HomeCrane NotesChapter 110: Apricot Shadow on the Ground (Part 8)

Chapter 110: Apricot Shadow on the Ground (Part 8)

A restricted zone had been established outside Clear Wave Lodge. Apart from the Northern Guard’s officers and Eastern Depot’s guards, no one moved within a hundred meters.

The seal on the door had been broken. Qin Wende pushed the door open forcefully, his blade pressed against the throat of the person at the door, forcing the Northern Guard’s men back several steps.

The innkeeper walked out from behind the door, calling loudly, “Everyone please stop! Our proprietor has words for you all.”

Zhang Luo reined in his horse, looking behind the door.

A slender shadow emerged from behind the wooden door. Though her hair was disheveled and her makeup smeared, she possessed a delicate beauty.

“Commander Qin, let them go.”

As she spoke, she walked to Zhang Luo’s horse, bowing deeply, then looked up saying, “I must be quite important, with the Eastern Depot wanting to seal the lodge and the Northern Guard wanting to break in. As a mere woman, I can’t stop either of you. Commissioner Zhang, whatever questions you have, ask them here.”

Zhang Luo gave a cold laugh, shouting, “Go in and seize them!”

“Wait!”

Zhang Luo looked down at Yang Wan, “Resisting stubbornly will get you killed too.”

Yang Wan stepped backward, watching Zhang Luo as she retreated, “Then you’ll have to kill me first.”

She backed up to the door, “I’d rather die here than enter your prison.”

Zhang Luo said, “I see you’ve gone mad. Do you think I won’t dare kill you just because you raised the Crown Prince? Today I’m here on His Majesty’s orders to arrest the rebels from Shushan and Hutan academies. I won’t show you mercy.”

“Then order them to strike!”

She tilted her head back, “Commissioner Zhang, I’ll tell you this: today I won’t let the Eastern Depot’s men fight with the Northern Guard, but if you want to seize the students inside, you must step over my corpse first. I’m not threatening you with death—I know you won’t pity me—but I can wager my life with you. If I die today, your Northern Guard will be finished tomorrow.”

After saying this, she looked at the blade-wielding officers, “Within one hour, His Majesty’s decree pardoning these students will arrive at Clear Wave Lodge’s door. Whoever kills me commits a capital offense. Whoever is willing to take the blame for Commissioner Zhang, come forward—I won’t resist.”

Zhang Luo said, “How do you know His Majesty will change his mind within an hour?”

“A guess.”

Her voice was calm, “Though it’s a guess, I’ve never lost. You say I’ve toyed with you three times, but ‘toyed with’ is too malicious a term. Those three times were just what I had to do to survive under your power. My only consolation is that I never lost once. This comes from my understanding of you, of the Emperor, of my place in this world. This time I still won’t lose. It’s up to you whether you want to gamble with me, Commissioner Zhang. I only ask for one hour. After one hour, if no decree comes, I’ll let you take me and everyone inside away.”

Though her expression remained calm as she spoke these words, her shoulders and back trembled uncontrollably.

Zhang Luo watched Yang Wan, remembering Deng Ying’s words to him in prison—”You can’t control Yang Wan.”

As Yang Wan said, she had toyed with him three times.

The first was with marriage when she broke free from the constraints of being subordinate to Zhang Luo. The second was the Crane Residence case when she had the Eastern Depot take away the Northern Guard’s interrogation rights overnight. The third was the “Five Virtuous Ones” case when she forced Zhang Luo to execute his father.

Indeed, she had never lost, but no one could explain how Yang Wan, from her humble position, had managed to outmaneuver such powerful figures.

“Will you gamble, Commissioner Zhang?”

She asked again.

“I will.”

Zhang Luo raised his hand, “Everyone back ten meters, guard the front and back doors. After one hour…”

He pointed at Yang Wan, “First arrest her, then take everyone inside away.”

Hearing these words, Yang Wan couldn’t help but sigh in relief.

She leaned against the door, pressed her lips together, and softly said to Zhang Luo: “Thank you, Commissioner.”

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Yi Lang knelt before the crane-shaped incense burner. Though Yang Lun and Bai Yuyang were present, they dared not intervene between father and son. In the entire hall, only He Yixian dared to speak up.

“Your Majesty, His Highness is still young. His heart is compassionate and easily moved by others’ words. Please don’t let anger harm your health.”

Yi Lang raised his head, “Master He, who are these ‘others’?”

“This…”

He Yixian’s voice faltered. The Emperor laughed shortly, telling He Yixian, “Enough, you’re getting old too—you can’t match his words anymore.”

He then addressed Yi Lang: “You know these people insulted your father emperor. Why do you dare plead for them?”

Yi Lang raised his head, “Father Emperor, your son isn’t pleading for them. Your son wants to take their punishment. They insulted Father Emperor, committing a serious crime—I hate them too. But these people knelt at the Cabinet Elder’s gate pleading for him, and Father Emperor pardoned the Elder. To then punish these students right after—simple-minded people might misunderstand Father Emperor’s sacred intention. Your son doesn’t want to hear them slander Father Emperor.”

The Emperor was silent for a moment, “If that’s so, why not just plead for them? Why take their punishment?”

Yi Lang pressed his lips together, “Your son wants them to understand that they are guilty, and guilt deserves punishment.”

The Emperor patted his knee, “Who taught you to do this?”

“No one taught me to do this.”

Yi Lang knee-walked two steps toward Emperor Zhenning, “Father Emperor, your son no longer has an Imperial Mother. Your son only has Father Emperor. Your son understands that in the past, there were many things your son didn’t do well, angering Father Emperor. Now your son has grown up, become sensible. Your son also wants to protect you.”

Hearing Yi Lang’s words, Yang Lun’s back burned and his scalp tingled.

