Union

Chapter 22 Seeing Ghosts in the Daytime
Without waiting for Wu Shixun and Zhao Xiong, they relayed the implication that "stupid is worse than a donkey" to the county government.

Chen Yanzhou and the others at the county government office already knew what this farce was all about.

When the court session began, everyone felt that today's trial was quite absurd. After the court session started... it became even more absurd, almost like a child's game.

However, with this metaphor of "stupid as a donkey," they understood why the person behind it all had such a farce.

Upon understanding, everyone was at a loss for words, unable to even muster any anger.

But they still felt uneasy, so the servants were eager to find the troublemaker and get revenge.

While Sui Yu and the others were eager to join in, Chen Yanzhou remained unmoved, continuing to write his large characters.

Stupid?

He really made a stupid mistake this time.

Just as my mentor said, he has already sacrificed himself, so why add another one to the mix?

His mentor advised him to protect himself and not get involved in the power struggle between the emperor and his ministers. He also said that His Majesty dismissed him from office merely to eliminate a potential threat to the new emperor's succession.

It is said that this situation will not last forever; after the new emperor ascends the throne, he may still have hope of regaining power in order to win over the people.

Chen Yanzhou was not unaware of this principle, but his mentor was over seventy years old, more than ten years older than His Majesty. Although his mentor was in good health and might not outlive His Majesty, it was unknown how long he would have to live.

Moreover, as time passes and circumstances change, when the new emperor ascends the throne and remembers his mentor, who knows what the situation will be like then.

Most importantly, no one can guarantee that our mentor will still be healthy and able to preside over the reforms and seek peace and prosperity for the Great Xia Dynasty at that age.

He was a man of great ambition and aspirations, who devoted himself to the country and its people with painstaking planning and tireless effort. All his ideas were meticulously planned and ready for implementation, but were abruptly halted.

Chen Yanzhou realized he had been foolish; his mentor had already let go of the past, but he couldn't.

It's much better to keep him in the capital than to have him demoted to this poor and remote Lingnan region, where he can naturally do more things.

Do you regret it?

Chen Yanzhou felt some regret.

But if things could be done over again, Chen Yanzhou felt that he would still be stubborn and kneel down in the Golden Palace once more, repeatedly petitioning for his mentor.

As Chen Yanzhou silently wielded his brush, the handsome young man beside him couldn't hold back any longer.

Sui Yu is the most impulsive. He is Sui Yun's twin brother. Although they look exactly alike, their personalities are completely different and they have nothing in common.

As shrewd and steady as Sui Yun is, so is Sui Yu's carefree and unrestrained nature; the two are practically two extremes.

At this moment, Sui Yu looked furious. He gripped his sword tightly and said, "Master, I'm going to deal with that Pan Xing."

Mo Xue grabbed him as he tried to rush out, saying, "The master hasn't given any orders, what are you doing acting on your own?" She then asked, "How are you going to deal with Pan Xing? Will you cut him down with a sword? Or chop him into pieces with a knife? Those who know you are loyal to your master and can't bear to see him humiliated, but those who don't might think you have some deep-seated hatred for him and are deliberately causing trouble for him."

"How did I cause trouble? It was clearly that Pershing. Ha, even if that beast isn't the mastermind, he must be someone who knows about this. If I don't beat him to death to vent my anger, I'll be so angry I'll bleed."

This is truly eye-opening!
These unruly commoners from such a tiny place probably haven't even learned to write their master's name, yet they dare to make fun of him. If we don't teach them a lesson this time, they'll never know how many eyes Lord Ma has.

Having considered these matters, Sui Yu looked at Second Master with a sorrowful expression. Although he knew Second Master was right—when to act, it had to be fatal, seizing their lifeline and wiping out the clandestine forces led by Magistrate Fan in one fell swoop—otherwise, it would only alert the enemy and give opportunists a chance to escape…

He understood the reasoning, but those people were also very cautious in their actions. They investigated for a month or two and only made slight progress, but they were still a long way from catching those who had broken the law and committed evil deeds.

Is it really true that they are going to keep enduring this until the day they retaliate?

He'd definitely turn into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle then, he couldn't stand it!

Sui Yu looked at her master with a bitter expression, "Second Master, please say something. What should we do about this? We can't just let it go like this, or I won't be able to swallow this anger."

Chen Yanzhou put down his wolf-hair brush and stared intently at the large characters on his desk—"Tranquility leads to far-reaching influence." These four characters were written by his master on his first day as an apprentice, guided by his own hand, and he had always adhered to his master's teachings. Unfortunately, since his master's accident, he had never truly found peace. Fortunately, his heart had finally calmed down.

