She stepped closer to Zhang Luo and asked, “Is the purpose of the Great Ming Code merely to restrain?”

Then she suddenly cast a sorrowful glance at Zhang Luo.

“Zhang Luo.” She called his name, “Have you ever felt sympathy for prisoners?”

Zhang Luo froze, “What are you saying…”

“Or rather, back when you were in the South, when you heard about Yang Wan’s disappearance, and the Zhang family abandoned their search fearing she had lost her virtue – did you ever feel sympathy for Yang Wan as a woman?”

As she spoke, her eyes seemed to glisten with tears, the sorrow in them growing deeper, “Prisoners never see daylight, and neither have I. I’ve always been under your control – whether you beat me or humiliate me, I cannot resist. Isn’t that enough?”

She finished speaking and tilted her head back to hold back the bitterness in her throat.

Unable to see the grief in her eyes, Zhang Luo’s shock vanished instantly. He hated himself for being fooled by a woman’s tears, his voice growing colder.

“You think crying in front of me will make me sympathize with you?”

Yang Wan gave a short laugh, “I never intended to manipulate you with pretenses – that wouldn’t be fair to you. I am sincere with you because you are also a living person. You’ve gone against your conscience and shown me mercy before. Whether it was out of sympathy or not, I thank you, but I cannot accept your character, nor will I betray myself out of fear of your condemnation.”

Zhang Luo looked down at Yang Wan’s slightly flushed face.

She was different from a year ago. The sharp sense of distance remained, but that deliberate formality he had noticed seemed to have diminished.

“The Great Ming Code exists not to restrain, but to punish,” he said, stepping closer to Yang Wan. “I restrain you because your wrongdoings haven’t reached the level requiring punishment. You were once betrothed to me, my mother valued you, and I’ve kept the position of primary wife vacant for you. If you’re willing to turn back and admit your mistakes to me, there is nothing a husband cannot forgive his wife.”

“Is this still how you think now?”

“Yes. When I learned you were still pure, I was still willing to give you a chance.”

Hearing these words, Yang Wan suddenly felt dizzy.

In modern times, this obsession with purity was called a “complex,” carrying a hint of literary mockery and even implicit acceptance. But from Zhang Luo’s mouth, it sounded like judgment – an official sitting high in court, the accused kneeling below, with one declaration of “innocent” demanding gratitude for this grand mercy.

Yang Wan felt spiritually nauseated by these words.

But she also understood that two completely different yet equally unbreakable spiritual barriers could not be forced together. Moreover, he was the wall of this era, while she was merely a speck of accidental dust.

So she lowered her voice and asked with a bitter smile, “Your leniency toward me is because I remain pure?”

Zhang Luo didn’t deny it. “It’s good that you understand.”

With that, he raised his hand to summon the Imperial Guards and coldly ordered, “Take her to Wuying Hall.”

Yang Wan’s nausea toward Zhang Luo was quickly overshadowed by Yi Lang’s barely concealed fear.

Wuying Hall was an unfinished palace. Most of the construction funds earlier in the year had gone to Taihe Hall, so Wuying Hall’s east and west annexes hadn’t begun construction yet. Only Hengshou Chamber, a two-bay residence, had been built in the eastern courtyard. Yi Lang was temporarily confined there.

The guard told Yang Wan, “Female Attendant, each day from Chen hour to Shen hour, take the corridor past the moon terrace to fetch supplies from Wuying Gate. Besides you, no one else may serve His Highness. If anything happens to His Highness, you will be held responsible.”

Yang Wan nodded “Yes” and turned to gently push open the door to Hengshou Chamber.

Yi Lang sat alone on the couch, hugging his knees with his head down.

It was nearly dark. Yang Wan lit a lamp by the couch and sat beside Yi Lang, softly calling, “Your Highness.”

Yi Lang quickly raised his head, “Aunt…”

Yang Wan used her sleeve to wipe the tears from his face, “It’s alright, Your Highness, we’ll just stay here for a few days while I take care of you.”

Yi Lang curled up in Yang Wan’s arms, “What about Mother… will she be implicated because of me?”

