Chapter 35 Miscalculation
Wang Xiangshi had a smiling face. As a civil official, even after many years in power, he still retained the refined and scholarly air unique to scholars, making people feel close to him at first sight.
I heard that he was the top scholar in the imperial examination back then, and was very popular.
In contrast, Sun Jinyi, the Privy Councilor, and Yu Zaiting, the Minister of War, who entered at the same time as him, were also civil officials, but their aura was indeed somewhat inferior to that of Wang Xiang.
Xiao Qing thought to herself: No wonder so many people recommend Wang Xiang as prime minister. Whether it's his reputation, his aura, or his abilities—at least for now, she feels that he truly deserves to be a role model for the Southern Ministers.
After the three bowed, Xiao Qing offered them seats.
Xiao Qing didn't have anyone standing beside her to serve her when she was reading in the South Study, so she was usually alone in the study.
The three of them then sat down at the lower end of the table, and Zhao Youchen outside called in a palace servant who was usually in the Southern Study to serve tea.
Xiao Qing's reign as emperor was short-lived, and his contact with his ministers was extremely limited.
Wang Xiang was indeed experienced. He took advantage of the time to talk about some unimportant things, and incidentally led the two to say some words of praise and flattery. The smile lines on his face deepened.
However, they were also very tactful, getting to the point before Xiao Qing could get impatient, and sure enough, they were talking about the placement of military officers.
However, after exchanging only three sentences, Xiao Qing sensed that something was amiss.
Soon, Sun Jinyi presented a memorial, explaining that it was a request from the officials to fill vacancies, and asked Xiao Qing for his approval.
The memorial was quite long, listing many names and proposed positions. At the end were the signatures of many people, with Wang Xiang, Sun Jinyi, and Yu Zaiting at the very beginning, indicating that they were the ones who led the memorial.
Xiao Qing started reading very slowly, but towards the end she flipped through the pages faster.
But the more she read, the more her heart sank.
If she hadn't quickly glanced at the memorials left by Fu Mingyi before the three of them came in, she probably wouldn't have noticed anything amiss.
But now, she clearly sees that of the three of them, only two of them appeared in Fu Mingyi's memorial, and even so, the positions they were proposed for were not the positions suggested by Fu Mingyi.
Xiao Qing thought for a moment, then closed the memorial with one hand, her eyes half-closed, her gaze fixed on the table.
Sun Jinyi was somewhat puzzled, so he glanced at Wang Xiang and Yu Zaiting.
In the Great Xiao Dynasty, the chief minister and the grand tutor were both first-rank officials, the Grand Councilor of the Privy Council was a second-rank official, and the ministers of the six ministries were second-rank officials.
Yu Zaiting appeared much more cautious and silent in front of the two high-ranking officials.
Sun Jinyi asked, "Does Your Majesty have any questions?"
Wang Xiang sat there silently, a natural smile on his face, not in a hurry to speak.
Xiao Qing said, "I need to take a closer look at this list."
Fu Mingyi once said that if you can't make a decision at the time, just put it aside for the time being, because sometimes it's better to be slow than to rush.
Xiao Qing wanted to compare this list with the one left by Fu Mingyi and take a closer look.
Sun Jinyi clearly did not expect that the memorial submitted by the three of them would be suppressed by Xiao Qing and not approved on the spot.
"Your Majesty, our dynasty has been lacking military generals for a long time. If a decision cannot be made quickly, it may not be of any benefit to the stability of Nanhua."
Even if Xiao Qing didn't understand how to be an emperor, she would understand after hearing this—this was an attempt to get her to approve it quickly, right?
She felt increasingly uneasy, but she couldn't express it.
Before her were veteran officials who had been immersed in court intrigue for many years—except for Yu Zaiting, who looked a bit younger, but was probably in his thirties or forties.
She's a fraud; the more she talks, the more mistakes she makes. Silence is more effective.
Xiao Qing remained silent, his expression unchanged. Sun Jinyi was also somewhat puzzled about what the young emperor was thinking, so he turned to look at Wang Xiang.
Wang Xiang waited a while before smiling and saying, "Your Majesty, such an important matter cannot be decided in a short time. However, what Lord Sun said also takes into account the current situation of our dynasty. Civil officials bring peace to the country, while military generals stabilize the nation. We have been extremely cautious in the matter of the placement and replacement of military generals, and have widely solicited advice. Only now have we been able to compile such a list before tomorrow's court session."
Xiao Qing listened silently, still without making any comment.
Fu Mingyi once said that when she didn't know what to say, she would simply remain silent. As the emperor, her ministers would try their best to express their opinions and persuade her when they had something to report. Therefore, if she didn't speak, her ministers would say more and reveal more information.
Xiao Qing needs more information now.
"Time is short, so it's impossible to be thorough. It's understandable that Your Majesty wants to examine it carefully. However, precisely because of the time constraints, I have devised a method. I wonder if Your Majesty will find it feasible?"
Xiao Qing looked at Wang Xiang, seemingly waiting for his solution.
"Why don't we wait here? If Your Majesty has any questions while watching, you can instruct us at any time. What does Your Majesty think?"
Xiao Qing lowered her eyes slightly, thinking that if Sun Jinyi was an impatient person, then Wang Xiang was a calm and unhurried one. He was more roundabout than Sun Jinyi, but his ultimate meaning was actually the same.
Anyway, tomorrow is the day of court. These people want her to make a decision now, right?
If Xiao Qing were still the original Princess Xiao Yan of the Great Xiao Dynasty, she would probably have already given her permission by now.
Even if she didn't, being surrounded by three ministers demanding a decision from her would probably have intimidated her.
But Xiao Qing is not Xiao Yan. She was already an adult before she came here. And although she hadn't been working for long, she had suffered for several years in the hospital due to illness, so she had become quite indifferent to many things.
At this moment, she keenly sensed a hint of disdain, or even impatience, hidden beneath Wang Xiang's amiable face and Sun Jinyi's seemingly respectful expression.
She then turned her gaze to Yu Zaiting, who sat silently.
"What does Lord Yu think?"
Two high-ranking officials were in front of him, but Xiao Qing asked him about Yu Zaiting.
This surprised him slightly.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind at that moment.
But in the end, he simply bowed respectfully and said, "I will obey Your Majesty's will."
Sun Jinyi's lips twitched almost imperceptibly. He wasn't entirely satisfied with the answer, but he found it acceptable and to be expected.
"In that case, we will not discuss this memorial today," Xiao Qing said calmly.
"But the morning court session is tomorrow..."
"We've been missing it for so long, what's a day or two more? What do you think, Prime Minister Wang?" She sat upright behind her large desk, slightly raising her head. Her gaze was clear yet firm, clearly indicating that she wasn't so easily persuaded.
Sun Jinyi wanted to say something more.
Wang Xiang quickly replied, "Your Majesty is right. Perhaps we should take this memorial back and examine it carefully, and then ask Your Majesty to review it tomorrow, and we can discuss it further then?"
Xiao Qing smiled enigmatically, "No need for such trouble. You can draft another one."
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