Hua Zhi looked at the backs of several people, and inexplicably felt a sense of tragedy in her heart. Everyone has selfish desires, and the Grand Tutor is no exception, but he did not retreat in the face of justice.
These are the people of the Central Plains. They have all kinds of shortcomings and will fight to the death for their own interests, but their backbones cannot be broken when facing foreign enemies. Even if they are defeated today, they will endure for a year, ten years, a hundred years, even if it takes several generations, and they will eventually regain their homes.
Sometimes they are so hateful that you want to kill them all, but sometimes they are so lovable that you need to respect them.
"Your Highness."
The sound of greeting from the side brought Hua Zhi back to her senses. She turned around and saw the prince. She didn't say that he shouldn't have come out. As the king of a country, he should remember the sacrifices his subjects made for Daqing.
"Master, I want to be closer."
"Your Highness, you can't do that." Minister of War Chen Yuanqing hurriedly stopped him, "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Your safety is the most important thing."
The prince ignored him and stubbornly asked the tutor for an answer.
Shen Qi's eyes were fixed on Hua Zhi. He could guess her answer. Sure enough, that person smiled and said, "I will accompany Your Highness."
"Master Hua!" Minister Chen raised his voice.
Hua Zhi looked back at him, "Sir, don't you think that a prince who is willing to move forward rather than retreat is more responsible?"
Chen Yuanqing was speechless for a moment. Who said it wasn't true? If the prince only knew how to avoid them when encountering trouble, they would be worried about the future of Daqing.
"I am also willing to follow Your Highness." Shen Qi stepped out and stood on the other side of the prince.
The prince raised his lips slightly and strode forward.
Hua Zhi silently pointed to the position behind the prince, and seeing that Shen Qi understood and protected the back, she quickly took a step and stood in front of the prince, protecting him from the front and the back. She agreed that the prince could take risks, but she would not really put him in danger.
Several old ministers followed suit upon seeing this, feeling happier in their hearts. The Grand Tutor was right; a prince who was willing to move forward rather than retreat was a blessing for the whole country!
But before they could get close, the Grand Tutor was forced out by an arrow. If Xue Liang had not used his whip in time, the force of the arrow would have pierced the Grand Tutor.
Xue Liang protected the Grand Tutor behind him, with his waist slightly bent, ready to strike.
A deep voice was heard, "Two hundred years ago, Hua Jingyan destroyed our capital, and today his descendants are ruining our clan's affairs again. The elders have ordered that Master Hua come in and speak."
Everyone looked at Hua Zhi.
In this silence, the voice was heard again with full of sarcasm, "Why, Master Hua doesn't dare?"
"I just thought about what big things I've ruined for you."
"Wait."
The prince grabbed the arm of the tutor and shook his head at her. The other party had set up such a big scene in the street just to take the tutor's life. If the tutor went in now, how could he survive
Hua Zhi smiled, patted his hand soothingly, and reached out to the nearby Qisusi people, "Give me some black gunpowder."
The man hesitated, not knowing whether to give it or not. Everyone could guess why he wanted black gunpowder at this time.
Xue Liang helped the Grand Master back to rescue the man, "I will arrange everything properly, you don't need to do this!"
"I have no strength left." No, it should be said that she had no strength for a long time. The wound on her left side seemed to have split even after being sutured. The pain had long been numb. She raised her hand, and everyone saw that her hand holding the dagger was shaking. "I can't swing it anymore. Get something to fill me with some black powder. I'll use it to protect myself."
Even a seven-foot-tall man felt uncomfortable at this moment, not to mention the young prince, who had to keep his mouth tightly closed to stop his teeth from chattering.
Finally, Xue Liang put three bowl-sized grains of black gunpowder in a bag.
"Give me the fire stick, too."
"grown ups!"
"Just in case of emergency." Hua Zhi chuckled. "Don't worry, no one wants to die if they can live. But if the time comes, we'll always have to find someone to take the blame."
Xue Liang couldn't give it to her no matter what, so Hua Zhi snatched it from him in the end. After putting it in her arms, she turned around and looked at everyone, "Can I ask for a promise from everyone here?"
Zhu Bowen felt uncomfortable with the blockage in his throat. He coughed lightly and said in a hoarse voice, "You say."
"When your highness wishes to allow the Hua family to return to the capital someday, please do not stop him for any reason."
This is what Hua Zhi is most wary of. Although the prince is in power, he is only twelve years old after all. Without the support of court officials, nothing can be accomplished. But as long as these people in front of him agree, other people are not important.
The Grand Tutor made a promise in a deep voice, "Master Hua is dedicated to the public and everyone in the court knows it. No one will stop him."
"In that case, I feel relieved." Hua Zhi sighed with a relaxed smile. This day was really too long, and she was so tired that she could hardly find her feet.
Lifting the black gunpowder, which was still a lot of work for her, Hua Zhi patted the hand that was holding her arm tightly, "I'm not so important that they are willing to sacrifice the life of a wise man for it, don't worry."
"I will go with the Master."
"Silly, they'll make a profit if they add you." Hua Zhi laughed, "Yan Xi has been working for Daqing for many years, and you still want to dump all these things on him? Can't you let him take a rest?"
"Grand Tutor!" The prince's eyes were red and he was unwilling to let go. He was afraid that if he let go, he would no longer have a Grand Tutor!
"I haven't helped you become a wise ruler yet, haven't waited for my family to return, and haven't married Yan Xi yet, so how could anything go wrong?" Hua Zhi looked towards the direction of Fushou Palace, "I won't let my life leave so many regrets."
She will try her best to survive, even if there is only a glimmer of hope.
"My hand hurts."
The prince subconsciously let go immediately. Hua Zhi smiled, hugged the black gunpowder to her chest with both hands and walked forward, "Xue Liang, make arrangements carefully."
"yes."
Xue Liang gritted his teeth to keep himself calm. After Qu Qi left, he was the only chief of the Qisu Division left, and all the pressure was on him. He couldn't imagine what the consequences would be if the Grand Tutor died in there.
No one spoke. Everyone was watching the not-so-tall figure. As Hua Zhi's maternal grandfather, Zhu Bowen's body was shaking slightly, and before he knew it, tears were streaming down his face.
To say that they were not very close in the past, she was always hiding her incompetence and never even went out. She only visited the Zhu family a few times throughout the year. But in the past two years, he watched a girl support the family, watched her walk step by step to where she is today, watched her shoulder all the favors that she shouldn't have shouldered and tried hard to repay them, watched her protect this and that, and he didn't know when he started to be proud of her. This girl who never cared about what others said about her must not know how many people's views of women changed because of her. It was she who let the world know that women can compete with men for a piece of the sky!
But now, he was watching her accept the invitation that had no way out, and he was powerless to do anything.
PS: My nose is sore from writing this.
I saw a girl in the book review section saying how could no one know about so many enemies in the palace. In fact, there was a hidden clue in the front. After the death of the late emperor, the empress dowager confined the concubines to several palaces and did not allow them to move around freely. Therefore, there were many vacant palaces in the palace. Then there was Yuxiang. She was not an ordinary nanny. She was unmarried and had been with the empress dowager all her life and was deeply trusted by the empress dowager. Her appearance represented the empress dowager, and even the late emperor gave her face. You can imagine how useful this identity is in the deep palace. It is not difficult to conceal the whereabouts of the Chaoli people. Don't forget that the Chaoli people are very skilled, and it is not that difficult for them to enter the palace.