"Do you admit your guilt? The Autumn Festival and Double Ninth Festival have just passed, and I just finished collecting taxes from all the counties and inspecting the rivers. I've been so busy that I can't even find a day to rest. And you, on the other hand, not only don't you share my worries, but you also let the Censorate grab my pigtails and report me to the emperor. I'll fine you two months' salary. Do you know what that fine is? It's my reputation!"

The magistrate and his men lay on the ground, not daring to make a sound.

"I know that I am not as good as the upright and virtuous ministers praised by everyone, but at least I am conscientious, diligent and caring for the people, right? Since I took office as the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, I have been in charge of 23 counties. I have been worried every day and never dared to be lazy for a moment for fear of making any mistakes. As my three-year term is about to end, I thought I could give a satisfactory answer to the court. However, because of this small case of yours, a memorial from the Censorate put the hat of dereliction of duty on my head. Am I wronged? Ah?" The prefect felt more and more aggrieved as he spoke, and even his eyes turned red.

After all these years of hard work, he was ultimately charged with "dereliction of duty", which was like a stab in the heart.

He muttered hoarsely, "I don't know what's the point of being the prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture. I'd rather retire and go back to my hometown to farm."

Magistrate Liu burst into tears and kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "It is my incompetence that has implicated Your Excellency. I will now write this letter to apologize and ask Your Excellency to forgive the punishment I have imposed on Your Excellency."

The prefect wiped his face, remained silent for a long time before regaining his composure. He then sighed and said, "Never mind. The words of a sage cannot be taken back. Furthermore, the Censorate's report was premeditated and not a sudden act. They just happened to be caught with evidence. What you need to do now is, first, strengthen the inspection of people entering and leaving the West and South Gates, and second, properly handle the follow-up of this abduction and trafficking case, severely punishing the perpetrators and providing appropriate comfort to the victims."

Magistrate Liu and his subordinates quickly responded, "Rest assured, sir. We will carry out your instructions. If we make any more mistakes and the Censorate finds evidence against us, we will personally submit a petition to the emperor, relinquish our official uniform, and become commoners. We will never implicate you in the slightest."

After receiving the guarantee, the Jingzhao prefect's face looked much better. He then gave some instructions on other official business before leaving with the respectful farewell of a group of county officials.

After seeing off the giant Buddha, County Magistrate Liu felt a chill on his back. He touched it and found that it was cold sweat.

He exhaled a breath of foul air and asked the two county magistrates on his left and right, "How far has the investigation into the kidnapping case progressed?"

A tall, thin county magistrate replied, "The verdict has been drafted. The principal offenders will be executed immediately, and the accomplices will be exiled three thousand miles away. After it is submitted to the Dali Temple for approval, the verdict will be announced at a later date."

Magistrate Liu's expression turned cold. "For such a heinous crime as human trafficking, both the principal and the accomplice should be punished with immediate execution."

The tall and thin county magistrate was about to dissuade him, but was stopped by another county magistrate who looked a little older and a little fatter.

Seeing that the two had no objections, Magistrate Liu continued, "There's no need to wait for a date. Tomorrow, I will personally submit a memorial to the Dali Temple for approval. We have all the witnesses and evidence in this case, so the sooner we can resolve it, the better, to avoid any further mistakes."

"Yes." The two county magistrates responded.

"Sir... I have something to report." A yamen runner stood up tremblingly.

Magistrate Liu suddenly had a bad feeling, "What's going on?"

The bailiff stammered, "The witness...is missing."

"What!"

In Zhanchun Bookstore, after helping the child go to the toilet, Uncle Cao came to the front hall to discuss with Xu Jiang, wanting to take the child back home to take care of him.

"You want to take him back?"

"Yes, I thought. No matter how young the child is, he's still a boy. It would be inconvenient for the boss to have a young girl living here. Secondly, the boss has to take care of the bookstore, and he's very busy. If there's another child, I'm afraid he won't be able to spare the time. My place is not far from here, and it's spacious. I have a few rooms empty, and my wife and daughter-in-law are both unemployed at home, so there's extra staff to serve and take care of you."

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for my aunt and sister-in-law?" It was indeed inconvenient to have the child in the bookstore, and Uncle Cao's suggestion solved Xu Jiang's dilemma. But she had picked up the child, and it was her responsibility to take care of the child's affairs. Uncle Cao had simply stumbled upon him. If she rashly brought him back and caused discord within the family, it would be her fault. "Why don't you go back and discuss this with the family first?"

"I know without a second thought. My wife and daughter-in-law will be delighted if we bring him back." A trace of sorrow welled up in Uncle Cao's eyes. "To be honest, Master, ever since little Zhuo'er died young, my wife and daughter-in-law haven't been happy again. My daughter-in-law was so heartbroken that she became ill and can no longer bear children. Our family doesn't follow the practices of wealthy families who buy slaves or concubines. We've set our sights on this one daughter-in-law. We've already been unfair to her, and we don't want to treat her badly and hurt her feelings. That's why we haven't had any new additions since then. If little Zhuo'er were still alive, he'd be about the same age as him. Maybe this is his fate with our family."

She had heard Xu San mention the fate of Uncle Cao's grandson, who died of a fever during a heavy snowstorm. Now that Lu Zhen had no relatives and nowhere to stay, it would be better to make this fate come true. Although Uncle Cao was a craftsman, his family was a registered household. If they reported to the government and adopted him, it would be better than letting him wander and eventually become a pariah.

"Since you're so willing to accept this fate and have been so thoughtful, I'll leave Lu Zhen in your care for now. However, I'll cover all the expenses for his medical consultations, prescriptions, and daily expenses." Cao Shu was about to refuse, but Xu Jiang stopped him. "If you refuse, I won't let you take him with you."

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