This entirely selfless concern for Xiao Qing seemed almost enough to conceal the inexplicable sourness in the depths of his heart.
The moment Su Mingde reached the entrance to Zichen Hall, Xiaoxi came up to meet him. “Master, you’ve finally returned. His Majesty was just asking about you.”
Su Mingde wiped the sweat from his brow and said to Xiao Qing, “Lord Xiao, please wait a moment. I’ll go in and report to His Majesty first.”
Xiao Qing took the opportunity to catch her breath. Her legs had already been swollen and aching from days of riding hard to hurry along the road, and now she had walked all the way from the palace gates to here. She felt as if her legs no longer belonged to her.
After only a few breaths, Su Mingde came back out. “Lord Xiao, His Majesty bids you enter.”
Xiao Qing walked into the hall, lowered her head, and bowed in greeting.
The anger His Majesty had felt moments ago dissipated by more than half the instant he saw Xiao Qing.
She was thinner than before, but not even a trace of her breathtaking beauty had been diminished. Her black hair was bound beneath a jade crown, and her brows were like sword edges, slanting up toward her temples. Yet those slightly slender, peach-blossom eyes revealed a hint of alluring charm. Perhaps because of the heat, beads of sweat hung from the tip of her nose, setting off her already moist and delicate complexion.
The waist outlined by her sky-blue jade belt was a little too slender. His gaze lingered over it several times before he realized it.
Xiao Qing knelt with her head lowered in the hall. Zhao Xuanye walked over, intending to help her up.
He had not expected the snowy whiteness of her neck to enter his eyes without warning. A vermilion mole on her neck resembled a plum blossom in winter, fresh and lovely.
Zhao Xuanye’s gaze darkened. He cursed inwardly. Why did a man have to be so alluring?
Suppressing the thoughts in his heart, he personally helped Xiao Qing to her feet. Beneath his palm, he could feel the bones of her arm, and displeasure appeared on his face. “It has been half a year since we last met. Qufeng, how have you become this thin?”
The reproachful tone made Xiao Qing feel slightly uncomfortable. She rose with the strength he lent her and replied with her head bowed, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern. I suffer in the summer, and the heat in Yangzhou made me lose my appetite.”
Zhao Xuanye’s voice carried a note of anger. “You’ve been working yourself to the bone for days. Even if you had no appetite, the people accompanying you should have advised you properly. How could they simply let you carry on so recklessly? How have they been serving you?”
Xiao Qing sat below him. After considering her words for a moment, she said, “It isn’t their fault. If I refuse to eat, they can hardly force food into my mouth.”
“Besides, I’m a grown man. Missing a few meals won’t hurt me.”
Zhao Xuanye gave a derisive laugh. “You still have the nerve to call yourself a grown man? Look at how weak and fragile you are now. A gust of wind could blow you away!”
“When you were little, you were clearly even fatter than I was. Why have you grown thinner and thinner with age? You haven’t grown any taller, either. Now I’m a whole head taller than you. Has the Marquis’s Residence been withholding your food?”
Xiao Qing coughed awkwardly. “How could I compare with Your Majesty, so brave and distinguished? Not just me—even if all the men under Heaven stood before Your Majesty for comparison, few could surpass you.”
“I am a civil official and rely on my pen. Naturally, I cannot compare with Your Majesty’s mastery of civil and military affairs, or your wisdom and courage.”
Although she was flattering the emperor, Xiao Qing was not lying.
Zhao Xuanye had swordlike brows and bright, starry eyes, with a high, mountain-like nose. His features were sharp without appearing coarse. He was tall and slender, standing more than eight chi in height, and because he practiced martial arts, his build was strong and robust. The jade belt around his waist only accentuated his narrow waist and broad back, making him extraordinarily handsome.
Zhao Xuanye had been accustomed to flattery since childhood, but hearing these words from Xiao Qing still left him feeling remarkably pleased.
“This salt-tax inspection was no easy task. You handled it splendidly. You truly are one of my staunchest ministers!”
The salt tax had remained an intractable mess since the late emperor was alive. Local powers were deeply entangled, and officials protected one another. Xiao Qing had been subjected to several assassination attempts before she had even reached the region. The dangers she had faced along the way could be imagined, but she could not mention them before the emperor, or it would seem that she was taking pride in her achievements.
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s appreciation and trust. You bestowed your own sword upon me and granted me the authority to execute first and report afterward. I am grateful that I did not fail Your Majesty’s expectations.”
