The wind blew all day long, but at dusk the sun peeked over the wall, and the warm afterglow of the setting sun warmed Yang Wan's back.
When Yang Wan saw Deng Ying at Donghua Gate, he was still talking to Qin Wende.
His wrists and ankles were shackled, making it difficult for him to walk and he had to stop from time to time. Qin Wende tried to help him several times, but he waved his hands to refuse.
"Send someone to Hangzhou."
"What are we going to investigate in Yangzhou at this time?"
Deng Ying carefully avoided a rock on the ground and said, "Investigate the Yang family's cotton cloth business in Hangzhou. No matter what the problem is, don't arrest anyone yet. Report back to me after the investigation. If I'm in the Ministry of Justice at that time, I'll report directly to Yang Lun."
Qin Wende said: "If Hangzhou is also investigating the Yang family, what should we do?"
Deng Ying gently pinched one of his wrists, "Then you should investigate the Hangzhou prefect. Remember, don't start with the financial crimes of privately owning land and salt. Just investigate his political achievements and force him to stop."
Qin Wende replied "Yes" and looked at Deng Ying's wrist.
"Master, your subordinates are so uncomfortable watching you act like this that they want to tear down the hall of the Ministry of Justice."
Deng Ying lowered her hands, "I rely on you to do things, you must not act on impulse."
Qin Wende said, "I understand. But how can you live and walk like this now?"
He was embarrassed to ask this question as a man, and Deng Ying did not answer.
"I am here."
Qin Wende raised his head when he heard the voice and saw Yang Wan standing in front of him with a smile.
"Miss Wan..."
"Don't worry, leave your governor to me. I will make sure he doesn't go hungry or cold."
When Deng Ying saw Yang Wan, she subconsciously pulled up her sleeves, trying to cover the torture instruments on her wrists, her face looking a little shy.
Yang Wan didn't look at the things that embarrassed Deng Ying. She looked up at his face and asked, "Why did you take so long to come back?"
"It took a long time to fill in the inquest book."
As he spoke, he turned sideways and called out, "Qin Wende."
"I am here."
"You go first."
"yes."
Yang Wan stood behind Deng Ying, poked her head out and looked at Qin Wende who kept looking back after being chased away by Deng Ying, and said, "You lead these people very well. They can do solid work in various places, but they are kind and friendly. They don't look scary at all."
She stood up straight after she finished speaking, then looked down at the torture device in his hand, "What's rare is that they really care about you."
Deng Ying pinched her cuffs and pulled her wrists inward.
Yang Wan grabbed his hand and said, "Don't hide it. Now that you're back, you have to let me know how to take care of someone with disabilities."
Deng Ying looked at Yang Wan's lowered eyes and said softly, "I am no different now than before. I can take care of myself. Wanwan, you don't have to mind."
"Um."
Yang Wan sniffed, "If you don't care, I don't care either."
As she spoke, she gently held Deng Ying's hand, her eyes softened, "Deng Ying, before I came here, I actually felt quite uncomfortable, but when I saw you talking to Qin Wende, I felt that I was too shallow."
As she spoke, she put up her messy hair and said, "What is this thing? It's just a pile of iron used to discipline people. But even if you wear it, you can still do what you want to do, Deng Xiaoying."
Yang Wan raised her head and smiled at him, "You are really amazing."
After hearing what she said, Deng Ying tentatively raised her hand.
The chain of the shackles slipped out from his sleeve and hung down against his arm. He held it carefully with his other hand to avoid bumping into Yang Wan. He reached out his hand and gently stroked Yang Wan's cheek. Only then did Yang Wan see that there was a swelling on his face.
"Did your brother beat you?"
"How do you know?"
"Because he is the kind of person who does this kind of thing. Don't be angry. Next time I will bring him in front of you and force you to fight back."
Deng Ying laughed out loud after hearing this.
Yang Wan pursed her lips and continued softly, "Deng Ying, I'm not kidding. He already owes you so much that he can't pay it back in his next life, but for my sake, please give him a little less."
Deng Ying touched Yang Wan's hair and said with a smile, "Okay."
Yang Wan finally smiled and said, "Let's walk back slowly."
"Um."
**
Yang Wan accompanied Deng Ying and walked slowly toward the moat. Along the way, Deng Ying briefly told Yang Wan about what happened at the imperial gate today. Yang Wan subconsciously crossed her arms and said, "His Majesty asked you to wait for your sentence and do your duty, so that the Imperial Household Department could react with time and space."
"yes."
"So, you asked the East Factory to go to Hangzhou to investigate my family's cotton cloth industry because you were afraid that the Imperial Household Department would use the local officials in Hangzhou to impeach my brother?"
Deng Ying's steps became slower and slower, but her voice was very clear.
"The Ministry of Revenue and the Cabinet are doing their best to protect Yang Lun. I can't do much, but I'll help as much as I can. Zixi is young after all, and he is straightforward. He doesn't have many contacts in the officialdom. As long as he covers up the mistakes of his family members, the Imperial Household Department won't be able to touch him, but..."
Yang Wan took over Deng Ying's job.
"It's difficult with Elder Bai, isn't it?"
Deng Ying nodded.
"Teacher has been an official in the court for nearly fifty years. Half of the people in the Hanlin Academy are his students. There are still hundreds of people serving in various ministries. If the Imperial Household Department finds any crime in these people, Teacher will bear the main responsibility."
