Chapter 95 The Thing of First Opportunity
When Xiao Qing pushed open the door, she was greeted by Ma Hong and Ying Ying kneeling on the ground.
She walked forward with her head held high as if she hadn't seen him, but after a few steps she saw Mingxiu walking hurriedly towards her again.
Upon seeing Xiao Qing emerge, Mingxiu was overjoyed. "Your Majesty, is he alright?" But her expression quickly turned worried.
Xiao Qing waved his hand and said, "Ying Ying, come here." Then he gestured for Ming Xiu to come over as well.
The three sat together, and Xiao Qing broke her silence. However, she was still somewhat sullen.
"You probably already know the current situation. I summoned you here for two reasons. First, Yingying, the palace is a place of intrigue and trouble, you don't need to stay any longer, leaving the palace as soon as possible is the right thing to do. Mingxiu, help Yingying go to the Inner Palace Bureau to complete the formalities and send him out of the palace, the sooner the better."
Before Mingxiu could speak, Yingying had already knelt down.
"This servant will not leave."
Xiao Qing looked exhausted and said indifferently, "There's no room for discussion. I've already made my decision."
“If this servant wanted to leave, I wouldn’t have handed Xiao Xiao over.” Ying Ying looked at Xiao Qing with a stubborn and firm expression.
However, this did not change Xiao Qing's mind.
She doesn't care much about many things, but she cares a lot about the things she does care about.
She often hesitates on the spot, but once she makes a decision, she is incredibly resolute.
She didn't look at Yingying, but turned to Mingxiu and said, "Let's do it this way."
Ying Ying's expression turned cold. "If Your Majesty insists, I will kneel here and not get up."
Xiao Qing slowly turned around, a hint of suppressed pain in his eyes. "Do you all have the right to force me?"
“That’s not what I meant.” He frowned and spoke urgently, “It’s just that I’ve long been determined to serve Your Majesty. As long as Your Majesty is alive, I will be there. Everything I do is to stay by Your Majesty’s side.”
“That’s why you should leave even more.” Xiao Qing refused to budge.
Mingxiu was in a dilemma. From her perspective, she didn't want Yingying to leave.
Ma Hong has already lost his loyalty, and if Ying Ying also leaves, it will not be a good thing for Xiao Qing.
But……
"What is Your Majesty worried about?" Ying Ying still refused to give up.
Xiao Qing remained silent.
What she's worried about, is that even a question?
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. She can have people around her, but not one she cares about.
She didn't have the ability to protect them.
Xiao Qing unconsciously clenched her hands inside her sleeves.
"It was I who brought you into the palace. Originally... I didn't expect you to become a slave in the palace. I just thought that if General Zhao could take care of you..." Xiao Qing began to regret it.
“I had some inappropriate thoughts about you back then, which is why we are in this situation today.”
Now she realizes how ignorant and delusional it was to try to cultivate her own power step by step to fight against the Grand Tutor and use this method to gain freedom.
But given her status, she's someone no one in the world can acknowledge. Besides, does anyone truly support her?
Grand Tutor? He already has a replacement.
Wang Xiang? He obeyed the chair beneath her buttocks.
Zhao Youchen? How has he behaved since the Grand Tutor returned?
Even these people of status and position treat her like this.
Let's not even mention people like Ma Hong, Liu Yi, Dan Ying, and Mei Shu.
In the end, of the four people Fu Mingyi left by her side, which one was truly on her side?
Given her current situation, she is keenly aware of how unrealistic it is for her to try to gain freedom by striving for self-improvement and securing her position on the throne.
Don't even talk about how much she has to pay for this; she doesn't even know how much she has to pay.
Therefore, she felt even more that the little bit of intention she had for Ying Sheng—the kind of intention she had only seen in plays—to rescue and nurture a young man in distress was utterly ridiculous.
They are all slapping themselves in the face.
"Fortunately, you are not very old and have not been in the palace for long. As long as you stop taking the medicine, you can recover." She was extremely grateful that in this world, the palace servants did not have to endure torture.
"I will prepare some silver for you. After you leave the palace, you can find any job you like, or buy a piece of land... It will be better than living in the palace."
It was her fault, and she will make amends.
Yingying still disagreed, but she knew that Xiao Qing wouldn't listen to her no matter what she said, so she stubbornly knelt on the ground and refused to get up.
Xiao Qing had no choice but to stop trying to persuade her. She simply stood up and said to Mingxiu, "Go and do it."
The second thing is unnecessary to mention.
Yingying hadn't even been seen off yet, and it would be much more difficult for Mingxiu to leave the palace than for him; she couldn't handle this alone. She had intended to discuss both matters together, but now it seemed she hadn't considered things carefully enough.
"Take Xiaolan and Yaoyao with you too," she muttered, and started walking out.
"Your Majesty!" Ying Ying knelt and turned around. "Is Your Majesty blaming this servant for handing over Xiao Xiao? If Your Majesty agrees, this servant will certainly bring Xiao Xiao back, even if..."
Xiao Qing stopped in his tracks. "I don't blame you. There's nothing to blame you for." She was too naive, the Grand Tutor was too…
"And don't even think about bringing Xiaoxiao back."
She frowned. "If you want Xiao Xiao to be well, it's best if you don't go near it in the future, and don't go near Prince Yan or the Grand Tutor either. And don't even think about bringing it back."
Even though Xiao Yan was a well-behaved child, she instinctively disliked him at first sight.
She had a premonition that if she cared about Xiao Xiao, that would be its downfall.
As for bringing Xiaoxiao back, it's much safer for her to do it than for Yingying to do it.
After all, Xiao Yan couldn't do anything to her until that thin veil was torn down.
But Yingying is different.
"Mingxiu, go and do it now."
When Xiao Qing returned to the bedroom, it had already been cleaned.
Ma Hong knelt there quietly, without moving an inch.
After venting her anger, Xiao Qing felt that nothing mattered anymore. She stood beside him and said calmly, "Get up, there's nothing to kneel for."
“This servant is guilty.”
"You are innocent."
"This servant deserves to die!" Ma Hong slammed his head against the ground.
"Ma Hong!" Xiao Qing shouted sternly.
Ma Hong's forehead was just a fingernail's width away from the ground when he finally stopped.
"Go do what you're supposed to do. I don't like people kneeling here. Nor do I like hearing these kinds of things. You haven't done anything wrong, so this is fine."
After she finished speaking, she strode towards her bedroom.
"Change all these bedding, sheets, clothes, etc. I prefer something simple and clean. If not, black is fine too. Avoid overly intricate embroidery; nothing embroidered at all is best. Change everything except the formal robes and court attire."
She stopped by the door, looked inside and saw that everything was neat and tidy, and then she didn't want to go in anymore.
Xiao Qing felt that she had acted very quickly.
But when Mingxiu returned in the evening, Yingying was still following behind her.
She had just finished her meal, and Ma Hong was serving her.
When she saw them come in, her expression darkened.
"What's wrong?"
Mingxiu glanced at Ma Hong but said nothing.
"Speak, nothing can be hidden from the Grand Tutor."
Ma Hong's face turned completely red, and he lowered his head even further.
"The Palace Attendants Bureau said that the Grand Tutor had instructed that the rank of the Palace Attendants should be promoted. Currently, they are only Attendants of the Palace, so there is no reason for them to leave the palace."
Xiao Qing's heart was icy cold.
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