At some point, the figure that had been sitting on the dragon throne vanished without a trace.
The ministers turned to look at the emperor striding in from outside the hall, and were all stunned for a moment. Then, suddenly someone shouted, "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Then, as if awakened, the court was filled with voices paying homage to His Majesty.
People were unwilling to delve into the meaning of what the emperor had just said.
Only Ning Hechu seemed to realize something, his gaze quickly sweeping across the dragon throne, and when he looked at Xie Lang and Wen Hemian behind him, his face darkened considerably.
He said that Wen Hemian's sudden decision to go home to visit her family at this time was different from his guess that she was calling for reinforcements. From beginning to end, she was just trying to take the little emperor out with her without anyone noticing!
The absurd feeling of being played came over him. Thinking about how he had been testing each other with some unknown substitute all this time, Ning Hechu felt that he was utterly stupid.
His subordinate tugged at him from behind, and Ning Hechu forced a smile before bowing and saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Xie Lang didn't even glance at him.
Wen Hemian smiled at him.
Ning Hechu's mask was about to break down.
He immediately had the urge to tear the teacher and student to pieces, but the situation was no longer his domain.
He returned just in time for the court session. Xie Lang didn't want to hide where he had been, so he didn't change into his court robes and sat on the dragon throne in his ordinary clothes.
His indifferent gaze swept down, exuding an air of authority without anger, and no one doubted his identity.
He began, “I pondered this the other day. Your Majesty sits in the court for so long, and everything you see and hear is presented by your subordinates. You cannot know the truth from falsehood. So I had an idea to go and see for yourself among the common people. But then I thought of the late Emperor’s southern tour, which was exhausting and costly for the people. So I discussed it with the Grand Tutor, and we decided to leave the capital privately to investigate, thus avoiding any deception by officials. Mingzhou is my mother’s hometown… who would have thought…”
He snorted coldly, his gaze suddenly sharpening: "To think that I would encounter such a person who deceives his superiors, embezzles public funds, and perverts the law!"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!"
Under the emperor's sharp gaze, no one could escape. While the ministers were secretly alarmed, their eyes all turned to Ning Hechu, wondering what he was thinking.
Wen Heming guessed that he was probably furious.
This was the explanation she and Xie Lang had discussed before returning to the capital. Every detail was designed to show that Xie Lang cared about the affairs of the court, and the reasons were presented in a way that appealed to emotions and naturally shifted people's attention to the matter in Mingzhou.
Now, even if the Ning Party wanted to save him, they were powerless to change the situation.
It's impossible to say that the emperor saw it with his own eyes and then lie, right?
That would be blatant disregard for imperial authority and insubordination.
You can question it, but you need to have the guts. Apart from censors, many people still wouldn't dare to take that risk.
Finally, after a moment of silence, Lu Zishen stepped forward: "Your Majesty's concern for the country and its people is beyond our ability to comprehend. We beg Your Majesty to severely punish the culprits as a warning to others!"
Ye Zhaoxuan and the Right Vice Censor-in-Chief exchanged a glance and stepped forward as well: "Your Majesty, I agree!"
"We hereby reconsider."
People have a herd mentality, and in the blink of an eye, the majority of people stood up.
Xie Lang's expression softened slightly, and he continued, "If I remember correctly, Chief Minister Ning is also from Mingzhou. This matter is of great importance and involves many people. Why don't we entrust this matter to Chief Minister Ning and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review for joint supervision?"
The ministers' expressions immediately turned strange.
Isn't this a roundabout way of putting Ning Hechu in a difficult position?
But things had developed to this point, leaving Ning Hechu no room to refuse. He lifted his eyelids and said, word by word, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your kindness."
Xie Lang withdrew his gaze and made the decision.
Because the scene in the court was so shocking, the court officials who were about to argue stopped arguing and, like quails, hurriedly slipped out after the court session ended, fearing that the wrath would fall upon them.
As Ning Hechu passed by Wen Heming, he finally lost his usual composure, his eyes turning sinister like a venomous snake: "Lord Wen, you're brilliant."
Wen Heming cupped his hands in thanks: "You flatter me. I am no match for Lord Ning."
Ning Hechu: "Heh."
Ye Zhaoxuan and Lu Zishen seemed to have something to say to Wen Hemian, and the two of them lingered at the back. Wen Hemian raised her hand and pointed to the back hall, indicating that His Majesty still had something to discuss with her, and that they could talk about it another day.
They were all shrewd people; after understanding what was meant, they quickly turned and left.
Wen Hemian chuckled and followed Lai Xi, who had turned back to peek inside, to the Imperial Study.
There were some important memorials left in the Imperial Study, all piled up, which Xie Lang needed to review personally.
"It's a pity that such a trick can only be used once." Wen Hemian sat down casually, not hiding his praise for Xie Lang, "His Majesty performed very well in court just now."
It is believed that after this, his image as a wise ruler will be more deeply rooted in people's hearts.
Xie Lang smiled and stared intently at Wen Hemian: "Since I have done so well, does the Grand Tutor have any reward for me?"
Wen Heming didn't even look up, and refused: "No."
Even if she was stupid, after a lot of strange things had accumulated, she should have realized that something was wrong. Thinking about the promise she still owed Xie Lang that she hadn't kept, Wen Hemian couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.
The debt kept piling up, and if she continued to indulge in it, she would eventually ruin herself.
Wen Hemian let out a soft breath and calmly met his gaze: "Is His Majesty's accumulated prestige meant for me?"
Xie Lang gritted his teeth: "No."
Wen Heming: "That's settled then."
Realizing that he couldn't expect a reward today, Xie Lang had no choice but to give up. He dejectedly picked up a memorial, which contained advice to him to take a concubine and establish an empress.
Xie Lang seemed to be deep in thought, and glanced at Wen Hemian again. This time, he didn't reject it outright, but put it aside for further discussion.
Leaving aside the fact that the Minister of Rites was overjoyed to not see his memorial rejected, Wen Hemian and Xie Lang chatted casually, and the atmosphere was harmonious and quiet.
Wen Hemian flipped through the books next to her but couldn't find any interesting stories like the one she had last time, which made her quite disappointed.
Xie Lang said coolly, "Grand Tutor, there's no need to look. I've already had Lai Xi clean up the Imperial Study."
Having already lost face once, how could Xie Lang tolerate losing it a second time?
Those books are long gone, not even their corpses remain!
Wen Hemian withdrew her desire to see a joke, and tried to cover it up: "Actually, apart from the bold content, the storybooks also have their merits."
During her last fleeting glance, besides feeling shy, Wen Hemian also noticed that the content of the storybook was quite open, such as women entering school to pursue official careers—these ideas were much more progressive.
Although she was an exception, Wen Hemian hoped to do her best to fight for more rights for women in this era if possible, so that her identity would not be wasted.
"Oh?" Xie Lang's eyes darkened slightly upon hearing this, and he smiled slightly. "So the Grand Tutor likes it."
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