“Senior Official.”

The announcing palace servant came out and, seeing her gazing at where Deng Ying knelt, walked to her side to report: “The Old Patriarch asks for you to enter.”

Senior Official Jiang withdrew her gaze and turned to point at the two jars behind her. “I have two jars of pickled vegetables here. Carry them in with me—I won’t have my attendants follow.”

The palace servant hurriedly took them: “Yes, this servant will attend you inside.”

In the main hall of the Department of Palace Attendance, all the Secretaries except Deng Ying and Zheng Yuejia were present.

They were having their evening meal. He Yixian had poor digestion and preferred porridge with pickled vegetables. The other Secretaries were also advanced in years and were happy to follow the Chief Secretary’s healthy eating habits.

He Yixian had just finished a bowl of minced meat porridge when Senior Official Jiang entered. His face creased with smile lines as he raised his hand to invite her to sit.

“By my count of days, you were due to visit your godfather.”

Everyone knew He Yixian doted on this goddaughter. Hearing him say this, they chimed in: “When Senior Official arrives, we’re no longer worthy to sit with the Old Patriarch.”

Senior Official Jiang performed a ceremonial greeting before sitting beside He Yixian. Taking the chopsticks handed to her by the palace servant, before she could look at them, He Yixian said: “Those are your usual pair.”

Senior Official Jiang smiled and gestured for the servant holding the jars to place them on the table. She removed a jar’s lid and used her chopsticks to place some pickled meat in He Yixian’s bowl. “Last time Godfather said the pork skin had some flavor, so this time I braised it for an extra half hour. It’s even more tender than before. Please try it, Godfather.”

After speaking, she placed several pieces in each Secretary’s bowl.

Everyone smiled as they watched but dared not use their chopsticks.

He Yixian smiled and said: “She’s showing respect to you all, go ahead and taste it.”

They responded with “Yes” before finally picking up their chopsticks.

The pickled meat fell apart at a touch, rich savory aromas wafting from the jar. The meat was tender and juicy, melting like cream in the mouth, its fragrance filling both mouth and nose, thoroughly satisfying these aging digestions.

“Still my daughter knows my palate best.”

He finished speaking and pointed his chopsticks at Hu Xiang and the others. “You all benefit from my good fortune.”

Hu Xiang said: “Indeed, we wait each month for you to share this with us. It’s more flavorful than imperial cuisine. More importantly, it’s the honor—personally prepared and delivered by the Senior Official. Who else could hope for such treatment?”

Senior Official Jiang set down her chopsticks and sat, “I was thinking, perhaps we should also save some pieces for Supervisor Deng outside and Secretary Zheng who’s attending His Majesty today.”

He Yixian paused with his chopsticks. Senior Official Jiang calmly poured him a cup of tea and offered it. “On one hand, it’s your daughter showing filial respect to her godfather. On the other, it’s our Department of Imperial Ceremonies showing proper courtesy to the Department of Palace Attendance. All the Secretaries have been served—there’s no reason to exclude those two.”

He Yixian gave a short laugh. “Ah, you—you came in already planning to plead for them, didn’t you?”

“Please forgive me, Godfather.”

She rose and performed another ceremonial greeting. “Godfather used to protect us. Now that I’m grown, I want to learn from you and look after those girls in the Department of Imperial Ceremonies.”

He Yixian said: “That young lady called Yang Wan?”

Senior Official Jiang nodded.

“I’m pleading on Yang Wan’s behalf. If it’s not too serious an offense, could Godfather show mercy for my sake?”

He Yixian smiled without speaking, slowly finishing the meat in his bowl before setting down his chopsticks and saying: “Do you know why he was punished?”

“No.”

“Time and again he’s broken your godfather’s rules. The matters our Department of Palace Attendance kept buried are now all laid out in his Grand Secretariat duty room. The Grand Secretariat can now recommend people to His Majesty before your godfather.”

Senior Official Jiang nodded, “Daughter understands. If Godfather feels he cannot be pardoned, then consider his daughter’s words just now as thoughtless. I apologize for displeasing you.”

He Yixian waved his hand. “Enough. This is the first time you’ve made such a request of your godfather. How could I not give you a face? When you go out, tell him to rise. Also, tell him if he doesn’t want to suffer such humiliation again, he should give me a proper explanation about that Ministry of Works matter.”

“Yes.”

Senior Official Jiang responded, then bent to place another piece of pickled meat in He Yixian’s bowl.

They sat for a while longer discussing palace gossip until the sky began to darken.

Senior Official Jiang walked out of the main hall and went directly to Deng Ying.

“Supervisor Deng, the Old Patriarch says you may rise.”

“Yes.”

Deng Ying responded softly before trying to stand, bracing against the ground. The two Bureau guards standing at a distance hurried over to help him up.

Deng Ying straightened up, released the guards’ hands, and bowed to Senior Official Jiang: “Thank you, Senior Official, for the intervention.”

Senior Official Jiang said: “I didn’t intervene for you, but because I don’t want my people in the Department of Imperial Ceremonies to develop deep enmity with the Department of Palace Attendance because of you.”

After speaking, she addressed the two guards beside Deng Ying: “You may withdraw first.”

The guards said: “We are the Supervisor’s men. Why should we listen to a female official? If we’re to listen to anyone, it would be Registry Official Yang.”

Deng Ying turned sideways and said: “Don’t be discourteous. Withdraw first.”

