Wen Hemian has been opinionated since childhood, and neither the prince nor the princess could dissuade her, let alone Qingyun.
Although she still had concerns in her heart, she chose to believe Wen Hemian.
"However, His Majesty is also from the royal family, so you'd better be careful," Qingyun muttered softly. "If the prince and princess hadn't been heartbroken by the royal family back then, they wouldn't have stayed away for so many years."
This is no secret; anyone with a bit of influence in the capital knows it. However, even Wen Hemian is not entirely clear on the specific reasons for the falling out.
Perhaps because they felt that the older generation should not hold grudges against their children, they never mentioned it much in front of Wen Hemian. Wen Hemian always felt that there was more to it and planned to ask about it later.
Be careful what you say.
Wen Hemian glanced at Qingyun.
Qingyun covered her lips and laughed: "Don't worry, young master, we'll only talk about it in the manor and won't let outsiders know."
It must be said that Qingyun was good at lightening the mood. After chatting with her, Wen Hemian's worries eased a bit, and she was able to think things through more clearly.
Even if we take a step back, it's impossible for her to abandon this situation and leave Xie Lang now. What happens next can be discussed after the mission is over.
-
When fighting with others, it all comes down to whether you can seize the initiative.
Now that Xie Lang had real power, his decrees were no longer empty words. Without any basis, Ning Hechu could not refute him. However, when he heard that the supervisor was not Wen Hemian, many members of the Ning faction looked towards Wen Hemian.
Everyone knows how much the young emperor values Wen Hemian, and he wants to give his teacher all the good things he can. But he didn't give him such a good opportunity.
It's worth pondering.
Wen Heming remained calm and unmoved.
Xie Lang, however, noticed that all those annoying people were looking at Wen Hemian, and a faint sinister glint flashed in his eyes: "Do any of you ministers have any objections?"
The ministers quickly shook their heads.
The young emperor is very protective of people, just like Wen Hemian used to protect him.
Ning Hechu's gaze swept over them, and a hint of interest appeared in his eyes as if he had thought of something.
The Minister of Rites was itching to bring up the old memorial that hadn't been rejected a few days ago. Seeing that there was no dispute in the court today, he felt a bit more confident and stepped forward to bring it up again.
"Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"Your Majesty is now eighteen, and will be nineteen in a few months. It's time to consider selecting concubines to fill the harem. At the very least, setting aside the matter of establishing an empress, selecting a few close confidantes to accompany you so that they may bear an heir as soon as possible would be a blessing for our Great Zhao..."
If it weren't for the fact that all the old men in the Ministry of Rites are the same—not only are they pedantic and rigid, but they're also incredibly adept at caring about other people's affairs—no wonder they can get along so well with the censors.
The Minister of Rites was a talented man in his youth. When he persuaded people, he spoke eloquently and fluently, saying a lot without repeating himself.
The key point is that no one knows how many people he consulted beforehand, and once he said this, many of his ministers echoed his sentiments.
Even Ning Hechu, unusually, chimed in: "Indeed, His Majesty is no longer young, it's time to consider the harem. Only with a thriving imperial lineage can the dynasty last long."
Previously, ministers had submitted memorials to offer advice; this was the first time they had spoken out on such a large scale in the imperial court.
In the past, Xie Lang would have found it troublesome and simply rejected it.
But something was strange today; he actually listened patiently to the whole thing.
And after the ministers quieted down, they did not object, but simply said in a low voice, "There is no need to say anything more, I have my own considerations."
This means they've given in.
Although the ministers were eager for the emperor to open a harem, they also knew when to stop, and stopped talking when they heard the suggestion.
Once you start, you'll start again; once you open your mouth, everything else will be easier.
Because of this incident, the court was unusually harmonious for once. No one wanted to upset the young emperor and had to retract their own ideas, so after the court session, they left in twos and threes.
Wen Hemian still had to go to Wenyuan Pavilion. Ning Hechu, for reasons unknown, slowly strolled forward to walk with her, his tone inscrutable: "In the future, when His Majesty selects concubines, Grand Tutor Wen will no longer be able to freely enter and leave the harem."
The late emperor's concubines had long been sent away, and there were no concubines in the harem. There was no need for outsiders to avoid the situation. Even if Wen Hemian occasionally stayed overnight, it was not a problem. After all, the emperor had given his permission, and the ministers could not say anything.
But if she were to establish a harem and continue to act as recklessly as before, it would likely provoke discontent among many people.
Wen Hemian didn't know what Ning Hechu's intention was in striking up a conversation with her, but that didn't stop her from giving him the runaround.
"There's no need for Prime Minister Ning to worry about that. I'm not someone who doesn't know what's important. I know what to do and when to do it."
Ning Hechu glanced at her and chuckled, "But the relationship between Grand Tutor Wen and His Majesty is very close. I wonder if with more people in the middle, it will still be as unreserved as before?"
If the empress or concubines sow discord with a few words and whisper sweet nothings in the emperor's ear, then things could get very complicated.
And how many similar stories are there in history books?
But compared to the concubines who were still nowhere to be seen, Wen Heming felt that Ning Hechu was more like the one who was sowing discord. She gave a nonchalant smile, and was about to retort when she heard a deep voice from behind her—
"How I am with the Grand Tutor is not for you to comment on."
Xie Lang admitted that he did have his own selfish motives in saying those words in court.
But Ning Hechu's actions undoubtedly crossed his bottom line.
He rushed over, intending to say a few words to Wen Heming, but upon hearing this, he couldn't contain himself and wanted to explain himself.
Ning Hechu calmly turned around and bowed to him.
Xie Lang sneered: "You've overstepped your bounds."
Perhaps because he still had something to rely on and was certain that Xie Lang wouldn't react in this way, Ning Hechu's apology was completely insincere: "Your subject knows his mistake."
Xie Lang suppressed the storm brewing in his eyes and said calmly, "Get out."
In the blink of an eye, only the two of them remained in the corridor.
Wen Hemian cursed Ning Hechu in her heart. She had been walking very fast. If Ning Hechu hadn't delayed her on the way, how could she have put him in such a dilemma?
Unable to avoid it, Wen Hemian could only try to calm the boy who was on the verge of losing his temper.
"Don't be angry. I always treat his words like farts. I don't take them to heart and I don't care about them."
Xie Lang stared at her for a long while before finally squeezing out a cool sentence: "I do hope that the Grand Tutor will care."
Xie Lang will never have a harem in his life.
Even if it were to be held, only Wen Hemian would be there.
Her indifference meant that he wasn't even on her radar, which was not what Xie Lang wanted to see.
If he weren't disguised as a wise ruler, Xie Lang would really want to show her what he was really like inside, and how much he craved her approval.
But he didn't. He suppressed his dark emotions and looked calmly at Wen Hemian: "Does the Grand Tutor have nothing to say to me?"
Wen Heming's smile faltered slightly.
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