The emperor was seriously ill, but no one cared.
After Ning Hechu killed several sycophantic eunuchs around him, the emperor's life and death were in his hands.
He watched as the former emperor grew old, his eyes lost their luster, and he lay half-dead on his bed, finally able to carry out his revenge.
The palace servants who were attending him were terrified and fell silent, but he didn't care at all. Finally, when the emperor was about to die, he ordered his limbs to be broken and his body stuffed into a urn.
With that, the dust settled.
Having finally avenged his long-standing hatred, the expected sense of satisfaction did not well up in his heart. Sitting in this position, he looked around and felt lost, unable to think of what to do next.
Everyone thought he would take the opportunity to kidnap the young prince and make him a puppet so that he could hold real power, but he didn't care.
It was during this time that Wen Hemian led his men into the palace and protected the young emperor, who had by then grown from a prince to a young emperor. This young scholar, born into a life of luxury, possessed a pure and upright heart and the same impetuous drive he had in his youth. He cautiously protected the young emperor behind him.
Prior to this, they had not had much interaction.
Seeing that look in his eyes, Ning Hechu couldn't help but be momentarily lost in thought.
His gaze fell on the child again. The child was timid and dared not look at him. As if sensing his gaze, he hid behind Wen Heming. He looked soft and harmless, just like when he first met the Crown Prince. He had no danger whatsoever.
He couldn't help but scoff inwardly. Was it really worth the Wen family going to such lengths to support such a person?
He wasn't interested, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then left.
But what happened next was truly beyond his expectations.
What was initially thought to be a harmless brat turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing. The young and inexperienced Grand Tutor Wen, however, revealed his gentle yet formidable side after entering the court, gradually sweeping away a patch of clean land from this corrupt court.
In the past, powerful families fought fiercely to divide power, but now they are in their twilight years. Faced with the rising new party, they feel a little panicked and want to use Ning Hechu to nip these threats in the bud.
Unfortunately, they miscalculated this time.
Wen Hemian appeared to be standing behind everyone, but in reality, he was standing in front of everyone.
Every judgment she made seemed to predict their subsequent actions, so decisively and swiftly breaking them down one by one, tearing a hole in their defenses.
Ning Hechu smiled as he watched them retaliate, standing by with his arms crossed and observing coldly.
In fact, from the moment he realized he had misjudged the situation, he knew it was a losing proposition.
There are countless people with ambition in the world. If they are scattered, they have nothing to fear. But if someone can gather them together, they will become a powerful weapon to move forward and achieve their goals.
For Ning Hechu, once he embarked on this path, there was no turning back.
Regardless of his initial intentions, his betrayal of his teacher and friends, and his framing of loyal officials, are all true.
Regardless of whether his subordinates acted on his instructions or not, it was no lie that he turned a blind eye and let them do as they pleased.
He watched the young emperor grow up under Wen Heming's protection, watched his supporters fall into panic, and even advised him countless times to find a way to kill the teacher and student. He neither stopped nor supported them, but just watched them suffer defeat each time as if it were a joke.
It was one of the few sources of enjoyment.
In fact, if he had wanted to resist, he might have had a chance of winning. Even if the outcome was the worst, he could still tear a piece of flesh off those two. But after fighting for so many years and going through so many ups and downs, he was tired and weary.
So in the final battle, he sat in the mansion and let the people who kicked open the gates capture him.
In prison, he thought about many things.
I recalled my carefree and hopeful youth, the pain of losing my beloved, the frustration of going to the capital for the imperial examinations, lying low day and night only to watch my enemies, and the desolation of later wielding power and enjoying boundless glory, until today, when the tree falls and the monkeys scatter.
He eventually reached the end of his road.
The only thing he hadn't expected was that the young top scholar would actually come to visit him in prison.
Wen Heming showed no sign of taking advantage of the situation.
He only seemed surprised for a moment when he came in and saw that the guard was calm. He quickly regained his composure, waved for the guard to leave, and chatted with him as usual.
Facing imminent death, Ning Hechu felt no fear whatsoever. He even inquired with great interest about the rumors and anecdotes between this young scholar and the emperor, and laughed when he saw her embarrassed.
He wasn't actually surprised that Wen Hemian would find out about his past. From their previous encounters, it was clear that this young scholar seemed to possess extraordinary abilities, always able to predict what they were planning to do. It wasn't surprising that he knew some secrets as well.
Seeing such a kind-hearted person, who could so calmly bid farewell even to an enemy, he felt a strange, indescribable feeling.
So he said, "Grand Tutor Wen, I am also a top scholar."
So many years have passed, and people only remember him as a treacherous minister. They have probably long forgotten that before this, he was also a top scholar in the imperial examination. Although he was not as outstanding as Wen Hemian and was remembered by many, he was still a top scholar who achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination and enjoyed great prestige.
What if none of this had happened?
Perhaps he will marry the woman he loves, or perhaps he will become a loyal and upright official like Wen Hemian, wholeheartedly dedicated to upholding the government. Who knows, he might die one day in the vortex of court intrigue...
But it's pointless to say these things now.
He could not make another choice; the matter was already settled.
So he thought that perhaps some people in this world are born to be treacherous officials.
It was Ning He Chu's bad luck that he ended up becoming this treacherous minister.
He harbored resentment towards the heavens, but he couldn't help but remind Wen Hemian to always be wary of the royal family. Consider it his good intentions when he gave this advice.
As for what happens after that, he's dead, so he can't control what happens after he dies.
Wen Heming did not give a direct answer to this.
Not surprising, after all, she has always protected the young emperor. His actions might have been seen by her as a way to sow discord, or as him meddling in other people's business. She might see it as a sign of feigned kindness.
However, seeing the young scholar's sincere expression, he finally asked her to help take care of the loquat tree in the yard.
This tree was planted a long, long time ago, initially just to commemorate his hatred. Later, the tree grew bigger and bigger, and then one year, he ate a loquat, which was both sour and astringent, much like his absurd life.
Wen Hemian was truly kind-hearted, and she agreed.
So Ning Hechu said to her, "Thank you."
This time it's for real.
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