Hu Xiang saw Deng Ying lying on the stool in silence, with no intention of answering, and gradually lost his patience.
"My ancestor asked me to ask you on his behalf. It's already a great favor. What's the point of not saying anything?"
Deng Ying opened his mouth, and a faint smell of blood came out of his throat. He had no way to raise his head, and could only let his face rest on the bench. "Please tell the palm print, Deng Ying... I have nothing to say."
"You bastard!"
Hu Xiang stood up and swung his sleeves, "Go on."
**
After receiving the next twenty strokes of the cane, Deng Ying was unable to move.
Zheng Yuejia didn't care about Hu Xiang's presence, took off his outer robe to cover Deng Ying's body, and said to Eunuch Wang: "Hurry up and take it off!"
Eunuch Wang hurriedly ordered his men to untie Deng Ying, but any tugging made him feel as if he were being stabbed by needles.
Seeing that no one dared to come forward to help him, Zheng Yuejia turned around to see Li Yu standing blankly in the crowd. Then, remembering that he was not from the Imperial Household Department, he said, "The one standing by, come over."
Li Yu finally came back to his senses, wiped his face quickly, walked forward, and held up Deng Ying's other arm.
Although Deng Ying was still awake, she was having difficulty breathing.
He kept coughing, but not much air came out.
Li Yu didn't dare to pull him hard, but this also made Deng Ying suffer. Zheng Yuejia said: "Hold his arm firmly, otherwise he will be in more pain."
When Li Yu heard this, he burst into tears and cried, "What did Deng Ying do wrong that the ancestors would make me like this?"
Deng Ying endured the pain and said intermittently: "Li Yu, don't cry... don't make any sound."
Seeing how miserable he was, Li Yu couldn't hold back her tears. She looked at Zheng Yuejia in panic and said, "What should we do now, Zheng Bingbi?"
Seeing that Deng Ying was becoming increasingly unconscious, Zheng Yuejia immediately supported Deng Ying's back, trying to make him feel better. At the same time, she said to Li Yu, "Send him back to the main room first."
**
For Deng Ying, this journey was still a continuation of the torture by Jiang Cai, so that when he returned to the moat, he was completely exhausted. In fact, he didn't want to faint like this, he was afraid that Yang Wan would come to find him. At this time, for him, it didn't matter what happened, just don't let the woman who told her to take care of her clothes see his injuries that he couldn't take care of himself at all.
Li Yu managed to settle Deng Ying down, and was about to look for Song Yunqing with red eyes, but he saw Yang Wan standing alone behind the willow tree in front of the house.
"Hello."
"ah?"
Li Yu rarely saw her in a trance, so he rubbed his eyes and said to her, "Why are you hiding there?"
Yang Wan exhaled, straightened her jacket, and took a few steps towards Li Yu. "Is he awake?"
Li Yu turned around and saw Zheng Yuejia was about to come out, so he didn't say anything.
Zheng Yuejia looked at Yang Wan. She was wearing casual clothes, her makeup was a little messy, her hands were a little red from the cold, and she didn't know how long she had been standing there.
"Why don't you go?"
Yang Wan shook her head and said, "I'll go after he falls asleep."
Zheng Yuejia blurted out: "Why?"
Seeing that Yang Wan didn't say anything, Li Yu suddenly remembered something and said, "Oh, she said something about patients having privacy..."
Zheng Yuejia didn't understand what he said, but he didn't ask any further questions. He rolled up his sleeves and said to Yang Wan, "I tried to mediate for him, but after all, everyone from the Imperial Household Department was watching the execution, so Eunuch Wang and the others couldn't be too lenient with him. It's not easy to heal a flesh wound, so Miss Yang shouldn't worry too much."
After listening to this, Yang Wan took a step back and bowed to Zheng Yuejia, "Thank you, Zheng Bingbi."
"I don't dare."
Yang Wan stood up and said, "Zheng Bingbi, why are you treating him like this today?"
Zheng Yuejia glanced at Li Yu, and Li Yu tactfully stepped aside.
Zheng Yuejia then said: "It's not because he made any mistakes, but because your Majesty values him."
Yang Wan nodded, "Is it about the East Factory incident?"
Zheng Yuejia did not deny it.
"Yes, Your Majesty has dismissed me from my position as the eunuch commander of the East Factory, and now has ordered the Imperial Household Department to recommend someone else. The old ancestor wanted to recommend Hu Xiang, but after what happened with Mr. Zhao, the cabinet will definitely not tolerate him. Today in the Yangxin Palace, Your Majesty did not finalize the matter, and may consult the cabinet later. I am actually a little worried that Elder Bai and Minister Yang may not tolerate Deng Ying."
He glanced behind him and said, "He has already offended the old ancestor today. If the emperor's will does not fall on him this time, his days in the Imperial Household Department will be difficult in the future."
Yang Wan didn't say anything.
If, as Zheng Yuejia said, Deng Ying did not become the eunuch commander of the East Factory, what would happen to the rest of his life
Would he have lived a simpler life and avoided the brutal torture of lingchi at the Meridian Gate
Thinking of this, she suddenly felt as if she had fallen into the fallacy of nihilism.
This idea really made no sense. Even if he told Deng Ying directly about his future, at this moment, he would not choose to back down.
What about Yang Wan herself
Yang Wan recalled what she had said to Yang Lun in front of Donghua Gate, "Don't avoid suspicion, recommend Deng Ying."
