In early September, the shadow of Emperor Zhenning's illness fell over the Nine Palaces. All the ministries and government offices in the capital arranged guards, and many officials were confined to the government offices for food and lodging. Yang Lun had not been home for half a month, and his official uniform had long been smelly. Xiao Wen took her family to the government office to deliver him clothes. Seeing his haggard face, she couldn't help but said, "You didn't even celebrate your birthday at home. These cakes you sent today are all freshly made. Let me use some of them."
Yang Lun scolded: "Do you still have good eyesight? Who dares to celebrate a birthday on this day?"
After being scolded, Xiao Wen didn't say anything and just lowered her head and shed tears.
Yang Lun felt a little regretful and softened his voice and said, "I don't have anything to say to you, why are you crying?"
Xiao Wen said, "Mother has been at home for so long, always nagging about you three siblings. Now, the Queen is imprisoned in the banana garden, Wan'er is in the palace, and you can't come back. I am the only one in front of Mother. Although I serve her very carefully, I am not the one she cares about. I see Mother is restless day and night, and my heart..."
She raised her head and wiped away her tears, "I feel bad inside, I didn't mean to show my sadness in front of you."
Yang Lun felt mixed emotions after hearing what she said. However, since he was outside, he could not show his emotions. He could only say calmly, "Thank you for your hard work."
Xiao Wen raised her head, "How dare I say that being a daughter-in-law is hard work? You work harder than me as a master outside, and I am in danger watching from inside. I know I shouldn't ask, but sir, what is the current situation in the capital? Yesterday, the wife of the Song family was arrested by the Pacification Bureau along with her husband with her hair dishevelled. A group of family members were tied up on the side of the road, and they were worse than pigs and dogs. I originally went to talk to her wife, but when I saw this scene, I couldn't help but ask a question, and I was almost arrested by the Pacification Bureau. Fortunately, their commander came at the right time and asked a question, and then let me go. I was really scared. My lord, I'm afraid you are in trouble too. If you are free, you should go home and stay with me and mother for a few days."
Although she was trying to hold back her tears, she became more and more choked up as she spoke.
Yang Lun couldn't say anything personal since he was in the government office. He could only soften his tone and comfort her, "I'm fine. I'm safe. If you don't have anything important to do today, don't go out. Just stay at home and take care of your mother."
"Yes, I dare not ask again."
Xiao Wen responded by squatting down towards Yang Lun, "The Song family... was arrested for making false proposals to establish a crown prince, you..."
"Don't think about it. As a woman, remember not to ask about this matter."
"yes… "
Xiao Wen didn't dare to ask any more questions. She quickly turned around and wiped away her tears. She also gave a few words of advice about food and daily life before leaving with her family.
Yang Lun sent Xiao Wen away and was about to go to the ministry when he heard someone calling his official position from behind.
"Minister Yang."
Yang Lun stopped and turned around to see Zhang Luo standing on his horse with the reins on.
Yang Lun lifted his robe and walked down the stairs, then bowed deeply to Zhang Luoma.
Zhang Luo put down the reins and bowed his head and said, "What do you mean, my Lord Minister?"
Yang Lun stood up and said, "Thank you, Deputy Envoy Zhang, for releasing my wife."
Zhang Luo turned over and dismounted, "No need, it was a mistake."
He took a step closer to Yang Lun and said, "I have something to ask you today."
"Speaking."
Zhang Luo said with his hands behind his back: "I, the Pacification Division, do not intend to intervene in this matter, so it is not convenient for me to ask the Ministry of Justice."
When Yang Lun heard this, he asked, "You want to ask about the Ministry of Justice's investigation of Master Cao."
"yes."
Zhang Luo continued, "Why would the Ministry of Justice want to arrest the people from Qingtian Temple at this time?"
Yang Lun was silent for a while, "Deputy Envoy Zhang, if this is an interrogation between the two yamen, please visit the Ministry of Justice."
"Not an interrogation."
Zhang Luo raised his head, "I am the only one asking privately. The last time you discussed appointing a crown prince, Your Majesty executed Huang Ran and imprisoned the eldest prince. This time, although it is inevitable, the cabinet has not yet submitted the memorial, and the Ministry of Ceremonies has already petitioned Your Majesty to have my Pacification Division search for officials in the capital who privately discussed appointing a crown prince. The Ministry of Justice is also investigating Cao Zhenren of Qingtian Temple at this time. As the commander of the Northern Pacification Division, it is my duty to secretly investigate whether the Ministry of Justice's actions are intended to coerce the emperor and father."
Yang Lun turned and walked down the stairs. "You are judging according to the law, so there should be no doubts. Why do you have to ask me privately?"
Zhang Luo looked into Yang Lun's eyes and said in a deep voice, "I am worried about accidental injuries. I have been awake all night."
Yang Lun was startled, then he clasped his hands and said:
"Hearing what Deputy Envoy Zhang said, I am more than relieved. I, Yang Lun, swear on the fortune of my family that the cabinet has no intention of coercing the emperor and father. Deputy Envoy Zhang can investigate secretly and report back truthfully."
Zhang Luo said: "In this case, I will order the Pacification Office to investigate."
After saying this, he jumped onto the horse's back, restrained the horse's hoof and said to Yang Lun: "Minister Yang, have you ever doubted your career so far?"
Yang Lun raised his head and said, "Yes, but I still don't want to quit."
"Why?"
“Because I don’t want to lose to my classmates.”
Zhang Luo lowered his head, "Do you think Deng Ying is a government official?"
