Union

Chapter 14 Hard to guard against
That night, the weather was particularly hot and humid, and there were a lot of mosquitoes.

Despite burning a lot of mugwort around the house before going to bed, it was no use at all; mosquitoes were still buzzing in their ears, disturbing their sleep.

Yunying tossed and turned until late into the night before finally falling asleep. The next morning, she woke up immediately upon hearing footsteps outside.

The nights in the mountains are cool. Even though it is the height of summer now, you need to cover yourself with a light blanket when you sleep at night, and you need to wear an extra layer of clothing when you get up in the morning.

As the sun rises higher, a light jacket becomes unbearable, and even wearing just a thin summer dress makes it impossible to stop sweating profusely.

Sitting in the carriage, whether it was due to her restlessness or the oppressive heat of the weather, Yunying was sweating profusely, and her hair was almost completely soaked.

Seeing this, the maid quickly took a handkerchief, washed it in a basin of clean water, and handed it to Yunying to wipe her sweat. Yunying waved her hand and refused, instead slowly picking up a round fan from the side and fanning herself, saying with a smile, "I'll just fan myself with the fan."

Hearing this, Qiu Ning, who was sitting in the same car, also wiped the sweat from her neck. "It's so muggy today, is it going to rain?"

"not sure."

As the two were talking, they heard Butler Wang outside shout, "Speed ​​up!"

A moment later, a pattering sound came from outside, and rain began to fall.

Fortunately, it was just a light rain this time, and wearing a raincoat didn't delay our journey.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed in my ears, the leaves rustled as they were struck, and the cool rain washed away the summer heat, finally bringing a touch of coolness.

Yunying felt a chill and was about to lift the curtain to look at the scenery outside when she suddenly heard the sound of an arrow piercing the air. She thought she had misheard, but then she heard a sharp scream.

Qiu Ning had obviously heard it too, and her face turned pale instantly. She grabbed Yun Ying's arm and asked, "What's wrong? Did you run into bandits?"

Along the route from Hangzhou to Lingnan Prefecture, there are numerous mountains, and bandits from all over the mountains.

To ensure safety, when they were in Hangzhou, Steward Wang specially ordered the purchase of several hundred arrows made of fine iron, and more were added every time they passed through a new place.

Now, each of the guards carries a sharp sword and a quiver of arrows on their shoulders. If they encounter any trouble, they should be able to handle it easily.

That's what she thought, but Yunying's heart was uncontrollably soaring.

After all, bandits are cruel. They kill men whenever they can, but while they show mercy to women, the women who fall into their hands are worse off dead than alive.

Yunying and Qiuning's expressions changed, and the maids huddled together in panic.

The carriage moved faster, occasionally staggering as if it had run over rocks and was about to overturn, which made people even more terrified. Fortunately, the carriage stabilized at the last moment, and although they were bruised and battered, they were safe from harm.

The carriage traveled for a full hour before gradually slowing down.

The sky was dark at this time, but instead of quieting down, the surroundings became even noisier.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Yunying lifted the curtain of the carriage window and looked outside. There she saw two large, sharp, black characters boldly inscribed on the tall, imposing city wall not far away—Jinzhou!
The city gates under the city wall were still open, and people would occasionally venture out from inside, some men, women, and children who were working or visiting relatives and friends, hurrying out of the city to go home.

How did we end up in Jinzhou?
Yunying frowned. Qiu Ning noticed her expression was off and came over to look. Then she exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my, you're staying in Jinzhou tonight?"

Yunying nodded. "It should be."

It's not just "should", it's "definitely".

In just a short while, Steward Wang had reached the city gate guard and handed over a stack of things.

Those were the group's household registration documents and travel permits.

Perhaps it was Steward Wang's inherent air of nobility, or perhaps it was because it was almost time for the change of guard, and a light drizzle was falling from the sky. The city gatekeepers glanced at them briefly and then let them pass. The group arrived smoothly at the best inn in the city and settled down for the time being.

The rain intensified at night, and Yunying, half asleep and half awake, thought that if the rain continued until tomorrow, they would probably stay in the city for another day.

When Yunying woke up the next day, before she even opened her eyes, she heard the pleasant, clear sound of rain falling.

It rained all night and it still hasn't stopped, so we definitely can't leave today.

Sure enough, Aunt Ding came over a little later and said, "Let's stay for a day and see how it goes."

The innkeeper said it had been raining on and off for almost ten days. The rain varied in intensity, sometimes torrential downpours causing flooding in the town, and sometimes a light, continuous drizzle like today. Aunt Ding said, "The weather is cool today, so you should all rest. Once you set off again, you'll be suffering again."

Yunying agreed and obediently stayed in her room without going out.

Even though she was so honest, she almost got into trouble.

The reason was rather ridiculous: when the maid brought her lunch, the door opened for a split second. In that instant, a young master passing by happened to see it.

