Wen Hemian remained silent.
Seeing the glint of hatred in Alina's eyes, you know she's a girl with a story.
However, a single story was not enough to gain Wen Hemian's trust, especially since it involved a barbarian tribe that had been eyeing Da Zhao for decades.
Wen Hemian sipped his tea calmly, his eyes showing no emotion: "Even so, you still want to die. Using me is one thing, but reaching out to His Majesty, do you really think we're so forgiving?"
Wen Heming chuckled, put down his teacup, which clattered on the table with a crisp sound, exuding an air of authority without anger.
“You could have spoken to me privately instead of resorting to these probing tricks.”
Wen Hemian believed what Alina said was true, but it was also certain that Alina had initially intended to take action against Xie Lang. He didn't know why she changed her mind at the last minute, but the reason was that she couldn't get rid of him.
After being exposed, Alina was stunned for a moment, but soon she smiled with relief: "It's okay, so be it. One person takes a whole group with them, I'm not at a loss. Anyway, I can't go back, so I might as well let them die with me, in a glorious way."
Alina seemed to genuinely believe this, accepting Wen Hemian's words without offering any rebuttal.
Wen Hemian stared at her for a while without saying a word.
After a long pause, he waved goodbye.
“Send Princess Alina back to the post station.”
Alina seemed to have come to terms with it and didn't persist in making a fuss. She obediently allowed herself to be sent back.
The conversation with Alina wasn't entirely fruitless; at least Wen Hemian learned that there were probably some despicable individuals among the barbarian envoys who had come this time.
Her parents guarded the northern desert, a place that was as solid as a rock. The barbarians had been repeatedly driven back, and in recent years they had become much more docile. But now it seems that this was just a facade.
Since they couldn't act at the border, they would try to do it from within the court. If Alina could stay, they would have a mole that could be useful in many situations.
Her statement about not being able to go back is easy to understand. First, if she succeeds in staying, she will inevitably not be able to go back. Second, even if she fails, the blame can be placed entirely on her. The Great Zhao Dynasty would not kill all the envoys because of a princess.
All that can be said is that Alina is a pragmatic person who changed her mind at the last minute; otherwise, if she had acted according to the original plan, she would still have met with a bad end.
Before bringing Alina out, Wen Hemian had Huo Ping bring everyone out one by one for interrogation, so no one would know about their conversation.
If Alina wants to surrender, she should know what to do.
After weighing all the pros and cons, Wen Hemian turned to the Imperial Physician who had left the palace with her and said, "This is none of your business. Go back to the palace and report to His Majesty."
The Imperial Hospital said respectfully: "Yes."
If you're going to feign illness, you have to do it properly. I figure Xie Lang probably won't sneak out of the palace now. Wen Hemian went straight back to the Prince's residence. The investigation will take a few days, so let her have some peace and quiet first.
But sometimes things don't go as planned. No sooner had Wen Hemian stepped into the Prince's mansion than Changzhu came to say, "Your Highness, a young monk went missing from Tonghui Temple a few days ago. I sent people to look for him, but there has been no news yet."
Tonghui Temple is where Wen Hemian lived when he was a child.
After Xie Lang grew up, he found another martial arts master, and Changzhu was no longer responsible for teaching him martial arts. Instead, Wen Hemian sent him to Tonghui Temple to guard it, so as to prevent anyone with ulterior motives from getting close to the temple.
Remembering what the system had said, Wen Hemian seized the key point: "Why were we only discovered now after being missing for so long?"
If she knows the people she sent won't betray her, then what's going on here?
Changzhu's face was grim: "The flow of people in the temple is simple. On weekdays, that little monk hardly interacts with others, so no one noticed. Who knew that he would disappear after going down the mountain to buy supplies? Just before that, he had been to the west wing."
Changzhu's men are all highly trained, so such a lapse is truly a dereliction of duty.
He had no intention of shirking responsibility. After clarifying the cause and effect, he returned to inform Wen Hemian.
"I have failed in my duty, Your Highness. Please punish me."
Wen Hemian sighed, "Let's not talk about punishment for now; finding the person is the most urgent task."
The whole thing had a strange feel to it. Wen Hemian didn't want to punish Changzhu rashly. She said, "Changzhu, you are someone who is close to Father. I believe in you, so I hope you can do your best to find the missing little monk."
Changzhu had long been prepared to accept punishment, but Wen Hemian's words surprised him. He then looked up abruptly and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will definitely find the person!"
He spoke with absolute certainty and ran away quickly.
Wen Hemian smiled helplessly and went to Qingyun to retrieve the system.
This guy is addicted to pretending to be a cat, and he's always acting cute and spoiled around the house, eating until he's shiny and juicy.
Wen Hemian told it about Tonghui Temple: "...So this means that the protection I have been given is starting to disappear?"
What a coincidence that something like this happened at such a critical juncture!
The system dared not deceive: "Yes. So have you thought it through? Are you going to confess or just leave?"
Confess? Wen Hemian couldn't help but smile bitterly, thinking about what would happen if she confessed what she was struggling with.
"Um, if I may remind you, isn't your little emperor a bit of a flirt? I was just thinking about it before, the way he looks at you seems a little off..."
The system had barely finished speaking when Wen Hemian grabbed it by the back of the neck.
The woman stared at it with her clear, bright eyes: "Say it again?"
The system, in a fit of desperation, said, "You know, back in Mingzhou, he dried your hair, right? I saw it. He not only smelled your hair, but he also looked at you with that... that ambiguous look!"
"And another thing! Who's this nice guy fighting over a cat?!"
The system blurted out everything it hadn't had a chance to say before Xie Lang interrupted it.
If you're so capable of being jealous of it, why can't you openly and honestly show it in front of Wen Hemian?
The system didn't care about Wen Hemian's reaction at all when it spoke, and it didn't notice that her pupils dilated when it heard it say "smell her hair".
The vague guess was now confirmed. Wen Hemian felt a complex mix of emotions. She took a deep breath, her fingertips trembling as she released the system, her eyes slightly unfocused, and leaned on the table beside her.
It's unbelievable, it really is!
Despite her extreme shock, Wen Hemian remained unusually calm as she rapidly racked her brains, trying to figure out when this sign had appeared.
From her perspective, everything seemed perfectly normal; she couldn't fathom when Xie Lang had developed these thoughts.
"Hey, host, are you alright?"
After the system finished idling, it finally realized that the information it had given was probably too shocking for Wen Hemian, but seeing her expression, it didn't dare to speak.
"Okay, I'm fine." Wen Hemian stroked its fur, her voice even calm. "System, thank you for telling me this."
Recalling the burning gaze the boy had given her time and time again, Wen Hemian closed her eyes, then became even calmer.
Those are the children she watched grow up, and who she has taught and supported all the way to this day.
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