Yang Wan didn’t know how to answer, she could only take off her cloak and wrap Yi Lang in it completely, “No, Your Highness hasn’t done anything wrong, and nothing will happen to Her Majesty…”

Yi Lang clung to Yang Wan’s shoulders, saying in a muffled voice, “I never meant to disrespect Father Emperor.”

Yang Wan nodded gently, “I know, they misunderstood and harmed Your Highness.”

“Aunt, why would Master Huang do such a thing…”

Yang Wan choked up slightly, “Because he wanted to see his good student grow up quickly, to quickly take on responsibility for the country and its people.”

Yi Lang’s small hand gently pinched Yang Wan’s sleeve, “I will grow up, and I’ll listen to the teachers’ words and work for the people’s welfare. Why couldn’t he wait for Yi Lang to grow up?”

“Mm…” Yang Wan’s voice caught, “Maybe he felt he was getting too old.”

Then she looked down at the child in her arms, “Your Highness if you were your father, would you execute Huang Ran?”

Yi Lang silently nodded.

Yang Wan trembled. Yi Lang noticed and quickly looked up.

“Aunt, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing… I’m just a bit cold.”

Yi Lang took off Yang Wan’s cloak.

“Here, wear it, Aunt.”

Yang Wan took the cloak Yi Lang offered, remaining silent for a long while.

That first night in Wuying Hall, Yang Wan couldn’t sleep at all.

She sat by the couch and told Yi Lang several bedtime stories that her grandmother had told her when she was young.

It wasn’t until late in the night that Yi Lang finally fell into a peaceful sleep.

Yang Wan sat by the lamp, trying to piece together this segment of history.

In early Zhenning Year 13, Concubine Jiang gave birth to the second prince Yi Jue, and the Emperor elevated her to Noble Consort Jiang, richly rewarding her family. From that time on, historical records about Consort Ning contained only fragments. As for Huang Ran, there were no specific historical records. However, this indirectly proved that Yi Lang didn’t receive any substantial punishment due to Huang Ran’s drunken behavior.

So what turning point had occurred in between?

Yang Wan held her brush but couldn’t write anything.

Still, life had to go on.

It was still the New Year period, and the atmosphere throughout the imperial city hadn’t changed at all despite the Crown Prince’s confinement.

On the third day of the first month, Consort Jiang gave birth to the second prince. The Emperor named him Yi Jue and elevated Jiang to Noble Consort. All the noble ladies inside and outside the palace came to offer congratulations. Qianqing Palace held grand feasts for days as if they had forgotten Yi Lang entirely.

The Imperial Guard Commander came to question every day.

Yang Wan couldn’t be present during questioning and had to wait in the courtyard.

During questioning, Yi Lang sat facing east while two commanders stood facing west. The questions were almost the same every day, mainly about Huang Ran’s words and actions, and the content of his daily lessons. This wasn’t even the most difficult part. Starting from the third day, the Emperor ordered that during questioning, Yi Lang could no longer sit facing east but had to stand while answering. The Imperial Guards’ questions also shifted from Huang Ran to other instructors and attendants like Zhang Cong and Yang Jing. Sometimes Yi Lang had to stand for an entire day.

He was still too young and spoke without much restraint.

As a result, due to some of his statements, in the following days, all the instructors in Wenhua Hall except Zhang Cong were imprisoned pending punishment.

When Yi Lang learned of this, he gradually became silent, but his silence provoked the Emperor’s fury. On the seventh day, the Emperor issued an edict reprimanding Yi Lang. After the official delivering the reprimand left, Yi Lang remained kneeling, refusing to get up.

Yang Wan went in and lifted him from the ground, but he remained silent.

Yang Wan coaxed and questioned him for a long time before he finally said he was hungry.

“Would you like some noodles?”

After saying this, Yang Wan felt somewhat helpless.

Yi Lang coughed once but didn’t answer.

Yang Wan could only crouch down and take his hand, “Aunt only knows how to make noodles. Have some first, and soon the kitchen will send proper meals.”

Yi Lang finally nodded.

