Chapter 3 The Hearts of Rulers and Ministers Are Far Apart
Plunder and submission, conquest and surrender.
The Han court fled south, and the northern empire fell into enemy hands.
Xiao Qing's carriage was quite spacious, and now an oil lamp was lit on the small table beside the bed.
Fu Mingyi sat at the table, flipping through battle reports and official documents. Finally, he rubbed his red and sore eyes and looked at the faint flame flickering in the oil lamp. Although he felt so distressed that he wanted to throw himself on the table and cry, he had to suppress his emotions and calm himself down.
The Xiao dynasty was already deeply entrenched in problems and he had long foreseen its decline, but he never expected that the executioners would not be the refugees of the Great Xiao, but rather barbarian soldiers.
The barbarian uprisings have been brewing for some time now.
The eldest daughter of the Fu family, a concubine of the late emperor, was captured and, instead of being killed, was captured by barbarians...
He sat helplessly in a swaying carriage.
Those concubines who couldn't evacuate from the palace, and those civilians who couldn't escape from the city... are now like fish on a chopping board, at the mercy of others.
The collapse of a dynasty is so easy. Even if he has extraordinary abilities, he can only guard a disloyal and illegitimate "emperor" now, helpless and filled with indignation.
His gaze fell on Xiao Qing, his eyes burning with desire.
This child is different from usual.
His eyes deepened, his gaze filled with inquiry.
These past few days, she has eaten whatever he gave her and drunk whatever medicine he gave her. As for daily life, except for extremely private matters which she handles herself, he takes care of everything else by himself and never entrusts it to anyone else. She never resists or objects.
At first, he could sense her wariness, but the more time passed, the more relaxed she became, no longer afraid that he would poison her medicine or stab her in the back while she was asleep.
That's really reassuring.
Moreover, when she put on airs, her demeanor was completely different from usual. Even if she had encountered some misfortune, he still felt that it was too abnormal for a person's temperament to change so much in such a short period of time.
A child was enough to make Fu Mingyi wary.
However, he really had no other choice.
In truth, Xiao Qing was indeed relieved. She was naturally wary at first, but then she thought, since she had already been given a second chance at life, who knew when fate might take it back?
None of the emperors of fallen kingdoms have ever had a good ending, and she is already suffering greatly from her severe injuries. If Fu Mingyi really poisons her or stabs her, she will simply return to the beginning and die once more. What's the big deal?
She's not really willing to suffer like this now.
With that in mind, she felt perfectly justified in enjoying all the services provided by Fu Mingyi.
It's either live or die, it's that simple.
Therefore, thanks to her good mindset and Fu Mingyi's proper care, Xiao Qing's injuries have healed very well in the past few days.
She was thirsty from sleep, so she groggily opened her eyes. She wanted to call Fu Mingyi, but her eyes met his. She was instantly jolted awake.
At first, Fu Mingyi seemed to have a lot to say to her, but later he wouldn't say a single word. She knew that while she was observing him, he was also observing her.
Xiao Qing inwardly scoffed. He'd already given up on himself, so why would he care? He sat up and said, "Grand Tutor, I'm thirsty."
She uses the word "朕" (zhen, meaning "I" or "the emperor") very fluently now.
Even if she dies, she'll have at least had a taste of being an emperor.
Yes, although he was an emperor who was about to die.
The Grand Tutor withdrew his gaze, quietly poured her a cup of water, and after she took two sips, handed the cup back to him. Suddenly, he asked, "Does Your Majesty know Your Majesty's responsibilities?"
Xiao Qing paused, noticing his gentle expression and seemingly respectful attitude, but she sensed a hint of disrespect in his words.
"Please speak, Grand Tutor."
"The country is destroyed and the family is ruined, what will Your Majesty do?" It's not appropriate to say these things to a child, but this child bears such an important identity and a heavy responsibility.
An individual's strength is always limited.
Fu Mingyi felt that perhaps he should hold onto a sliver of hope.
Xiao Qing thought to herself, "Is the Grand Tutor about to start giving me lessons?"
Although the fall of a country and the destruction of a family are tragic events, she was new to the area and could be pitied, but forgive her for not really developing any real sense of responsibility.
The life she has always wanted is definitely not the life that her current identity brings her.
"Grand Tutor, I am dizzy and my wound is in pain. I really can't think about anything else."
This Grand Tutor was clearly a very powerful minister. These days, other officials had to go through him to see her. When the Grand Tutor refused, the officials had no choice but to give up. Then all the official documents and intelligence reports kept pouring in, but she didn't read a single word; the Grand Tutor handled everything on his own. He didn't even offer to let her see them.
Now, to tell her about the fall of the country and the destruction of the family, and the emperor's responsibility, is quite strange.
Isn't it common in history for a young emperor to be weak and for his close advisors to seize power?
Since the situation is unclear, it's better to remain in a state of uncertainty. If Fu Mingyi were to sideline the emperor and seize power himself—she wouldn't actually rule it out.
Who would willingly give up a perfectly good life and instead treat themselves like a work machine, working from dawn till dusk, day and night, practically just a tool?
Forgive her for not being that career-driven.
The Grand Tutor caught a glimpse of cunning and mockery in her slightly lowered eyes.
He's a smart child, but he's still young and his mind isn't fully formed; he needs to be taught properly.
However, she seemed to have recovered from her injuries.
The Grand Tutor made his decision.
From that day on, Xiao Qing's journey to recuperate became extremely tedious.
Fu Mingyi often took out the ruler that the late emperor had given him, which was said to be used to restrain the emperor. He urged her to get up at sunrise every day and not let her sleep at sunset. Not only did she have to read those boring official documents and intelligence reports with him every day, but she also had to listen to him talk about the etiquette of a ruler, the way of the ruler and his subjects, and so on. She was so dizzy and sleepy from listening to him.
This is absolutely patient abuse! Especially for a patient of her "high status"?!
That's not all, Fu Mingyi even assigns her homework!
If she made excuses to avoid doing something, or did it perfunctorily, he would kneel facing north, first apologize to the late emperor, then state a bunch of reasons, and when he turned around, he would definitely hit her palm with a ruler.
If she refused, someone would hold her hand down and obediently hand it to Fu Mingyi.
Every time she was beaten, Fu Mingyi would spread his hands and have someone hit his palms as well, sometimes even harder than when he hit her.
This Grand Tutor was truly cautious and meticulous, leaving no room for error.
Even so, Xiao Qing was filled with anger every time she looked at the red mark on her palm.
These people have really gone too far! They dare to attack the emperor!
This time, she was in unbearable pain and finally burst out shouting, "Grand Tutor, don't push your luck!"
Before the Grand Tutor could say anything, all the officials knelt down in the mud outside the carriage, weeping bitterly.
The scene... was simply...
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