In early spring, April, the Imperial Garden was full of vibrant life.
Wen Hemian glanced at it a few more times, and Lai Xi hurriedly called for someone to pick a few flowers for her, but she quickly stopped her.
Don't ruin these beautiful flowers because of your own selfish desires.
The banquet at Qionglin took half a day. Now the sun had dimmed a bit and a gentle breeze was blowing. Wen Hemian hadn't walked a few more steps when she saw Xie Lang sitting in the pavilion, with no one serving him around.
Lai Xi dropped Wen He Mian off here and stopped, clearly not intending to follow.
Reasonably, Wen Hemian was unwilling to be alone with Xie Lang, but the situation seemed to leave her no choice.
She calmly walked to the boy and sat down opposite him, saying, "Who has offended His Majesty this time? Look how frightened he is."
There could be no one else but the person in front of you.
Xie Lang was feeling depressed and dared not speak, only saying with a wronged tone, "At the banquet, the Grand Tutor didn't even look at me."
Wen Hemian said without any guilt, "It has been a long time since I have seen such a lively and joyful scene. I inevitably neglected Your Majesty. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
This expression of forgiveness carries no hint of fear.
After listening to Qingyun's words, Wen Hemian seriously and thoroughly reflected on her past interactions with Xie Lang. When she was a man, she could call him her older sister, but when she was a woman, their relationship was a bit too intimate.
At least for this era.
These are all behaviors that are extremely easy to misunderstand.
So what she had to do was to dispel Xie Lang's misconceptions and make him realize that this was wrong.
She avoided doing things that could easily be misunderstood in the past.
She wasn't actually worried that Xie Lang would drift away from her because of this. It was a mysterious feeling, stemming from a strange certainty. In practical terms, it was the trust she had in them after so many years of companionship.
"Knowing full well that I won't punish him..."
Xie Lang lowered his voice, knowing that Wen Hemian could definitely hear him, but he didn't care that much and instead asked, "What did the Grand Tutor say to that man surnamed Shen?"
These newly appointed scholars were not like the officials in the court who would use their age and seniority to manipulate people. They had seen Xie Lang in the palace examination and were in awe and respect for him. Naturally, not many of them dared to look up at his expression.
Therefore, Xie Lang was able to take this opportunity to stare at Wen Hemian without restraint. He was so charming with alcohol that anyone who looked at him would feel like he was in a daze.
He didn't pay much attention to what Wen Hemian said. In the blink of an eye, Shen Changyan's gaze towards the Grand Tutor seemed to be burning hot, which was really unpleasant.
Wen Hemian: "..."
What a bunch of nonsense questions.
Meeting the boy's burning gaze, Wen Hemian knew she couldn't escape this question, so since there was nothing she couldn't say, she relayed his words verbatim.
She vaguely remembered that she had said these words to Xie Lang when she was lecturing a long time ago.
After hearing this, Xie Lang's expression visibly shifted from dark to light: "He's still not composed enough. He gets excited just from hearing the Grand Tutor say a few words. He should be given more experience in the future."
Wen Hemian's expression was indescribable.
I really wanted to blurt out: Isn't he the one?
Ultimately, they kept quiet and didn't say anything.
Wen Hemian sighed: "Ning Hechu has made some moves recently. What are Your Majesty's plans?"
In the original book, Xie Lang and Ning Hechu's conflict also broke out around this time.
The rise of an emperor is not a good thing for the Ning faction.
Of course, Ning Hechu wasn't that stupid. He didn't plan to overthrow the emperor and become emperor himself. Instead, he chose another puppet from the imperial clan and planned to support and control him.
Unfortunately, he failed, and failed miserably.
Conversely, Xie Lang's success was also extremely tragic.
The capital was almost completely wiped out, which is how he earned his reputation as a tyrant. In particular, the people suffered greatly, the country was in turmoil, and rumors spread throughout the land, creating a crisis within the entire Great Zhao Dynasty.
But this is just the original book.
Wen Hemian has already tried every means to eliminate many treacherous officials. Although not everyone in the world is rich now, as long as there are no natural disasters or man-made calamities, making a living should not be a problem.
Moreover, the sweet potatoes harvested last year were brought to various places through the efforts of her and Liu Qiongyue's business, and they will be promoted in the future, giving people more confidence to face natural disasters.
"Wu Yun is secretly gathering troops, and the Military Command is not peaceful either. The Three Thousand Battalion and the Divine Machine Battalion have been neglected by the late emperor and have been in decline for many years. I plan to cultivate them in the future, and we can win them over now."
Xie Lang briefly explained the situation: "The most suitable time for him to take action would be during the ancestral worship ceremony."
Only at this time can all the important officials be gathered together in a logical manner, making it easier to take action.
Years ago, Ning Hechu failed to eliminate the root of the problem, and he certainly won't make the same mistake again now.
Wen Hemian paused for a moment: "Indeed."
That's why Xie Lang is said to be a born emperor; his words accurately reflect the plot of the original book.
For some reason, a string in Wen Hemian's mind skipped a beat.
"The Five Armies Camp is not under His Majesty's control. Does His Majesty mean to replace the Five Armies Camp with the Flying Goose Camp?"
Xie Lang nodded: "They are my true confidants."
As an emperor, if he did not have military power, he would be no different from Ning Hechu.
"fine."
Wen Hemian breathed a sigh of relief; Xie Lang had grown up much faster than she had imagined.
Or perhaps this was his original journey, only he learned to act coquettishly and submissively in front of her, numbing her senses and making her forget that he was a ferocious beast that had already shown his claws.
"Should we bring more men with the Grand Tutor? If he's cornered, he'll definitely try to take action against you."
If we're talking about the people who've incurred the most hatred over the years, Wen Hemian is definitely at the top of the list. Ning Hechu would love nothing more than to get rid of her as soon as possible, otherwise, if she goes to call for reinforcements, we'll all be doomed together.
Xie Lang persisted, trying to persuade Wen Hemian: "Regarding the temple matter, they can't even keep a proper eye on a person, I'm really worried about them. Of course, I don't mean to say that the Grand Tutor's bodyguards are incompetent, I just want more protection..."
To be honest, Xie Lang's attempt to cover up the truth was a bit of a futile effort.
He spoke sincerely, seemingly with Wen Hemian's best interests at heart, and analyzed the pros and cons one by one. However, after careful consideration, Wen Hemian still shook her head and refused.
"Let them stay by His Majesty's side. Ning Hechu won't make a move so quickly, at least not openly."
Wen Heming stroked the cup, a rare hint of anxiety in her voice, which she didn't show. Meeting Xie Lang's gaze, her voice deepened slightly: "The Prince's residence is now the only place without His Majesty's spies. Could His Majesty possibly have any doubts?"
Xie Lang had always wanted to control everything. He had countless spies in the city, and he had arranged for less than half of them to keep an eye on everyone's every move.
That's a bit harsh.
Xie Lang's eyes widened slightly, and he quickly explained, "No! Grand Tutor, please don't overthink it, I absolutely didn't mean that!"
He was a little annoyed, feeling that what he had just said might have had some of that meaning.
Wen Hemian made the final decision: "That's settled then. You continue with your arrangements, and I'll keep an eye on things in the Central Plains."
Once the matter was settled, she could say that she had brought her mission to a successful conclusion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com