Chapter 53 Two Powers Harm Each Other
Before long, it was dawn.
Ma Hong announced from outside that it was time for the morning court session.
Xiao Qing sighed, her head spinning as she thought about the chaos of yesterday.
She wondered how Wang Xiang's arrangements were going, and also how yesterday afternoon's competition had gone. She still needed to check the list of those to be appointed.
With a multitude of thoughts swirling in her mind, Xiao Qing's consciousness became somewhat hazy.
Ma Hong continued, "Prime Minister Wang reported this morning that although it was a court meeting, His Majesty was unwell, so he requested that the meeting be held in the front hall of the council chamber. His Majesty would be in the inner hall, high-ranking officials of the second rank and above would be in the front hall, and the rest of the officials would be outside. His Majesty asked if this was feasible. If it was, the Prime Minister led the officials to the council chamber."
The council hall was divided into a front hall and a rear hall, with a small warm pavilion for the emperor to rest in behind the hall. Generally, if there were few people, the emperor would hold discussions in the rear hall, and the front hall was not used as often as the Hall of Diligent Governance, which was used for formal court meetings.
Xiao Qing slept through the night in this small, warm pavilion, accompanied by a calming incense infused with medicinal herbs.
Wang Xiang's arrangement was indeed made with the emperor's health in mind.
Xiao Qing nodded, "The Prime Minister has considered everything thoroughly, so let's proceed accordingly."
Ma Hong agreed and quickly went to reply.
Xiao Qing then asked Mingxiu, "Do you have a cane? It looks like we won't be able to sit in this chair today."
Mingxiu then laughed and said, "Your Majesty really can't sit still. There really is a cane, which was sent over along with the chair. Originally, I was thinking of waiting until Your Majesty was feeling better before taking it out."
Xiao Qing shook her finger. "Look at you, you didn't take the crutch first, but insisted on taking the chair. It's obvious you want me to lie down and not move. This chair will get moldy if I lie down like this."
Mingxiu covered her mouth and turned to get her crutch.
A moment later, the crutches arrived—two crutches, no less. They were made of wood with carvings, and the patterns... were rather peculiar.
Xiao Qing examined them closely. Instead of flowers, birds, and animals, the crutches were carved with landscapes and pavilions, one depicting a distant view. They were... somewhat unconventional.
Mingxiu said, "Your Majesty, even if you use a cane, you should not walk for too long."
Just as he finished speaking, Ma Hong came in.
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Wang has led the ministers to the council hall and will arrive in about a quarter of an hour."
Xiao Qing smiled and said, "I will use this crutch to move my hands and feet around in the hall in a little while."
After the court meeting ended, she went to check on Mei Shu and the others.
A quarter of an hour later, Wang Xiang and his group arrived as expected.
Officials of the second rank and above were all in the hall, including the chief minister, officials from the Privy Council, the Censorate, and the Six Ministries, numbering about ten. Outside, there were about twenty officials of the fifth rank and below who had come to participate in the court meeting.
After they bowed, they lined up in four rows, with Wang Xiang being the first to report on the matter.
The matter is quite simple, and it is also the main topic of this court meeting—the situation of Grand Tutor Fu Mingyi and the solution.
Since Xiao Qing had already discussed the matter with Wang Xiang yesterday, she felt that Wang Xiang's presiding over the court meeting should go relatively smoothly.
But soon, Xiao Qing realized that she had put her mind at ease too soon.
In particular, someone said: "I believe that the exchange of hostages should not be delayed for too long. It would be sufficient to exchange the Grand Tutor for several members of our Great Xiao imperial family and subjects, and to achieve a truce between the North and the South."
Then for a long while, no one spoke.
Xiao Qing sensed that something was amiss.
Another person said, "That's not how it works. And this isn't the way to make a change. The Grand Tutor single-handedly led His Majesty and the court officials away from the Northern Capital, then evaded pursuers and escorted His Majesty safely to Nanhua City. Who in the entire court can match such merit? Now the Northern barbarians have broken their promise and are attempting to forcibly detain the Grand Tutor. How can we allow this to continue?"
