Union

Chapter 81 is lightly touched upon.
Yunying naturally wouldn't go to the front yard to see the Second Master.

She's already said such absolute things, how could she possibly have the face to see him?
In the end, Qiu Ning was so angry that she left.

As she walked, Qiu Ning continued to threaten, "Yun Ying, just you wait, you'll regret this one day."

Yunying didn't react. She lay back down on the chaise lounge, her eyes still blank and her heart felt like it had a gaping hole, letting in a cold wind.

It was already springtime, and she could even wear just a light shirt, but she felt incredibly cold and just wanted to wrap herself up in a blanket.

"Miss, is the birthday gift for Master Tong ready? Mo Xue from Second Master's side came to urge us, saying that it should be done as soon as possible and sent out soon."

When Yunying heard "Second Master," she still felt a dull, numb ache in her heart.

It took her a while to realize what Sui'er had said. She sat up and said slowly, "Everything is ready. Go find Liu'er and have her pack it up and send it to the front yard."

"Aren't you going, girl?" Sui'er asked worriedly.

"I won't go. I'm not feeling well. I'll lie down for a bit longer."

Sui'er sighed and didn't say anything more.

But she was also afraid to go to the front yard, so she entrusted the whole matter to Liu'er, while she stayed by the young lady's side to continue to accompany her.

Sui'er was also confused; what exactly was going on between the young lady and the second master?
It was obviously fine before.

When the second master looked at the girl, his eyes were full of restrained affection. When the girl thought of the second master, she couldn't help but lower her head and smile shyly.

According to Sui'er, since the two of them are mutually attracted, they should happily be together.

But ever since that day when the girl went to the front yard, everything has changed.

Sui'er racked her brains trying to figure out where the unexpected event had occurred.

In the front yard, Liu'er, accompanied by two maids, carried the box over and personally handed it to Mo Xue.

When Mo Xue saw that the person who came was a maid from Yun Ying's courtyard, she couldn't help but frown. "Where is Miss Yun Ying?"

"The young lady wasn't feeling well, so she asked me to bring some things over."

"Not feeling well? What's wrong? Why don't you go see a doctor?"

Liu'er didn't know the details, and she said vaguely, "It shouldn't be anything serious."

Mo Xue frowned in displeasure. "Aren't you Yun Ying's maid? You don't even know what illness your mistress has. How can you be such a good maid?"

Liu'er turned pale with fright. "This servant only serves outside. It is Sister He Sui who serves you closely. Sister He Sui knows the most about what you are doing."

Seeing that she couldn't get any information out of the maid, Mo Xue could only accept the birthday gift list, waved her hand, and let Liu'er go back to the backyard.

As if granted a pardon, Liu'er hurried back with her two maids, fearing she would be called back, asked questions she couldn't answer, and then punished again.

After Liu'er left, Suiyu and Leiting finished their business and walked in together.

Both of them appeared normal, but a closer look revealed worry in their eyes.

Upon entering the house, Sui Yu saw that only Mo Xue was inside and asked anxiously, "Where's Yun Ying? Why isn't she here?"

Hurry up and send Miss Yunying to talk to Second Master! Second Master has turned into a frozen machine! His eyes are icy cold, and his aura is extremely oppressive. The four people who serve him closely have been terribly harmed by Yunying.

Mo Xue shrugged. "Yun Ying didn't come. She only sent a maid to deliver the birthday gift."

"How could she not come? She made such a mess, who else is going to clean it up if not her?" Sui Yu became increasingly agitated. "She actually doesn't want to serve the Second Master. Really, she's only been the steward for two days, does she think she knows her place?"

Lei Ting slapped Sui Yu on the shoulder, "Stop talking nonsense."

Sui Yu was speechless and aggrieved. "What did I say? Why did you hit me, Brother Lei? If you're so capable, go and drag Yun Ying out and beat her up."

Lei Ting looked at him like he was an idiot, "If you want to die, don't drag me down with you."

You even beat up Yunying? Don't you even know who's standing behind Yunying?

