"Why is he staring at you like that?" As she turned her head, she caught sight of Luo Linhao still inside the room, his gaze fixed on Ye Ziāan. His expression was difficult to describe, a mix of anger and a touch of resentment.
"Pfft, he lost the contest, thatās all!" After throwing out this comment, Ye Ziāan continued to chat with Yang Chuxia, "What do you think? The bracelet for the boy is nice, isnāt it? Itās engraved with his formal name, now even if the child gets lost and someone sees these characters, no one would dare pick him up."
"Get lost, you bad mouth!"
"Itās the truth, isnāt it? With the name bestowed by imperial favor, itās clear he belongs to our family. Here in Wangquan Town, anyone who sees it will either return it to us or not dare to pick it up at all." Ye Ziāan felt his reasoning was sound; who in recent years in Wangquan Town didnāt know of the Yang Family and the Ye Family?
Tsk tsk, finally finding an opportunity to needle someone, Luo Linhao pursed his lips and hummed, "Thatās such short-sightedness. This is Wangquan, a backwater where not even birds would bother to poop. Try losing it in the Capital City and see if anyone would pick it up!"
At last, seeing Ye Ziāanās crestfallen expression once more, Luo Linhao cheerfully went downstairs. But immediately after, he grew annoyed again, thinking he needed to prepare something else, something that would surpass his cousinās gift.
~~~~
One day, Ye Ziāan put his two sons in a small cart and pushed them under a large tree in the courtyard. He felt the room was too stuffy even with ice placed inside. It was better outside where the air was fresher, and in the cool evening with no sun and a gentle breeze blowing, it was quite comfortable.
He also brought along his sonsā chamber pots, water bottles, and a palm fan, among other things. While reading a book, he used the fan to swat at the small flying insects near his sons and would occasionally stop to play with their fingers or shake a rattle to grab their attention.
Tsk tsk, the picture of a doting dad.
"Young master, County Magistrate Shen has sent a message," someone announced.
"Oh? Has Ye Zipingās execution been decreed?" Right after the banquet, he had the traveler sent to the county office.
County Magistrate Shen had then followed the lead and managed to capture Hei Mao and several others.
"Theyāve been captured. Ye Ziping has been sentenced to beheading, and among others involved in a rape case have also received death sentences. As for the rest, theyāve been sentenced to exile," Ye Yi reported, looking down but glancing at the children in the cart; they looked so adorable with their bright, lively eyes.
"A rape case that caused injury or death?"
Ye Ziāan just asked one question. He wondered why County Magistrate Shen would issue such a verdict. According to the laws of Great Zhou, rape cases didnāt usually result in long sentences, especially those that werenāt reported by victims; usually a few years in prison was the extent of the punishment.
Even adding theft to their charges, by the law they shouldnāt be sentenced to death. He worried such judgments might draw criticism.
"No!"
Ye Ziāan paused for a moment, "Is it because we were the ones who delivered him?"
"Not at all!"
"Then whatās the reason? Do you know? If you know, just say it," Ye Ziāan said, noticing the odd expression on Ye Yiās face, which seemed hesitant.
Ye Yi spoke softly, "The day we came back, when I went to report to the county office, I encountered someone who, I heard, was the new County Governor. At that time, I thought he and County Magistrate Shen seemed to be at odds. A County Governor daring to be so bold with his superior..." At this point, Ye Yi seemed embarrassed but continued, "I found it strange, so I did some checking and found out that this County Governor is a relative of the Prefectural Magistrate of Funan."
A County Governor? As soon as Ye Ziāan heard this, he felt something was amiss. For many years, the position of County Governor had been virtually redundant, with almost every county lacking one. Why had Quanya suddenly gotten a County Governor? Seeing Ye Yi stop again, he ordered sternly, "Explain it all at once!," his impatience clear. Leaving the story half-told was simply tantalizing.