"Even if the Grand Tutor has made great achievements, the Northern Barbarians are not releasing him. Are they going to let my Great Xiao clan members remain in the hands of the barbarians and suffer endless humiliation? If this continues, how will Great Xiao maintain its reputation?"
"Do you think you can save face by exchanging the Grand Tutor for someone else?"
"Is it better for one person to not come back, or for a hundred to not come back? When faced with two evils, choose the lesser. Since some people will not come back anyway, why can't we exchange one person for a hundred?"
"What do you mean by choosing the lesser of two evils? Which is the greater and which is the lesser? The Grand Tutor was appointed by the late Emperor as the Son of Heaven's teacher, and only he can bring prosperity and peace to the country. How can he be considered the lesser of two evils?"
"Oh? According to you, does that mean the safety of my Great Xiao imperial relatives and subjects is insignificant? You are slandering the imperial family!"
"Your Majesty, I have no such intention. However, these two matters are not comparable. Your Majesty, the Grand Tutor risked his life for the sake of our Great Xiao. The Northern Barbarians are arrogant. First, they promised to release the hostages, then broke their promise, and now they have broken their word again. If we allow this to continue, the land south of the Xiao River will not last long, Your Majesty!"
This was a military general who had fled all the way from Beidu with Xiao Qing and others. At this point, tears streamed down his face as he knelt and kowtowed, his forehead pressed to the ground. "Your Majesty," he cried, "my family is all in Beidu. The Northern Barbarian cavalry swept south, directly attacking the Northern Pass and ravaging the capital. Lord Wang Ming led less than ten thousand Imperial Guards to defend the palace. The blood of those ten thousand men stained the walls of Yongxiao Palace, and the heads of ten thousand men were severed by the Northern Barbarian traitors and tied to their horses as they galloped away. Lord Wang Ming, Lord Wang Ming…"
The old general couldn't continue speaking; his shoulders trembled as he sobbed, his expression one of deep sorrow.
There was a long silence both inside and outside the hall.
The ministers who escaped from the Northern Capital Palace all knew that Wang Ming, in order to protect Yongxiao Palace and buy time for Fu Mingyi and others to rescue His Majesty, held on until the very last moment. He was hit by several arrows but did not fall. He stood on the high walls of the imperial city, bleeding his last drop of blood, but his eyes were gazing south for a long time.
Unbeknownst to them, the Northern Barbarians showed no respect for Wang Ming's body. They stormed into the palace, destroyed the city walls, pushed the old general who had died for his country to the ground, raised their hooves high, and laughed as they tried to trample over his head and face.
Although they were eventually stopped by their third prince.
"The Grand Tutor's trip to Beidu this time is not only to retrieve the hostages, but also to take back the souls of ten thousand soldiers and the remains of General Wang Ming," another military officer said in a deep voice.
Xiao Qing sometimes felt that she was quite hard-hearted.
She had heard about these things on her way south. At that time, she thought of herself as an outsider, planning to tell Fu Mingyi that she wanted to leave the palace as soon as she arrived in Nanding. So, although she sympathized with them, she did not truly understand their feelings.
Most people still consider them to be fictional characters.
But now, she felt her heart being gripped and ached by the silent, muffled sobs.
Wang Xiang also fell silent at this point.
Putting aside others, Wang Ming was a member of the Wang family. Wang Ming was a hero, and the heroic souls of the Wang family could not return home. Even though Wang Xiang had been immersed in officialdom for many years and had learned to be shrewd and discreet, he would still feel restless and uneasy.
Thinking about this, he hesitated for a moment.
Xiao Qing leaned on her cane and walked to the door, preparing to push it open.
Mingxiu said softly, "Your Majesty."
Ma Hong was waiting outside the door. Upon hearing the voice, he immediately turned around and whispered, "What are your orders, Your Majesty?"
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