A censor behind Ji Ren asked quietly, “Chief Censor, can we bring down the Eastern Depot this time?”
Ji Ren shook his head, “Did you hear his last words?”
“What?”
“‘Humbly submit to trial, respect the Great Ming Criminal Code.'”
He sighed and lowered his head, “Those don’t sound like words from an Eastern Depot official.”
In the alley off Fucheng Gate Inner Street, the usual food vendors selling noodles and tofu pudding had been pushed to the entrance.
Unable to do business, they simply put down their carrying poles and squatted at the alley entrance, eating from their bowls while watching inside. Yang Lun dismounted at the entrance, and Qi Huaiyang stood up from the tofu pudding stall to greet him, “The Censorate people have entered the palace.”
Yang Lun held the horse’s reins, “Which one from the Censorate?”
Qi Huaiyang replied, “The Chief Censor.”
“They’re not letting him live.”
He walked straight into the alley, with Qi Huaiyang following, “You’d better go to the palace now. His Majesty might consult the Cabinet at any moment.”
Yang Lun walked very quickly, “Even if he consults the Cabinet, he’ll only listen to Minister Bai. I won’t get a word in.”
Qi Huaiyang had to run a few steps to keep up, “But you still need to be present. Things could turn at any moment.”
“No time for that. These academy students could turn things upside down today!”
As they spoke, they reached Minister Bai’s residence.
Led by Zhou Muyi, students knelt in rows before the gate.
Zhou Muyi had just been given twenty strokes by the Eastern Depot, and now his face was pale, barely able to kneel even with support from other Chushan Academy students. Among the crowd, the old Hanlin scholar who had once stopped students on East Public Street knelt opposite Zhou Muyi, exhorting them in distress: “In less than seven days, you’ll be taking the metropolitan examination. You should be reviewing now, not gathering and causing chaos here. Minister Bai has always shown mercy to students and cherished you all. Seeing you like this today would break his heart…”
Yang Lun stood outside the crowd, looking at the simply dressed old Hanlin scholar, his heart aching.
Qi Huaiyang said, “This old Hanlin Chen Yingqiu, in all these years since retirement, his family has grown poorer and poorer. He teaches at private academies without taking payment. Two years ago, when his daughter fell ill, his pride wouldn’t let him get medicine on credit or accept help from colleagues. His daughter nearly died. People say he’s gone mad…”
“He’s only good to students.”
After saying this, Yang Lun laughed, “How can you truly see a person’s good and evil?”
Qi Huaiyang said, “That’s an odd reflection to make now.”
Yang Lun didn’t respond.
An official from the Ministry of Justice rushed over from the front of the alley to Qi Huaiyang, “My lords, there’s news from the palace!”
“Speak.”
“His Majesty has ordered the Northern Command to take Superintendent Deng away, and issued an edict releasing Prime Minister Bai from the Eastern Depot prison.”
Yang Lun asked, “Why is the Northern Command taking him? What about the Ministry of Justice?”
“Don’t worry, my lord. A word from inside is that it involves the academy land case, and the Ministry of Justice will participate in the joint trial.”
Yang Lun suddenly grabbed Qi Huaiyang’s arm, “Qi Huaiyang, I’m telling you, this is the Hangzhou academy land case. My Ministry of Revenue must also join the trial. The Ministry of Justice can’t exclude me. I’ll write to His Majesty tomorrow.”
Qi Huaiyang said, “Alright, alright, I know. I want to save him too. I’ll negotiate with the Minister. Given the situation now, the urgent matter is to persuade these students to leave.”
Just then, another official came running, out of breath, “My lords, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is coming! They’re carrying ropes!”
Yang Lun immediately pushed through the crowd, walked to the gate, stepped onto the stairs, and raised his arm, calling out loudly, “What will it take for you to disperse?”
Zhou Muyi looked up at Yang Lun, “The Emperor’s ears are blocked, he shows no benevolence!”
Yang Lun looked down at him, hands behind his back, “Let me ask you all today, how are the Emperor’s ears blocked?”
As he spoke, he pulled Zhou Muyi up from the ground.
“You kneel here simply to demand His Majesty punish the Eastern Depot. I tell you, Eastern Depot Superintendent Deng Ying has already been imprisoned by His Majesty, and Prime Minister Bai has received imperial mercy and will soon return home. Your wishes are fulfilled—can you not stand up and disperse?”
Zhou Muyi said, “Lord Yang, surely you know that Deng Ying is merely a dog of the Ceremonial Office. Even if His Majesty punishes him, will the eunuch disaster end there?”
Yang Lun was about to speak when Yang Wan’s voice came from behind, “It won’t end!”
Yang Lun started, turning to see Yang Wan had pushed through the crowd. Her hair was disheveled, her appearance disheveled, pressing her injured shoulder with one hand as she stumbled to the gate.
“I tell you, even if it can be quelled today, it will rise again from the ashes in decades.”
Zhou Muyi said, “You’re just a woman, how dare you speak wildly in the street—”
Yang Wan turned to him, “How old are you? Barely twenty? Even Prime Minister Bai has never been so arrogant as to pass judgment on the dynasty’s governance. You haven’t even entered official service, yet after reading a few years and having a few discussions, you think you see the fate of state and nation?”
“You—”
“What about me? A woman shouldn’t scold scholars?”
Yang Wan gave a derisive laugh, “I’m scolding you specifically! Some people can be happy for days over a desk, over an essay. You don’t treasure this. You only want to die! In this vast nation, losing people like you wouldn’t matter much, but you’re young, with a clean backgrounds, beloved by the court—even the person you’d like to see cut into a thousand pieces wants to save you. What more do you want?”
Zhou Muyi said to those behind him, “Don’t listen to this woman’s nonsense. We want His Majesty to punish the eunuchs and restore clean government. We’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Yes, you’ve done nothing wrong! But can a nation’s governance be overturned in a single night? Before cutting out rot, doesn’t one need to sharpen the knife? While cutting, doesn’t one need to be bound? After cutting, doesn’t the dynasty need to heal? You kneel here today, cursing heaven and earth—can you skip all these processes? Zhou Muyi, tell me, were the more than eighty people at Tongjia Academy’s deaths in vain?”
Her voice trembled as she spoke, “Who do you think you are? All of you, stand up, go!”
Zhou Muyi was struck speechless.
Yang Lun seized the moment, “Everyone stands up and goes. If you don’t leave now, it will be too late.”
A few people in the crowd stood up unsteadily. Yang Lun glanced toward the alley entrance and said to Yang Wan, “They can’t go back to the Drum Tower area—that would be walking into a trap. I’m afraid no one in the capital dares shelter these students now.”
Yang Wan took a breath, released her hand from her shoulder, straightened up, and said, “I dare.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
As she spoke, she walked forward, saying, “I’ll take them to the Clear Wave Inn.”
“No!”
Yang Lun grabbed Yang Wan, “I won’t let you bring fire upon yourself.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t die, and I won’t implicate you.”
“I’m not afraid of you implicating me!”
“Then let go.”
She looked up at Yang Lun, her words carrying double meaning.
“Brother, I’m not the Wan’er of years past anymore.”