Whether it's a boy or a girl, it's the same, because this human trafficker isn't just stealing boys anymore; he's stealing girls of childbearing age too.

Everyone was terrified, but the local officials were like dead men; although they took some action, they couldn't find anything out.

Inside the study, Emperor Kangxi sat with someone reporting to him, while Mingxiu sat quietly listening.

The more he listened, the tighter his fists clenched, and even Emperor Kangxi frowned as he listened.

"You mean these children were abducted by foreigners? Which country are they from?" Kangxi frowned.

"They say he's Spanish, but he doesn't quite look like it. Although the leader is Spanish, I've found out there's someone behind him. This person looks very similar to a commoner of the Qing Dynasty, but he's short, has bowlegs, and is always timid and hesitant. He also speaks a language I can't understand, so he's definitely not a commoner of the Qing Dynasty," the head of the secret guards said respectfully from the front.

Mingxiu gritted her teeth so hard they almost broke. Luo, with his timid and hesitant manner, clearly came from a different country.

Mingxiu stared at Kangxi, her eyes signaling him to kill all these people. They really were taking advantage of the fact that the tiger wasn't roaring. They hadn't even reached out to Japan yet, and these people had already reached out so quickly, even snatching children from our Qing Dynasty.

At first, Kangxi didn't realize what was happening, but when he saw Mingxiu's hateful expression, he instantly understood who these people were.

But once they found out, the problem became even bigger: "First, deal with the people who have already been apprehended, then report the case to the police and send all the children back. Then investigate. These people are all Japanese, but our Great Qing has no trade relations with the Japanese. Investigate how they got in."

Yes, that person left right after saying that.

Mingxiu looked at Kangxi and said, "Your Majesty, these Japanese are too arrogant. We haven't even gone to cause trouble yet, and they've already reached out to us."

Kangxi nodded: "Yes, and all goods entering through Qing ports require customs clearance documents. How did these people get in without alerting anyone?"

Mingxiu looked at Kangxi in surprise: "Does Your Majesty mean that there are people here secretly communicating with the Japanese?"

After Mingxiu finished speaking, she realized it without Kangxi having to say anything. Indeed, if there was no one, these people would not have been able to get in at all, so someone must have brought them in or let them in.

But: "But, Your Majesty, won't our current high-profile actions expose us? Won't we be unable to catch them later?"

Kangxi smiled at the alert man and said, "You're quite clever. Don't worry, I did it on purpose. I sent the children back partly to see how the local officials would handle the situation and whether they were involved. Also, since they kidnapped over a hundred children at once and caused such a commotion, they must be in a hurry. Now that their scheme has been exposed, they'll definitely make another move. I want to see who's behind this."

Mingxiu nodded, and their outing didn't continue. Mingxiu stayed at home, and Kangxi also stayed at home. Kangxi spent his days reading, playing the zither, and playing the flute with Mingxiu, enjoying a very comfortable life.

However, this was somewhat painful for Mingxiu. She really didn't want to be watched while studying. When they were in the palace, Kangxi was too busy to pay much attention to Mingxiu, but after coming here and having some free time, he suddenly started to supervise Mingxiu's studies again.

You've made Mingxiu hate the Japanese even more now. If it weren't for their actions, none of this would have happened.

Inside the pavilion, Kangxi sat reading a book, while Mingxiu was practicing calligraphy. Looking at her characters, which had deteriorated considerably, Mingxiu looked at Kangxi with a pained expression and said, "Your Majesty, can we stop writing? People come out to play, not to study. If it's really not possible, we can wait until we return to the palace to continue writing." Mingxiu held a pen in one hand and tugged at Kangxi's sleeve with the other, acting coquettishly.

Kangxi refused without even raising his eyes: "No, you must write it now. I haven't seen you for a while. Look at your handwriting, it's even rusted."

Mingxiu was a little embarrassed. She couldn't very well say that she hadn't written for a while because she wasn't feeling well. In fact, it had been a long time since she had written anything, and even when she did, she used charcoal pencils. It was normal for her to have regressed in writing. But she couldn't say that to Kangxi, otherwise, he and Yinreng might be reviewing memorials in the Qianqing Palace while Mingxiu sat in front of them writing.

It's too embarrassing for her; she absolutely doesn't want to do that.

But right now, I really don't want to write. Mingxiu waved his hand, signaling the servants around him to leave. Liang Jiugong, seeing that Kangxi was not moving, understood his meaning and followed him away.

Seeing that no one was around, Mingxiu put down her pen and said, "Your Majesty, my husband, my dear, I really don't want to write anymore. Please forgive me this time, okay? Look, my hand is all red from writing." As she spoke, Mingxiu walked over and pulled Kangxi's hand away from the book, then sat in his lap and acted coquettishly.

Kangxi was so taken aback by Mingxiu's use of the word "darling" that he didn't know what to say. His ears turned red, and he looked up at Mingxiu, glaring at her. "You shameless thing."

Mingxiu noticed his slightly reddened ears and smiled secretly, then pressed her advantage: "Then, darling, okay? I really don't want to write anymore." As she spoke, Mingxiu snuggled into Kangxi's arms and rested her head on his shoulder.

Emperor Kangxi was constantly pestered by Mingxiu, and he had also been trying to get her to study to prevent her from getting bored, but it seems she really can't concentrate on her studies now.

"Okay, this is the only time you'll understand. If I find out you're not studying properly next time, you'll have to study really hard."

"Okay, okay, don't worry, darling, it definitely won't happen in the human world." Mingxiu thought to herself, "I definitely won't let you catch me not studying after this."

They stayed at home for a few days and found out what had happened outside. Mingxiu was once again amazed by the abilities of the secret guards.

When the guard came to report again, Mingxiu was still listening nearby.

The matter was simple. When they came here this time, the Japanese approached them, hoping they could help send their people in, and they would pay them. This Spaniard was related to one of the opium buyers who had been executed before, and had been holding a grudge. He agreed because of this opportunity.

After arriving here, it was this Spaniard who helped them cover up. Everything was fine until something happened in Japan, and they urgently needed to go back. So they got anxious and thought they should grab someone and go back as soon as possible. That's when Mingxiu saw them. That was the day they chased after them. By the time they got there, they were already on a ship at the dock.