Chapter 291: Handle It Yourself

“Your Majesty, I would like to request leave for a trip to Longchuan,” Xiao Qing petitioned.

Xiao Yang was in the middle of reviewing memorials. “How long will you be gone?”

Xiao Qing replied, “I’m not certain yet. My mother is in poor health, and I haven’t seen her in many years. I’d like to stay for a while.”

Xiao Yang looked up at him. ‘Time really flies,’ she thought. In the blink of an eye, Xiao Qing had been by her side for nearly ten years.

The once gawky youth had become a mature man—steady, reserved, steadfast, and reliable.

Xiao Qing had been married for three years to Song Qingyi’s cousin, and they had a daughter together.

Xiao Lan had been posted to a remote region as a General, while Xiao Cheng and Xiao Qing were the Emperor’s most reliable guards. Not that Xiao Yang was short on guards, however.

“Granted.”

Xiao Yang had no reason to refuse. Still, the look she gave Xiao Qing held a hint of pity.

‘The workhorse has grown up,’ she thought. ‘Time to put on the yoke and send him to the grind.’

After thanking the Emperor, Xiao Qing left for Longchuan with his family the very next day. Two months later, a memorial from King Longchuan arrived on Xiao Yang’s desk.

It wasn’t the Princess Consort who was gravely ill, but King Longchuan.

Longchuan’s climate was harsh. Xiao Kun suffered from chronic ailments from his many years on the battlefield. Combined with the recent years of exhausting work managing Longchuan’s government affairs, his body was severely depleted. He could no longer hold on.

Most importantly, internal strife in Longchuan was ceaseless. After years of development under imperial rule, the native Longchuan people had full bellies and now sought to smash the very rice bowl that fed them. They wanted to seize power and restore the old system of Longchuan Country, and their influence had grown so strong it was becoming difficult to suppress.

Xiao Kun and his men hadn’t dared to publicize the situation. Instead, they first summoned Xiao Qing back to ensure that if anything happened to Xiao Kun, there would be someone to take control.

Only when Xiao Qing had arrived safely did they dare inform the Emperor of the situation.

Xiao Yang wasn’t surprised by this news. For Xiao Kun to have maintained peace in Longchuan for ten years was already an incredible feat. It was inevitable that the Longchuan people would eventually resist.

Now it all depended on whether Xiao Qing could handle the situation.

As a capable official who had served at the Emperor’s side for a decade, Xiao Qing had seen and learned things that no teacher could ever impart.

Xiao Qing wrote a memorial detailing Longchuan’s plight and the challenges it was about to face. He also included his own thoughts and proposed a course of action.

He followed the most precise court template for memorials to the letter.

However, after meticulously writing a lengthy report, all he received in return were three words scrawled in a flamboyant script: “Handle it yourself!”

Xiao Qing: “…”

‘That’s very much Her Majesty’s style.’

Wen Rang, his hair already streaked with gray, leaned in for a look and frowned. “Her Majesty doesn’t plan to intervene?”

Xiao Qing sighed. “Her Majesty has always been indolent. Unless it’s a critical matter, she shirks whatever she can. An issue of this scale in Longchuan truly isn’t worth her attention. That doesn’t mean she’s washing her hands of it, just that it’s not yet time for her to make a move.”

He then gave a helpless smile. “However, if a day ever comes when she does need to step in, she’ll surely be disgusted with me.”

‘After all this time by her side, if the skills I’ve learned still aren’t enough to bring Longchuan to heel, how stupid would that make me?’

Wen Rang was still trying to figure out how to help Xiao Qing resolve the crisis, but Xiao Qing had already raised the butcher’s knife.

Before those people could even react, Xiao Qing led his men to kill several of the ringleaders overnight.

The Emperor’s First Principle: An emperor does not need a reason to kill. If the emperor knows you are plotting rebellion, you deserve to die.

The next day, Xiao Qing appeared nonchalantly in the council hall and announced he was taking over all matters in Longchuan.

‘He killed them, didn’t he?’

