Chapter 16 Grand Tutor and Imperial Preceptor
As the morning court session ended, a light drizzle was falling.
Perhaps because ice had been left in the room all night, Baili Hong sneezed two or three times when he woke up this morning.
Now that it was raining again, Qin Xiao was worried that the child would catch a cold, so he had him take the palanquin back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Qin Xiao stayed behind and chatted with Su Sheng and the others about various things, saying that the national treasury would continue to be replenished and that he and His Majesty would gradually improve the lives of the people.
He and these ministers, who outwardly appeared concerned for the country and its people, made sure to maintain a proper facade before parting ways.
This is the current situation in the Great Ning Dynasty. No matter what people think in their hearts, they must maintain this good reputation and the outward appearance of "a wise ruler and virtuous ministers".
After watching everyone leave, Qin Chaoyang finally spoke: "My lord, the imperial decree has been passed down. The Prince of Jiannan will set off for Hexi County tomorrow."
"Hmm." Qin Xiao took the umbrella from his hand, opened it himself, and then stepped out of the main hall, walking down the steps one by one.
Qin Chaoyang, holding an umbrella, followed beside him and continued, "Just now, the Empress Dowager went to see you, young master, and they talked about the auction. You were just about to come to see you, probably because you guessed that you were using him."
Qin Xiao paused in his steps.
Qin Chaoyang also stopped and saw Qin Xiao looking ahead, so he looked over as well.
Below the long steps, about a hundred meters away, stood two figures, none other than Chu Jiubian and Xiao Xiangzi, whom he had just mentioned.
Qin Xiao paused only briefly before continuing forward, quickly descending the steps.
He gazed into the distance and saw a young man holding an oil-paper umbrella, wearing a dark blue brocade robe, with long silver-white hair cascading down his back and dark hair with slight curls on his forehead. His incongruous appearance, paired with his delicate and beautiful face, gave him a kind of detached beauty that seemed to belong to another world.
Qin Xiao walked slowly to the young man and said familiarly, "You wanted to see me again?"
He's played the role of a playboy for twenty years, so it's all too easy for him to say something so flippant.
But because he spoke so naturally and had such a handsome face, his words didn't seem offensive at all; rather, they sounded like flirting.
If he were facing someone else, he might feel ashamed or embarrassed, but he was facing Chu Jiubian.
As far back as he could remember, Chu Jiubian had never experienced any emotion similar to "shyness".
"I thought you might not have brought an umbrella, so I came to pick you up." Chu Jiubian looked up at the umbrella in his hand and said, "Now it seems I was overthinking it."
"Not much." Qin Xiao closed the umbrella without hesitation and handed it to Qin Chaoyang, who was following behind him.
Qin Chaoyang hurriedly took it, and saw his master step into the young master's umbrella and take the umbrella handle from the other's hand.
Chu Jiubian naturally let go of her hand and took a step.
Xiao Xiangzi lagged a few steps behind, following behind the two along with Qin Chaoyang.
Looking up, you can see two tall figures walking side by side in front of you, both with extraordinary bearing, but their temperaments are worlds apart.
They're a perfect match.
Xiao Xiangzi thought to himself.
Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao walked slowly along the long, secluded palace path, remaining silent for a long time until he felt his left shoulder being soaked by the drizzle, at which point he turned his head to look.
Qin Xiao also noticed his wet shoulder and immediately tilted the umbrella towards him.
Chu Jiubian chuckled softly and said, "Are you taking care of me?"
"Of course," Qin Xiao said. "Young Master has helped me so much, it's only right that I do anything for you."
Chu Jiubian glanced at him, thinking to himself, "Just remember the good I've done for you."
Qin Xiao seemed to understand his glance, and a smile appeared in his eyes as he said, "Saltpeter is now a business of the imperial court."
"Oh." Chu Jiubian pretended not to understand the meaning behind his words.
"Young Master previously said that saltpeter has uses beyond just making ice," Qin Xiao said bluntly. "The day after tomorrow, I'll take you out of the palace, and you can teach me another method, how about that?"
