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Chapter 233: Dismissal
Chapter 233: Dismissal
Only when his arms were empty did King Qi finally realize what had happened.
His little sweetheart had gone to someone else's embrace.
Waa!
Looking again, Su Su was still cuddling and kissing her mother, the Queen.
He didn't get any of that!
King Qi almost fell into a depression.
For the entire morning, he did nothing but hover around his daughter.
By the time Feng Xuanrui and the others entered, King Qi couldn't even squeeze into Su Su's circle.
Fortunately, after breakfast, Feng Xuanrui and the others had to go to class.
As soon as Su Su heard that her brothers were going to class, she eagerly exclaimed, "Class is good, I like class!"
Although she didn't understand, she could be with her brothers and also learn to read.
Su Su's enthusiasm was naturally encouraged by King Qi.
Liu Hemeng arrived at this time as well, accompanied by Shen Huatang and Master Shen.
Today, Master Shen hadn't specifically prepared corresponding enlightenment knowledge, but during the lecture, he intentionally interspersed some review content.
For example, he recited the Three-Character Classic and Thousand-Character Classic.
Su Su didn't understand, but she followed her brothers' example, nodding and chanting along.
As for the deeper meanings within?
How was she supposed to understand?
Sometimes, when she encountered a word with a complex pronunciation, because she hadn't heard it before, she would stumble over the pronunciation.
However, this did not affect Su Su's enthusiasm.
King Qi sat on the sidelines, his gaze never leaving Su Su.
Master Shen: ...
Although he felt a bit speechless, thinking about the unreasonable things the King had done over the years in pursuit of a daughter, simply accompanying his daughter to class was quite normal.
Too normal, in fact.
Queen Qi wanted to stay a while longer, but there were still matters in the front and back courtyards that required her attention.
She couldn't just ignore her responsibilities like the King and dote on whoever she pleased.
Especially now that her health was poor, she felt even less inclined to bother with anything else.
Queen Qi listened for a while and, seeing that Su Su was doing well, quietly slipped away, feeling reassured.
When Su Su noticed that her mother wasn't by her side during the class, she pouted unhappily.
It just so happened that it was time for a break, and King Qi lovingly stepped forward to comfort her, "My good girl, don't cry, don't cry. When you pout like that, Father's heart twists in pain."
Feng Xuanrui had just taken a drink of water when he heard his sister's sobs. He rushed over, asking anxiously, "What's wrong? What's wrong? What's wrong with my sister?"
The others gathered around as well, concerned.
Su Su, feeling a bit embarrassed by all the attention, hid in her father's embrace, refusing to come out. Her voice was muffled as she said, "Mother didn't accompany... us."
Su Su had originally wanted to say 'me', but feeling that it sounded too selfish, she quickly added an 'us' at the end.
Her brothers didn't mind such things.
They surrounded her, chattering away as they comforted her, almost pushing King Qi out of the way in their eagerness.
King Qi: ?
I'm your father, at least! Must you push me away so ruthlessly?
I'm an old man now, frail and unlikely to live much longer!
Shouldn't you be more considerate?
King Qi felt wronged but couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.
They were just children; how much could they understand?
If he said it, he might even scare them.
Su Su was quickly soothed, and after drinking some water, the class resumed.
On Queen Qi's side, Autumn had already tallied the concubines and maids in the rear courtyard who were willing to leave the manor with a sum of money.
Most of the concubines and maids who had entered the manor in recent years were in the bloom of youth, some even barely twenty years old.
Some had come voluntarily, some had been forced by their families, and some had their own agendas.
However, life in the rear courtyard was extremely draining.
There was only one king, but so many women in the harem.
Some women's hearts died, while others were simply exhausted. Now that the Queen had asked, some felt that instead of lingering here, they might as well take the money and find another match.
In the Great Xia Dynasty, the people were open-minded and didn't frown upon women remarrying. In fact, some families even preferred to marry widows who had already borne children. This was because they believed that these women had strong and robust bodies, and the children they bore would likely be healthy and have a higher chance of survival.
Therefore, for the concubines and mistresses of the manor, leaving with a sum of money presented many options.
If all else failed, they could always donate to a Taoist temple and stay there.
Queen Qi dealt with this group first.
She had the corresponding lists tallied, and then summoned them to confirm that this decision stemmed from their own volition.
Then, she instructed the butler to bring the accountants, and they distributed the corresponding compensation on the spot. She also extended the departure date to three days, and if there were special circumstances or difficulties at home, they could even stay a few more days.
Twelve people were dismissed in this batch.
To be honest, there were a few faces among them that Queen Qi didn't even recognize.
In recent years, the number of women who had entered the manor and been promoted to concubines was already quite small.
Even fewer were those who regularly paid their respects and greeted her daily.
Most of the time, it was the elders of the manor who did so.
Queen Qi herself wasn't particularly attentive to these people, and only had a rough idea of their numbers.
Now, seeing that half of the twelve people were strangers, she secretly cursed the King for his misdeeds while also reminding herself to take note later.
Otherwise, if something else went wrong in the future, she wouldn't even be aware of it.
Those who received the silver happily left the manor.
Among these people, the longest anyone had stayed was five years, and the shortest was less than a year.
In less than a year, they had already experienced the heartache and helplessness of not being able to see the King even once in ten days or half a month.
So, there was no need to force themselves to stay in the manor.
Moreover, what status did a mistress have?
They were only slightly better off than the maids, and they still had to do the daily chores of the manor.
So, it was better to go home.
If all else failed, they could always donate to a Taoist temple and stay there.
Although the food there was bland and the rules were strict, it was still a peaceful life.
As long as they were well-behaved, their days there could be more enjoyable than in the bustling manor.
Those who had come to terms with the situation happily left.
Those who couldn't let go were still holding the flowers, sighing in despair.
For example, there was the former Su Auntie.
Yesterday it had rained, and Auntie Pool's legs weren't feeling well, so she hadn't come over today.
Su Auntie rarely had free time, so she first asked the maids and servants about the King's whereabouts. After asking for a long time, she finally found out that he had gone to the little classroom.
Su Auntie wanted to go there, but...
She didn't dare!
Auntie Carriage had been taken away by the people from the Court of Judicial Review!
This incident had scared countless people witless.
So, Su Auntie had the intention but not the courage!
At most, she could only hold a basin of freshly bloomed flowers, her voice choking as she lamented about her bitter life and how difficult it was to continue living like this.
However, upon seeing Auntie Pool's figure, Su Auntie immediately transformed into a well-behaved woman, putting down the flowers and standing properly at the door, not daring to lift her head.
(End of Chapter)
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