Yang Wan spoke as she rolled up her sleeves and sat down beside Deng Ying’s couch.

“After changing your clothes, let me apply the medicine.”

She said this expecting him to refuse, but to her surprise, he buried his head in the pillow and mumbled a muffled “All alright.”

He had decided to entrust himself completely to Yang Wan.

Body and soul, leaving himself no refuge.

“Don’t be upset when you see it.”

Yang Wan tilted her head back, choking out “I won’t be upset.”

As she spoke, she lifted the blanket from his lower body. Blood had crusted and stuck to his pants, making it impossible to peel away by hand.

Yang Wan got up to find scissors, carefully pinching Deng Ying’s pants with her fingers and cutting away the stuck parts bit by bit. With each cut, Deng Ying’s shoulders would jerk upward.

“Deng Ying.”

Yang Wan called softly to Deng Ying, but he was in too much pain to speak.

Yang Wan pressed her lips together, put down the scissors, and stroked Deng Ying’s back, slowly soothing the tremors in his body.

“Deng Ying, guess what the Great Ming Law will be like six hundred years from now.”

Deng Ying still didn’t make a sound.

Yang Wan raised her head, looking at the cold window shadows, and continued softly: “I think in a few hundred years, there won’t be punishments like caning anymore, nor castration. Each person’s crimes will end with themselves, not affecting their families. People who build buildings will be able to carve their names on the walls, letting everyone who passes by see them.”

Her voice was very gentle, and Deng Ying gradually calmed under her soothing.

“Will it be so…”

“Yes, it will.”

Yang Wan lowered her head, brushed aside the damp hair from his face, and bent down to whisper in his ear.

“Deng Ying, I don’t like the ‘feminine virtues’ that men demand women follow, so being with you makes me truly happy.”

She paused, “I just didn’t know that the freedom I gave myself would kill people here…”

She pressed her brow after speaking.

“But I still want freedom and want to give freedom to you, to Sister. Though I know you and Sister probably don’t want to trust me anymore…”

“No.”

Deng Ying coughed once, gently gripping Yang Wan’s hand, “I trust you.”

Yang Wan looked down at Deng Ying’s hand, “You said it. You must trust me completely.”

“Yes.”

Deng Ying nodded.

“Wan Wan, I’m not in so much pain now.”

“Then let me apply the medicine.”

That night, Yang Wan didn’t stay long in Deng Ying’s quarters. After he fell asleep, she returned to Chengqian Palace.

She didn’t go to see Yi Lang either, instead taking the key and going directly to Noble Consort Ning’s former chambers.

After Noble Consort Ning went to the Banana Garden, Yi Lang rarely entered the rear hall, so Yang Wan sealed all of Ning’s former clothes and valuables in the side room of the rear hall. There were dozens of boxes, large and small.

Yang Wan lit a lamp and opened these boxes one by one.

Noble Consort Ning’s lifetime accumulation was just over a thousand taels of silver, plus two boxes of gold, jade, and agate. Yang Wan crouched behind the boxes hugging her knees, muttering: “Sister, I’m going to use your things now, but I will return them to you.”

The days spent nursing Deng Ying was very peaceful.

Deng Ying was an especially cooperative patient – when medicine was brought, he would drink it; when Yang Wan wanted him to walk around, he would put on clothes and pace back and forth in his quarters. Besides Li Yu and Chen Hua, several eunuch boys from the Inner School also came to see him. They knelt beside his couch and kowtowed to him, then chattered about the books they had been reading recently.

Since becoming Superintendent of the Eastern Depot, Deng Ying hadn’t visited the Inner School much.

Perhaps because he was the only eunuch among all the instructors, the eunuch boys felt closer to him and less afraid, so even after not seeing him for many days, they remained familiar with each other.

Deng Ying reclined on his couch listening to them talk while Yang Wan brought nuts for them to eat, sitting to the side herself and listening to them ask Deng Ying questions about their books.

Though uncomfortable, Deng Ying still endured the pain and answered them in detail.