Chu Jiubian stopped and turned to face him.
The two stood under an umbrella, actually very close to each other.
Chu Jiubian had to slightly raise his chin to meet Qin Xiao's gaze. He stared unblinkingly at the man in front of him and asked, "If I don't teach you, you won't take me to the auction?"
That bastard! They were all ready to use him, and now they want to use this to make a deal with him?
Dream on.
Qin Xiao looked down at him. The umbrella still covered most of his head, but his own back was wet.
After a moment, Qin Xiao suddenly chuckled and sighed, "I really don't like talking to smart people."
Chu Jiubian had already guessed that he planned to use him to lure those powerful and influential people and see what kind of bargaining chips they had. Now it was impossible to use the excuse of "leaving the palace" to get another solution from Chu Jiubian.
"What do you want?" he asked.
Chu Jiubian: "I'm so bored all day long, why don't you give me an official position?"
This is what Chu Jiubian wanted from the very beginning.
The court may appear calm on the surface now, but undercurrents are already surging, and the political struggle among these powerful figures will soon reach a fever pitch.
Chu Jiubian couldn't stay outside the vortex forever; he had to step in and work with these powerful figures and Qin Xiao to grasp the latest intelligence and political situation.
Otherwise, once Qin Xiao has suppressed and defeated these powerful figures, the conflict will shift to Chu Jiubian.
Now Chu Jiubian has Jiang Shuoye and Mobei Army as his backup forces, and there will be other believers in the future, but this is not enough to make him an equal to Qin Xiao.
Even inquiring about news from the outside world requires Qin Xiao's permission.
Therefore, in order to completely protect himself, Chu Jiubian must possess a status and power that can rival Qin Xiao.
A few flashes of lightning streaked through the gloomy clouds, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.
The rain intensified.
Chu Jiubian paid close attention to every change in Qin Xiao's expression, and he was actually quite uneasy inside.
This request seemed to reveal too much ambition, so it's normal for Qin Xiao not to agree.
It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also felt like only a few breaths had elapsed before Qin Xiao nodded and said, "Your Majesty happens to be short of a teacher."
"You want me to be the Imperial Tutor?" Chu Jiubian was not very satisfied.
The Imperial Tutor is supposed to be the emperor's teacher, but in reality, with Qin Xiao, the regent and the emperor's maternal uncle, around, the young emperor doesn't really listen to the Imperial Tutor much.
Moreover, the Imperial Tutor's job is only to teach the emperor knowledge and etiquette. He cannot attend court, has no real power, and cannot improve Chu Jiubian's current situation of having no subordinates and being "blind and deaf".
Qin Xiao could tell he was dissatisfied from his frown, but he wasn't annoyed. Instead, he smiled and said, "What I'm talking about is a first-rank Grand Tutor who can attend court and participate in government affairs. Are you satisfied, young master?"
Chu Jiubian's brows relaxed.
It seems Qin Xiao knows what he wants.
"I really enjoy talking to smart people." Chu Jiubian's eyes sparkled, and his tone was gentle, as if he was deliberately trying to tug at someone's heartstrings.
Qin Xiao glanced at his shimmering eyes and said meaningfully, "Then I'll have to ask the Grand Tutor to think more about His Majesty in the future."
He was isolated and helpless in the court, with almost no capable civil officials.
If Chu Jiubian could attend court, with his intelligence and abilities, he would definitely be a sharp weapon in Qin Xiao's hands.
But now, the direction of the blade of this knife is unknown.
Qin Xiao wasn't in a hurry; he would know who would end up with the knife by the day after tomorrow.
Chu Jiubian understood his unspoken meaning and felt that the other party's willingness to offer the position of Grand Tutor showed sincerity. He felt he should reciprocate, so he said, "Your Highness, rest assured, His Majesty is intelligent and clever, and I like him very much."
He can first verbally express his position, and then prove it through his actions after meeting with others the next day.
