“Why wouldn’t she want to?” Yang Lun countered.
“With the Crown Prince ascending the throne, Her Majesty should by rights be cared for in the palace. Would she be willing to live in Banana Garden for the rest of her life?”
Yang Wan shook her head without speaking.
The year Zheng Yuejia died tragically in the Crane Residence case, Yang Lun was also fighting for his life while overseeing land clearing in the south.
Sick on the river, he didn’t know what had happened in the inner court a thousand li away.
By the time he returned, Zheng Yuejia was dead, Consort Ning was imprisoned in Banana Garden, Yang Wan had been marked with prison scars, and Deng Ying had taken all the blame for encroaching on academy lands.
Yang Lun only knew these people were protecting him, protecting the court’s hard-won land-clearing efforts in the south, but there were some extremely subtle human relationships within that the parties involved wouldn’t speak of, so he had no way of knowing.
“What exactly happened?”
Yang Wan sighed, not telling Yang Lun the hidden truth of those years, only saying, “I’m just guessing Her Majesty’s grief and resentment might run too deep.”
She then avoided this topic and asked instead, “Will the heir issue a clear edict about welcoming Her Majesty back to the palace?”
Yang Lun said, “This matter is still undecided. After all, the late emperor imprisoned Her Majesty on grounds of madness. Her Majesty’s future position needs to be discussed together with the grand ceremonies for the inner palace.”
“Alright.”
Yang Wan pressed her lips together, “After the new edict is issued, I will first go to Banana Garden to see Her Majesty.”
After speaking, she pinched her sleeve and paused. When she spoke again, her voice was considerably lower than before.
“Brother, once everything in the inner court is stable, I want to leave the palace.”
“Leave the palace?”
Yang Lun lowered his voice, “Why suddenly want to leave the palace at this time?”
Yang Wan looked up toward Donghua Gate, “I don’t like life in the inner court, nor do I want to continue being a servant of the inner court. These past few years, guarding His Highness, I’ve taken on quite a bit of blame. My health isn’t as good as before either. Living outside might help me recover some.”
She walked a few steps forward after speaking, walking in front of Yang Lun and looking up at him, “Before His Highness was young and Her Majesty wasn’t here, I really couldn’t set my mind at ease. Now His Highness is gradually growing up, and I’ve helped you check all the people taking care of him over these years. They may not all be very clever, but at least they’re good people with honest hearts. You can rest assured.”
“Yang Wan.”
“Yes?”
Yang Lun looked down at her face, “I haven’t asked about your affairs these past few years. Have you been mistreated in the palace?”
“Not really, I had Deng Ying.”
“He couldn’t even protect himself.”
“That’s true.”
Yang Wan nodded and smiled, “But we supported each other, and lived quite meaningfully.”
“I failed to protect you properly.”
Yang Lun was silent for a long while before saying these words.
“How about this – once the inner court stabilizes, brother will bring you home to rest and recover properly for a while.”
Yang Wan shook her head, “I’m not going home.”
Hearing her say this, Yang Lun couldn’t help but say anxiously, “Even if you want to be with Deng Ying, you still need to wait for him to come out safely. During this time while he’s not here, where can a young woman like you find peace if not at home?”
“Who says I can’t find peace?”
She smiled brightly at Yang Lun, “I still have Clear Wave Publishing House and Diligent Hall.”
“You…”
Clear Wave Publishing House and Diligent Hall were the two largest private publishing houses in the entire capital. Of these, Diligent Hall used to be even larger than many official publishing houses. Now they had quietly come under Yang Wan’s name. Yang Lun was stunned and couldn’t help but ask, “When did you acquire Diligent Hall?”
“After the autumn imperial examinations.”
“Where did you get the money?”
Yang Wan replied, “Don’t worry, I didn’t do anything I shouldn’t have. At the time, to prevent Diligent Hall from printing the writings of Zhou Muyi and other academy students, I bought out Diligent Hall’s printing ink. Then during this year’s spring and autumn examination markets, I did some business in front-door book sales along with several large inns from Changhe, earning quite a bit. Later, when Diligent Hall had to leave the capital because it was implicated in the academy’s ‘rebellion case’, I quietly took over their business in the capital.”
Yang Lun said, “You mentioned the ‘rebellion case’. Yang Wan, let me ask you, could Clear Wave Publishing House avoid being implicated? Who was bold enough to hide those students?”
“I hid them, but who made me the vegetable lady wife of the Eastern Depot official?”
“Fine…”
Yang Lun raised his hand to point at her, “You’re something.”
Yang Wan smiled, “Actually, I should also thank Deputy Commissioner Zhang. He let me off, otherwise, Clear Wave Publishing House would have been hard to keep, let alone acquire Diligent Hall.”
Yang Lun said, “What do you want these two publishing houses for? Do you want to be a female merchant?”
Yang Wan shook her head, “No, I want to be a scholar. Brushes, ink, books – these are the things I’m most familiar with. Looking at them makes my heart calm.”
After speaking, she gently gripped one of her wrists, “Brother, what I’ve always needed was never protection. What I need, no one can give me, so I can only give it to myself. You and Deng Ying are both scholars. Deng Ying made his vows with a literary heart, unwavering for life. You hold your brush as if a sword hangs over your heart – equally respectable. If you can do it, then I can too, just walking a different path from you.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Observe, record, and then put on a cold garment for those in cold and barren places.”
“What does that mean?”
“For those who have been wronged, cry out ‘I object.'”