Qin Wende carried the box and walked towards Chengqian Palace with Yang Wan.
He was a straightforward person, and usually didn't talk much. His jokes made Yang Wan laugh all the way.
While Yang Wan was happy, Qin Wende tried to say a few good words for Deng Ying.
"Miss Yang."
"Um?"
Qin Wende put the box on his shoulder and said, "Have you ever been to see our governor's house?"
Yang Wan replied as she walked: "Not yet. I heard that you were the one who took care of it."
Qin Wende smiled and said, "Of course. That place and its orientation are both good, but we feel it's a little small. We thought that the governor would at least build a second courtyard for himself, and this one... is not bad, but it's a little cramped."
Yang Wan smiled and said, "It's good once you get in. It's airy and not hard to clean."
Qin Wende said hurriedly: "How can we let the girl clean? When you and our governor move in, we will have to buy some people to take care of it."
Yang Wan turned around and said with a smile, "You asked him to buy someone? It would cost a lot of money to buy a person nowadays."
"Oh, this is ten taels, and it depends on how it looks."
Yang Wan smiled and said, "How little salary does your governor get per month?"
"ah?"
Qin Wende almost tripped over himself when he heard this, "This..."
He dragged his words, hesitating whether to expose Deng Ying's shortcomings in front of Yang Wan.
Deng had only one bottom line in disciplining these people, which was that they could not kill people at will. He usually did not stop his guards from collecting "service money" from officials and civilians, but he himself seemed to have never asked for it. Even if he did, he would share it with the guards afterwards. It was said that the rewards from the Imperial Household Department were few, but Tan Wende saw that Deng Ying's daily food, clothing and expenses were indeed like those of a rich man. On this day, he and a guard helped him buy furniture and furnishings. The guards thought that he was paying for it, so they were reluctant to do anything.
"Eh... the governor's salary is paid by the inner court, we don't know much about it..."
Yang Wan continued, "He doesn't have much money, and he also wants to buy people to serve him as slaves."
"I don't have much money."
When Yang Wan and Qin Wende heard this, they were stunned. They looked up and saw Deng Ying walking towards them.
He was not wearing official uniform today. Like the students outside, he wore a jade-colored robe, with his hair tied in a bun on his head, and no crown or scarf.
Qin Wende was a little embarrassed, and asked with a stiff upper lip: "I mean, you are poor, I just..."
"I am quite poor now."
"That's what you said..."
Tan Wende was stunned by Deng Ying's honesty and could only change his tone and say, "Aren't you in Chengqian Palace? Why are you here?"
"oh."
Deng Ying rolled up her sleeves and said, "I'll come over to see if I can lend a hand."
The factory guards behind Qin Wende hurriedly said in unison: "How can we trouble you?"
Yang Wan smiled and said, "You are dressed like you are going to work today."
Deng Ying grabbed her sleeves and looked at Yang Wan with a smile, "What does that look like?"
Yang Wan said, "It looks like I'm going to enter the autumn examination room."
Deng Ying laughed out loud, "Shuntian Prefecture is setting up the examination hall for the provincial examination. Do you want to go and take a look?"
"Examination hall?"
Yang Wan asked suspiciously, "Why is there only an examination hall? Aren't there any waiting rooms?"
Deng Ying nodded and said, "It should have been built, but the imperial city and the surrounding walls have not been fully built yet. Finances are limited, so we can only use wooden boards and reed mats to build the examination hall, surrounded by thorny walls. People say that the construction of the imperial examination hall in the capital is not as good as the bookstores around it."
This aroused Yang Wan's interest. "What bookstores are there nearby? Can we go and have a look today?"
Deng Ying replied: "I have taken the ivory plate and can take you out."
Yang Wan looked back at her body, hesitation evident on her face.
Qin Wende said hurriedly: "You can go out with our supervisor. We will hand these over to Miss He Yu and make sure they are not injured."
Yang Wanlu smiled and said, "Okay then... just be careful."
After saying that, he walked behind Deng Ying and poked him on the back, "Hurry up, hurry up."
Deng Ying looked back at Yang Wan. Her face was bright and her eyes were light.
To be honest, he hadn't seen Yang Wan smile like this for a long time since the Heju case.
