The flames created a thick, smoky smell like wood burning in the cold snow.
The memory of the smell reminded Yang Wan of the time when she returned to her hometown in the countryside alone during the winter vacation.
The white snow was covered with dead branches and leaves. The young people who went out to work had not yet arrived. It was quiet everywhere. The girl next door was burning firewood and when Yang Wan passed by, she was warmly invited by the family to join the fire. At that time, she looked like a stranger. The large down jacket, the iPad that she could only use to cut watermelons when there was no internet, the hand cream that she always carried with her... everything made the little girl feel very novel.
However, compared to the girl's freedom, Yang Wan could only huddle awkwardly behind the firewood pile, thinking over her unapproved paper. Because she couldn't understand the local accent, she was the awkward one during the communication. She even felt embarrassed when the girl handed her a roasted sweet potato.
"Yang Wan."
"What?"
When she came to her senses, she suddenly lost her balance and sat down on the snow.
Deng Ying quickly picked her up and couldn't help laughing, "What are you doing?"
Yang Wan brushed off the snow on her body and said to Deng Ying, "I was thinking about you coming here, and suddenly you have everything. Alas, although I took care of His Highness, I didn't let him have a good time at the beginning of the first month of this year."
"Don't lose heart, Yang Wan."
"I know."
After she finished speaking, she turned her head to look at Hengshouzhai, "He was afraid that the other lecturers and tutors in Wenhua Palace would be affected. When the Northern Pacification Office came to question him, he was already silent."
"Your Highness is right."
Yang Wan turned her head and asked, "Then how are you going to ask him?"
Deng Ying said: "In addition to coming to see you today, I also want to ask you what you think."
Yang Wan was stunned, "Me?"
"yes."
Yang Wan coughed and said, "What can I think?"
Deng Ying said: "Although the Huang Ran case is a criminal case, it involves the prince and is also a private matter of the inner court. Your Majesty does not allow the three courts to intervene, which means that he intends to keep the case hidden in the inner court. Since your Majesty has such an intention, I should have room to mediate in the Northern Pacification Office."
Yang Wan pressed her temples, forcing herself to follow Deng Ying's thoughts and sort out the whole story of Huang Ran's case again.
Deng Ying's analysis is consistent with the logic of erasing the Huang Ran case in Ming History. Emperor Zhenning imprisoned Yi Lang, ordered the Northern Pacification Office and the Eastern Factory to jointly interrogate him, and even sent officials to reprimand him. All of these were to warn his son to fear military power and paternal authority. In fact, the only people he wanted to deal with were Huang Ran and those lecturers who occasionally spoke out of turn.
"Did the Northern Pacification Division torture Huang Ran?"
"I have used it. Now I am trying to find out the meaning of that poem."
Yang Wan raised her head and said, "Poetry? What poem?"
"I pray that spring will come today and melt the three feet of ice on earth soon."
"Written by Huang Ran?"
"Yes, I did it when I was drunk. But now that it has come to this, I feel that the meaning of this poem is no longer important."
Yang Wan lowered her head and remained silent for a while, "Do you think he won't survive?"
Deng Ying nodded. "I tried to delay the Jinyiwei before, and then tried to cover up the poem, but I didn't expect what happened at the New Year's Eve banquet. Now it's too late. Now I'm worried about your brother."
"My brother? Why?"
Deng Ying said, "There are two ways to end this case. The first is to end it with Huang Ran, and the second is to find out the "mastermind" of this debate on the succession and then end it with him. Lord Yang and Lord Bai have always advocated clearing the fields, but your Majesty is still hesitant about the policy. Several princes of the southern clan have already taken the path of He Zhangyin, and your Majesty has petitioned to explain the harm of clearing the fields to them. Once your Majesty wavers on the policy of clearing the fields, the Huang Ran case is likely to involve Lord Yang."
Yang Wan continued: "So this case must be concluded as soon as possible."
After she finished speaking, she held her head, feeling a pain in her temples like needles.
"What's wrong?"
Yang Wan shook her head, "It's okay, Deng Ying, let me think about it..."
As soon as she finished saying this, the door of Hengshouzhai suddenly opened.
Deng Ying turned around and saw Yi Lang standing in front of the door with bare feet, looking at the two people in front of the fire in silence.
Seeing this, Yang Wan stood up and ran to Yi Lang, "Why don't you wear shoes? Come on, go in, I will help you put on your shoes."
Yang Wan was eager to take Yi Lang away.
Ever since she witnessed the way Yi Lang treated Deng Ying outside Chengqian Palace that day, she didn't want Deng Ying and Yi Lang to meet again.
Although Deng Ying had said that it would be fine for her to just watch, she still didn't want to see him humbly stretch out his hands to put on the shackles that she liked very much.
"Master Deng, please go back first..."
She tried to bring Yi Lang in, but Yi Lang did not move. Instead, he looked up and said to Deng Ying, "Deng Changchen, don't leave. I have something to ask you."
"Your Highness..."
"Yang Wan."
Deng Ying called Yang Wan, then smiled and shook her head at her, walked in front of Yi Lang, knelt down, and said, "Your servant greets your Highness."
Yi Lang looked down at him, "My father has locked me up here and does not allow anyone to visit me. Since you can see me, you must be the imperial envoy sent by my father to interrogate me. If it is an interrogation, why are you not wearing official uniform?"
"I don't want to offend your Highness."
Yi Lang said: "You don't want to offend me, is it because of my aunt? You are still coveting my aunt."
Deng Ying didn't say anything. Yang Wan squatted down and took Yi Lang into her arms, "Your Highness..."
