Chapter 61: House Arrest Your young master and I do not have that kind of relationship...
Ji Shubai slumped in a chair, and Song Jin was tied to a pillar.
I asked all the questions I wanted to ask, but didn't get any answers.
I cursed everyone I wanted to curse, but I didn't get any sympathy.
Ji Shubai slowly stood up and walked towards Song Jin: "You can't survive the punishment here."
"Why torture me, sir? Just find a reason to release me, and then order someone to kill me. It will be a clean and worry-free process, and it will also protect your reputation."
"Where's the stuff?"
Ji Shubai was obsessed with the piece of paper, but Song Jin refused to give it up.
"If you don't say..."
"Brother Shu Bai?"
There was a scream from the door, Ji Shubai turned around and saw that it was Lu Junnian who came.
"Lord Lu?"
"Why are you interrogating him alone?" Lu Junnian came hurriedly, looking anxious.
This is against the rules.
When Ji Shubai heard the question, he lowered his head in silence.
Seeing this, Lu Junnian pulled the man aside and spoke in a low voice: "A new official has three things to do when he takes office. Our prefect has only been here for a short time. Aren't you afraid that he will punish you?" As he spoke, he turned around and glanced at the tied Song Jin: "What is his crime?"
Ji Shubai was silent for a moment and said, "There is no crime, just a personal vendetta."
"Are you crazy?" Lu Junnian was extremely anxious: "You are the prefect, and you imprisoned ordinary people because of personal vendettas. Do you know the consequences?"
Ji Shubai closed his eyes and sighed: "I know, but he..."
"You still do it knowing that?"
Ji Shubai was speechless, and Lu Junnian said, "You go out first, I'll take care of this."
"What are you going to do?"
"Don't worry about it, just get out." After saying that, he pushed Ji Shubai out and came to Song Jin, forcing a gentle look on his originally panicked face.
"Aren't you the owner of Shidinglou?" he asked in a cheerful tone.
Song Jin said coldly: "I am no longer that."
"Why is that?" Lu Junnian asked while twirling his beard, but Song Jin didn't want to answer. He turned his head to the side, revealing the red mark on his neck.
Torture was carried out, which was something Lu Junnian had not expected.
"Ouch, you, ouch——"
Lu Junnian originally wanted to comfort Song Jin so as not to cause trouble for Ji Shubai, but just as he was about to touch his neck, he suddenly cried out and jumped back.
"Are you a woman?"
Ji Shubai, who was outside the door, heard the shouting and ran in: "What's going on?"
"She is a woman?" Lu Junnian pointed at Song Jin with a look of disbelief on his face.
"No, he is...you said she is a woman?"
It was Ji Shubai's turn to look incredulous, while Lu Junnian pointed his fingers at his neck, with the protruding Adam's apple in his throat rolling up and down.
Song Jin, on the other hand, was extremely smooth.
“Are you a woman?”
"You are a little blind, sir."
She scolded him again, and Ji Shubai was furious, and angrily said, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Will the adults let me go if I tell them?"
Ji Shubai was furious, but what should he do now?
It is definitely not possible to shut him up. If he lets his family take him home to look after him, what is the reason? He cannot give one. If there is a case of cheating in the exam, who knows how many people will be implicated, and even he himself will not be able to escape.
"I will let you out." Ji Shubai narrowed his eyes and said something that surprised Song Jin greatly.
"Will you let me go?"
Ji Shubai did not answer her, but only said: "As long as you behave yourself, you will have a way to survive."
Song Jin agreed without hesitation: "Of course, of course, but sir, can you help me get rid of my citizenship?"
“Shut up!”
Song Jin did not forget to renounce her membership, but Ji Shubai did not agree to her request. However, in Song Jin's view, as long as the principle was broken and there was a loophole, it would be much easier to attack.
Now, whether for himself, Shen Shixing, or for everyone else, Ji Shubai did not make a big deal out of this case. Before the piece of paper was found, she was safe and there was room for negotiation.
Ji Shubai will never find that piece of paper.
Ji Shubai frowned and wanted to send Song Jin out, but Song Jin stared at the bag of silver on the table and didn't move.
