Ye Caiping returned to her cell.
Wei cried, "Little...little sister...how are you now? What did the constables say to you?"
Seeing Ye Caiping's downcast expression, Old Madam Ye glared at Madam Wei and said, "Shut up, don't say anything."
Ms. Wei was so aggrieved that she sobbed.
Du and Jinhua, among others, also looked worried. In the end, they sat down dejectedly to the side without saying a word, because they all understood what the road ahead was like.
Now that the magistrate is forcing her to marry, there are only two possible outcomes.
First, Ye Caiping disagreed; they should all die together.
Secondly, Ye Caiping agreed that they would be released without charge.
From the moment they were imprisoned, they knew there was no escape. Because the people can never win a fight against the officials.
Ye Huan'er fell asleep on Ye Caiping's lap. Ye Caiping stroked her delicate face and sighed softly. Finally, a fierce glint flashed in her eyes.
She was not a person of this era; reputation and innocence meant nothing to her.
It was just that she felt humiliated and couldn't bring herself to sleep with a shameless old scumbag like Magistrate Lu.
There's no other way out now; we have to change the track whether we want to or not.
Ye Caiping is flexible and adaptable; can't she let this little thing go?
She went from being a self-reliant peasant woman who had become wealthy to a tragic concubine who went mad and beat her despicable husband's entire family to death!
Ye Caiping took a deep breath and was about to stand up when suddenly, "Ugh—"
Grandma Ye and the others were startled: "Caiping, what's wrong? Did the rice porridge you ate at noon go bad?"
Ye Caiping waved her hand: "No... I need some time to mentally prepare myself."
After saying that, he sat down again and closed his eyes.
...
In Yue'an County, the bustling streets are teeming with traffic.
Two understated yet luxurious carriages slowly entered the city gate.
"Master, we're almost home." Duanwu rode his horse alongside the carriage.
The curtains were gently lifted, and Shen Zhiyan looked at the familiar and bustling street, letting out a soft sigh of relief. The fatigue from the long journey vanished instantly.
Looking down, I saw Shen Manman lying on the bench, a tiny little thing, sleeping soundly with her lips licking.
"I feel like the atmosphere is a bit tense," Duanwu said. "I think I heard someone talking about some notorious bandit or something."
"Hurry home, you're tired." Shen Zhiyan lowered the curtain.
Two carriages soon entered the Shen family's residence.
Shen Zhiyan had the nanny carry the sleeping Shen Manman back to her room before returning to his study.
Duanwu walked in and said with a smile, "Master, should we send that cart of gifts to Qinghe Village now?"
Shen Zhiyan took out his cherished books from the box and placed them one by one on the bookshelf: "Those were all prepared by Manman. When she wakes up, let her handle them herself."
"Should we inform Young Master Ye and the others to come to class tomorrow?"
Go!
Duanwu responded and turned to leave.
...
During the Dragon Boat Festival, I rode a horse and happily entered Qinghe Village.
But along the way, I felt that the atmosphere was strange.
People would often steal glances at him, looking at him as if he were a thief. When he looked over, the villagers would shrink back, hiding in their houses or behind trees.
Why does Duanwu feel so uneasy being stared at?
Never mind, he'll go back to town immediately after delivering the message.
Soon, they arrived at Ye Caiping's house.
He dismounted and found the gate tightly shut, which puzzled him.
Villagers usually don't close their doors during the day, so he started knocking on the door: "Madam Ye! Madam Ye! Open the door, it's me, Duanwu."
After banging for a while, a man suddenly burst open the door: "What are you banging on, trying to summon my soul!"
The visitor was none other than Ye Sanquan.
Ye Caiping's family has been in jail for eight or nine days. Ye Lizheng was afraid that someone would come to steal things, so he let Ye Sanquan and Ye Ershu stay here, so that they could also feed Ye Caiping's chickens, ducks, pigs and cattle.
Ye Sanquan assumed it was the same old constables again, but upon closer inspection, he frowned and asked, "Young man, who are you looking for?"
I hadn't seen him before, so I just said, "I'm looking for Madam Ye, Uncle, who are you?"
Ye Sanquan looked him over suspiciously: "I am Ye Niangzi's cousin."
Duanwu cupped his hands in greeting: "Oh. I am a servant of the Shen family. I've come today to inform you that my master has returned! Starting tomorrow, Young Master Ye and the Miss Yes will continue to attend classes."
Ye Sanquan was taken aback. He had naturally heard that Ye Xuan had studied under a very powerful teacher, who seemed to be surnamed Chen, and even several of his maids were studying there.
Overwhelmed with grief, Ye Sanquan plopped down on the doorstep and began wiping away his tears.
"What's the point of going to school... They're all in jail! Waaah... I don't know when they'll be released, maybe... they'll just be dragged to the execution ground and beheaded..."
Duanwu: "..."
...
Shen Zhiyan was reading in the study.
As it was getting dark, Duanwu ran in.
Shen Zhiyan picked up his teacup: "Has the message been delivered?"
"Master, Madam Ye isn't home?" Duanwu wiped the sweat from his brow.
Where did she go?
"Madam Ye has gone to jail!"
Shen Zhiyan almost spat out his tea: "Where are you going?"
"He's gone to jail!"
"Cough cough..." Shen Zhiyan wiped his lips with a handkerchief. "What happened?"
Duanwu wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Let Uncle Ye speak. He's Madam Ye's cousin."
He then ran out the door and pulled Ye Sanquan inside: "Uncle, why don't you talk to my master?"
"Huh?" Ye Sanquan walked in. Although he didn't think anyone could beat the county magistrate, the more people who knew, the more people would come up with a solution.
Then she cried and said, "You all know the magistrate of Yue'an County, right? He took a fancy to my younger sister and insisted on taking her as his second wife. When my younger sister refused, he made up an excuse, saying that my younger sister's family was harboring some big thief, and locked my younger sister and her two older brothers' families up in jail!"
"They still haven't given us an explanation! Waaaaah..."
Shen Zhiyan's handsome face darkened, and his eyes turned cold.
Ye Sanquan continued, "Here's a letter, written by my younger sister to my second brother. He slipped it into my hand when he was arrested. I can't read, so I don't know what it says..."
Duanwu quickly took the letter and presented it to Shen Zhiyan.
Shen Zhiyan read ten lines at a glance, his expression growing colder with each reading.
Duanwu watched his expression change, and her back gradually tensed up.
Ye Sanquan pleaded, "Mr. Shen... although it's very difficult for you... but you're a scholar, you're intelligent, could you think of a way to help my younger sister and the others?"
Shen Zhiyan snorted angrily: "What's the big deal? He's just a county magistrate!"
He picked up a pen and wrote the character "沉" (chen, meaning sinking) directly on Ye Caiping's letter, then stamped it with his seal.
"Take this to the prefect of Nanzhou."
Duanwu took the letter and ran out.
Ye Sanquan looked completely bewildered: "Mr. Shen?"
Shen Zhiyan said, "Third Master Ye, there's no need to panic. You will escort Third Master Ye back to his village during the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Another servant walked in: "Third Master Ye, please."
Ye Sanquan was still worried, wondering what Shen Zhiyan had done. But seeing Shen Zhiyan's cold expression, which seemed to carry annoyance, he dared not ask any further questions.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
