Yang Wan had dinner with Yi Lang. The porridge in the small kitchen had just been cooked. Yang Wan walked to the side hall with the bowl in her hand, but saw Deng Ying standing at the steps and did not go in.
"Why don't you go in?"
"oh."
Deng Ying put her hands behind her back and wiped them on her skirt. "I just came down from the roof, and I'm a little dirty."
Yang Wan walked up to him and asked, "Did you hear Li Yu say that?"
In fact, even if Deng Ying didn't admit it, Yang Wan probably understood what Deng Ying was avoiding at the moment, but since Deng Ying didn't want to say it, Yang Wan didn't ask any more. She walked towards the stone table in the courtyard with the bowl of porridge in her hand, "Let's sit here and eat. The porridge is hot anyway, so it's a good time to blow it for a while."
Deng Ying followed and asked, "Haven't you already eaten?"
Yang Wan turned around and smiled, "Yes, I have eaten, but I am not full. I can still have another bowl with you."
Deng Ying picked up the bowl of porridge and asked, "Will I still not be full if I eat with His Highness?"
Yang Wan lowered her head and smiled, "Now... I'm even a little afraid of him."
After saying that, he blew a mouthful of porridge and looked at the rice oil on the surface of the porridge in a trance, "I don't know why."
Deng Ying said: "As long as you treat me the same way His Highness restrains me, His Highness will treat you well."
Yang Wan raised her head, "If I treat you like that, will you still help me fix the roof?"
“Yes.”
Yang Wan leaned closer to him with her chin propped up, "Deng Ying."
"Um."
"You are more infuriating than Yi Lang."
Deng Ying was stunned after hearing this, but Yang Wan added another spoonful of porridge to his bowl. "Eat."
The evening breeze quickly cooled the porridge soup. The two of them sat in the courtyard, eating with a dish of pickled cucumbers while talking.
After the You hour, something suddenly happened in the inner court.
The eunuch at Chengqian Gate came in and said that a palace maid had jumped into the moat near Donghua Gate.
The lights in all the palaces in the inner court suddenly lit up.
Yang Wan asked He Yu to help Yi Lang with his studies, and turned around to come out. She saw Deng Ying standing in front of the Chengqian Palace gate, facing the wind, looking outside quietly.
The flame of the lantern fell on the side of his face, obscuring his facial features.
"What's wrong."
Deng Ying raised her chin and said towards the moat, "The Yanxi Palace is looking for someone."
Just as she finished speaking, several people suddenly ran towards Chengqian Gate, and Yang Wan subconsciously took a step back.
"It's okay, Wanwan, it's Zhao Qi, the steward of the East Factory."
He said, lifting his robe and walking down the steps, "What happened?"
Zhao Qi reported: "Master, something happened to Pang Ling in Yanxi Palace."
Yang Wan asked hurriedly: "Is the person alive?"
"He's still alive and was rescued by us."
The eunuch at Chengqian Gate didn't know what was going on, so he sighed, "These days there are still people who jump into the river because they can't bear to live anymore. The Yanxi Palace is a living hell, it's really pitiful."
Zhao Qi said, "Why jump into the river? Have you ever seen people jumping into the river with big rocks tied to their ankles? And it wasn't the moat that sank, it was the manure pond next to the Donghua Gate. Lord Governor, we also captured two people from the Yanxi Palace and have taken them to the Inner East Factory."
Yang Wan said: "No, take them to the Inner East Factory and bring them to Chengqian Palace."
Zhao Qi then noticed that Yang Wan was standing behind Deng Ying. She stiffened her neck and said, "How can we bring the people captured by the East Factory to Chengqian Palace?"
"It's not good to put it in the East Factory."
Zhao Qi looked at Deng Ying hesitantly.
Deng Ying didn't say anything, but nodded, indicating that he should do it.
Yang Wan turned around and walked towards the door, saying to the palace servants of Chengqian Palace as she walked, "Close the other palace doors and only leave the side door of the front hall open."
People in Chengqian Palace rarely saw Yang Wan so serious, and they were busy with their own work.
Soon, Zhao Qi and the inner factory guards dragged Pang Ling in from the side door.
It was very cold at night, and the wind was blowing in front of the screen, making the windows and doors everywhere creak.
