There were a lot of people doing business at the end of the year, and there were also a lot of people who committed crimes. In order to strengthen the patrol, all the constables in the county office were mobilized.
Coincidentally, the scene of the maidservant being pressed down by Yu Wan was discovered by the patrolling constables.
There were five people in the constables’ group. The leader’s surname was Zhang, and he was a subordinate of the county magistrate. He had run errands for the county magistrate’s wife and knew the maidservants.
At first, he thought it was just a spat between the hawkers, but when he walked closer to take a look, he realized it was Chun Zhi, the madam’s personal maidservant. He frowned. “How dare you! Who dares to cause trouble here!”
When Chun Zhi heard Constable Zhang’s voice, she quickly turned her head away. Her previous domineering expression changed as she cried pitifully, “Big Brother Zhang! Save me!”
When the Yu father and son saw the officials arrive, they hurriedly stepped forward to pull the two apart.
Chun Zhi was really scared out of her wits just now. She was really scared that this crazy woman would push her down again. She almost scrambled to Constable Zhang’s side. “Big Brother Zhang… you came at the right time. There’s a lunatic here bullying me!”
Chun Zhi was the head maidservant of the county magistrate’s estate, and her status was precious. She was seventeen this year and hadn’t been married yet. Constable Zhang had lost his wife two years ago and was now a widower. He had long taken a fancy to the young and beautiful Chun Zhi, but Chun Zhi didn’t take a fancy to him. When had she ever spoken to him so nicely like today when in the past, she didn’t even look at him? Constable Zhang instantly felt his heroic heart swell. He glanced at Chun Zhi and patted his chest. “Don’t worry, Chun Zhi. I will definitely seek justice for you today!”
You? You think you’re worthy? Chun Zhi cursed silently, but she didn’t dare to offend her only savior. That crazy woman actually dared to embarrass her in front of so many people. She would definitely make her pay!
Constable Zhang waved his arm. “Guards! Arrest that woman and bring her back to the yamen! I want to interrogate her personally! Whoever dares to stop me, arrest them as well!”
Several young constables swarmed over!
Yu Song secretly stomped his feet. It was all this girl’s fault! Now, they were going to be taken away!
“Hold on.” Yu Wan walked out calmly. Her voice wasn’t loud, and her aura wasn’t oppressive, but for some reason, several constables simultaneously paused.
Constable Zhang’s suspicious gaze fell on Yu Wan. This little village girl bullied Chun Zhi? He hadn’t studied much, so he didn’t know how to describe this girl’s appearance. He felt that she was even more beautiful than Chun Zhi. Unfortunately, she was a country bumpkin. No matter what, he wouldn’t offend the county magistrate’s wife’s trusted aide for a country bumpkin.
“You’re that madwoman?” Constable Zhang said unhappily.
Uncle Yu raised his walking stick in anger.
Yu Wan gently patted her uncle’s arm, indicating for him to calm down. Then, she said to Constable Zhang, “This constable brother, you keep saying that you want to capture me. May I ask what crime have I committed? To catch thieves, you have to find the stolen goods, to catch adultery, you have to catch the two lovers, so you have to give me a convincing reason. Only then can you take us poor people, who are weak, away in public.”
Weak? Chun Zhi’s eyelids twitched! Who was the one who pressed her to the ground with just one finger?!
More and more people gathered around. Everyone began to point at the constables, clearly extremely dissatisfied with Constable Zhang’s actions of arresting them.
Constable Zhang said righteously, “Reason? You’ve already bullied her to this extent and you still have the cheek to ask me why I want to arrest you?”
“Bullied?” Yu Wan said indifferently. “I only asked her to pick up the things that she dropped. If this is considered bullying, then she threatened me first, ruined the old lady’s food, and even deliberately tripped my uncle who was handicapped. Then may I ask what are her actions regarded as?”
Constable Zhang choked and turned to Chun Zhi. He had come late and did not know that such a thing had happened.
