Chapter 236 Eating, Drinking, and Having Fun While Slacking Off
Xiao Qing felt like she had played all the cards she could play.
She began to wait in the palace for the winter hunt.
During this time, she visited the Duke of Anguo's mansion twice and had a great time riding horses and shooting arrows with Xiao Fu at the South Training Ground.
In short, it's all about having fun.
Having had a good time, Xiao Qing gave Xiao Fu a token, allowing her to come to the palace to play with her whenever she had free time.
The court officials soon learned that the young emperor had recently disliked the Grand Tutor, but had been in close contact with the Chancellor and members of the imperial clan.
Duke Anguo was also a cunning old fox. While he was pleased that his granddaughter seemed to be happier every time she entered the palace, he was also observing and analyzing the young emperor's behavior.
It seems that things haven't been going well for Taifu this year.
First came the funeral, then he claimed to be ill; these events made him appear to be in poor health in court.
When the Grand Tutor falls into trouble, the Prime Minister becomes smug and elated.
In short, the royal family has nothing to do with this now.
Duke Anguo could see clearly that although the young emperor was kind-hearted, he did not rely on or treat the imperial family and noble families with the same respect as the previous Emperor Tianhe.
Besides, three years ago, these members of the royal family were trapped in Ping An, and their very survival was in question.
The Great Xiao Dynasty was reduced to half its former territory after the war, and rebuilding and stabilizing the country required money everywhere. Therefore, the emperor could not treat the imperial family members as well as before.
Let's talk about aristocratic families.
Duke Anguo carefully assessed the situation and found that almost all the prominent families north of Xiaoshui had perished in battle. Only the Fu family had moved to Yuzhou, which had also been severely weakened.
Among the prominent families south of the Xiao River, the Chu family is a disappointment. Although it is an old and prestigious family, it has been in decline for a long time.
The Li, Sun, and Wang families are now closely allied, and outsiders all follow the Wang family's lead. The Wang family, in turn, relies on Prime Minister Wang Xiang.
Wang Xiang was truly a talented individual. Although he was not a direct descendant of the Wang family, he was intelligent from a young age and adept at scheming. During the reign of Emperor Tianhe, he had already firmly secured control of the prosperous land south of the Xiao River.
For many years, Wang Xiangdu has maintained excellent relations with the aristocratic families of the south. After the Great Xiao Dynasty moved south, he further united these southern forces. Now, the Wang family and the Fu family, one in Dingzhou and the other in Yuzhou, are evenly matched.
Upon thinking about it, Duke Anguo found himself somewhat amused.
It's quite interesting to talk about the Fu family and the Grand Tutor.
The Fu family is still under the control of the old patriarch, but their influence in the court largely comes from the Grand Tutor.
Fu Mingyi and Fu Mingzhu were the apple of Old Master Fu's eye back then. One was invited by Emperor Tianhe to become the Imperial Tutor, and the other was summoned to the palace by Emperor Tianhe to become a Noble Consort.
Now...
Duke Anguo smacked his lips, just as he saw his granddaughter peeking in from the doorway of his study.
My train of thought was suddenly interrupted.
"Fu'er." Duke Anguo doted on this child who was proud in her childhood but later suffered many hardships.
“Grandpa.” Xiao Fu darted in with a bright expression. “Why do you sit in the study all day long? The weather outside is so nice.”
Duke Anguo stroked his beard. "I'm getting old. What is Fu'er holding?"
Xiao Fu waved her hand, "The slingshot Your Majesty made is quite fun." She found a chair and sat down, turning the slingshot over and over, looking at it and playing with it. She seemed to be in a good mood.
Duke Anguo was helpless. "His Majesty is about to assume personal rule, yet he's still like a child. As long as the Grand Tutor isn't around, he gets too playful."
Xiao Fu pouted, "Don't even mention it. The Grand Tutor is on sick leave, but the Prime Minister isn't. My granddaughter was having a great time with His Majesty when the Prime Minister came to report on something, rambling on and on. I think he's more like the Imperial Tutor than the Grand Tutor."
