A rich fragrance wafted over, and Xie Lang was stunned for a moment. He then stared blankly at the osmanthus flower he was holding in his arms before his gaze slowly shifted to Wen Heming.
Wen Heming stood with her hands tucked in her pockets, her eyebrows curved, and her smile gentle. In the gradually darkening sky and amidst the noisy crowd, she seemed to glow, making it impossible to look away.
Wen Heming found the boy's unusually blank expression quite amusing.
"It's rare to see osmanthus blooming so early at this time of year. It's quite a coincidence that there's only one bunch left."
Wen Hemian looked Xie Lang up and down. The young man was handsome and had a good temperament. He was forced to mature at a young age, and the bouquet of flowers balanced his temperament.
She's becoming more and more beautiful.
She said with satisfaction, "Alang and this flower are a perfect match."
Xie Lang stiffened slightly: "Really?"
Wen Hemian chuckled: "When have I ever lied to you?"
"By the way, what were you looking at just now?"
Xie Lang didn't notice when Wen Heming turned to buy flowers, which led to this scene. She was a little curious about what had attracted the young man, so she leaned over to take a look and asked in a slightly raised tone, "A hairpin?"
Wen Hemian had sensed something was off about Xie Lang a few days ago, and now he was looking at hairpins that only women wear. If there were no clues, Wen Hemian would find it hard to believe.
She stared at Xie Lang meaningfully for a moment: "It's alright, I understand."
After saying that, she lifted her foot and walked forward.
Xie Lang: ...
His expression shifted several times, realizing that Wen Hemian had misunderstood something, so he quickly grabbed the flowers and chased after her.
That's not what the Grand Tutor thinks at all!
-
The next day, it started to drizzle.
Surprisingly, although many years have passed, the place where Xie Lang's mother lived back then is not hard to find.
The place was a small village. Because the young and middle-aged people went to the town to make a living during the day, they only saw some elderly people guarding the village when they went there.
Some of the older people still have memories from back then.
"...When the sage passed through our village, he glanced at Awu and then took her away. What a wonderful girl she was. It's a pity we haven't heard from her all these years."
Everyone understands this principle: once a girl enters the palace, unless she encounters a special opportunity, she will never have the chance to step out of the palace again in her lifetime.
Empress Dowager Huiyi, whose personal name was Jiang Wu.
She was an abandoned baby girl who was found by the village's barefoot doctor, who kindly raised her. With a heart full of gratitude, she continued to treat the villagers after the barefoot doctor left.
If it weren't for the late emperor's travels, he might have eventually found a suitable husband instead of wasting his time in the deep palace.
"But young men, what brings you to A-Wu's house?" The old man paused here.
Wen Heming said, "I came here on someone's behalf... to build a cenotaph for an old friend."
The old man's eyes flickered, as if he had considered a possibility: "You mean, Awu...she..."
Wen Hemian remained silent, unsure of what to say.
"Never mind, it might not be a bad thing for her."
After a long while, the old man sighed deeply, said nothing more, and simply led them in one direction, leaning on his cane.
Because the roads were slippery from the rain, Wen Hemian specially asked a guard to hold an umbrella for the elderly man and help him to prevent him from falling.
The countryside was muddy, and mud splattered onto his clothes. The clean-loving little emperor, unusually, didn't complain and followed along slowly.
After the old man led them to their destination, he returned home. Wen Hemian walked to the gloomy young man's side and said, "Actually, the scenery here is quite nice. When the weather clears up, we can build a small house. People can come and stay here during festivals. Without the intrigues and power struggles in the capital, it should have a unique rustic charm."
Too much persuasion is pointless; Xie Lang clearly cares, and when it comes to matters concerning family, there's no need to talk about letting go.
Just let things take their natural course.
Xie Lang felt a sense of comfort in her words, and his heart warmed slightly. He subconsciously smiled and said, "Teacher is right. Let them build houses when the weather clears up."
Wen Hemian smiled, unusually as she did before, and gently poked his cheek, whispering, "If you don't want to laugh, then don't. There are no outsiders here, and no one will laugh at His Majesty."
With his experience, Wen Hemian was still slightly better than Xie Lang, who was just beginning to mature.
Doesn't she know whether she's happy or not, given that she's watched her little brat grow up?
Xie Lang was taken aback and met Wen Hemian's smiling gaze. He unconsciously pursed his lips, feeling a little embarrassed.
None of the accompanying guards paid much attention to the interaction between the Emperor and the Imperial Tutor. They were diligently clearing away the ruins of the house. Since they had confirmed that a new house would be built here, they placed the cenotaph against the mountain.
There were no old objects, only a carved tombstone, firmly fixed in the ground.
Fortunately, the weather cleared up after noon. Xie Lang knelt before the grave and lit three incense sticks, thus completing the cenotaph.
Wen Heming and the guards stepped back, leaving Xie Lang alone, which allowed him to speak freely.
"The talk of ghosts and gods is nonsense, but I hope you can come back here."
Xie Lang stared at the name on the tombstone, his feelings were very complicated. His memory of his mother's appearance had begun to blur. He was too young then to understand the worry hidden in her eyes. Now he understood, but she was gone, and there was no longer any chance to talk to her.
His mother must have loved him. All he could do was seek a good name for her after her death and leave a cenotaph for her in her hometown.
Many years later, people still knew that Jiang Wu had existed.
“I have found someone I love, my… Grand Tutor.”
Xie Lang spoke these words softly, not wanting Wen Hemian to hear them, as his feelings were not yet fully expressed.
"She's wonderful; she's the best person to me right now. With her by my side, you can rest assured."
Xie Lang's voice was low and slow, but it contained an undeniable joy. After speaking for a long time, he stared intently for a quarter of an hour before finally turning around to look for the person waiting for him.
Wen Hemian paid close attention to the young emperor's emotional state at all times. She saw everything from his initial silence and loneliness to his sudden enlightenment. Seeing this, she couldn't help but smile and ask, "Are you done talking?"
"Hmm." Xie Lang stood up and walked in her direction. "Grand Tutor, you flatter me."
"What's so funny about this? It's only natural to talk to your own mother."
Wen Hemian teased, "Besides, hasn't Alang embarrassed himself in front of me enough since he was a child?"
Xie Lang frowned, suddenly becoming somewhat annoyed: "Can't we just not bring this up?"
They had only just met, and he had been so arrogant and presumptuous, always thinking of challenging Wen Hemian. These were things His Majesty the Emperor was unwilling to mention in the past.
Wen Hemian smiled and said, "What's wrong with that? No matter how old Your Majesty is, you'll always be a child in my eyes."
Always... a child.
A careless remark instantly stepped on His Majesty the Emperor's sore spot.
Xie Lang gritted his teeth inwardly; he had no desire to be a child!
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