“Seriously, Deng Ying.”

Yang Wan tried to tidy the brush holder she had messed up, her voice gradually becoming softer, “Are you planning to just bear it all like this?”

Deng Ying noticed her mood suddenly dropping. He looked back down at Yang Wan’s drawing, leaned on the desk, bent down to take a brush from the holder, laid out a new piece of paper, rolled up his sleeves, dipped the brush in ink, and asked, “Why do you say that?”

Yang Wan watched him copy her drawing onto another paper and suddenly found herself not wanting to continue this topic.

Detailed glimpses of daily life could often kill many of one’s preconceptions.

The way he ate nuts, his brush-holding posture, the living space he allowed her to enter, his inner clothes, the shoes and socks he wore in leisure, the small items he drew in his spare time – all of these made the temporal boundary between him and Yang Wan increasingly blurry.

“What else can you do besides bearing it? The Ministry of Justice finally caught hold of the Shandong connection through the Liuli Factory. Even if Yang Lun wants to help you, he can’t do it too obviously.”

Deng Ying traced the framework on the paper, occasionally turning his head to reference Yang Wan’s drawing. His voice was soft and calm: “Actually, though you spoke that way earlier, I’m willing to listen. But truthfully, I don’t want Official Yang to help me. At this time, he should stand with Minister Bai and the others against me. For him, even avoiding me would be seen as inappropriate in the eyes of the Grand Secretariat.”

Yang Wan watched as he quickly reproduced her messy drawing in just moments, “When you speak like this… who are you thinking of?”

This question seemed too specific, and not suitable for academic research.

After all, people are historical individuals, and most of their decisions are related to their own identity, position, and social relationships.

Yang Wan didn’t want him to answer seriously.

But Deng Ying stopped his brush and looked at the drawing beneath it, thinking seriously for a moment.

“I don’t have many friends, nor many who approve of me. It’s not deliberately for them, it’s that now, I…”

He paused as he spoke.

The ink had begun to congeal at the brush tip. He lowered his head and rolled his sleeve up another fold, reaching to scrape more ink, “I don’t care anymore, so I want to do some things that I can still do. What I worry about now is that the project of the Three Great Halls is massive, involving numerous accounts. My teacher has returned to his hometown, and I don’t know if there are any oversights from all these years between my teacher and me.”

“What if there are?”

Yang Wan pressed.

Deng Ying smiled and bent down to continue drawing, “Then as you said, bear it.”

After speaking, he suddenly felt a cold pain from the wound in his ankle. He had to close his eyes and endure for a moment, laughing self-mockingly as he asked himself: “Don’t know if I can bear through it.”

“You can.”

Deng Ying moved sideways around Yang Wan’s back to get the paperweight near her hand, and continued asking: “How do you know?”

How to tell Deng Ying?

Because the spring of Zhenning’s twelfth year was peaceful and blank in history.

The Imperial Household Department was still at its zenith, the Grand Secretariat was calm, and people like Yang Lun, Bai Huan, and Bai Yuyang hadn’t experienced any political ups and downs. Therefore, based on the current situation, it wasn’t hard to deduce what choices Deng Ying made during this blank period.

When Yang Wan later wrote notes about this period, she always felt somewhat reluctant to put pen to paper.

She could write it simply.

For example: Spring of Zhenning’s twelfth year, Deng Ying was interrogated by the Ministry of Justice, concealing the Liuli Factory case.

That would be enough.

Historical research needs facts first, then human nature.

But after writing this passage on paper, she felt its implications were far from complete.

“Aunt.”

Yang Wan raised her head at the sound by the lamplight.

The moonlight was clear, and when the screen door opened, various flower fragrances drifted in.

Yi Lang ran to her side, “Where’s Imperial Mother?”

Yang Wan put down her brush and embraced him, “The Consort just took her medicine and went to sleep.”

“Oh…”

Yi Lang quickly lowered his voice.

Yang Wan looked up and asked the eunuch who had come with him, “Why so late?”

The eunuch replied: “Yes, His Highness studied longer than usual today.”

“Alright.”

Yang Wan stood up, holding Yi Lang’s hand, “You may all go rest.”

The eunuchs bowed and withdrew from the inner hall, and Yi Lang leaned on the table looking at Yang Wan’s open notebook.

“Aunt, are you studying too?”

Yang Wan sat him down in her chair, “Yes.”

Yi Lang lifted his head, “Aunt is a woman, why do you study so late too?”

This was quite an interesting comment. Yang Wan almost couldn’t resist breaking her rules to enlighten this little child.

Across such a vast period, this child could never imagine that six hundred years later, the privileged class would completely disappear, and a multitude of girls would charge alongside them on the frontlines of college entrance exams, then fight their way into fields they had long controlled, competing for discourse power.

“Then what should I do if not study?”

“Aunt should marry a good person.”

No way to say it – it was different from the twentieth century.

This was truly the most sincere blessing she could receive in the present.

Yang Wan put away her writing implements and crouched down to pat some dust off Yi Lang’s leg.

“In His Highness’s mind, what kind of person is good?”

“People who seek welfare for the common people are good people.”

“Then what kind of people are bad?”

“People like Deng Yi are bad people, he made the common people’s lives difficult.”

Yang Wan nodded, “Why does His Highness say this?”

Yi Lang pulled at Yang Wan’s sleeve, “Because my teacher taught me, ‘The people are important, the ruler is light.'”

Yang Wan asked naturally: “Which teacher?”

“Zhang Cong, Grand Secretary Zhang.”

