Fu Ciyi said nothing.
The current situation made him realize the importance of rights.
The autumn examination must be held. Since Fu Zhengqing has abused his power, there will always be people who can check and balance him.
Yan Haitang lifted her skirt and stepped out of the doorway, looking at Yan Funing with a hint of sarcasm in her eyes: "On the seventh day of the first lunar month, I only told you not to return to the Yan family, but you had the audacity to come back to the Fu family?"
Yan Funing smiled and said, "Believe it or not, one day you will kneel before me and beg me to return to the Yan family."
"It's just a fool's dream." Yan Haitang sneered, glanced at Yan Funing's clothes, and returned to the mansion.
He raised his hand and pointed at Min'er, the maid beside him.
Min'er received the order, grabbed Caiyu's clothes and slapped her twice in the face.
"Yan Haitang, what are you doing? Caiyu didn't offend you!"
Yan Funing went forward but was stopped by the doorman.
Yan Haitang sneered, "Caiyu's indenture is in my hands now. If you want her to continue following you, you can. Take out one hundred taels of silver to redeem her."
"One hundred taels of silver." Yan Funing murmured.
How could she have so much money?
Caiyu cried, "Miss, I am not worth that much money. I am not here to serve you, you have to live a good life."
She looked at Fu Ciyi and said, "Second Young Master, my young lady is very delicate and will cry if she gets hurt. She usually speaks rudely, but she has never done anything to harm others. She has a kind heart. You must be more compassionate to her!"
Yan Funing burst into tears after hearing this.
--
After leaving the Fu Mansion and taking the bus home, Yan Funing was in a low mood.
Li Xinheng, who was driving the car, saw that the young couple had been silent, and he also remained silent for a long time.
Unable to hold it in any longer, he asked, "Miss, is that Caiyu your former maid?"
"Yes, she is the most loyal to me."
There was a hint of nasal sound in Yan Funing's gentle voice.
Li Xinheng added, "One hundred taels of silver would take an ordinary farmer several decades to save, even without food or drink."
An ordinary farmer only earns two or three taels of silver a year.
Spending so much money to redeem a maid is not a good deal no matter how you look at it.
Yan Funing sniffed: "I know."
One hundred taels of silver was a huge amount of money for her.
She really couldn't come up with that much money in a short period of time.
"Yan Haitang kept Caiyu by his side just to piss me off. I have to rescue Caiyu as soon as possible."
Fu Ciyi said, "There must be a way."
Yan Funing grabbed his arm and said, "Fu Ciyi, you have to take the imperial examination. Only when you have power in your hands can Fu Zhengqing get the punishment he deserves! I also have to work hard to make money so that Caiyu can come back to me."
Li Xinheng turned around and said, "But Fu Zhengqing clearly doesn't want the Master to attend. What else can we do?"
"The only option now is to report him to the provincial government." Fu Ciyi said calmly.
When the state government failed, he continued to appeal.
He just doesn't believe it. Can officials protect each other?
If officials really protect each other, it would be better not to enter the court.
After discussing the countermeasures, Yan Funing took out steamed buns from the cloth bag and gave one to Fu Ciyi and one to Li Xinheng.
"Brother Li, thank you for coming with us all this way. Not only did you not have lunch, but you also gave us a ride back home."
She took one for herself and ate it in small bites.
Li Xinheng took a big bite and waved his hand holding the steamed bun: "It's a small matter. Master is my master. Master's business is my business."
He ate the steamed bun in just a few bites, and Yan Funing gave him another one.
He took it and started eating again. "When is the teacher going to the provincial capital? I want to go too."
Fu Ciyi said, "It's inconvenient to go to the provincial capital by ox cart. It takes a whole day to go, and the oxen can't handle it. You can help me look after the house, and I can go alone."
He ate his steamed buns slowly, wondering when he would go and how to arrange for the students in the village school.
Yan Funing said, "We need to hire a carriage to go to the provincial capital. We had a commotion at the Fu Mansion today, and we need someone to look after the family."
Li Xinheng said, "Okay, on the day the Master leaves, I'll drive the ox cart to town, and then return to the village to look after the family."
When the sun was setting, the three of them returned to the village.
After discussing the situation with his mother, Fu Ciyi decided to leave for the provincial capital the day after tomorrow.
The next day, he went to teach in the village school.
When the school was over, he said to the students, "I have to go to the provincial capital tomorrow and the day after tomorrow. You don't need to come to school for these two days."
The schoolchildren cheered.
I just had two days off and one day of class, and now I have to have two days off again.
Fu Ciyi added, "You must not neglect your studies. The poems you recite and the large characters you write must not be missed!"
The schoolchildren wailed.
--
On the day Fu Ciyi set out for the provincial capital, Li Xinheng helped him arrange a carriage.
"Master, this carriage is heading back to the prefecture. Since it's a return trip, the fare is 500 wen each way." Li Xinheng raised his hand and pointed at the carriage parked outside the Fu family's courtyard. "Master, do you think this is feasible?"
Fu Ciyi patted Li Xinheng's shoulder and said, "That's feasible."
After saying that, he walked out of the yard.
Yan Funing packed a small bag, put the dagger into it, and trotted to catch up with Fu Ciyi.
Realizing Yan Funing was following him, Fu Ciyi paused and said, "Go back."
Yan Funing said, "I want to go with you. If you need to say something to the prefect, I can help you."
Wan Niang, who was standing at the entrance to the main hall, called out, "Ci Yi, Fu Ning is a good speaker, she can help you."
If Ci Yi wants to go to the provincial government to report Fu Zhengqing, it would be difficult for him to do so with just his mouth.
Fu Ning is good at speaking, so it’s a good idea to have her by my side.
Fu Ciyi thought for a moment and finally agreed.
The couple got into the carriage.
Wan Niang was supported by Nan Yao and Bei Mo and walked outside the fenced yard. Li Xinheng and Ali followed behind them. The five of them waved goodbye to the departing carriage.
Yan Funing stuck her head out of the car window and waved continuously.
Only after the carriage turned a corner and her family was out of sight did she sit up straight in her seat.
Fu Ciyi sat quietly with his eyes lowered. He didn't say goodbye to them just now, and he didn't say a word at this moment.
Yan Funing stared at him. In the book, he won three top honors in the imperial examinations, and in reality, he was indeed very knowledgeable.
But the reality is different from what she saw.
Given the current situation, it is very likely that he will not be able to pass the imperial examination.
When she thought of this, she didn't know how to comfort him.
After all, a horse carriage is much faster than an oxcart. What an oxcart would take a whole day to travel, a horse carriage would only take a morning.
The main street of the provincial capital is more prosperous than that of the county town, with pedestrians shoulder to shoulder, horse-drawn carriages running continuously, and shops and restaurants lining the streets.
The driver dropped Fu Ciyi and Yan Funing off, collected five hundred coins, pointed them in the direction of the government office, and drove away.
The couple looked at the plaque of the government office from afar, took a deep breath, and walked towards the government office side by side.
After the two men explained their purpose to the yamen runners, they were not driven away, but were led to a corner by the yamen runners.
"You have come at an inopportune time. Our master is not in the government office right now."
Fu Ciyi asked, "Is it in the mansion?"
The yamen runner shook his head: "He's not at the mansion either. He's out on some business and won't be back until tomorrow."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
