With the Ning faction not yet completely eradicated and the court in turmoil, Wen Hemian stood in the court, taking charge of the overall situation and, incidentally, gathering his own forces to strive for a fight against the Ning faction.
Later, as Xie Lang matured, the situation improved significantly, and Wen Hemian stopped speaking much, mostly standing there as if supporting him.
To be honest, she never imagined that one day she would be able to experience what it's like to sit at the top of the imperial court.
She didn't know what others thought, but her strongest feeling was loneliness—the higher you climb, the colder it gets, that's probably it.
"...So now you know why I want you to sit next to me, Grand Tutor?"
After a long while, Xie Lang suddenly asked a question on a whim.
“According to you, it is indeed understandable.” Wen Hemian nodded, then smiled. “However, throughout history, you are probably the only emperor who has abdicated for this reason.”
Xie Lang's actions were practically a declaration that he wanted to share half of the empire with her.
However, on the other hand, this empire was indeed built by the Wen and Xie families together, and after all the twists and turns, it seems to have returned to the beginning.
That's probably why not many people discuss this point.
After all, their argument was untenable; they couldn't very well question the achievements of their ancestors.
With the court stable and the world at peace, Wen Hemian and Xie Lang's workload was greatly reduced, allowing them to focus their attention on other matters.
Since female officials began to appear in the imperial court, the number of women in the Imperial Academy has gradually increased. There are noble ladies from high-ranking families as well as intelligent women specially recruited from the common people. Everyone studies very diligently.
The students took it so seriously that even the male students felt a sense of crisis. The once somewhat carefree rich kids no longer dared to be negligent, spending all their time reading, afraid that they would be surpassed one day.
When Meng Hang, the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, inspected the area, he expressed great satisfaction. In the words of Wen Daren, this is what is called "involution"—when everyone rolls together, the academic atmosphere will become better and better.
Thanks to her elder brother, Ye Siyao was fortunate enough to be admitted to the Imperial Academy. She had caught a glimpse of Lord Wen from afar a few times, but she had never had the chance to strike up a conversation with him.
Unexpectedly, not long after the Emperor and Empress got married, Lord Wen actually decided to come to the school to teach. Although it was only twice a month, it was still a rare opportunity.
The classroom was a large university where everyone could go, and it always took a lot of effort to get a good spot near the front, just like today.
Ye Siyao hurriedly went out, carrying books in her arms. As she was going up the steps, she tripped over her own feet and was about to fall to the ground. While lamenting her bad luck, she almost instantly closed her eyes.
But the expected pain didn't come; instead, a hand supported her.
"Be careful."
The person who supported her had a gentle and pleasant voice that sounded strangely familiar. Ye Siyao opened her eyes, wondering which classmate it was, but when she turned her head, her eyes widened in surprise.
Seeing that the little girl wasn't moving, Wen Heming was a little puzzled: "Were you scared just now?"
"No, no, no!" Ye Siyao hurriedly waved her hands, her voice stammering, "Wen... Wen... Thank you, Lord Wen!"
Good heavens, she was actually helped up by Lord Wen!
She...
Wen Heming nodded slightly, then glanced at the little girl and smiled when he saw the books she was holding: "Are you going to my class?"
Ye Siyao blushed and nodded shyly, "Mm."
“Then come with me.” Wen Hemian was very approachable. Seeing the young girl following him step by step, her voice softened. “I remember you. Lord Ye has mentioned you to me many times. With a little more effort, you will soon be able to become a lady-in-waiting.”
This is true. Wen Hemian had always known that Ye Zhaoxuan had a younger sister. The two were quite far apart in age, so Ye Zhaoxuan, as the older brother, always doted on his sister and had even said that she wanted to become a female official.
Ye Siyao was unaware of this, and she was pleasantly surprised: "Really!"
“Yes.” Wen Hemian smiled. “When I’m less busy in the future, I will come to the Imperial Academy more often. There are plenty of seats in the school, so there’s no need to rush.”
He saw right through Ye Siyao's original thoughts.
The girl blushed again: "I understand, thank you, Lord Wen."
As they spoke, they arrived at the school. The two went in one after the other, and the noisy sounds inside immediately quieted down. Ye Siyao quickly went over and found a seat.
Wen Hemian stood there for a while longer, and when he saw that almost everyone had arrived, he began to give his lecture at a leisurely pace.
Having raised children for so many years, she has gained some experience and subtly incorporated modern thinking into her classes. The students listened with great interest, and even after the entire lecture, they still wanted more.
The classroom was crowded and filled with mixed smells. Wen Hemian felt inexplicably stuffy. Seeing that everyone was discussing things together and not wanting to disturb them, she took the lead and walked out.
Ye Siyao was lucky today. After class, she originally wanted to go and talk to Lord Wen for a while. When she saw this scene, she quickly followed. As soon as she stepped out of the school, she saw a bright yellow figure standing in front of Lord Wen.
The emperor lowered his eyes, seemingly talking to Lord Wen. With guards standing by, they couldn't get past at all.
"Stop staring, silly girl." A female academy officer passing by patted her on the shoulder. "His Majesty is here to receive Lord Wen today. Don't go looking for trouble."
Ye Siyao naturally understood this, and said somewhat dejectedly, "Okay..."
However, she thought to herself, "If I can enter the court sooner, I'll be able to see Lord Wen more often, won't I?"
On the other side, Xie Lang said in a sarcastic tone, "Didn't the Grand Tutor say he was busy a few days ago? Why is he suddenly thinking of giving them extra lessons?"
Wen Heming seemed oblivious to his odd behavior, and said calmly, "I think they quite like my classes. It's too crowded to cram them all into one place. Adding two more classes should make it better."
Wen Hemian was soft-hearted. When she saw so many students, especially the women among them, striving to enter the imperial court, she couldn't help but want to reach out and help them out.
It might have been a simple act for her, but for those women, it was an opportunity to change their destiny.
Xie Lang put his arm around her and walked out. Thinking of how hard she had worked recently, he couldn't bear to let her continue to act childishly. In the end, he snorted, "My tutor is kind-hearted."
Wen Hemian couldn't help but find it amusing: "I'm with you almost every day, so why are you jealous about this?"
As soon as the weather turned cold, Xie Lang's usefulness became apparent. He was very hot-tempered, and when he wrapped his arms around her, his warmth was transferred to her, making him practically a walking hand warmer. That's why Wen Hemian didn't refuse his coming to pick her up.
Xie Lang didn't want to say that he was just a little unwilling.
He led Wen Hemian into the carriage, then lowered his voice and said, "I am also your student."
Wen Hemian suddenly realized that the woman felt her position was no longer unique.
She glanced at him, both amused and exasperated: "You even have to fight for this title? Don't you ever think that you're still my husband?"
Xie Lang thought about it and realized it made sense. The little flame that had been burning in his heart was immediately extinguished. He happily leaned in and kissed her, his voice soft and honest: "Then let me be your husband."
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