Chapter 82: Miss Zijing

Nanny Xia mentioned Miss Zijing, who Madam Mei Zhonglin found. She was once a courtesan, not the top one, but still popular in the brothel, especially among young scholars. Later, she and a young scholar fell in love. With his help, she redeemed herself and married him. However, the scholar’s wife soon drove her out of the house.

After leaving the scholar’s house, she hoped to leave Lin’an City and start a new life in a place where no one knew her. Unfortunately, she was worried about being harmed on the way, so she stayed in Lin’an, looking for an opportunity. It was a servant of Madam Mei who happened to know her story and mentioned it as gossip, which Madam Mei overheard.

Madam Mei, entrusted by Old Madam Ye, had been looking for suitable courtesans but was unsatisfied with them. They were either too tainted by their past, unable to impress Song Yifeng, or demanded too much money, not discreet and posing future risks.

When she heard about Miss Zijing, she went to see her personally and decided to ask for her help. She promised that if Miss Zijing succeeded, she would send her to a small town in the south and give her a sum of money.

Nanny Xia was initially very skeptical and even complained to Ye Yaming and Bai Xin, saying that Miss Zijing’s appearance was mediocre and couldn’t compare to her young lady. She thought Song Yifeng would have to be foolish to fall for her. However, Miss Zijing proved to be very clever and resourceful. She had some education and talent, and since she was about to leave Lin’an, she was an excellent candidate. So they decided to give her a try.

In just a few days, Nanny Xia was proven wrong.

Miss Zijing, with her innocent appearance, managed to become popular in the brothel, showing she was brilliant and capable. She moved near the Song family with a maid, had a few chance encounters with Song Yifeng, asked for his help, and made small gifts to thank him. Gradually, Song Yifeng started to think about her. When she didn’t appear for three days, he even went to her place to help her.

This was unbelievable to Nanny Xia. Everyone saw Song Yifeng as a very upright person who studied diligently every day and never looked at young girls.

“Miss Zijing must be very smart. She might have realized that the scholar wasn’t a good person after marrying him and used the situation to get herself kicked out. As for Song Yifeng…”

Ye Yaming snorted and shook her head, not finishing her sentence.

Song Yifeng, as the Ye family’s son-in-law, was under financial pressure and couldn’t afford any scandals. He knew that Ye Chongming would never tolerate such behavior, and he wanted to be a suitable son-in-law for influential families, so he couldn’t afford a bad reputation.

But young men, full of hormones, sometimes rebel when suppressed for too long. After passing the imperial examination and feeling proud, he realized that the Ye family wasn’t invincible, and his rebellious nature needed an outlet.

At this time, a talented girl with an innocent face, who was very smart and had a bit of personality, appeared, hitting all the right notes for him.

“What should we do next?” Nanny Xia asked.

She, Madam Mei, and Old Madam Ye only knew to find such a girl to win Song Yifeng’s heart and hopefully have an affair with him to use against him. But they didn’t have a specific plan to ruin his reputation and break off the engagement.

However, Old Madam Ye and Nanny Xia had confidence in Ye Yaming, believing she would come up with a good plan, so they weren’t worried.

“Let her continue to solidify her position. It’s best if Song Yifeng falls deeply in love with her,” Ye Yaming said.

The fish had bitten the hook but wasn’t secure yet, so they couldn’t rush.

“Understood,” Nanny Xia said, seeing that Ye Yaming didn’t want to reveal the next steps, and left.

After Nanny Xia left, Ye Yaming waited for news from Ye Chongming. When he returned, she went to the main courtyard.

“What happened with Meng Chengwei?” she asked.

Ye Chongming raised his hand, and Ye Jiaxing vividly recounted the events.

Even if the Prefect hadn’t initially decided to deal with Meng Chengwei, he had been investigating the matter thoroughly, uncovering the bandits’ movements and the intermediaries connecting them to Meng Chengwei. Once he decided to act, he sent out many people to arrest the bandits and intermediaries. After bringing them to the Lin’an government office, he had Ye Chongming cause a scene at Yang’s Tea House to arrest Meng Chengwei.

The trial went smoothly, with witnesses testifying and the bandits confirming Meng Chengwei’s involvement. Ye Hongchang and two severely injured guards testified, and the medical clinic provided evidence, sealing the case.

“What was the final verdict?” Ye Yaming asked.

“Eighteen strokes of the cane, one year of hard labor, and exile two thousand miles away,” Ye Chongming said.

He sighed, “I was worried about the tea silver being robbed, but now I regret it wasn’t.”

“Indeed,” Ye Jiaxing said. “If it had been robbed, Meng Chengwei would have faced a harsher sentence, with twenty strokes of the cane, three years of hard labor, and exile three thousand miles away.”

Ye Yaming nodded.

Although the Great Jin was a fictional setting, it resembled the Song and Ming dynasties in history. After arriving in the Great Jin, she had been idle most of the time, except for the busy days making osmanthus tea. She didn’t like the romantic poetry and books the original owner had, so she asked Lv E to buy a copy of the “Jin Code” for her.

She believed that in any society, one must understand what is allowed and what is not. Knowing the laws and rules was essential to navigate and avoid trouble.

In the Song dynasty, robbery was severely punished. The perpetrator would be executed, their property confiscated, and their family exiled.

In the Ming dynasty, following the Tang Code, the punishment was even harsher. Robbery without obtaining property resulted in exile, while obtaining property, regardless of injury or murder, led to execution.

The Great Jin’s laws were similar to the Ming Code.

The Ye family’s tea silver wasn’t stolen, but Ye Hongchang was lightly injured, and three guards were severely injured. According to the law, although it didn’t warrant execution, the punishment was still severe. However, Meng Chengwei was only the instigator, not the perpetrator, so his sentence was reduced. He received eighteen strokes of the cane, one year of hard labor, and exile two thousand miles away.

If the Meng family used money to bribe officials, he might return to the capital in two or three months to continue enjoying his wealth. But this experience would be the greatest humiliation for Meng Chengwei, who had always had a smooth life. Having a criminal record would also affect his future reputation.

Compared to the Ye family’s fate in the previous life, this punishment for Meng Chengwei was insufficient. Despite Ye Yaming’s efforts and leveraging Lu Guanyi and the Prefect’s power, this was the best they could achieve.