Deng Ying looked up at Yang Wan.
After Zhang Zhanchun died, no one would ever tell him, "Be obedient" again.
If he is a minister, he can also rely on the people he respects.
But now, no matter where he relies on, he will become a servile person. Deng Ying does not want to disappoint Zhang Zhanchun's hopes for him, so he would rather have nowhere to stay than retreat into the shade.
But Yang Wan was different. She did not belong to any shadow of this dynasty.
Deng Ying felt that when he handed himself over to her, he was not a slave, but a "sinner" who was guilty of a "capital crime" but still did not repent.
It is true that she is also a "shackle", but he is not afraid of it.
"Okay, I'll listen to you..."
Yang Wan smiled and nodded. Just as she was about to say something else, she heard He Yu outside the door say, "I didn't find you at the Fifth Institute, so I came here rashly."
Yang Wan stood up and asked, "What's the matter, Your Majesty, are you okay?"
"no."
He Yu showed a happy expression on her face. She bowed to Deng Ying again and continued, "The Queen and your mother's brothers came to the palace today. The Queen asked me to take you back."
"Is it... Lord Yang?"
He Yu said: "Not only Lord Yang, but the young master of the Yang Mansion is here too."
"Yang... Jing?"
"yes."
Although Yang Wan was familiar with the name, she didn't have much impression of the person.
Although the Yang family was a family of nobility, not many of their descendants had made great achievements. Except for Yang Lun, most of their descendants were engaged in the cotton cloth industry in Hangzhou. Only Yang Jing was still studying in school. Yang Jing was sixteen years old at the time. He was born to a concubine and was not a sibling of Yang Wan and Yang Lun. Therefore, he was relatively silent. He studied outside every day and never asked about anything when he came back.
Yang Wan also didn't know how they, the "sister and brother", had gotten along in the past.
"Why did you suddenly bring him into the palace?"
He Yu said, "I don't know either, but this time it was Lord Yang who handed in the name card at Donghua Gate. It was a favor from His Majesty, and even the banquet was a reward from His Majesty."
Deng Ying said, "He is the one appointed by His Majesty as a companion to Your Highness in the Wenhua Hall. Today he will pay his respects to Your Highness and Zhang Ci Fu in the Wenhua Hall."
"Reading companion?"
Yang Wan looked at Deng Ying, "When is it?"
"At the end of the month."
"oh… "
Yang Wan lowered her head and was silent for a moment.
Deng Ying asked: "What's the matter?"
Yang Wan shook her head and said, "It's okay. I was just wondering why you suddenly picked the Yang family's child."
Deng Ying said, "It was the Imperial Academy who advised. The original intention of the cabinet was to recommend Yang Lun as a lecturer in Wenhua Hall, but Zhang Ci Fu did not agree."
After Deng Ying said this, Yang Wan understood.
Although Yang Lun was Yi Lang's teacher, that was after Zhang Cong's downfall.
Allowing Yang Qing to study in Wenhua Hall at this time should be a second-best move by Bai Huan and Yang Lun.
"Heyu, go back and tell the queen first. I am really disrespectful in what I am wearing. I have to go back to the Fifth House to change into a new set of clothes."
"yes."
He Yu stepped out immediately.
Yang Wan stood up and said apologetically, "I came here to help you clean up the house, but I ended up sitting here with you for a while."
Deng Ying shook her head and replied softly, "I'll take you back."
"Your injury hasn't healed yet."
Deng Ying also stood up and said, "I'm fine. Let me follow you for a while."
After listening to this, Yang Wan bent down and held Deng Ying's wrist, "Okay, then I'll hold you so that you don't fall on the road."
**
The two did not take the palace road, but walked along the moat to the fifth building in the north.
Deng Ying wanted to walk behind Yang Wan, but Yang Wan refused. Once Deng Ying slowed down, she would stop and wait.
"How can I talk to you if you walk so far back?"
"I can hear you."
"But it's a pain for me to ask."
After she said that, Deng Ying had no choice but to let Yang Wan lead him to her side.
