The young emperor's eyes were sincere, and she was the only reflection in them. If it weren't for the somewhat coercive actions he was taking, Wen Hemian would have truly believed his lies!
Wen Hemian lowered her eyes and calmly tried to pry his hand away: "I didn't say I was leaving. Your Majesty, there's a limit to how much you can play the victim."
As Wen Hemian pried open his fingers one by one, she thought expressionlessly, "Xie Lang's studies are too comprehensive. He dabbles in everything, making him increasingly difficult to deal with."
Xie Lang didn't actually use much force; he watched Wen Hemian's movements with a smile.
Perhaps even Wen Hemian herself didn't realize that, influenced by this, her movements began to take on a childish quality, lively and vivid, making Xie Lang's wicked intentions stir.
He liked Wen Hemian's composure, calmness, and strategic thinking, but he also hoped that she wouldn't always be reserved in front of him.
Their relationship was no longer that of a simple teacher and student; Wen Hemian could no longer view him as a child.
"Your Majesty," Wen Hemian called out in a warning tone, glancing at him sideways, "aren't you going to review the memorials?"
After three years of being a hands-off manager, Wen Hemian didn't want to come back and do hard labor. These were Xie Lang's duties, so what was she doing interfering?
Xie Lang regretfully withdrew his hand: "...I'll go now."
At least for now, they seem to be obedient.
Having witnessed Xie Lang's madness before, Wen Hemian dared not provoke him easily. Seeing that he obediently went back, she still forced herself to cheer up and read the few memorials he had brought over.
Fortunately, apart from the first two letters which were just to make up the numbers, the later memorials were all quite serious. One of them was even submitted by Lu Zishen, which was about the disaster situation in the north.
In ancient times, natural disasters were frequent, especially during the summer and winter seasons. However, Lu Zishen was not mainly talking about the disasters, but rather using this as a pretext to talk about the vassal kings in the territories.
The concept of vassal kings is a legacy of history. They were mostly enfeoffed by members of the imperial family. Initially, this was to balance the power of various factions, but as their connection with the central government gradually weakened, they formed their own independent forces.
During Emperor Shun's reign, the princes were eager to make their move, but the power struggles in the capital were fierce, and no one wanted to get involved, so they held back for the time being.
With the elimination of the Ning faction, a major reshuffle took place in the capital. Presumably, seeing Xie Lang's youth, they assumed he was easy to bully and began to frequently engage in underhanded tactics again.
Their true purpose was to secretly recruit soldiers under the guise of appeasing the refugees.
Wen Hemian recalled a familiar term—"reducing the power of regional governors."
I had only ever seen such things in textbooks and historical materials before, and I never imagined that one day I would experience it myself.
No, she's no longer an official in the court, so it's Xie Lang's business how she considers things.
Wen Heming took a deep breath, trying to stop himself from worrying.
But she doesn't want to get involved; there are always people who want her to.
Xie Lang had finished his work sometime earlier and was now smiling as he rested his chin on his hand, gazing at her: "What did you see? You look so worried."
Wen Hemian was still not quite used to this aggressive wolf. He frowned and asked, "When does Your Majesty plan to reduce the power of the vassal states?"
Xie Lang raised an eyebrow: "You saw it? Wait a few more days."
Wen Heming had finally returned, and Xie Lang was enjoying this moment of peace. Besides, it wasn't the right time to start a war.
Having made his plans, Wen Hemian, not wanting to say more, picked up his pen, wrote his reply, and then carefully closed the book.
When Xie Lang first took over political affairs, Wen Hemian saw how busy he was and couldn't bear it, so she helped him with some things. Therefore, imitating his handwriting wasn't too difficult. However, after three years, it's become a bit rusty. She hopes that no one will notice.
"Why go through all this trouble? Even if the Grand Tutor wrote it in his own handwriting, they wouldn't say anything," Xie Lang said softly. "He just fell off a cliff and his fate is unknown. I will handle any rumors that may arise."
Wen Hemian knew, of course, that he could handle it.
"Let it go." Wen Hemian didn't want to see the court, which had just settled down, thrown into chaos again.
Xie Lang seemed to be deep in thought, then suddenly raised his eyebrows: "Or if Han Shuang is unwilling to return to the court, she can stay in the harem and become my empress."
Wen Heming: "...I refuse."
Her expression was indescribable; it was unclear how the topic had shifted to this.
Xie Lang's thoughts are layered and always appear in unexpected places.
Xie Lang chuckled awkwardly and looked away: "Alright."
After being rejected so many times, Xie Lang began to think that it wasn't a big deal, and he couldn't put on airs like a high and mighty monarch in front of Wen Hemian.
Wen Heming hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
His Majesty the Emperor's ability to change his expression is also exceptional.
After spending the morning in the Imperial Study, Wen Hemian was getting hungry as noon approached. She had just eaten two pieces of pastry to fill her stomach when she caught a glimpse of Lai Xi peeking in from the doorway.
Wen Hemian spoke up: "Does Your Excellency have something to attend to? Why don't you come in?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Lang gave her a sharp look.
Under immense pressure, Lai Xi stammered, "Your Majesty's... medicine is ready."
Lai Xi vaguely knew that His Majesty did not want Lord Wen to know about this matter, but the time had come and he could not refuse to drink the medicine.
"What medicine?"
Wen Hemian had guessed something earlier, but Xie Lang refused to reveal it, so she had no choice.
Lai Xi lowered his head and pretended to be dead, not daring to look Wen Hemian in the eye.
Xie Lang calmly took over the conversation: "It's just some tonic. Lai Xi, take the Grand Tutor to have his meal first."
Lai Xi sensed a strong warning in his voice and hurriedly replied, "This servant obeys."
He glanced at Wen Hemian with a melancholy expression. It wasn't that he didn't want to say it, but His Majesty forbade him to!
Wen Hemian pursed her lips, and for Lai Xi's personal safety, she did not continue to ask questions.
She found a clue today, and she'll figure it out in the future. She shouldn't implicate others.
On her way back, she saw palace servants carrying flowerpots back and forth. She glanced at them and Lai Xi explained, "His Majesty said that some flowers in the Imperial Garden are unlucky and ordered them to be removed and replanted."
Wen Hemian roughly knew which flower he was referring to, and she nodded lightly: "As long as Your Majesty is happy."
Seeing her cold attitude, Lai Xi couldn't help but whisper, "Lord Wen, please allow me to speak from the heart. In these past three years, His Majesty has been thinking of you constantly and hasn't been very happy. When you fell off the cliff, His Majesty was truly saddened for a very long time. Although His Majesty clearly forbids others from saying that you are gone, he was also worried that you would be wronged, so he secretly set up a memorial tablet and often burned paper money on special days, staying there all night each time..."
Wen Hemian didn't know how Xie Lang had spent the past three years. Hearing Lai Xi speak, she slowed her pace: "Is he... very sad?"
Being thousands of miles away, Wen Hemian didn't know the details.
Lai Xi nodded: "I heard from Lord Huo that His Majesty almost jumped down to find you, but after being persuaded again and again, he slowly circled around to the bottom of the cliff and stayed up for more than ten days without sleep. When he came back, he fainted and was severely depleted."
"Your Majesty, I truly care about you."
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