Next time, no matter where Daddy goes, even if he has to drag him along or act like a rascal, he will definitely follow.
"Father, you can't lie to Xiaxia."
"Okay, I promise I won't lie to you."
Chapter 114
Chu Qing knew she had frightened Xia Xia this time. After having dinner, she held him and coaxed him to sleep, then put the contract back in its original place.
He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that as long as Wei Yutang was around, he didn't need to worry about anything at all.
Everything was arranged by him, even things he himself hadn't noticed.
Xiaxia looked quite well-behaved after falling asleep, and overall resembled Chu Qing more, but you could still see some resemblance to Wei Yutang in her eyes and brows.
The little guy, who combines the best qualities of both of them, always makes people feel the wonder of blood ties.
Wei Yutang has been gone for some time now, and Chu Qing doesn't know when he will return. The time they've been apart isn't long, and perhaps because they've developed a habit from being together, she still feels a strange sense of longing for him.
In the capital, the young emperor, who was reviewing memorials, couldn't help but wonder if he had misheard when he heard the news of the general's return.
"Is he truly the Great General?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I personally checked it and I guarantee it's correct."
"Go and invite them quickly. Never mind, I'll go and see for myself."
After saying this, the young emperor threw the brush aside and walked outside.
When Wei Yutang returned to the capital, the familiar yet unfamiliar scene brought back a flood of memories, leaving him with a sense of melancholy.
The late emperor passed away suddenly. Although a crown prince had been appointed, the prince was too young to handle state affairs after ascending the throne.
Entrusted with the care of the young emperor on his deathbed, Wei Yutang returned to the capital after quelling the border rebellions and helped the young emperor stabilize the court.
Later, after the young emperor turned sixteen, Wei Yutang had no attachment to power and returned it all to the young emperor. To avoid being instigated by others, he also took the initiative to conceal his whereabouts and left the capital.
Go to that remote little village and become an ordinary hunter.
"Sir, you're finally back."
When the young emperor saw Wei Yutang, his eyes reddened with excitement. Even though he was now the ruler of a country, he still bowed slightly and gave Wei Yutang a junior's salute.
Wei Yutang reached out and held his arm, whispering:
"Your Majesty, there is a distinction between ruler and subject."
Upon hearing Wei Yutang's words, the young emperor felt as if all the grievances he had suffered while alone in the capital after his teacher's departure had suddenly surfaced.
"Sir, I know that as the ruler of a country, there are many things that must be given up, but now... even you must leave me?"
After all, he was a child he had personally raised. Seeing his pitiful appearance, Wei Yutang couldn't bring himself to be harsh. Helplessly, he rubbed his temples and reminded him:
"If you're out in the open, you still need to be careful."
The implication is that if the young emperor wanted to continue their relationship in private as before, it wouldn't be impossible.
Upon hearing the teacher's words, the young emperor's expression instantly changed, and joy flashed in his eyes.
Thank you, sir.
Wei Yutang followed His Majesty into the palace, where servants had already laid out pastries and tea. Having spent a long time on the border, he was used to strong liquor and was not accustomed to the fine teas of the capital.
Now, after picking it up and taking a bite, an inopportune thought popped into my head: if Chu Qing were here, he would probably like these simple and elegant things.
"gentlemen?"
The young emperor spoke several times, the gist of which was how difficult it was for him to face the wolves and tigers in the court alone after his teacher left.
But after waiting for a long time, she did not hear a reply from her husband. At first, she thought that her husband was dissatisfied with her. After carefully observing her husband's expression, she realized that this was not the case.
"Um?"
Wei Yutang snapped out of his daze after hearing what the young emperor said. He didn't know what the young emperor had just said, but he hadn't heard a single word of it.
"Sir, is something on your mind?"
"I'm thinking about my wife at home."
This was the first time the young emperor had ever seen his teacher like this. Back then, all the noble ladies in the capital could have chosen him at will, given his status. He didn't know how, after returning to that place, he got married without even sending a letter to inform him.
"Sir, are you married?"
"Um."
Although Wei Yutang hadn't paid attention to what the young emperor had said earlier, he could roughly guess what it was.
"You did a great job."
The teacher's praise made the young emperor temporarily put aside his previous curiosity, and he was so excited that his eyes reddened slightly.
"Sir, have I really done enough?"
"nature."
