The end of the fourteenth year of Zhenning.

Emperor Zhenning’s body was prepared for burial, and Crown Prince Zhu Yilang, as heir apparent, performed the pre-burial wine offering ritual and personally oversaw the preparation of the late emperor’s body.

Before the burial preparation, the Cabinet redrafted the late emperor’s edict according to law, using his name to simplify the mourning ceremonies as per old customs. Days were substituted for months, with mourning to end after twenty-seven days. No animals would be slaughtered for sacrificial ceremonies, only vegetarian offerings would be used, and there would be no ban on public entertainment or marriages. Princes of the imperial clan need not leave their fiefs to attend the mourning, and local officials were not to abandon their posts but should mourn in their localities upon hearing the news. Officials such as prefects, subprefects, and county magistrates would not need to burn incense.

With this edict issued, the financial pressure on local governments immediately eased. Many government offices that had already reached out to collect taxes withdrew their hands after hearing the edict.

That day, Chen Hua returned from outside and went to Yang Palace to find Yang Wan.

Yilang had moved palaces. Yang Palace was different from Chengqian Palace, being guarded by the Imperial Guards and Ming Armor Army. Yang Wan was also not as easy to find as before. Chen Hua waited under the corridor for quite a while before seeing Yang Wan walk out from the palace wrapped in a thick fur coat.

“Aunt Wan.”

He waved to Yang Wan.

Seeing it was Chen Hua, Yang Wan smiled and walked over, saying, “You’re back.”

“Yes, just returned.”

Yang Wan nodded, “Did you see Yunqing?”

Hearing this, Chen Hua knelt and kowtowed to Yang Wan. Yang Wan hurried to help him up, “Supervisor Chen, don’t do this. Others will think something’s wrong if they see.”

“Yes, yes…”

Chen Hua quickly stood up, “Seeing Yunqing doing so well outside, I wanted to come back and kowtow to you. I forgot you have your rules. I was foolish.”

Yang Wan shook her head with a smile, “I feel I’ve wronged you, only letting you see her now.”

Chen Hua waved his hand:

“You can’t say that. Yunqing and I both understand you did it for our good.”

“Mm.”

Yang Wan nodded: “Is she eating and living well at Clear Wave Publishing House?”

“All good, all good.”

Chen Hua wiped his face as he spoke, “Yunqing reads a lot, and your place is full of books. It’s made her scholarly air even stronger. I saw her helping organize things behind the printing house. She hasn’t lost weight and looks even better than when she was in the palace. Though she’s still sad when Li Yu is mentioned, she’s not dwelling on it, which puts my mind at ease quite a bit.”

Yang Wan smiled in response: “That’s good then. Next time you go see her, tell her not to always stay cooped up behind the printing house. Most of the Ceremonial Office people have been imprisoned, and no one will come looking for her anymore. If she wants, she can go out for walks. Spring is coming, she should buy some fabric and make herself some new clothes.”

“Ah, I’ll tell her.”

After speaking, he suddenly remembered the main matter and hurriedly took out a package of silver from his sleeve, presenting it to Yang Wan, “This is what Yunqing asked me to bring to you, Aunt.”

Yang Wan said: “It can’t be used in the palace, you keep it.”

“But it’s not for use in the palace. This is from the students of Chu Mountain Academy.”

Yang Wan started, quickly reaching out to take the silver package while asking, “When did they send it?”

Chen Hua said: “Mid-last month, a jinshi scholar named Zhou Muyi personally brought it to Clear Wave Publishing House. He said it was our Supervisor’s salary from before his imprisonment. After the land clearing, the academy lands were returned, and the late emperor left an edict prohibiting the establishment of mourning silver funds. The academy’s finances have visibly improved, and they really couldn’t keep holding onto the Supervisor’s money anymore, so they gathered this much and entrusted Zhou Muyi to give it to the Supervisor. Zhou Muyi had no way to see the Supervisor, so he took this money to Clear Wave Publishing House. Yunqing said it wasn’t right for her to keep it, so she had me bring it in to give to you.”