That young master was no decent man; he took a liking to Yunying at first sight. That night, after everyone had turned off the lights and gone to sleep, he secretly slipped some sleeping incense into the room and then opened the door, intending to steal her away.

Fortunately, in addition to Yunying and a few other women, many guards were also arranged to keep watch on this floor.

The guards were sharp-eyed and alert, always on guard against any mishaps. The moment Yunying's door opened, they rushed over.

The young master wasn't afraid even when he was pinned down; instead, he arrogantly shouted, "I'm the prefect's brother-in-law! If you dare offend me, you'll regret it!"

Yunying had already been woken up. Despite feeling extremely dizzy, she quickly got dressed under Aunt Ding's care.

After understanding what had happened from Aunt Ding, Yunying covered her forehead in a headache.

She wanted to leave the Rongguo Duke's mansion and not become Chen Yanzhou's concubine. However, until she found a better way out, she still wanted to stay with them because it offered greater personal safety.

Even with such strict security, some people still manage to sneak in; it's truly impossible to guard against them all.

The young master was handsome and dressed in an air of nobility, but his eyes were murky and his body was as thin as a stick, making it obvious at a glance that he had been ravaged by wine and women.

As Yunying was silently cursing "bad luck" in her heart, the innkeeper and waiter rushed in upon hearing her voice.

Upon realizing the situation before him, the shopkeeper staggered and nearly tripped and fell flat on his face.

"Oh, Young Master Liang, what's wrong? Sir, please let go. This Young Master Liang is not an outsider; he is the brother-in-law of the Prefect of Jinzhou."

He was called the brother-in-law, but he was actually the elder brother of a concubine. However, the concubine was incredibly capable, being the most powerful woman in front of the prefect.

The prefect's wife was a kind-hearted woman who turned a blind eye to her various behaviors. Relying on the prefect's power, the brother and sister acted with absolute lawlessness in Jinzhou.

They had suffered greatly from him and had long hoped that he would be punished, but this "punishment" absolutely could not happen on their own turf, otherwise they would also be skinned alive.

The shopkeeper bowed and begged for mercy, saying all the nice things he could think of.

When Young Master Liang saw that the shopkeeper and waiter had arrived, one of his own servants ran over to rescue him, while another went to fetch reinforcements when no one was looking. Young Master Liang's arrogance immediately became even more overbearing.

He pointed at Yunying in the inner room and said, "For the sake of that young lady, I can let bygones be bygones today. On the condition that you give her to me. Not only her, but you also brought several other beautiful girls this time, give them all to me as well." He added with a snort, "They're all just gifts anyway, giving them to others is giving them to me, it's all the same. If you give them to me, at least I can guarantee you'll live peacefully in Jinzhou City, otherwise..."

Butler Wang was too lazy to say anything to him. He only glanced coldly at the arrogant and domineering young master Liang, then beckoned to a guard, took out a note-like item from his sleeve and handed it to him. He also gave the guard a few extra instructions, and the guard quickly took the item and went downstairs.

This situation...something's not right.

Wu Liang was filled with apprehension. His intuition told him that he had bitten off more than he could chew this time, and his face, pressed against the ground, paled slightly.

Wu Liang was able to act with impunity in Jinzhou City; he was quite capable. He could speak to one person as one speaks to another, and he was adaptable and flexible...

Seeing that this group probably had powerful backers, Wu Liang immediately wanted to beg for mercy to smooth things over. But as more and more people gathered, he became embarrassed. He could only pretend to be magnanimous and try to negotiate, saying, "Please let me go first. If you ask me, it's fate that we've all ended up at this inn. I'm not one to hold a grudge. If you apologize to me, we can let this go."

Among the onlookers, some recognized the young master and sneered, "To spare someone's life so easily, this doesn't seem like something a young master like you would do."

"That's right. They've offended Young Master Liang. If they don't compensate him with those girls and kowtow to him a few times, there's no way this matter will be over!"

Cold sweat dripped down Wu Liang's forehead. He really wanted to shut up those merchants who were just watching the drama unfold. Unfortunately, those merchants also had relatives and powerful connections in the local area. Although he could afford to offend them, he had made so many enemies for no reason. If someone complained to his brother-in-law, he would be in deep trouble.

While Wu Liang was lost in thought, Butler Wang had already signaled the guards to take him to the next private room.

Making a scene would be bad for Wu Liang, but they also couldn't afford to offend the prefect of Jincheng too much. It's said that a local official is more powerful than a distant one, so they still had to give him the respect he deserved.

Happy National Day! Happy birthday to our motherland! Did everyone go on holiday? I didn't. I'm too busy. Autumn harvest is in my hometown, and I'm incredibly busy right now. I also have to take my baby to the hospital in the next couple of days. This cough has become a real worry for me; it just won't get better, it's driving me crazy.



(End of this chapter)