Yang Wan called out to stop him. Zhang Luo halted: “Something else?”
Yang Wan stood and walked to face him, “You came specifically to check on Qingbo House today, didn’t you?”
Zhang Luo pressed his lips together without speaking.
Yang Wan looked up, “How can I thank you if you won’t admit it?”
Zhang Luo looked down: “I don’t need your thanks. Patrolling the capital is the Northern Depot’s duty.”
“Yes.”
Yang Wan smiled in acknowledgment.
Zhang Luo avoided her gaze, though his neck gradually grew warm.
“Yang Wan…”
He tentatively called her name.
“Yes?” she responded, still not looking away.
The veins on Zhang Luo’s neck quietly became prominent. He had to turn sideways, “If anyone comes to cause trouble at Qingbo House again, you can send someone to find me at the Northern Depot. If I’m not there, you can also look for Lieutenant Li.”
Yang Wan shook her head, “I don’t want to involve my lord.”
“The capital is under my jurisdiction. Using the word ‘involve’ is inappropriate.”
Yang Wan didn’t decline further, stepping back to bow to him, “Thank you, my lord.”
Zhang Luo looked down as she completed her bow. Compared to their first meeting at the Yang residence four years ago, her manner of bowing was much more sincere, her deportment even somewhat similar to that person’s, yet fundamentally different. She wasn’t humble – even with her head lowered, she was merely expressing gratitude, maintaining propriety.
“I accept no thanks.”
Yang Wan straightened up, “If Lord Zhang won’t accept my thanks, would you consider being friends?”
Zhang Luo started, then coldly replied: “I only ‘associate’ with those in prison.”
“Including Deng Ying?”
Zhang Luo didn’t deny it.
Yang Wan continued: “If one day I become a prisoner, I hope my lord will treat me as you treated Deng Ying.”
“Why would you become a prisoner?”
Yang Wan looked up, “Who knows what the future holds? I’ve always harbored discontent, and I don’t know how long this discontent will be tolerated.”
Zhang Luo didn’t pursue it further, saying: “I don’t associate with women, and haven’t you forgotten that you once said I wasn’t worthy of your emotions?”
“I…”
Yang Wan choked slightly, then smiled, “Is it too late to take back those words?”
Zhang Luo turned and walked a few steps forward, replying: “I take back what I said to you before.”
“What words?”
“Too shameful to repeat now.”
After speaking, he continued walking forward, then suddenly paused and turned back: “Don’t let Yang Lun buy me tangerines anymore.”
Yang Wan was startled, “Ah?”
Zhang Luo frowned: “Too sour.”
As he finished speaking, he turned to see Deng Ying coming from the inner court.
“Lord Zhang…”
Zhang Luo instinctively swallowed, not waiting for him to finish before saying: “I have matters at the office.”
He then mounted his horse and rode away.
Yang Wan laughed while holding the broom.
Deng Ying came forward to ask: “What did Lord Zhang say was too sour?”
“Tangerines.”
Deng Ying didn’t understand why Yang Wan was laughing, adding: “Zixi’s tangerines are indeed quite sour.”
He then looked at the book’s ashes on the ground, “What was burned?”
“Oh, I burned some waste drafts. Why are you back today, don’t you have duty tomorrow?”
Deng Ying shook his head, “Tomorrow I meet with the cabinet.”
“About what?”
Deng Ying said: “Old cases from the Ceremonial Office are being reviewed. The cabinet and Ministry of Justice will question me. The Hanlin Academy has revised the ‘Imperial Ancestral Instructions,’ which is now with me. The cabinet hasn’t reviewed it yet, so I’ll present it tomorrow for discussion, then send it to the Han Publishing Office for printing.”
Yang Wan coughed once, “Has His Majesty seen the new ‘Instructions’?”
Deng Ying nodded, “Yes.”
“What did he say?”
Deng Ying remained silent.
“Others kill you, yet you forge a knife to kill yourself.”
“Wan-wan…”
“But it’s fine. That knife is forged by you, it won’t dare shame you.”
She took his arm, “Come, let’s go in and eat.”
On the fifth day of the third month, the inner and outer court officials met at the Ceremonial Office.
On the same day, an incident occurred in the capital – neither major nor minor – the wife and child of a student from Tongjia Academy were found drowned in a mill pond at a suburban estate. It should have been an accident, but somehow the remaining relatives reported it to the Prefecture, claiming the Eastern Depot had committed murder. After investigation, the Prefecture didn’t want to handle it as a case, but just as they were about to dismiss it, the Left Censor-in-Chief personally came to inquire, with a simple message: pursue this case.
When Yang Lun heard this news in the cabinet, looking at the new draft of the “Instructions” in his hand, he couldn’t speak for a long while.
Seeing sweat on his forehead, Qi Huaiyang couldn’t help advising: “Without evidence, the Prefecture won’t make arbitrary judgments.”
Yang Lun shouted: “Judgments? Is this even the case? You know that the Tongjia and Zhang cases are being reviewed now, and at this time, you claim an academy student’s wife and child died at the Eastern Depot’s hands. What are you doing? You’re inciting public outrage!”
“Is public outrage wrong?”
Bai Yuyang slammed down the document in his hand, “Someone reports a crime, and the Prefecture won’t investigate – that’s what provokes public outrage!”
Yang Lun advanced several steps toward Bai Yuyang, brandishing the new “Instructions”: “Lord Bai, have you ever seen a eunuch who disciplines other eunuchs like this?”
“Yang Lun!”
Bai Yuyang cut him off, “You are the Deputy Grand Secretary. Ask the other ministers – is your current behavior appropriate?”
Yang Lun looked at the other ministers, who all advised: “Deputy Secretary Yang, you can’t make the world lose faith in us.”
Yang Lun choked, feeling stifled.
His raised hand slowly lowered.
“I, Yang Lun, am ashamed to stand here today. I hereby resign!”