Xie Lang had a miserable childhood in the palace, with no one to rely on. Now that he is growing up, his only weakness is probably his teacher.
Huo Ping was a sharp and ruthless knife in his hand, destined from the beginning to be different from Wen Hemian, who accompanied him and fulfilled his teaching responsibilities.
They would always just be subordinates, but Wen Hemian was truly treated like family by him.
Thinking about what he had found out, Huo Ping was still sweating profusely, his heart pounding, unable to predict what the young emperor's expression would be upon hearing the news.
Xie Lang's cold gaze lingered on him for a few seconds, then with a wave of his hand, he said as he wished, "Get out."
Lai Xi, who was about to come up to serve tea, suddenly turned around, asked nothing, and sent all the eunuchs in the hall away.
In just a few breaths, the surrounding area was cleared away.
Sensing the terrifying aura emanating from the young emperor, Huo Ping was slightly startled. Maintaining his half-kneeling posture, he lowered his head and revealed what he had discovered: "...Lord Wen, it's a woman."
Those six short words completely shattered Xie Lang's thoughts, as if his mind had slowed down and reorganized, leaving him frozen in place. He suddenly frowned, his voice filled with chilling coldness: "I advise you to think carefully before you speak. How could the Grand Tutor possibly...?"
Huo Ping's eyes showed a slight bitterness. Who would believe this? Although Wen Taifu usually looked a bit weak, his voice and everything else made him seem like a real man.
There were many skilled ventriloquists and shapeshifters among the Imperial Guards, but they clearly didn't recognize him.
The investigation results are out in the open and cannot be faked. Huo Ping said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the facts are right here. If you really don't believe it, just send someone to invite Lord Wen into the palace to verify his identity."
After all, once the clothes are off, there's no way to fake it.
"No." Xie Lang refused without hesitation.
He knew this was the most direct way to confirm, but he could not use it on the tutor who had raised him with such care. Apart from some harmless little secrets, they were practically each other's closest people in the world.
Huo Ping thought to himself, "That's really true."
This news was so shocking that it disrupted everything Xie Lang wanted to say. He slowly suppressed his turbulent emotions and stared intently at Huo Ping: "Tell me everything you know."
Huo Ping had anticipated this outcome, sighed, and began to recount an old story.
When the Princess Consort of Huailing was pregnant, it was at the height of the conflict between the couple and the royal family. At that time, the border was suffering from the invasion of barbarians. The Prince of Huailing volunteered to guard the border, but because the timing was not right, he had no choice but to leave the Princess Consort in the capital for the time being.
Later, when news of the ambush that the Prince of Huailing was in grave danger reached the capital, the Princess Consort was so alarmed that she gave birth to their only child prematurely, who was on the verge of death.
No one knows what happened in between, only that a few days later, the princess and her newborn child were quickly moved to a remote temple under the cover of the palace's private guards.
That is, the temple where Wen Hemian lived for several years afterward.
"The old monks in the temple had been specially bribed to keep the secret very well. But no one expected that a young monk who had only been in the temple for a short time would overhear it. He had recently broken the precepts by drinking alcohol after going down the mountain, and that's when he let the secret slip."
Huo Ping said, "I have heard that some families raise children with weak fates by having them disguised as girls or boys as girls in order to deceive the gods and spirits. Perhaps this is the case for Lord Wen."
The key point is that only children raised in this way from a young age are more likely to fake and deceive others.
Xie Lang possessed basic rationality. Regardless of his thoughts or how shocked and astonished he was, one thing was beyond doubt: "This matter must not be told to outsiders."
Many people are already dissatisfied with Wen Hemian's position in the court. If the news that she is a woman is revealed, it will incite a mass attack. Xie Lang will never tolerate such a thing happening.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I have already taken care of it."
Huo Ping could guess some of the emperor's intentions. Ning Hechu's people were a given, but that little monk was a bit difficult to deal with...
Just as he was about to speak, Xie Lang said, "Find a place to lock up that little monk, but don't kill him."
Many people were drawn into the struggle. Xie Lang had seen them in the palace when he was a child. He was not a soft-hearted person, but he thought that Wen Hemian might be angry if she found out, so he spared her.
This surprised Huo Ping somewhat: "Yes."
"Go down."
The amount of information was too much, and Xie Lang needed enough time to process it. That was true, and he needed to rethink many things.
Huo Ping sighed almost imperceptibly: "Your subject takes his leave."
He needs to take his time.
Huo Ping walked faster than ever before. After he left, he made sure to close the door tightly, leaving Xie Lang with space to think.
Xie Lang's gaze turned completely somber and deep only after he left.
If that's the case... if that's the case, then everything makes sense.
Boys and girls are not allowed to sit together from the age of seven. When he first ascended the throne, he was weak and vigilant and had no choice but to stay by his side and accompany him through the difficult days and nights.
As he grew up and began to show his true colors, the Grand Tutor naturally distanced herself from him, because she was aware of her own status and the difference between men and women. He didn't know, but she did.
The sense of closeness yet distance arises from this very identity.
Xie Lang's throat was dry, his Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and past events surfaced in his mind. In six years, so many things that could be called flaws had been overlooked by everyone. They had managed to deceive everyone for so many years.
Angry? Xie Lang blinked blankly. He knew he didn't feel that emotion; even the anger of being deceived was minimal. Instead, an emotion that surfaced was unfamiliar to him—
That's called heartache.
He pursed his lips, knowing that without him, Wen Hemian would be living a much easier life than she was now.
Moreover, with the woman's identity constantly concealed, it remains a potential threat. One wonders if she has ever worried about it...
After a jumble of random thoughts, Xie Lang's mind suddenly drifted back to the strange clothes he had seen in Wen Heming's room yesterday.
He hadn't had time to ask anyone to investigate after he returned.
Fortunately, I didn't check.
After learning about this, the little thing that had been hidden in my mind seemed to suddenly become clear.
He had never seen those clothes before, but he had seen similar ones on fire-avoidance maps, and their purpose was self-evident.
Xie Lang's ears turned redder the more he thought about it. Then... then wouldn't that mean...?
A sudden buzzing sound filled his mind, and he felt a burning sensation in his nose. When he touched it, his hand was covered in blood.
ah.
The usually dignified young emperor was stunned.
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