After the New Year, an imperial edict was issued, reforming many of the existing policies in the court.
Apart from the relatively novel trial of girls' schools, most of the policies were improvements on the original ones, neither deviating too far from reality nor failing to stabilize the court. The comprehensiveness of the measures taken was astonishing.
The ministers were truly astonished that His Majesty could not only recover from his grief so quickly, but also come up with so many ways to improve the court.
However, before the words of praise could be uttered, another piece of news came out, saying that these were actually left behind by Lord Wen.
She had already compiled these books into a book before going to Jianghuai and placed it in her study. It was only when His Majesty went to the Prince's residence that he saw it.
Everyone's feelings became even more complicated.
Especially the censors who had previously criticized Wen Hemian but were not implicated in this bloodbath, were all speechless and unsure of what to do.
"So, before going to Jianghuai, Lord Wen was prepared that he might not come back?"
"We, a bunch of old men, are ultimately no match for Lord Wen, a mere woman..."
"Who says women are inferior to men? Perhaps trying out girls' schools is the right choice. We can't compare to them after all."
Not only the censors, but also the ministers who had previously gone to the Imperial Study to participate in the discussion, all felt ashamed of their hesitant actions at the time.
Compared to Lord Wen, they truly feel inferior.
Those newly appointed scholars who had received guidance from Wen Heming were particularly indignant, as they were new to the court and inexperienced in worldly affairs.
Shen Changyan whispered to several colleagues and friends, "I said long ago that since Lord Wen could say such things to me, he must not be a treacherous minister. There are too many scheming people in the court, which is why everyone misunderstands Lord Wen."
In short, after a lot of arguing, everyone quieted down in the end, and finally no one stood up to disagree.
They didn't dare to disagree.
The purge before the Lunar New Year was carried out by the young emperor with no mercy, and the methods were even described as bloody. After a good year, no one wanted to run into bad luck at this time.
But sometimes they couldn't help but think that if Lord Wen were still here, at least they wouldn't have to suffer like this.
It turns out that Lord Wen was the one in the world who could best control His Majesty. Now, this sword is unsheathed, hanging in the air, and who knows when it will fall on some unlucky person's head.
The matter was settled almost without much argument or debate, and its implementation proceeded more smoothly than ever before.
However, Xie Lang was still unhappy.
If such a price must be paid to obtain it, then he would rather not have it.
Unfortunately, it's too late for regrets now.
Wen Hemian had chosen a courtesy name for him, but he never heard her call him "Huaichuan" aloud.
Even so, he still couldn't abandon his responsibilities.
He had initially only thought about struggling to survive, but through the subtle influence of the past few years, he had gradually taken his responsibilities as emperor to heart and could not bear to see the court, which she had devoted so much effort to rectify, fall into chaos again.
Whether he is a wise ruler or a tyrant.
From beginning to end, Xie Lang never cared about this so-called title; he simply grew up to be the way she had imagined, just as she had hoped.
Now that she's not here, there's no need to hide it anymore.
If he could, he really hoped that Wen Heming could come back and keep an eye on him.
Unfortunately, it was all just wishful thinking.
-
Wen Hemian could roughly guess what was happening in the capital, but she was still slightly surprised when she received the letter from the capital.
It seems that Xie Lang must have already been to her study.
Wen Hemian had many concerns, and in the end, he couldn't bring himself to be ruthless towards Xie Lang.
I wonder if he'll overthink things when he sees those things?
Could they think she deliberately went to her death, or perhaps she used this opportunity to uncover more loopholes?
It was no surprise that Murong Yue couldn't hide anything. He only went to the prison once, was not interrogated at all, and was released unharmed in the end, which really puzzled her.
The Xie Lang who isn't in front of her is the real Xie Lang.
She couldn't understand what the little brat was thinking.
Putting everything else aside, if they find out that she didn't die but faked her death to escape, they'll probably be very angry.
Xie Lang used to always pretend to be angry, mostly to get his way by acting cute and charming. Wen Hemian had never seen him in a fit of rage and could hardly imagine it.
There was one thing she was absolutely certain of: she would be held a grudge.
She failed to keep her promise, and Xie Lang must hate her to death.
Wen Hemian lowered her eyes, knowing that thinking about these things now was useless, so she simply found something else to do to distract herself.
What's done is done, there's no going back. She'll have to get used to being apart from Xie Lang sooner or later, and Xie Lang will get used to it too.
He is, after all, a monarch. After so many years of her guidance, he hasn't neglected state affairs these days, which is enough to prove that her feeling was correct. Xie Lang isn't that dependent on her, and things will get better in a few more days.
Wen Hemian decided to do something here.
In a few years, Wen Chengyuan will be getting old. Although he is working hard to train his subordinates, it would be better to have more protection at the border.
Now that she's busy with political affairs and can't relax, Wen Hemian finally has some free time to work on the cement she's always longed for.
Currently, paving roads is not feasible, but if we could build something to form a city wall, it would be quite good. At least it wouldn't be so easy for the enemy to attack the city.
Fortunately, Wen Hemian remembered these practical methods and was familiar with the materials and proportions. In addition, with parents who doted on her, it was easier for her to get whatever she wanted.
Upon hearing Wen Hemian say that this thing was extremely important, Wen Chengyuan immediately dispatched his most trusted subordinate, Meng Min, to take command of him.
“The limestone and clay are easy to find, but the only difficult thing is iron ore powder. The imperial court strictly controls it and does not allow private individuals to use it,” Meng Min said with a smile. “Fortunately, our area is remote, so if Miss wants it, it’s not that we can’t get it, but we have to keep it a secret very carefully.”
Wen Hemian knew the implications: "It's alright. Just make enough to coat the city wall. This stuff is incredibly hard once it dries, giving the city an extra layer of protection."
Meng Min's eyes revealed undisguised curiosity: "This subordinate is eager to see for myself."
Wen Hemian smiled and said, "Soon."
She exuded a calm and composed aura. Even though he hadn't tried it yet, Meng Min couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration and was momentarily startled, marveling at how worthy she was of being the daughter of a prince and princess.
It sounds quick, but Wen Hemian hadn't actually done it before. After a lot of tinkering, it took almost a month before he finally got results.
The hardened cement was grayish-white and indeed very hard. We then poured water on it to observe it, and finally determined the series of procedures.
Meng Min held a small piece of cement, his eyes shining.
As a soldier, he naturally understood the value of cement. Without saying a word, he went to invite the prince and princess to come and see it, and Wen Hemian couldn't stop him.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com