After finishing lunch, Chu Qing planned to rest for a while. She glanced at Wei Yutang, who had followed her, glared at him, and said:
"You are not allowed to follow me. Go back and deal with your state affairs."
Those who served in the emperor's palace were already used to this way of getting along between the emperor and empress, and they all pretended not to see it.
Wei Yutang was forced to stop and watched Chu Qing enter the inner hall. He even stood on tiptoe, afraid that he would miss her.
I didn't dare tell Aqing that he was amazing for finishing all the memorials in one morning, nor did I dare stay here and make him unhappy. I watched for a long time before I had no choice but to leave with a heavy heart.
Upon returning to his study, Wei Yutang happened to see the news of local officials' corruption, which infuriated him so much that he vented his anger on it.
This was the first time the people serving His Majesty had ever seen him so angry, so they immediately dispatched an official from the capital to investigate.
At the same time, a rumor spread that His Majesty detested corrupt officials more than anything else in his life.
After entering the inner hall, Chu Qing did not fall asleep immediately. Instead, he rested with his eyes closed. The system, which was still underage, watched for a long time before finally asking the question that had been bothering him.
"Host, were you really intoxicated and lost control last night?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Qing opened her eyes and gave a sarcastic smirk.
"How could that be? Alcohol doesn't make people completely lose their minds. Never mind if you're so drunk you can't get up."
Rather than saying he lost control after drinking, it would be more accurate to say that he used drinking as an excuse to do things he wouldn't normally dare to do.
"and you……"
For a moment, the system was unsure whether to show a little sympathy for the Marshal, since the Commander seemed quite formidable.
"I did it on purpose."
Chapter 85
Chu Qing never believed that someone could completely lose their mind because of a little alcohol. Even the most potent sleeping pills might not have such a significant effect.
The system wrapped itself tightly in its blanket, feeling that the outside world really did seem complicated.
Previously, it felt sorry for the Commander being pestered by the Marshal, who was like a large dog. Now, it seems that the two of them are a perfect match, a match made in heaven.
Chu Qing initially chose to indulge him, but after it happened so many times, she couldn't handle it anymore. At the same time, she also developed a wicked sense of humor and was looking forward to seeing Wei Yutang act pitiful after being rejected.
Xiaxia is growing up day by day, and Wei Yutang personally teaches him how to handle state affairs. He is also becoming more and more like the demeanor that a crown prince should have.
At first, Xiaxia didn't realize that something was wrong, and she even gradually began to get used to the increasing number of things her father was assigning her.
Sometimes the emperor would even skip court sessions and let him take charge of the government.
At this time, Xia Xia didn't feel anything was wrong. She even thought it was a sign that her father trusted her. Sitting in her father's seat and looking at the ministers below, she inexplicably understood the pressure that came with this identity and the responsibilities she should bear.
Before this, Xia Xia had complained about why his father was always so strict with him. If he could, he would prefer to live the life his father had arranged for him.
Now we finally have the answer. Perhaps it wasn't that my father was strict, but rather that my status truly required such strict instruction.
Chu Qing didn't realize at first that Wei Yutang had actually entrusted everything to Xia Xia. It wasn't until later, when she saw that Xia Xia was visiting her less and less, that she couldn't help but go over to see if the little girl had any secrets.
I just noticed that Xiaxia's desk was piled with a lot of things that should have been placed in Wei Yutang's study.
As soon as Wei Yutang entered the hall, he noticed that the atmosphere seemed a bit off, especially Chu Qing, who, unlike usual, did not come up to him to ask if he was tired, but instead sat there sipping tea.
Having grown accustomed to Chu Qing's enthusiastic demeanor, seeing him like this now felt particularly unsettling. She also took the opportunity to reflect on whether she had done something wrong.
Wei Yutang thought about it for a long time, but he still couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong.
If we really have to talk about it, a while ago an official came back, and it's said that he brought back a local beauty, which could be considered one of the things he did wrong.
But when he heard about it, he let the official leave without hesitation.
What beauty? He had no idea that no matter how beautiful a woman was, in Wei Yutang's eyes she couldn't compare to his Empress.
Wei Yutang sat opposite Chu Qing, reflecting for a long time but still couldn't figure out what else he had done wrong.
"Ah Qing, are you in a bad mood today?"
When Chu Qing heard this, she glanced at him, not expecting that this person could still pretend to be nonchalant.
Xiaxia is already so big now. Chu Qing doesn't object to Wei Yutang entrusting some things to him, but she feels that if all the things are put on Xiaxia's shoulders at once, the little guy will be too tired.
He's just a young kid, it's true that the burden of being the crown prince falls on his shoulders, but he shouldn't have to bear everything alone.
"How dare I?"
When Wei Yutang saw his current attitude, he felt that he was doomed. Normally, he would never talk to him like this.
Even the slightest change in tone could make Wei Yutang overthink for a long time, let alone now that Chu Qing has even changed how she addresses him.
"Ah Qing, I really can't think of anything I did wrong. Why don't you just tell me? If it really is something I did wrong, I'll apologize to you immediately."