Wei Yutang was willing to believe in this child whom he had raised. When the late emperor passed away, the young emperor was only six years old and knew nothing. It was definitely a lie for the ministers in the court to say that they had no intention of interfering.
With so many court officials eyeing the throne with covetous intent, Wei Yutang single-handedly shouldered everything, raising the young emperor to this age.
For the young emperor, his teacher was both a mentor and a friend, and even briefly filled the void left by his father's early passing.
"Your Majesty, you must believe in yourself."
"Sir, you're married. Is she beautiful? Do you have children?"
After all, so much time had passed. Even though the young emperor still thought about his teacher, he knew that his status was different now. He controlled his emotions before they lingered for too long and changed the subject to other topics.
“In my heart, he is naturally the most handsome. He has a son who is three years old this year. If there is a chance in the future, I can bring him over for you to see.”
"good."
The young emperor had mentioned this topic to his teacher when he was still very young. He said that when his teacher had children in the future, they would go to school together with the crown prince and he would become the crown prince's right-hand man.
He will teach his husband's children well, just as his husband once taught him.
"Sir, you've returned this time because..."
The young emperor didn't believe that his teacher would return without a reason, especially after such a long time.
He had taken over the power from his husband so many years ago that he could see things more clearly than he had imagined.
The gentleman must have returned without telling anyone else, otherwise it would have caused quite a stir.
"Just came to see you."
Of course, Wei Yutang couldn't say that he had come back to collect some money, lest Chu Qinglao misunderstand that he couldn't support his family.
So I just made up an excuse to brush off the topic for now.
He said this not so much as to deliberately deceive.
That was indeed what he was thinking. Several years later, he was also very curious about what the young emperor had grown into.
If there are any problems, he can help deal with them.
After all, he was the young emperor whom she had personally raised and accompanied as he grew up. To put it bluntly, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she treated the young emperor as her own son.
He left decisively because there were many malicious speculations in the court, and he did hold a lot of power. He didn't want these things to completely destroy the relationship between him and the young emperor.
"Sir, I'm already very happy that you came back to see me. Have you thought about when you'll return to the capital?"
No matter what people in the court speculated about, the young emperor distrusted the ministers and refused to believe what they said to him. But the only person he could never doubt was his teacher, who had been with him since childhood.
"In two years, when you have the court completely under your control, I will return with my family."
Wei Yutang felt that Chu Qing was right about some of the things he said. For example, at Xia Xia's age, they definitely wanted to give Xia Xia a better living environment.
He didn't want Xiaxia to stay there, receiving instruction from a teacher who had only passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations, as long as conditions allowed.
It wasn't that Wei Yutang was arrogant; he genuinely felt that those teachers were even inferior to him.
"Sir, I will try my best."
The young emperor reached out and wiped the corner of his eye, concealing his slightly reddened eyes.
He wanted his husband to return to the capital, so that if anything happened, at least he would have someone to talk to.
Instead of the current situation where he has to solve everything on his own, he's fed up with spending most of the night alone in an empty room with only lights on.
"Your Majesty, you must understand that as the ruler of a country, those around you will eventually leave you."
Wei Yutang hadn't had the heart to tell the young emperor these things before, after all, this was the child he had raised himself, and seeing him sad and aggrieved made him feel bad too.
But now that he's back, Wei Yutang doesn't want to miss a single thing he should say.
The young emperor had realized this a long time ago, but hearing it from his most trusted teacher still made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
In front of his teacher, he seemed to have transformed back into the child he once was, who could always seek his teacher's help no matter what trouble he caused.
Wei Yutang did not break the silence. He had only been reluctant to take care of the young emperor because he knew the emperor had lost his parents long ago.
Unexpectedly, that caused the young emperor to become too dependent on me.
Wei Yutang hoped that the young emperor would grow into a wise ruler who could solve everything on his own, no matter what he faced.
He can stand behind Your Majesty and become Your Majesty's support, but he is definitely not someone Your Majesty should rely on when you are weak.
Later, the young emperor realized that he could not continue like this, so he picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.
After sitting for so long, the tea had cooled down and didn't taste very good. He took a sip, put it back, took a deep breath, and asked:
"Does that include you, sir?"
Seeing the young emperor's desperate grasp at a last straw, Wei Yutang avoided his gaze, nodded slightly, and replied:
"That naturally includes me, Your Majesty."
Chapter 115
The young emperor remained silent for a long time, while Wei Yutang quietly stayed by his side.