Union

Chapter 103 Chang Shun's Judgment
Because her face was covered in mosquito bites, Yunying stayed at home for two days without going out.

On the third day, she was about to go and check on the progress of the terraced fields on the other barren mountains when she suddenly heard from the maid that the court was about to begin and that the Second Master would be judging Chang Shun today.

Yunying immediately pulled Liu'er over and asked her, "Are you sure the court session will be held today? Where did you get this information?"

"Everyone's talking about it, girl, but I don't know if it's true or not. Let's just keep an eye on things up front. If the court session starts, we can go over and listen in."

As they were talking, another maid ran over, shouting, "Court is in session! Court is in session! Everyone come and see!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw Yunying standing outside the courtyard, and the little maid was stunned.

Fortunately, although Yunying was a bit strict in managing the backyard, she was also very lenient in certain matters.

She waved to the maid, "Go quickly if you want, just keep quiet and try not to make any noise. Also, after you finish listening to the trial, return to the manor as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, the young maid and the maids and servants beside her all cheered happily, "Thank you, Miss Yunying!" "Miss Yunying is the best!" "Don't worry, Miss, we'll be right back."

More than a dozen people left the mansion quickly, and a moment later, even Mu Jin, who had been cooped up in the courtyard for a long time, came out.

After what happened last time, the two weren't exactly enemies, but they did dislike each other somewhat.

Mu Jin resented Yun Ying for not speaking up for her, preventing her from getting close to the Second Master. Yun Ying, on the other hand, was annoyed that Mu Jin had schemed against her, used her, and treated her like a fool.

The two disliked each other, and Mu Jin didn't speak to Yun Ying. She left with her maid, Ru Zhu.

Just then, Qiu Ning came out of the courtyard and witnessed this scene.

Qiu Ning snorted angrily, "If I were you, I'd slap her across the face. What a piece of trash, acting like you owe her something."

Yunying said, "Don't bother with her. Her mind is warped, and it's pointless to talk to her."

"I can't be bothered with her," Qiu Ning said. "Let's go watch Second Master hear the case. Chang Shun's case has been dragging on for so long, I almost forgot he even existed."

"You go ahead, I won't go. It would be embarrassing if word got out that even I would go and join in the fun."

"Alright, I'll head out first then."

Qiu Ning, accompanied by her maid, also went out gracefully.

With nothing to do, Yunying simply took a walk around the county government office.

It is now the height of summer in July, and many flowers in the mansion are in bloom.

Large, vibrant golden chrysanthemums bloom freely, their blossoms heavy and dazzling. Their intense, bright yellow color dances passionately in the wind, brightening the hearts of all who behold them.

The red-flowered jade tree is planted on both sides of the path leading to the backyard pavilion. Every evening, clusters of red stamens hang from the leaves, the inflorescences drooping down, the flowers a deep red. This flowering tree blooms in the evening, and when the sun rises in the morning, the lively scene of the tree in full bloom transforms into a red glow on the ground.

Not far from the pavilion, there is a small pond. The lotus leaves in the pond reach to the sky, and the lotus flowers are pink or red, or like fourteen or fifteen-year-old girls, still in bud, graceful and swaying.

Yunying broke off two lotus flowers, and also cut two gardenias, one crown of thorns, and a few other flowers.

She prepared to go back to her room to arrange the flowers in a vase, even though some of the flowers she had cut were completely unsuitable for arranging, but what she liked was priceless.

Yunying strolled back to the courtyard, but she had only just washed her hands and taken out a large lotus leaf-shaped famille rose peony-patterned porcelain vase when Qiuning, wiping the sweat from her face with a handkerchief, strode into the flower hall.

Her face was flushed red from the sun, and sweat rolled down her chin through her hair, making her hair a little messy. There were also faint traces of sweat on her clothes, and she looked somewhat disheveled.

Before Qiu Ning even entered, she impatiently exclaimed, "It's so hot! It's unbearably hot today! Yun Ying, quickly have your maid bring me a cup of cool tea. I'm practically dried out. You're so smart; you know I can't stand staying in the mansion. Oh, this is really killing me!"

Before Yunying could give any instructions, Sui'er hurriedly brought Qiu Ning a cup of cool tea. However, Qiu Ning was extremely thirsty and hot, and the cool tea did not quench her thirst or relieve the heat at all. Qiu Ning then called out, "Bring me two more cups."

Yunying put down what she was holding and sat down next to Qiuning. "Why did you come back so soon? Was it too hot to bear?"

