Yang Wan quickly asked, “Are you leaving the palace now?”
Physician Peng looked at the sky. “It’s still early.”
“Then I’ll send Li Yu to fetch him right away.”
With that, she happily walked outside and snatched Li Yu’s palm-leaf fan.
Li Yu jumped up. “What are you doing?”
“I’ll watch things here – you go find Deng Ying.”
Li Yu said: “You’re not asking him to come help with the fire, are you? He’s been either at the Hall of Literary Brilliance or the Hall of Supreme Harmony these days – he’s incredibly busy.”
Yang Wan hit Li Yu’s head with the fan.
“Who said I’m asking him to tend the fire? Hurry up and go find him, or I’ll tell your sister you didn’t listen to me.”
“You…”
Li Yu stomped his foot and turned around. “Fine, I’ll go find him.”
“Wait, you haven’t asked what I want him for. What if he doesn’t come?”
Li Yu rolled his eyes.
“He’d climb a mountain of swords if you asked – he won’t even question it. I’m going. Don’t tell my sister, okay?”
Yang Wan smiled and squatted down behind Li Yu, bending to tend the fire in the stove.
As the autumn of Zhenning’s twelfth year approached, she had been having nightmares for an entire month, tossing and turning, unable to sleep soundly.
She didn’t dare let Consort Ning and the people of the Bureau of Ceremonies know. She still delivered documents between the Inner Court Offices daily, but when she saw Consort Ning and Yi Lang, she spoke noticeably less.
Her notes had been filled in up to the Tongjia tragedy – from Zhang Zhanchun to the two censors Huang and Liu, every word, though concise and calm in her usual writing style, concealed blood and tears.
Today finally brought something to make her happy.
As she thought about this, she fanned herself while watching the entrance.
The golden sun was setting.
When Deng Ying arrived, it was just twilight.
He seemed to have come directly from the Hall of Supreme Harmony, wearing a gray robe with dust on his sleeves. As he walked, he rolled up his sleeves and squatted down beside Yang Wan. “Were you punished?”
Yang Wan folded her hands in her lap. “Something like that.”
Deng Ying reached for her fan. “Let me do it.”
Yang Wan shook her head. “I was joking, I’m fine.”
She then waved to Li Yu behind him. “Come here.”
Li Yu resignedly took the fan. “Alright, Deng Ying, hurry and take her away. Even the fire is afraid of her.”
Yang Wan couldn’t help laughing as she tapped his head: “Thank you for your help.”
Then she stood and said to Deng Ying: “Come, follow me inside.”
Deng Ying also stood up, looking at the medicine hall. “This isn’t a place I can enter privately.”
“It’s fine.”
Physician Peng came to the door. “Today, for Lady Yang and the Bureau of Ceremonies’ sake, we can make an exception.”
He stepped aside. “Come in.”
Deng Ying entered the medicine hall with Yang Wan.
Physician Peng pointed to a round-backed armchair. “Sit here.”
Deng Ying remained standing. “I dare not. If my lord has something to say, please speak.”
Physician Peng said: “Your injury is on your ankle – how can I examine it while you’re standing?”
Deng Ying was startled. “How could I let my lord examine my injury?”
Yang Wan pulled his sleeve and led him to the chair. “I begged my lord for so long – don’t say another word, or if he refuses to examine you, I’ll die of anger right in front of you.”
Though Deng Ying sat down uncomfortably under her pressure, he didn’t speak further.
Physician Peng glanced at Yang Wan and smiled. “No need to get angry with him.”
Then he said to Deng Ying: “Remove your shoes and socks, let me look first.”
“My lord, you cannot!”
Yang Wan saw how he almost instinctively turned his leg to one side, so she released her hand pressing Deng Ying down and stepping back toward the door.
“I’m a bit hot – I want to go out for some air. Don’t you dare anger Physician Peng, understand?”
Without waiting for Deng Ying’s response, she turned and went outside, closing the door.
Li Yu saw her come out alone and asked: “Why did you come out by yourself?”
Yang Wan sat on the steps. “Don’t you understand that patients need privacy?”
“What nonsense… I don’t understand.”