Yang Wan finished her work at Tongjiku and went straight to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
As she was about to exit Huiji Gate, the magnificent glazed tiles on the roof of the Hall of Supreme Harmony came into her sight.
Yang Wan had seen the existing Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City, but had never seen what it looked like during the Ming Dynasty.
At this time, it was just a semi-finished product made by Deng Ying.
Although it is grand in scale, it has few peripherals.
The sundials and measuring rods placed on the left and right of the Danbi have not yet been put in place. The six double-eaved pavilions on both sides of the imperial road have only just completed their pedestals. The stones are unpolished, and their grayish-white background is visible among the magnificent palaces and pavilions. Even so, one can still feel the effort that their builders put into them.
Yang Wan walked into the felt tent under the platform. It was just past noon and the craftsmen were busy with their own things. There were only two craftsmen in the tent discussing craftsmanship issues. When they saw Yang Wan come in, they hurriedly put down their drawings and greeted her.
"The girl is here."
These people were not eunuchs, but were all of a certain age. Some of them had worked in civil engineering all their lives and looked rough. They spoke directly but not abruptly.
Yang Wan smiled and nodded at them, "Sorry for disturbing you."
"No, girl, sit down."
After saying this, they realized that because Deng Ying was not there, there was almost no place to stand in the tent, and they were all a little embarrassed. "Hey... Usually the master doesn't like to see chaos when he is here, and when he leaves, we can't take care of it. But the tea belongs to our master, so make a cup for the girl."
"good."
Yang Wan didn't care and casually found a place to sit down in the pile of wood and stones.
"I came here to pick up something that the gentleman left here."
"Oh, that's the weird box."
The man pouring tea heard him say that, came over with tea and said angrily: "What a strange box, sir, you spent several nights making it."
The man quickly agreed: "Yes, yes, it's not strange, it's just that we haven't seen that kind before. I'll go get it for the girl."
Yang Wan took the tea and took a sip, then looked up and asked the person pouring the tea: "Did he do it at night?"
"Yeah, the project has been very busy these days. I guess the girl is in a hurry."
Yang Wan smiled when she heard this, "So the masters think I'm so ignorant."
"Hi."
The man picked up the messy blueprint on the ground, dusted it off and said, "What can we say about the gentleman's affairs?"
As he was talking, the craftsman who had taken the box came back and echoed, "Yes, we are all rough people. We can't understand the unpleasant words heard in the palace. Miss, you are from the palace, and the master is also from the palace. The girl likes the master, and the master is also good to the girl. What's the big deal, right?"
Yang Wan listened and smiled, "Yes."
The man put the box in front of Yang Wan, "Girl, take a look."
Yang Wan reached out and moved the drawer onto her lap.
Not to mention, Deng Ying actually worked out the drawing that even she herself was anxious about.
The drawer is made of nanmu wood, and it seems that Deng Ying used local scraps.
There are three layers of double drawers at the bottom and a small cabinet with double doors on the top. Yang Wan opened the door of the cabinet and vaguely discovered that there seemed to be something carved in the dark corner of the cabinet.
"Huh? This is..."
As she spoke, she moved her hand under the light and took a closer look. She saw that it was a hibiscus flower the size of a fingernail, carved in the very corner as if to avoid being discovered.
"How did they carve it in such a tricky position?"
Two craftsmen came over to take a look, and one of them said proudly, "Our master's hands are unmatched by anyone."
Yang Wan was still studying the hibiscus flower. "But he told me before that he is not as good as you in making these things."
"What? That's what he told the girl."
"Um."
Yang Wan tried to reach in and touch the hibiscus, and found that its corners were round and not cut at all. She looked at the box again. Although it had not been painted yet, the surface was already very smooth. She didn't know how many times it had been polished to have such a texture. She was amazed at the exquisite craftsmanship of this thing, and didn't notice the craftsman who took the box for her. Her expression gradually became a little disappointed.
"It's really urgent."
He muttered something.
The person next to him bumped his shoulder and said, "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Hey."
The man looked at Yang Wan and said in a low voice: "Mr. usually speaks in a calm tone, but now he is not speaking directly to the young lady."
The person next to him crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.
"If the master can't tell, then you will tell it."
"I... I have said a lot for Mr.
"That's right."
Yang Wan finally put the box down, turned around and saw the two of them blushing. She paused and said, "You..."
"Nothing, the girl has something to say."
"Oh, nothing much, I just wanted to ask you when the gentleman left."
When she mentioned this, the two of them immediately restrained their expressions.
One of them hesitated.
"I wonder if the gentleman wants the girl to know..."
"If there is anything to be said, I will say it. Someone from the Ministry of Justice came to invite us this morning. Later, the eunuch Zheng from the Imperial Household Department and Lord Xu Qi from the Ministry of Works also came. We heard a lot of arguments from both sides. But the master didn't say anything the whole time."
"A confrontation? Between Eunuch Zheng and the Ministry of Justice?"
"Well, because of the Liulichang incident, you have already been to the Ministry of Justice once. We don't know why we have to take you this time. So we listened carefully and heard what they were talking about. It seemed to be about the supply of bricks from Shandong... You listened, right? I heard they also mentioned a few people who built the Huangji Hall in the past ten years..."
"right."
The person next to him took over the conversation, "Eunuch Zheng didn't want the Ministry of Justice to take Mr. Li away, but Mr. Li told us that he was fine and would be back in a few days. Logically, we should believe Mr. Li's words, but this matter seems... a little complicated."
It's more than just complicated.
If the Imperial Household Department asked Zheng Yuejia to come and inquire about the issue, it would mean that the supply of bricks from Shandong might have been missed, just as Deng Ying worried.