He had barely begun to speak when Yi Lang interrupted him, "Although I am in prison, my teachers have taught me that I must never lose the royal etiquette at any time. I would rather you wait for the king and father to interrogate me severely than for you to sympathize with me because of my aunt!"
Yang Wan was stunned.
She felt sorry for Yi Lang being humiliated by imperial power and patriarchy, but she neglected to notice that he was also a person who made his living on imperial power.
Yang Wan thought about it and subconsciously pulled her clothes closer.
The snowy wind blew gently on Deng Ying's back, as well as on the faces of Yang Wan and Yi Lang.
When Yang Wan didn't know how to comfort these two people, Deng Ying spoke.
"I don't want to interrogate you, because you didn't do anything wrong."
After he finished speaking, he raised his head and looked at Yi Lang.
The two of them knelt and stood up, looking each other in the eye. "Even if I am interrogating you on behalf of the emperor, I am unwilling to look down on your Highness. Although your Highness is in prison and temporarily shackled, please do not be sad. The several adults in Wenhua Palace are all grateful for what your Highness has said here."
When Yi Lang heard this, he hurriedly asked, "Masters, do you know that I didn't mean to hurt them?"
"yes."
Deng Ying nodded, "Your Highness has done a great job."
Yi Lang smiled at Yang Wan. Although it was very brief, it was the first time Yang Wan saw Yi smile in seven days.
"You get up."
Deng Ying replied, "I am guilty and dare not get up."
Yi Lang lowered his head and said, "Aunt doesn't like me being harsh with you, and I don't want to see my aunt unhappy. Considering that you haven't done anything beyond the rules to offend my aunt, I won't blame you today. Get up."
"Yes, I thank you for your forgiveness."
After he finished speaking, he stood up with the help of his hands. The cold pain in his ankle almost made him fall down.
Yang Wan looked at his ankle and asked, "Does it hurt?"
Deng Ying shook her head and said softly, "Don't ask me this in front of the prince. Put on his shoes for him."
Yang Wan then remembered that Yi Lang came out barefoot, so she hurriedly led him to the couch to sit down, then turned around to move the charcoal brazier over.
As soon as he looked up, he saw Deng Ying half-kneeling in front of Yi Lang, letting Yi Lang put his feet on her knees and personally adjusting the shoes and socks beside his feet.
"Let me do it..."
Deng Ying didn't say a word. "It's all the same. Move the charcoal brazier closer to the palace. It's too cold."
After he said that, he untied his robe and gathered Yi Lang's feet in his arms.
Yang Wan looked at his leg half-kneeling on the ground, with thick bindings exposed at his trouser legs, proving that due to the heavy snow in recent days, his old ankle injury had relapsed severely. But since he had said not to ask him that in front of Yi Lang, Yang Wan decided to respect his thoughts.
She touched Yi Lang's hand and said, "Be good and put on your shoes and socks. Go to the charcoal basin and warm yourself up. I'll go cook noodles for you."
After saying that, he looked at Deng Ying.
He was concentrating on tying Yi Lang's socks. Yang Wan hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but said, "Your Highness, please allow Deng Changchen to roast for a while, okay?"
Yi Lang said nothing, just nodded.
Only then did Yang Wan open the door and walk into the courtyard.
Near noon, it began to snow.
After all, it was spring snow, very fine and light, and when it fell on the skin, it melted away in an instant.
The firewood crackled and crackled like a dud.
Yang Wan carefully avoided the sparks, bent down, rolled up her sleeves, and put the shaken noodles into the pot.
She gently stirred the boiling water, thinking back to the last time she cooked noodles for Deng Ying, it was still by the moat in early autumn. At that time, Zhang Zhanchun had just died, and she had said to Deng Ying, "Don't be sad, you didn't do anything wrong."
Now the same words, spoken from Deng Ying's mouth, actually comforted Yi Lang.
Yang Wan thought about it and couldn't help but smile.
Although Deng Ying still regarded himself as a sinner at that time, my words should have comforted him.
“Is it ready?”
The door creaked open, and Deng Ying walked out of Hengshouzhai alone, "Let me help you."
"No need." Yang Wan pushed him away and said, "I'm very skilled at cooking noodles."
As he spoke, he picked out the noodles, put them into the bowl, and said, "You see there is something wrapped around your ankle. Is it the handkerchief I gave you last time? Is it too thin? I will give you a thicker one after I leave."
"How could you let your things get on my feet? I don't even dare to carry them with me."
Yang Wan raised the hibiscus jade pendant on her waist, stroked the wooden bead and said, "But I don't want to leave my things even for a moment."
Deng Ying lowered her head and looked at the bead, her eyes warm: "I'll carve another one for you to make a pair."
"Then what can I give you in return?"
Deng Ying pointed behind Yang Wan and said, "I want to eat noodles."
Yang Wan responded, “Okay.”
He turned around and said, "Wait for me to pick it out and bring it in, then we can eat together."
Deng Ying shook her head. "Your Highness won't agree. Don't make him unhappy again. I will be the one who suffers."
After he finished speaking, he bent down and picked up the bowl. "I'll stand outside to eat. You hurry in. When Wuying Palace was located, it was originally intended to be a Buddhist temple. But because the cold air was too strong, the palace system was changed during construction. It has started snowing today. You must close the doors and windows. I just found out that His Highness has a fever. I will go out later and ask the Jinyiwei to call the imperial physician for him. You must take care of yourself too."
"Fever..."
Yang Wan suddenly raised her head, "I have a way to solve Huang Ran's case, but it might hurt... not... "
She shook her head and said, "Just pretend I didn't say anything."
Deng Ying looked at Yang Wan in silence, and after a moment she suddenly said, "Okay."