5 Strict
"Your Majesty, please go back first." Shen Zhiyuan finally spoke, but his voice was still cold. "I am used to life in the countryside and do not want to set foot in the court again."
Li Zhaoyi's heart sank instantly. She looked at Shen Zhiyuan's resolute eyes and knew that it was useless to say more.
But she was unwilling to give up just like that.
"Sir Shen," she walked to the gate and looked back at him, "I will not leave. As long as you don't agree, I will stay here.
Even if you don't see me, I will be here, watching you teach the children to read and watching how the people in this village live.
I want you to know that this is not a momentary impulse, but I really want to do something for this world."
After saying that, she turned and walked out of the yard, and settled down with Master Xu in a dilapidated temple outside the village.
At night, the cold wind blew in through the windows of the dilapidated temple. Li Zhaoyi wrapped herself tightly in a thin quilt, but could not fall asleep.
She thought of Shen Zhiyuan's words and the people struggling in misery, and secretly vowed in her heart: no matter how difficult it is, she will ask Shen Zhiyuan to come out of retirement and defend this country.
At this moment, Shen Zhiyuan stood in the yard, looking towards the dilapidated temple outside the village, the tea bowl in his hand had already gone cold.
The night in the dilapidated temple is much colder than that in the imperial city.
Li Zhaoyi wrapped herself in the old cotton quilt handed to her by Grand Tutor Xu, listening to the howling cold wind outside the window, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
The moonlight outside the temple poured in through the hole, casting mottled shadows on the ground, just like her shattered hopes at the moment.
Shen Zhiyuan's rejection was like a piece of ice, freezing her heart and making it ache. But when she thought of the soldiers at Yanmen Pass and the refugees in the south, she gritted her teeth and told herself that she couldn't give up just like that.
Li Zhaoyi got up before dawn.
She used the dim morning light to comb her messy hair, dusted herself off, and then followed Master Xu to Shen Zhiyuan's courtyard again.
From a distance, she saw Shen Zhiyuan chopping wood in the yard. The sound of the axe falling was crisp and powerful, and each blow seemed to hit her tense nerves.
"Lord Shen." Li Zhaoyi walked forward, her voice a little hoarse from waking up in the morning.
Shen Zhiyuan stopped what he was doing, turned around and looked at her, frowning slightly: "Why is your majesty here again?"
"I have said that I will not leave until you agree." Li Zhaoyi met his gaze without any retreat.
"I came here today not to persuade you, but to help you. If you chop wood, I will help you collect it; if you cook, I will help you light the fire.
If you won't discuss state affairs with me, then I will learn from you how to be an ordinary person and see how difficult life is for ordinary people."
After she finished speaking, without waiting for Shen Zhiyuan's reaction, she bent down to pick up the firewood on the ground and carefully piled it in the corner.
Her fingertips were scratched by the rough firewood, and tiny beads of blood oozed out, but she pretended not to see it and continued to bend down to pick up firewood.
Taifu Xu wanted to step forward to help, but she stopped him with her eyes. She wanted to let Shen Zhiyuan know that she was not the princess who was raised in the deep palace and was ignorant of the suffering of the people, but an emperor who was willing to bend down for the people.
Shen Zhiyuan looked at her clumsy but serious expression and tightened his grip on the axe.
He had seen too many officials who fawned on the powerful, and too many royal family members who only knew how to give orders, but he had never seen an emperor who was willing to humble himself and pick up firewood in a country yard, and even cut his hands with the firewood.
He remained silent and did not chase her away. He turned around and continued chopping wood. The force of the axe fell was lighter than before.
That day, Li Zhaoyi really stayed in Shen Zhiyuan’s yard.
She helped to light the fire, but accidentally let sparks fly out of the stove, burning her cuffs black; she helped to feed the chickens, but was chased all over the yard by the chickens;
She wanted to help wash the dishes, but she almost broke them. Shen Zhiyuan looked at her flustered appearance, and for the first time there was a hint of smile in his eyes.
He walked forward, took the bowl from her hand, and said softly, "Your Majesty, let me do these things."
"I can learn." Li Zhaoyi snatched the bowl stubbornly. "I even had to learn how to defend my kingdom. How could I not be able to learn such a small thing?"
Shen Zhiyuan looked at the stubbornness in her eyes and said nothing more. He just stood aside and silently taught her how to wash dishes and how to control the heat.
As the sun sets, Li Zhaoyi finally learns how to light a fire. Looking at the rice porridge boiling in the pot, a long-lost smile appears on her face.
This was the first time she made a bowl of edible food with her own hands, and it was even more delicious than the delicacies she had eaten in the palace.
"Master Shen, please try it." Li Zhaoyi filled a bowl of porridge and handed it to Shen Zhiyuan.
Shen Zhiyuan took the porridge, took a sip, and nodded: “It tastes good.”
Li Zhaoyi smiled even more happily, but when she thought of state affairs, her smile faded again: "Lord Shen, do you know?
I took a walk around the village today and saw a family that had no food and could only eat tree bark and grass roots.
There was also a child who caught a cold and had no money to see a doctor, so he could only lie in bed and wait to die.
I am the emperor, but I can't even protect my own people. Am I useless?"
Shen Zhiyuan put down the porridge bowl, looked at her red eyes, and said in a softer voice than before: "Your Majesty, you can see these.
