When the news from the capital reached the border, Wen Heming was preparing for the New Year with his parents.
Her identity issue is easily resolved.
The border is thousands of miles away from the capital, making communication difficult. Moreover, the people here are all generals and subordinates trusted by Wen Chengyuan. A brief conversation with his close associates quickly resolved the issue.
She was officially recognized as an adopted daughter, but everyone knew that she was actually the original heir apparent and the biological daughter of Wen Chengyuan and Qin Yi.
They hadn't had a family reunion dinner together for many years, so when they finally had the chance, they naturally prepared a lavish meal. However, with a cook by their side, they didn't have to lift a finger.
After reading the letter, Qin Yi turned to look at Wen Hemian for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Want to take a look?"
Wen Hemian paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, "I will."
Qin Yi handed the letter to her.
The letter was written by Qingyun. Some of the words on it seemed to be blurred by water, but fortunately they were still legible. In addition to conveying the news of Wen Hemian's "disappearance," it also mentioned some things that happened in the capital.
For example, as soon as the young emperor returned to the capital, he swiftly dealt with the powerful clans. Those who had previously spoken ill of Wen Hemian are now all silent, showing a significant change in attitude.
Qin Yi sighed from the side, "I have to say, the young emperor is much more capable than the late emperor. It's just that this method is rather bloody, and it won't sound good if word gets out. Judging from this, he seems to care about you quite a bit. Aren't you going to tell him the news?"
Her mother was unaware of what had happened between her and Xie Lang. Wen Hemian didn't want to elaborate, and simply shook her head, saying, "No."
"But Han Shuang, your mother sees that you also miss the little emperor."
Qin Yi smiled and succinctly revealed the truth.
"Drunk, he kept cursing you, you little brat. What did the young emperor do to you that made you so obsessed with him? You won't even tell him anything."
The wine at the border was strong, and as expected, Wen Hemian remembered everything clearly, even after being drunk by her own mother last time. Upon hearing this, her ears turned slightly red: "No."
Qin Yi chuckled twice, knowing better but saying nothing.
After a moment of silence, Qin Yi suddenly asked, "Would you like to hear why your father and I broke with the royal family?"
Without hesitation, Wen Heming replied, "Because the late emperor was too outrageous?"
Qin Yi remained silent.
He then gave a dry laugh: "That's no fun."
It was expected that my daughter would be intelligent; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to navigate the court so easily. She's just not so easily fooled.
Wen Hemian chuckled: "Mother, just tell me."
Qin Yi sat down beside her and said, "When you were born, the border was not peaceful. The late emperor was indulging in pleasure and would rather spend a lot of money to build a palace than allocate troops to the border. Your father confronted him and finally managed to get military power in the border area after much persuasion. He also borrowed grain from all over the place before he could rush to provide support."
As time has passed, these matters are no longer discussed by many people. Moreover, being pressed by his subjects to the point of being shameful would have been extremely embarrassing for the late emperor, who would certainly have tried to cover it up. As a result, most people are not very clear about this secret.
But none of that matters.
The important thing is that the people of the world remember that the person who defended the border and protected their safety was surnamed Wen.
"The Wen family has been loyal for generations, fighting alongside the founding emperor to establish the dynasty. They also possess an immunity from death token, making them incredibly powerful. It's no wonder he can't do anything about it. Yet, they're so ungrateful that they want to harm my mother and me. Do they think anyone would want to stay in the capital?"
Qin Yi is unlike typical noble ladies; she has a free and unrestrained spirit in her bones, and it was destined that she and Wen Chengyuan would come together.
"So when you wanted to go back and help that old man's son, your father and I were extremely reluctant. Why should our precious little Shuang'er have to stay in that filthy place and suffer?"
Having witnessed firsthand the change in how Qin Yi addressed the late emperor, Wen Hemian now knew just how much she hated him. If loyalty to the emperor hadn't been ingrained in her bones, the late emperor would have died countless times over.
He has done many more annoying things than just these few; it would take a long time to recount them all.
In short, to live to such an extent that everyone hates him, the late emperor must have been quite a talent.
Seeing her mother's angry expression, Wen Hemian felt the same way: "It is indeed infuriating, but the late emperor eventually received the retribution he deserved."
Wen Hemian told Qin Yi what Ning Hechu had done.
Qin Yi clicked her tongue in amazement after hearing this, then clapped her hands with a smile: "Well done! It's just a pity about Ning Hechu. If he had been born a little later and hadn't encountered that trouble, he might have become a loyal minister."
Wen Hemian smiled but remained silent.
"Oh right, there's one more thing." Qin Yi suddenly put on a serious face, "Shuang'er, you've been to Jianghuai, did you encounter any members of the Qin family?"
Wen Heming answered frankly, "They sent someone to find me, but I refused."
"That's good. Avoid contact with them. They're a bunch of hypocrites. If it weren't for my strong personality, I probably wouldn't have been able to take the dowry left to me by your grandparents."
There are always some things that are hard to explain about powerful and influential families.
Wen Heming: "I understand."
"Still talking?"
A cheerful voice came from behind: "The food is ready. Come and have dinner. It's been a long time since we've gotten together."
The border region is short of supplies, and although things have improved considerably in recent years, they are still not much better. The food is simpler than what Wen Hemian ate in the capital, but it feels different because he has family by his side.
Wen Hemian didn't dare to drink too much this time, and could only take a couple of small sips.
Seeing the smiles on her parents' faces, she also gently curved her lips into a smile.
Amidst the fragrant aroma of food, Wen Hemian's thoughts drifted away. She thought of the people in the capital and sincerely hoped that Xie Lang could have a good New Year once his grief subsided.
...
Xie Lang spent the night at the Prince's residence.
To be precise, I spent the night in the study.
Fortunately, there was a ground heating system here. Fearing that His Majesty the Emperor might really freeze, Uncle Lu quickly ordered people to start a fire. At least it would be warmer.
In reality, he didn't sleep much at all.
I spent the whole night holding that letter, looking at it over and over again, smoothing out the creases I had made on the paper, wishing I could engrave every word into my heart, and the more I thought about it, the more painful it became.
The next day, when he came out and saw the young emperor with bloodshot eyes, Huo Ping felt helpless but had already gotten used to it.
I don't know when His Majesty's emotions will calm down. This can't go on forever.
But a mental illness requires a mental cure, and this illness is probably difficult to cure.
It was unclear what Xie Lang had figured out, but he gazed at the loquat tree in the courtyard for a long time before suddenly ordering, "Have Feifeng withdraw."
Does this mean giving up the search?
Huo Ping was surprised, and at the same time felt a mix of emotions.
"And another one." Xie Lang clenched his fists tightly, but his tone was calm. "That guy named Murong Yue, no need to interrogate him, just let him go."
Since it was Wen Hemian who ordered it, there's no point in investigating further.
He didn't want to upset her.
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