Ye Daquan drove the horse-drawn carriage slowly along the bustling main road of the county town.

Inside the carriage, Ye Caiping was chatting and laughing with Jin'er and Huan'er, while Ye Xuan was reading a book to the side.

Leisurely and carefree.

Ye Jin'er asked, "Mother, now that we're in the prefectural city, where should we go to have fun?"

"Hmm... I'll have to think about that."

Ye Xuan said, "There's a White Sheep Tower in the prefectural city; the scenery there is quite nice."

"After visiting that area, you can also take a stroll around Zhexian Lake."

"Second cousin knows so much, when did you go there?"

"I've never been there. I heard it from my classmates when I was studying under Master Qian."

"oh oh."

"After visiting these two places, you can also go to Ci'en Temple to ask your grandparents for amulets for peace and safety."

Ye Caiping and her daughter were eager to try it out.

Most of the unpleasantness of the past few days has subsided.

Speaking of which, she has been busy ever since she transmigrated here and has never gone on a long trip.

This trip was definitely the right decision.

At this moment, the carriage suddenly lurched.

"What are you doing?" a cold voice rang out from outside.

Ye Daquan said, "Sir, we're going to the prefectural city."

Ye Caiping lifted the curtain and saw that the carriage had arrived at the city gate, but was stopped by the guards.

"No one is allowed to leave the city for the next few days."

Why?

"Aren't you aware that the county magistrate is currently investigating a massacre that wiped out an entire family?"

"We've found out the culprit: the notorious bandit Zhang Yidao. But Zhang Yidao escaped last night, and we're currently conducting a city-wide manhunt. No one is allowed to leave the city!"

The people at the city gate were so frightened by what they heard that they turned pale and dared not go out.

Ye Caiping's expression was slightly cold.

Ye Daquan turned his head and asked, "Little sister, what do we do now?"

"Go home!"

Ye Daquan could only drive the carriage back in frustration.

Jin'er and Huan'er were extremely disappointed.

Seeing their listless faces, Ye Caiping smiled and said, "Since we've come all this way, let's take this opportunity to buy some fabric to take back!"

Summer is just around the corner, so we should start making summer clothes.

The two girls' eyes lit up: "Great!"

Ye Daquan had already heard it and quickly parked the car in front of a cloth shop.

After Ye Xuan dismounted, he slipped two taels of silver to Ye Xuan, telling him to buy some cloth as well.

The group arrived at the cloth shop, and by the time they finished buying the cloth, it was already noon.

The group of five stopped by a nearby wonton stall to eat wontons.

Unexpectedly, while eating, they overheard someone talking about the affair between Ye Caiping and the county magistrate.

Some say there was something going on between the two, while others say the magistrate's wife was jealous and wanted to punish Ye Caiping.

Ye Daquan was so angry that he almost broke the chopsticks in his hand:

"How could Magistrate Lu do his job? Why are people still talking about it?"

Ye Caiping said in a low voice, "It's not so easy to silence public opinion."

"Hmph, I bet he didn't even try to stop her! What kind of local official is he? I bet he's just a coward, scared of that woman. It's infuriating!"

"Oh, this is... Lady Ye, isn't it?" a frivolous voice rang out.

Ye Caiping looked up and saw a man in his early forties walking over with several servants.

"Who are you?" Ye Daquan was already furious and had nowhere to vent his anger when someone who looked like a troublemaker suddenly appeared. He immediately roared.

The man was somewhat handsome, but when he grinned, he revealed a mouthful of large, yellow teeth.

He didn't even glance at Ye Daquan, only staring at Ye Caiping, and laughed:

"My name is Zheng Kai. I'm sure Lady Ye has heard of me from her elder sister."

Ye Caiping sneered: "Oh, so you're the magistrate's wife's cousin. What brings you here?"

"It's nothing, hahaha!" Zheng Kai stared at Ye Caiping and rubbed his hands together. "I've long heard that Madam Ye is a great beauty, and now that I see her, she truly lives up to her reputation."

Those words were both greasy and frivolous, causing Ye Jin'er and her sister, as well as Ye Xuan, to frown deeply.

"At your age, still acting like a young boy? What's wrong with you?" Ye Daquan wanted to hit someone even more. Was this the matchmaker arranged by the county magistrate's wife?

Even this burly man got goosebumps from the grease, and he still wanted to introduce it to a young lady? How disgusting!

Zheng Kai ignored Ye Daquan and said with a smile, "My elder sister has been talking about Lady Ye these past few days. Since my elder sister is going back to her parents' home today, why don't Lady Ye come over and have a get-together with my elder sister?"

Ye Caiping said coldly, "No need, thank you."

As he got up to leave, several servants behind him hurriedly blocked his way.

The diners who were eating wontons were so startled that they jumped up and hid to the side.

In Yue'an County, who doesn't know Zheng Kai!

Previously, Zheng Kai, the county magistrate's brother-in-law, had never caused trouble and had always been well-behaved. How could he have dared to harass a woman in the street today?

Is it impossible to hide it anymore?

"Someone, take Lady Ye home." Zheng Kai opened his folding fan and waved it.

The servants immediately rushed over to arrest the man.

Without thinking twice, Ye Daquan and his son picked up the tables and chairs on the ground and threw them over.

Bowls and plates flew about, and wonton soup was splashed around everywhere.

Ye Caiping shielded her two daughters, her eyes flashing with icy coldness and resentment.

"Stop!" a stern, cold voice rang out.

Ye Caiping turned around and saw Magistrate Lu, dressed in an official robe, walking over with two rows of constables, looking very imposing.

Zheng Kai's expression changed, and the servant he brought with him was so frightened that he knelt down with a thud: "Greetings, Your Excellency the County Magistrate..."

The surrounding people also knelt down in unison: "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Zheng Kai looked at Magistrate Lu, who had walked up to him, with a pale face: "Sister, brother-in-law."

"You worthless wretch!" Magistrate Lu slapped him hard across the face.

Zheng Kai's head was knocked to the side by the blow, but he dared not fight back.

"Guards, take Zheng Kai and his gang of thugs to the dungeon. Their fate will be decided tomorrow!"

"yes."

The constables escorted Zheng Kai and his servant away, while the people nearby clapped and cheered: "The magistrate is wise!"

"Your Excellency is mighty!"

Ye Daquan's temper flared up, and disregarding whether Magistrate Lu was an official or not, he roared, "Sir, what kind of mess is this?"

"Didn't we already teach your wife a lesson? Why is she letting her dog bite people now?"

"And these rumors... are they trying to drive someone to their death?"

Magistrate Lu looked sincere and apologetic, but he couldn't bear being insulted in public: "I'm sorry, I will investigate this matter thoroughly."

He then looked at Ye Caiping with a gentle and worried expression: "Is Madam Ye alright?"

Ye Caiping glanced at him coldly: "It's nothing."

Seeing her disheveled state, with soup stains all over her and her two daughters, Magistrate Lu quickly said:

"No matter what, let's find an inn to settle in first."