Yang Wan asked, "Have you figured out what to do?"
Deng Ying stopped and said, "Dongchang Prison."
He lowered his head and said, "I will ask His Majesty to personally interrogate the teacher."
Yang Wan recalled the historical events of the spring of the 14th year of Zhenning beside Deng Ying.
Bai Huan was imprisoned in the East Factory Prison because of the corruption case of the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites. The commentary on Bai Huan's imprisonment in the History of Ming Dynasty and later research are basically consistent, and both believe that this was Deng Ying's revenge for Bai Huan's impeachment. However, in fact, it was a student at the end of his rope who tried his best to save his teacher.
When Yang Wan later opened her notes, she had no idea how to write this paragraph.
During the time that Deng Ying was serving his sentence, Yang Wan witnessed with her own eyes the humiliation and torture he inflicted with torture instruments.
The shackles locked his hands and feet, so he could no longer change clothes and take a bath. This was extremely uncomfortable for a person who had been castrated. But he would boil water every day, close the door of the direct room, and wash himself carefully. Yang Wan rarely saw Deng Ying during the day. He had a lot of things to do, either in the inner East Factory or on trial in the Ministry of Justice. After a few days, his stomach was damaged. He gradually couldn't eat the food sent by the Ministry of Ceremonies, so Yang Wan had to cook noodles for him.
The bruises on his ankles were getting worse and worse. In order to prevent Yang Wan from seeing them, he always pulled up his trouser legs to cover them up. But Yang Wan still saw the wounds that were almost broken when he was soaking his feet.
Yang Wan squatted down and helped him take the shackles chain out of the basin.
Deng Ying suddenly lifted her feet out of the basin, and the medicine in the basin splashed onto Yang Wan's face. Deng Ying hurriedly used her sleeve to wipe it for her.
"I'm sorry Wanwan..."
Yang Wan pushed Deng Ying's hand aside and pointed at the basin, saying, "Hurry up and put your feet in. There's only so much water to boil with all the medicine, and you'll have used up half of it."
She rolled up her sleeves as she spoke, pushed the basin toward the bed, looked up and frowned, "Hurry up."
Deng Ying obediently put her feet back into the basin.
Yang Wan carefully lifted the chain and said, "I don't mean anything else. This thing is too cold. The water will get cold after a while."
Deng Ying looked at Yang Wan's half-raised arms, wanting to say something to her, but unable to speak.
As Yang Wan said, he didn't care much about how Emperor Zhenning and the Ministry of Justice treated him.
But he didn't want Yang Wan, who was accompanying him, to bear the humiliation brought by this torture instrument with him.
To make him feel better, she touched the dirty water, and just for a moment, it was enough to break Deng Ying into pieces.
"Deng Ying, can you please sit down properly?"
Yang Wan, sensing his uneasiness, raised her head while holding the chain.
Deng Ying looked at Yang Wan helplessly and nodded, "I'll sit down."
Yang Wan wiped the water off her face, looked at his ankle and said, "Try the condom I made for you later."
"What? "
"It's the one I sewed with sheepskin before. When I made it, I didn't expect you to do this. Now it just happens to be useful. Hey, didn't I give it to you? Where did you keep it?"
"In my closet."
Yang Wan got up and opened Deng Ying's closet. The clothes inside were neatly folded, and the scent of soapberries wafted towards her.
"Where?"
Deng Ying raised her finger and showed her, "In the box below."
Yang Wan squatted down and opened the box that Deng Ying mentioned. In addition to the sheepskin cover she made herself, there was also the hibiscus silk that she first gave to Deng Ying to cover her ankles, neatly folded in the box.
"You don't use anything that's been given to you."
"I want to keep it."
Yang Wan took out the sheepskin cover and walked to Deng Ying. "Don't keep it. Take it out and use it. I can make a lot of things for you in the future. Isn't that what we agreed on? When we are old, we will live in your outer house. By then, you will be the best at Daming handicrafts, and I will also be the best at Daming knitting."
After she finished speaking, she couldn't help laughing, and asked, holding her hair up, "Is the water cold?"
"Um."
"Then lift your feet up and step on the edge of the bed. I'll help you put them on."
"No need, Wanwan, it's too dirty."
Yang Wan sat down next to Deng Ying, "Deng Xiaoying, did I say what I just said in vain? Are you listening or not?"
Deng Ying said hurriedly: "It's not in vain."
Yang Wan raised her chin towards the bed and said, "Then bring your feet here."
Deng Ying had no choice but to lift her feet and pull up her trouser legs.
Yang Wan lowered her head, carefully stuffed the sheepskin cover into the shackles, and then gently pulled it out from the other side.
Deng Ying pursed her lips and said nothing.
Yang Wan said, "It will be fine after this summer."
Deng Ying blurted out, "So long?"
Yang Wan paused and said softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
After she finished speaking, she covered him with a blanket and said, "When are you going to the Ministry of Justice?"
"Noon."
Yang Wan nodded, "Then you can still sleep for a while."
Having said that, he stood up.
"Wan Wan..."
"do what?"
"oh… "
Deng Ying huddled down into the blanket and said, "Nothing."
Yang Wan turned around and smiled at him, "Don't worry, I won't leave now. I'm going to write something for a while. You can go to sleep. I'll call you at noon."