"Sir, you flatter ! It is my honor to share your worries and relieve your burdens! Back then, when I had nowhere to turn, if it weren’t for your help, I might still be wandering outside!"
Seeing that Xia Qing truly respected him, He Zhongkuan was moved to tears. He spoke of past events and expressed deep gratitude for Xia Qing’s help.
After everyone had left, Min Feng stayed behind. Xia Qing knew he had sothing to say, so he kept him in the study.
Xia Qing returned to the desk, planning to arrange this matter first. He needed to act quickly; the Emperor had already been overwheld by the issue of border rations these past few days and had run out of patience.
If he didn’t move quickly, he might anger the Emperor, who then might not even give him any face.
Xia Qing took a deep breath. The Emperor hadn’t set his sights on the fortunes of rchants or Gu Chengyu’s soap recipe, but surprisingly, he had focused on him.
And he was unaware until Mr. He reminded him; otherwise, he wouldn’t have thought of it.
He was getting old after all, having lived comfortably for too long. It’s lonely at the top, and there were hardly any officials in the court he needed to deal with.
He couldn’t help but relax; years of enjoying privileges had dulled his vigilance.
Min Feng saw Xia Qing sotis lost in thought, sotis writing quickly on paper, knowing his teacher was taking steps to resolve the matter. He dared not speak and only waited patiently.
After a while, Xia Qing set down the pen, took up the letter, glanced at it, and nodded.
He blew the ink dry, placed it in an envelope, and sealed it with fire lacquer. He called a guard to deliver the letter to Yingnan Mansion overnight.
After handling this matter, Xia Qing looked a bit fatigued, rubbed his brow, and felt quite exhausted.
Seeing his teacher had finished, Min Feng’s knees gave way, and he knelt before Xia Qing.
"Teacher, it was my incompetence this ti that burdened you to clean up after ." Although Xia Qing felt so self-bla in his heart, he also harbored so resentnt.
This matter was entrusted to him by his teacher; otherwise, the Emperor wouldn’t have punished him.
Tomorrow, the Hanlin Academy will surely know about this, and he would lose face entirely. How could Gu Chengyu possibly hide it for him? It would undoubtedly cause an uproar.
Min Feng didn’t realize he was judging others’ intentions by his own petty mindset.
Gu Chengyu hadn’t ntioned this at Hanlin Academy, and Zhang Hai himself was involved, so it was even less likely to be ntioned.
It was certain to be leaked; after all, there are no walls without holes. But, that would be a few days later.
Moreover, those who respected Xia Qing would not discuss this matter before Min Feng even if they knew, for fear of disrespecting the Chief Minister Xia.
Seeing the disciple kneeling before him with a respectful deanor and a hint of guilt on his face, Xia Qing couldn’t help but feel softened.
"You! You dismissed my previous instructions as if they were trivial. Consider this a lesson. Sadly, what could have been a credit is now a mistake, nearly leading to the cri of deceiving the Emperor."
Seeing Min Feng’s face turn even paler, Xia Qing continued, "Let this matter be a lesson for you; in the future, you must be diligent in your affairs. Do not lose your forr diligence once you hold office. Those romantic poems and writings, indulge in them less; they are re empty reputations, unnecessary in the officialdom, no more than embellishnts! Stand up!"
Xia Qing had indeed put effort into this disciple, sincerely planning for his future.
Upon hearing this, Min Feng knew his teacher had forgiven him. He carefully stood up and asked about the matter of border rations.
Xia Qing did not hide anything, explaining the general course of events.
This brought greater guilt to Min Feng, as his teacher had sacrificed even his kin to redy the mistake.
He was deeply grateful; his teacher had been devoted to him.
Originally just a poor scholar, without seeking shelter with his teacher, he wouldn’t have these good days.
"In the future, I will surely act with caution, more diligently than before, striving not to bring sha to my teacher."
Xia Qing, seeing his sincere remorse and increased respect, felt very gratified.
"Teacher, that Mr. He is quite remarkable; his strategies are only slightly inferior to yours."
Min Feng suddenly recalled He Zhongkuan, feeling this person was deeply strategic, as if troubleso matters resolved promptly in his hands.
Having heard Min Feng’s high evaluation of this person, yet placed him ahead of He Zhongkuan, Xia Qing couldn’t help but feel a bit proud.
Though he felt Min Feng was sowhat flattering, who doesn’t enjoy hearing good things?
"This person’s strategies are indeed brilliant, having advised several tis, each ti enabling to gain the upper hand in my encounters. He is a rare talent."
While Xia Qing spoke, he nodded, showing his deep admiration for He Zhongkuan.
"Two years ago, purely by chance, I saved him. Back then, he worked under a rchant, but that rchant committed an offense, nearly implicating him. The rchant had ties to my kin, and noticing his keen mind and strategy, I brought him to my mansion."
Xia Qing only briefly ntioned a few words, without detailing the specific reasons.
Min Feng, having seen the brilliance of those earlier guests, felt sharper than before.
"Is there any issue with this person? If he is a scout for others, that would be troubleso."
Hearing this, Xia Qing was very pleased and nodded with satisfaction—excellent! It seems he has calculated a bit more than before after experiencing this matter.
"Rest assured! There is no issue with this person."
He Zhongkuan followed the servant holding a lantern back to a small courtyard in Xia Mansion where he resided. He had no wife or children, living alone.
Returning to the house, he dismissed the servant. After washing up, he paused to listen for any outside noise, believing there was likely no one outside.
He took the candlestick to a side study in the bedroom, produced a precisely cut square piece of paper, and began writing passionately by candlelight.
After a short while, he put down the pen, took a small bamboo tube from his sleeve, and placed the paper inside.
After sealing the bamboo tube, he hid it close to his body before lying down on the bed.
The next day, at dawn, the officials of the Dayan Dynasty were already waiting outside Taihe Palace to attend court.
Xia Qing stood with hands lowered in the front, gazing absentmindedly at the blue bricks on the ground.
Yesterday, he had already arranged everything that needed arranging, only waiting for today’s court session.
He remained unsure if ntioning this matter during court might incense the Emperor. He was prepared for a severe reprimand from the Emperor today.
Behind him, Shen Shikang glanced at the front figure, lost in thought, with a cold smile upon his lips.
He and Xia Qing had always maintained a superficial harmony, secretly plotting against each other, due to Xia Qing’s previous suppression of officials aligned with the Second Prince.
The Emperor summoned him yesterday afternoon, still about the border rations issue.
Assigning Xia Qing to the border rations matter also amused Shen Shikang inwardly—Xia Qing had finally encountered this day.
This was a significant challenge that had long troubled civil and military officials alike. He would watch how Xia Qing resolved this matter, especially when the Ministry of Revenue was not providing funds.
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