After she finished speaking, she put her hand on Deng Ying's back and tried to move closer to her.
He was trembling slightly because of the pain, so much so that the edge of the quilt rubbed Yang Wan's cheek.
"If it hurts too much, just hold my hand."
"No… "
He shook his head with reluctance, "If a person's blessings are gone in an instant, they will all be punished in the future."
After he finished speaking, he frowned in pain, and clenched and unclenched his hands on the pillow.
Yang Wan didn't dare to move anymore, and whispered, "I originally thought that after those people from Tongjia Academy died, you would be able to take the position of the eunuch commander of the East Factory in a grand manner."
"It's like this now... it's not right."
Deng Ying's breath hit Yang Wan's face, and the temperature seemed warmer than his body.
"Now I have no way to collect the teacher's bones, or to bury Mr. Zhou and the Zhao brothers. I can't repay their kindness... Let's just treat this as atonement."
He coughed lightly after he finished speaking.
Yang Wan raised her wrist and patted Deng Ying's back repeatedly.
Facing this wounded man, she truly felt the contradictions of the Ming Dynasty.
But this contradiction has its own balance. It pulls Deng Ying to blame himself and hurt himself, but also pushes him to bravely bear the responsibility. Although this pair of contradictions makes him struggle, it also allows Deng Ying to survive.
In the era that Yang Wan and Deng Ying lived in, Italy was experiencing the Renaissance, capitalism was budding, individualism was born, the so-called "monarch and minister" thought gradually disintegrated, and more advanced civilization brought human thinking to a new stage. Since then, Western civilization has begun to attach importance to personal values, emphasizing self-control and individual freedom. No one is like Deng Ying, who puts his hands into the shackles that hurt him, but still tries to unlock the shackles for others.
Feudal cannibalism is a civilization from another era that also kills people.
Yang Wan was thankful that history was linear, no one could go back like she did, and no one could predict the future in advance. People lived in a balance in the present, so they didn't feel that they were the one being crushed to death by the rolling wheel of history.
Therefore, Yang Wan decided to respect Deng Ying.
"Oh, how can they blame you when they see you like this?"
After saying that, she slowed down her movements and asked, "Does it still hurt?"
Deng Ying closed her eyes and shook her head gently.
"It doesn't hurt."
Yang Wan pursed her lips and suddenly said, "From now on, those people will also be punished."
Deng Ying clenched her fists, "What are you talking about..."
"Just think about it literally."
She looked into Deng Ying's eyes and said, "Let me tell you... um..."
She slowed down her movements, chewed up the rigid theoretical logic in her mind and spit it out again, "Things will always develop in one direction, but this process will sometimes be hindered and repeated. However, you have to believe that the injuries and sufferings you have suffered will slowly pass. And what you have done will definitely be understood by someone in the future. As for those people, whether they are punished now or criticized in the future, there is always one thing, they can't escape it."
Deng Ying was silent for a moment, then smiled and said, "You're talking about me again... I don't quite understand."
"Then don't think about it. Just have a good sleep. Call me when you feel pain or thirsty."
After she finished speaking, she stood up and blew out the lone candle on the table.
That night, the autumn wind blew on the moat all night long. Yang Wan curled up her body and listened to all the subtle autumn sounds in the night.
Deng Ying lay beside her. Perhaps because he was tired, or because his wound caused him to have a fever, he seemed to be sleeping very soundly. He was wearing a middle-length coat to recuperate from his wound, and his body was as fluttering as a cicada's wing, covered with frost and snow.
Listening to the rustling of leaves outside the window, Yang Wan suddenly remembered that there was a poet in the Song Dynasty named Mao Pang, who loved to write about autumn.
There is a line in the poem "Night Boat" in the poem: "The sound of autumn rain invades my short dreams."
Yang Wan had never realized how beautiful this sentence was before.
But now, lying by the window in Deng Ying's room, she was suddenly touched by this layer of romantic antiquity.
"The sound of autumn invades my short dreams."
