The imperial palace was built for the emperor, so once construction stopped, it stopped, and nobody cared about it.

As for the imperial mausoleum, it is, after all, a symbol of the royal family, and no one has dared to bring it up openly yet. Therefore, many officials are discussing Wen Heming's heroic act in private.

The censors were roughly divided into two factions: one was the old conservatives, and the other was the new force led by Ye Zhaoxuan. The two factions had completely different ideas about Wen Hemian's actions. They were arguing and bickering on their way out of the palace, but by chance, they did not cause a scene in front of Wen Hemian.

However, some of the bolder officials from the Ministry of Personnel who had become familiar with Wen Hemian quietly asked her a few questions before turning back to continue their discussion with their colleagues.

It was only at this time that Wen Hemian discovered that there were quite a few people in the Ministry of Personnel who were dissatisfied with the late emperor, but they had been suppressed for so long that they had all become accustomed to keeping quiet about it.

It was quite a coincidence that she mentioned stopping the renovation of the imperial tombs today, which not only saved money but also tricked out a large number of useful people.

Let them scold me, I won't lose anything anyway.

Wen Hemian mingled happily among her colleagues as they went to the government office to attend to official business. Just before they arrived, she sneezed several times, prompting Vice Minister Cui to turn around and look at her with concern: "Lord Wen, have you caught a cold? If so, you should go home and rest. We're not busy lately, we'll take care of things."

This Vice Minister Cui is a remarkable person. He and Min Rong have always been at odds, and he wasn't particularly enthusiastic when Wen Hemian came. But after she made some changes to the Ministry of Personnel, his attitude towards her suddenly improved, and he seemed like a pragmatist.

Perhaps because Wen Hemian's sickly image was so deeply ingrained in people's minds, his expression became more serious.

Wen Hemian glanced silently at the bright sunshine: "There shouldn't be any, it's okay, I'll go with you to take a look."

"Just in case." Minister Cui was over thirty years old, and his smile had an inexplicable kindness to it. He looked at Wen Hemian's thin frame and said righteously, "Lord Wen, don't push yourself. If you're not feeling well, just take good care of yourself. We'll come to you again when we're busy."

"Yeah yeah."

"Lord Wen, you should go and rest."

The two people who were chatting enthusiastically next to Minister Cui also stopped and came over to chime in.

Three pairs of eyes stared intently at Wen Hemian.

she:"……"

She genuinely didn't feel like she was forcing herself.

In this sweltering heat, is it really possible to catch a cold from the wind?

However, unable to refuse such hospitality, Wen Hemian ultimately decided against going and returned home instead.

On the way back, she couldn't help but sneeze twice, which made Wen Hemian a little unsure of herself—could it be that she had really caught a cold?

-

No matter how much the censors argued, the matter was carried out in the end as it was. However, Wen Hemian would inevitably be remembered by them and suffer the consequences, but Wen Hemian didn't care.

It just so happened that it was time for the monthly lesson. Wen Hemian couldn't think of anything to teach Xie Lang, but she still went to the palace early to avoid being nagged later.

One night was enough for Xie Lang to calm down. When he saw Wen Hemian come in, he was still able to smile sweetly and say, "Grand Tutor, please sit down. I will come as soon as I have finished dealing with this memorial."

Wen Hemian did not refuse the child's kindness. She wandered around for a while and found a corner in the Imperial Study to sit down. There was a potted plant there, which must have been newly moved in. It was lush and green.

She was very comfortable, almost treating the place as her own home. Judging that Xie Lang would need some time to process the memorials, she thought for a moment, then picked up a book from the stack next to her to read, intending to pass the time.

She flipped through the book casually and unexpectedly found a storybook. The book was strangely illustrated. It started with a story of a talented man and a beautiful woman meeting. But as she read on, Wen Hemian's expression suddenly froze. This book... how come it looks so much like... what?

She flipped through the pages in disbelief, and sure enough, the pictures became increasingly daring, until finally they were completely unbearable to look at.

No, how could such a book appear in the proper Imperial Study?

"Smack!"

Wen Hemian couldn't bear to read any longer and slammed the book shut.

The commotion was so great that it caught the attention of the young emperor sitting behind his desk. He asked in bewilderment, "What's wrong with the Grand Tutor?"

Wen Hemian never expected that the ancients would be so bold. This book was illustrated so vividly. She had learned about physiology in modern times, but she had never seen a book like this before.

Suddenly, Wen Hemian felt a sweat break out on her back, and her clenched palms were also sweaty. She probably didn't notice that there was also a faint blush on her face.

"N-nothing."

Wen Heming looked away uncomfortably. She suppressed her emotions and calmly flipped the book over and put it back in its place.

Xie Lang watched her from a distance.

Before he knew that the Grand Tutor was a woman, he could get along with her with ease and dared to look her in the eye. But now, just one glance at her makes him feel that his own darkness has nowhere to hide.

He couldn't ignore the romantic thoughts in his dream, and he only dared to secretly observe Wen Heming when she lowered her eyes.

The Grand Tutor was born with a handsome appearance, with skin as white as snow and an elegant demeanor, as bright as the moon. Therefore, when he was adorned with other colors, he attracted much attention.

Xie Lang let out a soft breath, stood up, and walked towards her.

"The Grand Tutor is lying."

Before Wen Heming could react, Xie Lang quickly reached out and picked up the book that Wen Heming had just put down. But as soon as he opened it, the smile on his face froze.

Unable to stop him, Wen Hemian could only helplessly cover his face with his raised hand: "I already said it's nothing, why do you insist on looking? Fine, now I'll ask Your Majesty, why are there such books in the Imperial Study?"

Just like modern publications with dates, this storybook also has a date; it was recently published and could not have existed before.

The Imperial Study is such a solemn place that only high-ranking officials can enter. Apart from Xie Lang, it's impossible that some high-ranking official would have brought in a storybook and left it behind.

If the eighteen forbidden rules of ancient times were to actually appear before the emperor, wouldn't that be considered a serious offense of disrespect?

Xie Lang made a careless mistake and got himself into trouble. The storybook in his hand was like a hot potato, leaving him speechless.

He lowered his eyes, his face expressionless as he falsely accused, "It must have been left behind by the palace servants who were cleaning!"

Wen Heming seemed to have guessed something, lowered her hand, and said with a half-smile, "Oh?"

Xie Lang was embarrassed, but he remained calm and said, "Yes!"

The young emperor's attempt to cover up the truth and shift the blame eastward gave Wen Hemian a sudden realization, solidifying his belief that Xie Lang must have done it himself.

As for the reason...

Thinking of Xie Lang calling for water in the middle of the night, Wen Hemian stood up and gently patted his shoulder: "It's alright, Your Majesty. Everyone has desires. Just face them directly."

Xie Lang: "..."