The smile in Xie Lang's eyes deepened.
The idea of traveling had been on his mind for a while, but he had to think hard all night before deciding on this location.
He was too young when his mother passed away, and he has little memory of her now. But she has always been special to him, and his feelings for her are complex and hard to express.
He had his own selfish motives; he wanted to go there and also take the opportunity to cultivate a relationship with the Grand Tutor. But it was impossible for him to always remain Wen Hemian's obedient student.
He could easily accept such a change, but Wen Hemian might not be able to accept it so easily. Fortunately, there was still time, and he could take it one step at a time.
"Oh, right." Wen Hemian changed the subject, a plan forming in her mind. "Speaking of which, this is a good opportunity to let someone from the Ministry of Personnel come up and try to see if they can take over this position."
Wen Hemian remained true to her original aspirations. She had no intention of remaining a powerful minister forever. From the first day she entered the Ministry of Personnel, she had already been looking for suitable candidates among her subordinates. Her trip with Xie Lang was a good opportunity for her subordinates to be tested.
The only thing to worry about is whether Min-young will cause trouble.
Xie Lang noticed her worry and said, "We might as well take this opportunity to see who else is causing trouble and deal with them all at once."
Enemies in the open are not scary; what is scary are the villains hiding in the shadows who could stab you in the back at any moment.
Wen Heming paused slightly: "I was overthinking it."
Xie Lang smiled: "The Grand Tutor is just thoughtful, not overthinking."
"Commander Huo cannot travel with us. Your Majesty must make proper arrangements to prevent a counterattack."
Xie Lang nodded: "I understand. Is there anything else the Grand Tutor wants to instruct me on?"
Wen Hemian glanced at him sideways: "How did it become my order? Wasn't it His Majesty's idea?"
It's not good to rely on her for everything.
We mustn't let the little emperor grow up to be an innocent puppy who doesn't know the wickedness of human nature.
Xie Lang simply smiled and said, "I think what the Grand Tutor said is quite good."
Wen Hemian's lips twitched, and she raised her hand to tap him on the forehead.
It was this action that made her belatedly realize that the distance between the two of them seemed a little too close.
It was originally a seat meant for one person, and she had some room to sit. Xie Lang insisted on moving closer, and his clothes overlapped with hers, making it look as if he was holding her in his arms. The boy was tall and strong.
Wen Hemian's expression turned strange for a moment, and she quickly stopped herself from having such an inappropriate thought.
On this point, she did not blame Xie Lang for his stance.
He naturally knew he should keep his distance from women, but the key was that in his heart, he was a man, not a woman. He wanted to be closer to his teachers and elders, which was not wrong from his perspective.
Wen Hemian pondered how to bring it up, but Xie Lang noticed her unusual behavior first and asked, "What is the Grand Tutor still thinking about?"
“I…” Wen Hemian hesitated for a moment, but finally pressed the button on some kind of intuition, “No.”
Xie Lang's smile faded slightly: "That's good."
As he spoke, he glanced at the official documents laid out on the table, then casually pushed them aside, his voice indifferent: "Since you are leaving, Grand Tutor, you should not take on everything yourself. Delegate what should be delegated to your subordinates. Since you began assisting me, Grand Tutor, you have never requested leave to visit your family. Why not take this opportunity to retire? No one in the court will dare to say anything."
"Alright, I'll take this as a vacation."
Wen Hemian raised an eyebrow, having come to terms with it.
Once you've reached an agreement, there's no need to hesitate any longer.
The next day at court, Wen Hemian used the excuse of visiting her family to offer to go to the border and asked His Majesty to temporarily transfer her duties to someone else.
As soon as he finished speaking, not only the court officials, but even Ning Hechu, who usually didn't participate in disputes openly, turned his gaze over and said in a cool tone, "Lord Wen has only been the Minister of Personnel for a short time. Why is he going to the border at this time? Isn't that disregarding his responsibilities?"
Everyone knows very well who's at the border.
Although the Prince of Huailing had fallen out with the late emperor, he was still a prominent figure in the capital, a top-tier chosen one. Not to mention his princess, who came from a distinguished family in the Jianghuai region.
Just because people have gradually forgotten about it over time doesn't mean these things didn't exist.
In short, that person truly held military power.
Why did they choose to go at the time when the young emperor and Grand Secretary Ning were fighting for power the most? What were they thinking?
Upon hearing this, the Ning faction became somewhat anxious and wanted to retort, but Wen Hemian scoffed, "I have served as an official for seven years and have never taken a single leave to visit my family. Now I am just tired and want to rest. Why can't I go back? Besides, there are many talented people in the court. Are you afraid that the Ministry of Personnel will not be able to function without me?"
In the very early years, Wen Hemian would never have dared to clash with Ning Hechu like this. But things are different now; times have changed.
The young emperor has begun to show his strong side, and as his teacher, Wen Hemian certainly cannot continue to be timid and hesitant, as this would damage morale.
Naturally, when facing Ning Hechu, there was no need to be so polite.
Ning Hechu's expression changed slightly, and his voice sounded a bit like he was gritting his teeth: "If Lord Wen wants to visit his family, of course there is no problem."
Despite being stared at by Ning Hechu with murderous intent, Wen Hemian felt nothing. After all, they were not on the same side, so it didn't matter.
So the ministers began to discuss who could temporarily take over the position of Minister of Personnel. Most of them felt that it was most legitimate for Min Rong to take over temporarily. Only those who stood on Wen Hemian's side remained silent, but they secretly revealed their worries.
Min Rong's dislike for Lord Wen is nothing new. If he were to take charge of the Ministry of Personnel, wouldn't that be the end of him?
Xie Lang observed the situation calmly, and only spoke after they had finished their discussion: "The matter of the Ministry of Personnel will be jointly managed by the Left and Right Vice Ministers, whose authority is equal. In addition, I have specially dispatched the Commander of the Military Command to protect the Grand Tutor during his visit home. Does anyone have any objections?"
Xie Lang's arrangement was quite fair. Not only did he not have his own people take over, but he also took the initiative to delegate power to Min Rong, which was really unexpected. As for sending people to protect Wen Hemian, it was perfectly reasonable.
After all, this young emperor is known for his respect for his teachers.
Ning Hechu couldn't find any fault with it.
It's so normal, it's almost unbelievable.
The matter of Wen Hemian temporarily stepping down was thus dropped from public view.
After the court session ended, Ye Zhaoxuan strolled over to Wen Hemian, frowned, and asked her, "What are you planning to do?"
Wen Heming dropped a bombshell in the court, startling everyone. Many of Ye Zhaoxuan's colleagues exchanged glances and inquired about the reason.
But the key point is that Ye Zhaoxuan himself didn't know either!
Wen Hemian smiled mysteriously: "It's alright, just wait and see."
"Hiss." Ye Zhaoxuan clutched his chest, looking distressed. "Fine, I'll wait."
Talk less, do more – this is the profound truth that Ye Zhaoxuan has come to understand over the years.
...
With everything prepared, Wen Hemian and Xie Lang, along with a small entourage, disguised themselves and left the capital that same day.
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