Chapter 167 The Dungeon

[The Prince of Qi is the Emperor's uncle, after all. Why does it seem like you treat him like a child?]

No, he doesn't look like the Emperor's uncle at all; he looks more like the Emperor's younger brother.

That's because the Emperor looks older than him; it has nothing to do with seniority.

[Hey, you unreliable old man, tell me quickly, how's Anmin County doing these days?]

[They've been controlled by someone impersonating the county magistrate, amassing wealth through extortion, and levying taxes on the people. They treat the people like livestock, selling the stolen goods and sending those destined for coal mining to do the same. Anmin County has become a living hell.]

【What? 】

Ji Yingying was shocked. How could Jiangnan have become such a mess? That Prince Qi really doesn't know how to manage things.

[Right now, only Anmin County is in hell. If no one takes care of it, other counties in Jiangnan will probably fall too. You should do something about it.]

Who's the highest-ranking official here? What about the city lord? Doesn't he care?

Currently, the highest-ranking official in Jiangnan is the city lord. When Prince Qi was in power, he could still manage things; if the county magistrate couldn't handle something, they could appeal to higher authorities. But now, the city lord isn't a good person either; officials protect each other and completely ignore the people. These days, the people don't dare to cause trouble.

Why don't you go to the capital to file a complaint?

Who has the money to go? Jiangnan may be wealthy, but the common people aren't; they're all poor.

Sigh... that emperor must be cursed to death for raising such a bunch of corrupt officials.

"Young Master Ji, what should we do? We have to get out of here quickly." The county magistrate was panicked. He had heard of Ji Yingying's name before he was arrested, but he had never seen her before.

"Well... I'll figure something out."

"Very well, I will do whatever you ask me to do."

"These people in the jail are all people who were arrested?" Ji Yingying looked at those people and they didn't seem to have any life in them, as if they had been arrested for a long time.

"Yes, they were all arrested at the same time as me. After they were arrested, they've been inside ever since. Apart from giving us a few steamed buns to eat, they don't care about us at all."

[Xiangxiang, take a look at this group of people. Who are they?]

[They were all wealthy and capable merchants and gentlemen from Jiangnan, just like Magistrate Li. They were disobedient and unwilling to go along with the corrupt practices, so they were arrested and then people were hired to impersonate them and commit crimes outside.]

Ji Yingying counted them; there were seven or eight people in total, all with lifeless eyes and a look of resignation to death.

Are they alright?

"Sigh, they've already made a scene, and some people are even willing to go along with them, but they just won't release the people, and they're not even willing to do anything about it."

They've already hired people to impersonate them, so what's the point of caring?

"Magistrate Li, do you know when they will be coming?"

“When they deliver food every day, if it were human traffickers, they wouldn’t be keeping the people they’ve kidnapped here. But sometimes I hear some noises next door, like crying and screaming. I guess if it’s someone kidnapped by human traffickers, they’d be kept next door.”

“Young master, my situation with him is not like that of Magistrate Li, but we are also imprisoned here,” Rong Er said.

The one on the ground is the son of a wealthy merchant, but Rong Er really shouldn't be locked up here.

[Don't ask, host. I don't know much either. I have a feeling this is a huge conspiracy. I can only wait for the latest update to find out the reason.]

Okay, let's take it one step at a time.

"Rong Er, I'm telling you to leave, but do you think you can just leave?"

"I can give it a try."

"good"

Ji Yingying found a piece of wire: "Are you going back to your old ways?"

[What old profession? My old profession is teaching and nurturing students, not lock picking. I learned lock picking after I was born.]

She learned to pick locks with a wire after she came into this world; it wasn't because her mother wanted to lock her up, and she just gradually learned how.

They pried the door open.

Ji Yingying told Rong Er to leave.

"Young master, what do you require of me?"

"Is Rong Yi nearby?"

"Yes, Lord Rong is nearby."

"Go find evidence, and then go to Beijing to file a complaint."

"And what about the young master?"

Rong Er was worried about Ji Yingying. Besides, he was here to protect Ji Yingying. If he went out like this, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to explain it when he got back.

"Go out and find out what's going on around you, then come back and get us. Also, these people must be very skilled in martial arts to be able to do this. Keep this musket handy and use it when necessary."

Ji Yingying offered him the only musket she had, but Rong Er refused, saying, "Young Master, keep it for your self-defense."

"No need, I have the truth."

Truth is far more useful than firearms.

Rong Er made sure there were no problems before going out. When someone saw him leave, they tried to call out to him but were glared at by Ji Yingying.

Those people are already easy targets; they don't even dare to glance at them.

Lian Mulan, who was on the ground, also woke up and looked around in confusion.

Where is this?

“This is the human traffickers’ dungeon. You’ve been caught and will be locked up here for life,” Ji Yingying said in a soft voice, which even Mu Lan didn’t believe.

"Young lady, please don't joke around."

"What are you talking about? Come and look at this group of people. Do you recognize any of them?" Ji Yingying told him to look around. Lian Mulan looked around and actually recognized one or two people.

"Are you Master Lu?"

Master Lu looked up at him, then sighed. He had been imprisoned for half a year and was among the first batch of people to be arrested.

At this moment, I don't want to say anything; my whole being exudes an aura of death.

"Impossible, I signed a sales contract with Master Lu just a few days ago."

Master Lu sighed, "I've been imprisoned for so long that I don't know what's happening outside, so how could I possibly sign a contract with you?"

"Yes, Lao Lu has been arrested for a long time, and so have I."

"this……"

“That’s right, this group of people has been here for a long time. Look, that’s Magistrate Li, the magistrate of Anmin County.”

"This is impossible. I've heard that the magistrate of Anmin County is a wicked man who has even run away with his wife and children."

Upon hearing that he had fled, Magistrate Li seemed relieved: "It's good that he fled, it's good that he fled, so he won't be harmed."

There's no escape. His wife is dead, and his son was sold; nobody knows where he is now.

Ji Yingying: …………This is terrible!

"Ah... Waaah... My Ping'er!" Magistrate Li burst into tears. His wife, his child, waaah...

"What's wrong?" Ji Yingying looked at him in surprise. Magistrate Li wiped away his tears and said, "I just miss my child so much."

Everyone around stared wide-eyed at Ji Yingying. They had heard the voice earlier and had always assumed it was spoken, but they never expected it to be her inner thoughts. Did they possess mind-reading abilities?

Having the ability to read minds, does that mean they should be saved soon?

[Host, these people's families are all in bad shape. Their wives and children are either dead or sick, not to mention the children themselves.]