These words sounded both sincere and heart-wrenching.

Though Yang Wan had taught Yi Lang what to say, these might well have been the child’s heartfelt words that he struggled to express.

Yang Wan had helped him say it, perfectly, at just the right moment.

Since ancient times, surviving in the capital’s official circles was like walking on a knife’s edge. Though open strategies could never match hidden schemes, with court officials in the light and the Ceremonial Office in the shadows, most times it was the civil officials losing their dignity. But above these two approaches was a supreme technique: “winning hearts.”

Though everyone wanted to master this art, countless people had played with fire and perished halfway.

Yang Wan, from her humble position, without a single real bargaining chip, skillfully guided the emotions of both emperor and prince to turn around what seemed a hopeless situation. This filled Yang Lun with deep terror when he thought about it.

“Father Emperor.”

“Speak.”

Yi Lang sniffled, “Please punish your son. Your son can bear anything.”

As he spoke, he bent down and prostrated himself before Emperor Zhenning.

Bai Yuyang’s eyes grew hot, and he couldn’t help but exhale a burning breath as he pressed his hand to the corner of his eye.

Emperor Zhenning looked up at him, “Why do you show such grief before me?”

Bai Yuyang hurriedly said, “Your subject is guilty. Thinking of my father, I couldn’t help… being moved by His Highness.”

Hearing these words, Emperor Zhenning, supported by He Yixian, stood and walked to Yi Lang, bending to hold his arms, “Rise.”

Yi Lang stood, taking over from He Yixian to support Emperor Zhenning as he sat, “Father Emperor, your son will attend to your illness tonight.”

Emperor Zhenning coughed twice, “Good. I also have some words to say to you.”

He then addressed Yang Lun: “Go personally and have Zhang Luo return. Also, draft a decree tomorrow: the Crown Prince will take punishment in place of the academy students, forfeiting three years’ salary. Considering the prince’s benevolence, I will pardon the students’ crimes and pursue the matter no further.”

“Yes, your subject thanks Your Majesty for your grace on behalf of the academy students.”

“Yang Lun.”

The Emperor drew Yi Lang to his side, “You’re thanking the wrong person.”

“Yes, yes… your subject thanks His Highness the Crown Prince for his grace on behalf of the students.”

After speaking, Yang Lun didn’t dare delay a moment, hurrying straight out of the East Prosperity Gate toward Clear Wave Lodge.

In front of Clear Wave Lodge, the hour was almost up.

Yang Wan gazed silently at the pitch-black East Public Street. The Eastern Depot guards unconsciously tightened their grip on their weapons. Yang Wan straightened up and called out, “No fighting!”

“Madam!”

Yang Wan closed her eyes, “Don’t kill anyone before my eyes. There’s no need. If you can live without guilt, then live. Deng Ying is just an ordinary person to you all, not a god. Don’t be so rigid—he and I both know your hearts.”

She opened her eyes, lifted her skirts, and walked down the steps to Zhang Luo’s front. After a moment’s silence, she extended both hands to him, “Come on, take me away.”

Zhang Luo looked down at Yang Wan. She appeared utterly exhausted, with dark circles under her eyes and disheveled hair.

“Are you admitting defeat?”

Yang Wan gave a short laugh, “More or less.”

She pressed her lips together, “You’ll let me see him once, won’t you?”

“What do you think?”

“Alright, you won’t. But it doesn’t matter—we’ll be in the same place anyway. I’m at peace with that.”

Zhang Luo pressed down her hands with his sword hilt, “Yang Wan, I’ll give you one more chance.”

“I don’t want it.”

Zhang Luo said, “You refuse before I even say what chance it is?”

Yang Wan looked at Zhang Luo, “I know what you’re going to say—submit to your control, and then you’ll look after me, right?”

Zhang Luo remained silent.

Yang Wan smiled and shook her head, “Zhang Luo, since I won’t survive anyway, let me say something presumptuous.”

She swallowed, pointing back at herself, “My joys and sorrows—you’ll never understand them in your lifetime, nor are you worthy of them.”

A blue vein bulged on Zhang Luo’s forehead, “Yang Wan, I’ve never seen such an impudent woman.”

“What’s wrong with being a woman?”

Yang Wan interrupted him, “I am a person too! You’ve seen Zhou Congshan, Huang Ran, and Deng Ying—which of them wasn’t more impudent than me? I’m like them—willing to let flesh and bone fall to earth to pave the way for future generations. From today on, you’re not allowed to look down on me anymore.”

Zhang Luo’s hand gripped his sword hilt so tightly his knuckles turned white, “Wait another half hour!”

“Sir…”

“I said wait another half hour!”

Yang Wan was startled, “Don’t you want to defeat me?”

Zhang Luo said, “I just don’t understand why I, Zhang Luo, should stoop to fighting with a woman, only to have that woman look down on me. I lost to you three times, and I still don’t understand how I lost. This time, whether I win or lose, I want to understand more clearly what kind of person you are.”

Just as he finished speaking, hoofbeats sounded on East Public Street.

Yang Wan raised her head to look ahead, hearing Yang Lun’s voice: “A decree has come!”

Hearing this, Yang Wan couldn’t help stepping back twice. The breath she had been holding in her chest suddenly rushed out through her nose and mouth, and she nearly lost her balance.

Qin Wende hurried to support her. “Madam…”

Yang Wan pressed her chest and took several breaths, then looked up at Zhang Luo.

Zhang Luo watched her and said, “Impressive. But was it worth it for you and Deng Ying to do all this for these people?”

“Was it worth it for you to do all this for His Majesty?”

Zhang Luo was suddenly stunned.

Yang Wan gasped, “When you understand that, you’ll suffer just like us.”

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