Having been fooled so many times, Wen Hemian saw through his little tricks at a glance. She didn't expose him, but simply said one sentence that was enough to make him behave—
"I still need to see my father off tomorrow morning."
It was one thing for others, but Xie Lang knew that Wen Hemian valued relationships, and his attitude in front of the Prince of Huailing could not be ignored, so he immediately sat up straight and said: "Mhm."
Wen Hemian's heart softened: "Alright, go to sleep."
With her words preceding him, Xie Lang indeed behaved himself very well that night.
The next day, after changing into casual clothes, Xie Lang accompanied her to see Wen Chengyuan off.
Xie Lang originally wanted to appear as well, but Wen Hemian stopped him: "Your Majesty is the ruler of a country. It would be inappropriate for you to appear in the bustling city."
The main reason is that there are still vassal kings in the capital, and Wen Hemian doesn't want the big fish he caught earlier to get away, so he has to make Xie Lang suffer a little.
Seeing through her intention, Xie Lang sighed, "Alright."
Wen Hemian values the country and its people very much, a fact that Xie Lang understood many years ago.
Wen Hemian hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help raising his hand to pat his head and chuckled, "Your Majesty, wait for me here to come back."
Xie Lang's disappointment vanished instantly, and this time he finally had no objections: "Okay!"
After calming him down, Wen Hemian lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage. Her father, leading the horse, stood not far away. When he saw her coming, he handed the reins to his men and took a few steps forward.
The old father looked melancholy: "Time flies so fast, and I'm leaving again. Shuang'er, you must take good care of yourself in the capital."
Wen Hemian felt an indescribable heaviness in his heart: "Father and Mother, please take good care of yourselves at the border. I will buy you a house in a beautiful place outside the capital so that you can live out your old age in peace and quiet."
Wen Chengyuan chuckled: "My parents still want to fight on the battlefield for a few more years."
"After I've dealt with the matter of reducing the power of the princes, I'll go to the border to see you and Mother."
"well."
Although Wen Chengyuan was basically relieved after seeing the young emperor's attitude, he still couldn't help but nag a bit when they parted, for fear that Wen Hemian might have been wronged.
Finally, seeing that it was almost time, he steeled himself, stopped talking, mounted his horse, and left.
Ancient times were not as convenient as modern times. It was difficult to meet someone who was thousands of miles away. Wen Hemian stood there until the group of people disappeared from sight before she looked away.
Seeing Wen Hemian's expression after getting into the carriage, Xie Lang, unusually, didn't try to be clever and said in a low voice, "I will accompany the Grand Tutor to the border to see them in the future."
Wen Hemian agreed this time: "Okay."
While all was peaceful and serene here, Xie Yong, who had been observing for several days, began to have doubts about Prince Jia: "Is Prince Huailing really so loyal to the royal family that he would even give up his own daughter?"
Prince Jia has been away from the capital for many years and has not had much contact with Wen Chengyuan. However, due to his status, he knows more about the inside story. Back then, the late emperor intended to take action against the Princess of Huailing and the child in her womb, but he let it go so easily.
The subordinate speculated, "Your Highness, this is the capital city after all. Even if he has ideas, he can't easily take action."
“Indeed.” Xie Yong casually sprinkled some fish food, watching the koi in the pond swarm around to grab it, and said with a hint of regret, “The young emperor is too protective of his teacher. Such an interesting person, I would like to continue talking with her.”
That day in the palace, Xie Yong knew that the emperor's spies were all around him, so he dared not say too much. Now, however, he had no chance to meet them.
Xie Yong then asked, "Another vassal king has left the capital?"
"Yes, they are very satisfied with the conditions offered by the young emperor and have gone back to make preparations."
"They're fighting over such petty gains." Xie Yong sneered. "Continue making secret contacts and see how many are willing to be my supporters."
The subordinate replied, "Yes."
At the same time, the princes who remained in the capital were also secretly plotting, waiting to see when the young emperor would become impatient and summon them to the palace for a talk.
Unexpectedly, after several days of no one entering the palace, Xie Lang clearly lost interest in continuing their conversation and implied in his words that they should leave the capital as soon as possible.
The vassal kings looked at each other in bewilderment: "Has the young emperor given up on persuading us?"
"Who knows? Anyway, I'm not willing to give up my power. How do you know if his promises are true or false? It would be a joke if we ended up with nothing."
"Too."
How can bowing and scraping before the emperor in the capital compare to the freedom and ease of living in one's fiefdom? As for one's descendants, that's their business; it has nothing to do with them.
With this in mind, the remaining vassal kings followed suit and left the capital one after another.
Little did they know, Xie Lang wasn't giving up on persuading them; he simply didn't intend to continue playing along with them.
Wen Heming agreed: "They should be taught a lesson. If more people come later, they should pay a higher price."
It's actually a simple process of increasing the stakes at each level. The first people to arrive get the most benefits, but later on, they might not only miss out on meat, but they might not even get to drink the broth.
Even so, they could only swallow their anger and suffer in silence.
After Wen Heming returned, Xie Lang finally stopped maintaining the tyrant image he had cultivated and learned how to negotiate "gently," though his ruthlessness remained unchanged.
No one can get an advantage over the emperor.
Xie Lang felt relieved, thinking that those annoying things were finally gone and would no longer stand in the way of him and the Grand Tutor.
In the blink of an eye, Wen Hemian had been back in the court for almost two months. She was quick to get up to speed and handled official duties properly. The original doubts and criticisms gradually subsided. Apart from those who still had objections to her living in the palace, no one said anything openly.
"Grand Tutor".
Xie Lang hesitated before asking, "Would you be willing to become the Grand Secretary?"
Wen Heming's smile faltered slightly. After a few seconds, she sighed, "You really want me to be it? Why not find someone else?"
Xie Lang reiterated his initial statement: "You know, I don't trust other people."
Ultimately, it's because this position is too central. With the example of Ning Hechu, Xie Lang finds it hard to entrust it to someone else.
Simply leaving it empty isn't good either.
Wen Hemian was moved by his trust, but also felt complicated and speechless: "Your Majesty, you really seem like a tyrant."
"I have said it before, it is not shameful for the Grand Tutor to be a foolish ruler."
Xie Lang smiled and said, "It's secondary that I don't trust others. The most important thing is that I think no one is more suitable for this position than the Grand Tutor."
Human nature is unpredictable. Those in high positions inevitably have their own ulterior motives and will inevitably make more private connections. Wen Hemian is different. She has always stood at a height that others cannot reach. In terms of her situation, she is quite similar to Xie Lang, who is the emperor.
Therefore, Xie Lang felt that she was suitable.
Seeing that she did not answer for a long time, Xie Lang's enthusiasm slowly cooled down. He forced a smile and said casually, "However, I just think that if the Grand Tutor is unwilling, I will not force him."
Which emperor wasn't high above, with his word being law?
Xie Lang had clearly hesitated repeatedly for her sake, and it was unknown how long he had considered it.
Wen Heming rested her chin on her hand, her eyes lowered, and suddenly smiled: "It's not that I'm unwilling. It's just that..."
"Does His Majesty want me to be Empress, or a subject?"
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