Don't say that Second Master and Yunying have fallen out; who knows what the future holds?
Anyway, judging from the fact that Second Master always has a cold face, you can tell that Yunying still holds a very important place in his heart. How desperate would he be to dare to beat Yunying up?
Lei Ting ignored Sui Yu. He and Mo Xue looked at the birthday gift list and thought it was generally acceptable. So they sealed up the valuable items that the Second Master had prepared earlier and planned to send them to Lord Tong later.

The boxes were all sealed. Looking at the list in her hand, Mo Xue suddenly asked, "Should we show this list to Second Master?"

The room fell silent; neither Sui Yu nor Lei Ting knew how to react.

After a moment, Sui Yu said, "How about we send it over to Second Master to take a look?"

Lei Ting hesitated for a moment: "Second Master is in a bad mood right now. Are you sure he's willing to hear anyone mention Yun Ying?"

"Then we won't give it to Second Master?"

"Let's show it to Second Master."

In the end, poor little Suiyu was pushed forward to deliver the order to Second Master.

He had clearly voted against it, but in the end, the task still fell to him. Sui Yu was speechless. But faced with two older brothers, he could only resign himself to the task.

Upon reaching the study door, Sui Yu saw the guard and impulsively threw the form to him, then turned and ran as if a dog were chasing her.

When Sui Yun understood what Sui Yu was saying and saw the order form in her hand, she was immediately stunned.

He cursed under his breath, "What a jerk!"

Sui Yun walked to the study, knocked on the door and went in. "Second Master, the birthday gifts prepared for Lord Tong are about to be sent out. Would you like to take a look at the list and see if anything is missing?"

Second Master is reading a book.

His gaze was fixed on the books, but his thoughts had clearly wandered off somewhere else.

Sui Yun spoke twice before the Second Master came to his senses. "Bring the form over so I can take a look."

Upon receiving the order and seeing the familiar handwriting, Second Master suddenly stopped.

Finally, in a hoarse voice, he handed the list to Suiyun, "That's all, no need to add or subtract anything."

Sui Yun nodded in agreement and respectfully withdrew from the study.

Bright, radiant sunlight streamed into the study through the glass windows.

The Second Master sat in the grand chair, surrounded by a dazzling halo.

His figure was hidden in the halo of light, and his facial expression was also obscured by the glaring light.

But Second Master hadn't had a proper rest in the past few days, and hadn't even eaten properly. In just three to five days, he had lost a lot of weight, and his face looked haggard and tired, which made Sui Yun feel sorry for him.

"Second Master."

The second master grunted in acknowledgment and looked at Suiyun, "Is there anything else?"

"That's all, I'll take my leave now."

After a spring rain, the weather seemed to warm up a bit.

Many flowers have bloomed outside, a riot of colors, with bees and butterflies flitting about, a vibrant scene of spring.

It was amidst this beautiful spring weather that another major case broke out in the county government office.

Yunying hid in the backyard for many days without coming out, but that didn't stop Qiuning from coming to find her.

Sure enough, as soon as Qiu Ning heard this exciting news, she immediately came to share it with Yun Ying.

At first, Yunying didn't understand what was going on, but as she listened, she suddenly realized something and sat up to ask Qiuning, "You're saying that the county magistrate, Clerk Li, embezzled taxes?"

“That’s right.” Qiu Ning was extremely excited. “Registrar Li is a veteran of the county government. He has been the registrar for more than 20 years. Before Magistrate Fan became the magistrate, Registrar Li was already the registrar of this county government. From then on, he embezzled the county’s taxes little by little.”

"A full ten thousand taels of silver! That's almost enough to buy the entire county town. Tell me, isn't this Registrar Li incredibly audacious?"

Qiu Ning gestured excitedly, "If you say he's bold, he certainly is, after all, he's embezzled taxes for twenty years in a row, something most people wouldn't do. But if you say he's cowardly, then Clerk Li is actually quite cowardly."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You would never guess that Li Zhubu didn't spend a single copper coin of the embezzled silver."

"No flowers?" Yunying exclaimed in astonishment. "If there were no flowers, what would he have embezzled?"

"He embezzled because he was greedy and couldn't control himself! He didn't spend the money because he was afraid of dying and dared not spend it! You would never guess that Li, the registrar, mixed all those silver ingots with mud, made them into adobe bricks, and used them to build the courtyard wall."

