Yang Wan saw he seemed somewhat dazed and slowed her pace further.
“Will you no longer manage the imperial city construction?”
“Yes…”
He coughed once, collecting his thoughts before answering seriously: “The subsequent work has been assigned to Xu Qi by the Ministry of Works.”
“Don’t you feel it’s a bit of a shame?”
Deng Ying didn’t answer immediately, remaining silent for a moment before saying: “The imperial city construction has been ongoing for more than forty years. Even the teacher couldn’t participate from beginning to end. Now… though I no longer build it, I still dwell within it.”
This statement… truly carried a hint of “building one’s prison.”
Yang Wan felt uncomfortable and changed the topic: “What about the Eastern Investigation Bureau? Are you managing well?”
Deng Ying looked toward the gray-blue river surface, “Still reforming.”
“Is there much resistance?”
Deng Ying turned back to smile at her, “The resistance isn’t from the Ceremonial Department but from the Northern Security Office.”
Yang Wan stopped in her tracks, “How are you handling it now?”
Deng Ying said: “Using the Northern Security Office’s Embroidered Uniform Guard directly as Eastern Bureau guards, adding penal officials on top of the original two thousand households under the Eastern Bureau’s control – this is a necessary step.”
Yang Wan pursed her lips, “Will Zhang Luo agree? To give his men to your Eastern Bureau?”
Deng Ying shook his head, “Of course, he won’t agree, but it’s not difficult because this is also His Majesty’s wish.”
“Mm…”
Yang Wan looked up, “This way His Majesty can use the Eastern Bureau to monitor all the Northern Security Office’s judicial matters.”
“Mm.”
Deng Ying nodded, “You’ve always been very astute.”
Yang Wan wanted to say this was merely the advantage of a historical perspective, essentially hindsight.
“Being clever is of no use when you can’t do anything.”
Deng Ying bent slightly to meet Yang Wan’s eyes, “That’s for me to do.”
He paused before continuing, “Actually, in my position, there isn’t much I can do, but… as long as the Cabinet trusts me even a little, I won’t let what happened at Tongjia Academy happen again.”
“What if they don’t trust you?”
Deng Ying didn’t answer this question.
Had anyone in history trusted Deng Ying?
Perhaps only Yang Lun had trusted him.
Then during those few years Deng Ying lived, had anything similar to the Tongjia tragedy happened again?
No.
Even if the Cabinet hadn’t trusted him, he had ultimately fulfilled what he promised Yang Wan today.
He alone became the wall between the civil officials and the imperial power institutions like the Ceremonial Department and Northern Security Office. Yet those who wrote history still buried him in filth.
During the Jinghe years, the political environment was relatively clean. The Cabinet, led by Yi Lang and Yang Lun, implemented new policies. The people’s livelihood was prosperous, the borders were stable – it was a rare period of peace in Ming dynasty history. Yang Lun thus achieved lasting fame, and Emperor Jinghe was evaluated by later generations as a wise ruler.
Only Deng Ying, once a jade in the box…
The next line, which contained his name, became a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yang Wan couldn’t bear to recall it at this moment.
So she said nothing more, holding Deng Ying’s hand as they walked slowly forward.
After passing the Hall of Ancestral Worship, they turned into the palace corridor of the Inner Six Palaces. Just as Yang Wan released Deng Ying’s hand, she heard someone calling from behind, “Aunt.”
Yang Wan quickly turned around to see Yi Lang running towards her, followed by Yang Lun and a teenage boy.
“Your Highness…”
Before Yang Wan could react, Yi Lang had thrown himself into her arms.
Having not seen Yang Wan for a long time, he was even more affectionate than usual. Afraid he might fall, Yang Wan had to bend down to hold him.
Deng Ying stepped back two paces and knelt in greeting before Yi Lang.
By now Yang Lun and the youth had caught up. Yang Lun glanced at the kneeling Deng Ying without comment, then looked up at Yang Wan: “Why aren’t you attending to Her Highness in Chengqian Palace?”
Yang Wan, holding Yi Lang’s waist, replied: “Oh, the Registry summoned me for some matters. When Heyu came looking for me, I just learned you had received imperial grace to enter the palace today, so I hurried over.”
Seeing Deng Ying still prostrated on the ground, she steadied Yi Lang and stepped back herself, kneeling to pay respects to Yi Lang, “Your Highness, please forgive this servant’s lack of propriety.”
Seeing Yang Wan do this, Yi Lang finally noticed Deng Ying. He looked back at Yang Lun, who kept his jaw set and remained silent.
Yi Lang turned back, his mouth turning down as he said formally: “You may all rise.”
“Yes.”
Yang Wan stood up and only then did Deng Ying rise as well.
Yi Lang reached out to pull Yang Wan behind him, then walked a few steps toward Deng Ying.
“You are Deng Ying, the newly appointed Secretary Eunuch of the Ceremonial Department?”