"Catch them!"

"We must get the young master back!"

Qian Panpan led her people and rushed into the woods, but the forests in Sichuan were dense and there was no one to be seen.

Helpless, she withdrew, looking apologetic. "Sister, they got away!"

"Don't worry, sister. I know who did it. I'll have my father send troops to rescue the young master as soon as I get back!"

That's definitely something a heartless person would do.

When they couldn't rob him outright, they sent someone to rob him in secret!

Qian Panpan looked up angrily at the direction of the mine explosion, "But now, we probably need to go to the mine to take a look first."

This was exactly what Jiang Jiaojiao wanted.

Without hesitation, she leaped onto the horse, gave the reins a sharp jerk, and spurred the horse forward like an arrow. "Go!"

Qian Panpan was taken aback, her gaze fixed on Jiang Jiaojiao's back, her eyes flashing with admiration and envy. She shouted, "Follow me!"

In an instant, the sound of horses' hooves filled the air, raising clouds of dust.

They rushed headlong towards the mine in a mighty procession.

When they finally arrived at the mine, the sight before them stunned everyone.

The once towering and majestic mine now resembles a frail old woman, its height reduced by more than half!

Looking around, the trees were leaning and lying on the ground, as if they had just survived a fierce battle. The land underfoot was in a terrible state, with large amounts of soil being ruthlessly ripped up and scattered everywhere, forming pits of varying depths and mounds of earth.

Worse still, the once sturdy and spacious mine entrance had completely collapsed, buried under countless huge rocks and thick soil.

A group of elderly, women, and children surrounded the tightly blocked mine entrance, crying out in despair.

They were all the parents, wives, and children of the miners. Some came from nearby villages after hearing the commotion, while others stayed at the mine to do odd jobs.

At that moment, they all knelt down at the mine entrance and wailed loudly.

Upon hearing the sound of horses, they immediately looked up and cried out for help, "Please, gentlemen and ladies, save them!"

"My father is trapped underneath!"

"My son! My son!"

"Wah—Dad, big brother, second brother! I don't want to eat meat buns anymore, come back quickly!"

"..."

The cries of agony were deafening, bringing tears to the eyes of all who heard them.

Just then, a sharp and sarcastic voice rang out, "The mine is managed by Fuyu Hou! He's the one who killed my husband!"

"Bring out Marquis Fuyu! Give us an explanation!"

Jiang Jiaojiao looked over upon hearing the sound, and with a single glance, Dao Qing nodded secretly and stared intently.

Seeing the tragic scene, Qian Panpan felt sorry for the people and was about to call for everyone to work together to reopen the mine when she heard the woman's harsh words and couldn't help but jump off her horse.

"What nonsense! The mine collapse was indeed a disaster, and no one wanted it. How can you blame it all on Marquis Fuyu? If it weren't for Marquis Fuyu, would you even have enough to eat!"

As soon as Qian Panpan finished speaking, it immediately triggered a burst of sobs.

"Yes! If it weren't for working in the mines under the Marquis of Fuyu, my mother-in-law would have died long ago from illness and wouldn't have been able to get her medicine. But... but if my mother-in-law knew that my father-in-law was buried under the mine, she definitely wouldn't have been able to hold on."

"The Marquis of Fuyu paid a generous sum of money; two months' work was equivalent to a year's harvest for my family. I thought I could have a good New Year, but I never expected... Waaah..."

"No wonder Marquis Fuyu, we're just unlucky..."

Hearing them speak up for Fuyu Hou, the woman's face flashed with panic. Suddenly, she sat down on the ground and started yelling at Qian Panpan, "Oh my, you've never lacked food or clothing, you... you must be a young lady from Fuyu Hou's family, that's why you're speaking up for him. I don't want money, I just want my husband. How can I live without him!"

"The Marquis of Fuyu only said he'd get paid to work, he didn't say he'd get paid to save his life! Give me back my husband's life!"

The woman started yelling and throwing a tantrum, and everyone's gaze towards Qian Panpan changed.

"What nonsense! I am from the Prefect's residence. I was just passing by and heard the commotion, so I came to see if there was anything I could do to help!"

Qian Panpan widened her eyes, put her hands on her hips, and said angrily.

Upon hearing that she was the daughter of an official, the common people were so frightened that they retreated repeatedly, revealing the woman to the public.

The woman was in a panic; the man hadn't said the official's daughter would be coming!

A few weak voices also rose from the crowd.

“That’s right. The last time I saw the gambling den owner come to collect a debt, it was this young lady who had the door opened and the debt paid off.”

“I…I heard that the Marquis of Fuyu has ten masters and seventeen grandsons, but I haven’t heard of any young ladies, and—”

The old woman lowered her voice again, "Before the collapse, I saw several young masters from the wealthy Marquis family also going down into the mine to inspect it."

Upon hearing this, the crowd fell silent instantly.

Their eyes widened in shock, their tears ceasing. "You...you mean the young master of the wealthy Marquis's family was also buried underground?"

"It's all over! It's all over!"

"The young master of the Marquis's family has died. Will we have to pay with our lives and beheadings?"

"Wow--"

This made the crying even louder and more sorrowful.

Jiang Jiaojiao's expression changed drastically. She dismounted and asked anxiously, "Are you sure you saw the young master of the wealthy Marquis family go down to inspect? When?"

The old woman was so frightened that she sat down on the ground. "Yes...yes, I saw it, about...about an hour ago."

"An hour?"

Jiang Jiaojiao's expression changed. If her cousins ​​received Dao Hong's message, they would go down into the mine to inspect it.

An hour should have been enough to call out the people living underground, but there was no response.

Unless... someone blocks their way out!

Jiang Jiaojiao's heart sank to the bottom. She stared at the collapsed mine entrance and shouted, "Dig!"

"Dig it all up!"

"I want to see him alive or dead!"

Qian Panpan immediately gave the order, "Dig open the mine entrance with all your might!"

Jiang Jiaojiao shouted to the elderly, weak, women, and children kneeling on the ground, weeping, "You all help too! As long as we don't see a body, it doesn't count! There's still a sliver of hope!"

The words had barely left his mouth.

The crying stopped abruptly. Everyone stood up, helping each other to grab shovels and picks, and began digging with clanging and banging. The wailing and accusations all turned into the sound of digging with all their might.

Seeing that things were not going well, the woman quietly slipped out.

Dao Qing immediately followed.

Qian Panpan looked at Jiang Jiaojiao with admiration. Wow! That's amazing! With just a few words, she turned the people's grief into strength and got them all working together to dig!

I love it!

Unfortunately... they arrived too late. If they had come an hour earlier, they might have discovered the clues and avoided this mining disaster.

Although Qian Panpan admired Jiang Jiaojiao's eloquence, she had no hope for the future.

The mine is so deep, and with such a huge tremor, it must have collapsed inside. Not to mention the boulders rolling down and burying it, just the mine entrance collapsing and there's no way to breathe, how could the people down there still survive?

at the same time.

A deep rumble suddenly echoed from somewhere in the endless mine, and a huge rock was violently shattered, revealing a dark hole.

Several disheveled figures crawled out from inside.

"Cough cough cough... Finally out!"