"The walls of their house were filled with silver ingots of all sizes. The county yamen's bailiffs pushed down and smashed the mud walls, exposing the silver ingots inside. The scene caused a sensation, and now the people of the county are all talking about it like crazy."

Yunying nodded stiffly.

That's insane. Nobody would have imagined that Registrar Li would be this kind of person.

He had an honest and simple face, but he was a "habitual thief," which really surprised everyone! What surprised everyone even more was that you stole taxes and you didn't pay them. So what was the point of going to all this trouble to commit a crime?
Qiu Ning was extremely excited. One moment she was saying that the silver was dazzlingly white, the next she was saying that the son and daughter-in-law of the Li clerk were dumbfounded, crying and shouting that they knew nothing about it and were very wronged; then she was saying that the people in the county were preparing to go and look for the residence of the county magistrate, as they suspected that there was also silver hidden in the residence of the county magistrate...

It's a long, rambling mess, but it's all just funny and nonsensical stuff.

But Qiu Ning got carried away and spoke with great enthusiasm, her face turning red with excitement.

Finally having finished speaking, Qiu Ning concluded, "In the end, it all comes down to Second Master's wisdom. You know, the previous magistrate of Yun Gui County didn't discover this at all, and even Magistrate Fan, who was shrewd and experienced enough, didn't notice that Registrar Li was up to his old tricks. It was Second Master's sharp eyes that caught this fat, greasy rat off the hook. Second Master is truly a just and upright official. He is shrewd, capable, and resourceful. Now, the people of Yun Gui County admire him to the skies."

Qiu Ning showered Second Master with compliments and left Yun Ying's courtyard satisfied.

She didn't notice at all how stiff Yunying's face was, and even her body seemed to be tense.

Li, the registrar, was exposed for his crimes and was flogged thirty times by the second master, with all his property confiscated. However, because all the taxes he had embezzled were recovered, he was not sentenced to death, but his entire family was exiled.

When the verdict was handed down, no one in the county objected.

On a sunny spring day, Li Zhubu and his family also set off for their place of exile in the northwest.

Just as they finished dealing with Li Zhubu's case, another official document from the imperial court arrived.

This official document concerns the list of several death row inmates that Second Master submitted before the Lunar New Year.

The Ministry of Justice verified the facts and evidence of the crime, approved the death sentence for the criminal, and instructed the local government to carry out the execution on a chosen date.

Second Master received the verdict without waiting even a day.

Or perhaps they had pent-up frustrations that needed to be vented, and the county magistrate and his men happened to be caught in this wave. That very day, the second master ordered his bailiffs to beat gongs and shout along the streets, saying that the next day, many criminals involved in the salt smuggling case would be beheaded.

This event caused quite a stir. The people spread the news and decided that they must go to the market to "see off" Magistrate Fan the next day.

Yunying also learned of this news.

It was Qiu Ning who told her again.

When Qiu Ning heard that Magistrate Fan was going to die, she felt a great sense of satisfaction, as if she had finally gotten her revenge.

“If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been poisoned. Now my vision is blurry on cloudy days, and my ears ring when there’s a crowd. I’m so young and I have so many ailments, all thanks to Magistrate Fan. I can’t quell my hatred until Magistrate Fan is dead.”

Yunying picked up her handkerchief and wiped her face. Qiu Ning saw this and stared at her with her big, round eyes, asking, "What? Did I spit on your face?"

Yunying nodded, "It's good that you know."

Qiu Ning choked, coughed lightly, and moved a little further away from Yun Ying.

“I’ve been terribly harmed by Magistrate Fan. Not only me, but Mu Jin has also developed a problem of getting headaches all the time. Magistrate Fan is such a villain, I hope he dies soon. Once he’s dead, maybe all our problems will be gone.”

Yunying: "..." Then you're just daydreaming.

Qiu Ning knew this idea was too far-fetched. She sighed sadly and suddenly brought up Aunt Ding, "Aunt Ding is much older than me and Mu Jin. We both suffered from aftereffects. I wonder how Aunt Ding is doing now? And Rui Zhu, she's so wicked. She even pushed you out to take a sword for her. If it weren't for Second Master arriving in time, the grass on your grave would be knee-high by now. Rui Zhu is so wicked, I wonder if she'll get her comeuppance."

