Yang Wan felt that his mention of “skin” was too visceral as if his form would dissipate into ash before her eyes at any moment. Her heart ached, and almost without thinking, she bent down and pulled him firmly into her embrace.

Deng Ying, caught off guard by her sudden movement, quickly placed one hand on the steps to steady himself, while his other hand hung uncertainly in the air.

“Wan-wan, you…”

Yang Wan buried her face in his shoulder. “Don’t talk about skin or anything like that anymore.”

Deng Ying slowly relaxed his shoulders and tentatively placed his hand on her back. “Alright, I won’t speak of it. Don’t be like this.”

Yang Wan didn’t heed Deng Ying’s words and instead tightened her embrace around his waist.

Though he was tall, he had always been thin. Even wearing several layers of formal official robes, he still gave off an impression of frailty that revealed his bones. In Yang Wan’s former aesthetic preferences regarding men, “graceful bones” were undoubtedly the highest standard. But such men mostly existed on paper, where time and fate had worn away their skin to honestly reveal their bone structure. Readers only needed to sigh in appreciation, without bearing the burden of their real lives.

So that was merely an aesthetic preference.

That wasn’t love.

And above both love and aesthetic preference, there was something called “desire.”

It went beyond their current embrace, beyond even caresses behind closed doors. She wanted his thin skin pressed against her own, gently rubbing, exploring his bone structure in the endless night, until finally, a “hand” would lift them into the clouds.

As Yang Wan thought about these things, she felt like crying.

After Deng Ying’s punishment, she sat by his bed. At that time, to treat his wounds, his body was unclothed except for a cotton cloth covering his injuries. She had been so proper then, carefully maintaining boundaries between herself and Deng Ying, avoiding his most “ugly” wounds, avoiding his impending “remaining life.” But now, she wanted Deng Ying to lie down in her chambers, to remove the coverings herself, to move aside his hands that tried to hide, without saying a word, quietly gazing at the largest scar on his body.

She had never been someone who cherished the incomplete; she had no aesthetic appreciation for “imperfection.”

But she had a bittersweet desire for Deng Ying’s body and a timeless love for his life.

Yet how could she express these thoughts to this humble man?

“You mentioned buying a house before. Have you been looking?”

As she spoke, she gently released Deng Ying and pressed her brow, trying to calm the surge of emotions within her senses.

Deng Ying, unaware of the tumult in Yang Wan’s heart, answered her question calmly.

“I have been looking. I’ve found two or three places and wanted you to help me look at them.”

“I… it would be difficult for me to leave the palace, wouldn’t it? How could I look?”

“It’s no matter. In a few days, when I’m less busy, I’ll draw sketches of those gardens and bring them back for you to see.”

Yang Wan smiled. “I’d forgotten what you used to do.”

Just then, He Yu came to say that Yi Lang had awakened. Deng Ying stood up and waited with the eunuch behind the screen.

Yang Wan also rose to her feet.

By now, the rain had cleared and the clouds had parted, letting in the first light of dawn.

Seeing Yang Wan’s gaze still following him, Deng Ying looked up and smiled at her.

Yang Wan raised her head toward the boundless sky. Bird calls echoed from within the clouds, and the wind rustled through the tree crowns, creating a harmony of sounds.

The sixth month of the thirteenth year of Zhenning.

Deng Ying was still alive, his life continuing.

If she could buy Deng Ying’s remaining life, Yang Wan would give everything she had.

In a flash, summer had passed.

Several autumn rains quickly cooled the capital’s weather. Autumn leaves rolled in the wind, impossible for the palace servants to sweep clean no matter how they tried.

When Yang Lun returned to the capital, he had just missed Bai Huan’s birthday celebration.

It was said that the entire household had been festive for several days, but it had also taxed the elderly minister’s spirits. After autumn began, he immediately fell seriously ill, the condition severe. Emperor Zhenning not only bestowed medicine but also ordered Yi Lang to personally visit his residence to inquire about his illness.

Bai Yu Yang and Zhang Cong and others all advised Bai Huan to rest well, but Bai Huan still struggled to rise and attended daily ministerial meetings in the Cabinet, even earlier than usual.

To accommodate Bai Huan’s illness, the emperor ordered the Xixin Bureau to supply coal to the Cabinet duty room at the Huiji Gate ahead of schedule.

When Yang Lun arrived at the Huiji Gate, he happened to see Deng Ying talking with Chen Hua from the Xixin Bureau.

Chen Hua’s expression seemed troubled as he lowered his head and scratched the back of his head, saying:

“Director, the Ministry of Revenue is indeed collecting strictly this year. This is all we have, and only because of His Majesty’s grace. I really can’t spare any more for you, but if you don’t mind, I could save some from the daily supply to the Mixed Hall Bureau. I’ll have someone pick out the good pieces and send them to you.”

Deng Ying nodded, “Then I thank you.”

“What are you saying? Serving you is my duty. Also, about the silver you mentioned last time, I’ve prepared it for you. You see…”

“What silver?”

Yang Lun’s voice interrupted their conversation.

Chen Hua turned to see Yang Lun and hurriedly bowed. “Lord Yang has returned.”

Yang Lun stepped forward, looking into Deng Ying’s eyes: “Haven’t you taken enough?”

Deng Ying turned to Chen Hua and said, “You may go first.”

Chen Hua responded “Yes” and passed by Yang Lun without daring to make a sound.

Yang Lun looked back at Chen Hua and said coldly: “Have you seen how Fu Bainian was escorted to the capital? Have you seen how Li Chao was taken away in chains by the Ministry of Justice? These two men – one the Zhizhou of Jingzhou and Song Wang’s brother-in-law, the other Princess Fuqing’s consort – are now in the Ministry of Justice’s prison, waiting for trial.”

