"Done."
Hearing their conversation, the coachman directed the carriage toward the Artistry Pavilion.
"Ah, look, isnāt that Uncle Hong up ahead?"
Ye Ziāan glanced at the figure standing at the doorway. Who else could it be but Constable Hong?
"Why isnāt he going inside?" Yang Chuxia asked again.
Just as she was about to call out to him, she noticed that Constable Hong turned around, ready to leave.
"Uncle Hong, Uncle Hong!" Ye Ziāan, at her side, had already shouted out.
Upon hearing the call, Constable Hong turned his head and saw Yang Chuxia and Ye Ziāan in the carriage.
"Uncle Hong, why arenāt you going inside?" Ye Ziāan got out of the carriage first to talk to Constable Hong.
"I was just passing by and had thoughts of going inside, but then I figured you wouldnāt be there, so I decided to leave," explained Constable Hong upon hearing the question.
However, Ye Ziāan noticed that Constable Hongās complexion seemed off, tinged with a hint of distress.
Could it be that he is troubled by something? she wondered inwardly.
"Uncle Hong, itās been such a long time since we last met. Come on, letās go inside and sit for a while. How about we have a couple of drinks at noon?"
Hearing this, Constable Hong hurriedly refused, "That wonāt do, your Auntie is waiting for me at home, I need to go back and take care of her."
"Uncle Hong, youāre joking again. Auntie is a grown woman, does she really need your care?" Ye Ziāan stepped forward and tugged at Constable Hong, "Come on, Iāll have someone invite Auntie over later as well."
"Uncle Hong, Brother An is right, we havenāt seen each other for so long, we have a lot to talk about," said Yang Chuxia as she too alighted from the carriage, "Are you and Auntie Hong keeping well these days?"
"Weāre fine. Iām not working as a constable at the yamen anymore. Iām free all day, just staying at home caring for Auntie Hong," said Constable Hong, his expression darkening at the mention of Auntie Hong, "You see, these past two years, her health hasnāt been great ā she canāt even get out of bed."
"Oh no, what happened to Auntie? How did she become so seriously ill?"
She remembered Auntie Hong being quite healthy before.
"I donāt know whatās wrong exactly, the doctors canāt diagnose it either. Weāre just getting through the days," he said. He and his wife married young and had always shared a close bond. Over the years, their affection only grew stronger, never expecting it would come to this. Constable Hong wiped away the moisture at the corner of his eyes, "Thank goodness, I can still take care of her."
Once seated, Yang Chuxia asked, "So did you resign from your post at the yamen to take care of Auntie Hong?"
"Not really!"
Talking about this made Constable Hong even more upset. He had dedicated many years to the yamen, if not for merit, at least for hard work. As Quanya replaced several County Magistrates, none had thought to replace him.
But this time, they had actually replaced him too.
Now he was without a job and had lost all his income.
"It wasnāt your decision to leave?" Yang Chuxia was taken aback, if it wasnāt his choice, then the yamen must have dismissed him?
Ye Ziāan asked, "Uncle Hong, what happened exactly?"
"Ah!" Constable Hong let out a sigh before continuing, "What happened? Itās all due to our new County Magistrate. As soon as he arrived, he replaced all the constables and runners in our yamen, even the brokers controlled by the government were not spared. As a result, Broker Liu of the brokers, myself, and others were all driven out of the yamen."
"Thereās such a thing?" Yang Chuxia thought that with a new emperor comes new officials, so it was normal for the new County Magistrate to change personnel. However, most changes happened gradually, and typically, a steward would be replaced first.
But why had everyone been replaced all at once?
"Uncle Hong, who did he replace exactly?" asked Ye Ziāan. It would make sense for a County Magistrate to replace constables, but why would he replace the runners as well?