Chapter 36: At such a young age...

After a moment of silence, Ji Zhangqing raised his eyebrows: "Reason?"

Feng Qingsui told him the doubts he had discovered, and finally said:

"If Hanabishi's experience isn't an isolated case, there must be many other children who go missing after being adopted. While missing children do happen, if it's intentional, the rate would be unusual."

Ji Changqing couldn't help but think of Fang Yuanjian's guilty look when he asked for the account book. At that time, he thought it was because she was guilty, but now thinking about it carefully, there may be other reasons.

After all, Fang Yuanzhang had just been transferred here not long ago. Even if corruption was discovered in the orphanage, it was done by her predecessor and had nothing to do with her.

Then why does she feel guilty?

Whether the child lives well after being adopted is an important indicator for evaluating the competence of the institution's supervisor.

If an adopted child repeatedly disappears, it means that the adoptive parents neglected to look after the child, or that the director of the institution failed to properly evaluate the adoptive parents and handed the child over to an unsuitable person.

Fang Yuanjian was afraid that he would find out, so he wanted to delay the submission of the account books so that he could tamper with them and cover up the abnormal number of missing children?

He cast his eyes on the pile of account books.

Feng Qingsui took the opportunity to say, "Second Master, if there is any problem, we can find out by looking through the account books. If you don't have time, I will do it for you."

As he said this, he reached out to hold the account book.

Ji Zhangqing narrowed his eyes slightly: "Not everyone has the right to touch this account book."

Feng Qingsui paused.

"Second Master, the child just disappeared today and may not have been sent out of the capital yet. If we can find clues in the account books and rescue him in time, it will be a meritorious deed."

She looked at Ji Changqing with a pleading look on her face.

Ji Changqing: “…”

It makes him sound like a wicked person who doesn't care about other people's lives.

"I didn't say I wouldn't show it to you," he said calmly, "but this account book can't be out of my sight."

Feng Qingsui said hurriedly: "I won't take it away. I will just look at it here in the study and will never touch a single number."

I thought to myself that even when looking at the account books, he was wary of her tampering with them. This person is really very rigorous. No wonder she can become the prime minister.

Ji Changqing just wanted to see what she was capable of, but seeing that she misunderstood, he was too lazy to explain.

There was only the long table in front of Ji Changqing in the study. After Feng Qingsui took a quick look, he decisively moved a chair from the wall to the table and sat diagonally opposite Ji Changqing.

He asked Ji Changqing for a pen and some paper, and made notes while flipping through the account book.

She sat still, her hands moving very lightly, making almost no sound, but Ji Changqing could no longer concentrate on the documents. His gaze seemed to have its own thoughts and would drift towards her from time to time.

He rarely paid attention to women's appearance. In his eyes, there was not much difference between tall and short, fat and thin, old and young, beautiful and ugly.

Looking closely at this time, I found that Feng Qingsui had very thick black hair and long, dense eyelashes, like two small brooms, sweeping up and down as she blinked.

The facial lines were very smooth, and she still had a bit of baby fat, which reminded him of the embroidered painting he saw in the orphanage.

The little girl eating glutinous rice cake in the painting is so cute, who would have thought that when she grows up, she will become a female Rakshasa who kills people without blinking an eye.

What has she been through in the years since she left the Salesian Home?

Feng Qingsui had just finished compiling the data when she looked up and saw Ji Changqing staring at her.

"Second Master?"

She called out softly.

Ji Changqing came back to his senses, his heart sinking slightly, and he said unobtrusively, "Have you finished reading?"

Feng Qingsui nodded and reported the data to him.

"Two years ago, only one or two out of a hundred adopted children went missing. In the past two years, 10% of the children adopted from each Salesian home have gone missing, all within three months of being adopted, and 90% of them are girls."

"These adopters all live in outer cities and their families are probably not well-off, but they all adopt children under the age of seven."

Many adopters like to adopt young children. Young children are young and cannot remember their past lives, so they will treat them as their biological parents, making them feel closer.

But families with poor financial conditions prefer to adopt older children.

Firstly, older children are sensible and capable of taking care of themselves, making them easier to discipline; secondly, having more hands to do the work will make things easier for me; thirdly, after raising them for a few years, I can find a family to marry them off and receive a betrothal gift.

It is very suspicious that these families only adopt young children.

Ji Changqing raised his eyebrows.

This efficiency is even better than that of some of his subordinates.

"I'll send someone to check on these families tomorrow," he replied. "How many cases are there in total?"

Feng Qingsui clenched his fists: "Forty-seven."

so much?

Ji Changqing frowned.

He didn't know how many children went missing in the capital every year, but if he were the prefect of Jingzhao, seeing so many adopted children missing, he would definitely conduct an in-depth investigation and hold those responsible accountable.

However, Jingzhao Prefecture had never submitted any memorials on this matter. If it were not for the request for money this winter, if His Majesty had not suddenly decided to let him inspect, and if Feng Qingsui had not repeatedly provided clues, this matter would probably have never been cared about.

The Salesian Home will never report the matter proactively. In order to conceal the corruption, they will only make a big thing small and a small thing disappear.

It's even possible to get involved.

As for the prefect of Jingzhao, whether it was negligence or corruption, he was not free from responsibility.

His face darkened and he said in a cold voice, "Don't worry, I will get to the bottom of it."

After hearing what he said, Feng Qingsui loosened her fist slightly. She was indeed a little worried that Ji Changqing was always busy with the affairs of the family and the country, and would not take such a small matter of the orphanage seriously, and would just check it casually and then throw it aside.

Fortunately, he was much kinder than she had imagined and still valued human life.

Glancing at the bowl of soup that was no longer steaming, she smiled attentively and said, "Second Master, the soup is cold. I'll go heat it up for you."

Ji Changqing: “…”

"No need," he said sullenly. "I'm going to bed soon, and I don't eat anything for an hour before bed."

Feng Qingsui had no choice but to take the soup bowl away.

"In that case, I'll make another one tomorrow night and give it to you early."

Ji Changqing's face instantly turned dark.

Does he have to drink this nourishing soup?

There’s nothing wrong with his kidneys!

"I don't like this soup," he said gloomily. "Don't you have any other soup to give me?"

Feng Qingsui felt a chill coming towards him, but he didn't think much about it and said readily, "Okay, then I'll send Second Master some Tremella, Jujube and Wolfberry Soup tomorrow."

The reason she made the nourishing Tibetan soup tonight was because she only had lotus seeds, wolfberries, and tangerine peels, which she usually used to make tea, so she didn't have to go through the trouble of buying medicinal herbs.

Who knew this gentleman didn't like to drink.

When Ji Changqing heard that it was for replenishing qi and blood, his face darkened even more.

"Don't bother. Eating too much at night will affect your sleep."

It's just a bowl of soup, how much can it possibly be? Feng Qingsui muttered to himself, and then it occurred to him that people with poor kidney function would frequently get up at night and should indeed drink less water.

I never thought that this person, at such a young age...

There was a look of pity on her face.

In this world, everything has a price. If you want to achieve success at a young age, you have to sacrifice your health.

Ji Changqing must have read late into the night a lot over the years.

His kidneys have been damaged, no wonder he is indifferent to beauty.