Chapter 36 What to do?
After the three ministers left together, Xiao Qing sat down at the table, tapping the memorial with his finger.
Wang Xiang could still smile and agree, but Lord Sun's expression seemed rather unpleasant.
Yu Zaiting had a relatively low profile. He was cautious and polite throughout the process, didn't talk much, and his expression didn't change much.
When Zhao Youchen entered, he saw Xiao Qing deep in thought.
"Your Majesty." He took a few steps closer.
Xiao Qing raised her head, her gaze towards Zhao Youchen somewhat vacant as she had been thinking about those three people.
Zhao Youchen seemed hesitant, but finally asked in a low voice, "Is His Majesty alright?" He had noticed that the three people looked somewhat unusual after leaving the Southern Study, so he was worried about Xiao Qing and came in to inquire.
Xiao Qing clearly hadn't grasped Zhao Youchen's thoughts, so she said curiously, "It's fine."
Seeing that she didn't seem to be in any bad mood, Zhao Youchen felt relieved.
"Prime Minister Wang and Lord Sun are both veteran officials of the court. Although they have different temperaments and ways of doing things, they are both scholars who know how to be polite and uphold integrity. Although the Grand Tutor is no longer here, the relationship between ruler and subject remains. Your Majesty need not worry."
Xiao Qing looked over, resting her chin on her hand, seemingly quite curious.
Zhao Youchen was bewildered by being seen. "Your Majesty?"
"I thought General Zhao would not say such a thing."
Zhao Youchen is Fu Mingyi's man.
Based on her deduction, there are probably only two possibilities given today's situation.
One possibility is that Fu Mingyi did not communicate with Wang Xiang and others regarding the selection of replacements for military officers. Another possibility is that they did communicate but failed to reach a consensus, or that they had previously reached a consensus but have now reneged on it.
Neither possibility is a good thing.
Therefore, Fu Mingyi and Wang Xiang are not comrades-in-arms fighting side by side, but are likely to be adversaries who will undermine each other in the future.
In this situation, Zhao Youchen's words sounded like he was speaking well of Wang Xiang and his group.
That's interesting.
As Xiao Qing thought about this, he couldn't help but want to pat his head.
Has she been watching too many hospital dramas? Does someone who wishes to live just one more day now think about these kinds of questions?
Zhao Youchen then recalled a conversation he had with Fu Mingyi before he left.
At the time, Zhao Youchen was worried that Xiao Qing was too young and had never been involved in court affairs before. He feared that Xiao Qing would struggle to deal with the court officials, especially veteran officials like Wang Xiang, on his own.
But Fu Mingyi seemed much more confident than him.
At that time, Fu Mingyi said, "Your Majesty has experienced this great upheaval since childhood. You remain calm in the face of chaos and have a resilient character. However, your royal aura still needs to be cultivated. As long as you maintain proper etiquette, you can be moderate in your approach. If necessary, you can guide me from the sidelines. Even if I have disloyal intentions, as long as Your Majesty combines kindness and severity, you will not push the court into a dangerous and irreversible situation."
Thinking back to the present—when the three adults went in, he was actually a little worried, so when they came out, he noticed their unusual mood and hurriedly came in. However, judging from the young princess's appearance, it seemed that she had already handled things on her own without his guidance.
Zhao Youchen felt even more satisfied with Xiao Qing.
Although the Grand Tutor is not here, His Majesty is not an ordinary child who is completely without his own ideas.
Although the situation had begun to become somewhat chaotic and unclear, Zhao Youchen, looking at Xiao Qing's ambiguous smile, actually gained more confidence from this young emperor.
"The Grand Tutor once said that as long as etiquette is observed, there will be a proper balance between strictness and leniency. Your Majesty is wise, and I am ashamed."
It's the Grand Tutor again.
Xiao Qing blinked. "General Zhao, are you aware of the vacancy for a military officer?"
Zhao Youchen thought to himself: So this is what they were talking about.
He nodded. "This matter has actually been going on for some time now. Various prefectures and counties have been reporting the vacant military positions and numbers, and the Privy Council and the Ministry of War have been compiling this data for some time now."
"Do you know that the Grand Tutor left me a memorial, naming several people?"
Zhao Youchen nodded, then shook his head. "I heard the Grand Tutor mention this matter, but at the time the Grand Tutor was still thinking about it and did not tell me about the candidates."
Given the time constraints, this is understandable.
Xiao Qing didn't mince words and took out both memorials, then walked over and handed them to Zhao Youchen, saying, "This is the memorial left by the Grand Tutor before he left, and this is the memorial submitted by Prime Minister Wang and others. General Zhao can take a look."
Zhao Youchen did not accept it immediately, but knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, this is a memorial submitted by the ministers. I am afraid it is inappropriate for me to read it."
Xiao Qing glanced at him and said, "General Zhao, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that you know the Grand Tutor is away and his return date is uncertain. You know the Grand Tutor better than I do. I think if General Zhao reads these two memorials, perhaps he can tell me what the Grand Tutor would do if he were in my shoes?"
Zhao Youchen understood. His Majesty had no one he could trust; right now, the only one he could trust was Zhao Youchen. Although etiquette was important, if he refused His Majesty at this moment, it might create negative associations and increase instability within the Nanhua Palace.
So he kowtowed to express his gratitude and took the document to read it carefully.
Just as Xiao Qing had seen before, among the reports submitted by Wang Xiang and others, only two people were indeed the people Fu Mingyi had mentioned, and both were in insignificant positions. Although their positions seemed high, they had very little real power.
Upon reading Fu Mingyi's memorial, Zhao Youchen immediately understood.
Before joining the Imperial Guard, he served in the local military. He had been on the battlefield and had also been involved in the general affairs of the Ministry of War, so he was quite knowledgeable about military officers and their ranks.
Of the five people Fu Mingyi mentioned, he didn't know them all, but judging from the positions he suggested, one was in the garrison of Nanhua City, a low-ranking position but with rapid promotions; one was in the Dingzhou army, a deputy in charge of the army; one was in Jiangzhou, near the front line of Xiaoshui; one was in the Ministry of War, a nominal position, but with some advantages in coordinating supplies and finances; and the last one was far away in Langzhou.
After glancing at it, Zhao Youchen couldn't help but be startled.
The Grand Tutor truly lives up to his title; he is the emperor's tutor and the head of the Fu family. He has always been far-sighted and insightful.
These people are young and hold various positions.
They may not seem to have much use now, but if these people are talented and manage things carefully, they could become valuable assets or useful tools in the future.
When the Grand Tutor selects people, he does not look at their reputation, but only at whether they are suitable and how practical they are.
"Your Majesty, if I may be so bold as to ask how Your Majesty responded to the three ministers?"
Xiao Qing smiled indifferently. "The three ministers hoped that I would approve the memorial at this moment. However, I told them that I need to take a closer look. Therefore, the memorial will remain, but it can be submitted again."
Zhao Youchen did not expect that the young emperor would not only refuse the three officials, but also shut down the memorial without any fear.
No wonder Sun Jinyi's face was so stiff.
He couldn't help but laugh as well. "Your Majesty, since you're not satisfied with either of them, why not make some changes?"
Xiao Qing thought for a moment, then his smile grew even brighter. "I don't even recognize all the names. I made the changes rather casually. Won't that make the entire court laugh at me?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
