Chapter 54 The Old Minister Weeps
Xiao Qing pushed open the carved wooden door and stepped out, leaning on his cane.
Ma Hong tried to help her up, but she waved him off.
The ministers lowered their heads.
Wang Xiang was closest to the door.
Next came civil and military officials of the second rank or above.
A burly veteran knelt on the ground with his head down, clearly trying his best to suppress his emotions and calm himself down.
That man was originally a garrison commander of Ping'an City named Li Xingwu, who was nearing retirement age.
It was on the southward journey that he led his troops to cover the rear and slay the pursuers. Fortunately, he survived, but he also witnessed with great sorrow the northern barbarian pursuers dragging the heads of his comrades on their horses' tails, shouting arrogantly as they chased after him.
He could not, in a fit of rage, turn around and charge into the enemy ranks, risking his life to fight alongside his comrades.
Because what he was protecting was the hope and faith of the entire nation.
Xiao Qing was small in stature and had difficulty moving around, so he walked extremely slowly. His crutches tapped rhythmically on the smooth floor, making a low, heavy "tap-tap" sound that seemed even more so in the silent hall.
The military officer who had spoken up earlier knelt down silently as Xiao Qing passed by.
Gradually, as Xiao Qing continued to walk forward, more and more people knelt down.
She looked to her left and right and could tell that many of those kneeling down were Bei Chen, her fellow sufferers who had fled all the way here.
Suddenly, the scene of her first day entering Nanding City flashed into her mind.
The gloomy sky pressed down on the gray city walls. The hunched figures, all dressed in plain clothes, slowly drove the carriage into the city gate, followed silently by the fleeing officials, their heads bowed and covered in dust.
Tap, tap, tap.
Xiao Qing finally reached the palace entrance and scanned the ministers standing outside.
More people knelt down.
For a moment, Xiao Qing seemed to understand why Fu Mingyi had rushed north without arranging for her a close advisor, like him, who could stand firmly by her side and stabilize the court.
Coincidentally, today is also a cloudy day.
Xiao Qing leaned on her cane and turned around. She saw that all the officials in the hall were kneeling on the ground. Ma Hong and Ming Xiu were also kneeling by the door of the inner hall. Ma Hong looked a little uneasy, while Ming Xiu was worried and secretly looked at her.
If it weren't for a few people speaking up for Fu Mingyi, she really wouldn't know how to handle the situation.
Wang Xiang was clearly not someone to be counted on.
"You all probably already know what happened to me at the South Training Ground yesterday."
Her career always seems to be facing challenges.
"If there is anything you do not know, I can tell you. First, I received a 'letter of state' from the north, which seemed to say that the Grand Tutor was to be exchanged for several hostages from the Great Xiao. However, the Prime Minister told me that this was only a private letter."
She discovered that since taking this job, her eloquence has improved dramatically. In just a few months, she has probably spoken more than she did in the years she spent in the hospital.
"Secondly, a messenger attempted to assassinate me with a knife because Jiangzhou City refused to allow the people of Da Xiao who had fled north of Xiao River to enter the city. This man pointed at me and cursed me as a 'dog emperor'."
Xiao Qing was unsure whether it was appropriate to discuss these two matters in court.
In any case, she had not received professional education on "how to be a good emperor", and the only tutor who could teach her was not by her side.
Having no one to rely on anyway, she can only act on her gut feeling, hoping that at least she can have some luck.
Wang Xiang was surprised by Xiao Qing's frankness. Considering the young emperor's actions after Fu Mingyi went north, he realized that Xiao Qing was always shrewd and resourceful, yet he still couldn't quite see through him.
He was just about to find a suitable way to express his loyalty when he heard the young emperor speak again.
"I have heard what you all said just now. I will set aside the Grand Tutor's merits for now. I am still young and need the Prime Minister, so the Grand Tutor and the other ministers can also be set aside. Furthermore, the hostages stranded in the Northern Capital, and even the people north of the Xiao River, regardless of whether they are imperial relatives or commoners."
As Xiao Qing organized her thoughts, she spoke slowly, with occasional brief pauses.
"I only ask," her voice gradually rose, yet it still possessed a composure beyond her years, "that they, like you, are not subjects of my Great Xiao?"
The sound was as loud as thunder on flat ground, and the echo swirled within the four halls and drifted outwards.
Yes or no?
The people of the Great Depression!
After a brief silence, someone answered loudly and clearly, "Yes!"
Then everyone shouted in unison, "Yes!"
"All of you ministers who followed me from the north to Nanhua, your families and businesses are all in the northern capital. If you were to exchange one person for a hundred, your families would still have a chance to reunite. Why do you insist on fighting with them and refuse to do so?"
Xiao Qing pointed to those who had just said that it would be suitable to replace them.
They lowered their spines even further.
"General Li! Your children and grandchildren are all in Beidu, perhaps struggling to survive under the yoke of the northern barbarians, their lives hanging by a thread. Why do you oppose this, why are you unwilling to accept it?!"
Some people were secretly pleased, believing that the young emperor meant he agreed to the replacement.
The poor General Li, who had just calmed down, was questioned so loudly by Xiao Qing that he couldn't help but burst into tears again. His blood boiled and he couldn't control himself. He banged his head on the ground and cried out, "I don't want to! It's not that I don't want to! I don't want to..."
Many people felt uncomfortable listening to this, and their heads and necks began to tremble.
Xiao Qing felt a pang of pity, but she forced herself to endure it, looking upwards while her hands unconsciously caressed the uneven carvings on her crutches.
"I have failed my descendants; they may already be dead. It is my fault..." He wept bitterly, overwhelmed with self-reproach.
"Even if they all survive and are fortunate enough to come to Nanhua, it will only be a few people, enough to spare me the suffering. But if the Grand Tutor survives and is in the court, it can save hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of people, sparing tens of thousands of people from the Great Xiao!"
"I am old and useless, but the Grand Tutor is in his prime. If I could go to my death in his place, I would do so without hesitation! But I do not have that ability. It is not that I am unwilling to let my imprisoned relatives and subjects return to Xiaoshui, but... but... Your Majesty, the country is in peril, and we need capable people now. Where in the world is there another Fu Mingyi, Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Sobs could be heard coming from inside and outside the hall.
The importance of Fu Mingyi was immeasurable in the hearts of these northern officials.
Wang Xiang's expression changed, and he clenched his fist in his sleeve. The pain and emotion he felt from Wang Mingzhi's death gradually disappeared in this force.
Since Zhou Yu was born, why was Zhuge Liang born as well?
Wang Xiang's mind raced, and he knelt on the ground in silence.
Xiao Qing looked around for a while before saying, "Where is there a father who doesn't care about his children and grandchildren? Based on a private letter to me with an unclear source, you actually came up with the idea of ​​exchanging the Grand Tutor for several hostages. If any of you here were to replace the Grand Tutor, how would you conduct yourselves?"
Xiao Qing slowly walked back, and when he stood beside Wang Xiang, he said to the kneeling ministers, "The great Xiao, though forced to retreat to Nanhua and look towards the Xiao River, is this how you submit and shrink back after a hundred years of integrity? Did the cavalry of the Northern Barbarians crush your backs?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