"My Lord, my..."
That was her other life.
"I'll return it to you when I get the stuff."
Once you learn bad things, once you learn one bad thing, everything will become bad as a result.
"What is it?"
Only Lu Junnian couldn't figure out the situation.
Ji Shubai did not explain and called his servant to see Song Jin off. After Song Jin left the room full of torture instruments, he suddenly felt like he was alive again.
She has made it through this stage, so let’s see what happens next.
But she never expected that after the servant sent her out of the government office, he led her directly into a sedan chair.
Song Jin hesitated and refused to go up: "Shidinglou is quite close..."
"Not to Shidinglou."
The servant spoke with a smile, and Song Jin understood the meaning behind that smile too well, and his heart tightened.
It’s over, she thought, this is going to be a private settlement, she is doomed.
"Haha, I have to go back to the Food Court. It's a bit messy inside, so I have to help clean it up."
The servant still had the same expression: "The people in Shidinglou have been released. If you want to go back and clean up the mess yourself, I will go and invite them back."
"No, no," Song Jin waved his hands hurriedly, "I'll go with you."
Song Jin was carried on the street in a sedan chair, and she was in a panic. In prison, she was so brave that she would kill the enemy halfway, and she looked like she was ready to die. But after she got out of the door and saw the sunshine in April, she really felt that being alive was the best thing.
How can I survive?
The sedan chair traveled on the road for a while and finally stopped deep in an alley. The servant opened the curtain and led Song Jin into a house.
The house was not big, Song Jin could tell at a glance that there was no sedan chair hall, no tea room, and there was a patio after turning a corner after entering the door, with a crabapple tree planted on both sides. The crabapple flowers in April were already halfway through, and the pink and green flowers hanging on the branches were also a beautiful sight.
The patio was connected to a hall with three doors and there were rooms on both sides. Song Jin guessed that they were where the servants lived.
There was nothing special about the furnishings in the main hall. On a table with a raised head were two blue and white celestial globe vases with twined branches on the left and right, and in the middle was a rosewood-framed screen inlaid with a white porcelain background and a blue and white landscape painting. Above it hung a picture of pine and stone, and there were couplets on both sides. Song Jin did not look at the contents in detail, and continued to scan the other furnishings.
Next to the table with a raised head is an octagonal table, with a throne chair on each side. It looks simple and the carvings are not elaborate.
There are three pairs of armchairs on the two sides below, separated by a square table in the middle, and a crescent table against each wall. Putting them together makes the whole place complete. There is a palace lantern hanging from the ceiling, which looks very new, as if it was newly hung.
When Song Jin looked up at the ceiling, he found a plaque hanging there with the words "Chengzhitang" written on it.
In general, this place is a bit shabby, simpler than the Chai family, the Bai family, and the government office. There are all kinds of things, but except for the screen, Song Jin can't see anything that has been carefully crafted.
After walking around the back of the hall, you will enter a small garden. The first thing that catches your eye is a field of hibiscus, but unfortunately it is not yet in bloom, so there are only lush green leaves.
The boy led her along the corridor, through a moon-shaped door and into a small courtyard. There were crape myrtles planted in the courtyard, with many buds weighing down the branches.
"Girl, my master told you to stay here first. He has something to ask you when he comes back."
"return?"
Song Jin realized that this was the Ji family.
"Just wait patiently. If you need anything, you can go find someone up front. Just don't go out."
House arrest.
Song Jin thought, Ji Shubai started to behave badly after talking to her for a while, she was really not a good role model.
After the servant arranged everything for Song Jin, he left the yard. Song Jin stood alone in the yard, thinking.
There were houses on both sides of the door, probably where the servants lived and the doormen stayed. It was impossible for her to go out through the main door.
Climbing the wall?
Song Jin glanced around. The courtyard wall was not particularly high. The problem was with the tiles on the top of the wall. They were neatly stacked in a row. She was not sure if she would knock the tiles off after climbing up, thus scaring anyone and thus failing.
