His inner turmoil was about to erupt when he heard the servant say: “Sir, this was delivered by an official from the Embroidered Uniform Guard outside, requesting you read it immediately.”
Yang Lun raised his hand to take it. Qi Huaiyang hurriedly asked, “What is it?”
Yang Lun lowered his head, his voice becoming somewhat calmer.
“Zhang Luo’s letter.”
Outside Qingbo Pavilion, Yang Wan was dragged from her sickbed to the door by men from the Five Cities Military Command.
Still recovering from illness, she wore only a thin undergarment. Now exposed to the wind, she shivered uncontrollably wave after wave.
Song Yunqing rushed out after her, falling to her knees before the Military Command men, “Our Qingbo Pavilion will close immediately, I beg you, don’t take her away…”
“Yunqing…”
Yang Wan coughed several times, “Get up, don’t beg.”
Song Yunqing turned back, “But what about you…”
The Military Command Commander said: “Pull this woman away, chain the prisoner, and take her.”
Several men stepped forward, forcefully gripping Yang Wan’s wrist. Song Yunqing cried out: “You can’t treat her like this!”
The Commander said impatiently: “Told you to drag her away, what are you standing there for!”
Just then, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly came from down the road, growing closer.
The Military Command Commander raised his hand signaling everyone to be alert, turned to look, and saw a group of men in black clothes, with Zhang Luo at the front.
“Damn it.”
The Commander couldn’t help cursing, yet had to step forward to pay respects.
“Your Honor.”
Zhang Luo reined in his horse at the door, glanced at Yang Wan below his horse, raised his riding crop pointing at her: “Release her.”
“Lord Zhang…”
Zhang Luo didn’t even look at him, raised his voice, and shouted at the men around Yang Wan: “Did you not understand?”
The guards’ backs went cold with fear, hurriedly unlocking the shackles on Yang Wan’s hands.
The Military Command Commander watched his subordinates following Zhang Luo’s every command, and couldn’t help saying from the side: “Lord Zhang, with you acting like this, how are we to answer to the Censorate?”
Zhang Luo said from atop his horse: “Why do you need to answer to the Censorate?”
“I…”
Zhang Luo gave a cold laugh, “You still don’t understand your position as Commander – in this place, you still don’t know who protects her?”
The Military Command men were stunned.
Zhang Luo said coldly: “Do I need to make it even clearer?”
“We wouldn’t dare…”
“Since that’s the case, take your men and leave. The Embroidered Uniform Guard will handle this.”
After speaking, he dismounted and ordered: “Seal the door!”
Seeing this, Song Yunqing hurriedly went forward to support Yang Wan, but as soon as she touched her, it immediately triggered a bout of violent coughing.
“Yunqing don’t move me… I… I need a moment.”
Song Yunqing quickly let go of her, “Alright… rest a while, I’ll go inside and bring out a blanket.”
With that, she ran inside.
Zhang Luo crouched down, seeing Yang Wan shaking all over, instinctively moved to take off his cloak.
However, just as he raised his hand, he suddenly heard the person before him say: “Don’t give it to me.”
Zhang Luo’s fingers paused as he looked down at Yang Wan.
She leaned against the door, her face somewhat flushed, but still showing him a smile.
Catching her breath, she raised her hand to tidy her slightly disheveled hair, suppressing her cough as she said: “Though I look quite pitiful now, I’m very afraid of being pitied.”
Zhang Luo lowered his hand, “Why?”
Yang Wan shrugged her shoulders, “Those who pity me won’t read that book, they’ll only watch my tragedy show, but I’m fighting so hard to live, not to perform.”
Zhang Luo silently looked at her, suddenly asking: “How dare you?”
Yang Wan laughed, “Because I can’t let it go, can’t resign myself to this.”
She choked a bit as she spoke, “I know you can all accept it, even Deng Ying himself could accept it by this point, but I can’t.”
Zhang Luo said coldly: “Because you love him.”
“Not just that.”
Yang Wan pressed her lips together and shook her head, “Because I know that afterward, no one will clear his name. His spirit will have to wait hundreds of years amid condemnation by word and pen.”
Zhang Luo looked at Yang Wan in silence for a long while before turning his head to one side, “You can’t save him anymore. He bears a hundred crimes, death is certain, and His Majesty means to protect you – you shouldn’t waste that.”
He stood up after speaking, “I can leave Qingbo Pavilion unsealed, but I must burn all the books and printing blocks in your pavilion today, and I must also take away all the printing ink and paper you’ve stockpiled. You must not resist, otherwise I will have you arrested.”
“Alright.”
Yang Wan lifted her head, “I won’t resist, I’ll let you take them.”
“Yang Wan!”
Zhang Luo called out her name, “Stop opposing the court, you can’t win.”
Yang Wan hugged her knees and sat up straight, “Remember what I told you before? If one day I also become a prisoner, please treat me the same way you treated Deng Ying.”
“What are you saying…”
“Zhang Luo.”
She called his name in return, looking up earnestly: “I, Yang Wan, am also a scholar.”
Zhang Luo looked down and said: “Must it be this way? What else can you do?”
Yang Wan slowly raised both hands to him.
Her arms were half-hidden in the sleeves of her undergarment, the exposed parts pale and frail, yet looking closely at her fingers’ edges, one could faintly see the calluses left from long-term holding of writing brushes.
“With the printing blocks gone, I still have my hands. Unless you cut off these hands of mine, preventing me from holding a brush.”