"Of course not. I went out to listen in on the proceedings and I was determined to hear the outcome before coming back. The case has already been heard, so I came back."

"so fast."

"It's not that I'm fast, it's that Second Master is fast."

Yunying: "..."

I know Second Master is fast, well, I shouldn't say it like that, otherwise it's easy for people to misunderstand and it might damage Second Master's glorious image.

Yunying could only leave that topic at that and instead asked the question she cared about most, "How exactly was Chang Shun's case judged?"

"Hehe, you've come to the right person with this question."

Qiu Ning drank two more cups of herbal tea before eagerly telling Yun Ying about the case.

Those poor people who had been cheated by Chang Shun naturally dissolved the non-existent work-for-debt agreement with him. Furthermore, given Chang Shun's collusion with the government and his exploitation of the people, he was to compensate them. In addition, Chang Shun was to pay these people who had been cheated of their due wages for the past few years.

Then there's the matter of Chang Shun trafficking women and girls.

"He wasn't a real human trafficker. He just took advantage of people he didn't like or who were short of money to make a few bucks. But he only sold two or three people a year. Over the past ten years, that's about twenty or thirty people. Because it's been so long, Chang Shun himself can't remember exactly where he sold them. But because his human trafficking story spread far and wide, people who had lost children or daughters-in-law came to his door, saying that their family members had been sold by Chang Shun. They even beat Chang Shun until his head bled in court."

Qiu Ning sighed without any pity, "Tragic! Chang Shun is really too tragic! But who told him to do evil first?"

“Some people sold their items only briefly, and Chang Shun remembered the approximate location, so he gave them the address. As for those from a long time ago, they are most likely to be lost, and there's nothing we can do about it.”

"What punishment did Chang Shun receive in the end?" Yunying asked.

"The death penalty!" Qiu Ning exclaimed with delight. "The death penalty, and confiscation of all family property. As for those who knew about it but didn't report it, they were all sentenced to imprisonment for five to ten years."

Yunying heard what she wanted to hear and was satisfied. She nodded, "Second Master's judgment in this case was fair."

"The way you're saying that makes it sound like Second Master's case was judged unfairly. Second Master is an honest official; the people kneel down in front of the county government office and call him 'Your Honor, the Upright Official.'"

Yunying: "..."

This "upright and just official" should just be a general term, right?

Who cares about the truth? In any case, the Second Master was an upright official, which is something everyone can see.

Perhaps this time calling him "Upright Official" was just a casual remark, but who knows, next time, Second Master might truly be regarded as a model of upright and just officials.

Qiu Ning sat with Yun Ying for a while before returning to her own courtyard.

It was incredibly hot, and she sweated a lot, so her makeup was ruined.

Qiu Ning was grumbling about going back to take a shower, but when she got to the courtyard gate, she waved Yun Ying over.

Yunying rolled her eyes at her and reluctantly walked over. "Just say what you want to say."

Qiu Ning clicked her tongue. "I'm just sharing some gossip with you, don't take it personally. Do you know who I saw at the county government office?"

Yunying's mind raced. "Is it Mujin?" Qiuning snapped her fingers. "You're so clever. It's definitely her. No wonder she's dressed up so extravagantly. So she's going to show off her peacock feathers in front of the Second Master."

Yunying had gotten used to Qiuning's nonsensical antics, and she was too lazy to correct him. Peacocks displaying their tails is usually a male peacock pursuing a female peacock, but Mujin is female and Erye is male, so their genders are reversed.

Wait a minute, something about that statement doesn't seem quite right.

Yunying frowned, deciding not to think about it anymore. She simply told Qiuning, "Don't worry about what she does. Just stay away from her from now on."

"Do you even need to tell me? I know better than you how shameless Mu Jin is, okay?"

"It's not just a matter of shamelessness..."

"Alright, alright, I know what I'm doing. Don't treat me like a three-year-old. You should go back now, I have to go too. I'm all sticky and smelly. By the way, Yunying, how come you don't sweat at all? You smell so good..."

Qiu Ning, being a rogue, rubbed his face on Yun Ying's and then went back to his own courtyard, satisfied.

Yunying felt a chill, went back to her room to wash her face, and then prepared to go find the Second Master.

She's a human being too, she eats grains and cereals, how could she not sweat?

She was sweating too, okay? A lot of sweat.

After all, she hadn't just been sitting idly inside; she had also taken a stroll around the yard.

After washing and grooming herself, Yunying asked Sui'er, "Am I okay going out like this?"