Only after hearing him say this did the guards retreat to the palace path.

Deng Ying endured his pain and stepped back before bowing again: “Forgive me, Senior Official.”

Senior Official Jiang returned his greeting with a curtsy before saying: “Supervisor Deng, under my leadership, the Department of Imperial Ceremonies shares glory and shame as one. The same is true for the Department of Palace Attendance under the Old Patriarch. Among the thousands of mouths in the palace, besides needing to eat, they must also maintain their family fortunes. We are all people of bitter fate—otherwise, we wouldn’t have locked ourselves in here. Since we’re here, it’s to fight for those living outside. Have you considered how many people will hate you for cutting off all the Department of Palace Attendance’s financial channels?”

After listening, Deng Ying lowered his head and responded: “Deng Ying understands.”

Senior Official Jiang sighed, “I am just a woman with limited vision. If you think what I say is unreasonable, then pretend I never spoke. But Yang Wan is a very clever person. She observes things with great detail and clarity. Each move targets vital points with precision. I like her very much, and though she’s still restrained now, I worry that someday, like you, she’ll be done in by her cleverness. You must understand, that the palace can accommodate all kinds of people—except those who are too clever.”

At this point, these words revealed their true meaning.

Neither Deng Ying nor Senior Official Jiang knew that this so-called “excessive cleverness” actually didn’t stem from existing civilization, but rather from later generations’ comprehensive thinking and critical definition of their predecessors. This “cleverness” was lofty from the start. However, its superiority existed only on a spiritual level. In reality, it was “born at the wrong time” and would only leave Yang Wan sitting alone on high, forming bonds with people that would ultimately prove fruitless and hopeless.

The reason she remained restrained was that the weight of history had not yet been completely overshadowed by the vibrancy of the living.

And where was the turning point when “the living” would crush “old papers”?

On the first day of the fifth month, the “Crane Residence Case” that Yang Wan had been waiting for finally occurred.

That evening, Yang Wan was writing with Deng Ying in the Inner School Hall.

After Yang Lun’s departure, most of his duties at the Inner Book Hall had been transferred to Deng Ying. Although Deng Ying held the dual positions of Secretary and Bureau Supervisor with extremely busy affairs, he was still willing to make time to teach more to the eunuch boys at the Inner School.

The Inner School had already been dismissed for the day. Besides two eunuch boys standing in the corridor reciting their memorized texts, only Yang Wan and Deng Ying remained in the hall. These past few days, Yang Wan has been helping Registry Official Hu compile book records for reprinting at the Han Canon Bureau. Official Hu needed them urgently, and she had been working day and night for three days.

Deng Ying had a rare moment to read the Inner School’s teaching texts, occasionally making annotations. Yang Wan sat across from him, head down and writing furiously without a sound.

Deng Ying couldn’t help lowering his book to look at her.

Once Yang Wan buried herself in paperwork, she had the air of an archer who couldn’t recall their arrow after release. A cup of tea sat beside her hand with some nuts nearby. After writing for a while, she would habitually prod her forehead with her brush handle.

Just as she was prodding her forehead, Li Yu suddenly crashed in from outside, falling at the doorway and immediately bloodying his nose.

Yang Wan startled, immediately drawing a red mark on her forehead with the brush handle.

She quickly looked up at Li Yu, pulling out her handkerchief for him while asking: “What are you doing?”

Li Yu pressed his nose as he got up and said: “Something’s happened! Something earth-shattering has happened!”

Deng Ying stood and said: “Speak slowly and clearly.”

Li Yu pressed his chest and said: “The Second Prince was nearly strangled to death by a wet nurse, You Guichun! Yanxi Palace couldn’t hold her—now this You Guichun has disappeared somewhere. My sister sent me to find you, to tell you not to return to the Fifth Bureau for now, but go to Chengqian Palace instead. The Northern Patrol Office has already dispatched a guard unit to the palace. The Fifth Bureau is sealed off. When I came, all four main gates were under strict guard. Even today’s Grand Secretariat officials for the imperial audience cannot leave the palace.”

Just as he finished speaking, a Bureau guard’s voice came from outside.

“Supervisor, are you inside?”

“I am.”

“His Majesty summons you to Yangxin Palace immediately.”

“Understood.”

Deng Ying was about to leave when he saw Yang Wan sitting dazed at her desk, ink dripping from her brush tip and staining half of her completed book records.

“Yang Wan.”

Deng Ying called to her. Only then did she come to her senses, but her brush clattered to the ground.

Deng Ying bent to pick it up and placed it in the brush resting beside her. “You’re worried about…”

“Zheng Yuejia…”

She spoke his name directly.

Her premonition had been correct. The historically vague “palace servant” now had a name—You Guichun—and even a background that could be traced through the Wet Nurse Bureau outside the East Peace Gate to find her age and birthplace.

Deng Ying said softly: “Don’t panic yet. Since it was a wet nurse who committed the crime, not only will the Department of Palace Attendance’s messenger eunuchs be investigated, but the Wet Nurse Bureau and recruitment offices will also be scrutinized. Let me go see it first. After I have a clearer picture, I’ll tell you. You go to Chengqian Palace.”

Yang Wan looked up and said: “When you find out what happened, you must tell me. This matter might not be as simple as it appears on the surface.”

“Alright.”

Deng Ying straightened up and called outside: “Thousand-Household Officer Qin, escort Registry Official Yang back to Chengqian Palace.”