That night, Concubine Ning did not come out of the enclosure of the Hall of Mental Cultivation until midnight.
The weather had turned warmer, but she was still wrapped in a velvet jacket, her face was pale, her steps were unsteady, and she had to hold on to He Yu's hand to barely step on the stairs.
Yang Wan lifted her skirt and ran up the stairs to greet the two of them, "My queen, are you okay?"
Concubine Ning let go of the jade and gently held Yang Wan's hand, "Sister, it's okay... Wan'er, I really want to thank you for what happened today."
Yang Wan hurriedly supported Concubine Ning for He Yu and walked slowly with her down the platform.
"I dare not, as long as your Majesty is safe."
Concubine Ning wanted to say something, but suddenly she coughed a few times. Yang Wan also stopped and stroked her back to help her calm down.
"My lady, please ask me to go and fetch the sedan chair."
Concubine Ning waved her hand.
"Of course."
After saying that, he stood quietly on the platform for a while to calm down, then looked at Yang Wan and said, "Wan'er, didn't you ask your sister?"
Yang Wan shook her head. "For the sake of Madam and Eunuch Zheng, I would like to ask."
After Concubine Ning heard her say this, she looked up and sighed deeply.
The huge palace was now silent, with only the bright moon above their heads still gleaming faintly.
Concubine Ning looked at the crescent moon and said softly, "He and I have always kept our secrets well. Even if we met in the Yangxin Palace, we would never look at each other more. If it is urgent today, I will never involve you. Wan'er, I'm sorry."
"Your Majesty, that's what you should say."
Concubine Ning closed her eyes to hold back her tears, and said with a sad voice, "I used to have feelings for him... but now I feel pity for him. I think he should feel the same way towards me."
"Compassion..."
"Yes, there is nothing else besides this."
Yang Wan looked down at the large area of light illuminated by the lantern and asked in disbelief, "What kind of person is he?"
Concubine Ning shook her head. "It's a bit strange. Compared with before, he seems to have changed a little. He is very serious to the palace maids who make mistakes, but he doesn't seem to have changed much. When I met him in the past and saw him bowing to me, I still remembered the gentle look he had when he came to Yang Mansion to see me before entering the palace."
"Then why did he enter the palace?"
Concubine Ning was silent for a while. "I don't know. Maybe for the sake of a mouthful of wine or for my sake, I never dared to ask him."
Yang Wan didn't ask any further questions.
In fact, whether in the Ming Dynasty or in the 21st century, people's living space is very large.
Trapped in a small space, and huddled in the prison of emotions, love is only given to those around him. However, when the love is strong, both parties cannot bear it at all, so in the end it becomes the compassion that Concubine Ning talked about.
In the surging sea of evil and desire, have pity for the person in front of you.
Yang Wan felt warm in her heart and she held Ning Fei's arm tightly.
"Does what my sister said make you feel uncomfortable?"
"No, I've been thinking too much."
Concubine Ning looked at Yang Wan from the side and said, "Sister is already like this, but you are much better than sister."
She said as she gently hugged Yang Wan's body, "Don't be embarrassed."
Yang Wan leaned in Concubine Ning's arms, pursed her lips and remained silent for a long time, and finally said, "I want to ask your Majesty for something."
"good."
**
The eighth day of May is the seventh day after Zhang Zhanchun’s death.
As the day dawned, Deng Ying changed into plain clothes and walked out of the main room.
It had rained at night and was still dripping. The water level in the moat was high and larger than usual, and the weeping willows were swaying in the cold breeze.
Deng Ying bent down and picked up the broom that was blown down by the wind. When he stood up, he saw Yang Wan walking towards him with an oil-paper umbrella.
She was also wearing a pure white dress, with her hairpins and earrings removed, leaving only the pair of hibiscus jade pendants that she had never worn before.
Deng Ying hurriedly brushed off the dust.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I also want to go and pay my respects to Mr. Zhang."
