The most romantic little emperor

A hint of surprise that was hard to conceal flashed across Xue Ling's eyes, and then it was quietly replaced by a hint of panic.

She bit her lower lip lightly, and her voice trembled slightly. "Your Majesty, please understand. Xue Ling is just a scholar. His hobbies are only calligraphy and poetry. He occasionally wrote a few simple poems in his spare time. They are just for his own amusement and are not worthy of being published in a prestigious forum."

"As for the great task of governing the country and maintaining peace, I am truly not up to the task. I am afraid that I will fail to live up to your expectations and cause more chaos. I hope Your Majesty will be magnanimous and not punish me."

Qin Hao frowned slightly when he heard this, his eyes deep: "Zuo Wenxuan mentioned to me that you have good abilities, and every word in your writing is full of pearls, and they all express your concern for the country and the people. In this case, how can it be just a show-off?"

"No... Your Majesty, I know that I am not talented enough and have little knowledge. The poems and articles I wrote are just flirtatious and cannot be put on the stage."

Xue Ling shook his head like a rattle, his words full of humility and fear, "If Your Majesty forcibly appoints a criminal, I am afraid it will lead to the misfortune of the country and the people, which is a great sin. I hope Your Majesty will understand and forgive Xue Ling's incompetence."

Qin Hao's brows slightly raised an imperceptible arc, and he wondered in his heart, how could he easily believe these words?

How could someone who can be compared with Zuo Wenxuan, a rare talent like him, be considered a person who is only good-looking and shows off his charm?

Could it be that this person has a very high opinion of himself and harbors a grudge against me, so he is unwilling to serve as an official in the court?

Qin Hao had a lot of thoughts in his mind, but his face remained calm. He slowly opened his lips, with a hint of anger in his voice: "In that case, could it be that Zuo Wenxuan deceived me? This is a heinous crime!"

"No, no, no, your majesty!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Ling immediately shook his head, his slender brows were tightly furrowed, and a trace of worry flashed in his eyes, fearing that Qin Hao would vent his anger on Zuo Wenxuan.

She hurriedly explained, "I am a criminal who is suffering from a minor illness. If I serve as an official in the court, I will not be able to handle the heavy workload physically and mentally. I am afraid that I will fail Your Majesty's high expectations. That is why I dare to resign. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

After she finished speaking, she bowed her head to the ground, revealing her delicate, flawless, white skin on her neck behind her long hair.

Qin Hao looked at Xue Ling kneeling on the ground, feeling depressed and complicated.

I extended olive branches time and time again, full of expectations, but I didn't expect him to be so ungrateful and make excuses.

Gao Lishi, an experienced eunuch who had served in the palace for a long time, had a sharp eye and after careful observation, he had obviously seen a clue.

He quietly came to Qin Hao's side, leaned close to his ear, and whispered: "Your Majesty, I dare to speculate that Master Xue Ling does not look like a man. Could he be a scholar disguised as a man?"

"From what I have seen of her behavior and conversation, I can see that Xue Ling has beautiful features and seems to have the gentleness and delicacy of a woman. In addition, she just showed a charming demeanor. I have some doubts in my heart. Your Majesty, please take a closer look."

Qin Hao's mind suddenly became clear when he heard this. Xue Ling's repeated refusal to serve as an official in the court, as well as her daughterly demeanor that she had inadvertently revealed, slowly unfolded in his mind like a scroll, forming a series of clear pictures.

His eyes fell on Xue Ling's petite body and the snow-white and delicate skin under her neck, both of which quietly told an unknown secret.

No wonder she was unwilling to serve as an official in the court.

In an instant, all doubts were dispelled by the sunshine like morning mist.

What about lack of talent and knowledge, what about being slightly ill, those words were nothing but carefully woven lies. There was only one truth, Xue Ling was a woman.

She knew that there was no precedent for women serving as officials in the court, so she kept trying to refuse. Only in this way could she reasonably explain everything that was happening before her.

After figuring out the whole story, Qin Hao's mouth corners unconsciously lifted up, outlining a faint but meaningful smile. He gently turned his head and whispered to Gao Lishi beside him: "Mr. Gao, please act quietly and invite the ladies in the palace to come here."

After Gao Lishi's figure quietly faded out of sight, Qin Hao decided to punish Xue Ling, who was telling lies all the time.

So, he pretended to pick up a memorial and no longer focused on Xue Ling. He let her remain kneeling, and a subtle confrontation filled the quiet air.

There was a surge of undercurrents in his heart, and a barely perceptible sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth, as if to say, "I'll let you pretend for me, let's see how long you can keep pretending."

Xue Ling's knees were already feeling slightly numb, and pain was quietly spreading. She couldn't help but wonder why Qin Hao ignored her.

She tried to raise her head slightly, with a searching light in her eyes, trying to capture the subtle changes in her surroundings, but she never thought that this subtle movement was completely seen by Qin Hao.

Qin Hao's eyes moved slightly, catching Xue Ling's unintentional temptation. He secretly felt amused and then coughed lightly. Although the sound was light, it was like a morning bell and an evening drum, clearly sounding the alarm in Xue Ling's heart.

Her body trembled, as if she was captured by an invisible force. In panic, she buried her head deeply into the ground, feeling mixed emotions.

Not long after, Wang Yourong led a group of sisters to the imperial study.

Xue Ling, who was kneeling on the ground, was particularly eye-catching, causing the girls to speculate secretly in their hearts. However, Qin Hao did not say a word, so everyone had to suppress their curiosity.

Qin Hao chatted and laughed with the beauties, and the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.

Until this moment, Zhu Qiqi finally couldn't hold back his curiosity and asked softly, "Your Majesty, I wonder what the person kneeling on the ground did wrong to make Your Majesty so angry that he was punished to kneel for a long time."

Qin Hao seemed to have just thought of Xue Ling. He patted his forehead lightly, pretending to be annoyed, and sighed: "Oh, look at my memory. I almost forgot about this talented scholar Xue who is as famous as Zuo Wenxuan."

After saying this, his eyes turned slightly, and his tone was mixed with a little bit of hard-to-detect sternness: "Looking at the three major academies, I have personally promoted more than 30 people, and you, Xue Ling, are the one who disappoints me the most!"

"I originally wanted to pardon you and entrust you with important tasks. But now it seems that my idea seems a bit unnecessary."

Upon hearing this, Xue Ling's body trembled slightly involuntarily, his lips and teeth were clenched, and his face was full of embarrassment and anxiety. He didn't know what to do.

Qin Hao sighed lightly, a subtle hint of meaning flashed across his eyes, and he continued to scare her: "Forget it, I am not the kind of person who would force others to do anything."

"Guard Luo, follow the law and take him back. When it comes to matters of treason, you must be fair and strict, without the slightest partiality."

There was an unquestionable majesty in his words, which contained not only a bit of helplessness and tolerance, but also a hint of threat.

"Yes, sir!" Luo Yang responded with steady steps, and was about to take Xue Ling away.

However, at this critical moment, a clear and gentle voice was heard, like a thunderclap in spring, which made people look sideways.