Volume 1, Chapter 52: The Empress Actually Knows How to Comfort Someone?

The Fan Residence.

In the moonlit courtyard, Fan Xiu was paying a heavy price for his loose tongue.

He was being ruthlessly drilled by Ying!

"Hold the stance!"

With a wooden stick in hand, Ying glared at Fan Xiu, who was practicing the horse stance. She brought the stick down sharply against his arm and scolded coldly, "What are your hands doing? Keep them level! They're shaking like a sieve. Are you even capable of this?"

Fan Xiu clenched his teeth, his entire body trembling uncontrollably as sweat poured down his forehead.

He regretted it.

He shouldn't have run his mouth. Why on earth did he have to go and provoke this fierce woman?

The rigorous training by this fierce shrew had left every muscle in his body aching. Though his hands were completely empty, they felt as heavy as if he were supporting a mountain.

Yet, he did not refuse.

After all, he genuinely needed the physical conditioning; it was just that having this fierce woman pacing back and forth before him with a stick made his heart flutter with nervous tension.

In the west room of the main house.

Xiao Ruoqing watched Fan Xiu's arduous struggle through the window, unable to help but recall what Ying had told her earlier today upon returning.

Though she spent her days secluded deep within the imperial palace, she had indeed heard the name of Su Ying'er.

Previously, Su Ying'er had long held the reputation of being the foremost talented woman in the capital.

As the daughter of the Minister of Justice, Xiao Ruoqing had met her a few times before ascending the throne, and she certainly lived up to her reputation as a woman of profound talent.

Had Su Ying'er's father not been implicated in the rebellion of the Prince of Liang, their family would never have suffered the fate of having their property confiscated and family wiped out.

She had never expected that Su Ying'er would also come to Zhiyuan County.

What surprised Xiao Ruoqing even more was the poem Fan Xiu had composed just to see Su Ying'er.

*Four hundred and eighty temples of the Southern Dynasties, how many towers and pavilions in the misty rain.*

How could someone as cowardly and money-obsessed as Fan Xiu compose a poem so brimming with a profound sense of historical vicissitudes?

Just how many secrets were there about this Fan Xiu that she had yet to uncover?

Xiao Ruoqing stepped outside.

"Eldest Sister, why have you come out?" Ying asked.

Xiao Ruoqing replied, "Liutong, you may go back and rest first. Master Fan can take a break as well."

Daring not to disobey Xiao Ruoqing's command, Ying answered, "Understood."

As soon as Ying left, Fan Xiu collapsed straight onto the ground, frantically shaking his legs and arms to relax his muscles.

"I can finally catch a breath," Fan Xiu said with a grimace.

***

Ying entered the room, but instead of resting, she stood by the window, gazing at Fan Xiu and Xiao Ruoqing outside.

Protecting the Empress was her sacred mission.

Her entire family had perished at the hands of the Northern Lin royal court; only the Empress could avenge them. Even if it meant her death, the Empress could not be allowed to suffer the slightest harm!

Xiao Ruoqing walked over, sat down beside Fan Xiu, and asked, "Why push yourself so hard if it's this exhausting? With your literary talent, you could make your name known throughout the world just the same."

Fan Xiu grabbed the hem of Xiao Ruoqing's skirt and wiped the sweat right off his face with it.

Xiao Ruoqing: "???"

She scrambled backward in panic and indignation, snapping, "What are you doing?! Can't you use your own clothes to wipe your sweat?!"

Behind the window, Ying witnessed this scene and was so enraged she almost burst right out!

How could this Fan Xiu be so utterly shameless?

Fan Xiu chuckled and said, "My clothes are dirty, but my wife's clothes are fragrant and clean."

Looking at Fan Xiu's rogue-like demeanor, Xiao Ruoqing was left completely speechless.

Judging by this fellow's behavior, was he really the kind of person capable of composing such a deeply melancholic and profound poem?

Fan Xiu lay flat on the ground, looked up at Xiao Ruoqing, and said, "You ask me why I'm training? Let me tell you, having literary talent alone without martial arts means you simply cannot survive in a world like this!"

Li Bai, renowned throughout history as the Poet Immortal, passed down immortal verses through his writing.