Yang Wan held the silver bag, lowering her head, and couldn’t help but laugh.

Chen Hua said: “I secretly took a look, it’s not much. You don’t need to be so happy about it.”

Yang Wan said: “You don’t understand how precious this is.”

After saying this, she didn’t explain further to Chen Hua, “Go attend to your business.”

“Alright, Aunt, get some rest. I’m heading back to the Fuel Conservation Office.”

Yang Wan watched Chen Hua walk away through the snow, holding the silver bag as she walked toward the inner palace.

After just a few steps, Qingmeng caught up from below the steps saying: “The Cabinet Ministers have arrived in front, they wish to report matters.”

Yang Wan stopped, looked at the time of day, and said to Qingmeng standing on the steps: “I just saw the meal being set out, ask them to wait a while.”

Qingmeng nodded, “Indeed, His Majesty didn’t eat well this morning.”

“No need.”

This voice came from behind the door. Qingmeng and others hurriedly prostrated themselves. Yang Wan turned her head to see Yilang walking out, “I’ll hear what the Cabinet Ministers have to report, then eat.”

Yang Wan also bowed to him, “Yes, this servant will pass on the message.”

Yilang reached out to take Yang Wan’s hand, leading her toward the inner palace, “You don’t need to go. You’ve been coughing these past few days. I’ve summoned the Imperial Physician to examine you. You sit in the side chamber for a while.”

Yang Wan looked at Yilang’s back. Still in the mourning period before its end, wearing heavy mourning clothes that wrapped around his not-yet-fully-grown body, making him look somewhat bulky. But when he walked, his back was very straight. If not for his stature, he hardly looked like a youth at all.

Yang Wan stared at his gait and blurted out:

“Since becoming emperor, your way of walking has changed, and you’re more domineering than before.”

Yilang stopped in his tracks and turned around, “Aunt, you mustn’t be impudent.”

“Yes.”

Yang Wan curtsied, “This servant won’t be impudent.”

Yilang looked up and said: “I’m doing this for your good.”

“This servant knows. This servant will see the doctor and take medicine shortly.”

“Won’t you stop being a servant?”

Yilang suddenly raised his voice. Yang Wan was taken aback, then heard him continue: “You’re like my mother’s consort, you’re both my family. Won’t you stop being a servant?”

Yang Wan knelt, “If not a servant, what should I be? Does Your Majesty want to grant me a title?”

“Mm.”

Yang Wan smiled, “But I don’t want one.”

“Why?”

“Because I only want to be Your Majesty’s aunt. Though bound by palace rules, I call myself a servant, but in my heart, Your Majesty is my most cherished younger relative. Being able to interact with Your Majesty like this makes me feel very at ease. Does Your Majesty know? I’m not as afraid of you as before.”

Yilang released Yang Wan’s hand, “Aunt, did you fear me before because I made you kneel and ordered the beating of the Depot Official?”

“No.”

Yang Wan reached out to fix his collar that had been blown askew by the wind, “It was because Aunt didn’t quite understand you then.”

After speaking, she folded her hands on her knees and looked up at Yilang, “We all need to spend time together to understand the hearts of those around us.”

“I understand.”

Yilang looked down at Yang Wan and suddenly said in a formal tone: “I will help the Depot Official.”

Yang Wan said: “His crime carries the death penalty.”

Yilang shook his head, “On the path of justice, besides the Great Ming Code, there is also the sovereign’s conscience.”

Yang Wan was startled, “Who taught you these words?”

“The Depot Official.”

After speaking, he turned around saying: “I’m going to hear the Cabinet Ministers’ report. You sit in the side chamber. After the Imperial Physician examines you, have him wait. I’ll come to ask personally.”

As he spoke, he walked toward the front hall. After a few steps, he turned back saying: “Aunt, you must not be sad anymore, understand?”

“I understand.”

She not only heard Yilang’s words, but she also heard a voice contrary to history.

