Time passed quickly, more than twenty days. Perhaps feeling she was very well-behaved, the maids and old women guarding her visibly relaxed their vigilance.
For days, she ate and slept in the mourning hall. Her initial fear and apprehension had long since turned into numbness. Fortunately, to prevent her from escaping, maids and old women were stationed there. Otherwise, she would surely have been driven mad by fear.
One afternoon, an old woman dozed on a stool nearby. She quietly slipped behind the door and, seeing no one around, continued forward, reaching the front courtyard without obstruction.
The mourning hall was set up behind the reception room, not far from the main entrance, primarily to facilitate mourning visits.
It was a bit regrettable that although the maids and old women had gone to rest, there was a gatekeeper.
Her nerves were on high alert, her heart pounding as if it would leap out of her throat. She stealthily crept behind the door, bit by bit, nudged the bolt, and slowly opened the door, managing not to alert anyone.
Once outside, she bolted and ran, desperate to get home quickly, regretting deeply not having listened to her mother.
Fearing pursuit from the Ye family, she didn't dare to slow down at all along the way.
Her mother, Madam Xu, was astonished to see her daughter. "How did you get back?"
Xu Jia threw herself into her mother's arms and burst into tears. All the worry and fear of these past days and nights finally gave way to complete relaxation.
Seeing her daughter so distressed and without any servants following her, Madam Xu felt increasingly uneasy. She anxiously asked again, "How did you get back? Does the Ye family know?"
Xu Jia shook her head. "Mother, I was so scared. They actually wanted my life. I ran away."
Madam Xu turned pale with shock. She grabbed her daughter's hand and pulled her towards the back door, pushing her out. She took off her jewelry, stuffed it into Xu Jia's embrace, and said, "Hurry and leave. The Ye family will be here soon. Go as far away as you can."
Initially, Xu Jia felt a sense of hurt, as if the whole world had abandoned her. But as soon as her mother finished speaking, she heard heavy pounding on the front door, as if they intended to break it down. It was clear the visitors were not friendly.
Without a second thought, she quickly put away the belongings and turned to leave.
Unsure of where to hide, she instinctively felt the further she was from the Ye residence, the better. After walking for an unknown amount of time, she saw a woman standing at the entrance of a shop, bidding farewell to guests. Although the woman wore a veiled hat, Xu Jia recognized her at once: it was Xu Hui.
At this moment, all her fear transformed into anger. If Xu Hui hadn't run away, how would she have ended up in this predicament?
Xu Hui looked at the woman who suddenly rushed towards her, eyes blazing, dressed in white mourning clothes. She was somewhat surprised to encounter Xu Jia at this place.
"Quick, provide a place for me to hide," Xu Jia demanded unceremoniously.
"You didn't run away from the Ye residence, did you?"
"So what? If it weren't for you, how would I have ended up like this? The Ye family will send people to catch me soon. Do you think they'll let you off lightly if they catch me?" With no other options, Xu Jia was determined to cling to her.
"This shop is mine. There's no place for you to hide. I think, in your current situation, it would be better to report to the authorities. You're dressed so conspicuously and have already attracted so much attention along the way. Even if I find a place for you to hide, the Ye family will find you soon. You'll still face the same fate back there, and there won't be another chance to escape." Wu Caiwei, hearing the commotion, came out and overheard their conversation. She guessed Xu Jia's identity and directly offered her suggestion.
"But... but I've never been to court before. I'm a bit scared." Xu Jia was, at heart, a commoner. She preferred to avoid dealings with the government as much as possible. The thought of going to court made her legs tremble, and she immediately faltered.
"If you hesitate any longer, the Ye family will catch up. If you lose your life, what's the point of being scared of this and that?" Wu Caiwei couldn't understand her reasoning.
Xu Jia thought about it and agreed, steeling her resolve. She nodded, asking Xu Hui to help arrange a carriage to take her to the yamen entrance.
The carriage had not gone far when, through the curtain, Xu Jia saw the Ye family's steward leading a group of people, ferociously in pursuit.
She quickly lowered the curtain and turned her back, afraid of being seen.
Upon reaching the yamen entrance, she gritted her teeth and beat the drum to enter the court. Soon, a scribe-like person, still groggy from sleep, emerged. After hearing the situation and taking notes, he asked her to wait in the yamen and then went to report to the magistrate.
The magistrate had long coveted the Ye family's wealth. Although he knew their methods were somewhat improper, no one had ever filed a complaint, so it had been left unresolved.
Hearing that someone had come to accuse the Ye family, he immediately perked up and summoned the court.
Before the officials arrived, Master Ye had already prepared a generous gift, which the steward delivered to the magistrate's residence.
The magistrate had been eyeing the Ye family's fortune. He knew that. Fortunately, the matter hadn't been finalized, and the authorities had no evidence. At most, the arranged marriage couldn't proceed, which he didn't care about. He was more worried about how his wife would react.
The magistrate took a break and met the Ye family's steward in the yamen's backyard. Upon opening the box and seeing two hundred taels of silver notes, he inwardly marveled at the Ye family's wealth to be so generous.
The magistrate considered himself a worldly man, fond of material possessions. When money came his way, why would he refuse it? Having accepted the money, he couldn't speak too harshly. He readily agreed to Master Ye's request.
Although he agreed verbally, in his heart, he decided to examine the evidence later. If he could bring down the Ye family, so much the better. If not, he would still keep the two hundred taels of silver, making no loss. In any case, he saw it as a win-win situation.
Ultimately, despite Xu Jia detailing the Ye family's various misdeeds, there was no evidence. The Ye family servants brought to court vehemently denied everything, claiming she didn't want to be a widow and wanted to remarry, thus fabricating such lies.
Although Xu Jia vehemently denied it, even calling Xu Hui.
Xu Hui stated that she had fled her arranged marriage because she had someone she liked, but her parents disapproved and had arranged her marriage with the Ye family. As for the internal affairs of the Ye family, she, as a common woman, had never heard of them.
Xu Jia looked at her in disbelief, directly accusing her of harming her. She lunged forward to strike, but was restrained by the yamen runners.
Since Xu Jia had already married into the Ye family and was their daughter-in-law, she was ultimately returned to the place that terrified her.
This time, her life was spared, but her days became worse than death. Madam Ye, in order to vent her hatred, sent her to the laundry room. From morning till night, there were endless clothes to wash and endless work. If she wasn't careful, she would be beaten, and sometimes she didn't even get food. Every day, she longed for her parents to rescue her.
After this incident, Wu Caiwei felt that Master Ye would eventually find out about their business in the city. Confronting the Ye family now would be like hitting a rock with an egg. They could only sell their goods at a low price, clear their inventory, and quickly leave for the prefectural city.