Halfway through the walk, his hands had long been cooled by the wind, but Yang Wan's palms were still warm. Her steps were not big, and the hibiscus jade pendant on her waist gently tapped the back of Deng Ying's hand. He couldn't help but look down and suddenly saw the hibiscus bead he had carved himself, and couldn't help but hold her hand.
"Deng Ying."
"ah?"
Seeing that he was a little dazed, Yang Wan slowed down her pace.
"Will you no longer be involved in the construction of the imperial city?"
"yes… "
He coughed, regained his composure, and replied seriously, "The subsequent engineering work will be assigned to Xu Qi."
"Don't you think it's a pity?"
Deng Ying did not answer immediately. He was silent for a moment before saying, "The construction of the Imperial City took more than forty years, and even the teacher could not participate from beginning to end. Now... although I am no longer building it, I am also involved in it."
This sentence... really has a hint of "building a prison to imprison oneself".
Yang Wan couldn't bear it for a moment, so she changed the subject and asked, "What about the one from the Dongji Factory? Can you handle it?"
Deng Ying looked at the blue-gray river surface and said, "It's still under reform."
“Is the resistance great?”
Deng Ying turned around and smiled at her, "The resistance is not in the Imperial Household Department, but in the Northern Pacification Department."
Yang Wan stopped and asked, "What are you doing now?"
Deng Ying said: "The Jinyiwei of the Northern Pacification Division will be directly used as the Dongchang Factory Guards. On the basis of the Dongchang's original management of two thousand households, a post-criminal official will be appointed. This is a step that must be taken."
Yang Wan pursed her lips and asked, "Is Zhang Luo willing to give his people to your East Factory?"
Deng Ying shook his head and said, "Of course I don't want to, but it's not difficult because this is also what your majesty wants."
"Um… "
Yang Wan raised her head. "This way, Your Majesty can use the East Factory to assess the criminal cases handled by the Northern Pacification Office."
"Um."
Deng Ying nodded, "You have always been very smart."
Yang Wan wanted to say that this was just the perspective advantage of later generations, but in reality it was just hindsight.
"Being smart is useless. You can't do anything."
Deng Ying bent down slightly and looked at Yang Wan, "That's what I should do."
He paused after saying this, "Actually, with my status, there isn't much I can do, but... as long as the cabinet trusts me, I won't let what happened at Tongjia Academy happen again."
“What if they don’t believe you?”
Deng Ying did not answer this question.
Did anyone in history believe Deng Ying
Perhaps only Yang Lun believed him.
So, during the years that Deng Ying was alive, did any incidents similar to the Tongjia tragedy happen
No.
Even though the cabinet did not believe him, he finally did what he said in front of Yang Wan today.
He was the wall between the civil officials and the Imperial Household Department and the Northern Pacification Department. But the people who wrote history finally buried him in the dirt.
During the Jinghe years, the political environment was relatively clear. Yi Lang and the cabinet headed by Yang Lun implemented new policies, and the people's livelihood was prosperous and the border was stable. It was a rare peaceful year in the history of the Ming Dynasty. Yang Lun was therefore famous throughout the ages, and Emperor Jinghe was also regarded as a wise king by later generations.
Only Deng Ying, the jade in the box in the past...
The next sentence, which implied his name, came true. Yang Wan couldn't bear to think about it at this moment.
So she stopped talking, holding Deng Ying's hand and slowly walked forward.
After passing the Fengxian Hall, the two turned into the inner six palaces. Yang Wan had just let go of Deng Ying's hand when she heard someone behind her calling her, "Aunt."
Yang Wan quickly turned around and saw Yi Lang running towards her, followed by Yang Lun and a teenage boy.
"Your Highness..."
Before Yang Wan could react, Yi Lang threw himself into her arms.
Having not seen Yang Wan for a long time, he was more intimate with her than usual. Yang Wan was afraid that he would fall, so she had to bend down and hug him.
Deng Ying took two steps back and knelt down in front of Yi Lang to pay his respects.
Yang Lun and the young man also followed. Yang Lun glanced at Deng Ying who was kneeling on the ground. Without saying anything, he looked up at Yang Wan and said, "Why aren't you serving the queen in Chengqian Palace?"