Yang Wan murmured this sentence softly, but couldn't think of what to say next.
After thinking hard, he couldn't help but smile at himself, pursed his lips and closed his eyes.
In the thick darkness, Deng Ying finished the second half of the sentence, but only moved her lips without making any sound.
"Banana rain under the eaves."
The sounds of autumn invade my short dreams, and rain falls on the banana leaves under the eaves.
This autumn has passed really quickly.
**
Just as Zheng Yuejia thought, the emperor personally went to the cabinet duty room on the seventh day after Zhou Congshan's death.
On that day, there were street sacrifices everywhere in the capital, and paper ashes were flying all over the city like butterflies.
In the streets and alleys, regardless of whether the coffins of more than ten people passed by or not, the mournful sounds of the worship could be heard.
For a moment, the imperial capital was in mourning.
The Northern Pacification Office originally wanted to ban the roadside sacrifice and arrest the person who brought it, but they did not expect to be suppressed by a secret decree from the emperor. The emperor severely reprimanded Zhang Luo in the Yangxin Palace and ordered him to kneel at the Taihe Gate.
When Yang Lun and Bai Yuyang passed by Taihe Gate, they saw Zhang Luo being escorted by Jinyiwei and forced to kneel in front of the Taihe Gate.
Bai Yuyang said: "For such a tragic case, he should only be punished by kneeling. He was specially made to kneel here at this hour to show off to the cabinet, haha..."
Yang Lun glanced at Zhang Luo, then said to Bai Yuyang: "Your Majesty still needs to use him."
Bai Yuyang sighed as he walked, "How could such a rotten man like Zhang Ge Lao give birth to such a Youdu official?"
Yang Lun didn't take this opportunity and went straight to the cabinet duty room.
The two men walked to the cabinet duty room, only to see the emperor's procession suddenly stopped at the Huiji Gate.
Zheng Yuejia stood in front of the ceremonial guard and bowed when he saw the two men coming over.
"Your Excellency."
Bai Yuyang glanced at the duty officer and asked in a low voice, "Is His Majesty here?"
"Yes."
Yang Lun asked: "Where is the seal?"
"Your Majesty is waiting inside."
After he finished speaking, he stepped aside and said, "Please, sir."
Yang Lun and Bai Yuyang did not dare to delay and walked into the duty room together. As soon as they entered the door, before they had time to perform the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects, they heard Emperor Zhenning say: "Although this person is the descendant of a criminal, since he has been punished and is supervised by the Ministry of Rites, I think there is nothing to blame."
After saying that, Yang Lun and the other man raised their hands, signaling the other two to get up.
Bai and Zhang did not say anything. He Yixian served tea to the emperor, glanced at his expression, and did not say anything either.
He originally wanted to force Deng Ying to resign, but after a beating with a stick, Deng Ying only replied with four words: "That can be said".
Although he had always been humble and docile, and even cooperated with the punishment, and even personally apologized to He Yixian in the Ministry of Rites when he was brought to the ground, He Yixian knew that Deng Ying would not be willing to be his descendant.
But he had served Emperor Zhenning for many years and knew very well that the emperor was well versed in the art of balance. During the confrontation with Deng Ying in the Yangxin Palace, he had already revealed some of his true colors. He could not say anything else, otherwise, he would turn these three points into a whole.
Today, Emperor Zhenning has consulted the cabinet, which is actually a big deal for him.
Then he glanced at Zhang Cong.
Zhang Cong, who was behind Bai Huan, saw this glance, and coughed lightly, stepped forward, and said to Emperor Zhenning: "Your Majesty said that I am deeply sorry, but Deng Yi's family was exterminated after all, and your Majesty has spared Deng Ying's life. I am worried that... he has second thoughts."
"What are you thinking?"
Bai Yuyang's eyelids twitched, and he asked the man standing next to him, Yang Lun.
Zhang Cong was hit so hard that he didn't know what to say next, "This..."
