After hearing these words, Deng Ying lifted his robe and slowly sat down.
The Cabinet’s choice to submit their impeachment at tomorrow’s Imperial Gate audience, rather than through the Directorate of Ceremonial to the Emperor, was a move that left no room for retreat—neither for Deng Ying nor for themselves.
He Yixian gestured for Hu Xiang to place a chair opposite Deng Ying. He sat down at the desk, blocking half the light from Deng Ying’s face. Deng Ying looked up at He Yi and asked, “Do the ancestral eyes watch even the homes of court officials?”
He Yixian waved his hand. “You’re the Director of the Eastern Depot. Tell me, which household in the capital doesn’t have your eyes watching it? Deng Ying, it’s not that you can’t see—it’s that you don’t want to see. You don’t want your teacher to think of you as someone like Zhang Luo.”
He sighed deeply as he spoke, patting the back of Deng Ying’s hand that rested under the lamp.
“You’re facing impeachment tomorrow. If I hadn’t mentioned it, were you planning to spend all night here copying archives, waiting for the Ministry of Justice to come arrest you?”
Deng Ying withdrew his hand to his knee and replied to He Yixian: “Rest assured, Ancestor. Even if this servant is imprisoned, I won’t do anything to damage His Majesty’s authority.”
He Yixian said: “His Majesty knows you’re sensible.”
He leveled his voice and continued, “Despite that wound and the damage to your body, you’re still truly one of the palace people. We all live under His Majesty’s protection. Whatever your thoughts may be, the Directorate of Ceremonial won’t stand by and watch you die.”
Deng Ying lowered his eyelids. “This humble servant is unworthy of such great kindness.”
He Yixian gave a short laugh. “As palace servants, whether we like it or not, we share the same honor and disgrace.”
As he spoke, he lowered his head to look at Deng Ying’s ankles. “There are still several hours until tomorrow’s court session at Fengtian Gate. Go rest and refresh yourself. Hu Xiang.”
“Yes, Ancestor.”
He Yixian pointed at what was under Deng Ying’s hand. “Come help him.”
Deng Ying walked back to the duty room by the city moat.
The door opened inward, and the charcoal in the brazier by the bed burned brightly. On the table lay two packages of herbs and a package of nuts. Under the nuts was pressed a leather warming pad. It was poorly made, with uneven stitching barely holding two pieces of sheepskin together.
Yang Wan was leaning against his bed, already asleep.
Her sleep was restless, unconsciously clutching Deng Ying’s sleeping clothes folded by the bed.
Deng Ying carefully put away his things, removed his official robes, and sat beside Yang Wan, placing his feet near the brazier.
Days of melting snow had left a bone-chilling cold, and the old wounds from his imprisonment were acting worse with each passing day.
Though two years had passed, everything that happened in the Ministry of Justice prison remained vivid in his mind.
He looked down at his wrists, remembering what he had once told Yang Wan.
He had told her these were marks from the shackles, and like the wounds on his ankles, they would be difficult to heal. Although he had been following Yang Wan’s instructions to take medicine and care for his health, the effects were minimal. While he initially couldn’t understand why he had to endure such punishment when he hadn’t committed any major crimes, now he wanted to accept these punishments and continue living.
These words still hold now.
The only difference was that he now had Yang Wan.
He possessed Yang Wan in a way that others would consider despicable.
But in his heart, he knew it was his way of surrendering himself to her.
Loss of clan, guilt, castration…
Beneath his official robes, he had lost every game.
No one cared about his dignity. The punishments inflicted on him were considered justified, each time a process of utter humiliation.
But Yang Wan let him win and allowed him to make love with dignity and peace of mind. When he dared not refuse the shackles, she held his hand, giving him just the right amount of restraint. When he feared exposure, she allowed him to keep his complete dignity. She disguised herself as a fragrant prison, not to torment him, but to shelter his remaining life, giving him a sense of belonging and safety.
These two years that Deng Ying dared not look back on or think about had finally slowly passed with Yang Wan.
Even though the path ahead remained unclear, having such a person behind him, watching him walk forward, made even the most difficult road seem less challenging.
He gently tucked Yang Wan’s hair behind her ear, knelt, closed his eyes, and bent to kiss her lips.
Yang Wan didn’t wake, only stretching her legs and lightly kicking the blanket. Deng Ying stood up to pull back the blanket she had kicked away, covering her below the forehead, trying to extract his sleeping clothes from her grip. But she only held on tighter.
Deng Ying calculated the time—barely an hour until the second watch.
He decided not to lie down, instead sitting beside Yang Wan quietly warming his hands and feet.
The person behind him breathed peacefully, turning over wrapped in his blanket, clutching his sleeping clothes to her chest.
Deng Ying turned his head to look at Yang Wan’s back, leaf shadows from the window falling across her body.
It was good to see her like this before the court, even though she was just sleeping and said nothing. Deng Ying’s heart was gradually soothed.
The bitter early spring wind howled across the capital’s sky.
Just past the second watch, court officials in the capital had already risen. Lanterns burned in mansions and residences along East and West Chang’an Streets.
This was the first imperial court session of Zhenning’s fourteenth year where the Emperor would personally attend, and not merely a ceremonial court but a true policy discussion. Officials from various departments had no intention of letting the Emperor off easy. Though it was still early and the wind bitter, the waiting rooms were packed with officials.
In the duty room above Duan Gate, palace servants had brewed warming tea for the Cabinet’s close ministers.
Yang Lun’s fingers crackled as he gripped his teacup.
“I shouldn’t have let Teacher take the lead when I wasn’t willing to start it myself. He’s already too sick to get up!”
Bai Yuyang stood before him and said: “This was Father’s wish.”
Yang Lun froze.
