When Yang Lun left Yangxin Hall, the rain outside had grown heavier, beating against the glazed tile roof like thrown stones.
Yang Lun hesitated, turning back to see Deng Ying step out of the hall and open an umbrella beside him.
“His Majesty ordered me to escort Minister Yang.”
Though the rain roared, the two walked in silence along the palace path.
It wasn’t until they reached Huiji Gate that Yang Lun finally grabbed the umbrella Deng Ying had been holding up. “Enough.”
Deng Ying moved under the gate wall, wringing out his water-soaked sleeve.
Following the custom of escorting officials, Deng Ying tilted the umbrella to protect Yang Lun the whole way, leaving his official robes completely drenched.
“Then I shall see the Minister off here.”
“It is I who am seeing you off here.”
Deng Ying started, then nodded, “Yes.”
He bowed deeply to Yang Lun.
Yang Lun looked at his hands raised to his forehead and suddenly said: “Deng Fuling, do you think I, as your classmate, have done right by you in our acquaintance?”
Deng Ying lowered his hands and straightened up, smiling slightly: “Zizi, we have both done our utmost.”
Yang Lun said: “I have not done my utmost.”
“But this is enough now.”
He smiled as he spoke, “Zizi, I’ve asked His Majesty if he permits, after I am found guilty, to transfer my household registration to the Yang family.”
A ringing suddenly filled Yang Lun’s ears, “Transfer how?”
“Great households in the capital also keep eunu—”
“Deng Fuling, haven’t you long wished to be rid of this status?”
After speaking these words, Yang Lun trembled all over and stepped forward: “Whether you transfer your registration or not, I will handle your affairs after death! Watching you come to this end… Deng Fuling, I… I am already overwhelmed with shame, do you truly want to force me to have no place to hide my face?”
His emotions were somewhat out of control, so he turned away immediately, gripping his tiger’s mouth acupoint hard and exhaling turbid breath, forcing himself to calm down.
The person behind him sighed.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think of you.”
He lowered his eyes, “I want to follow Wan-wan.”
Yang Lun’s shoulders slumped.
He had married at seventeen and didn’t understand emotions outside of scholarly marriages, much less the logic of a man following a woman. But by now, he really couldn’t bear to question the person before him. After all, he had nothing left and was only asking for an illusory destination that humiliated his very being. Even though Yang Lun was reluctant to give it, in the end, it seemed he had no choice but to agree.
“Zizi.”
Yang Lun, with his back turned, spat out the word “Speak.”
“I’ve sold my outer residence to Yang Wan outright, but worried that after being found guilty it might implicate her, so I didn’t have it officially sealed. Though it’s not a red deed, it’s still valid. I’ve given the property deed to Chen Hua to pass to Wan-wan. I know Wan-wan doesn’t care about that residence, but it represents my life’s savings. Please persuade her to accept it.”
“Alright.”
Yang Lun suppressed his emotions, forcing his voice to level: “I will tell her.”
Deng Ying nodded, “There’s one more thing I need to give you, but don’t give it to Wan-wan.”
“What is it?”
Deng Ying undid his robe and took out a cloth package from his breast.
Yang Lun opened it to find an exquisite jade pendant carved with lotus flowers of the highest quality.
The Yang family prized jade, and Yang Lun, Yang Wan, and Yang Jin all loved wearing jade ornaments.
Yang Wan’s childhood name was Yu Furong (Jade Lotus), and Yang Lun doted on her. When serving in the provinces, he often sought out jade to bring back and have lotus patterns carved into ornaments for his sister. He had seen most of the better quality lotus-patterned jade ornaments in the capital, but this pendant was one he had never seen before.
“Where did you get this?”
Deng Ying replied: “My teacher left it to me before he died. I’ve kept it all this time, but this time confiscation is inevitable, so I can only give it to you.”
Yang Lun looked at the jade surface: “It’s carved with lotus, why not give it to Wan’er?”
Deng Ying followed Yang Lun’s gaze and said softly, “This is a betrothal gift. Zizi,”
He looked up at Yang Lun, “Would you approve if I gave it to her?”
Yang Lun’s fingers clenched, his throat tight for a long while before suddenly saying: “What does your approval matter to me? All these years, I haven’t been able to control Yang Wan, as you well know.”
Deng Ying said nothing more.
The rain thundered.
Behind Huiji Gate, several eunuchs rushing through the rain called out: “The moat waters are rising!”
There was a folk saying that when the moat waters rise, the day of redressing injustice draws near.
Yang Lun felt this saying was both true and false.
In the sixth month of the first year of Jinghe.
Deng Ying was officially stripped of his positions as Director of the Department of Imperial Ceremonial and Director of the Eastern Depot, and imprisoned in the imperial jail.