Chen Yanzhou picked up the papers on the table and handed them directly to Lei Ting, who was standing next to him. Lei Ting took the papers and walked out.

According to the rules of the Duke's mansion, all calligraphy and paintings handwritten by the master, except those that are certain to be safe and not offensive, must be burned. A special incinerator for burning calligraphy and paintings was even built in the mansion.

The master had developed a habit since childhood, and after arriving in Yungui County, he also built a writing furnace. It was located in the side courtyard of this study. In just two months, a thick layer of black ash had accumulated in the writing furnace.

Lei Ting turned and walked out of the study. Chen Yanzhou turned to Sui Yu and said, "Go find Li Dacheng."

The donkey in the theft case has been found a home. Without the lure of Pershing's candy, the donkey went straight towards Baili Village from the intersection of Qingshi Town until it reached Li Dacheng's house, squeezed through the gate, and entered the livestock pen.

This is definitely Li Dacheng's donkey.

The Li family was overjoyed to finally get their expensive donkey back, and they wept with joy. They had originally intended to argue with Pan Xing, but considering Pan Xing's large and powerful family, and his seemingly unscrupulous nature, they decided to back down.

Such a dissolute man naturally instilled fear in the honest and simple people. Therefore, to prevent Pan Xing's retaliation, after Li Dacheng's family got their donkey back, they did not sue Pan Xing for stealing it.

Now that the adults say they want to find Li Dacheng, the reason is obvious.

Even though he knew that Pan Xing would not sit idly by and would have a well-thought-out plan regarding the origin of the donkey, as long as the authorities did not acknowledge it and the ultimate culprit could not be found, Pan Xing would not be able to escape this imprisonment.

With a joyful howl, Sui Yu happily accepted the order and went to deal with Pershing's matter.

As soon as he stepped out of the study, he saw a woman with a beauty like that of a fairy princess walking in from outside the courtyard.

She wore a light green summer dress, her hair adorned with a delicate white jade tassel hairpin. Her skin was fair, her eyes bright and her teeth white; her gaze was as cool and clear as a crescent moon on an autumn night…

He looked somewhat familiar, mainly because of his demeanor. Upon closer inspection, he seemed to have a resemblance to the Second Master.

The woman was carrying a food box, from which a pleasant aroma wafted.

Sui Yu knew that several girls lived in the backyard.

Although she was called a girl, she was really just a plaything sent by her family to the Second Master for his amusement.

If these girls were selected and sent by the Duchess, Suiyu would be very happy, after all, it puts the subordinate at ease that the master has someone to serve him.

These women were found and sent by the Second Madam, Lin Shuqing. Three of them were beauties from the Chang'an Marquis's manor, who were specially sent to people. The other was Lin Shuqing's personal maid... It's really something you can't bear to think about. Just thinking about it makes you feel disgusted.

Given the unpleasant identities of these women, Sui Yu became less polite when speaking to Yun Ying. He coldly said, "This is a respectable place; please return to where you came from."

Looking at the gatekeeper who was peeking into the courtyard, Sui Yu grinned and said, "You idiot, can't you tell who pays your monthly salary? If you dare to do it again, pack your bags and get out of the county office."

The servant immediately knelt on the ground, repeatedly replying, "Yes, I dare not do it again."

The servant had no idea that the young ladies in the inner quarters were disliked by the Second Master. He simply thought that he was someone Aunt Ding had chosen for him, and this woman claimed that Aunt Ding had sent her to deliver soup to the Second Master. Even for Aunt Ding's sake, he had no reason to stop her.

His only mistake was probably not informing the authorities beforehand.

The servant was filled with regret, secretly vowing never to act on his own again. He knew that even if the Emperor himself came, he wouldn't be able to let them pass.

After scolding the servant, Sui Yu looked at Yun Ying, who stood with her head bowed, and said, "Why aren't you leaving yet? Are you waiting for me to carry you in a sedan chair?"

Yunying said softly, "I'll be leaving now, but my aunt has a few words for me to pass on to the Second Master. I wonder if this gentleman could convey them to me?"

Just as Sui Yu was about to say "okay," Lei Ting came out and asked, "Second Master told you to do something, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and get to work."

"Alright, I'll be going now. But this woman said that Aunt Ding has something to pass on to Second Master. Why don't you come and ask her?" With that, she vanished like a ghost, causing Yun Ying to blink in disbelief. In broad daylight, she almost thought she'd seen a ghost.

Thank you so much to Everest and Raindrop Xiaohe for the Qidian coins!

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(End of this chapter)