"Being able to care for these people is already better than many emperors. However, governing a country does not rely on care, but on methods. What you lack most now is not determination, but means."
"Then please teach me!" Li Zhaoyi grabbed his sleeve, like grabbing the last straw,
"I know you have a way. Please teach me how to clean up the pests, how to comfort the refugees, and how to repel the Huns.
As long as the people can live a good life, I will obey you in everything, even if you ask me to get up before dawn to study, even if you call me stupid, I will accept it! "
Shen Zhiyuan looked at her hand that was clutching his sleeve, her fingertips trembling slightly.
He remembered that when he was young, he had said similar words to the late emperor, wanting to change the court with his passion, but was eventually deposed and retired.
Over the years, he had watched the court become corrupt and the people suffer, and his heart was broken. But he was afraid, afraid of stepping into that vortex again, afraid that his efforts would be wasted again.
"Your Majesty, please go back first." Shen Zhiyuan gently pulled back his sleeves, his voice returning to its coldness, "Let me think about this matter again."
Li Zhaoyi looked at his resolute back, feeling a pang of disappointment. However, she did not insist any further and simply nodded. "Okay, I'll wait for your reply. No matter how long it takes, I'll wait."
That night, Li Zhaoyi did not return to the dilapidated temple, but knelt outside Shen Zhiyuan's courtyard.
Grand Tutor Xu wanted to persuade her, but she stopped him: "Grand Tutor, this is my choice. Lord Shen refuses to come out of retirement because he doesn't trust me. I want him to know that my determination is not just talk."
The night grew deeper and the wind grew colder.
Li Zhaoyi knelt on the cold ground, and her knees soon lost feeling. The biting cold spread from the soles of her feet to her whole body, making her shiver uncontrollably.
But she did not get up, but just looked at Shen Zhiyuan's door, silently saying in her heart: Shen Zhiyuan, please, help me, help the people of this world.
After an unknown amount of time, Shen Zhiyuan's door finally opened.
He looked at Li Zhaoyi who was kneeling on the ground. Her face was pale and her lips were purple, but she still had her back straight. A complex emotion flashed in her eyes, including surprise, heartache, and a hint of hesitation.
"Your Majesty, why are you doing this?" Shen Zhiyuan walked forward and wanted to help her up.
"Lord Shen, have you agreed to come out of seclusion?" Li Zhaoyi raised her head, her eyes full of anticipation.
Shen Zhiyuan was silent for a moment, and finally nodded: "Your Majesty, I am willing to assist you."
When Li Zhaoyi heard this, tears instantly fell from her eyes, not because of pain, but because of excitement.
She wanted to stand up, but because she had been kneeling for too long, her legs gave way and she almost fell. Shen Zhiyuan was quick to support her arm.
The warmth from her fingertips came through her sleeves like a warm current, instantly dispelling the chill from Li Zhaoyi's body.
She looked into Shen Zhiyuan's eyes, which reflected the moonlight and her figure.
"However, I have one condition." Shen Zhiyuan's voice sounded, interrupting her thoughts.
"You said, no matter what the conditions are, I will agree to them." Li Zhaoyi said quickly.
"I only teach your majesty how to be a monarch, not a puppet of a powerful official." Shen Zhiyuan looked into her eyes with a firm look.
“I will help Your Majesty clean up the court, pacify the people, and repel foreign enemies.
But Your Majesty, remember that the country is yours, and the final decision rests with you. You must learn to make your own judgments and decisions, and not always rely on me."
Li Zhaoyi nodded solemnly. "I've got it in mind. I will study hard and strive to become a qualified monarch, living up to your expectations and the people of this world."
Shen Zhiyuan looked at her determined eyes, and the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.
He helped Li Zhaoyi to her feet and said softly, "Your Majesty, it's late. Please go back to your room and rest. Tomorrow we will set off for the capital."
As soon as the carriage returning to Beijing entered the imperial city, Shen Zhiyuan gave Li Zhaoyi a "show of power".
On the second day, at 3:30 pm, he was already waiting outside the Yangxin Palace, holding a stack of yellowed "Zhenguan Zhengyao" in his hands. His tone was not at all accommodating: "Your Majesty, from today on, the morning class will be held at 3:30 pm every day.
Analyze memorials at 3:30 AM, discuss military affairs at 5 PM, and study law at 5 PM. I will not relax the standards even a little bit just because Your Majesty is a woman or young."
Li Zhaoyi rubbed her sleepy eyes. She had been sorting out the refugee resettlement plan brought back by Shen Zhiyuan until midnight last night, and her head was still dizzy.
She looked at the dark sky outside the window and couldn't help muttering softly: "It's just dawn..."
"When refugees are starving in the cold wind, they will not wait for daybreak; when the Xiongnu cavalry breaks through the city gates, they will not wait for Your Majesty to get enough sleep."
Shen Zhiyuan's voice was as cold as the frost outside the palace. He placed the "Zhenguan Zhengyao" on the table and pointed at a page. "Today's morning class, memorize the chapter 'The Way of the King'. In one hour, I will come to test you. If you make a mistake in one word, you will be punished by copying it ten times."
After saying that, he turned and left without stopping at all.
Li Zhaoyi looked at his resolute back, then lowered her head to read the densely packed classical Chinese words, feeling a surge of grievance in her heart.
She was the emperor, but she was treated so harshly by her subjects that even getting a little extra sleep became a luxury.
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