Chapter Ten: A Desperate Move

  Yang Ling rubbed his nose, and with a humiliated expression, he returned to the edge of the chair and sat down. Feeling extremely bored, he suddenly thought of today's events and hastily flipped through his book box. The thick "Da Ming Law" was indeed inside, so he picked it up and began to read carefully.

  While flipping through the regulations on lawsuits, Han Youniang brought over another cup of steaming hot tea. Yang Ling couldn't help but let out a long sigh: "Men in feudal society are really something, where can you find this kind of treatment in modern society?"

  At that time, ordinary shops did not have such a tight work schedule as they do now. The lunch break was very long, and it wasn't until around two o'clock in the afternoon that work resumed. So Yang Ling drank hot water and flipped through books while Han Youniang sat on the edge of the kang doing needlework.

  Her fingers nimbly tied a knot on the thread, her tongue licked the end of the thread, and she threaded the needle. She put one leg on the kang, carefully sewed the clothes, and occasionally glanced gently at her husband who was intently reading a book.

  Yang Ling pondered for a long time, carefully considering it, but didn't find any clauses in the book that would be beneficial to Ma Ang. It seemed that he still had to rely on those flowery and self-serving "Tai Chi Fist" techniques he learned from later generations.

  He raised his head and let out a long sigh, just in time to see Han Youniang bringing the cotton-padded jacket to her mouth, biting off the thread with her teeth. However, her eyes were gazing at him sweetly, but as soon as their eyes met, she immediately looked away in confusion.

  Looking at this lovely girl, who is only fifteen or sixteen years old and has the demeanor of a young woman, Yang Ling had made up his mind to treat her as a dear and lovable little sister. However, he couldn't help but feel a flutter in his heart. This warm feeling was something he had never experienced before in his nine lifetimes. With such a gentle and considerate wife, wouldn't life be slow and leisurely? Wouldn't this be the life he had been dreaming of?

  Han Youniang was lowering her head and threading the needle, feeling that the man had been staring at her all along. Her heart couldn't help but feel flustered, her hands shook, "Ah" a sound, the needle tip pierced her own finger. Yang Ling hastily put down the "Da Ming Law", rushed over to grasp her small hand, only to see a drop of bright red blood on her index finger.

  Yang Ling glanced at Zhang Wang and suddenly understood why the ancients would suck their fingers after pricking them. It wasn't that they knew saliva could disinfect, but rather there was nothing else to wipe away the blood with. You couldn't use your clothes, could you? So he also followed suit and put Han Youniang's finger in his mouth, gently sucking on it. As soon as his tongue touched her finger, Han Youniang's body shuddered violently, and her face flushed red with heat.

  Yang Ling said with a frown: "Look at you, working outside in the morning and still not resting at home, what are you doing now?"

  Han Youniang lowered her eyelashes and obediently let him gently press her fingertips, saying: "The New Year is approaching, you still don't have a decent robe, I think you are a person of status, this way out the door would be laughed at, so I'm in a hurry to make you a new robe".

  Yang Ling let out a soft sigh, the longer they were together, the more he felt indebted to her. The heart-wrenching feeling was as if he had owed her for several lifetimes. He tightened his grip on her hand silently, and their tender feelings permeated every fiber of their being.

  Yang Ling gently stroked the small hand of this fifteen-year-old girl, with a thousand emotions in his heart. At an age when she should be carrying a school bag and going to school, she had already become a warm, gentle, and virtuous wife... This evil old society... It's really moving.

  The Great Ming Code stipulates that girls are married at the age of 16, but few people in the folk follow this rule. The laws of the Great Ming have some very strict ones, and they often commit crimes punishable by beheading, but for this article, the government is turning a blind eye, as if it were invisible.

  After pressing his fingers for a while, Yang Ling estimated that the bleeding had stopped and gently pinched his fingers, smiling and saying: "Okay, does it still hurt?"

  "It doesn't hurt!" The voice was so charming that Yang Ling only then realized she had her eyelashes slightly lowered, looking embarrassed, with a sweet smile at the corner of her mouth. Her lovely and youthful face had an extremely gentle and quiet demeanor, which was a kind of expression that only a mature woman would show when facing the one she loved.

  That gentle and calm temperament was something she had never shown before, presenting a kind of feminine gentleness. Snowflakes fell outside the house, leaving no trace. Han Youniang's heart was exceptionally steady, that kind of soft and tender feeling stirring up ripples in her heart, the bitterness and hardship of the past half year seemed to be far, far away from her at this moment.

  Yang Ling couldn't help but be stunned, staring blankly for a while, this quiet and sweet atmosphere was finally ruined by a loud shout from outside the door. A man's voice could be heard shouting from outside: "Is Yang Ling, Master Yang staying here?"

  Han Youniang let out a soft "ah" and finally came back to her senses, hastily withdrawing her hand. Yang Ling smiled slightly and turned around to open the door, whereupon the snowflakes danced in with the wind. In just the brief moment it took to come back for dinner, the outside had already become a vast expanse of white.

