“You didn’t harm anyone?”
“We wouldn’t dare!”
Qin Wende hastily replied, “Superintendent, you taught us to make a quiet profit and let the Disciplinary Court take the blame for any trouble. We all feel that though the money is less, it’s better for our karma than killing. How could we act rashly? We’ll continue to serve you well in the future.”
“Good.”
Deng Ying nodded with a smile, “It’s New Year’s Eve, go home early.”
Qin Wende bowed and took his leave.
Deng Ying looked up at the sun nearing noon.
The sky was cloudless, sunlight falling directly on his skin, yet without a trace of warmth.
Controlling the Eastern Depot was different from managing palace construction workers. Though his heart hadn’t changed, his actions appeared as two extremes in others’ eyes.
Deng Ying pulled his cape tighter and walked toward the Inner Eastern Depot office, silently reciting Huang Ran’s poem line the whole way.
“I pray spring’s clarity descends today, Soon turning the world to three feet of ice.”
At first glance, there seemed no issue, but considering Huang Ran’s position and the recent court debates about establishing an heir, the line carried terrifying implications of killing the Emperor to establish a new one.
Deng Ying pressed his tiger’s mouth point and looked back toward Donghua Gate.
Today the imperial city opened its three gates, with capital officials gathering at the Hall of Supreme Harmony for the banquet. The open gates gaped like three hopeless mouths. When designing and building them, Deng Ying knew every brick intimately, but once handed over, they became connected to the current Emperor’s breath, losing their simple nature as mere stone.
Deng Ying turned back and continued walking, sincerely wanting to praise Huang Ran.
“I pray spring’s clarity descends today, Soon turning the world to three feet of ice.”
This line, he had written it sharp as a knife cutting flesh – truly excellent.
At the Hall of Central Harmony, officials waited for the grand banquet. In the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Empress, Empress Dowager, and consorts were receiving ceremonial greetings from noble ladies under the guidance of the Palace Ritual Bureau’s Reception Officials. At year’s end, Prince Ping’s elderly Princess Consort had returned to the capital to visit the ill Empress Dowager. She was the Empress Dowager’s sister from her maternal family. Since following Prince Ping to his northern fief, she hadn’t returned to the capital. Seeing her sister after many years, they discussed family matters, then talked about the northern border – the Oirat’s yearly harassment and the people’s unbearable suffering – and the conversation grew lengthy.
The other consorts and noble ladies showed little interest in these border matters. Only Consort Ning sat attentively beside the Empress Dowager and elderly Princess Consort, listening and occasionally responding.
The elderly Princess Consort observed her wearing a semi-new gauze jacket and skirt. Though her makeup was formal for the New Year, it wasn’t heavy, and her overall bearing was light and elegant, her manner gentle and appropriate. Quite pleased, she couldn’t help saying to the Empress Dowager, “This is Yi Lang’s mother, isn’t it?”
The Empress Dowager nodded, “Yes.”
The elderly Princess Consort said, “I thought so – only such a noble lady could have raised Your Highness’s grandson to be so well-mannered.”
Then a thought occurred to her, “Does the noble lady have any other sisters?”
Consort Ning looked to the Empress Dowager, not daring to speak rashly. The Empress Dowager answered, “She has a younger sister currently in the Palace Ritual Bureau.”
The elderly Princess Consort quickly said, “Then we must meet her.”
The Empress Dowager smiled, “Are you looking for a match for your grandson?”
“Indeed.”
The elderly Princess Consort looked at Consort Ning, “I wouldn’t have mentioned it if I hadn’t returned, but now that I’m here with Your Highness, I’ll be bold – my grandson hasn’t yet taken a principal wife.”
“A principal wife won’t do.”
The Empress Dowager directly rebuffed this suggestion.
The elderly Princess Consort was confused, but Consort Ning hurriedly rose and knelt.
The Empress Dowager looked down, “What are you doing?”
“Your Highness, please forgive me. Yang Wan…”
“Don’t lose composure before distant guests. Go bring her here – we’ll discuss the rest later.”
During the exchange between the Empress Dowager and Consort Ning, a palace servant bent to whisper something to the elderly Princess Consort. She finally understood – Yang Wan was the Palace Ritual Bureau female official who had been engaged to the Zhang family and later suffered damage to her reputation. She quickly rose and said to the Empress Dowager, “I was being foolish – my grandson is still too young, there’s no rush.”
Hearing this, Consort Ning finally relaxed slightly but then noticed the Empress Dowager’s clear displeasure.
Knowing her presence would only make the Empress Dowager more uncomfortable, she used the excuse of returning to change clothes to withdraw.
Yang Wan had been standing below the moon terrace of the Palace of Heavenly Purity, observing ceremonial matters with two Ceremonial Officials.
Suddenly, a warm small hand grabbed her finger.
“Aunt…”
Yang Wan turned to see Yi Lang looking at her eagerly, appearing to have run through the cold wind – even his cape ties had come undone.
She quickly crouched down to tighten Yi Lang’s cape, “Your Imperial Father is about to take his seat at the Hall of Central Harmony – why are you still here?”
She looked up to ask the accompanying eunuch, “What’s going on?”
The eunuch replied, “His Highness hasn’t been feeling well since early morning and vomited something, but he insisted we not mention it. He was supposed to go to the Hall of Central Harmony, but suddenly said he wanted to find Consort Ning. We had to follow him here, only to find the Consort had gone to change clothes.”
Yang Wan felt Yi Lang’s forehead – fortunately no fever. She had him stand in a sheltered spot while she blocked the snowy wind.
“What’s wrong? Did you eat something that didn’t agree with you earlier?”
Yi Lang shook his head, “I don’t want to go to the Hall of Central Harmony.”
“Why?”
Yi Lang pressed his lips together for a moment, then suddenly mentioned something seemingly unrelated to the banquet.
“The other day, Father Emperor personally came to the Hall of Literary Cultivation and severely reprimanded my lecturer, even making him stand in the cangue outside Wumen Gate.”
After saying this, he frowned, pulling at his leather belt, his eyes reddening. “I pleaded for my teacher, but Father Emperor rebuked me for being ‘young and arrogant.'”
Yang Wan comforted him, “Is Your Highness perhaps afraid?”
“Not afraid, but I feel it’s unfair to my teacher.”
As he said this, his fists were clenched, but his body trembled.
Yang Wan looked at his small hands, sensing his unease.
First as ruler and subject, then as father and son – he was but another life under imperial authority. Though he tried to hide his fear in his words, his body betrayed him.
Yang Wan hugged him, gathering his increasingly cold hands to her chest.
But he trembled even more.
Yang Wan calculated the time, knowing this standoff couldn’t continue. She bent down and softly told him, “This servant will accompany Your Highness there.”
Yi Lang looked up, “Aunt, you’re a female official – you can’t enter the Hall of Central Harmony.”
Yang Wan nodded, “This servant won’t enter. I’ll escort Your Highness there, then wait for you below the moon terrace.”