Deng Ying hesitated for a moment, "Will Jiang Shangyi allow you to leave the palace?"
Yang Wan smiled and shook her head, "People like Shang Yi will never approve. I'll go and ask Empress Ning for help. Don't worry, I won't be punished."
She said, tilting her umbrella and saying, "Let's go."
Deng Ying reached out to take her umbrella and said, "I'll hold it for you."
Yang Wan didn't insist, and the two of them walked along the moat towards the meeting point.
Yang Wan found that the people around her were still carefully avoiding physical contact with her.
The umbrella was completely tilted towards her, so that most of his body was soaked in the rain.
Yang Wan raised her hand and straightened the umbrella handle.
Deng Ying turned her head to look at the umbrella handle and said hurriedly, "It's okay for me."
Yang Wan smiled and shook her head, "Don't lean towards me. If you want to pay respect to your teacher, you must respect your clothes and hats."
Deng Ying didn't expect her to say such a thing and was stunned.
"Yes, the lesson is that I am so rude."
Yang Wan looked up beside him and said:
"You are the one who always thinks about others, that's why you always walk alone in the rain. I am not as heartless as Yang Lun. I know you are protecting me, but everything is fine now. I just want you to think more about yourself."
She tucked her hair around her ears and said, "Have you been feeling well these past few days?"
Deng Ying didn't answer, but nodded.
Yang Wan quietly approached him, and tried her best to shrink herself under the umbrella without making any contact with him.
"But you still didn't pay attention to me. I asked Li Yu, and he said you didn't eat well and didn't sleep enough."
Deng Ying paused, "If you want to give birth, I..."
Yang Wan raised her head and smiled at him, "I told you I'm not the kind of person who will leave after giving birth."
As he spoke, he took out a bag of nuts from his bosom, opened the oil paper and handed it to him, "You are not stupid enough to know to eat this every day. I peeled this pile myself today. You can pick the walnuts to eat. These walnuts are more fragrant than before."
After she finished speaking, she picked up a few pieces of preserved fruit and put them in her mouth.
Deng Ying bit her tongue and picked up a few walnut kernels. "Why do you like to eat this so much?"
"I like to eat them too. Watch me cook noodles... I'm really good at cooking, so I know how to be nicer to myself in life. These nuts are very simple. You can just peel them and eat them. They are good for your body, so I'll get used to them after eating them for a while."
Deng Ying looked at the walnuts and smiled, "I'm almost used to eating them."
After he said that, he lowered his head and put the peach kernel into his mouth.
Yang Wan looked at him chewing with his head down and couldn't help saying, "Deng Ying, you said it's really great that I take you to eat while walking like this..."
Deng Ying shook her head. "There's no one near the moat, so it's okay."
As soon as she finished speaking, someone in front called Yang Wan.
"Envoy Yang."
Yang Wan almost choked on the preserved fruit cubes in her mouth. She looked up and saw that the person calling her was Zheng Yuejia.
He seemed to be out of shape today. He was wearing a blue-gray casual suit and looked much younger than when I saw him last time.
Deng Ying handed the umbrella to Yang Wan and was about to salute when she said to Zheng Yuejia, "Stand up, you must salute."
After saying that, he walked straight to Yang Wan, lifted his robe, and knelt down.
Yang Wan was startled, "This... This... Zheng Bingbi, what are you doing?"
Zheng Yuejia bowed down, "Miss Heyu beside the queen told me what happened the day before yesterday. I thank Miss Yang for saving my life. Please accept my three bows."
Seeing him kneeling down and about to kowtow, Yang Wan suddenly became panicked, grabbed Deng Ying's sleeve and hid behind her.
Seeing her face turn red, Deng Ying quickly steadied the umbrella and turned back to ask her, "What's wrong with you?"
How should she explain this to these two people? Was this the first time she had been knelt down and kowtowed to by someone older than her? This kind of courtesy seemed to be something she should receive after she was older. She really didn't want to get used to it at this moment.
