Chapter 258 Soft Belly
This was the first time Xiao Qing had seen Fu Mingyi like this.
Her eyes widened, and she was momentarily speechless.
He's right about everything.
However, she had no intention of distancing herself from him...
She has indeed been giving Fu Mingyi the cold shoulder lately, while frequently showing goodwill towards Wang Xiang.
But she saw it very clearly: compared to Wang Xiang, a veteran of two dynasties who held more power, Fu Mingyi was the one who could truly bring hope and prosperity to the country.
Even if what Wang Xiang did was truly beneficial to the country and its people, his initial intentions were not pure.
As for Fu Mingyi, there was always a fire in his heart, a fire that had burned all the way from Beiping'an City three years ago to Nanhua, an obsession he could never forget.
The recovered lands and rivers are magnificent.
This is the belief that Fu Mingyi fought for throughout his life.
Xiao Qing respected Fu Mingyi.
Even though she didn't agree with some of his methods and ways of thinking.
But she knew very well that someone like Fu Mingyi and his way of doing things were more suited to this dynasty and this country—not to her, an outsider.
Even though she had tried her best to fit in.
For example, his analysis of Yu Zaiting just now was an important thing that she had overlooked in her habitual way of thinking.
The political situation is like a game of chess; who isn't a pawn?
Xiao Qing said in a low voice, "The Grand Tutor is angry too."
Even when angry, they still remember to close the door.
When he took out a ruler, she thought the tutor was going to punish the students again.
We also have to consider the students' feelings.
Fu Mingyi looked at her, remaining expressionless.
Xiao Qing composed herself.
"I have no intention of becoming estranged from the Grand Tutor." This is a fundamental principle that must be made clear.
She wondered to herself, "Did Fu Mingyi think that she was trying to distance herself from him, which is why he acted this way?"
"Grand Tutor, you're overthinking it. Even if I were to step down as emperor, I would not betray your vision for the future of this country."
She found that, faced with such a tutor, the emotions she had been holding back for half a month seemed to be crumbling away.
Fu Mingyi continued to watch her quietly.
Xiao Qing has grown up. The thirteen-year-old girl, bound to this position by him, dresses cautiously as a boy every day, never uttering a word of complaint or weariness.
She was even forcing herself to adapt and change, yet instinctively and stubbornly resisting changes against her will.
She was trying to understand this unfamiliar world in her own way, bearing the throne and responsibilities that did not belong to her.
Seeing her trying so hard to explain, Fu Mingyi felt a moment of tenderness.
Xiao Qing was somewhat frustrated.
"Perhaps... I'm too weak. I always overthink things and try to make everything as perfect as possible."
An emperor cannot be too soft-hearted.
This is probably a disadvantage for women.
Well, maybe it's just her flaw.
Fu Mingyi knelt down. "It is I who have overstepped my bounds."
Xiao Qing sighed, squatted down, and lifted Fu Mingyi's arms with both hands.
But Fu Mingyi simply straightened his back and refused to get up.
“Look, Fu Mingyi, I prefer to be on the same level as you rather than you kneeling while I stand. But the emperor won’t like that.”
Xiao Qing found the right way to do it.
"Take the He family's affairs for example. You think about how to keep them a secret and ensure the emperor's safety. The emperor should think the same way. But I can't bear to see them lose their freedom and stability in order to keep this secret, so I try to be as lenient as possible."
She slowly recalled her feelings and analyzed herself.
"Take Yu Zaiting's matter, for example. Bringing down Wang Xiang is no small matter, nor is it an easy one. Yu Zaiting was driven out of Nanhua by Wang Xiang and has no base in Jiangzhou. I don't want him to be used and harmed in this matter."
She looked at Fu Mingyi and said, "Of course, when I said I was being used, I did consider your situation, but I also considered the Wang faction."
Fu Mingyi neither got up nor spoke.
"But the emperor wouldn't think like me. A qualified emperor should probably treat each minister as a chess piece on a chessboard, deciding how to place them, when to make the next move, and where to move them, all in order to plan for another piece on the chessboard..."
As Xiao Qing spoke, he felt more and more that he was not a qualified emperor, and probably could not be the qualified emperor in their eyes.
"But even though I try my best to learn everything about this country, I often feel... out of place."
It's as if she is who she is, yet a persona called "Emperor" is created within her.
She has to do it; otherwise, she'll become that personality herself.
At that moment, she suddenly realized what her efforts and resistance had represented in her subconscious.
“You know, I’m not a very ambitious or driven person. Neither in temperament nor in status… If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here at all.”
They also wouldn't seriously experience the world from the perspective of a ruler of a country.
Fu Mingyi hadn't heard Xiao Qing say such things in a long time.
“Back in Yingzhou, at the foot of that cliff, when you were unconscious, I made a vow. I will not break my vow.”
The confusion and faint sorrow in Xiao Qing's eyes gradually faded.
“Fu Mingyi, even if I do doubt you, it's only because I'm such an unqualified emperor, because of my incompatible nature, and absolutely not because of the relationship between ruler and subject. On all matters concerning this country, even if I disagree with you, I will explain it clearly to you, and I will never distance myself from you because of differing political views. This is my original intention and promise while I sit in this position, do you understand?”
Xiao Qing sighed.
"I will reflect on my own actions."
Fu Mingyi's mind was at ease.
Looking at Xiao Qing's sincere yet frustrated expression, he suddenly realized that he couldn't bring himself to be harsh with her.
Xiao Qing is known for not following the rules.
When you raise your hard thorns, she exposes her soft belly.
Fu Mingyi believes that since becoming an adult, he has never spent any time or effort on any woman.
But he suddenly wanted to understand Xiao Qing's thoughts better.
Even though she is just a teenage girl now.
All the violent, anxious, and cunning thoughts that had been in his mind gradually dissipated.
He felt he had gained more patience, and he thought he could slowly guide this young emperor.
This is the emperor he single-handedly placed on the throne.
His greatest achievement in this life may well lie in this.
He wanted to touch Xiao Qing's head, just like three years ago when she was in the carriage he was guarding.
But she had grown up, and she wore a small golden crown in the style of an emperor, the style of a minor.
When she reaches the age of twenty, she can be capped and given a coming-of-age ceremony to signify her adulthood.
He was her tutor, and he would bestow a crown upon him.
“You can sit in this position however you like. It’s not scary, and it won’t change a kind and determined person beyond recognition.” He recalled the events and seemed to understand Xiao Qing’s inexplicable insistence on certain trivial matters.
Xiao Qing sensed that Fu Mingyi's attitude had softened.
"If Your Majesty ever forgets your original aspirations, I will remind you."
Xiao Qing nodded, "Then it's settled with the Grand Tutor."
She thought for a moment, then suddenly stood up.
"Ouch!" She had been squatting for too long and couldn't control her legs. Instead of getting up, she fell backward.
"Your Majesty!" Fu Mingyi quickly reached out to help him up, and he was able to stand up.
Xiao Qing waved her hand, "It's nothing, I've just been squatting for too long."
Fu Mingyi pulled her up and led her to a large table. After searching for a while, she found nothing of note, so she picked up a pen and scribbled on a piece of white paper before handing it to Fu Mingyi.
"Then, Grand Tutor, you can use this to remind me!" She smiled brightly.
A large five-pointed star is drawn on a piece of white paper, surrounded by four smaller five-pointed stars.
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