After his visit to the side hall, Xie Lang seemed to instantly withdraw all his claws and teeth, and never again lingered in front of Wen Hemian.
They usually conducted business strictly by the book, and he almost never kept her behind alone. The rapid development of events was beyond Wen Hemian's expectations.
It's like having a bunch of things prepared but nowhere to use them, leaving you feeling like you're putting all your energy to nothing.
Frustrated.
Lately, everyone in the cabinet meetings has been on edge, their words often laced with barbs. Especially after the young emperor began to take action against the Ning faction, those who belong to the royalist faction have all become smug and speak with more confidence.
Wen Hemian usually doesn't participate in their conversations, and her words are always a rebuttal. The crowd watched, furious but unable to speak out, their eyes practically spitting fire.
Damn it, she's got some nerve, relying on her dad and the little emperor to back her up!
Ning Hechu glanced around with interest, and when his gaze fell on the memorial in his hand, he raised an eyebrow: "A proposal for women to attend school? Grand Tutor Wen?"
Upon hearing his name mentioned, Wen Hemian finally raised his head, looked over, and calmly nodded in acknowledgment: "Yes, it's me. What are your thoughts, Chief Minister Ning?"
Before Ning Hechu could even open his mouth to speak, a Ning supporter next to him couldn't help but jump up and down: "What do you mean by girls attending school? There has never been such a thing since ancient times, it's utterly absurd! Utterly absurd!"
"That's right. Men are responsible for external affairs and women for internal affairs. This is a rule passed down from our ancestors. How can it be changed so easily just because of your words? Wouldn't that go against natural law and ethics?"
"If girls were to be enrolled in school, everything would fall into chaos!"
Like a pebble suddenly thrown into a calm pond, the once quiet scene instantly became noisy. The Ning faction couldn't wait to turn their attention to Wen Hemian, as if they wanted to have a serious talk about it.
Wen Hemian is low-key and upright in her conduct. Normally, the censors can't impeach her effectively, but now that she has revealed a major weakness, why wouldn't they seize the opportunity?
Not to mention them, even a few people who had always been on good terms with Wen Hemian didn't understand what she was up to.
Everyone looked at each other with suspicion and uncertainty, unable to find anyone to speak for a moment.
Wen Hemian's expression remained unchanged throughout, and she listened to their criticism with a smile. Finally, she said in a light tone, "You all speak so negatively of women. Have you forgotten that you were also born from under the skirts of women? Then what are you?"
A decisive goal.
The room was completely silent.
Those who had been shouting the loudest immediately turned red in the face, choking back their breath with nowhere to vent.
Ning Hechu clapped his hands with a smile, saying meaningfully, "Grand Tutor Wen is truly sharp-tongued."
Wen Hemian nodded gracefully: "Thank you for the compliment, you too."
A controversy sparked by a girl's enrollment in school ended without resolution.
Wen Hemian's group seemed to have figured something out, and they whispered among themselves, "You're really amazing. You blocked the other side with just a few words."
"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"
Wen Hemian felt a little embarrassed by their praise.
They thought they were doing it on purpose, but actually, that's really what she meant!
Wen Hemian had no intention of telling them the truth for the time being, and responded to them all with inscrutable smiles.
Immediately, everyone felt even more certain, and they walked away with their heads held high.
Somehow, she ended up walking with Ning Hechu again.
This man had been almost completely silent lately, his quietness almost frightening. Perhaps today's events had struck him as particularly interesting, for he smiled and asked, "Is that truly what Grand Tutor Wen thinks?"
Wen Hemian asked indifferently, "Does that matter?"
Ning Hechu shook his head and changed his tone: "I've noticed that Grand Tutor Wen and His Majesty have become quite distant lately. Outsiders may not be able to see the reason, but I can."
"Then what do you want to say?" Wen Hemian turned her head.
Ning Hechu suddenly lowered his voice and asked an unrelated question: "Does Grand Tutor Wen want to know how the late emperor died?"
Wen Hemian recalled the plot of the original book: "He died of illness."
That's what she said, but looking at Ning Hechu's expression, she suddenly had a bad feeling.
“Wrong.” Ning Hechu raised his finger and shook it. His smile turned cold in an instant, and his voice became much colder: “...He was brutally murdered, his hands and feet were cut off, he was stuffed into a jar, and he died after suffering endless torment.”
Isn't that just a human pig?
Wen Heming felt a chill run down his spine, and his gaze towards Ning Hechu became more wary.
Ning Hechu laughed twice, then said with great pleasure, "Why is Grand Tutor Wen looking at me like that? Do you think it's true?"
Wen Hemian almost blurted out the word "madman": "Is Chief Minister Ning just trying to scare me here on purpose?"
"Of course not. I just wanted to tell Grand Tutor Wen that the royal family is all sick in the head." He smoothed his sleeve and chuckled. "When I'm purged one day, who knows, the next one to be discarded like a dog after the hunt is over won't be you?"
"The Wen family holds military power and enjoys immense prestige. If he truly desires to consolidate his power, who do you think would be his thorn in his side?"
Wen Heming's gaze remained calm: "The tactic of sowing discord won't work on me."
Ning Hechu declined to comment: "Then we'll just have to wait and see."
Wen Hemian thought to himself, "I'm afraid you won't live to see that day."
After a brief exchange, Ning Hechu left first.
Wen Hemian breathed a sigh of relief and stood there to catch her breath. Just as she was about to leave, she was blocked by someone coming from another corner.
The day was full of ups and downs.
Wen Hemian slammed on the brakes, speechless for a moment: "...Your Majesty."
The speaker meant it, and the listener took it to heart.
Wen Hemian was indeed not easily swayed, but Ning Hechu's words just now still made her heart pound, and she felt a sense of dread whenever she saw Xie Lang.
If what they investigated in Mingzhou was as they suspected, then there might actually be some clues behind the late emperor's death.
The palace was in complete chaos back then. The late emperor was going to die sooner or later anyway, so Wen Hemian's first thought was to find Xie Lang. She didn't care at all what was happening in the late emperor's bedroom.
The burial was hastily arranged, and the matter came to an end.
Who would have thought that it would be dug up again after so many years.
"Grand Tutor..."
Before Xie Lang could speak, Wen Hemian interrupted him: "Did His Majesty hear what he just said? Don't worry, I won't believe it. I can tell whether someone is friend or foe."
I won't believe it, but I will consider it.
Wen Heming concealed this fact.
She didn't know if Xie Lang had noticed, but after a moment, he smiled brightly and said in a calm tone, "That's good. I also believe in the Grand Tutor and the Wen family. His talk about seizing military power is pure nonsense."
He said in a gentle voice, "As long as the Grand Tutor is alive, I will not lay a hand on the Wen family."
Wen Hemian: "..."
Why call him "wolf cub"? Just call him "little madman" instead.
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