**
Shuntian Prefecture Yamen is located in the East Public Street of Gulou East Street in the north city. There are several bookshops near Gulou, among which the most famous ones are Zhou's Kuanqin Hall and Qi's Qingbo Hall. Both bookshops have been inherited and operated for hundreds of years. Not only are their halls large, but their printing and engraving scale is also large.
The publishing industry in the Ming Dynasty was very prosperous. Although there were many loopholes in management, it was relatively free. The publishing industry was divided into official printing, private printing and printing (1). Deng Ying was a person who liked to buy books, and he especially loved to buy some private editions of unknown writers in private bookstores.
But Yang Wan did not go to these private bookstores. After getting off the carriage, she took Deng Ying straight to Qingbo Pavilion. Deng Ying's leg injury had just recurred two days ago, and now she was a little reluctant to walk, but she was unwilling to say "slow down" to Yang Wan, so she could only look at her back helplessly with a bitter smile. Seeing this scene, the people in the book market laughed and said, "This official has a really good temper, and he is willing to go along with the young lady."
Deng Ying felt a little hot in her ears after hearing this, and she couldn't help but call Yang Wan.
"Wan Wan."
"ah?"
Yang Wan looked back and saw that his face was a little pale, and hurriedly asked, "Is your ankle hurting again?"
“A little.”
Yang Wan stopped and asked, "What do you mean?"
Deng Ying said, "You seem to be in such a good mood."
Yang Wan held Deng Ying's arm and said, "Let's walk like this. You lean on me."
"Are you tired?"
Yang Wan shook her head. "I'm really tired. Don't worry about me. Come over here. You're so thin. I can support you."
Deng Ying lowered her head and looked at Yang Wan's profile, "Wan Wan."
"you say."
"Why are you so interested in Qingbo Pavilion?"
Yang Wan did not answer Deng Ying's question immediately, but she recalled what she had said to Deng Ying, "You must consider it for him and fight for him in writing."
What is pen and ink
In the Ming Dynasty, the pen and ink, like the army, were sharp weapons. They were the mouthpieces of the literati, the public opinion of the world, and the life that the imperial power constantly strangled but could never kill.
"Has Qingbo Pavilion ever published your article?"
Deng Ying nodded.
"Yes, in the past."
"Which one?"
"A Letter to My Son at the End of the Year."
After he finished speaking, he looked up at the plaque on the Qingbo Pavilion and said, "At that time, I was very close to Zixi, and we exchanged many poems and essays. However, later on, I was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice, and my essays could no longer be circulated. They were engraved before, and now they may have been burned."
Yang Wan was stunned.
In fact, Qingbo Museum preserved the engraving of "A Letter to My Son at the End of the Year". Later, Qingbo Museum moved to Guangzhou and the engraving was also taken to Guangzhou. Later, the engraving changed hands several times and ended up abroad, but Yang Wan had seen a photo of it in the Guangzhou Museum.
"Maybe it's not burned."
Yang Wan took Deng Ying's arm and gave him a bright smile, "Let's go and take a look."
Deng Ying nodded and said "OK" with a smile.
Qingbo Pavilion is a shop in front and a factory in the back. In front of the shop is a temporary stall for the imperial examination, which is very lively. Deng Ying stopped and glanced at the books on the stall. Yang Wan looked up and asked him, "Who is better at studying, you or my brother?" Deng Ying answered with a smile.
As they were talking, the shopkeeper from the front store came out to greet them. Seeing Yang Wan and Deng Ying standing far away from the examination booth, he said, "My two guests, you are here to look at the imperial examination books, right?"
Deng Ying replied: "Yes, I want to bring..."
He didn't know how to address Yang Wan for a moment, but Yang Wan continued, "My husband wants to take me in for a walk."
The shopkeeper thought that they were just an elegant and learned couple. "Does the lady also study?"
"Yes, I know a few words."
"You are being modest when you say that. Please come in."
Yang Wan took Deng Ying's hand and walked into Chengshu Hall, where they read books compiled and published by Qingbo Pavilion, such as "Journey to the West", "Chronicles of Various Kingdoms", "Critical Comments on Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms", "Critical Comments on Chronicles of Water Margin", "Romance of the Eastern and Western Jin Dynasties", "Chronicles of the Western Han Dynasty", etc. Some versions have even been preserved to the present day.