Oh. Zhang Luo’s father.

Also the first Grand Secretary during the Jinghe years, a “notorious” villain in history alongside Deng Yi.

Yang Wan realized that while historical trends had patterns to follow, paying attention to individuals could make things seem surreal.

For instance, regardless of their character, imperial tutors would all desperately try to guide the dynasty’s ruler toward the right path. No matter if they spent their days extorting from the people and indulging in courtesans, they would still demand their sovereigns be wise rulers, even if they might one day die at those same rulers’ hands.

In this aspect, the eunuch faction was completely different from them.

These eunuchs’ lives and fortunes hung entirely on the ruler’s emotions, so they always devoted themselves to attending to the ruler’s joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.

This was why throughout the Great Ming’s hundred years, the civil official faction could never destroy the eunuch faction. Human nature always tends toward those who mindlessly care for oneself, even when one knows it’s wrong.

Yang Wan crouched before Yi Lang hugging her knees, finally understanding why she felt that passage in her notes was incomplete in its implications.

What Deng Ying did went against the historical pattern that later generations would summarize. If one were to analyze it specifically, it involved not just choices under the tide of the era, but rather the outward manifestation of an individual’s inner spiritual world in reverse.

“Aunt… what are you thinking about?”

Yi Lang squeezed her fingers, “Why aren’t you speaking?”

Yang Wan came back to herself, quickly saying: “This servant was thinking about what your teacher taught you.”

“Aunt.”

“Yes?”

Yi Lang’s little face suddenly came close to Yang Wan’s, “Aunt, you like to think about things.”

“Ha.”

Yang Wan held her chin and teased him, “How do you know?”

“Because you often space out holding your books. Imperial Mother says you’re very smart, just that you don’t want to tell me and Imperial Mother what you’re thinking about. But Imperial Mother also doesn’t let me ask you.”

“Why?”

“She says asking you would make us like those people who speak ill of you, but I don’t understand, why they speak ill of you. Aunt is so good.”

Yang Wan stood up and, taking advantage of their being alone, boldly stroked Yi Lang’s cheek, “His Highness will understand when he’s older.”

“Oh…”

In early April, the roof project of the Hall of Supreme Harmony was completed.

The conferment ceremony for Consort Jiang had also concluded amid the chaos of the Six Departments.

On this day, Yang Wan was exchanging documents with the seal-holding eunuch at the Imperial Archives. The guards at the Meeting Gate were changing shifts, and it seemed there was some issue during the handover, with both groups arguing red-faced. Eunuch Wu, the seal-holder of the Archives, closed the doors and windows, pinching his nose as he walked to the shelves, avoiding dust while saying to Yang Wan: “Your Imperial Wardrobe Bureau still hasn’t gotten a break, has it?”

Yang Wan replied: “We’re almost done, but the other five departments still have much to do.”

“Oh, I heard Consort Ning is ill, is she better now?”

Yang Wan nodded, “She’s much better now that the weather’s warming up.”

“That’s good, it wouldn’t be good to stay ill for so long.”

Yang Wan caught his meaning and replied with a smile: “You’re thinking for the palace’s sake too.”

Eunuch Wu smiled and waved his hand: “The maid jests. In our position, though we can’t even touch the dust beneath the Consorts’ feet, we’ve seen many ups and downs. In the past, we wouldn’t dare speak, but now that I’m old, sometimes I can’t help but ramble a bit.”

Just as he finished speaking, the voices outside rose again.

Eunuch Wu frowned: “Recently, the guard duty at the four gates has become stricter, I see the night watch officials have added two more people per shift.”

Yang Wan stood by the desk, filling out records in the light from the window, writing while asking: “What are they arguing about?”

Eunuch Wu poured Yang Wan a cup of tea, “Ah, the Meeting Gate has always been guarded by the Imperial Guard, but these past few days the Four Gates Defense adjusted and changed to the Feather Forest Guard. They’re rigid with rules, inflexible, and just now they had friction with the yamen runners from the outer offices. They’re probably unclear about something during the shift change report.”

Yang Wan stopped her brush and was about to ask more when suddenly someone knocked on the window.

Eunuch Wu called out: “Who is it?”

The person outside carefully replied: “Is Sister Wan from the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau inside?”

“I’m here.”

Yang Wan put down her brush and said to Eunuch Wu: “I’ll go out and ask, I’ll come back to write later.”

Eunuch Wu nodded: “Ah, yes, do as you please. We’re usually quite free here, just waiting to serve your Imperial Wardrobe Bureau.”

Yang Wan smiled in acknowledgment as she walked out the door to see a small eunuch in gray standing at the entrance.

“Are you Sister Wan from the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau?”

Yang Wan nodded, “Yes, I am. You are…”

“This servant is from the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Assistant Director Deng asked me to pass a message to Sister. The item you asked him to make is finished. He didn’t dare send it privately to your quarters, so it’s temporarily placed in the felt tent in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. He asks Sister to collect it when you have time.”

Yang Wan started, “Your Assistant Director Deng…”

“Today the Ministry of Justice sent people to summon Assistant Director Deng.”

Yang Wan heard this and looked toward the Meeting Gate.

Though she wasn’t surprised, remembering Deng Ying’s previous words made her body tremble slightly.

“Sister.”

“Oh, go on.”

“There’s one more message for Sister. Assistant Director Deng said there were too many matters at the Hall of Supreme Harmony during this period, and he made it quite hastily. If there are any imperfections, he asks Sister to make do with it, and he’ll make you a new one when he returns.”