Yang Lun did not say anything to him. He turned to Emperor Zhenning and said, "This person has become a servant of the inner court and is bound by the "Tai (Harmony) Ancestor's Inner Instructions". If he still dares to be disloyal, where does Lord Zhang put our glorious inner instructions? Where does he put your majesty's authority? Moreover, this person has been working hard to build the Hall of Supreme Harmony for half a year and made a mistake. How can he be disloyal?"
"Yang Lun."
Bai Huan called out to him, "You are not allowed to perform formalities in front of His Majesty."
Emperor Zhenning pressed his hand towards Bai Huan and said, "Let him speak."
Yang Lun bowed and saluted: "I understand that although Deng Ying has been punished, his father's crime is extremely evil and his descendants cannot be forgiven. However, I still know his character. Your Majesty established the Eastern Jishi Factory to calm the chaos in the capital and listen to the voices of officials and people. If this person is mediocre, how can he listen to your Majesty's voices?"
The word "mediocrity" in his words reminded Hu Xiang, and He Yixian's hands trembled and he almost spilled the tea.
Emperor Zhenning laughed and said, "Minister Yang, what you said is very true. Elder Bai is thinking about it."
Bai Huan replied, "Thank you for your inquiry, Your Majesty. This man was once my student, but he has committed serious crimes. I dare not say anything more for him. I have received Your Majesty's great favor. If I have second thoughts, I am afraid you will not tolerate it. I am old and cannot control the officials outside the cabinet. If someone can listen to the opinions of officials and people on behalf of Your Majesty as Minister Yang said, show Your Majesty's benevolence and win the hearts of the people, I agree. But... If Your Majesty asks me for my opinion, I will never recommend this person..."
He said that after he finished speaking, he felt chest tightness and out of breath, and he was coughing and wheezing while leaning on the table.
The emperor was present, and neither Bai Yuyang nor Yang Lun dared to step forward to support him.
Bai Huan calmed himself for a while before saying, "Your Majesty, I cannot serve in the court with the descendants of Deng Yi."
After hearing what he said, the emperor stood up and supported him personally, "Mr. Bai, you are too serious. The Eastern Investigation Bureau is responsible for supervision on my behalf. I will not give him the power of punishment, and he is not qualified to question the officials."
Bai Huan let go of the emperor's hand, bowed and said, "I am terrified, there is nothing I can say."
Seeing him like this, the emperor didn't say anything more. He flicked his sleeves and walked to the door. "In this case, the matter is settled, Yang Lun."
"I am here."
The emperor raised his hand and gestured to him, "Draft this decree, and I will approve it right here while I am here."
"Yes."
The emperor paused and reached out for the tea. He Yixian hurriedly held the cup for the emperor.
The emperor took a sip of the tea, raised his eyes and asked, "What time is it?"
He Yixian said, "It's noon."
"Go get Zhang Luo up and get out."
"… "
For a moment, there was no sound in the duty room.
The emperor walked to Yang Lun, who was writing an imperial edict, holding a teacup in his hand. He pointed at the words on the paper and said, "I am deeply saddened by the situation of Tong Jia. I hate these scholars who have studied hard for ten years but do not know the relationship between the emperor and his subjects. I also pity them for being young and pouring their passion into the wrong place. I don't know who bewitched them and made them so foolish."
When he said this, he glanced at Zhang Bai and the other man.
Zhang Cong knelt down hurriedly and said, "This old minister is terrified."
When Yang Lun heard that Bai Huan didn't say anything, he stopped writing and walked towards Bai Huan secretly.
Bai Huan looked away as soon as his eyes met.
Then he knelt down with his hands on the table and said, "My crime can be forgiven."
The emperor instructed He Yixian to help the two of them up. "You two are in charge of the cabinet and are truly loyal ministers. I have no intention of implicating you two. The Tongjia Academy case will end here. I will not let the Northern Pacification Office investigate it. This season is almost over. I will discuss the new policy with you again next spring while I am in good health."