Pang Ling had dirty water in his lungs, his whole body was soaked, and he was hit by the wind along the way. When Zhao Qi and others put him down, he lay on the ground and coughed so hard that his shoulders and back shook.
Yang Wan looked at the filth he vomited out and her stomach felt churning.
"Bring him a basin."
After that, he said to Pang Ling, "Cough as hard as you can. Don't hold it in and choke out the water in your lungs."
The people in Chengqian Palace gathered around, holding their noses. He Yu gathered a lamp and lit it for Yang Wan. He lowered his head and glanced at the filthy man on the ground, and said in horror: "This... Isn't this the eunuch Pang who was beside the virtuous lady? Why is he so embarrassed? Could he be the one who jumped into the river earlier?"
Yang Wan suppressed the nausea in her heart and asked, "Do you think this looks like jumping into the river?"
He Yu shook his head and said, "Yes... not really."
As they were talking, the eunuchs brought a basin and helped Pang Ling lie on it.
Pang Ling grabbed the edge of the basin and coughed and vomited until his eyes bulged out and his neck turned red.
Yang Wan looked down at him and asked He Yu softly, "Where is His Highness?"
"His Highness is still studying in the back hall."
"Yes. Go and guard His Highness, and don't let him come to the front hall. If he comes looking for me, tell him that I went to the central palace to report back to the Empress."
"yes."
"Give me the light, and be more careful."
He Yu handed the lamp to Yang Wan as instructed and walked quickly towards the back hall.
At this time, Pang Ling, who was lying on the wooden basin, finally relaxed. He slowly rolled down the basin, struggled for a while, and finally supported himself on the ground and knelt down, crawling a few steps towards Deng Ying.
"Master Deng, save me..."
"Deng Ying, please step back a few steps."
As he spoke, Pang Ling had already grabbed Deng Ying's skirt and said, "Master Deng, you must save me..."
Yang Wan pulled Deng Ying behind her and turned to say to her, "Don't let him touch you."
Pang Ling finally came back to his senses and looked up at Yang Wan, "You are... You are Yang Wan who is beside His Highness..."
Yang Wan said: "Well, this shouldn't be the first time you see me."
Pang Ling's voice was a little trembling, but he still asked Yang Wan, "Why... did you bring me to Chengqian Palace?"
"Because now only Chengqian Palace can protect you."
Yang Wan squatted down and said, "I don't know how to judge cases, and I don't want to hurt you anymore. I saved you for my sister. So, if you want to tell me the truth, you can tell me now. If you don't want to, it doesn't matter. I just hope you don't make a fuss and stay quietly in Chengqian Palace."
Pang Ling was surprised and asked, "You brought me here without asking any questions?"
"I told you I won't try a case."
Yang Wan pulled her hair back from her ears, "But I probably know everything."
"Do you... know?"
Pang Ling's voice was a little timid, "Don't even think about it..."
"I must lie to you."
Yang Wan stood up and looked down at Pang Ling and said, "Your virtuous queen secretly ordered someone to write the preface for the Biographies of Five Sages on behalf of my sister, and asked you to pretend to be a eunuch in Chengqian Palace and hand it over to Qingbo Pavilion to be printed together with the Biographies of Five Sages. Who knew that Qingbo Pavilion was closed down by the Northern Pacification Office before it could print the Biographies of Five Sages with the preface. Your queen panicked and sent you to check it out, but the Pacification Office not only closed down the book factory, but also took away everyone in the pavilion. Perhaps the virtuous queen has received some rumors in the past few days, and she was afraid that the matter would be exposed, so she wanted to silence you."
After hearing what Yang Wan said, Pang Ling couldn't help but retract his legs and move half of his body back.
"You...how did you know that?"
Yang Wan said, "Because I saw you at Qingbo Pavilion that day. It was my design that the Northern Pacification Office sealed off Qingbo Pavilion. I also instructed the people from the East Factory to save you. So it's useless for you to ask Deng Ying for help. You have to ask me for help."
"Hehe... cough..."
Pang Ling coughed and laughed, then wiped his face, trying to wipe off the dirt.
"Since you were already awake that day, why didn't you just let the people from the East Factory arrest me and interrogate me? Instead, you let me go."
"I'm not stupid."
"What?"
"If the East Factory arrests you and the interrogation goes badly, and you refuse to speak, or if you are silenced, then the East Factory will be accused of framing the imperial concubine for Chengqian Palace. It is best to let the Northern Pacification Office do this. Your Majesty is afraid, and the people behind your Majesty are also afraid."