Yang Wan put her arm around Yi Lang's waist and said, "Oh, Si Ji called me to do something, and He Yu came to look for me. I knew you were granted the privilege of entering the palace today, so I hurried over."
After she finished speaking, she saw Deng Ying still kneeling on the ground, so she straightened Yi Lang's body, stepped back a step, knelt down and saluted Yi Lang, "Your Highness, please forgive me, I forgot the etiquette."
When Yi Lang saw Yang Wan like this, he saw Deng Ying. He turned around and looked at Yang Lun. Yang Lun set his jaw and didn't say a word.
Yi Lang turned his head, lowered his mouth, and said in a serious tone: "Everyone get up."
"yes."
Yang Wan stood up, and Deng Ying followed suit.
Yi Lang reached out and grabbed Yang Wan, pulling her behind him, and then he took a few steps towards Deng Ying.
"Are you Deng Ying, the new eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Yi Lang looked up at him and suddenly asked, "Why are you walking with my aunt?"
Yang Wan was stunned, and Yang Lun beside her was also a little surprised.
"I won't let you and your aunt walk together!"
"Your Highness, it's me..."
As soon as Yang Wan opened her mouth, Yang Lun pulled her back. She wanted to break free, but saw Deng Ying also shaking her head at her.
He didn't say anything else. He lifted his robe and knelt down again, saying in a calm voice, "I know I was wrong."
Yi Lang looked down at him and said, "You are the descendant of a criminal, a survivor of punishment. You have received the grace of my father, the emperor, and have been saved until today. You have no intention of repaying him, but have come to the inner court three times to hurt my aunt's dignity. It is really hateful!"
Yang Wan's hand was held tightly by Yang Lun, but she didn't feel any pain.
But at this moment, she also realized that she absolutely could not make a sound.
This is the so-called "family empire".
Deng Ying told Yang Wan that he was a sinful man when facing Yang Wan.
In a way, his thinking is exactly the same as Yi Lang's.
When Yi Lang treated Yang Wan as his own family, Deng Ying's existence was an insult to Yang Wan.
He wanted to protect Yang Wan, so he refused to rebuke Yang Wan for her misconduct. In the end, he could only put all the blame on Deng Ying.
Yang Wan could uphold Deng Ying's dignity in front of Zhang Luo, but she could not say a word for Deng Ying in front of a child who was only a few years old.
She was a little panicked.
This is really not an era that she approves of. Everyone knows how to stand firm in their position, understand their identity, and live with peace of mind. Only Yang Wan doesn't know what her own position is.
After hearing what Yi Lang said, Deng Ying supported herself on the ground with both hands and lowered her body, "Yes... Please punish me, Your Highness."
Yi Lang raised his head and said, "I am not punishing you today because the Queen has been fasting and accumulating merits for many days. If you dare to hurt my aunt's dignity in the future, I will cut you into pieces."
When Yang Wan heard this, her head suddenly buzzed and her body leaned forward, almost losing her balance.
The words uttered by this child confirmed Deng Ying's oath and also foreshadowed his ending. For the first time in this year, Yang Wan shuddered at her own existence in this era.
"Wan'er."
Yang Lun saw that her face had turned pale and hurriedly supported her.
Yi Lang turned around upon hearing the voice and said, "Aunt, what's going on?"
Yang Wan slowly squatted down and stretched out her hand towards Yi Lang. Yi Lang hesitated for a moment, but finally walked to her obediently and leaned into her arms.
"Aunt, I don't blame you."
Yang Wan hugged this warm body, "I know."
"Then why are you sad?"
Yang Wan buried her head under Yi Lang's chin, exhaled slowly, and whispered to Yi Lang: "Aunt, please don't treat him like this."
Yi Lang also lowered his head, his mouth tightened unconsciously, "Auntie shouldn't be like this."
"Know… "
Yang Wan squeezed Yi Lang's fisted hand and said, "I'm sorry, Your Highness."
Yi Lang turned around and looked at Deng Ying, "You get up first."
After saying that, he let go of Yang Wan's hand that was holding his, and instead pulled Yang Wan, "Aunt, don't be sad. I will take you and Lord Yang back to find Mother and have some delicious food."