Union

Chapter 34 Going out
Yunying would rather the Second Master had announced the punishment back then than she was now anxiously waiting for the second shoe to drop, with no idea when it would finally drop.

But the Second Master was too busy and had no time for her...

Yes, just as Second Master was on the verge of a breakdown, plotting how to teach her a lesson she would never forget, and show her how terrible the price of fooling him could be, Sui Yu ran in from outside, excitedly shouting, "Second Master, that guy surnamed Fan really did escape from prison! I thought that old bastard would try to escape on the way to exile, but I didn't expect..."

This one sentence made the Second Master forget about her and he kicked her out, telling her to stay in the backyard and he would deal with her when he had time.

As Yunying was lost in thought, Sui'er came over to urge her to have her meal.

Sui'er said, "You should at least eat something. It would be a loss if you starved yourself."

Sui'er looked at Yunying with affection in her eyes.

Their girl is so pitiful.

Today, facing the Second Master's raging storm, she was on tenterhooks for him.

The way the Second Master spoke in the study was so cold, and his angry expression was chilling to even think about.

She was waiting by the corner of the wall, and she was so frightened that she almost ran away. But not only could the girl not run, she also had to face the Second Master's coldness. The girl was really having a hard time.

"Oh, is it lunchtime? Put the food out, I'll eat now."

Sui'er happily agreed and went to set out the meal.

As for Yunying, she ate her lunch with gusto, but her mind kept wandering to the "Fan County Magistrate who escaped from prison."

Why would Magistrate Fan need to escape from prison?

He absolutely needed to escape from prison.

After all, Magistrate Fan is nearly fifty years old and has suffered two consecutive misdeeds. If he doesn't put up a fight, he will either die in prison or on his way to exile.

Yunying thought that if she were Magistrate Fan, she would definitely be on the road to exile.

After all, she firmly believed that when Magistrate Fan held absolute power, he must have done other unspeakable things. His "accomplices," for whatever reason, could not stand idly by and watch Magistrate Fan be exiled to the Northwest.

With their help, faking a death would be incredibly easy. It would prevent any trouble for the family and allow for a clean getaway. Once things calmed down, they could bring the family away, living under assumed names, and enjoy a long and prosperous life ahead.

She believed that what Yunying could think of, Magistrate Fan could certainly think of as well.

But since there was a better "way out", Magistrate Fan chose to take the path of no return - escaping from prison. He must have had a reason to escape.

For example, his body simply couldn't take it anymore. If he didn't get a doctor's visit and medication soon, he might die in that prison.

Think about it, since that Constable Lian was arrested, the county government has undergone a major reshuffle. Now, almost everyone inside and outside the county government is one of Second Master's men.

With the Second Master's men guarding the area strictly, it would be impossible for Magistrate Fan to use medicine to stabilize his injuries.

Seeing that his life was in danger, Magistrate Fan made a desperate decision to escape from prison, which is easy to understand.

As for whether Second Master's men turned a blind eye when Magistrate Fan escaped from prison, only Second Master's men probably know.

Regardless, it's undeniable that Magistrate Fan is now under Second Master's surveillance. As for Second Master's reasons for doing this... is he playing the long game, catching a bigger fish?

Big fish are definitely not easy to catch; to fish, you need plenty of patience and vigilance.

So, Second Master will probably be keeping a close eye on that area during this time, which means that she can relax a bit and not worry about Second Master suddenly appearing to teach her a lesson or take revenge on her.

Yunying felt she had been frightened and needed to rest for a few days to recover her energy. But before she could rest for long, the next morning, Aunt Ding sent someone to tell her that she could go out for a walk.

The manor will arrange carriages and horses for them, and the girls can go out together, but whether they go or not is up to them. If they really don't want to go out, Aunt Ding won't interfere if they stay at the manor.

Yunying was somewhat tempted, and seeing this, Sui'er asked her, "Miss, shall we go out for a walk?"

"Then let's go." After all, she had been imprisoned for a long time, like being in jail, going from the capital to Yun Gui County, changing cage after cage. She wasn't a caged bird; being locked up for so long would make her brain go numb.

He said he was going out, so he changed his clothes and went out.

When Yunying arrived at the carriage that had been arranged for them, she got in and found that Mujin and Qiuning were already there, but Ruizhu was missing.

“Ruizhu won’t go out, but she has great ambitions. Today she will show filial piety to Aunt Ding.”

What's with all this talk about respecting and honoring children? It sounds so awful. If you say "respect for parents" instead, wouldn't that sound more respectable?
Yunying wanted to say this, but then she thought about it and kept quiet.

Qiu Ning wasn't unaware of the reasoning, but she was just that temperamental. She couldn't stand seeing others do things she wouldn't do herself, otherwise she would become sarcastic and sarcastic.

Let her be.

The carriage rolled forward, passing over a stretch of bluestone slabs and turning a corner, until it arrived at the most bustling and lively main street in Yungui County.

Despite being called the main street, it was still a dirt road.

This is truly something that no one could have imagined.

Mu Jin and Qiu Ning were so jolted by the carriage that they almost threw up. Forget about the ride for a moment, they quickly called the driver to stop the carriage, and then they all got off and walked over.

Along the way, they all had some hopes.

They knew that Lingnan Prefecture was impoverished, and Yungui County, which was under its jurisdiction, was no better off.

But looking around, there wasn't a single place to relax on the street. The most popular shops on the main street were selling rice, vegetables, soy sauce, vinegar, and ironware... This was truly disappointing, and all my enthusiasm and expectations vanished into thin air.

After much difficulty, they finally found a fabric shop and went inside. However, they discovered that the fabrics were not only old and outdated, but also very unfashionable. At first glance, they looked drab and unappealing, which was disheartening.

Unsurprisingly, the group left the cloth shop empty-handed.

A few steps further, they saw a jewelry shop and a cosmetics shop.

Qiu Ning and Mu Jin were in high spirits, but Yun Ying didn't want to go in.

Firstly, she was short of money, so even if she went in, she would only be able to join in the fun and enjoy the spectacle.

But there's really nothing good in Yungui County. The people are dirt poor. The most prosperous shops on the street are only set up to satisfy people's basic needs. How can you expect anything good from these shops that are used to adorn women's faces?
Even if she could afford it, she couldn't.

Secondly, she wanted to go to other places to see if there were any business opportunities.

She hadn't forgotten that she had boasted to the Second Master that she was willing to pay a hefty sum to redeem herself. With the ten or eight taels of silver she currently possessed, she couldn't redeem herself even in a hundred years. She really needed to find a way to make money.

As for whether she can open a shop after finding a way... that's something to consider later.

Thank you to readers 2018 and danhui for the generous donations.

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(End of this chapter)