Forget it, Song Jin thought. Her original intention was not to escape from Ji Shubai, but to get rid of her citizenship and to be free. If she escaped, she would only become a refugee.
In the Ming Dynasty, as a woman, she became a refugee, and her miserable situation was probably no better than that of the women in Huang Zicheng's family.
Song Jin thought so and walked into the main house. The house was smaller than she had imagined.
On the surface, it looked like the main room, but in reality it was connected to the bedroom and study. Facing the door was a long table and an eight-person table with armchairs, and the furnishings were the same as in the main hall. On the right side, against the corner of the wall, there was a canopy bed, separated from the main room by a bedspread, with a green gauze curtain hanging on the bed and a wooden footrest underneath.
Next to the bed was a wardrobe that looked like it was used to store clothes, and next to the window was a table that Song Jin guessed was used for dressing since there was a washbasin rack next to it.
The left side was separated by an octagonal hood, with curtains hung on both sides, so she could see directly inside.
There is a bookshelf against the wall, with many books on it. In front of it is a desk and an armchair, with all the four treasures of the study.
This is a scholar's house.
Song Jin wanted to watch more carefully, but it was almost dark. He was frightened in the afternoon and felt sleepy and hungry, so he turned around and went to the bedroom.
The bedding was very good, very soft, and seemed to have just been exposed to the sun, with a smell of sunshine. The quilt cover was made of silk, smooth and cool to the touch, and although it was a little old, it was obvious that it was made of good material.
Since she came into this world, she has never even made a quilt like this, let alone slept on it.
Song Jin was about to lie down on the bed with his body tilted when he suddenly heard a voice.
"Wait, don't go to sleep yet."
Song Jin looked in the direction of the voice and saw an old woman with graying hair walking in from outside carrying a bowl of noodles.
"I'll change the quilt for you. Eat some noodles before you go to sleep."
The old woman placed the bowl of noodles on the eight-immortals table. A faint aroma of lard wafted over. Song Jin couldn't help but walked over.
Although the old woman was not young, she was very nimble and quickly gathered up the quilt and went out with it.
Song Jin buried his head in eating noodles, feeling extremely unhappy.
It's just a satin quilt, what's wrong with letting her sleep on it for one night? How stingy!
Song Jin was very hungry and the bowl of noodles was soon finished. At that time, the old woman came back with a new quilt.
It was still satin, and even newer than the previous bed.
Song Jin was surprised that she actually felt a little guilty. She licked her lips, walked over and said, "I'll help you."
"No, no, go eat the noodles. They won't taste good if they get clumpy."
Song Jin smiled sheepishly: "I'm done eating."
The old woman couldn't help but be a little surprised when she heard this. She turned around to look at the bowl and saw that it had been eaten clean. If she wanted to eat more, she would lick the bottom of the bowl.
"Are you full? Do you want another bowl?"
"No, I'm full."
While helping to make the bed, Song Jin chatted with the old woman and learned that her surname was Chen and everyone in the courtyard called her Chen Mama. Her husband was the doorman here, and she was in charge of the kitchen. The two of them had been looking after the courtyard together for decades.
Song Jin then remembered that she had never seen any servants other than them in this courtyard, and curiosity drove her to ask.
"This yard used to be very lively, but then my master went to Fujian, and then..." The old woman spoke softly and slowly: "Later, only the lady and the young master came back, and this yard became deserted. Now that the young master has grown up, I thought that after he got married and had children, this yard would become lively again. Who would have thought, alas——"
Mother Chen sighed heavily and said, "Now I am just looking forward to... Hey, who are you? My young master said you are a woman and asked you to stay. Why did he ask you to stay? But you..."
"No, no, no, no," Song Jin quickly waved his hands and explained, "Your young master and I don't have that kind of relationship."
This Mrs. Chen's words are too erratic.
"Really? What a pity." Her tone was filled with regret, but she quickly changed the subject: "It's OK if it's not. You're too thin, and it's not easy for you to have children."
Then he started to mutter about getting married and having children, about how he wanted her to be a little fatter, with a bigger butt, and a gentler temperament...
Song Jin rubbed his face with his bare hands and stood aside.
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