“Deng Ying wouldn’t dare.”
Hearing this, Bai Huan gave a bitter laugh. “Your teacher was right. Without testing it with his life, I truly didn’t know what kind of heart you were offering me.”
He finished speaking and patted Deng Ying’s shoulder.
“Director Deng, the Tongjia Academy was condemned because of you, but they died because of me. It was my stubborn self-righteousness, and my failure to recognize others’ wisdom. All guilt lies with me. You needn’t blame yourself too much. If in the future Director Deng hears cutting remarks about this, this minister hereby apologizes to you.”
Having said this, he raised his hand, breathing heavily, and bowed to Deng Ying.
Deng Ying quickly knelt and prostrated himself. “Senior Bai, please don’t do this.”
Bai Huan paid no attention to his words and actions, maintaining his bow with raised arms until it was complete.
Deng Ying raised his head, looking at Bai Huan bowing before him, his heart filled with great anguish.
It was also in this place that Bai Huan had once told him, “Don’t disgrace my best student.”
Yet today, he was bowing to him.
Deng Ying had originally forced himself to sever this master-student relationship, but that tiny possibility seeping through the cut had shattered the prison he had built for himself. Yet he knew deeply that even without those constraints, this was a step he absolutely could not take.
“I beg the Senior not to treat this servant this way.”
He used the self-reference of a servant to force himself to stay clear-headed.
Bai Huan straightened up, but the long bow had made him dizzy, and his body lurched forward uncontrollably.
Yang Wan, seeing Deng Ying kneeling, quickly stepped forward to support Bai Huan.
Bai Huan glanced at her from the side but said nothing.
He merely gently brushed aside Yang Wan’s arm and continued looking down at Deng Ying.
Master and student remained thus, one kneeling and one standing, in speechless silence.
After a long while, Bai Huan finally sighed: “It’s fortunate that back then, he didn’t hand you over to me.”
Having said this, he slowly walked past him, crossed the Hall of Military Glory, and walked toward the Gate of Supreme Harmony.
Yang Lun followed from behind, stopping beside Deng Ying. “What did you say to the teacher? Why did he bow to you?”
Deng Ying remained kneeling without moving.
Yang Lun raised his voice, “What exactly did you say!”
Deng Ying put his hand on the ground and said softly: “Master Yang, could you please not speak?”
Yang Lun was startled.
“I…”
Yang Wan spoke up: “Why are you shouting? Can’t you see he’s holding back his pain?”
She then helped Deng Ying up, pulling him behind her, and looked up at Yang Lun: “With all this chaos, did something happen at the Tongjia Academy?”
Yang Lun was surprised. “How did you know?”
Yang Wan looked at Bai Huan’s retreating figure. “Just now… Minister Bai mentioned it.”
Yang Lun looked at Deng Ying, hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice: “I know there were people at Tongjia Academy who associated with you. Don’t be too distressed when you hear this. Today the Commanding Guard presented charges against Zhou Congshan and others to His Majesty, including conspiracy with the Deng faction and insulting the sovereign. Zhou Congshan and ten others have been sentenced to beheading, to be carried out after autumn. As for the others… some are sentenced to exile and some to imprisonment, but I suspect Zhang Luo won’t let these people live until the Ministry of Justice takes over.”
After hearing this, Deng Ying couldn’t help but choke. “The two young masters of the Zhao family, are they still alive?”
Yang Lun said: “Zhao Pingsheng… is already dead. His brother Zhao Pingling is among the ten to be executed.”
Deng Ying asked, suppressing his grief: “Is there no way out?”
Yang Lun shook his head, looking toward the Gate of Supreme Harmony. “It depends on whether the teacher’s plea for punishment can dispel His Majesty’s anger.”
Deng Ying turned around to look at Bai Huan, kneeling alone before the Gate of Supreme Harmony.
He understood how difficult this kowtow was for Bai Huan.
This was not just a minister admitting error and begging forgiveness from the emperor after a political struggle – it was also his apology to the more than eighty people of Tongjia Academy. Compared to the former, the latter was what truly broke one’s heart and spirit.
“Master Yang.”
Yang Lun had also been lost in thought, but hearing Deng Ying call him, he came back to himself.
“Speak.”
Deng Ying turned around. “Does His Majesty know about Deputy Zhang executing the academy students at the Eastern Depot?”
Yang Lun said: “According to Secretary Zheng, His Majesty only approved the execution of Zhou Congshan and over ten others. Since he showed mercy to the remaining students, he shouldn’t have secretly ordered Zhang Luo to execute them. For the specifics, you can ask Secretary Zheng yourself.”
He finished speaking and gave a long sigh. “These students were so innocent, dying so brutally – it was meant as a warning to those in the Six Offices and Censorate. Fortunately these past few days, no one has dared to jointly petition again. Well, I can’t say too much more to you here.”
As he was about to leave, he remembered something.
“Yang Wan.”
“Mm?”
“These matters are not for you to inquire about.”
Yang Wan nodded. “I understand.”
After Yang Lun left, Deng Ying still stood silently outside the Hall of Military Glory.