Listening to Deng Ying’s voice, Yang Wan couldn’t help thinking that over these two years, many people she knew had changed, but only Deng Ying remained as before, always willing to speak earnestly with everyone.

While talking with the eunuch boys was a moment of tranquility, the people who came to see him from the Eastern Depot all came to discuss business.

As the New Year approached, the Depot prison was nearly complete. Deng Ying requested imperial permission to transfer two Punishment Chiefs of a Thousand Households and over a hundred guards from the imperial prison. This made the regulations of the Depot prison nearly equal to the imperial prison.

When Qin Wende came to report this matter, Yang Wan was outside cooking noodles. Deng Ying was lying on his side reading on the couch. When Qin Wende went in, he asked Yang Wan, “Why was the young prince so angry? What disrespectful thing did our Superintendent say that day?”

Yang Wan shook her head, handing him the bowl of noodles, “Take this into him, make sure he eats it all, don’t leave any. I’m going to wash the clothes.”

Qin Wende saw Deng Ying’s clothes hanging on willow branches, some still faintly stained with blood.

“Ah… you know, it’s enough that the Superintendent lives simply, but Lady Yang, couldn’t you have the Chengqian Palace servants do this?”

Yang Wan tied up her sleeves with cotton string, saying, “I’m just not in the habit of ordering people around.”

She glanced inside the quarters. “By the way, help me with something.”

“Tell me.”

Yang Wan looked away, “How is Qingbo Pavilion now?”

“It’s closed, though when I went to look a few days ago, the seals had been removed.”

Yang Wan nodded.

“Their owners probably won’t return. Kuanqin Hall and several other publishing houses might want to take it over. Help me watch it, don’t let it be sold.”

Qin Wende asked, “What does my lady want to do?”

Yang Wan pressed her lips together, “I want to buy it.”

Buying Qingbo Pavilion didn’t require much silver, but not only buying it but wanting to keep operating it would require considerable funds.

After Deng Ying could get out of bed, Yang Wan took half a day and had He Yu invite Song Yunqing to Chengqian Palace.

Walking with Yang Wan into the side room of the rear hall, Song Yunqing said, “I heard some big news.”

“What news?”

Song Yunqing spoke in riddles, “A son arresting his father – this is the first time in this dynasty.”

Hearing this, Yang Wan pressed her lips together and pushed open the window, “Tell me more.”

Song Yunqing said:

“Winter’s coming, and Chen Hua has been handling charcoal duties outside these past few days. I heard from him that Zhang Luo personally arrested Vice Minister Zhang from his home and imprisoned him in the imperial prison. The capital is in an uproar over this. Don’t you think the Minister of Justice is too ruthless?”

Hearing these words, Yang Wan quickly turned to ask, “Was this today?”

“Early this morning, Chen Hua saw it at Xihua Gate.”

Yang Wan’s shoulders suddenly relaxed.

Song Yunqing continued: “Vice Minister Zhang is an elder statesman of two reigns – to arrest him just like that, who knows what will happen? Though he probably can’t return to the cabinet or continue as the young prince’s teacher anymore. Speaking of which, who will the Hanlin Academy choose?”

Yang Wan nodded absently, not bothering to answer her question.

In history, Zhang Rong had been a minister of the Jinghe reign. If Song Yunqing’s words were true, then that piece of history she knew had truly been altered by her actions.

“Oh right… *cough cough*”

Song Yunqing coughed several times from the dust in the side room, waving her sleeve to fan it away, “Why did you bring me here?”

Yang Wan bent down to open a box, and Song Yunqing was dazzled by the gold and silver inside.

“Is this… yours?”

“No. It was left by Noble Consort Ning. I want to sort through it and calculate its value, but Deng Ying was injured and I’ve been too busy these past few days, so I asked for your help.”

Song Yunqing crouched down, “Why sort through these now?”

Yang Wan replied, “Preparing them for the young prince. The new year is coming soon.”

Song Yunqing smiled, “Alright, I’ll help you count. It’s been a long time since we worked together.”