Yet, he was also a supreme martial arts master—a disciple of Pei Min, the Sword Saint of his era, and the second-greatest swordsman of the Great Tang!

"You could take the imperial examinations and become an official," Xiao Ruoqing said with a frown. "As long as you possess genuine talent, the Empress will certainly protect you. No one would dare to harm you casually."

"Oh, please," Fan Xiu rolled his eyes and retorted. "The Empress can barely protect herself, let alone me? If I stepped into the imperial court, I probably wouldn't survive past the second day! And if the Great Dynasty of Da Yin were to fall one day, I'd likely be forced by that Empress to die as a martyr for the nation. How utterly worthless would that be? It's much better to live freely out here! So do save your breath; I'm never going to pursue the imperial exams."

Xiao Ruoqing pondered for two seconds before saying, "Then shall we continue our discussion about the Great Yin Dynasty? To return to our previous question: if you were the Empress, how do you think Da Yin could be saved? Last time, you only mentioned that self-preservation should come first. What comes after that?"

As she spoke, a look of eager anticipation surfaced on Xiao Ruoqing's face.

Over the past two days, staying cooped up in her room, she had been endlessly pondering what course of action to take next.

She had indeed come up with some countermeasures.

However, she was far more interested in hearing Fan Xiu's perspective.

Exasperated, Fan Xiu asked, "Why are you so fascinated with how to save Da Yin? Are you the Empress or something?"

"I... I am not," Xiao Ruoqing replied with a flustered expression.

*Could it be that I made it too obvious?*

***

"Tch!"

Fan Xiu sat up, waving his hand dismissively. "Who said you were the Empress! I just don't understand why you're wasting your idle time worrying about such things when you aren't even her."

Xiao Ruoqing let out a sigh of relief.

*That was too close.*

Rolling her eyes playfully, a smile crept onto Xiao Ruoqing's face as she coaxed, "Fan Xiu, I think you're exceptionally clever. A man as brilliant as you must have unique insights, so I really want to hear your thoughts. Won't you share them with me?"

Inside the room, Ying rubbed her eyes in utter disbelief.

The Empress was actually acting coquettishly to coax Fan Xiu?

Was... was this still the same Empress she knew?

Could her majesty have been possessed by a foreign spirit?

"Ahem!"

Fan Xiu fought hard to suppress the corners of his mouth, which kept threatening to curl upward in triumph. Pressing a finger to the bridge of his nose, he adopted a profound expression and said, "Well, since you do have a good eye, your husband here indeed possesses such extraordinary vision. As I said before, the first step is self-preservation, but the next step is to cast your gaze outward!"

Confused, Xiao Ruoqing asked, "Could you elaborate on that?"

With boundless enthusiasm, Fan Xiu explained, "It's about intelligence gathering and public opinion monitoring. The so-called Emperor rules the entire realm, but in reality, the extent of what an Emperor can truly control is merely a radius of ten meters! The Emperor only knows what the people within this ten-meter radius choose to tell them! The Empress currently lacks a stable foundation, and the most important task right now is to consolidate that foundation, tighten her grip within that ten-meter radius, and fully grasp the current situation to accurately understand the state of local governance, public sentiment, and potential threats!"

Hearing Fan Xiu introduce the concept of the "ten-meter radius," Xiao Ruoqing's mouth dropped open in astonishment.

Though this phrasing initially sounded utterly absurd, upon deeper reflection, it was profoundly true.

Especially as the Empress herself, she felt this reality with painful clarity!

All her sources of information came exclusively from the Blood Feather Guards, the memorial reports submitted by officials, and the advice of ministers.

"It's just that..." Xiao Ruoqing frowned. "What you say sounds simple, but how easy is it to actually cast one's gaze outward? The entire imperial court is controlled by aristocratic clans and high-ranking officials."

With a confident smile, Fan Xiu replied, "It's very simple! Utilize the Blood Feather Guards or secretly dispatch imperial censors to establish more direct information channels, and found a newspaper."

"Uh, a newspaper? What does that mean?" Xiao Ruoqing asked with intense curiosity, her face a mask of shock and bewilderment.

These notions tossed out by Fan Xiu were things she had never heard of in her life!

How on earth did such bizarre and peculiar terms manage to fill this fellow's head?