When Qiu Ning mentioned Aunt Ding and Rui Zhu, Yun Ying couldn't help but think of the two of them as well.

They set off on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. If they had been quick, they should have arrived in the capital before the Lunar New Year. Even if they didn't arrive before the New Year, it's already March, so they should have arrived long ago.

I just don't know how Aunt Ding is doing, or what kind of punishment Ruizhu has received.

Yunying and Qiuning mentioned Aunt Ding and Ruizhu, unaware that Aunt Ding and Ruizhu, far away in the capital, were also mentioning her at that moment.

Aunt Ding and Ruizhu's journey north was relatively smooth. They arrived at the Rongguo Duke's Mansion on the 29th of the lunar year and spent the New Year there.

Not wanting to spoil the New Year's mood for her master, Aunt Ding didn't publicize what Ruizhu had done in the mansion. However, since it concerned the life and death of the Second Master, Aunt Ding dared not hide it and told the Duke and Duchess of Rongguo about it as soon as she returned to the mansion.

Needless to say, the Duke of Rong's fury was evident, but it's worth noting that Lady Feng still retained some sense. She stopped the Duke of Rong from ordering Ruizhu's execution, pointing out that Ruizhu was, after all, Lin Shuqing's maid.

Lin Shuqing is, after all, their daughter-in-law. It's most appropriate for her to deal with her maid's mistake. If the parents-in-law overstep their bounds and handle their daughter-in-law's maid's affairs, people will say they're being unreasonable.

The Duke of Rong was appeased by Madam Feng, and since it was also the New Year, he was too busy to spare any time for the matter, so he put it out of his mind and left it to Madam Feng to handle.

Madam Feng had originally thought that she would at least let her daughter-in-law get through the New Year peacefully before bringing up this upsetting matter again.

Unexpectedly, Lin Shuqing had already learned from the maid that Aunt Ding had brought Ruizhu back to the mansion.

Ruizhu was sent by her to serve the Second Master, and even if she was sent back, she should come back to continue serving her.

Once Ke Ruizhu entered the Duke's mansion, it was like a fish entering the sea—she vanished without a trace.

Lin Shuqing harbored doubts, also worried that Ruizhu might be held captive by Xiao Fengshi and reveal more of her secrets.

She was anxious and couldn't wait any longer on the night of the first day of the lunar new year, so she came to Xiao Feng's place to ask for her son.

Madam Feng was not surprised that Lin Shuqing knew about Ruizhu's return to the mansion. However, Madam Feng had something to say about Lin Shuqing's intention to take Ruizhu away.

She then summoned Aunt Ding and asked her to tell Lin Shuqing about the foolish things Ruizhu had done.

When Lin Shuqing learned the whole story, her face naturally turned extremely ugly. She wanted to say a few words in defense of Ruizhu, so she asked, "Is there some misunderstanding?"

Upon hearing Lin Shuqing's words, Xiao Feng's heart sank.

But this was, after all, her daughter-in-law's personal maid, and it was understandable that her daughter-in-law trusted her. After all, they had grown up together, and the maid was said to be quite considerate and capable. It was also understandable that Lin Shuqing didn't believe her maid had done anything foolish.

After comforting herself for a while, Madam Feng spoke to Lin Shuqing, "There is no misunderstanding, nor is it Aunt Ding who slandered that girl. The guards around Erlang personally interrogated Ruizhu, and that girl confessed to everything."

Madam Feng said, "This is your dowry maid, it's not appropriate for me to deal with her. You can take her with you, and you can decide whether she lives or dies."

Madam Feng spoke lightly, but because of this girl, the second legitimate son of the Duke's mansion almost died tragically in office. That was her own son!
Even though Madam Feng was known for her compassionate heart, she wished she could execute the girl immediately.

Madam Feng also felt that this maid had made such a huge mess and caused such a disaster, even bringing shame to her mistress. Erlang was Lin Shuqing's husband, so Lin Shuqing would not let her off easily, both morally and logically.