Bai Yuyang continued: “This is also to protect the Ministry of Revenue and the officials who signed with us. Father asked me to tell you that you were right not to sign. After spring begins, Hangzhou’s field policies will still need to go through you. The Ministry of Revenue cannot be in chaos now.”
After hearing this, Yang Lun choked up.
“Who will read the memorial today?”
Bai Yuyang said: “None of us will read it today. We’ll let the officials from the Court of State Ceremonial read it on our behalf. This is also the Cabinet Elder’s intention.”
Yang Lun nodded and walked toward the duty room door, then turned back after a few steps: “After impeaching Deng Ying, will you petition for the Three Judicial Offices?”
“Naturally.”
Bai Yuyang coughed once. “This person cannot be left to internal palace investigation. Even if we can’t activate the Three Judicial Offices, we must at least get him to the Ministry of Justice.”
Yang Lun was about to ask more when a palace servant knocked on the Duan Gate outside: “Gentlemen, the Five Phoenix Tower is about to ring its bell.”
“Understood.”
Bai Yuyang responded and stood up, saying to Yang Lun: “Let’s enter the court.”
A whip cracked against the ground, and after the explosive sound, the officials entered the court.
At the red steps before Fengtian Gate, the cold wind made the court robes flutter loudly, almost drowning out the ceremonial music from the Bell and Drum Department.
Imperial Guard troops held up five parasols and four round fans, ascending the red steps from east and west. Soon after, Emperor Zhenning’s procession arrived. The whip cracked again below the steps, and the Court of State Ceremonial called for officials to enter their ranks. The civil and military officials advanced in parallel lines, majestically stepping onto the imperial road.
Deng Ying saw Yang Lun in the civil officials’ main ranks. When they encountered censors responsible for monitoring conduct, neither dared exchange more than a glance, their eyes meeting briefly before looking away.
After the ceremony of one bow and three kowtows, an official from the Court of State Ceremonial stepped forward to report the names of officials arriving to give thanks or departing to request leave.
The wind was strong that day, and the Emperor had no interest in receiving these people, only ordering them to kowtow outside Wu Gate. After the Court of State Ceremonial official withdrew his report and He Yixian waited for the Emperor to inquire about border matters, the Minister of War intended to report personally about the shortage of military funds in the Northwest. However, seeing that the Court of State Ceremonial official had already raised the Cabinet’s memorial, he did not make his oral report, only handing over his memorial to the attending official before retiring to the ranks.
Seeing the Ministry of War withdraw, the Court of State Ceremonial official called out “Clear the way!”
He announced: “Your Majesty, the Cabinet has a memorial. This subject will read it on their behalf.”
Emperor Zhenning nodded.
He Yixian immediately called out loudly: “Read!”
The court official lifted his robe and knelt, unfolding the memorial.
A speck of swallow wing ash fell at Deng Ying’s feet.
He lowered his eyes to look at that speck of ash.
The official’s proper voice entered his ears, each word clear and resonant, like stones falling from above, each one hitting Deng Ying with solid impact.
“Upon investigation, the Chu Mountain and Lake Dan academies together possess over 1,700 mu of school fields, all granted by Emperor Taizu in the fourth year of Hechong. Now these have been privately seized by Palace Eunuch Deng Ying of the Directorate of Ceremonial. In two years, he has appropriated 30,000 jin of grain, and countless livestock, poultry, and fish. This has caused frequent student grievances at Hangzhou’s private schools, and the Chu Mountain and Lake Dan academies can no longer continue. This action disrupts local educational administration at present and greatly defies the former Emperor’s benevolent way under heaven…”
The entire memorial wasn’t long; even with the Court of State Ceremonial official’s measured delivery, it took less than half a cup of tea to read.
After the reading, the court official returned to the ranks. No one spoke below the red steps, not even a cough could be heard.
Emperor Zhenning said: “Bring the memorial up.”
Deng Ying presented the memorial on the golden platform, the eyes of all civil and military officials following his ascending figure.
Emperor Zhenning raised his hand, took the memorial, and spoke sideways to the Han general between the door pillars: “Take him away.”
The armed officer responded immediately, escorting Deng Ying down from the golden platform.
The Emperor examined the memorial on his throne, then suddenly called out to Yang Lun.
“Minister Yang.”
Yang Lun stepped out of the ranks and knelt, kowtowing as he responded: “Your subject is here.”
Emperor Zhenning raised the memorial toward him. “Why didn’t you sign with your fellow officials from the Ministry of Revenue?”
Yang Lun prostrated himself and said: “Your subject once blocked the investigation of southern school fields under the pretext of ‘approaching autumn examinations.’ Now that this matter has come to light, your subject cannot avoid suspicion and thus was not worthy to sign with the Cabinet. Before this case is cleared, please allow your subject to await punishment outside court.”
Emperor Zhenning gave a short laugh. “So you’re resigning from court.”
Yang Lun kowtowed and said: “Your subject wouldn’t dare.”
Emperor Zhenning said: “These words are false. Elder Bai is too ill to handle Hangzhou matters, and you choose this time to await punishment outside court? This is neglecting your duties and deeply betraying my favor.”
“Yes, your subject acknowledges his crime. Your subject spoke wrongly, please punish me, Your Majesty.”
Emperor Zhenning then called Bai Yuyang out of the ranks.
“Minister Bai, I see your name is also on this joint memorial. Has the Ministry of Justice discussed its proceedings? Who will be questioned?”
Bai Yuyang said: “In reply to Your Majesty, Fu Bainian in the Ministry of Justice prison needs to be re-examined. Additionally, the Hangzhou Prefecture Magistrate and Transport Commission clerks all need to be sent to the Ministry of Justice.”
Emperor Zhenning was silent for a while, then tapped his throne and said: “Too many.”