Yang Lun was silent for a while, then asked, "Deputy Envoy Zhang, why are you suspicious?"
Zhang Luo's Adam's apple moved, and he answered Yang Lun directly, "Because of Yang and Deng."
After he said these five words, he immediately bowed and said, "Goodbye."
After saying this, he whipped his horse and rode away in a cloud of dust.
The grass and trees in front of the Ministry of Revenue were green and yellow, and the stone steps were slippery.
Yang Lun lifted his robe and walked towards the door. Thinking of "Yang and Deng", he took another look at the clothes Xiao Wen sent him and felt that they were quite meaningful.
No matter how complicated the political situation is, clothes must be changed and meals must be eaten.
Most of the time, Yang Wan was like Xiao Wen, staring at what Deng Ying was eating and drinking in his shabby room and paying attention to his underwear and shoes and socks. But the meaning behind her behavior was different from Xiao Wen's. She was not obsessed with the details of daily life. Her eating and living habits were permeated with the humanity that Deng Ying and Yang Lun could not explain but could naturally perceive.
She told Deng Ying that when she was reading or working, she would make a cup of flavored water and eat "Daily Nuts", and she would soak her feet in hot water before going to bed.
As she said, she is like someone who has lived too much, turning to those who are not living so happily and saying, "Look, this is how we live, why don't you try it too."
She said these words without any sense of superiority.
On the contrary, she immersed all modern concepts and doctrines, as well as her own body, into Deng Ying's humble fate, protecting his heart from within and his skin from without, struggling with him. Even though she was covered in bruises, she could still say to him in front of his bed, "Deng Xiaoying, you can go ahead and kill yourself, I'm here for you."
"Yang and Deng" is a word that cannot be separated when it comes to historical text research.
Unfortunately, Zhang Luo only said this once and did not write it down on paper.
If Yang Wan could read the words "Yang and Deng" in a document six hundred years later, she would definitely be surprised and hesitant.
However, there is no need to feel sorry about it.
Although Yang Wan was unaware that her return to see Deng Ying six hundred years later had brought some changes to this cruel and bloody history, she gradually developed the courage and attitude towards life of a modern person during the Zhenning period.
Deng Ying went to Qingtian Temple, and she sat in Chengqian Palace to peel nuts and mix preserved fruits. After mixing, she divided the nuts in half, asked Chen Hua to bring half to Deng Ying, and left the other half to Yi Lang.
In order to pray for the blessing of his father and emperor, Yi Lang reduced his food intake, eating only one meal a day, and stayed in the Yangxin Palace without taking off his clothes. Every time he came back, his eyes were blue, and he was unwilling to say anything, just leaning against Yang Wan in silence. Yang Wan handed him some nuts, and he took them and ate them.
"Are you tired, Your Highness?"
Yi Lang shook his head, looked up at Yang Wan and said, "Aunt, you take care of me and the factory officials every day. Isn't it tiring?"
Yang Wan smiled and touched Yi Lang's nose, "He is no longer a factory official."
"Oh, then he won't be able to protect his aunt anymore."
Yang Wan hugged Yi Lang and raised her head, "Auntie doesn't want anyone to protect you. Auntie will protect you."
Yi Lang said: "Aunt, what will happen to me if my father dies?"
Yang Wan looked at the young man in her arms. He was naturally sensitive. Even though the lecturer in Wenhua Palace did not dare to tell him the current situation in the inner court and the imperial court, he seemed to be aware of it.
Yang Wan lowered her head and asked softly, "Are you afraid, Your Highness?"
Yi Lang shook his head. “I’m not afraid of anything happening to me, but I’m afraid that I’ll implicate my teachers and my uncle.”
"They won't be implicated."
"Why."
"because… "
Because in the end, only Deng Ying died.
Yang Wan coughed and said gently, "Someone will protect His Highness and His Highness' teachers."
Yi Lang scratched his head, "Who is it?"
Yang Wan didn't say anything, so Yi Lang asked, "Who is protecting him then?"
After hearing what Yi Lang said, Yang Wan felt a chill in her heart and a sour feeling rushed into her nose. She almost cried and quickly raised her head to hold it back.
"Aunt, what's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing, Your Highness, don't worry. There must be someone in this world who will protect him. Your Highness, your aunt will be watching over you, you can go to sleep."
"good."
After Yi Lang finished speaking, he happily curled up in the quilt. Yang Wan tucked the quilt in for him and leaned against the couch to take a nap.
Who knew that he actually fell asleep.
She had a horrible dream. In the dream, Deng Ying was tied naked to the rack at the Meridian Gate. Her precious body was exposed to the eyes of thousands of people. Deng Ying closed her eyes in despair on the rack, unable to say anything, and was surrounded by unbearable curses.
This is a description in the last chapter of "Biography of Deng Ying" written by her, which is integrated and written based on the records in "History of Ming Dynasty" and other corroborative documents. Yang Wan remembered that when she wrote this passage, she felt infinite sadness in her heart, but now, she woke up from the nightmare, and her heart felt like it had snowed, and the velvet grass under the snow was warm, fragile, and warm.
She stood up with her clothes on, pushed the door and walked into the autumn garden.
The shadows of leaves swayed gracefully on the ground, and the cold autumn wind penetrated into her sleeves and flowed out freely.
Yang Wan took out the notebook from her room, spread it out on her knees in the light of the lantern in the corridor, raised her hand and rubbed her temple vigorously, closed her eyes and whispered to herself: "Yang Wan, it is normal to be afraid. Don't let yourself sink into despair. These are two completely different books. Once a scholar holds a pen, he must keep writing."