A trace of panic flashed across Chun Zhi’s eyes. “Big Brother Zhang, you… don’t listen to her nonsense. I didn’t threaten her. She refused to sell the braised meat to me and even humiliated me.”
How could Constable Zhang not see that Chun Zhi was lying? However, this was a great opportunity for Chun Zhi to owe him a favor, so how could he miss it? Besides, Chun Zhi was someone from the county yamen after all. How could a poor village girl dare to be angry with her? How could she not weigh her own worth?
“When we return to the yamen, the county magistrate will decide who is right and who is wrong! If you are wronged, he will definitely clear your name! If you really bully her, the the prison food won’t be that good!” These words sounded dignified, but who didn’t know that once they entered the county yamen, it would be their decision?
Everyone shook their heads regretfully. A perfectly fine lady had put herself out there to earn a living, but in the end, she was bullied by these animals?
“Little Feng, bring your younger brother and sister back.” After Uncle Yu instructed Yu Feng, he said to Constable Zhang, “This matter has nothing to do with my daughter. I will go with you to the yamen.”
Yu Wan said, “Uncle, don’t worry. I have my reasons for going to the yamen.”
Uncle Yu was naturally not afraid that she was unreasonable. She was no longer the same as before and would not be bullied by others. However, the yamen was not a good place. Even if a lady went in and came out unscathed, her reputation would still be tainted. His brother had gone to the border for him. He couldn’t not protect his brother’s only daughter.
“Father! Your health isn’t good! It’s better if I go!” Yu Feng said.
“Stop arguing. I have thick skin! I’ll go!” Yu Song also said. Then, he glared at Yu Wan. “I’m not doing this for you!”
Yu Wan smiled. “There’s really no need to worry.”
“That won’t do either!” The three of them said in unison.
Just as the family was arguing endlessly, a luxurious carriage pulled by four horses slowly drove over.
The most luxurious carriage in town belonged to the county magistrate’s family, but they only have one tall horse. This carriage not only had four horses, but every one of them was a superior Mongolian warhorse.
There were a total of eight awe-inspiring guards in front and behind the carriage. The guards were wearing casual clothes, but even so, their majestic aura was not something that could be covered by a few pieces of clothing.
The commoners who were originally watching the constables and Yu Wan gradually became quiet, all of them revealing fearful expressions. Even Constable Zhang didn’t dare act rashly. He originally planned to deal with that girl after the carriage passed by, but who knew that the group actually stopped in front of Yu Wan’s stall.
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a woman of about forty stepped down. Her clothes looked simple, but they were of top quality. More importantly, her temperament was much more elegant than the county magistrate’s wife. She stopped in front of Yu Wan’s stall. Beside her feet was a cornstalk that wasn’t picked up in time. She bent down and picked up the cornstick. She looked around and put it in the old lady’s stall.
The granny was moved to tears.
She smiled amiably and looked at the piece of braised meat on Yu Wan’s stall. “This braised meat is really fragrant. Can you sell it to us?”
Everyone turned to look at Yu Wan. This woman was not a servant of the county magistrate. How could she dare to refuse?
Yu Wan’s expression didn’t change as she said, “Sorry, it’s already been sold.”
“I see.” The woman sighed regretfully. “Then there’s no other way.” After a pause, she looked at the steaming marinade. “Can you sell me a bowl of marinade?”
“Sure.” Yu Wan nodded.
The woman went to get a bowl from the carriage. The bowl was made of gold and had a beautiful pattern engraved on it. When have the surrounding citizens ever seen such a valuable item? They were all dumbfounded.
Yu Wan calmly took the bowl and filled it for her. “Three copper coins. Thank you.”
The woman paid the bill, closed the lid of the bowl, and got into the car with the fragrant marinade.
The carriage moved, but suddenly stopped. The woman lifted the curtain of the carriage window and looked at Constable Zhang who appeared to be respectful and obedient. “My young miss said that the northern borders are filled with wars, using farmers as soldiers. As officials, you should love the people like their children and not harm the common people. It will chill the hearts of the soldiers at the borders.”