  Yang Lingding looked out and saw two bailiffs standing at the door with their hands on the hilts of their swords, their bodies already covered in a thick layer of snow. Behind them was a young girl wearing a white cloak, holding a yellow oil-paper umbrella. The cloak's hem had a fox-fur trim that framed her neck, revealing only a delicate and pretty face like a lotus flower emerging from the water, looking like an immortal descending to the mortal world amidst the swirling snowflakes.

  These two bailiffs were the ones who had locked up Ma Ang and taken him to the yamen, so they recognized Yang Ling. As soon as they opened the door, they saw that it was indeed him, and hastily bowed their hands, saying: "Ah, ah, it's really Yang Xiūcái! I pay my respects. I have been ordered by County Magistrate Min to escort Miss Ma here to see you."

  Yang Ling hastily opened the door and said: "Two officers, brothers, please come in quickly. Ah! Miss Ma, please come in."

  Ma Lian'er's face broke into a smile, and two dimples appeared on her cheeks. She tightened her grip on the cloak and stepped forward first. The two bailiffs followed behind her into the house and closed the door with their hands.

  The small room suddenly became crowded with five people. Ma Lian'er casually untied the strap under her chin, opened the snow-white cloak, and turned to see the petite Han Youniang, couldn't help but smile sweetly: "Is this young lady... Yang brother, is she your little sister?"

  Seeing the person coming in was a beautiful woman bigger than Hua Jieyu, Han Youniang's big eyes were full of vigilance, and she also heard her calling herself as her husband's younger sister, suddenly her face was not pleasant, but her husband did not speak, she did not dare to rush out to speak.

  Yang Ling smiled awkwardly, feeling a sense of guilt for ruining the young shoots of his country. He stuttered: "Uh... she's my... this is my wife."

  Han Youniang's eyes flashed with a hint of triumph, and she glanced at Ma Lian'er with a showy look, slightly bowed her head, and said in a soft voice: "Sir, who is this young lady?"

  Yang Ling hastily said: "This Miss Ma is the second daughter of Postmaster Ma, she and two senior brothers have some matters to discuss with me."

  Ma Lian'er said somewhat unexpectedly: "So Brother Yang has already started a family. Ma Lian'er has met Mrs. Yang."

  Miss Han hastily said: "No need to be polite, miss, please sit down quickly. The two of you, please sit down."

  There were only two chairs in the room, so the two bailiffs had to sit on the kang. Yang Ling had just moved in and, due to limited conditions, usually drank tea from large bowls. Han Younang quickly took out four bowls and poured tea, and the two attendants thanked her profusely.

  County Magistrate Min had sent someone to investigate the music store owner Wang's family, and Magistrate Ma was worried about his son. Although Magistrate Min was taking care of things, he was still afraid that something might happen to him in prison during this cold winter month. Miss Ma was also concerned about her brother, so she asked County Magistrate Min to send two men who were responsible for investigating the Wang family to come to the Yang residence together.

  After listening to the two runners explain the situation of the Wang family, Yang Ling thought carefully and felt that from the "Da Ming Lu", he couldn't find any loopholes to help Ma Ang escape punishment. The only thing he was good at was the "dragging" tactic in insurance claims, but he didn't know if it could be used. So, with a nervous heart, he spoke out his idea.

  Miss Ma didn't know if this method would work, and she looked at the two bailiffs. The big Li with a mouthful of yellow teeth had already slapped his thigh in praise, saying: "Wonderful! A good 'dragging knife' plan, a dull knife cutting flesh, inch by inch... Heh heh, County Magistrate is impartial and fair, there's no fault to be found with the Wang family. If they can rely on this, this lawsuit will surely bring their family to ruin."

  Another slightly older one is the head of the class, surnamed Wu. He didn't have the same flying eyebrows and colorful smile as Da Li, but he also smiled slightly and said: "Yang Gongzi may not be very old, but he really has a good grasp of law and is full of clever ideas. Even a top-notch lawyer might not have thought of such a wonderful plan. If we follow this plan, I'm afraid the Wang family's plaintiffs will rush to withdraw their lawsuits and settle the case. However... if they don't know what's good for them, Ma Gongzi may have to spend some more time in prison."

  Miss Ma couldn't help but smile when she heard them say good things, but when she heard Wu's last words, she hesitated. She bit her lip and thought for a moment before sighing: "After all, it's a human life, if we can just stay in prison for a few more days, it would be great to enter the prison safely. Brother is usually rough and reckless, suffering some setbacks and frustrations is also good."

  Yang Ling received nods of approval from the two officials, and his courage was boosted. He continued slowly: "This plan can indeed drag on until the Wang family voluntarily withdraws their lawsuit, saving Master Ma's life without damaging Magistrate Min's reputation. However... if the Wang family cannot swallow this, it is also possible to drag it out for a year or two. Therefore, I have another plan, Miss Ma..."

  He leaned in closer, covering his mouth with his hand and whispering a few words to Ma Lian'er. Ma Lian'er listened with a hint of a smile and glanced at him sideways, saying: "Indeed, you're a scholar, your plan is quite clever."

  Her eyes sparkled with a flirtatious glint, and the fleeting glimpse of her charm made Yang Ling's gaze pause. Ma Lian'er noticed it and couldn't help but flush with a faint blush on her delicate face. Han Youniang, who had been watching the two of them all along, suddenly felt a little sour.