Sui'er nodded quickly, "That's perfect, miss."

The girl wasn't dressed up much, not even wearing makeup. But she was beautiful; with just a simple wash, she looked radiant and stunning.

After receiving Sui'er's approval, Yunying looked at herself in the mirror again. Confirming that her attire was appropriate, she went out.

As we walked towards the front yard, we ran into Second Master right at the entrance.

The Second Master was still wearing his official robes, with his official hat held in Sui Yun's hands behind him.

Yunying noticed something interesting: Second Master really disliked wearing official hats. Several times she'd seen him in official robes, but the official hat was never on his head. Did he think wearing an official hat would affect his appearance?

Despite these random thoughts swirling in her mind, her actions didn't falter in the slightest. Yunying curtsied to the Second Master and greeted him, "Second Master."

The second master's lips curled up slightly, then drooped again. "I knew you'd come looking for me."

Yunying gave a fawning smile and followed the Second Master inside.

She kept praising him, "Second Master, you are upright and just, and you have rid the people of a great scourge. I heard that today the people are kneeling at the gate of the yamen and calling you 'Your Honor, the Upright and Just Lord.' Second Master, your reputation in Yungui County is now at its zenith."

The second master glanced at him with a smile, his deep eyes sparkling with laughter. "Are you trying to flatter me?"

"Second Master, you're talking nonsense. I'm not flattering you; I'm just telling the truth."

“Telling the truth won’t help. We haven’t taken back the tea plantation yet, and I can’t sell it to you right now.”

Yunying felt a little regretful, but she quickly came to terms with it. The verdict had just been handed down, and even if she wanted to buy the tea plantation, she would have to wait until the constables had collected all the property.

She's coming now; she's definitely early.

But it's better to come early and finalize this matter sooner rather than later, so that Second Master doesn't forget his earlier promise to her and resell the tea plantation to someone else.

Yunying thought this in her heart, and unconsciously said it out loud.

Upon hearing this, Second Master chuckled, "Don't worry, there aren't many rich people in Yungui County. And Changshun's tea plantation isn't anything special either."

In short, the wealthy look down on it, and the poor can't afford it. Therefore, the tea plantation is most likely to fall into the hands of the government.

Yunying wanted it, and the officials were more than happy for her to buy it.

Second Master said, "Wait two more days until the county government sends out the news about the sale, then you can go and buy it."

Yunying nodded and agreed repeatedly.

However, on the other hand, she hasn't pawned her jewelry yet.

"Second Master, I'll bring those jewelry over in a bit. Could you have Suiyu make a trip to Lingnan Prefecture for me?"

"Okay, since I've already promised you, I'll definitely keep my word."

Yunying thanked him repeatedly, then gave a curtsy to the Second Master before turning to go into her own courtyard.

It was only when the Second Master noticed that there was no movement behind him and turned around that he realized she was almost at the door.

Second Master laughed in anger, "Even when you've crossed the river and burned the bridge, you're still so quick."

"Then why would I stay? Is there anything else you need to tell me, Second Master?"

The second master thought about it and realized there really wasn't anything else. However, he wasn't willing to just let her leave like that.

The second master said, "Prepare some local specialties or some fruits that can be stored for a long time. I will send them to the capital along with the letter in the next few days."

Yunying agreed, then asked the Second Master, "Is there anything else?"

"...That's all, alright, you can go now."

Yun Ying turned around without any hesitation and walked to the door in a few steps.

Only after her figure disappeared from sight did the Second Master come to his senses and continue towards his room.

It was so hot that half of Second Master's clothes were soaked.

Suiyun brought the bathwater to the Second Master and said to him, "We should find a maid to serve you. It's not appropriate to have your subordinates do these things every day."

Second Master poured a bucket of cold water over his head. The cool water droplets ran down his hair, across his bulging muscles, and continued to roll down.

Second Master said, "What's wrong? Is it a waste of your talents to have you do these things?"

Sui Yun nodded, "Somewhat."

Second Master gave a soft "heh".

Sui Yun smiled and said, "I still think it would be more appropriate to have a woman like Miss Yunying serve you. Women are considerate and caring. If Miss Yunying were to take care of you, she would have prepared your bath water long ago without you even having to ask, and perhaps even an ice basin and ice bowl. Unfortunately, I am a man and cannot think of such things. Even if I could, I would be too busy to serve you in every way possible."

There will most likely be two updates today, and there will be one more at the usual time, my darlings.

(End of this chapter)