"You... you help Zheng Bingbi up. I'll stand up."
Zheng Yuejia raised her head and said, "Miss Yang saved my life, and I should repay you by tying a grass and a ring. How can I accept these three bows?"
Yang Wan didn't know what to say, and desperately poked Deng Ying's back from behind, saying in a low voice: "You just want to stand there stupidly, what do you say..."
Deng Ying had no choice but to comfort her gently, "Okay, I'll tell you, now you want to..."
Yang Wan hurriedly grabbed his hand and said, "I'm going to poke you, please ask him to get up."
She was totally confused.
Deng Ying wanted to laugh when she saw her red eyes.
He turned around and handed the umbrella back to her, walked to Zheng Yuejia, bent down and held Zheng Yuejia's arm, "Zheng Bingbi, tell me what you want to say."
Zheng Yuejia looked at Yang Wan's embarrassment and felt somewhat puzzled.
But he didn't insist on kneeling any longer. He stood up, bent down, and bowed to Yang Wan.
Yang Wan finally breathed a sigh of relief and took a few tentative steps towards the two of them. She still hid behind Deng Ying and half of her body was exposed. "Eunuch Zheng, I just asked Miss He Yu to bring a message. The one who really saved you was Empress Ning."
Zheng Yuejia bowed again, "I will remember this and will serve you and your Highness to the bitter end."
Yang Wan felt a chill down her spine when she read the last four words.
Like Deng Ying, the oaths made in this era always take one's own life lightly.
Lingchi, liver and brain splattered on the ground, come to mind casually.
Pushing yourself into a desperate situation without hesitation does not care that the people involved will be sad.
She looked up at Deng Ying as she thought about it. He was standing quietly beside Zheng Yuejia, dressed in a cool plain cloth, with a face as white as snow and cloud, and he seemed so fragile that he could easily melt and disperse.
"I'm really... afraid of you making such an oath."
Deng Ying's eyes moved.
Yang Wan pursed her lips and said, "After the blood and brains are shed, who is the one who is sad and upset?"
Zheng Yuejia and Deng Ying looked at each other and were speechless.
"Only by living well can you protect the people you want to protect."
After saying that, he looked at Deng Ying again, "I'm not just talking about Eunuch Zheng, I'm also talking about you, do you understand?"
Deng Ying nodded, "Yes."
"As long as you understand."
After she finished speaking, she exhaled and raised her voice to Zheng Yuejia, "Eunuch Zheng, why is he here by the moat so early in the morning?"
Zheng Yuejia said: "Oh, I'm here to look for Deng Ying."
He looked at Deng Ying and said, "Today is the seventh day after Mr. Zhang's death. Are you going to Guangji Temple to pay your respects?"
"yes."
"Have you ever thought about what your ancestors would think if you went to pay homage to Mr. Zhang?"
Deng Ying nodded, "I know."
"Since you know this, you should go."
Deng Ying raised her head and said, "If I die, what's the difference between me and a pig or a dog?"
Zheng Yuejia sighed and said, "Today, many officials from the capital are going to Guangji Temple to pay homage. Elder Bai, Elder Zhang, and people from the six departments and six ministries will mostly go. Do you think they can tolerate you being there?"
"I don't need them to tolerate me. As long as the teacher can tolerate me, that's enough."
"Why suffer humiliation?"
Deng Ying shook her head and said, "I want to go see the teacher again."
Zheng Yuejia looked at Yang Wan, "Miss Yang, are you going with him too?"
"Yes. I will go to burn incense on behalf of the queen."
Zheng Yuejia lowered his head and was silent for a while, then continued: "I have already advised you, and it is you who are willing to do it. When you return from Guangji Temple this time, if the Imperial Household Department punishes you, I will not say a word for you in front of the ancestors."
"I see."
"Okay then."
Zheng Yuejia stepped aside, bowed, and said, "Please light a stick of incense for Mr. Zhang as well."