Xie Lang casually kissed her neck, where the skin was smooth and delicate. He had to force himself to look away so as not to leave a mark.
There's no other reason than that Wen Heming would get angry.
As summer arrived and the weather grew hotter, people wore thinner clothes during the day, leaving noticeable marks. Wen Hemian was annoyed for one reason, and also because it wouldn't look good if outsiders saw them.
Of course, there would be no other possibility. Xie Lang was too stingy to allow outsiders to see these traces.
"Your hair isn't dry." Wen Hemian frowned, reaching out to touch his wet ends. "Go dry it before you get into bed."
Xie Lang had come in a hurry, and now that he was a little more certain, he didn't want to rest with his hair wet. After Wen Hemian reminded him, he took the initiative to go to the side to have his hair cut.
He didn't go to bed until he was completely clean and refreshed.
Ice blocks were placed in the hall to cool it down. Feeling guilty for hiding Xie Lang's presence, Wen Hemian, unusually, did not refuse his approach. Although it was still a bit hot, she could still bear it.
It wasn't that she didn't want to tell Xie Lang the truth, but the rules of the world stipulated that she couldn't reveal it in any way, otherwise she would bear very serious consequences.
I'm so worried.
Tired from handling official business during the day, Wen Hemian was so preoccupied with worries that she unknowingly fell asleep.
After sensing that her breathing had become steady and calm, Xie Lang quietly opened his eyes in the darkness.
By the dim candlelight remaining in the hall, he could barely make out the face of the person in his arms. She was sleeping peacefully, giving him a sense of tranquility.
But he became increasingly certain that Wen Heming was hiding something from him.
Perhaps, just as he had absurdly speculated, something was watching them from the shadows.
It wasn't that Wen Hemian didn't want to tell him, but... she couldn't.
Xie Lang's eyes darkened.
-
Speaking of the Imperial College, Wen Hemian has never actually been there.
She thought it would take a few more words, but Xie Lang agreed quickly.
"Han Shuang, go if you want to. Those people inside also want to see you."
Wen Hemian was surprised: "You're being so generous today."
Xie Langping said calmly, "This is your freedom. I need to learn to control my temper."
"I don't mind being called a tyrant for the rest of my life, but I can't let Han Shuang be implicated by me and have her reputation damaged as a result."
Every word he said was indeed for her benefit.
Wen Hemian felt something was strange, but couldn't quite put her finger on it.
After considering for a while, she said, "It doesn't matter. You can be as reserved as you like in front of me."
She wanted Xie Lang to be a wise ruler, but she didn't intend to restrict his nature.
She'd seen him in every way imaginable, so she didn't care what Xie Lang looked like.
Upon hearing this, Xie Lang gave her a teasing look and smiled, "This is what Han Shuang said herself, you can't go back on your word."
"Um."
Wen Hemian nodded, and thus left the palace without incident.
Only after she was out of sight did Xie Lang call in the guards who were standing watch outside the palace to ask them questions.
"Did you see anything sneak into the palace last night?"
The head of the secret guards sensed something was wrong. After thinking carefully for a moment, he said, "Your Majesty, we have not seen anything sneak into the palace."
After ascending the throne, Xie Lang suffered numerous assassination attempts, both large and small. As his personal bodyguards, they should not and could not make such a basic mistake, especially with the Imperial Guards protecting the perimeter.
Staring into the emperor's cold gaze, the guard broke out in a cold sweat: "...Please enlighten me, Your Majesty."
Xie Lang raised an eyebrow, tentatively asking, "A...cat?"
The leader of the secret guards' brain raced, as if some joint had suddenly been opened. He was startled and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, it is indeed true!"
He and several of his men were on night watch at the time and clearly saw the cat, but not only did none of them have the idea of stopping it, they even forgot about it completely afterward.
This is weird!
The leader of the secret guards dared not think of any excuses, so he could only recount what they had experienced in detail, and then anxiously awaited his fate.
"I see."
Xie Lang narrowed his eyes and said, "Those who were on duty last night, go and catch all the cats in the palace. Remember, don't hurt them, and especially don't let the Grand Tutor know."
Xie Lang thought back carefully. Over the years, each of the cats that had appeared around Wen Hemian was different, but without exception, they were all very close to her.
Looking back now, it might not have been called intimacy, but rather a pretense that was forced upon us after he appeared.
It's fine if you don't have any doubts, but once you start to have doubts, you'll find flaws everywhere.
Since the unknown entity appeared in the form of a cat, he might as well strike first and find out what it wanted to do.
I just don't know if it's a ghost or a fairy from legend.
Xie Lang was determined to find out anything that posed a threat.
"ah?"
The head of the secret guards was momentarily stunned, thinking that His Majesty was punishing them, and quickly thanked him: "Your subordinate obeys the decree."
One couldn't help but think, "As expected, with Lord Wen by my side, His Majesty's methods have become more merciful."
Xie Lang saw that he had misunderstood, but didn't say anything: "Go ahead."
Meanwhile, Wen Hemian met Master Xu's student at the Imperial Academy.
The newly appointed Chancellor was named Meng Hang. He was the kind of person who worked quietly and diligently. He had been working at the Imperial Academy for many years. If it weren't for Lord Xu resigning and returning to his hometown to recommend him, Wen Hemian probably wouldn't have noticed him.
Upon seeing Wen Hemian, the other party was very polite: "Lord Wen, please follow me."
After Xie Lang came to power, the Imperial Academy made many reforms, especially raising the admission threshold, which forced the sons of nobles who used to be lazy and idle to be more motivated. In recent years, the academic atmosphere has improved a lot.
At least at first glance, everyone there was engrossed in reading.
Wen Heming was very satisfied, while Meng Hang wore a simple smile: "After His Majesty's reforms, the Imperial Academy has improved a lot."
“That’s good,” Wen Hemian agreed.
They strolled around for a while, and by the time the class was almost over, the students went back to their dormitories in twos and threes, or went to eat, creating a lively atmosphere.
Some also noticed that the instructors were heading in one direction and secretly glanced at them.
They noticed the woman standing next to the chief instructor and wondered to themselves, "Could she also be our new female instructor?"
But they only glanced at it twice; no one dared to go closer.
At the same time, Wen Hemian also met the two female academic officials.
Both of them were daughters of officials, raised with exceptional manners and speech.
One of them had just divorced her husband three years ago and, taking advantage of the opportunity to enroll women in school, was fortunate enough to become a female school official. She was very grateful to Wen Hemian and expressed her gratitude to her many times when they first met.
The other person also held Wen Hemian in high esteem, and his eyes shone brightly when he spoke.
Wen Hemian said, "...There's no need to say more about these things. In the future, you should teach more female students so that there will be more women in the court. That would be a good thing."
The two female instructors exchanged glances and nodded repeatedly: "What Lord Wen says is true."
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