But she wasn’t sure if this was a voice reversed because of her, or if this was how it originally sounded.

In the “Record of Hundred Crimes,” Yilang wrote for Deng Ying, there was no mention of the crime of forging an imperial edict. Even the historical fact of the Ceremonial Office forging an edict wasn’t recorded. He Yixian was punished for the crime of embezzling state funds. The actual crime that caused Deng Ying to suffer death by slow slicing was “conspiracy against imperial clan members.” This charge was extremely deliberate, so deliberate that later generations couldn’t even find historical evidence to verify it, and could only make indirect guesses about the death of the second prince.

The Ming History records that the second prince died before the edict was issued, yet at this time until the edict’s issuance, the second prince had not died of illness.

This erroneous record in Ming History corresponds exactly to the period of the Three Departments’ joint trial, which wasn’t historically Deng Ying’s fatal tribulation.

But if this wasn’t Deng Ying’s fatal tribulation, then where was the final deadly trial?

Thinking of this, Yang Wan couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine.

Bai Huan’s gift of a coffin, Yang Lun’s letter.

These two historical facts don’t appear in the Ming History.

But they did indeed acknowledge Deng Ying.

Perhaps at the time, it wasn’t just them who acknowledged Deng Ying. Yilang, Qi Huaiyang, Bai Yuyang, all the Cabinet Ministers, and all the officials who participated in the Golden Terrace Great Discussion, even Chen Hua and Song Yunqing from the inner court, the students from both Chu Mountain and Lake Peaceful academies… none of them were foolish. Everyone gradually came to understand what that person standing between the civil officials and eunuchs was truly doing.

But why was he still subjected to slow slicing for three full days in the end?

Among all those standing at the execution ground, did not one person speak up for his innocence?

Why were no written words left to plead his case at the time? Why in the end was his life story so completely distorted beyond recognition?

Yang Wan closed her eyes, recalling the passage she had read in her senior sister’s notes:

“The emperor at the time merely used this person’s body as a symbol of guilt, using extreme punishment to declare to the world his attitude toward the eunuch faction, explicitly showing the baseness of the eunuch group, demonstrating the absolute control of imperial power over palace servants. When they executed Deng Ying in front of the palace gates, perhaps not one person remembered that this eunuch dying tragically had once been the builder of this imperial city.”

Symbol of guilt, attitude toward the eunuch faction, absolute control.

As Yang Wan pondered these words, she suddenly felt an intense pain in her chest and lungs.

This passage, which wasn’t included in serious academic papers, seemed to have hit upon the fatal point of Deng Ying’s fate.

Yang Wan pressed her chest and sat down supporting herself on a chair.

Her hand touched the notebook she had long carried with her, so she took it out and spread it open on her knees.

She had been writing in this notebook for three years.

The previous “Biography of Deng Ying” had consumed nearly ten years of her youth. During that time, she constantly corrected historical correspondences and carefully weighed her words, truly pouring her heart and soul into it. This notebook, in comparison, was like a scattered account book, containing her not-yet-mature views about this era. Even so, every word in it was authentic first-hand material. It recorded three years of Deng Ying’s life after his punishment, the delicate and elegant life of the inner court, and also the complex official struggles and brutal political realities of the late Zhenning era. Compared to the content of the “Biography of Deng Ying,” most of Yang Wan’s textual research was correct, but she hadn’t seen the hearts of the people during the Zhenning era. She had originally thought people were ignorant, failing to recognize Deng Ying’s virtue, but now it seemed the human heart wasn’t necessarily ignorant.

Historical materialism had never deceived Yang Wan.

This wasn’t a problem of “people,” but a problem of social form and class structure. Everything had its inevitability.

“How difficult it is, Deng Ying.”

Looking at the portrait she had drawn of Deng Ying, Yang Wan said to herself: “I used to think publishing the ‘Biography of Deng Ying’ was difficult enough. I didn’t expect writing this notebook would be even harder than academic work.”