Anyway, he never thought of cooperating with other forces. In the end, he would still stand on the same side as Baili Hong, the male protagonist of this world.
Qin Xiao's deep eyes reflected the young man's stunningly beautiful face.
"Then I shall wait and see."
==
The Qiu family of Yanmen was the wealthiest of the four great families.
Their family originally made their fortune outside Yanmen Pass by trading salt, iron, and furs with tribes in the grasslands, eventually controlling the entire border trade route.
Later, when the imperial court tightened its control, they abandoned their open business and became more secretive, while their open business began to expand into the Central Plains region.
Their caravans have now spread across most of Ning Dynasty, and they are also deeply involved with the Jianghu forces.
Because of their trade, the Qiu family always managed to acquire some rare and precious items.
In order to sell at high prices, the Qiu family opened a Treasure Pavilion in the capital. Every six months, the Treasure Pavilion would hold an auction to sell rare and precious items at high prices.
Now it's time for the first half of the year's auctions again.
Early on, the Qiu family had already released the news that many of the treasures in this auction came from the Western Regions and the Northern Territory, and were extremely rare in the Central Plains.
The capital city is never short of powerful and wealthy people, so everyone was naturally very excited. Even merchants from the Jiangnan region came to join in the fun.
On the day of the auction, starting in the afternoon, carriages of all kinds arrived one after another, each bearing the name of its respective family.
The Treasure Pavilion has three floors. The first floor is reserved for ordinary wealthy merchants and officials of all ranks, while the private rooms on the second floor are reserved for powerful and influential people who may never have the chance to meet ordinary people in their lifetime.
The four great families and high-ranking officials of the first and second ranks in the court are almost all on this level.
The third floor above was reserved for the most beautiful courtesans and talented women from the most famous restaurants and pleasure boats in the capital, who would serve tea and perform their arts there.
Therefore, many early-arriving guests would go to the third floor to browse, drink tea, and appreciate art.
As evening approached, more carriages arrived, but the flags on each one were enough to make one's heart tremble.
When colleagues in the court occasionally bumped into each other, they would greet each other and chat and laugh.
When Xiao Yao, the head of the Xiao family of Lin'an, arrived, he happened to run into Lu Jinfeng, the head of the Lu family of Wuwei. Both of them were only in their early thirties.
Xiao Yao was dressed in a blue robe, looking like a frail scholar, and even his temperament seemed somewhat effeminate.
Lu Jinfeng was dressed in a dark long robe, his face was cold and hard, and his large robe could not hide his strong muscles. Of course, the most eye-catching thing was the long knife at his waist that had killed countless people.
Xiao Yao smiled, stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Brother Liaoyuan, it's been a long time. You look even more robust."
"You're becoming more and more like a woman," Lu Jinfeng sneered.
Xiao Yao's expression remained unchanged: "Who in the Great Ning Dynasty doesn't know that the women of my Xiao family are beautiful? If I were even half as beautiful as the girls in my family, it would be my honor."
Lu Jinfeng ignored him.
The whole family relied on the woman's beauty to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy to maintain their status, without feeling ashamed at all.
Just in case, the street was cleared out today. Only people with connections in the capital could come here; ordinary people could only stand outside the street and watch the excitement from afar.
Normally, when there is an auction, the street is not so crowded. People would come and go into the Treasure Pavilion to exchange pleasantries.
But today, the area in front of the gate was extremely lively. The important figures were all standing outside in twos and threes, chatting and glancing at the end of the long street from time to time, as if they were waiting for someone.
The setting sun cast a golden glow on the ground, and finally, a horse-drawn carriage slowly approached from the end of the long street.
The carriage was entirely black and gold, with a banner fluttering with the character "Qin" in a flamboyant style.
It was the Qin family's carriage.
To be more precise, it was Qin Xiao's carriage.
The people who were talking gradually fell silent, and countless eyes were focused on that spot.
Everyone knew that Qin Xiao wasn't the only one in the car; the famous Ninth Young Master of the capital was also there.
Author's Note:
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