Chapter 12 Too Difficult to Please
Xiao Qing held the memorial in her hand, pondered for a moment, and then looked up at Fu Mingyi.
Fu Mingyi's attention was clearly not on her.
Just as she was engrossed in reading the hot memorial, Fu Mingyi, who was standing next to her, casually took out the book that she had just put back on the bookshelf.
It was an older picture book, with a cover depicting several weeping willows by the riverbank. Under the willows stood a young man gazing at the river, while on the river floated a painted boat, where a graceful woman sat at the bow, fiddling with loquats.
The painting is rather simple, but the title "Flying Flowers Enter Spring" written on the left has a certain elegance.
He casually flipped through a few pages and saw that they were stories of noblemen and beautiful women that ordinary people loved to read.
The plot is simple, the language is colloquial, and the dialogue is straightforward...
Xiao Qing looked up and saw the book title, and was immediately surprised.
She hadn't expected that there would be such a type of storybook in the Imperial Study.
But the Grand Tutor doesn't teach her anything; instead, he keeps her here to cover up the truth that he's working for the Emperor...
She'll always have to find a way to pass the time.
The Imperial Study was never short of books.
The two tall bookshelves were filled with books, and with nothing else to do, she naturally had to read.
Then I discovered a storybook from this era.
The story itself was rather mundane. But its advantage lay in the fact that it was displayed in the imperial study. Compared to the classics of great Confucian scholars, poems, and songs, she naturally preferred to read books that required neither much thought nor literary talent to understand.
If there is one, then there are two.
While the Grand Tutor was working, she would quietly move a chair and search through both rows of bookshelves, finding all the storybooks and placing them separately on a lower shelf for easy access.
She even came up with a brilliant skill that she could use to make a living in the future—writing books.
With this thought in mind, Xiao Qing became even more focused on reading.
But even a fool could tell that Fu Mingyi would never normally read such boring books.
But at this moment, he was actually reading it carefully...
"Grand Tutor?" Although she didn't want to disturb the Grand Tutor's enjoyment, she still had to deal with the memorial in her hand.
Look how cooperative she is with the Grand Tutor now, she's practically keeping her tail between her legs.
The Grand Tutor has yet to comment on her suggestion from that day.
She felt that this revealed two things: first, the Grand Tutor might have felt that she wasn't sincere enough; second, the Grand Tutor was probably a Virgo, too difficult to please.
Fu Mingyi closed the storybook, looked down at Xiao Qing with a deep gaze, pursed his thin lips slightly, and asked, "Have you read this one?"
"I haven't had a chance to look at it yet," Xiao Qing answered honestly, then a thought flashed through her mind, "If the Grand Tutor likes it, he can take it back and look at it slowly. I'm not in a hurry to look at it."
The Grand Tutor's expression seemed to soften with a smile.
Xiao Qing was encouraged.
"Actually, this one should be well written; the cover alone makes it much better than the others. It's just that this kind of line drawing style is a bit too plain. If it had some color, it would be more attractive."
Being outgoing and knowing how to find topics to talk about are two very important skills.
Fortunately, Xiao Qing is quite good at both of these abilities when necessary.
Xiao Qing felt that she had been obedient enough, but good things often come with difficulties. To gain the trust of the Grand Tutor, she still needed to do something important.
This spark needs to start with finding common interests and hobbies.
However, the Grand Tutor's reaction was much milder than she had imagined.
He simply looked at her with a smile in his eyes, neither continuing the discussion with her nor stopping her from speaking, which made her a little unsure whether this Grand Tutor was interested in the topic at all.
After thinking about it, she decided that, to be on the safe side, it would be more appropriate to say that it was a serious matter like a memorial to the emperor.
So she cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject, saying, "Grand Tutor, what do you hope I will do about the matters mentioned in this memorial?"
The Grand Tutor then slowly said, "Your Majesty should also pay attention to royal etiquette in private. It's best not to use words like 'you' and 'I' lightly. If you get used to using them, you might make a mistake in public."
Xiao Qing mentally rolled her eyes at him.
He didn't say anything like this a few days ago, but now he's picking on her. Hmph, he's had enough of seeing her be subservient, hasn't he?
However, she still nodded sincerely and said, "Grand Tutor is absolutely right. Although I respect and love you, and regard you as my own family, others may misunderstand my intentions. I will definitely be more careful in the future."
Fu Mingyi seemed to chuckle lightly, bent down slightly to put the book "Flying Flowers Enter Spring" back on the bookshelf, and then turned around to look at Xiao Qing.
"When the Great Xiao Dynasty moved south and established its capital in Nanhua, the vacant ministerial positions naturally needed to be filled by the ministers from the south. Song Baoye, the prime minister, had previously betrayed the country and fled, so it was not appropriate to keep the prime ministership for him. Lord Wang Ming sacrificed himself to protect the country, and it is only reasonable that Wang Xiang, as his cousin, was valued and recommended by so many ministers."
The memorial in Xiao Qing's hand was a joint recommendation from the ministers for Wang Xiang to be prime minister.
The memorial was signed by various ministers. Xiao Qing had never paid attention to it, so naturally he couldn't recognize whose names they were.
However, upon hearing Fu Mingyi say this, she keenly sensed that most of the ministers who signed the document were probably the "Southern ministers" he mentioned.
Fu Mingyi carefully observed Xiao Qing's expression and eyes, and knew that she probably understood.
To be fair, if it weren't for the many suspicious aspects of her identity, she would actually be a more perceptive and talented student than the Crown Prince back then.
This is one of the reasons why, during their desperate escape, he genuinely considered teaching her.
But perhaps it was precisely because she possessed many qualities he admired that she forced him, who was usually cautious, to reveal his ability to "transmit messages secretly," which further escalated his wariness and distrust of her.
"What does the Grand Tutor hope I will do?" Xiao Qing did not give his opinion immediately, but carefully asked Fu Mingyi.
Fu Mingyi smiled and said, "That depends on who His Majesty prefers as prime minister."
Xiao Qing smiled, a genuinely sincere smile. "Naturally, it's the Grand Tutor."
Fu Mingyi shook his head. "No, it should be Prime Minister Wang." His words made his stance clear.
Xiao Qing didn't ask why, and readily replied, "The Grand Tutor is absolutely right. The Grand Tutor's meaning is exactly what I mean."
Fu Mingyi suddenly wanted to see if there was any change in her serious and sincere expression.
"Then where should I be placed in Your Majesty's eyes?"
Xiao Qing was stunned for a moment, not understanding what Fu Mingyi meant by asking the question, or what kind of answer he wanted from her.
However, she still looked up at Fu Mingyi with longing eyes without showing any emotion, "The Grand Tutor is of utmost importance to me. Wherever the Grand Tutor wishes to be placed, I will grant it."
Even if you, Fu Mingyi, are hard to please, I've already unconditionally agreed to any of your requests. You can't possibly still be dissatisfied, can you?
Fu Mingyi narrowed his eyes, and the smile on his face gradually disappeared. After a long while, a strange and unfathomable deep color appeared in his eyes as he stared at her.
Xiao Qing's heart skipped a beat.
No way, you got this answer wrong?
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