Duke Anguo smiled and said, "Wang Xiang failed to become the Imperial Tutor three years ago, and he is even less likely to do so now."
Xiao Fu became interested. "I see that His Majesty holds the Prime Minister in high regard."
"The Grand Tutor is ill, isn't he?" Duke Anguo said, not particularly concerned.
Xiao Fu leaned closer and said, "Grandpa, something doesn't seem right to me."
Duke Anguo got up and poured Xiao Fu a cup of tea, saying, "Something's not right."
Xiao Fu tucked the small slingshot into her waistband. "I can't really explain it either. But His Majesty is full of tricks; he's not the kind of person who's so obedient and docile."
"Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. Just have fun."
Xiao Fu sat down to drink tea, her eyes darting around.
Duke Anguo looked at her affectionately, "Fu'er, you must remember that although the lives of the imperial clan are not as good as before, the imperial clan must stand with His Majesty."
He paused, then added, "Apart from Xiao, the imperial clan is no longer even an imperial clan."
Xiao Fu put down her teacup and nodded solemnly.
Emperor Tianhe had no other descendants.
Wait, there's one, in the impoverished southwest, but he's already disabled.
"Grandpa, has anyone sent a letter from the southwest?"
Duke Anguo's expression darkened.
He remained silent for a while before saying, "When the late emperor sent the Prince of Lang to his fiefdom, he made it clear that he would never be allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict. Although that edict was issued by the previous dynasty, it is still valid today."
Xiao Fu's thoughts drifted a little away.
Those members of the royal family and nobles of similar age in Heian City should have all heard of the heroic figure of Prince Lang in his prime.
She was still young then, and hearing people talk about Prince Lang was like listening to a story; she loved listening to it.
Back when Prince Lang was still a prince, he was tall and handsome, upright and humble, and had excellent riding and archery skills. Countless beautiful women in Ping'an City were in love with him.
However, the prince's maternal family was not prominent, and Emperor Tianhe did not show him much affection.
Later, after he accidentally injured both legs, Emperor Tianhe bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Lang and ordered him to return to his fiefdom immediately. He also sent an imperial edict on horseback, ordering him never to return to the capital without an imperial decree.
The former capital, Ping'an, has now fallen into the hands of the northern barbarians, and the southern capital is now Nanhua City.
Xiao Fu asked cautiously, "Does Prince Lang wish to return to Nanhua to visit his brothers?"
Duke Anguo was also puzzled.
Logically speaking, if Prince Lang had such intentions, he should have brought them up three years ago. Moreover, when Prince Lang left, the current emperor was not yet born; there was no brotherly affection between them.
"The Prince of Lang should already be on his way back after requesting permission. He simply wants the imperial clan not to obstruct him. The imperial clan's influence is not what it used to be, so how could they possibly stop him?"
Xiao Fu didn't seem as somber as her grandfather.
"If the Prince of Lang returns, I will ride out of the city to see him. It has been more than ten years since I last saw him."
Duke Anguo shook his head. "Prince Lang holds military power in two prefectures. His return to the capital this time is probably not a good thing."
Sure enough, two days later, Xiao Qing received a memorial from Langzhou, saying that the Prince of Langzhou requested permission to return to the capital and wanted to spend the New Year with His Majesty.
Then, a handwritten letter from the Prince of Lang was attached.
Xiao Qing scratched her head, having absolutely no idea what her nominal elder brother was.
Nothing major has happened recently, but spending the New Year together... something seems a bit strange.
Xiao Qing instinctively wanted to take the folded document and letter to Fu Mingyi, but she sat down again as soon as she got up.
She slowly opened the letter from the Prince of Lang and read it.
Hmm, the handwriting is good, the word choice is concise, and there's no excessive use of flowery language, which gave her a good first impression.
In his letter, Prince Lang mentioned that now only he and his brother remain as legitimate members of the royal family. He is a disabled man who was previously unable to serve the country due to his leg ailment. Since the war in Da Xiao, he has been bedridden for many years. Now that he feels better, he naturally wants to come and pay homage to the emperor and see his brothers.
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