Xie Yong was confident in saying this.
Although he was far away in his fiefdom, he always had his own special channels for gathering information. He knew how brilliant and decisive this Grand Tutor Wen had been in the past, and how he had been a powerful figure in the court, single-handedly helping the young emperor eliminate dissidents.
Crucially, she is also a descendant of the Wen family.
Such a woman is not one that can be easily controlled by others.
The young emperor may have had some teacher-student relationship with her, but this behavior has probably erased that relationship almost entirely.
She could never be content to be trapped in the harem for the rest of her life.
Wen Hemian had expected to catch a fish, but he never thought that the fish would try to steal from him.
She remained silent: "Your Highness Prince Jia, I'm afraid it's inappropriate for you to say that."
Discussing the emperor's private affairs on his own territory goes beyond mere audacity.
"What's wrong with it?"
Xie Yong smiled and said, "Lord Wen is a woman with great ambitions, and she is in no way inferior to men. She should not be confined to the harem. As His Majesty's uncle, I am just speaking a few words of justice. His Majesty will not punish me for this, will he?"
Being a member of the royal family is indeed a difficult situation to handle.
Moreover, Xie Yong is one of the vassal kings. Dealing with him rashly would only worsen Xie Lang's reputation. If it were to incite rebellion among other vassal kings and cause chaos in their fiefdoms, it would be difficult to manage.
No wonder Xie Yong was so fearless.
After pondering for a moment, Wen Hemian asked, "How can Your Highness be so sure that I didn't stay willingly?"
"That's naturally... intuition!"
Surprisingly, Xie Yong is quite confident.
He was the boss in his fiefdom, unruly and young, and frequented brothels. He had a good eye; if the young emperor got his hands on someone, he would change his name!
Where can there be lasting trust between a ruler and his subject? I refuse to believe that this Grand Tutor Wen has no objections whatsoever.
"Lord Wen, please consider this carefully. I will stay in the capital for a while longer. If you change your mind at any time, please send someone to inform me."
Xie Yong withdrew his gaze with a hint of regret.
He certainly liked such beauties, but he knew how to assess the situation. He would only say a few words and that was it. If he dared to actually lay a hand on her, he would give the young emperor a reason to punish him.
He wouldn't do something so foolish.
Wen Heming did not answer.
Xie Yong chuckled twice, then turned and went back to his seat.
Wen Hemian looked up at a certain spot: "Stop hiding, come out and let's talk."
Xie Lang appeared in the corridor, his face grim. Even from a distance, it was clear he was in a bad mood. He hurried over in a few steps.
Wen Hemian chuckled: "Is it really necessary to make such a fuss just because I don't want you to come out?"
Wen Hemian and Xie Lang had agreed on many secret codes. Not knowing what Xie Yong wanted to do, she didn't let Xie Lang out, just so she could continue listening.
Xie Lang tucked the collar of her cloak in, his voice cold and sharp: "He's trying to sow discord."
"I can see that, don't worry, it's going in one ear and out the other."
Wen Heming's honest words can be quite amusing.
She said thoughtfully, "He probably thought I harbored resentment towards you and wanted to test the waters."
Human nature is the most vulnerable thing to testing.
It was too difficult to make Xie Lang suffer a loss, so Xie Yong could only try other methods.
Xie Lang lowered his head slightly, raised his hand to stroke her cheek, his eyes deep: "So, Han Shuang, you don't blame me?"
This was something Xie Lang was afraid of, and he never dared to ask about it.
Wen Hemian was speechless at his ability to grasp the key points. She turned her head slightly to avoid his gaze and his hand: "...Not really."
She spent far more time with him than apart, so subconsciously she didn't believe Xie Lang would really change.
"I knew it, the Grand Tutor is the best."
Just moments ago, Xie Lang was determined not to be easily appeased with a few words, but when faced with reality, he still failed miserably.
He simply couldn't be heartless in front of Wen Heming.
As they got closer, Wen Hemian could clearly smell the scent of alcohol emanating from him. Hearing his question, her heart softened: "How much did you drink tonight?"
Wen Hemian was eager to understand the current situation. Since he could see Xie Lang every day, he focused more on observing his ministers and didn't pay attention to how much Xie Lang had drunk.
Xie Lang mumbled, "Not many."
It was simply because he felt jealous that Wen Hemian wasn't paying attention to him, so he drank a few more cups. When he came to his senses, that's how it happened.
Wen Hemian said helplessly, "You are the emperor, no one dares to force you to drink. It's fine in private, but you need to know how to restrain yourself in public, especially tonight."
"Okay." Xie Lang agreed readily as usual.
Every sentence received a response, yet none of them had a resolution.
Wen Hemian didn't want to talk about him.
“Prince Jia is quite arrogant.” Wen Hemian began to get down to business. “If we want to weaken the power of the princes, why don’t we start with him?”
The main problem was the attitude he had tonight, which really annoyed Wen Hemian. There was no need to reason with this kind of person; it was enough to just make him submit.
Xie Lang's voice was icy: "That's exactly what I'm thinking."
Openly sowing discord between him and the Grand Tutor—he deserves to die!
"I wonder how many private soldiers he has raised on his fiefdom. We need to send someone to find out more."
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle.
When Wen Hemian was traveling, she didn't dare to wander around. The world is vast, and there are still places that are not peaceful. She didn't want to get into trouble.
While it's true that one can rely on their own parents, things could get interesting if Xie Lang were to follow the trail and uncover the truth.
Although the current result is not much different.
Wait, her parents?
"Oh no, I forgot to send a message to my parents." Wen Hemian said gravely, "Could they think I'm really trapped and come back to fight their way back?"
When Wen Hemian first learned that Wen Chengyuan and Qin Yi were her biological parents, she felt awkward for a long time. But after three years of getting along, she realized even more how much they cared about her.
Xie Lang's face went blank for a moment: "It's hard to say."
The Prince of Huailing and his wife meant it when they said they wouldn't return to the capital, and Xie Lang has yet to have the chance to see them.
He said, "It's alright, I'll just explain it to them myself."
Xie Lang wasn't guilty at all, so what was the use of her worrying? Wen Hemian pursed her lips and simply stopped talking about it.
So many years have passed, it's good that my parents can come back to the capital for a visit.
The two stared at the crabapple blossoms in the courtyard, remaining silent for a long time.
After a moment, Xie Lang spoke in a low voice: "Hanshuang, I'm actually quite happy that you can spend my birthday with me."
During those three years, Xie Lang had imagined such a scene countless times, but unfortunately, it was all just a dream. As soon as he stepped forward, even the figures in his dreams would disappear completely, let alone have any other thoughts.
As the alcohol took effect, Xie Lang continued, "...I didn't want to treat you like that, I was just too afraid that you would leave."
Heartache took hold, and Xie Lang nearly vomited blood. He only lived like a walking corpse because he was preoccupied with the entrustment and that tiny possibility.
Wen Heming's eyes welled up with tears, and an unknown emotion surged within her: "I know, I'm not angry with you."
"That's why I said you're soft-hearted."
Xie Lang spoke softly and embraced her from behind.
Warm breath lingered in her ear, and Wen Hemian suddenly realized that she had unknowingly gotten used to this temperature. She even had the leisure to think that Xie Lang was lying and must have drunk a lot of wine, as if the alcohol was almost making her drunk.
She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Xie Lang, however, seemed completely drunk, rambling incoherently and incoherently.
"Is it that you won't get angry no matter what I do to you?"
"Please continue to pamper me like you did when I was a child... okay?"
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