Yao Jun looked at Jiang Zhu eagerly, but Jiang Zhu did not follow his wishes: "I feel relieved to see that Magistrate Yao is still alive and kicking. There is nothing to talk about."
Yao Jun:...
If he doesn't bounce around, wouldn't he be in trouble? That's what he said.
After being rejected, Yao Jun didn't mention it again, which meant that Jiang Zhu was probably quite satisfied with the verdict he had just made.
"The four of you will take a short rest first. I still have some things to do. I have arranged for my servants to prepare tea and snacks for you."
After saying that, he turned around to deal with the mess left by Fang Jinyuan.
The hall fell silent for a while.
Feng Mingxu was still lamenting what happened today, but he didn't expect that Ye Ansong's incident would lead to the removal of Fang Jinyuan, a corrupt official who oppressed the people.
Thinking of the evidence Liu Zhuo provided, Feng Mingxu felt a little sad. Before, he had a grudge against the relationship between Liu Zhuo and Fang Jinyuan.
Feeling guilty for a moment, he said: "After I go back this time, I will help you keep the things between you and Fang Jinyuan secret. I misunderstood you before. You can endure the humiliation and bear the burden to collect evidence, which is also true." It's not easy. Study hard and you will definitely pass the exam next year."
"Student, I understand. Thank you, Master, for your teachings." Liu Zhuo said respectfully.
On the other side, Ye Annian had no intention of staying here any longer. The matter here was settled and they had to hurry back. The two children were still at Zhao Lizheng's house.
So the two of them got up, said goodbye to Feng Mingxu and Liu Zhuo, and left first.
Passing outside the court hall, Ye Anyian couldn't help but stop and look back at the plaque that read "A mirror hangs high".
"Why, you can't bear to leave?" Jiang Zhu came over and teased.
Ye Annian shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and then said: "I... want to see Ye Ansong again."
Jiang Zhu knew that he must have something else to say to Ye Ansong alone, so he nodded and said, "Then I'll go and inform Magistrate Yao."
The two went to the second hall to find Yao Jun who was handling official business. They learned that Ye Annian wanted to see Ye Ansong. Yao Jun didn't respond and immediately called the yamen servant to take him to the county yamen jail.
The yamen servant looked young, around seventeen or eighteen years old. Although he was wearing uniform clothes, his aura did not look like that of a person of low status.
The two of them didn't talk much along the way, but the little yamen servant kept looking at Ye Anyian.
His gaze was so obvious that Ye Anyian couldn't help but ask: "Have we ever met this little brother?"
Zi Mo, who was pretending to be a yamen servant, raised a smile and said, "I don't know you, but I just think you look weird and good-looking."
His smile was as clear as a mountain stream, and Ye Anyian couldn't help but curl his lips.
While they were talking, the two of them had already arrived at the door of the prison. Zimo explained the situation to the jailer guarding the prison, and the guard opened the door and led the two in.
The light in the prison was dim, and the air was filled with an unspeakable stench.
Ye Annian has always been very sensitive to these pungent smells. As soon as he stepped into the prison, he choked and coughed, and quickly raised his sleeves to cover his mouth and nose.
Seeing this, Zi Mo, who was walking beside him, fumbled around his waist, took off a small sachet and handed it to him.
Ye Anyian saw that the sachet was embroidered with ink chrysanthemum patterns, and thought it must be something very precious to the young yamen servant, so he refused to accept it.
Zimo said: "Take it, I still have some."
Seeing that he insisted on giving it to him, Ye Annian couldn't refuse, so he put it under his nose and smelled it, and then said softly: "Thank you very much."
Zimo only thought that his voice was clear and pleasant, his person was gentle, and his smile was so pretty, which was much better than his master's big devil.
Feeling happy, the jailer stopped in front of a cell and took the key to open the cell door.
"Ye Ansong is locked inside. If you have anything to say, please tell me. I will guard outside."
"Okay, I'll help you." Ye Anyian said to the jailer.
The jailer nodded, handed the lantern in his hand to Zimo, turned around and left.
"Then, Mr. Ye, go quickly, I'll wait for you over there." Zi Mo said.
Ye Anyian nodded and walked into the cell.
Zi Mo walked a little further away to make sure that he could hear what was going on here, but he couldn't hear Ye Anian's conversation clearly, so he stopped.
The cell where Ye Ansong was located was a single, dark and small room. Except for a small skylight on the outer wall near the roof for ventilation, there was no other light source.
The cell was dark and damp, with only a broken table with missing legs and a half-burned candle burning on it.
The floor was covered with hay, and there was a mess in the corner, filled with the stench of excrement.
Ye Ansong was lying on the pile of hay with disheveled hair. If he hadn't seen the slight rise and fall of his back, Ye Annian would have doubted whether he was dead.
Maybe he heard footsteps approaching, and the man lying half-dead on the ground raised his head with trembling shoulders.
Ye Annian saw a pair of cloudy and dull eyes from the dry and messy hair.
Ye Ansong was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed: "Are you satisfied with seeing me like this?"
Ye Anyian stood two or three steps away from him, looking at him condescendingly without speaking.
"Haha," Ye Ansong sneered, "My legs are useless. No, it should be said that I am paralyzed now. After three years in prison, even if I can get out alive, I will have to lie on the kang for the rest of my life. "
"Ye Anyian, I admit you won. Laugh if you want."
"I'm not here to see your joke." Ye Anyian said calmly, "I don't want to argue with you about winning or losing."
"Then what are you doing here?" Ye Ansong desperately supported himself with both arms and looked up at Ye Anyian with difficulty.