A palace maid who had just been transferred to serve the Empress couldn't help but speak with her matron when she saw this scene, asking:
"Has this always been the case between Your Majesty and the Empress?"
"Um."
The old woman didn't like people who talked too much, but she could understand that at such a beautiful age, it was natural to be curious about these things.
"His Majesty is so good to the Empress."
The young palace maid originally thought that the relationship between her parents was already a rare example of affection among ordinary couples. She never expected that within the palace walls, the relationship between the Emperor and Empress was far from what was rumored to be.
She didn't enter the palace just to serve others; she wanted to become a lady-in-waiting. Her education was average, so she could only manage to become a lady-in-waiting in the harem, which would make her father proud.
Seeing Wei Yutang's current state, Chu Qing's anger subsided by half, but she was still somewhat unhappy.
"Your Majesty is quite relaxed now, but Xiaxia is still so young. Have you ever thought about how tiring it would be for him to have so much pressure falling on his shoulders all at once?"
When Chu Qing went to see Xia Xia, Xia Xia's eyes had become more bluish-black, and she looked incredibly pitiful.
"I know I was wrong. I have indeed given Xiaxia too many things lately. I promise I won't do it again."
Wei Yutang had been reflecting for a long time, but he hadn't thought of this place at all. Now that he understood the reason, he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was just because of this.
"Are you planning to hand over all those things to Xiaxia after a while?"
Before this, Wei Yutang did have this idea. Rather than dealing with state affairs, he would rather abdicate as soon as possible and settle down with Chu Qing in the water towns of Jiangnan.
Although Chu Qing was often unwilling to admit it, Wei Yutang could tell that Chu Qing preferred the climate of Jiangnan to that of the capital.
After the chefs from Jiangnan arrived in the capital, Chu Qing used significantly more of their cooking skills every day.
"Xiaxia is still too young. You should at least wait until he comes of age."
While drinking tea, Chu Qing discussed this topic with Wei Yutang. If this were in another imperial family, it would definitely be a bloody battle concerning the change of imperial power.
But in their home, it's just like something so ordinary that it couldn't be more commonplace.
It was as if the throne wasn't something many people would chase after, something they would be willing to give up everything for, even their lives for, but just something as ordinary as could be.
"Okay, I promise you."
Wei Yutang was afraid that Chu Qing would be angry with him, so he didn't reveal his plan to put Xia Xia on the throne after he turned fifteen.
Now that Chu Qing has said this, Wei Yutang feels that it makes a lot of sense.
Xiaxia is still too young to carry the heavy burden, so it's not impossible for me to sit on the throne for a while longer.
Chu Qing's expression softened after Wei Yutang agreed, putting Wei Yutang's mind at ease.
"Don't get angry with me about these things next time."
"That depends on your performance next time."
Chu Qing did not agree immediately, for who knows what other outrageous things Wei Yutang might do next.
"Next time something involves Xiaxia, I'll tell you in advance, okay?"
"Um."
After working hard for a while, Xiaxia suddenly relaxed and noticed that the number of memorials piled on the table had decreased, which made her feel a strong sense of unreality.
Xiaxia rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things before walking over.
"What's wrong with Father today?"
Upon hearing this, the eunuch serving the young prince lowered his voice and replied:
"I heard that the Empress and His Majesty had a talk."
He had served the young prince since he was a child, so he didn't shy away from these matters. He would tell the young prince about them whenever the prince wanted to hear them.
Previously, when the young prince said that reading was too boring and tedious, this little eunuch even went outside to listen to some gossip, intending to tell the young prince about it when he returned.
"I knew it, Father wouldn't be so kind as to let me off the hook."
Xiaxia gave a soft hum and picked up one of the memorials to read.
His father just wanted to push all the blame onto him as soon as possible, because only his father truly cared for him.
After grumbling a few words about his father in his heart, he still had to read all the memorials that needed to be read.
When Xia Xia was fifteen, a very strange idea suddenly popped into his head. That very night, as soon as the idea appeared in his mind, he rushed to find his father, the Emperor.
I didn't see my father in the study, and even the people who usually served him were not there.
"Where is Father?"
Upon hearing this, a young eunuch who had stayed behind to guard the area stepped forward, bowed, and replied:
"They went to the Empress's Palace."
His Majesty rarely stays here overnight. The few times he has stayed are when he has angered the Empress and been kicked out. Everyone knows that His Majesty is most difficult to serve in those situations.
Recently, His Majesty and Empress have been getting along quite well. He usually goes to Empress's place in the late afternoon and doesn't come out again.
"Oh, then I, the Crown Prince, will come to see Father Emperor again tomorrow."
Xiaxia is no longer as clueless as she used to be, and she can guess that her father doesn't want to see her right now.
To avoid upsetting her father and being retaliated against with court affairs, Xiaxia decisively returned to her palace.
Some things could wait until tomorrow to tell his father. He suddenly felt that he could select some highly skilled martial artists from the noble families in the capital to form an independent department to investigate matters that were inconvenient for the Ministry of Justice to investigate.
The head of this department is under the Emperor's jurisdiction, and he obeys no one except the Emperor's orders.
Xiaxia always felt that if there were more people like this, it would be much more convenient for many things in the future.