Chapter 142: The thatched hut was smashed down, and the mother and daughter were also taken away

"Making this matter a secret isn't difficult; just create an opportunity to silence them with a righteous pretext," Zhao's expression turned especially fierce, "Lean in close; later, you'll do exactly this..."

After he finished speaking, several subordinates repeatedly flattered him, saying he was truly brilliant.

Zhao clicked his teeth, "Stop the nonsense, hurry up and act, I'm waiting for you here."

"Yes, boss!"

The patrol constables turned and ran back to the thatched hut.

Ning Jinli's side.

She and Xiao Qidi sent Xiu Mei's husband to Yaowang Gu, handed him over to Divine Doctor Lian to settle him, then took some contemporary clothing and daily necessities from Yaowang Gu, planning to bring them back for Xiu Mei's family to use.

Although this couldn't fundamentally solve her family's predicament, it at least provided substantive help.

The two also needed to figure out why He Wan County had so many outrageous situations, and why Xiu Mei blamed her husband's misfortune on Xiao Qidi, even bearing a deep grudge against him.

The problem here is obviously serious.

Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi walked toward the Yaowang Gu cave while asking, "Are the corvée and tax matters too outrageous? No need to mention taxes—we've already seen them firsthand; even just the tip of the iceberg has opened my eyes. Moreover, from Xiu Mei's situation, corvée is also exaggerated; these two aspects should be regulated by officials in the Royal City, right? Haven't you noticed anything off before?"

Xiao Qidi frowned and said, "Before my coronation, I already understood all the laws and regulations of Daxuan, from the capital to the localities, and found nothing abnormal; otherwise, after my coronation and assuming governance, how could I just stand by?"

"That's true," Ning Jinli nodded slightly, "which shows that the problem lies with the executors below."

Xiao Qidi's brows tightened, "You mean... the minister in the Royal City responsible for this?"

Ning Jinli shook her index finger, "Not necessarily; maybe it's their subordinates, or their subordinates' subordinates, or perhaps the local officials here are simply acting wickedly. Anyway, until we clarify things, anything is possible. My point is, since we don't yet know exactly who's involved, you should stay low-key and avoid exposing your identity prematurely—if there really is a big fish, it might escape."

"Hmm, got it." Xiao Qidi nodded seriously.

The two talked as they walked into the cave; in the blink of an eye they passed through the spacetime portal and returned to the vicinity of the thatched hut.

After walking just a few steps, they saw in the distance that the thatched hut had actually collapsed.

"Xiu Mei sister! An An!" Ning Jinli cried out, kicked off her legs, and sprinted over.

However, no sound responded to her.

The already dilapidated thatched hut was now a mess of debris scattered everywhere.

Ning Jinli searched through the ruins while calling out.

Xiao Qidi set down the pile of items he had been carrying on his shoulder for Xiu Mei's family, crouched on the ground to examine, and said in a low voice, "Jinli, from the traces, it looks like it was smashed down by people—many and chaotic footprints indicate that a gang of thugs came while we were away."

"Ah! The old lady is here!" Ning Jinli hadn't found Xiu Mei and her mother, but discovered an old person under a plank.

Xiao Qidi immediately stepped forward with a stride.

The old person was curled up, eyes tightly shut, face deathly pale, with bloodstains on the disheveled white hair at the forehead.

Xiao Qidi quickly checked her breathing, his expression grave, "She's still alive, but her condition is poor—originally frail and weak, now injured, her breath is like a fading thread..."

"Quickly take her to Yaowang Gu!" Ning Jinli said swiftly, "I'll stay here to continue searching for Xiu Mei and her mother!"

Without a word, Xiao Qidi prepared to lift the old person; at that moment, the old person slowly opened their empty, lifeless eyes, reached out with both hands, feeling, and grabbed Ning Jinli's arm, "Zhao... Zhao Captor Head... they smashed my home, took my daughter-in-law... abducted... abducted..."

"And what about your granddaughter An An?" Ning Jinli quickly asked.

The old person, tears streaming from deep-set eyes, "Also... also taken away... they said... they would... sell... sell to offset money..."

Ning Jinli had no time to think further; at least now it's confirmed that Xiu Mei and her mother are not in immediate danger of death.

She grasped the old person's hand, which was like a withered branch, and softly said, "Don't be afraid; we'll first take you to the doctor."

"Fairy..." the old lady exerted her last strength, widened her blind eyes, and uttered a hoarse voice from her throat, "Please... please save Xiu Mei and An An..."