She didn't know if what she said to Yang Lun could affect Deng Ying's fate, but at that time, she didn't think about Deng Ying's ending at all. So when a woman makes a decision, she is so cruel that she doesn't even care about the known consequences.
Zheng Yuejia didn't know what kind of logical loop she was trapped in, but she didn't interrupt her. She turned around and prepared to walk towards Huiji Gate.
Li Yu said, "Zheng Bingbi, don't leave. I have nothing here. What if he gets sick at night?"
Zheng Yuejia said, "I'll go to the Imperial Pharmacy and be back soon."
Yang Wan followed him from behind and said, "I'll go. You should go back to the Imperial Household Department. Since you helped him like this today, Chief He will definitely have something to ask you. You have to think about how to respond."
Zheng Yuejia smiled, "I have served the old ancestor for so many years, he knows everything about me. Besides, I not only serve the old ancestor, I also serve His Majesty. The dignity of us depends half on the old ancestor and half on His Majesty. I am also a person with many years in the palace, Miss Yang, don't worry."
**
While Zheng Yuejia and Li Yu were applying medicine to Deng Ying inside, Yang Wan didn't leave.
During this time, Song Yunqing came to look for her once, and seeing her leaning against the door, he said, "Why are you standing outside?"
Yang Wan tied up her wind-messy hair.
“I’m afraid of causing trouble.
Song Yunqing said: "Then will you go back to the fifth institute tonight?"
Yang Wan shook her head.
"Okay."
Song Yunqing didn't ask any more questions and handed the two porcelain bottles to Yang Wan. "This red one was given by Jiang Shangyi. I also asked Chen Hua for some more, but I don't know if they are good. Jiang Shangyi said that she doesn't want to ask about the ancestors' affairs, so she asked you to be more restrained."
Yang Wan nodded, "I know, you're right, I have to endure it no matter how much I feel bad."
Song Qingyun looked inside and asked, "Is Li Yu in there?"
Yang Wan nodded, "Thank you, brothers and sisters."
Song Yun patted her shoulder gently, "Why thank me? We are all poor people. I am leaving now. I will do your errands tomorrow. Go back to the Fifth Institute tomorrow morning and have a good sleep."
Yang Wan watched her leave, and soon Zheng Yuejia also came out with blood on his hands.
Zheng Yuejia closed the door and said to Yang Wan, "Everyone has gone to bed. Li Yu is inside."
"good."
Yang Wan nodded and bowed to see him off.
She waited until he was far away before she gently opened the door and walked into the room with her lips pursed.
Deng Ying lay quietly on the bed, Li Yu twisted the handkerchief beside her, and saw Yang Wan was about to speak, but she made a gesture to keep quiet. Li Yu saw her sitting down by the couch, so he stood up tactfully, closed the door and went out.
Deng Ying fell asleep with her hands on the pillow and her face leaning outwards on the pillow.
His hands were clenched slightly and trembled from time to time.
"Yang Wan..."
He suddenly closed his eyes and called Yang Wan.
Yang Wan was stunned.
"How do you know it's me?"
"The smell of your body... I remember..."
Yang Wan pinched her sleeves, stood up and asked, "Do you want some water?"
Deng Ying exhaled lightly, "Don't serve me..."
He clenched his fingers and said, "I look... so ugly."
Yang Wan rolled up her skirt, squatted down beside his couch, and placed her hands on the couch to support her chin. "It doesn't look bad."
Deng Ying coughed and said, "I know it myself."
Yang Wan shook her head. "You know what? I really want to see your injury and help you apply medicine, but I don't dare to do so."
Deng Ying opened her eyes and said, "I don't dare... why?"
Yang Wan reached out and gently brushed away the hair on his face that was wet with sweat due to the pain.
"The man I regarded as Frost and Snow didn't want me to see his miserable state. Although I'm not a very sensitive person, I don't want to hurt him by being smart. So I didn't dare..."
After saying that, she loosened her legs and sat down on the ground.
"Deng Ying, I mean that. I will be as close to you as you want me to be. If you don't want to see me, I will wait for you. But you don't need to worry that I will get angry and leave. God knows how scared I was when I came to see you."
After hearing what she said, Deng Ying slowly stretched out a hand towards her, and seemed to hesitate for a moment when it was approaching her wrist.
Yang Wan looked down at her hand and waited quietly without saying anything. After a long while, Deng Ying gently held her wrist.
"Get up... Don't sit on the ground. It's cold."
Yang Wan almost trembled at Deng Ying's touch. She pursed her lips and said in a steady voice, "Yes, it's really cold today. Maybe there will be frost tonight."
He sniffed as he spoke.
"Can I stay with you for a while?"
"good… "
"very nice."
After Yang Wan finished speaking, she took off her jacket, bent down to take off her shoes and socks, opened the quilt, and lay down on the edge of the bed with her body turned sideways.
Deng Ying tried to move a little further in so that she could lie more comfortably, but she almost lost her voice in pain just by moving her legs.
Suddenly, I felt a warmth on my shoulder.
It was Yang Wan's hand.
One by one, she gently stroked his back.
“Will this be better
She asked softly.
"meeting… "
He almost didn't know why he uttered this word, his tone was so urgent, as if he was afraid that she wouldn't believe it.
Yang Wan closed her eyes but did not stop moving her hands.
"Don't be afraid. It won't hurt so much tomorrow."
"Yang Wan..."
"You can also call me Wanwan."
After she finished speaking, she opened her eyes and looked at him with a gentle smile.
"Deng Ying, I only dared to touch you because you were willing to pull my wrist."