“Those officials overseeing the salt trade draw their salaries from me, yet they still embezzle the court’s money. Relying on the distance between Heaven and the emperor, they truly thought I could do nothing to them!” When Xiao Qing had departed, Zhao Xuanye had given her the sword he had carried for many years and ordered her that, should anyone obstruct her investigation, she need not report it first—she could execute them on the spot.
The number of criminal officials Xiao Qing had brought back this time exceeded the number of officials accompanying her. The stench of blood at Caishikou[1]In Qing-era usage, Caishikou was especially famous as a public execution ground jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3498931_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3498931_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); would likely linger for a month or two.
“Using this opportunity, I intend to promote you to Minister of Revenue.”
Xiao Qing immediately rose and refused. “Your Majesty, I am only eighteen years old and am already Vice Minister of Revenue. If I am promoted again now, I fear people will criticize it.”
“You may be young, but your talent is exceptional. If anyone else at court were as capable as you, I would promote him several ranks as well.”
“But, Your Majesty—”
Zhao Xuanye cut her off. “No buts. You and I are sovereign and subject, united as one. Perhaps our names may be recorded in history.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” This time Xiao Qing did not refuse. To continue declining would make her seem ungrateful.
“What is the matter with that woman you brought back on the road?” Zhao Xuanye still could not hold back and asked the question.
“Both her parents died. Her elder brother and sister-in-law sold her into a pleasure house. I could not bear to see someone so young left to wither away, so I rescued her.”
Zhao Xuanye felt displeased, and his voice unconsciously took on a mocking tone. “Our Lord Xiao truly is the people’s parent.”
Confused by his inexplicable mood, Xiao Qing could only reply stiffly, “All the people under Heaven are His Majesty’s subjects.”
Zhao Xuanye was so exasperated that he laughed. “Do you know how many eyes in court are watching you now, hoping you will make a mistake?”
“How could rescuing the people be a mistake?” Xiao Qing asked, somewhat puzzled.
Zhao Xuanye did not know whether she genuinely had no such intentions or was merely pretending. He decided to make himself clear. “You are a man who rescued a young woman of marriageable age and even brought her along with you. Do you know what those remonstrating officials will say? They will say you lack virtue in your private conduct. Worse still, they may say you took a liking to the girl and forcibly kept her at your side, refusing to let her leave.”
“That is utter nonsense! Wouldn’t saying such things ruin the girl’s reputation?” Xiao Qing hurriedly defended herself. “She had nowhere to go, which was why I brought her along. Once I return home, I will have my mother find someone to teach her a skill. That way, she will at least have the means to support herself.”
When Zhao Xuanye heard that she had already made arrangements, the pressure lodged in his chest finally eased. “Those were merely things I heard. It is good that you have a plan. I was only thinking of your welfare. You need not rush into matters of love and marriage. I will keep an eye out for a suitable young woman for you.”
A chill immediately ran down Xiao Qing’s back. If His Majesty ever became hotheaded and granted her a marriage, the burial ground required for her entire nine-clan family would not be enough even if it stretched for two li!
“Thank you, Your Majesty, but at present I only wish to serve Your Majesty faithfully and work for the people. I have no desire to marry!”
Then she reconsidered. Perhaps His Majesty wished to establish an empress but was embarrassed to say so directly. “Your Majesty is two years older than I am. Perhaps you should consider the important matter of selecting an empress.”
The late emperor had died young, and His Majesty’s birth mother, Empress Dowager Xiaoxian, had died even earlier. His Majesty was both the empress’s eldest son and the legitimate heir. The current empress dowager had been the late emperor’s favored consort; she could not speak with authority before him, much less make arrangements on his behalf.
Zhao Xuanye suppressed the smile at the corners of his lips. “You want me to select an empress now?”
What kind of thing was that to say? How could the important matter of selecting an empress be decided merely by whether he wanted it or not? Xiao Qing chose her words carefully. “Selecting an empress concerns the foundations of the state. A well-matched emperor and empress would also benefit the stability of the realm.”
Zhao Xuanye waved his hand, his expression turning indifferent. “I understand. I had originally intended to keep you for the evening meal, but your mother is probably growing anxious waiting for you. You should return home first.”
Was she being dismissed?
He had been perfectly agreeable just moments ago, and now he was displeased again! Serving beside the emperor really was like accompanying a tiger.
When Xiao Qing rose to take her leave, she accidentally brushed against the tender flesh between her legs. The pain made her suck in a sharp breath. She lost her balance and fell back into her seat.
“What is it?” Seeing that she did not speak, Zhao Xuanye hurriedly called toward the outside, “Su Mingde! Summon the imperial physician!”
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