“Aunt…”
“It was my fault, why punish him?”
Yi Lang raised his head, “I told you, Aunt, I can forgive you, but only you alone.”
Yang Wan smiled through her tears, her breath scalding, “Yi Lang, your aunt truly hates you.”
Yi Lang put down his book and stood up, “Aunt, do not be insolent.”
Yang Wan stared directly into Yi Lang’s eyes, “You are this servant’s nephew, the scholars’ good student, and the Crown Prince of the Great Ming. Everything you do is correct – upright, intelligent, often making your aunt ashamed when you rebuke her. Living in the Great Ming, I am willing to exhaust everything to protect you, Yi Lang… Your aunt asks for nothing, only that you show some mercy to Deng Ying. Your aunt has nothing, she only has him…”
Yi Lang walked to Yang Wan’s side, trying to help her up, “Aunt, what are you saying? You still have Yi Lang, don’t you want Yi Lang anymore?”
His voice trembled slightly as if shocked by Yang Wan’s words.
Yang Wan looked at Yi Lang’s hand supporting her arm, “Your aunt will still protect Your Highness.”
Yi Lang raised his tear-filled face, shaking Yang Wan’s arm, “Aunt, why are you like this? Today before I went to Wenhua Hall, I saw him coming out of your chambers. He was disrespectful to you, I was only disciplining him. I was already very merciful to him! As long as he doesn’t disrespect you again, I won’t punish him like that!”
Yang Wan listened to Yi Lang’s words but didn’t speak again.
This silence truly frightened Yi Lang. He crouched down and kept trying to grab Yang Wan’s hands pressed against the ground, “Aunt… Aunt, please don’t stay silent.”
Yang Wan lowered her head and looked at him quietly.
“What do you want your aunt to say?”
“I’m sorry, Aunt, please don’t ignore me. I can no longer see Mother… if Aunt ignores Yi Lang, Yi Lang will be all alone.”
As he spoke, he gradually lost that maturity beyond his years, tears bursting forth as he cried inconsolably before Yang Wan.
“Aunt, I’m sorry… Yi Lang regrets it too, the punishment was too severe, but Aunt, I don’t want to see Aunt together with him. When I grow up, I’ll let Aunt leave the palace, get you an official title, and let Aunt live gloriously for life. Aunt… please don’t ignore Yi Lang…”
He cried with constant sobs. He had already been feverish, and now the fever grew worse – his forehead burning hot, his breath frighteningly warm.
Yang Wan reached out to feel his back, touching a patch of sweat that had gone cold half a day ago.
“When did the fever start?”
“Yi Lang doesn’t know.”
He spoke while crying.
Yang Wan raised her sleeve to wipe away his tears.
“Does it hurt?”
Yi Lang shook his head. “Yi Lang doesn’t hurt.”
Yang Wan untied her outer garment and wrapped it around Yi Lang, “Come, get up and go rest with Lady He Yu. Tomorrow, your aunt will go to Wenhua Hall to request leave from your teachers for you.”
But Yi Lang grabbed onto Yang Wan.
“Aunt.”
“Yes?”
“Please report to the Empress and summon the Imperial Physician for me.”
Yang Wan crouched down, “Tell your aunt, are you in great pain? Don’t lie to me.”
Yi Lang said with red eyes, “If you summon the Imperial Physician, they’ll open the Extreme Gate, and then Aunt can go get medicine. I’m sorry, Aunt, I didn’t mean to beat him so severely. My heart has been aching, I just didn’t want to say it.”
Yang Wan asked him softly, “Was this your first time ordering a punishment?”
“Yes.”
Yi Lang nodded, “Yi Lang will be more careful with punishments in the future, show mercy to those below, not be cruel. Will Aunt forgive Yi Lang?”
Hearing these words, Yang Wan bent down and embraced Yi Lang. In her arms, he cried even harder than before.
Yang Wan held this trembling child but couldn’t speak words of comfort.
In this dynasty, a group of people staked their lives on him, including Deng Ying.
But he also held the lives of many in his hands.
The “family-state” social system collapsed precisely because of its unfairness.
One can live a life for the greater good of the world, but that greater good shouldn’t take the form of any specific person.
At the guardhouse, Li Yu stood helplessly anxious outside Deng Ying’s door. Turning to see Yang Wan enter with red eyes, he said, “You’ve been crying?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, don’t cry. This isn’t the first time – I’ve been through worse, and look at me now, still fine, right? Just without medicine, when the fever comes at night, it will be very uncomfortable.”
Yang Wan took out medicine from her clothes, “I brought some.”
Li Yu grabbed the medicine and looked at it, “Amitabha, I’ll go in and apply it for him right away.”
Yang Wan took the medicine and moved to push open the door.
Li Yu quickly stopped her, “Didn’t you always say patients need privacy? What are you doing now? Just wait here.”
Yang Wan was pushed to the window, but she didn’t stay there, instead walking a few steps toward Li Yu.
“Li Yu.”