn't because they ran out and blocked her way when Fu Mingyi shouted that day.
To be fair, no matter how Fu Mingyi treats others, safety is always his top priority and he is always extremely cautious with her.
At the time, she was furious, her mind was ablaze with anger, and her emotions were out of balance, so her words were naturally sharp. But now that she has calmed down and thought about it, she knows that Fu Mingyi's arrangements and obstructions had his own standpoint and reasons.
As for whether He Shu's death was related to Fu Mingyi...
"My punishment is to send you to the Grand Tutor's residence immediately." Xiao Qing's attitude was resolute, and his face turned cold.
Hearing this tone, the four men felt their hearts pounding.
They knew they were wrong.
They were originally bodyguards who followed Fu Mingyi, and they hadn't been with the young emperor for very long.
Moreover, since they were only responsible for the young emperor's safety in Nanhua, any abnormalities were reported directly to Fu Mingyi, and the young emperor always treated them as nothing, never summoning them to give any orders.
Furthermore, since the young emperor trusted the Grand Tutor, they had no objection to Fu Mingyi's orders.
No one expected that at that time, in that situation, the young emperor and the Grand Tutor had a disagreement, and after they heard the Grand Tutor's words, they appeared, and the young emperor immediately...
No matter what, it's their fault.
"master……"
Xiao Qing raised his hand and said in a tense voice, "Don't say anything. Leave now. Don't make me say it a third time."
The four could tell that Xiao Qing was truly determined and genuinely angry.
One of them gritted his teeth, led the four men in a fist salute and said, "Your subordinate obeys!" Then the four men retreated together.
Xiao Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
She rallied herself, went outside the hall, and gave Ma Hong two instructions.
One matter was to secretly summon Zhao Youchen, and the other was to send Ma Hong to the palace gate.
The four of them headed straight for the Fu residence.
One of them said worriedly, "Boss, why should we leave? If we do, the Grand Tutor won't be able to take us in either..."
The leader glared at him and said, "Speak less and do more. Do whatever the master tells you to do."
When they all knelt before Fu Mingyi, Fu Mingyi's expression darkened.
Did His Majesty say anything?
"Our master only told us to come back, immediately, right away."
He Shu died, and only after his funeral was completed were these people allowed to return, yet the orders were given in such a hurry…
Fu Mingyi thought to himself that Xiao Qing was still blaming him.
He moved his fingers slightly. "I will erase all traces of you from the Fu family. From now on, you will obey His Majesty and will no longer need to report to me."
The four had already guessed this outcome, but hearing Fu Mingyi say this still weighed heavily on their hearts.
"What happened before was due to your unclear identities, and it was also my fault. Since His Majesty has sent you here, you may stay here for now. I will apologize to His Majesty. When you return to His Majesty's side in the future, please ask His Majesty to bestow names upon you."
The four men kowtowed and quickly left.
Seeing that the sun was still high outside and there was still some time before the palace curfew, Fu Mingyi instructed Fu Shan to prepare a carriage, and soon dressed himself and entered the palace.
But what he didn't expect was that, in the past he could enter the palace almost anytime he wanted, but today, as soon as he arrived at the palace gate, he saw Ma Hong bowing and saying, "His Majesty knows that the Grand Tutor is coming, so he specially asked this servant to wait here. Please return to the palace."
At this moment, Fu Mingyi was somewhat surprised.
Having taught Xiao Qing for three years, Fu Mingyi felt that even if he didn't understand Xiao Qing completely, he understood at least 80%. Furthermore, their shared hardships in Feng County had deepened their teacher-student bond.
Xiao Qing did two things today that he never expected.
One option was to send the secret guards back, and the other was to prevent him from entering the palace.
Not allowing him to enter the palace was something that had never happened before.
Fu Mingyi suppressed his emotions and slowly asked, "How has Your Majesty been these past few days?"
Ma Hong bowed respectfully, "His Majesty has been in low spirits lately, especially after seeing Chief Eunuch Ming off at the palace today. He didn't even want to eat when he returned. It was only after Lord Zhao persuaded him that he reluctantly ate a bowl of porridge."
Ma Hong paused for a moment, then said, "This servant observes that His Majesty wishes to be alone."
Fu Mingyi's face showed no emotion; he simply bowed to the palace gate and said, "I will come again tomorrow."
Ma Hong added, "His Majesty said that the Grand Tutor need not enter the palace before the winter hunt."
Fu Mingyi's expression finally turned ugly.
Ma Hong stood motionless with a bow before the palace gate, speaking these words with impeccable manners, yet without yielding an inch.
Fu Mingyi didn't say anything more, just bowed again, and turned to leave.
At this moment, Xiao Qing was talking to Zhao Youchen.
Xiao Qing frowned and said directly, "I want a few people."
Zhao Youchen was startled.
The people around Xiao Qing were basically arranged by Fu Mingyi. At this time, the fact that she asked him for help instead of Fu Mingyi was not a good sign.
Xiao Qing didn't wait for his reaction.
"I hope these people can go to Tianyin Temple, firstly to pass on a few words to Master Jueyan; secondly, to secretly take care of Mingxiu; and thirdly, I want to know Mingxiu's condition at any time."
Xiao Qing looked at Zhao Youchen, her tone softening.
"I do not wish for the Grand Tutor to know these things."
Zhao Youchen suddenly looked up, his expression unable to be concealed.
If a rift develops between His Majesty the Young Emperor and the Grand Tutor, it will be a disaster for the Great Xiao Dynasty!
"Your Majesty..." Zhao Youchen instinctively wanted to say something.
“Zhao Qing.” Xiao Qing looked at him, her eyes perfectly calm. “I hope that no one else besides me and Zhao Qing knows about these people.”
She paused, then added, "Even the Grand Tutor cannot know."
She put a finger to her lips, her face growing increasingly serious.
Zhao Youchen had no idea how he got out.
Actually, the task the young emperor entrusted to him was not easy for him to handle.
Getting people isn't difficult; he's trained many promising talents in the Imperial Guard over the years. But Xiao Qing wants these few people to remain unknown... This is a skill only those hidden guards possess, and he's not confident that the Imperial Guard can achieve that.
In fact, Fu Mingyi would be a more suitable candidate for this role. After all, Fu Mingyi is not just Fu Mingyi; he comes from an ancient and prestigious family.
At this point, Zhao Youchen had to admit that the power of aristocratic families was something his Zhao family could not match, something he, Zhao Youchen, could not achieve.
I'm so worried.
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