‘He definitely killed them!’

Before the old guard of Longchuan could find any evidence to condemn Xiao Qing’s evil deeds, his second blade fell.

He ordered a full review from top to bottom. Anyone found to be involved was to be summarily executed.

The first strike was dealt in the shadows; the second was in broad daylight.

The Emperor’s Second Principle: Persuade through reason.

Find the criminal evidence, build a reasonable and well-founded case, and sentence them according to the law. The executions would be so justified that no one could argue.

In less than three days, he had slaughtered the rebels into a state of terror.

There was discontent, and there was hatred. But with their leaders all dead and their assets and treasures confiscated, they lacked the resources to fight back, even if they wanted to.

Just as they were discussing how to retaliate, Xiao Qing threw out a lure. He promoted a few of the more reasonable native Longchuan people, announced a policy of tax reduction, and implemented charitable measures benefiting the elderly and children.

By employing both carrot and stick, he stabilized the entire situation, presenting the Emperor with a perfect report card.

Xiao Qing earnestly wrote his report, wondering if Her Majesty might offer a word of praise. After finishing, he carefully sealed it, ready to be sent. But when he stepped outside, he found everyone packing their luggage.

“What are you all doing? I’m not in a hurry to return to the Capital City yet.”

He thought his parents were preparing these things for him.

Xiao Kun clapped him on the shoulder and said with deep feeling, “I’m getting old. This heavy burden is yours to bear now.”

His mother hugged his shoulders, full of reluctance to part.

“Ah Qing, take good care of yourself. And listen to your uncle.”

Xiao Qing raised his hand, then raised it again, but couldn’t stop his parents’ carriage from disappearing into the distance.

‘It’s clear they really wanted to go to the Capital City.’

Xiao Qing shrugged, resigning himself to the role of the poor, abandoned child. He turned to Wen Rang. “Uncle, why aren’t you going?”

Wen Rang fanned himself. “Someone has to stay and help you. However, if you really don’t need me, I can probably still catch them if I leave now.”

Xiao Qing: “…”

‘Really… there’s just no love left at all.’

Although his parents seemed a bit heartless, Xiao Qing was still worried.

His father’s health was genuinely failing. The journey to the Capital City was long and arduous, and he worried if his father could endure the bumpy ride.

But Xiao Qing couldn’t stop them. They had dreamed of visiting the Capital City. It was better for them to go now.

The Capital City had a moderate climate and advanced medicine. If his father went there, his suffering might be alleviated, and he might even live a few more years.

It was just that after parting today, he had no idea what year it would be before they met again.

He and his parents had spent these years mostly apart. While it was regrettable, he knew this was the best possible outcome for them.

Longchuan was too remote; it needed someone trustworthy to govern it.

Her Majesty had groomed him for this very purpose.

Now that he had grown up, it was time for him to take up his parents’ burden.

——

While some had learned to shoulder responsibility, others were still in their rebellious phase.

As they say, life is more than just the daily grind; there’s also poetry and distant horizons.

Ten years in the same place, living the same life… even the most prosperous existence would grow stale.

And so, one fine morning, the Emperor took two of her Imperial Consorts, left a note, and ran away from home.

Rong Yin, who had been left behind, was so furious he crumpled the letter in his hand. His gentle expression vanished as he looked at the person walking in, replaced by a gloomy, biting look.

Mu Yunlian snatched the letter from him. “Her Majesty just went out for a trip. It’s not like she’s never coming back. Why are you acting like a madman?”

Rong Yin shot back without hesitation, “You were left behind too. Looks like Her Majesty doesn’t care that much about you, either.”

A smile played on Mu Yunlian’s lips, but his eyes were as cold as ice. “It doesn’t matter who Her Majesty takes with her. I can always find out where she is. Besides, you know very well that where she’s concerned, I’m more special than the rest of you.”

Day one of the Emperor’s absence: two Imperial Consorts were at each other’s throats. The court officials: “…”

‘What did we ever do to deserve this?’