"Mm!" Ning Jinli answered decisively, "Rest assured! I will definitely not let anything happen to them!"

"Thank you... thank you, Fairy..." the old lady instantly went limp.

"Old lady? Old lady!" Ning Jinli exclaimed in shock.

Xiao Qidi hurriedly checked her breathing and pulse again, then shook his head helplessly at Ning Jinli.

The old person thus breathed their last, eyes not even closing.

Ning Jinli's eyes instantly reddened; she reached out and gently closed the old person's eyelids.

After a few seconds of silent mourning, she said to Xiao Qidi, "First send her corpse to Yaowang Gu; we can't just leave her here, and then..."

Ning Jinli paused, the grief in her eyes replaced by hatred, "Then we'll drag out the murderers and hack them to pieces!"

She and Xiao Qidi delayed no moment, swiftly took the old person's corpse to Yaowang Gu, instructed the people there to properly preserve it, and moreover, before the old person's son recovers from illness, do not let anyone know, otherwise it will certainly affect the treatment.

Then, Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi returned once more to the thatched hut area.

"The old lady said the person who abducted Xiu Mei is called Zhao Captor Head," Ning Jinli's eyes turned icy, "so she should have been taken to the County Office."

Xiao Qidi frowned and said, "The old lady also said An An was taken by them to be sold to offset debt; could this be a personal grudge? Did Xiu Mei's family owe high-interest loans they couldn't repay?"

"Never mind the details for now," Ning Jinli declared decisively, "I'll go to the County Gate to inquire about the situation; you go rescue An An right away."

"Okay."

The two said they'd do it and immediately began acting.

The place where Xiu Mei's family lived was very remote, with hardly any households nearby.

Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi followed the path Xiu Mei had previously taken outward for a while before finding a household from which they learned the location of the County Office.

That household also said they indeed saw several constables from the County Office escorting a woman.

Ning Jinli immediately rushed straight to the County Office.

Xiao Qidi stayed behind, continuing to inquire, "You should know who the woman being escorted by the constables is, right?"

This family's eyes darted away; they all said they were too far away to see clearly.

"Are you afraid of those constables?" Xiao Qidi asked again.

On this family's faces, a look of unease instantly flashed; they hurriedly indicated, asking him not to ask further.

"What about Xiu Mei's daughter?" Xiao Qidi said in a deep voice, "Since you saw Xiu Mei being taken away by constables, you must have also seen that little girl, right?"

"I don't know, I don't know!"

"We've said all we have to say; go inquire elsewhere!"

The family turned and ran toward their own house.

Xiao Qidi flashed aside, spreading his arms to block them, saying, "No matter how much more, I won't inquire further—just tell me who took An An and where they were taken."

"Oh dear!" the female head of the household said, face full of worry, "What good does knowing do? Can you even get An An back? I tell you, any child taken away never returns home! You don't even know this situation—you must be from out of town. Hurry up and leave! Don't cause trouble, and don't bring trouble to us."

Xiao Qidi's cheeks tightened; he had wanted to forcefully interrogate, but worried it would bring disaster to this family, so he stopped pressing.

The family rushed back into their house and hastily shut the door.

Xiao Qidi could only think of a way himself to find An An's whereabouts.

After a brief thought, he left and walked along, inquiring as he went; fortunately He Wan County wasn't large, and in less than half an hour he arrived at the market street where locals usually bought and sold goods.

Then he found a pawnshop and strode inside.

"Yo, sir, please come inside!" the Fat Boss Lady, her face smeared with thick rouge, greeted him with a smile, the perfume making Xiao Qidi frown.

The Fat Boss Lady sized him up and asked, "Sir, are you looking to buy a maidservant or a manservant?"

Xiao Qidi didn't answer right away, but instead paced back and forth in the front hall, glancing left and right.

The Fat Boss Lady, having seen many customers, had her own way of reading people, but couldn't see through this young man at once.

If you said he had money, his face was stubbled, he wore coarse hemp cloth that only ordinary folk wore, and he looked like he'd been wandering outside for a long time.

If you said he had no money, his build, appearance, and demeanor—especially the noble air unintentionally revealed in his brows and eyes—truly didn't seem like something a poor person could possess.

Could he be... a fallen scion of a wealthy family?

"Sir," the Fat Boss Lady said with a testing smile, "could it be that you're not here to buy servants but to sell yourself?"

Xiao Qidi saw nothing amiss in the front hall and asked, "Are there any other pawnshops around here?"

"Yes, of course there are," the Fat Boss Lady said, leaning in and flicking her silk handkerchief, "I can introduce shops that broker property, help people buy houses and livestock, or arrange loans—there are plenty."