“Yes.”

Deng Ying nodded, “I saw.”

Yang Lun coughed, but unexpectedly this cough triggered his lung injury, making it increasingly severe.

Since falling into the river while drunk in May, he still hadn’t fully recovered. Speaking too much irritated his throat, and now facing Deng Ying, his emotions were poor, his internal organs churning, causing his face to redden. Finally catching his breath, his voice was even harsher than before.

“You should be among them!”

After saying this, he didn’t elaborate further, but swept his sleeves and strode toward the duty room.

Although it wasn’t an official meeting day, because Yang Lun was leading the discussion on the Diaogui fields case, besides several Cabinet ministers, Bai Yu Yang from the Ministry of Justice and two or three officials from the Ministry of Revenue were present.

Deng Ying followed Yang Lun into the duty room. An official named Liang from the Ministry of Revenue, who had once been investigated by the Eastern Depot’s officers for starving his concubine to death, was deeply afraid of the Eastern Depot.

However, he had never met the Eastern Depot’s Director Deng Ying, and when he suddenly heard the eunuchs outside address his title, he instinctively stood up from his seat, “Director Deng, please sit.”

Deng Ying was in the middle of bowing to Bai Huan and seemed somewhat startled at this. Turning to see an official he barely recognized, he said nothing but bowed to him, as if he hadn’t heard, covering up the earlier words that had damaged his and the Cabinet’s dignity. He straightened up and stood by the door.

“My lords, please proceed with your discussion. This servant will wait to record the decisions.”

Zhang Cong and others were already accustomed to Deng Ying’s humility. They moistened their throats with tea, exchanged pleasantries, and then directly entered into political matters.

“Has Lord Yang inquired about Consort Ning’s illness?”

Yang Lun replied: “Not yet.”

Zhang Cong sighed: “We really should submit a memorial to inquire.”

“Lord Zhang, please speak directly.”

Zhang Cong smiled and waved his hand, “How could I have any hidden meaning? I’m just concerned about the Consort’s health and my student.”

Cabinet discussions don’t speak of private matters. The conversation stopped there, and Zhang Cong took a sip of tea. When he spoke again, he had changed the subject.

“Actually, in my opinion, Fu Bainian can be charged with a serious crime, especially since Prince Song is no longer speaking up much, but as for Li Chao… we need to consider further. Duke Jing has passed away, and if Li Chao is also severely punished, Princess Fuqing’s entire line would be extinguished. This doesn’t seem right.”

Bai Huan straightened up from where he was leaning against the desk, “Now it’s not about punishment. These people all have marriage ties with the royal clan – if they’re to be pardoned, His Majesty’s word alone would suffice. What the Ministry of Justice needs to do now is make them return all the fields.”

Bai Yu Yang said: “The Ministry of Justice has ways to make them return them. Take this Fu Bainian – yesterday, without even using torture, he was already scared witless. But he does have some objections. There are many school fields in the Jiangzhe area, and private farming of school fields is common. He mentioned a… some academy in Hangzhou, I can’t remember at the moment, I’ll have to check the case files.”

Yang Lun said: “School fields are different from common fields. They were originally allocated by the court to support provincial education. The academies rely on these fields for their livelihood, and most have no idle fields. If any Diaogui fields are discovered, they should be included in the Ministry of Revenue’s overall accounting and cannot be immediately distributed to counties for farming. When I returned, all the academies were preparing for this year’s autumn imperial examinations. The harvest is already poor, and the students are already anxious. I don’t support touching the school fields.”

After speaking, he glanced at Deng Ying, but Deng Ying kept his head lowered and didn’t look at him.

Bai Yu Yang objected: “Vice Minister Yang, this wasn’t what you wrote in your original ‘Field Clearing Strategy.'”

Yang Lun didn’t hesitate and directly countered: “You’ve never been south – do you know what the situation is like there? We both come from scholarly backgrounds, don’t we understand what the imperial examinations mean to those students? Seizing school fields at this time – isn’t that the same as closing the academies?”

Bai Yu Yang immediately stood up, “What do you mean? The Ministry of Justice has investigated to this point – are we not allowed to question your Ministry of Revenue?”

Yang Lun also stood up, “You can question, but our Ministry of Revenue must consider both civil administration and education across all six ministries. We can’t just hand everything over because you’re single-mindedly investigating. We’ve served together for so many years – these words might be harsh, but I dare to say them.”

“You…”

“Yu Yang.”

Bai Huan stopped Bai Yu Yang and gestured to Yang Lun to calm down: “Sit down, sit down. I understand what you’re saying, and there’s reason to it.”

Hearing his father speak thus, Bai Yu Yang said no more.

Bai Huan waved his hand: “Alright, we’ve discussed the Hangzhou school fields matter enough. Deng, take notes.”

“This servant is here.”

“Start the memorial, we’ll proceed with the voting.”

“Yes.”

After the Chen hour had passed, a basin of coal in the duty room had burned out.

Deng Ying personally collected the voted memorial, folded it properly, and handed it to the Junior Supervisor to take back to the Ceremonial Court. He straightened his official robes and was about to head to the Eastern Depot.

“You stay where you are.”

Deng Ying turned around; Yang Lun had already stepped behind him.

Deng Ying glanced behind him, “This is not the place to talk. Let’s go to the Depot.”

Yang Lun shouted: “Don’t be presumptuous! Why should I go to that place?”

Deng Ying turned around, “Then do you want to interrogate me here? Yang Zixi…”

“Silence!”

“Yes…”

Deng Ying bowed deeply: “If you don’t want to go to the Eastern Depot, then let’s go to my quarters. I dare not ask for anything else, but I beg my lord not to rebuke me in public. Leave this servant some dignity.”