Since the late emperor fell ill, the Ning faction has been entrenched in power and has deep roots in the court. Even with Wen Hemian holding some of the initiative, it has taken them many years to dig deep enough to barely uncover the truth.
So the more I think about it this way, the more I realize how desperate Xie Lang was in the original book to defeat Ning Hechu.
The downfall of a dynasty is often the result of the accumulation of many generations; it can only be said that when it reached this point, it was beyond its control.
Only after resolving this matter can Wen Hemian resolve the issue between her and Xie Lang.
At this crucial moment, it's not the right time to start a conflict; let's go along with things for now.
Even though Xie Lang wouldn't know, Wen Hemian couldn't help but feel a little guilty for considering these things in front of him.
"I would like to wipe them all out in one fell swoop, so that there will be no worries about the future."
Apart from Wen Hemian, Xie Lang cannot tolerate any powerful minister holding power. A few years ago, he was still weak and could only watch Ning Hechu be arrogant. Now the situation is different, and he wants to take power into his own hands as soon as possible.
Wen Hemian: "Yes, they will. With our current strength, they can't resist us."
It's a bit of a感慨 (feeling of mixed emotions), but this is probably just the inevitable trend.
"With the Grand Tutor's words, I can rest assured."
Xie Lang's eyes were bright, and when he wasn't spouting those outrageous words, a hint of youthful spirit emanated from him that softened one's heart.
Wen Heming's expression was extremely complicated: "I can't accept that."
Xie Lang became stubborn again: "If I say I deserve it, then I deserve it. Grand Tutor, just accept it calmly."
Wen Hemian didn't want to engage in these pointless arguments with him.
When faced with a major crisis, one cannot afford to consider personal feelings.
Too many arguments can easily reveal one's own thoughts, and Wen Hemian understands the principle that the more you talk, the more mistakes you make, so he doesn't want to cause trouble for himself.
Fortunately, Xie Lang still knew how to reason with her at this point. Perhaps he really didn't want to push her too hard, and even though the longing in his eyes was overflowing, he still obediently let her go.
The anxious wait soon brought us to September 9th.
Xie Lang led all the officials to climb the mountain together to worship their ancestors.
The procession was grand, with imperial guards protecting the emperor from both the front and back. Huo Ping, dressed in plain clothes, stood guard beside the emperor with a grim expression, but his gaze would occasionally drift to Wen Hemian, his expression revealing an indescribable complexity.
Among the Six Arts of a Gentleman is riding and archery, so most court officials were skilled at riding horses. For convenience, everyone rode horses to the mountain. However, once they reached the foot of the mountain, they all had to switch to walking and climb the steps to the top of the mountain.
The ancestral temple on the mountain was built by order of the founding emperor. People worship their ancestors here every year. The steps are well maintained and the path is not difficult to walk. However, we were unlucky. Halfway up the mountain, the sky suddenly turned gloomy and then it started to rain.
The officials hurriedly took out umbrellas to shield themselves from the rain.
Wen Hemian didn't have the chance. Just as she was about to turn around to grab the umbrella, a hand firmly wrapped around her shoulder, and she fell into Xie Lang's control.
The sky was overcast, and Xie Lang's expression was unreadable, but his voice revealed amusement: "There's no need to look for the Grand Tutor. My umbrella is big enough; at least in front of everyone, I can show them how much I respect my teachers."
Wen Hemian met his gaze kindly: "...Does Your Majesty believe it yourself?"
There was a hint of gritted teeth in his voice.
Xie Lang didn't believe it.
But he was just so clingy. He hadn't even had a chance to sit down and eat with Wen Hemian for so long, and he couldn't stand it anymore. So he just took advantage of the situation.
What gentleman could be more important than Wen Heming?
In public, unless they had a major falling out, Wen Hemian really couldn't do anything to him. She had even heard people behind her talking about their deep teacher-student relationship.
What kind of deep affection does the teacher have?
The umbrella tilted towards her, completely shielding her from the rain. Xie Lang, on the other hand, had half his shoulder soaked, making him look like a drowning puppy.
She remained silent for a long time before finally giving up.
Anyway, it's not her who's getting soaked. Xie Lang loves to suffer, so let him suffer!
Despite the bad weather, the group quickened their pace and barely made it to the ancestral temple before dark. Hot water was boiled in the temple, and everyone went to wash up.
After Wen Hemian finished washing up, Xie Lang had already changed into another set of clothes and was sitting obediently at the table waiting for her. He wanted to speak, but instead sneezed twice, leaving him completely bewildered.
"Pfft—" Wen Hemian was delighted to see him fail, "You brought this on yourself."
She was still in the mood to joke, but Lai Xi, who was standing to the side, was so frightened that she quickly brought over some ginger soup: "Your Majesty and Lord Wen, please drink this ginger soup quickly."
Xie Lang lost face and angrily gulped down the bowl.
Wen Hemian calmly sipped her tea, though to be honest, she didn't like the taste at all.
She glanced out the window and suddenly said, "The rain is getting heavier."
After getting over the awkward moment, Xie Lang said calmly, "That's perfect. We won't need to tidy it up again tomorrow morning."
His lips were upturned, but his eyes were as if they were covered in winter ice, unable to penetrate even a little, and were frighteningly deep.
Wen Heming's hands, which were holding the ginger soup, froze for a moment, and after a long while, she slowly replied, "Yes, I hope so."
"Tonight is not peaceful, so I'll leave more people around the Grand Tutor." Xie Lang was extremely serious, his eyes burning with intensity. "None of us can be harmed."
Xie Lang was greedy. He himself was like a weed that would do anything to take root and survive, but Wen Hemian was not. However, he hoped that both of them would be well.
Wen Hemian smiled and said, "I know."
...
As night fell, the rain intensified.
Suddenly, a bird's cry rang out from somewhere, its sharp sound breaking the silence of the night. Something hidden in the shadows was about to erupt, instantly tearing apart the calm surface.
The guards outside shouted, "Assassins! Martial law!"
Wen Hemian didn't fall asleep peacefully at all; she just rested her head on the table for a short nap. Xie Lang, who was sleeping on her other side, woke up immediately upon hearing the sound and grabbed the sword that was beside him.
Changzhu climbed in through the window and locked it. Outside, there were clanging sounds of cold weapons clashing. He retreated warily, protecting Wen Heming.
Wen Heming lowered his voice: "They've started fighting?"
Changzhu nodded: "Wu Yun took the lead. When I came in, another group of people had already arrived."
That looks like a complete mess.
Just as Wen Hemian nodded, he suddenly heard a "whoosh" as an arrow pierced through the window, but was blocked by Changzhu.
The moment lightning ripped through the sky, the door was kicked open, and several men dressed in black rushed in, swords drawn, shouting, "Wen Heming, prepare to die!"
Wen Heming's eyes turned cold, and she quickly drew her sword to meet the attack, joining Changzhu in the battle.
Despite her frail appearance, she was actually quite strong. Taking advantage of the moment when the men were distracted, she slammed her sword to the ground with a clang. Each move was precise and deadly, and she quickly killed the two men.
The last man tried to ambush her from behind, but before he could even raise his hand, he was fatally wounded by an arrow shot from behind, falling to the ground with his eyes wide open in death.
"Grand Tutor!"
Xie Lang, his clothes damp with sweat, hurried over from outside. His hand holding the bow and arrow trembled, and his uneasy, trembling eyes met Wen Hemian's.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com