It was precisely because of these thoughts that Lin Shuqing wanted to take people back, and Madam Feng did not stop her at all, readily sending Ruizhu to Lin Shuqing's room.

After sending the person there, Madam Feng didn't just abandon the matter; she also asked Aunt Ding to keep an eye on what was happening over there.

Ruizhu was indeed given a beating and then sent out of the Duke's mansion. But then Aunt Ding told her that Ruizhu and her parents had been sent to the estate by Lin Shuqing, and that was the final punishment; there was nothing more to it.

When Ms. Feng heard this, she almost thought she was hallucinating.

She looked at Aunt Ding in disbelief, "Shuqing just dealt with that maid so casually and let the matter drop so easily?"

Aunt Ding nodded solemnly, "That is exactly how Madam is."

Madam Feng laughed in anger, "Does she even know that because of that maid's greed, she almost killed her husband?"

Aunt Ding thought to herself, how could the Second Madam not know?
That day, she recounted the whole story in front of the madam.

She didn't embellish the story, but she also didn't cover it up or condone it. She listed Ruizhu's crimes one by one, making them crystal clear.

Even so, whether the Second Madam didn't take it to heart at all, or whether she later believed the maid's sophistry, she only punished Ruizhu briefly and then let her go.

Ruizhu almost implicated the Second Master!
That's the Second Master, the master of this mansion, not some lowly maid or servant whose life is worthless.

How dare Lin Shuqing do that?
Did she really think that once she punished the maid and her family and sent them to the estate, no one would care about what happened next?
By lifting her up so high and then letting her down so easily, had Lin Shuqing considered how the Duke and his wife would view her if they found out about this?
Does she no longer want to be the second wife of the Duke's mansion?

What Aunt Ding couldn't understand, Madam Feng couldn't understand even more.

The only explanation that Madam Feng could think of was that Lin Shuqing didn't care about Erlang's life or death, and that she valued Erlang far less than she valued a maid.

This is truly a case of being unable to distinguish between inside and outside, not knowing what's important, heartless and utterly foolish!
When Madam Feng realized that this was actually her daughter-in-law, the woman she had arranged for her son to marry into the family with great pomp and circumstance, she fainted from anger.

When Madam Feng woke up again, she found that the Duke was already there.

Chen Jingxuan's already dignified and solemn face became even colder. He gripped Xiao Fengshi's hand and said in a stiff tone, "And you, how old are you, still arguing with the younger generation. If you really can't stand her behavior, just have someone kill that maid. As for Linshi, if you really don't like her, then divorce her and find Erlang a better one."

Madam Feng wasn't surprised that Chen Jingxuan knew the reason for her fainting; however, he was always decisive and ruthless, a man of his word. But family matters couldn't be handled with such simple and brutal methods.

Madam Feng grabbed his hand, telling him not to act impulsively. She added, "That was Lin's dowry maid after all. Even when beating a dog, you have to consider its owner. If you really have someone kill that maid, the rift between Erlang and Lin will only grow stronger."

Chen Jingxuan said coldly, "You know that there's a rift between her and Erlang."

Madam Feng didn't argue with him. She continued, "She and Erlang were already on bad terms. Why make them turn against each other over a maid? It takes a thousand years to share a boat ride and ten thousand years to share a pillow. Her marriage to Erlang was hard-won. She's still young and doesn't know how to do things. As elders, even if it's just because Erlang isn't by her side, we should be more tolerant of her and give her some pointers."

“You are kind-hearted, but unfortunately, I’m afraid that girl won’t appreciate it. Besides, she’ll let this matter go so easily. Do you think that if you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, Erlang won’t know? If Erlang does know, ha, you know your son best.”

"Then let's just say they weren't meant to be. If things really come to that, I won't force it, and Lin Shuqing shouldn't complain. If they part amicably, the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion won't have anything to say about it."

I'm combining two updates today because I couldn't think of a suitable chapter title—I'm terrible at naming things! By the way, has it gotten colder where you guys are? It's only 12 degrees Celsius at home today! Although it's higher than yesterday's 9 degrees, it feels colder. How am I going to get through this whole winter?

(End of this chapter)