“Alright, I’ll have noodles.”

Looking at him, Yang Wan felt a painful lump in her throat, but still managed to smile and say, “Then sit and read for a while, Aunt will go make them for you.”

“Alright.”

Yang Wan watched him sit at the desk before closing the door and walking toward the courtyard while rolling up her sleeves.

The stove wasn’t lit yet.

She suddenly realized she didn’t know how to light a stove, and felt so frustrated she wanted to slap herself.

Between a pen and a ladle, who would win in a fight?

Right now, Yang Wan hoped the ladle would win.

She resigned herself to the task, wiping her face and forcing herself to light the fire stick. The flame suddenly shot up high, startling her into reflexively dropping it and jumping back.

Just as she stepped back, she saw a hand pick up the fire stick.

“Did you burn yourself?”

That voice, so familiar to Yang Wan, was like a gentle breeze through tree branches, carefully brushing the leaves.

A surge of emotion suddenly rushed through Yang Wan’s nose.

“Stand back…”

“Ah?”

Deng Ying extinguished the fire stick, looking at Yang Wan in confusion.

“I said stand back, I might cry.”

Deng Ying stepped back several paces, and Yang Wan quickly tilted her head up, looking at the sky: “Little Deng Ying, is it because I stopped peeling the daily nuts that you forgot about me?”

“I… didn’t.”

The person before her was bewildered by the question, but Yang Wan didn’t spare his confusion, stamping her foot and continuing, “Is it because you’re wearing the Eastern Depot Commander’s uniform that you don’t recognize me anymore?”

This was the first time Deng Ying had heard Yang Wan speak like this, with a slight crying tone that seemed very aggrieved, but the meaning behind her words seemed to contain only reproach.

Deng Ying didn’t know what to do, so he could only grasp the literal meaning, raising his hands to undo his cloak and remove his official robe, draping it over his arm.

“I won’t wear it in front of you.”

Yang Wan lowered her head, seeing him standing thinly in the snow, and quickly said, “That’s not what I meant.”

Deng Ying stood still, “Tell me what I did wrong.”

Yang Wan rubbed her eyes, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then…”

He wanted to step forward but remembered Yang Wan telling him to stand back, so he quickly retreated, “Then… how did I make you cry?”

Yang Wan let out a deep breath, “I’m crying because of my foolishness. Deng Ying, it’s so good to see you now.”

Hearing this, Deng Ying finally relaxed.

He pressed his forehead and casually hung his official robe on a nearby tree.

“No matter what, when I come to see you in the future, I definitely won’t wear this skin.”

Yang Wan looked at Deng Ying. Under the official robe was a gray padded gown, and beneath that was his undergarment. He crouched down to light the stove fire, unconsciously leaning closer to it.

“Won’t you be cold like this?”

Deng Ying used a long stick to stir up the embers underneath, saying, “Not cold if I stay near the fire.”

He turned his head to look at Yang Wan standing nearby with her hands crossed, somewhat wanting to smile.

“Yang Wan.”

“Yes?”

“In the future, please don’t handle fire, alright?”

“What’s wrong with handling fire?”

She had finally calmed her emotions and crouched down beside him, sniffling, “I just wanted to cook something for Yi Lang.”

“Noodles?”

“Mm.”

Deng Ying turned to look at Hengshou Chamber, “Today’s questioning is over, right?”

Yang Wan shook her head, “There was no questioning today, just reprimanding.”

Then suddenly remembering something, she quickly asked, “Oh right, I was so emotional earlier, I forgot to ask how you got in here.”

Deng Ying said, “The Cabinet requested permission to transfer Huang Lun’s case to the Ministry of Justice. His Majesty didn’t approve, but he allowed the Eastern Depot and Northern Inspectorate to jointly investigate. I came today under imperial orders to question.”

“Please don’t question him anymore, I beg you.”

Deng Ying smiled at her, “Without that uniform, who am I to question anyone?”

He gently tucked away some loose strands of Yang Wan’s hair, “You and His Highness can treat me as just a fire-tending servant. Give me a bowl of noodles to eat.”