When Yang Wan thought of this, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her temple. She quickly raised her hand to press it and lowered her head to endure it.
"What's wrong with the girl?"
"It's okay." She let go of one hand and waved at the two of them, "Just take it easy."
After she finished speaking, she simply lay down on the table and closed her eyes.
While bearing the pain, she vaguely felt that the incident involving Liulichang seemed to be related to the Tongjia tragedy in the autumn of the twelfth year, but she could not deduce the specific connection for the time being.
The vast gaps in time in history are always something that both frightens and excites researchers.
Yang Wan used to think that these two emotions were equal, but now she found herself in this unknown blank period. In addition to fear and excitement, there seemed to be another emotion that she could not quite explain for the time being, just like this headache that came out without warning, and the pain made her unable to control herself.
After calming down, Yang Wan didn't stay any longer.
I took the drawer box back to the fifth institute, sat under the window, looked through my notes, and tried to think things through.
Yang Wan knew very well that no matter what Deng Ying did, she should not directly interfere in his political career.
But this kind of observation made her feel as if she was being cut by a knife.
The sun sets.
Song Qingyun came back from the Shangyi Bureau and saw Yang Wan in a trance. He thought she was worried about Deng Ying being taken away by the Ministry of Justice, so he sat down next to her and tried to comfort her.
"I came in and saw you were bored."
Yang Wan turned around and saw that it was her. She released her hand from her chin and closed her notebook.
"Nothing."
"I heard about the Hall of Supreme Harmony."
As she spoke, she took Yang Wan's hand and said, "We are all slaves in the palace, so it is inevitable that we will get into trouble. Chen Hua used to get into trouble and was often beaten with a stick. I was as anxious as you at that time. But it will be fine after a while. He also has a status, and people are wary of him. You see, as long as people in the palace are not completely stupid, they can have a place to go. People like Chen Hua can have it, not to mention Deng Ying."
Yang Wan suddenly remembered that she was the wife of a vegetable farmer and the eunuch in charge of the Xixinsi.
"Qingyun, let me ask you."
"What."
Yang Wan hesitated, "It's just... what can you do when you are worried about Chen Hua."
Song Qingyun held her chin and thought for a while, "I can't do anything, I can only ask the masters for mercy in my heart. Oh, by the way, Chen Hua loves to eat. As female officials, we may not be more convenient than them in other aspects, but we are still good at this one thing."
When she said this, Yang Wan suddenly remembered her glorious feat of blowing up the kitchen at her brother's house, scaring her sister-in-law so much that she almost called the police.
"Well... I don't know how to cook."
"I know. You are the daughter of the Yang family. You are a woman who has never been involved in sexual activities."
She poured herself a glass of water and said, "I'll serve you one too?"
Yang Wan stood up and held her back, "Can I learn from you?"
"Learn to cook."
"Um."
"OK."
Song Qingyun held the tea in one hand and leaned closer to her with the other hand on the table.
"Then the clerk in the bureau tomorrow..."
"I copied it."
***
In the prison office of the Ministry of Justice, Deng Ying and Yang Lun sat opposite each other.
After a silent confrontation, Yang Lun inevitably lost in the end.
He stood up with a bang and slammed the table. A light layer of white ash immediately rose on the empty wooden surface.
"Can't you just let us take a gamble? The Imperial Household Department can no longer be controlled by He Yixian!"
Deng Ying raised one arm and placed it on the table. He straightened his back and looked up at Yang Lun. "I won't say whether you can win the bet. Even if you win the bet, if His Majesty really punishes He Yixian, the Silijian will still be the Silijian, but with a different person. But the new policy that Lord Bai and you want to implement in the south can't even get past the step of clearing the fields in His Majesty's eyes."
"With your current status, what does the new policy have to do with you?"
After Yang Lun finished speaking, he immediately regretted it.
However, Deng Ying just turned her face away and silently avoided his words.
Yang Lun was silent for a while with his neck stiff, and forced himself to sit down, trying to control the anger in his voice. "Do you know that Bai Yuyang found the craftsmen who built the Huangji Palace in the tenth year of Zhenning, and for some reason, a few of them directly pointed out you. Although you and Lord Zhang kept clean accounts, with witnesses, Bai Yuyang can torture you unscrupulously to pry your mouth, and the Imperial Household Department will not dare to say anything. You can still sit here today because Qi Huaiyang spoke for you. Once the trial is over tomorrow, you will have to go to the Ministry of Justice!"
"You didn't say anything."
He looked up and asked.
Yang Lun gritted his teeth and said, "Deng Fuling, I have told you many times not to mind my business."
Deng Ying looked at the flame between the two of them and said, "Didn't I tell you to think I was dead?"
Yang Lun couldn't help but stood up again, "What do you want me to do? Do you really want me to watch you die? If Yang Wan knew that I just watched you die, I would lose this sister."
Deng Ying remained motionless, "Master Yang, just don't look at it. As for Yang... As for Master's sister."
He looked up as he spoke, "She understands better than adults."
Yang Lun's shoulders suddenly slumped, and he couldn't help but take a step back, shaking his head and saying, "I really don't understand why you have to do something you don't have to do at all."
"Do you still remember the letter I sent to you at the end of the year of Guichou?"
After hearing this, Yang Lun clenched his fists suddenly. He felt ashamed and hateful inside, and for a moment he didn't dare to look at Deng Ying in front of him.
"Stop it!"
Deng Ying did not listen to Yang Lun's words, and continued in a calm voice: "I am already a cripple, with no dignity left, so it would not be a disgrace to me to be beaten with sticks and whips. I know Lord Bai does not want to listen to me, and you do not need to make it difficult. Life and death is only a servant's matter, since you do not believe me, just take it easy."