Yang Wan smiled, “Have you thought about working with me after leaving the palace?”

Song Yunqing laughed, “I’ve saved some money, enough to live a simple life. After leaving the palace, I’ll find a place to settle down, and live quietly by myself.”

Yang Wan nodded, smiling, “That’s good too.”

She handed her a brush.

They counted separately, and by dusk had completed less than half.

Yang Wan looked at the sky, estimating Yi Lang would soon return from his studies.

Song Yunqing straightened up, “You go look after the prince. This won’t be finished quickly – I’ll count a bit more. I’m not on duty the day after tomorrow, I’ll come to help you finish counting then.”

Yang Wan nodded, and just as she reached the central courtyard, He Yu came up saying, “The Superintendent brought the young prince back.”

Yang Wan was startled, about to hurry to the study, but He Yu held her back saying, “Don’t worry, my lady. Qing Meng said His Highness met the Superintendent on the road. They talked while walking back, with no arguments.”

Hearing this, Yang Wan calmed somewhat.

“Where are they?”

“His Highness asked the Superintendent to the study.”

Yang Wan lightened her steps, quietly walking outside the study.

The charcoal inside burned warmly, waves of warm air escaping through the door crack.

Yi Lang and Deng Ying stood together under the lamp, Yi Lang looking up at Deng Ying.

“Today I questioned Vice Minister Zhang and learned about the Qingbo Pavilion case, but I don’t understand why the teacher would do such things.”

Deng Ying crouched down.

His wounds weren’t fully healed, and being unsteady, he supported himself on the windowsill.

He looked up at Yi Lang, “Has Your Highness read Lord Yang’s ‘Land Clearing Policy’?”

Yi Lang nodded, “Yes, Uncle wants to return fields to the people and implement new tax systems in the south.”

“Mm. What does Your Highness think?”

Yi Lang was silent for a moment, “I think returning fields to the people and basing taxes on land are policies that benefit the people.”

“What does Lord Zhang think?”

“Teacher…”

Yi Lang lowered his head, “Teacher has never quite approved of this new policy. He says ancestral systems shouldn’t be lightly violated.”

Deng Ying coughed once, “So does Your Highness understand now?”

Yi Lang’s eyes reddened as he nodded silently, then looked up and said, “Is this… what they call factional struggle?”

“Yes.”

Deng Ying closed his eyes and took a breath, “Throughout history, factional struggles in officialdom have been unavoidable, but Your Highness need not fear. You only need to choose from their political views those positions that benefit both country and people.”

Though Yi Lang nodded upon hearing this, his eyes grew increasingly red. He raised his sleeve to wipe his eyes, then continued pressing his lips together to hold back tears.

Deng Ying asked, “May this servant ask why Your Highness is distressed?”

Yi Lang shook his head, “I feel like all the principles I learned before were false.”

“No.”

Deng Ying switched his supporting leg, his other hand also bracing against the ground, “Your Highness must understand, the ‘Zhenguan Political Principles,’ ‘Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government,’ the Four Books and Five Classics are all works that ancient worthies poured their hearts and souls into. They teach Your Highness how to conduct yourself, as they once taught this servant how to deal with the world. Who put these books before Your Highness is not important – what’s important is whether Your Highness’s character can resonate with these ancient worthies.”

The candlelight flickered, two lamps going out, casting shadows across Deng Ying’s face.

“Deng Ying.”

Yi Lang called to him.

Deng Ying raised his head and responded, “This servant is here.”

“I was so harsh with you, why are you still willing to tell me these things?”

Deng Ying smiled slightly, “When Your Highness is free of doubts, we can all be free of doubts. When Your Highness is clear-minded, all under heaven can be clear-minded.”

After hearing this, Yi Lang lowered his head and was silent for a long time.

“Before… I had never punished anyone, I didn’t know it would…”

“Your Highness did nothing wrong.”

Deng Ying interrupted, “Your Highness punished this servant for disrespecting your aunt. This servant bears it on his body and remembers it in his heart. But I hope Your Highness can know that punishment is cruel, and be careful in its use.”