Deng Ying prostrated himself, “Your Majesty has twice pardoned your servant’s capital crimes. Your servant’s entire being will never forget Your Majesty’s grace.”
The Emperor coughed several times and said hoarsely, “Though the cabinet hasn’t submitted their memorial yet, We know their thoughts. They’ve taught Our son for over ten years, and they think they’ve taught him well enough. But…”
Emperor Zhenning propped himself halfway up, “But We’re not dead yet!”
After saying this, Emperor Zhenning’s internal breath churned, and he fell into a violent fit of coughing.
All the servants in the hall who attended to his daily needs knelt upon hearing their master speak thus.
Deng Ying straightened up and glanced at the servants in the hall, “One must not show sorrow before His Majesty.”
Hearing these words, the servants all forcefully suppressed their grief.
Deng Ying crawled forward two steps on his knees, approaching the imperial couch, “Your Majesty is ill; the Crown Prince can only feel anxiety and fear.”
“We know…”
He spoke while pushing against the couch surface, forcing himself to sit up with a held breath.
“We have tolerated the cabinet for decades, thinking they too are full of patriotic fervor. What We Could Pardon… We’ve pardoned. But Our family, We must still support it, We must still be in charge! Can’t let them scatter it to the winds. Deng Ying, the Eastern Factory… We still entrust to your control…”
Deng Ying raised his head, “May your servant ask Your Majesty one question?”
Emperor Zhenning swallowed a mouthful of burning bile, “Ask…”
“Why is Your Majesty willing to use your servant again?”
Emperor Zhenning looked down at the kneeling Deng Ying, “Because you’re willing to endure. In the Xuetian case, We had you bear a death sentence while continuing your duties – you said nothing. When the prison tortured you during interrogation, you still didn’t speak. We’ve watched you for two years; you, as a servant, value ‘stability’ above all. Just this one thing – among all the servants the Ceremonial Office manages, not one understands it so clearly. We know that those who serve Us should have some wealth and face. We remember their hard work, how they often think of Us and haven’t punished them severely. However, while We live, We can still maintain Our reputation. After We die, these servants could utterly ruin Our name!”
After speaking this, Emperor Zhenning had almost exhausted his spirit. The breath in his throat mixed with old phlegm he couldn’t cough up, making a wheezing sound.
He recovered for quite a while before saying to Deng Ying, “Return to the Ceremonial Office, and think well on what We’ve told you…”
“Yes, your servant takes his leave.”
Deng Ying left Yangxin Hall and went straight to the Ceremonial Office.
By the time he returned to his quarters by the city moat, it was nearly dusk.
When Deng Ying changed into his Eastern Factory Superintendent’s uniform, Li Yu almost didn’t recognize him at first glance, holding his broom and staring for a long while before running over joyfully.
“You’ve been reinstated?”
“Yes.”
Deng Ying nodded with a smile.
Li Yu clasped his hands, “That’s wonderful! A few days ago, Manager Chen and I were worried those eighty strokes might take your life. Who would have thought you wouldn’t have to be beaten or go to Nanjing? We can gather around the stove to eat together again, right?”
Deng Ying smiled slightly and said evenly, “I’m somewhat tired. I’ll go sleep for a while.”
Li Yu blocked him with his broom, “Eh, wait.”
“Hmm?”
Li Yu glanced inside the room, “Yang Wan is inside. I haven’t heard any sound for a while; she might be asleep.”
Deng Ying asked, “When did she come?”
“She came at the chen hour [7-9 AM]. She’s been helping clean your room all this time, and hasn’t even eaten.”
Deng Ying looked toward the city moat, “What did you eat for lunch?”
Li Yu said, “We stir-fried some vegetables to eat with rice.”
“Is the stove out?”
Li Yu said, “Not yet. I secretly saved an egg, wanting to make egg custard for sister.”
After speaking, he hesitated for a moment, then took the egg from his chest, “Give it to Yang Wan.”
Deng Ying took the egg, smiling as he said “Thank you.”
Li Yu waved his hand, “I’m going on duty.”
Deng Ying pushed open the door and entered his quarters. The floor had been sprinkled with water and was still somewhat wet.
The books on the shelf were stacked very neatly, and the positions of the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone had also been arranged. Yang Wan lay wrapped in a blanket on his bed, with the candle at the bedhead almost burnt out.
She was lying on her side facing outward, her arm resting outside the blanket, pressing down on a book.
Deng Ying crouched down, originally intending to pull the book out, but as soon as he pulled at one edge, his body suddenly went rigid.
The book was Chen Hua’s, and its contents were unspeakable.
Chen Hua said the book’s author was a eunuch from the Founding Emperor’s reign who, old and destitute after leaving the palace, drew his intimate encounters with women in the palace, added text, and sold it to private publishers. In this erotic book, Deng Ying saw the fundamental nature of his identity – most scenes depicted eunuchs kneeling or lying back, pleasuring women intimately, raising thin arms to support women’s bodies, their expressions melancholy yet somehow at peace.
This was a delicate eunuch’s aesthetic reflection on his sexuality – for Chen Hua, it was boundless fantasy; for Deng Ying, it was introspection. When alone, he had lit a lamp and sat at his desk reading it many times.
Now Yang Wan had opened the inner pages, stopping at a page where Deng had inserted paper slips with “annotations.” Feeling somewhat guilty, he wanted to quickly pull the book away, but Yang Wan applied pressure, pressing the book down. She leaned against the pillow, opened her eyes, and smiled at Deng Ying.
“You’re back?”
“I…”
Deng Ying unconsciously stood up.
Yang Wan sat up on the bed, reached back to gather her loose hair that had fallen over her shoulders, then closed the book and placed it on her knee.