Consort Ning stood alone at the door, looking up to compose herself for a while before walking to the back hall.
In the bedroom of the back hall, Yang Wan had just had medicine applied, and He Yu was feeding her porridge. Yi Lang sat on a stool reading a book. Consort Ning rubbed her somewhat swollen eyes, trying to make her voice sound as natural as possible, “What is Yi Lang doing?”
Yang Wan gently pushed away the bowl of porridge in He Yu’s hand, “When the medicine was applied earlier it hurt quite badly, so His Highness was reading ‘Shadow of Dreams’ to this servant.”
Consort Ning took the porridge bowl from He Yu’s hand and sat beside Yang Wan.
“Sister couldn’t protect you well. These few days, rest and recover peacefully, sister will serve you.”
Yang Wan hurriedly said: “Your Majesty, you cannot stay with me constantly, you must go see His Majesty.”
Consort Ning put down the porridge bowl, “How can I see him…”
She lowered her eyes, looking at the rice skin formed on the edge of the porridge bowl, “And what could I say if I did?”
“Don’t say anything, just spend a day or two properly with His Majesty.”
“For the future?”
“…”
Yang Wan was speechless.
Consort Ning glanced at Yi Lang nearby, signaling He Yu to take him out for some food, before speaking softly to Yang Wan: “If you were sister, could you do it?”
Yang Wan’s heart was suddenly pierced by these words, and she quickly grabbed Consort Ning’s hand saying: “I’m sorry sister, I was too presumptuous, I shouldn’t have said such things, I…”
Consort Ning gripped her hand back, “Don’t move, don’t move, be careful not to hurt yourself again.”
“I’m not in pain.”
“Ah…”
Consort Ning sighed softly, “You mean well for sister, sister understands everything, it’s just that people aren’t plants and trees, we all have places we can’t bear to leave.”
As she spoke, she stroked Yang Wan’s cheek, “Can you promise sister one thing?”
“Please tell me.”
Consort Ning moved her legs to sit closer to Yang Wan. The shadow of the bed curtain fell completely on her, enveloping her entire person.
“Although our Yang family has a brother in the cabinet, His Majesty is wary of relatives by marriage, and Yi Lang has seen very little of a brother over these many years. You and I understand brother’s character – upright his whole life, his heart and mind focused entirely on the court and the common people. Even though Yi Lang is his relative, he only treats him as a prince to be disciplined. Although the Hall of Literary Glory has teachers, lecturers, and readers who have always been devoted to Yi Lang, they are after all outside officials who cannot know a young child’s cold and warm, sickness and pain, nor see his tears. This child, worried about disappointing his teachers, is also worried that his father won’t believe in him. Although he won’t say anything, he lives much more bitterly than children from ordinary families…”
“Sister, what are you trying to say?”
Yang Wan interrupted her, “Yi Lang is your son, only you can feel pain for his suffering.”
Consort Ning shook her head, “You can too.”
“I cannot… sister, I cannot.”
As she shook, she pulled at her wound, causing her to gasp in pain, but she paid no attention to anything else and grabbed Consort Ning’s sleeve.
“I cannot bear such responsibility. He is a prince of the Great Ming Dynasty, I am just a… no… sister, I am nothing.”
Consort Ning embraced Yang Wan, “Don’t be afraid, Wan’er, sister hasn’t had foolish thoughts, sister just fears His Majesty’s suspicion and resentment, sister will implicate Yi Lang, and you.”
Yang Wan shook her head: “If he wants to resent then let him resent, but sister, you must live!”
“Wan’er, mind your words.”
Yang Wan didn’t respond to her, raising her voice to continue: “He’s just a man, if a man resents a woman, then let him resent! He’s the one tossing and turning, he’s the one unsettled in spirit. Sister, live peacefully with us, why care about whether he lives or dies!”
“Wan’er!”
After this outburst, Yang Wan was somewhat breathless, her chest tight with pain, making her slightly dizzy.
She understood how absurd, how presumptuous these words would sound in this era, but she still said them to Consort Ning, even though she knew that views separated by several hundred years could never truly take root in Consort Ning’s heart. Moreover, that person wasn’t just a man – the Emperor’s “resentment” could create a cage, a set of shackles, imprisoning the fragile woman before her for life.
“Sister…”
“Yes.”
Yang Wan hugged Consort Ning’s waist, “I promise you, no matter what, I will take good care of His Highness, but you must also promise me to live well and not think too much. One day, we will be able to walk out of here.”