"Experience the feeling of looking down at you." Ye Annian lowered his eyes and looked at Ye Ansong, but his tone was cold and calm.
In the past, when he was at the Ye family, Ye Ansong always tried every means to bully him from behind.
When he washed clothes, he pulled his hair; when he washed rice and vegetables, he threw sand and soil into his basin; when he fed the chickens, he kicked over the chicken bowl, and then looked down at him, Laughing at him for looking like a dog.
Ye Ansong was stunned, then burst out laughing after a moment.
He laughed so hard that he trembled all over, laughed so hard that spittle stuck in his throat, and he almost died from the cough.
"Cough...cough! So, how does this feel?"
Ye Annian looked at his embarrassed look and curled his lips: "Not bad."
After he finished speaking, he turned around and walked out of the cell without making any pause.
When Zi Mo saw him coming out and holding a lantern, he came up to them. The jailer pointed out the way out for them and then went back to lock the cell door.
Ye Annian followed Zi Mo through the dark and smelly cells, and finally saw the exit of the prison.
The moment he stepped out of the prison threshold, Ye Ansong's heart-wrenching cry could be heard faintly behind him.
After watching Ye Ansong, it was already past noon.
The two said goodbye to Yao Jun, found a restaurant to have something to eat, and then got on the carriage back to Tianshui Town.
Too many things have happened in the past two days. Once the tense nerves relax, people feel extremely lazy and tired.
Ye Anyian leaned lazily on the soft cushions of the carriage and took a nap with his eyes closed.
He was very sleepy but couldn't sleep. I kept thinking over and over in my mind what was going on between Jiang Zhu and Yao Jun.
"Are you worried?"
Jiang Zhu's voice suddenly came to his ears.
Ye Anyian's eyelids trembled, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Jiang Zhu coming over at some point, with his hands on his side, leaning over to look at him.
"...No." Ye Anyian turned his face to one side.
The two of them were very close, and Jiang Zhu's warm breath blew on his face, like a small brush tickling his heart.
Jiang Zhu seemed not to have heard anything and blinked at Ye Anian: "If you have something on your mind, just say it. I can also cure it."
"Really not." Ye Anyian pursed his lips, feeling that his unsatisfactory heart was beating out of control.
"Your frown could kill flies," Jiang Zhu said.
But he still stood up and sat down, and did not continue to tease Ye Anyian.
Ye Anqing breathed a sigh of relief, sat upright, and glanced sideways at Jiang Zhu.
After hesitating for a moment, he still asked: "Did you and Magistrate Yao really get to know each other because you treated him?"
Don't blame him for thinking too much, Yao Jun looked like a mouse after seeing Jiang Zhu, and he couldn't stand straight on his legs.
If there weren't too many people in the courtroom, Ye Anyian suspected that he would kneel down and kowtow to Jiang Zhu.
"Well..." Jiang Zhu cleared his throat, "There is indeed some connection between me and him."
However, it is definitely not just because of medical treatment.
Seeing his hesitant look, Ye Anyian knew that he didn't want to tell him.
"It doesn't matter. If you don't want to say it, forget it."
"Really?" Jiang Zhu observed his expression carefully, fearing that he would be unhappy.
Ye Anyian nodded: "Tell me again when you feel you can speak."
After all, he also hid something from Jiang Zhu.
Knowing that Ye Anyian was not unhappy, Jiang Zhu pulled him over and hugged him, kissing him again and again on the face: "Niannian, I knew you were the best!"
Ye Anyian:...
Drool, drool!
…
When the carriage arrived at Sweetwater, it was already dark.
The two returned to the Time Shop, and Wen Heng was also there.
Seeing the two people coming back, Yu Hu, Wen Heng, Granny Qian and Qing Niang all came and asked them about the outcome of Ye Ansong's incident.
Ye Anyian skipped the tedious process and gave the final verdict.
Yu Hu, Granny Qian and Qing Niang were all visibly relieved. As long as he was sentenced, he would no longer be able to harm others if he was locked up.
Wen Heng was the happiest. When he learned that Ye Ansong and Fang Jinyuan were both imprisoned, he threatened to celebrate with guests tonight.
He also wanted to drag Yu Hu with him, but Yu Hu refused on the grounds of visiting a shop.
After settling things in the shop, the two drove the ox cart back to Crescent Village.
The house was dark, only a few barks of "woof, woof" could be heard, and Coin Qian ran out excitedly, wagging his tail.
When he saw the two of them, he rubbed his head and tail, grunted and pounced on them.
After tying up the oxcart and putting away the things, the two of them and the dog went straight to Zhao Lizheng's house.
Zhao Lizheng's family had finished their evening meal. Zhao Lezheng and his three children were sitting on the kang in the house playing with Rubik's Cube. Zhao Nan was making clay figurines on the kang table.
Seeing the two people coming to pick up their children, Zhao Lizheng and his wife hurriedly let them into the house. After chatting for a while, they asked about Ye Ansong.
Chen Maoyan had already brought a message to the old Ye family when he came back yesterday about the news that Ye Ansong was taken away from the town by the government officials.
Upon hearing the news, Wu Xianglian collapsed to the ground. Sun Caihe rolled his eyes and passed away.
"You guys just came back from Anxing County. How is Ye Ansong?" Zhao Lizheng asked.
"Impersonating Yuan Xiucai, who won the exam, he was sentenced to three years and paid one hundred taels of silver to the Yuan family. He will no longer be eligible to participate in the imperial examination." Ye Annian replied.
"Alas," Zhao Lizheng sighed, "the old couple Ye Quan and Wu Xianglian are probably going to cry to death this time."