Xiao Yunying hadn't slept for a day and a night and was feeling a bit tired, so she stood there with her eyes closed, trying to rest.
After waiting for a while and seeing that his symptoms had not worsened, he felt relieved and continued searching for the original owner's memories of fennel.
The original owner had too many memories from the past ten years, and she was too lazy to recall them unless she deliberately looked for any connection to any particular aspect.
After thinking for a while, I realized that the original owner didn't like fennel, so she never knew that she was allergic to fennel.
She sighed, "Ever since I came here, something always seems to happen. This world just doesn't suit me."
All I want is to live a good life, have enough to eat, wear, and live comfortably, and have a little money to spend. I really don't want to get involved in these messy things.
Just as she was feeling sentimental, she heard the footsteps of a group of people getting closer and closer. When she opened her eyes, she saw Chen Yuancheng walking over with a worried expression.
Xiao Yunying exclaimed in surprise, "Yuan Cheng, what brings you here!"
Seeing her disheveled appearance, Chen Yuancheng suppressed his anger and said, "I just returned from the capital and the housekeeper told me that you had been arrested. What happened to your face?"
Xiao Yunying explained, "That Hu Feng had me hung here without food. A kind prison guard gave me two meat buns filled with fennel. I didn't expect to be allergic to fennel and I got some hives."
As she spoke, she tried to touch her face, but Chen Yuancheng grabbed her wrist: "Don't touch it, just bear with it, I'll take you to see a doctor in a bit."
Seeing Liu Dalei standing behind her with his head down, not daring to look at her, Xiao Yunying deliberately spoke loudly to Chen Yuancheng, afraid that he would be scared and blame himself, "Aside from being a little itchy, I don't feel anything else. It's not serious."
"Whether it's serious or not isn't up to you to decide; let's see the doctor first."
Chen Yuancheng fiddled with the iron chain around Xiao Yunying's neck, noticing that her neck was red and swollen from being rubbed by the chain. He then said to the group of people behind him, "Where's the key?"
A middle-aged man turned around and asked the prison guards behind him, "I'm asking you for the key, why aren't you opening it for Miss Luo... Xiao?"
Xiao Yunying didn't catch the change in how the man addressed her. Seeing that he was dressed in official robes, she asked curiously in a low voice, "Who is he?"
Chen Yuancheng glanced at him: "This is the local magistrate."
Xiao Yunying repeated in surprise, "He is the county magistrate."
This is the first time I've ever met the local government officials.
None of the jailers spoke, and the magistrate grew impatient: "I'm asking you a question! Where are the keys?!"
Xiao Yunying answered him herself: "Hu Feng took the key, saying he was afraid someone would secretly put me down."
Chen Yuancheng was clearly there to back me up, so how could I not try to sabotage him after being kept here by Hu Feng for a whole day and night?
The magistrate felt Chen Yuancheng's gaze pressing down on him like a mountain, making it hard to breathe: "Where's Hu Feng? Why isn't that bastard coming to work?"
The prison guards looked at each other, none of them daring to speak.
Liu Dalei stepped forward and replied, "Hu Feng was out drinking and carousing until late last night, he's probably still asleep at home now."
The magistrate was furious: "You bastard, go to his house right now and get the key!"
Liu Dalei responded and left quickly. The other jailers dared not speak, frantically trying to figure out if they had offended Xiao Yunying in the past few days.
Chen Yuancheng looked at her with heartache: "You've suffered these past few days."
Xiao Yunying said truthfully, "I didn't suffer too much. It was just yesterday that I was hung here by that Hu Feng for a whole day."
The magistrate cautiously approached and said, "Miss Xiao, I was only ordered by my superiors to temporarily detain you. I specifically instructed that you not to be tortured. I did not expect that Hu Feng would dare to disobey me. It is my fault for not managing these people well. Please do not blame me, Miss."
Xiao Yunying did not take her anger out on the county magistrate: "I know, Your Excellency, there is no need to blame yourself. It's just that Hu Feng can't distinguish between public and private matters. He even used his position as a jailer to extort nearly two thousand taels of silver from my family. The main point is that he took the silver but did not do anything. He ate all the food that my family sent him, leaving me to go hungry. I can't tolerate this."
The magistrate was both shocked and angry. He wouldn't have dared to accept two thousand taels of silver like that. This Hu Feng was really bold.
He lowered his stance and said, "Don't worry, young lady, I will definitely punish Hu Feng severely. As a public official, how could he do such a thing? I will dismiss him from his post today. As for the silver notes he extorted, I will have someone send them back to you as soon as possible."
Xiao Yunying nodded: "Indeed, they should be severely punished, which can also serve as a warning to other public officials."
The magistrate tentatively asked, "How does the young lady intend to punish Hu Feng?"
Seeing that the county magistrate was reasonable, Xiao Yunying was quite satisfied with him. She glanced at Chen Yuancheng and saw him nod, so she confidently spoke up about her thoughts.
“I’ve always treated others the way they treat me. So have someone hang him like this at the prison gate for two days. Don’t give him any food, but you can give him some water. No matter what else you do, don’t let him down.”
Standing there for two days and two nights without eating, drinking, or sleeping will only cause some suffering and embarrassment, but it won't endanger your life.
Besides, I allowed him to drink water; a strong man like him shouldn't have any problems.
The magistrate asked uncertainly, "Is that all?"
Xiao Yunying's legs were a little numb from standing, so she changed her posture, the iron chains jingling.
She glanced at the iron chains, still feeling indignant, and asked Chen Yuancheng, "How heavy is the beating you give them?"
Chen Yuancheng understood what she meant: "It also depends on what the master wants. If you just want him to suffer a little, twenty strokes of the cane will be enough."
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