Xiao Qidi wore a solemn expression, "I mean shops like yours."

The Fat Boss Lady's face showed pride, "Oh, then I'm the only one of my kind."

"Then..." Xiao Qidi narrowed his eyes slightly, "Do you have any young maidservants?"

"Yes!" the Fat Boss Lady patted her chest, "Tall, short, fat, thin, lively or quiet, dexterous and able to work—I have them all. If you can't find them here, you won't find them anywhere else."

Xiao Qidi uttered a few words calmly, "Four- or five-year-olds—do you have any?"

The Fat Boss Lady stared, then burst out laughing, "Hahaha, you really like to joke! This is a legitimate pawnshop, not a human trafficker—I only take those who voluntarily sell themselves into slavery. Who's ever seen a four- or five-year-old who knows how to sign a slave contract? Even if someone wanted to, I wouldn't dare accept them."

"Then do you know where one could buy such a child?" Xiao Qidi continued to press.

The Fat Boss Lady's face twitched, as if she could hardly contain herself, her tone turning cold: "If you sincerely want to buy a servant, I can give you a proper recommendation; if you're just here to cause trouble, then take your leave—I won't see you out."

Xiao Qidi plopped down onto a chair in the front hall, "If I don't get the answer I want, I'm not leaving."

"You..." the Fat Boss Lady's eyes hardened, she put her hands on her hips and sneered, "Fine, you won't leave? Then you won't be leaving! Hey, someone!"

As her words fell, the rear door curtain of the front hall was lifted, and several dark-skinned, muscular men wielding clubs rushed out.

Xiao Qidi glanced sideways lazily and remarked, "Is this how you do business? Laying hands on customers isn't proper, is it?"

"It's no big deal if I don't do business today," the Fat Boss Lady said, swaying her bucket waist to the shop door, personally closing it, then walking up to Xiao Qidi, extending a finger as thin as a little radish, hooking his chin, and smiling, "I run an honest trade, but that doesn't mean I can be toyed with. I can tell at a glance you're a greenhorn with no martial world experience; from now on you'll stay here as a laborer, and if you behave well, considering your handsome looks, I might let you serve me."

Xiao Qidi chuckled lightly, "Being a laborer here? Serving you? You probably aren't qualified for that."

"Whether you're qualified, you'll find out soon." The Fat Boss Lady licked the corner of her mouth, stepped aside, and waved her hand, "Go ahead, give him a good lesson—just don't ruin his face."

"Yes, Boss Lady!"

The several muscular men immediately swung their clubs and lunged at Xiao Qidi.

—

At the same time, Ning Jinli, acting alone, had already arrived at the He Wan County Yamen.

The county office's gate was tightly shut, not even a guard on duty.

Ning Jinli looked left and right, discovering a large drum outside the office gate.

She knew this device was called a road drum; it had already appeared in this era, namely the thing seen in historical dramas when they beat the drum to appeal for justice.

Anyway, no matter what, the main thing was to get the county office gate opened.

So she walked over, picked up the drumstick, and hammered away.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

The drum sound was dull but extremely penetrating.

Before long, the county office gate opened.

A county officer ran out, saw that the one beating the drum was a girl, her attire plainly that of a commoner, and snapped with a stern face, "What are you doing?"

Ning Jinli tossed the drumstick aside, "I'm already beating the drum—why are you asking what I'm doing? Of course there's something! Hurry, let me see your county magistrate."

The county officer stared fixedly at Ning Jinli's face, repeatedly sizing her up, then suddenly changed his tone: "If that's the case, come with me."

Ning Jinli immediately followed him inside.

Upon entering the office, not having gone far, the officer leading the way suddenly drew his side blade and placed it at her neck, shouting loudly, "The woman who earlier rushed the checkpoint has walked right into the net! Come quickly!"

Immediately two more officers rushed over and swiftly restrained Ning Jinli's arms.

The officer who had been leading the way sneered, "You've got guts, huh? We've been all over looking for you lot, and you dare to run straight into the office—just so happens I'm the one who was guarding the checkpoint then; I remember that little face of yours crystal clear."

"Throw her into the cell, first have the jailer give her a proper greeting, so we can interrogate her later!"

Ning Jinli's shoulders and arms were pinched painfully by the two officers; she could easily break free, even throw them down, but thinking that Xiu Mei was likely also in the cell, and that she herself was destined to be thrown in, she silently endured.

Soon, she was escorted to the dark, damp cell…