Qin Wende carried the chest as he walked with Yang Wan toward Chengqian Palace.
He was straightforward by nature and usually talkative. Now, with his jokes and banter, he had Yang Wan laughing the whole way.
Taking advantage of Yang Wan’s good mood, Qin Wende thought to put in a few good words for Deng Ying.
“Miss Yang.”
“Hmm?”
Qin Wende adjusted the chest on his shoulder, “Have you seen our Superintendent’s house yet?”
Yang Wan replied while walking, “Not yet. I heard you helped arrange it.”
Qin Wende smiled, “Indeed. The location has good feng shui, though we thought it was a bit small. We figured the Superintendent should at least have a two-courtyard residence. This single courtyard… well, it’s not bad, just a bit cramped.”
Yang Wan laughed, “A single courtyard is good—it’s open and easier to clean.”
Qin Wende hurriedly said, “How could we let you clean, Miss? Once you and our Superintendent move in, surely we’ll have to buy some servants.”
Yang Wan turned back, smiling, “You’re letting him buy servants? How much silver does it cost to keep a servant these days?”
“Oh my, that’d be more than ten taels, depending on their appearance.”
Yang Wan laughed, “Just how much is your Superintendent’s monthly salary?”
“Ah?”
Qin Wende nearly tripped over himself at this question. “Well… this…”
He dragged his words, hesitating whether to expose Deng Ying’s circumstances to Yang Wan.
Deng Guixun only had one bottom line for his men—they couldn’t arbitrarily harm lives. He usually didn’t stop the depot guards from collecting “service fees” from officials and civilians, but he seemed to never take any. Even if he received anything, he would later distribute it among the depot guards. People said the Ceremonial Department received many rewards, but from what Qin Wende saw of Deng Ying’s daily expenses, he truly didn’t seem wealthy. These past few days, he and several depot guards had been helping arrange furniture and decorations, thinking it was his money, so they were hesitant to spend freely.
“Eh… the Superintendent’s salary comes from the inner court, we don’t know…”
Yang Wan continued, “He doesn’t have much money, and besides, he wouldn’t buy people to use as servants.”
“I indeed don’t have much money.”
Yang Wan and Qin Wende were startled by this voice, looking up to see Deng Ying walking toward them.
Today he wasn’t wearing his official robes but instead dressed like an outside scholar in jade-colored clothing, his hair tied up without an official headdress.
Qin Wende felt awkward but pressed on, “I didn’t mean you’re poor, Superintendent, I just…”
“I am quite poor right now.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
Qin Wende was stunned by Deng Ying’s frankness and could only change the subject, “Weren’t you at Chengqian Palace? Why did you come here?”
“Oh.”
Deng Ying rolled up his sleeves, “I came to see if I could lend a hand.”
The depot guards behind Qin Wende hurriedly said in unison, “How could we trouble you with that?”
Yang Wan smiled, “You’re not dressed for manual labor today.”
Deng Ying held his sleeve, smiling at Yang Wan, “Then what do I look like?”
Yang Wan said, “Like you’re heading to the autumn provincial examination.”
Deng Ying laughed, “The Shuntian Prefecture is setting up examination sheds. Would you like to see it?”
“Examination sheds?”
Yang Wan asked puzzled, “Why only sheds? Aren’t they building examination cells?”
Deng Ying nodded, “They should be, but since the imperial city and surrounding walls aren’t completely built yet, finances are limited. They can only use wooden boards and reed mats to build sheds, with thorn bushes as walls. People say the capital’s examination hall is built worse than the bookstores around it.”
This piqued Yang Wan’s interest, “What bookstores are nearby? Can we go see them today?”
Deng Ying replied, “I have a pass. I can take you out.”
Yang Wan looked back at her luggage, hesitating.
Seeing this, Qin Wende quickly said, “You should go with our Superintendent. We’ll hand these over to Miss Heyu, guaranteed not to damage anything.”
Yang Wan smiled, “Alright then… be careful.”
She then walked behind Deng Ying and poked his back, “Let’s go, quickly!”
Deng Ying turned to look at Yang Wan—her face was bright, her gaze light.
Come to think of it, since the Hejü case, he hadn’t seen Yang Wan smile like this for a long time.
The Shuntian Prefecture office was located on East Public Street off Drum Tower East Street. Near the Drum Tower were several publishing houses, the most famous being the Zhou family’s Kuanqin Hall and the Qi family’s Qingbo House. Both publishers had operated for over a hundred years, with not only large showrooms but also substantial printing operations.
Publishing flourished in the Ming Dynasty. Though management had many loopholes, it was relatively free, divided into official, private, and commercial publishing. Deng Ying loved buying books, especially hunting for private editions by unknown writers in private bookstores.
But Yang Wan didn’t go to these private bookstores. After getting out of the carriage, she pulled Deng Ying straight to Qingbo House. Deng Ying’s leg injury had flared up a couple of days ago, making walking difficult now, but he didn’t want to tell Yang Wan to slow down. He could only helplessly watch her back with a wry smile. Passersby in the book market who saw this scene all smiled and commented, “This gentleman is so good-natured, willing to go along with the young lady.”
Hearing these words, Deng Ying’s ears grew hot, and he couldn’t help calling out to Yang Wan.
“Wanwan.”
“Yes?”