When she said this, she was still blocking Deng Ying.
Pang Ling's smell was indeed unpleasant, but in Deng Ying's eyes, the dirt on Pang Ling was not a big deal. It was all external things that could be washed away with a bucket of water. But the dirt on his body was much dirtier than this, and it could not be washed away. No matter where he went, people could see it, so even he himself did not want to think about it deliberately.
The only person who cared about Deng Ying's stigma was Yang Wan.
She said she wanted to fight back, but even though it was so difficult, she was still thinking about Deng Ying. She did not take Deng Ying for granted, she took him out of the matter and protected him behind her. This kind of emotion and wisdom seemed to have been cultivated and accumulated for many years.
"Why did you leave me in Chengqian Palace?"
"I want your mother to come see me."
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a light knock on Cheng Qian's door.
The people in the front hall looked towards the door.
The eunuch at the door came running over and said, "Aunt Wan, it's someone from the Yanxi Palace."
Yang Wan glanced at the door and said, "Tell them that it is late today and we cannot disturb His Highness to rest. If the virtuous lady has anything to ask, please come and ask tomorrow.
After he finished speaking, a woman's voice suddenly came from the door, like the groan of a cat with its throat strangled, "Yang Wan, it's me."
Yang Wan looked at Deng Ying, "Do you want to hide away?"
Deng Ying shook her head, "No need."
Yang Wan said: "It's not good if you don't avoid it."
Deng Ying smiled and said, "Where can I hide?"
**
The night was getting late. After the palace servants lit up all the stone lamps in the front hall, they brought in four or five lanterns, which made Concubine Jiang's face look even paler. She was originally a beautiful woman with thick eyebrows, almond eyes, plump lips and white teeth. Now she looked ferocious, like a painted skin ghost. She was only wearing a single piece of clothing, her hair was disheveled, and she looked like she had lost her mind and was running in a hurry.
When he saw Pang Ling lying on the ground, he took several steps back as if he had seen a ghost. If it weren't for the palace servants supporting him, he would have fallen down.
"Yang Wan... I was wrong, if you don't expose me..."
Yang Wan took a few steps towards Concubine Xian, "What about my sister?"
"I... I don't know, I won't let them print that book!"
"But it's too late."
Yang Wan stood in front of her. "My brother has been taken away by the Northern Pacification Division. I don't know if he was tortured. If so..."
"No! I will ask Zhang Ci Fu..."
When she said this, she clenched her teeth.
Yang Wan continued, "Will it be helpful to ask Zhang Cifu for help?"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Jiang fell to the ground, her golden hairpin fell to the ground, and her long hair was no longer bound and spread over one shoulder.
The palace maids hurried to help her, but she couldn't stand up at all. She looked at Yang Wan in horror and said, "I don't know Zhang Ci Fu. You...what do you want me to do in order to let you go..."
After saying that, she turned over and knelt down towards Yang Wan, "I kneel down and beg you. As long as you let me go, I will do anything you ask me to do."
Yang Wan looked down at Concubine Jiang with disheveled hair.
"What is the Tsurui case?"
"What... Tsurui case."
"Your Highness, do you still dare to say that it was my sister and Zheng Bingbi who conspired to murder the Second Prince?"
"I dare not, it's not..."
"What is that?"
“Yes… Yes…”
Concubine Jiang pursed her dark lips, bent over and cried silently.
Yang Wan supported herself on her knees and stood up, and said to the person in front of the door: "Open the door of our Chengqian Palace."
After hearing this, Concubine Jiang Xian no longer cared about anything else and knelt down in front of Yang Wan, "Don't open the door, don't open the door! I'll tell you, I'll tell you everything..."
"you say."
"Who is the seal holder? He arranged everything. The nurse was not dead, but was sent out of the palace overnight. I was also born a slave, and I had no one to rely on in the palace or the inner court. I was confused at the time and wanted to fight for a future for my son... I know I was wrong, I apologize to Queen Ning... Please let me go, Yi Jue is still young..."
Yang Wan was silent for a long time before she pursed her lips and chuckled, "Zheng Bingbi died tragically, and three hundred people were beaten to death, but the queen was willing to tell the truth only when she could no longer live."