"Did the Grand Tutor know all along that someone would assassinate him?"
After Huo Ping left, Xie Lang finally voiced the question that had been weighing on his mind.
Wen Hemian's reaction after learning about this was too calm, so calm that it was as if she knew in advance that this would happen and even sent people to protect Lu Zishen.
Before this, no one could have predicted that Lu Zishen would be assassinated. Even the most insightful person could not have foreseen everything.
Too many coincidences coming together don't seem like coincidences anymore; they seem more like... a conspiracy.
Xie Lang didn't show his suspicion, but Wen Hemian had been with him for many years, so how could she not see the clues? She hesitated for a moment between concealing and telling the truth.
“It’s not exactly ahead of time; I just guessed he might be making this move.” Wen Hemian chose a compromise, looking at Xie Lang with a faint smile on her lips. “Perhaps His Majesty doesn’t know, but Ning Hechu once tried to win me over.”
Xie Lang was taken aback: "I have indeed never heard the Grand Tutor mention it."
By the time he found out, Wen Hemian was already on the opposite side of Ning Hechu, and no one had ever mentioned what happened before that.
But upon closer reflection, it actually makes sense.
The lineage of the Prince of Huailing has a grudge against the royal family. As the only child of the Prince of Huailing and his wife, and also the newly appointed top scholar, Wen Hemian would try to win over Ning Hechu for various reasons, as long as Ning Hechu isn't stupid.
"It cannot be denied that Ning Hechu initially valued talent, but as his power and status gradually expanded, the talented people who were growing up on the opposite side became a threat to him. As a powerful minister, what he feared was not only the new emperor who was gradually growing up, but also those who could be cultivated to rival him in the future."
Wen Hemian spoke in a gentle and mild tone.
"It's easy to guess. He can't touch me, much less the heavily guarded palace. Targeting his ministers is the best option. He's certain we won't turn against him now, and besides, he's already found a scapegoat, so he has no worries."
"Aside from Ye Zhaoxuan, the only person we're in closest contact with right now is Lu Zishen. I'm just taking a gamble. And if I'm not mistaken, His Majesty probably also has the idea of monitoring Lu Zishen, right?"
Xie Lang had nothing to say about this: "Indeed."
Following this logical sequence, everything seemed reasonable, and Xie Lang, despite feeling strange, had no choice but to suppress it.
Seeing Xie Lang speechless, Wen Hemian knew she had fooled him.
Her brows relaxed as she looked at the young man before her, and said with a hint of earnestness, "I know Your Majesty is wary of the emergence of another Ning Hechu, but you are the monarch. If you insist on holding power in your own hands, you will not only get tired in the long run, but you may also become estranged from your court officials. How to strike a balance is something Your Majesty needs to figure out for yourself."
She knew Xie Lang's personality all too well. He was cold at heart, which made him suitable to be a monarch, but his overly guarded nature would make him extremely wary of the outside world. He was always on guard, and it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't overthink things and suffer the consequences.
"Understood, Grand Tutor."
Xie Lang showed no sign of impatience. He glanced at Lai Xi, who had somehow retreated to the side, and thought to himself that Lai Xi was smart enough. He then put on a sweet smile and said, "I will consider these things in the future. As long as the Grand Tutor doesn't become estranged from me, isn't that enough?"
The boy's tone carried a hint of roguishness as he looked at Wen Hemian with a pitiful expression, completely lacking any airs of an emperor.
Lai Xi was holding back his emotions; if he hadn't been used to it, he probably would have lost his composure by now.
His Majesty is really too clingy to Lord Wen.
The bond forged through childhood companionship is ultimately incomparable to that of ordinary friendships.
“You…” Wen Hemian was amused by his attempt to change the subject. She knew that refuting him would only lead back to the beginning, so she simply gave up and said, “Don’t worry, such a thing will never happen.”
Wen Hemian felt that she was very honest. The entanglement she had been going through for many days was cleared up like clouds and fog.
She had already decided that when she was able to retire gracefully, she would tell Xie Lang everything. She didn't care whether she became an official or not; she just wanted to travel around.
Given the years of relationship, it's unlikely to cause too much of a stir.
Wen Heming thought to himself with a light heart.
"That's good."
Xie Lang smiled from the bottom of his heart. He instructed the person next to him to bring an ice cloth, took Wen Hemian's hand, and carefully applied the ice cloth to her.
Wen Hemian has many contradictions, which she may not have noticed herself, but Xie Lang has.
Despite being a martial artist, the skin on his hands was more delicate than anyone else's. He had only been holding the reins for a while, and now there were red marks on them that hadn't faded away for a long time, looking rather frightening.
Xie Lang felt a little thirsty. He suppressed his thoughts and simply wrapped her hands in the handkerchief.
"Isn't it a bit unnecessary to be so cautious?"
Wen Hemian really didn't feel any pain. Her skin and flesh looked just like hers in modern times, but in modern times it was truly fragile. Here, it might just be a matter of her constitution. It looked serious, but in reality, she was fine.
But Xie Lang was adamant, and she tried to pull her hand back, but couldn't.
Suddenly, he understood why Xie Lang had been so angry but dared not speak out when he had been tricked by him a few years ago.
"That won't work."
Xie Lang refused without hesitation: "I need to perform well to please my parents, the Grand Tutor."
Wen Hemian: "..."
Look at what you're saying; if the context were different, it would be quite misunderstood.
She was about to speak when Xie Lang didn't give her the chance: "Besides, you are my teacher. Isn't it only natural for me to treat you well? Lai Xi!"
Suddenly summoned, Lai Xi reacted swiftly: "This servant is here!"
"Go and bring the newly presented plasters."
Lai Xi should be the one.
Wen Hemian knew that the newly presented plaster was said to be made from herbs unique to a small country. It was very precious, and at most only three small jars were produced a year. As a sign of sincerity, all of them were sent to Da Zhao. It was said to have an excellent effect on promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis. When applied to wounds, it could also speed up the healing process.
She was now genuinely at a loss: "Your Majesty, is this really unnecessary?"
Xie Lang remained silent, demonstrating to her through his actions what it meant for a refusal to be ineffective. Lai Xi acted swiftly and quickly retrieved the item.
The plaster had a unique, pleasant fragrance that was light and refreshing. Before Wen Hemian could even react, Xie Lang had almost finished applying it, and her hands didn't feel sticky at all.
She instinctively squeezed, and ended up grasping the boy's fingertips before he could pull away.
Xie Lang's heart skipped a beat. For some unknown reason, he hurriedly withdrew his hand, took a step back with a thud, and his ear tips immediately turned red.
His eyes widened slightly, like a frightened puppy.
Wen Hemian stared at him, puzzled: "What's wrong?"
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