Yang Wan picked up a copy of Journey to the West and flipped it open, then asked casually, "This book is stereotyped. Do you still have it in your factory?"
The shopkeeper said, "Madam, if you ask this, you must do business with us."
Yang Wan tucked her hair behind her ears, glanced at Deng Ying and smiled.
The shopkeeper thought Yang Wan was being prudent and wanted to wait for him to attach it first, so he said earnestly: "Our boss has destroyed the plates of this book, but there is another version, and the plates are still preserved. Our boss keeps the plates, but it depends on whether he likes them. Although some books sell well, the plates will be burned if our boss doesn't like them."
"Oh? Then your boss must be a very particular person."
"Of course not."
The shopkeeper proudly said: "How can our Qingbo Pavilion be better than Kuanqin Hall? It's because our boss is a juren, a real scholar."
Yang Wan closed the book and asked, "Do you still have the copy of 'A Letter to My Son at the End of the Year'?"
The shopkeeper said, "Oh, you asked about the engraving plate for this article. I know you are knowledgeable. Our boss likes this article very much. He personally supervised the engraving of the engraving plate. Although the person who wrote this article is a sinner, and this article can no longer be printed, the boss has always kept the engraving plate."
"Can we take a look?"
"this… "
The shopkeeper was a little hesitant.
Yang Wan said, "Don't misunderstand me. Since your boss is personally supervising the engraving, it is naturally the best. I just want to see what the best engraving in your bookstore looks like."
After hearing what she said, the shopkeeper finally relaxed his face.
"Okay, please sit down first. We are entertaining distinguished guests in our factory. I'm afraid I'll bump into you. I'll go in and show you. If it's not a problem, I'll take you in."
"good."
Yang Wan helped Deng Ying sit down, while she herself rolled up her skirt and squatted down.
Deng Ying hurriedly asked, "What are you doing?"
Wang Wan reached out and lifted up the hem of his shirt, "Let me help you cover it while we have some free time."
Deng Ying quickly bent down to cover his ankle. Yang Wan pinched the skin on the back of his hand and forcibly lifted his hand up.
"Be obedient Deng Ying."
Deng Ying was stunned.
"I can..."
"If you're pretending to be a married couple, you have to act like one."
She interrupted Deng Ying and held Deng Ying's ankles with both hands, using the warmth of her palms to help him resist the cold pain, while smiling and saying, "I've gained a lot from coming here today."
Deng Ying watched Yang Wan gently press her hand on his ankle and pursed her lips: "Why... do you have to look at that stereotype."
Yang Wan lowered her head and said gently, "I want you to know that although you can no longer write articles, your past has not been erased. You have traces to follow, and there will be people in the future who will follow them."
After she finished speaking, she raised her head and said, "Deng Ying, if you want to write an article in the future, just write it. I will copy it if you write it."
Deng Ying laughed and said, "Even if you copy it, you will be the only one who can see it."
Yang Wan was about to reply when she suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from behind the screen behind her.
"Since your boss is not here, we can only discuss this matter here. As for the rest, I will come again when your boss comes back and discuss it with him in detail."
Yang Wan stood up, hid behind the screen, and glanced towards the door to the back hall.
Deng Ying asked softly, "Who is it?"
Yang Wan said, "Pang Ling, the eunuch beside Concubine Jiang."
She was about to finish her words when she heard the bookstore owner say, "Actually, our shopkeeper can make the decision on this, but we want to add another sage to the end of the "Five Sages' Biographies". We at Kuanqin Hall haven't finalized the edition for this booklet yet, so it's difficult."
When Yang Wan heard the "Biographies of Five Sages", she was stunned.
This booklet was written by a scholar named Du Heng in the Ming Dynasty. It records five virtuous empresses and concubines in history. It is not a very famous book, but the book has not been handed down for obvious reasons. Yang Wan had seen the name of this book in fragmentary historical materials.
"Deng Ying."
"Um?"
"As for Pang Ling, have the factory guards keep an eye on him."
"Why?"
Yang Wan pursed her lips, "I can't explain it clearly yet, but after I think it through, it may be too late, just like what happened with Zheng Bingbi."