After a moment, Wen Hemian shook her head: "No."
Seeing the boy's eyes darken instantly, she instinctively sensed something was wrong and quickly added a sentence.
"If I had to say something, I would hope that Your Majesty would not be swayed by the ministers' opinions, but would think clearly about the pros and cons before acting."
Xie Lang has grown up and is no longer the child who needed Wen Hemian's guidance. He will eventually have to learn to face these things on his own.
“I know His Majesty understands what I’m saying. But…” Wen Hemian paused, much calmer than before, “Your temperament still needs some work to be honed.”
It's good that young people are energetic, but it also means they are prone to acting impulsively. If they are in a high position and cannot truly keep their emotions in check, they will be taken advantage of by their subordinates.
Look at today, Xie Lang only loosened his grip a little, and the ministers couldn't wait to send people to the palace.
It is clear that Xie Lang has not yet escaped the shadow of being a puppet in their hearts.
Wen Heming spoke very seriously, and Xie Lang listened very attentively.
After he finished speaking, he smiled thoughtfully: "I see, I understand now."
Wen Hemian subconsciously wanted to ask him what he understood, but remembering her previous experiences of getting herself into trouble, she stopped herself at the last minute.
Whether it was because her rejections had been too obvious these past few days, or because Xie Lang had truly come to his senses, he took a step back and said very obediently, "I will change."
Because his intentions had been exposed, Xie Lang couldn't help but want to show his feelings to Wen Hemian. But he forgot that while his mindset could change quickly, the Grand Tutor might not be able to.
Wen Hemian certainly wouldn't be so beastly as to have any feelings for the child she watched grow up. Ultimately, it's just that Xie Lang's impression on her was still too immature.
Emperors may seem to be high above, but in reality they cannot do everything in the world.
Having understood this, Xie Lang's decision to return to the position Wen Hemian deemed appropriate was also a form of implicit compromise and concession.
Time will tell, and he will let Wen Hemian feel how firm his determination is.
This constant distancing and probing is the state Xie Lang finds most unbearable; it's too painful.
After a long and earnest tug-of-war, Wen Hemian thought that her words had worked, and seeing this, she relaxed a little.
"Although we don't need to be too afraid of Ning Hechu now, he is still the Grand Secretary. Your Majesty should not take it too seriously and waste your energy."
Who knows what kind of thought process Ning Hechu has? He might even be happy that he's annoyed them.
Based on his many years of experience dealing with such people, Wen Hemian felt that there might actually be such a possibility.
Just thinking about it makes me shudder.
Xie Lang nodded slightly: "I acted impulsively."
Changing an impression takes time, so Xie Lang secretly resolved to stop acting childishly from the start, lest the Grand Tutor misunderstand.
A child who admits their mistakes and corrects them is still a good child. After saying so much, Wen Hemian's expression softened. She said, "I still need to go to the Wenyuan Pavilion to discuss the imperial examination with the ministers. I will not chat with His Majesty for now."
The examination for this spring imperial examination was overseen by the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, along with more than ten other academic officials, including Wen Heming. They jointly set the questions, which caused the slight delay. Wen Heming was probably the last to arrive.
Xie Lang remembered this and felt annoyed: "Grand Tutor, you should go quickly."
Wen Heming nodded and quickened his pace toward Wenyuan Pavilion.
As expected, the rest of the people had already arrived. One of the ministers, who had always been at odds with her, stiffened his neck and snorted coldly: "Lord Wen, you have quite the airs, making so many of us wait for you."
It was indeed her fault. Wen Hemian bowed slightly apologetically, "I'm sorry. I just had a few words with His Majesty. I wasn't paying attention. Thank you all for your understanding."
Her frank admission caught the person who had spoken off guard, who stammered a few words. Finally, it was the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, Lord Xu, who smoothed things over: "You are all colleagues, and Lord Wen did not do it on purpose. Please sit down."
Wen Hemian gave him a grateful look, and then everyone started talking about the exam questions.
The world in the book is a fictional world, but in reality, it is quite similar to the historical development of the world in which Wen Hemian lived. The selection of exam questions is somewhat limited, testing whether students are familiar with the classics and whether they know how to apply them to governance.
Unfortunately, he never delved much into practical subjects like arithmetic, since many scholars despise those who are obsessed with money.
Wen Hemian secretly noted it down, intending to discuss the matter of reform when the opportunity arose later.
This discussion lasted all day.
After drafting the first version, the next few days were needed to finalize the details before presenting it to the emperor. Time was tight, and it was truly a painstaking and exhausting process that one would never want to go through a second time.
Power can be alluring, but it can also be exhausting.
Just as Wen Hemian finished her sigh, Lord Xu caught up with her.
They didn't interact much in the past, but they unexpectedly got along well during the discussion.
The over-fifty-year-old Lord Xu had a very high opinion of Wen Hemian, and said with a smile: "After hearing your insights today, I can see that Lord Wen has many novel ideas. In the end, we old folks are no match for you."
Wen Hemian dared not take the blame: "I had only heard about it from someone before and found it interesting, so I remembered it. What Lord Xu said makes me feel a little ashamed."
Lord Xu expressed his disbelief: "You are still too modest. Being able to serve as the Imperial Tutor already puts you far ahead of many others. The rumors circulating in the court are nothing but sour grapes. If they were in that position, they might not be as good as you."
When the Ning Party was at its most powerful, how many people dared to stand up?
Wen Hemian is already one of the best among them.
Wen Hemian couldn't very well say that it was because of the mission, so she smiled and said, "Thank you for your praise, Lord Xu."
Lord Xu smiled and waved his hand, reminding her: "It's good to have drive, but the court is full of storms. If you don't retreat in time, even with favor by your side, you can't guarantee that you won't get into trouble one day. Lord Wen is a smart man and should understand what I'm saying."
Wen Heming truly understands.
She knew that Lord Xu was not only reminding her, but also probably warning her.
With the Ning Party waning in power, it goes without saying who will be the next most powerful figure in the court.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Xu."
Wen Hemian liked this kind of straightforward person. She spoke calmly, her eyes crinkling slightly: "This is the country that my parents protected, and I will not ruin it."
Lord Xu was taken aback. He looked at Wen Hemian and suddenly chuckled, "I forgot about your identity."
The Wen family has been loyal for generations. Even when the Prince of Huailing and his wife had a falling out with the royal family, they did not rebel and continued to protect the border. As their child, Wen Hemian could not possibly be crooked at heart.
Ultimately, it was because Wen Hemian's achievements were so outstanding that they had long overshadowed his status as the heir apparent of the Prince of Huailing.
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