Chapter 311 An Unexpected Clue, Mingde Class

Shen Chu froze.

The third senior brother has a fiery temper, and his action and destructive power are equally strong.

Shen Chu had specifically asked Han Feng not to tell Ling Ce about her relationship with Pei Yuan.

Even the fact that she was pregnant was only told to Ling Ce by carrier pigeon when they were almost in Yangzhou.

She only said that she had encountered some unexpected events and did not want to have any further involvement with the child's father.

Her main fear was that once her third senior brother found out everything, he would rush to the capital without a second thought and fight Pei Yuan to the death.

Therefore, she gave Hongxiu a wink and said vaguely, "The Sixth Prince is now Prince Rui. I had a good relationship with him when I was in the capital."

He noticed Hongxiu had gained weight and assumed she was pregnant with his child.

Ling Ce, unsuspecting, simply said "Oh."

"Then this sixth prince has terrible taste. Hongxiu is clearly as fat as a pig, and has absolutely nothing to do with being pregnant."

Hongxiu was so angry that her face turned red. She stamped her foot and said, "Third Young Master, how could you say such a thing about me?"

"You have indeed gained weight. To be honest, look at yourself closely. You can eat and sleep a lot. You're already like a pig."

Hongxiu was so angry she almost burst into tears. She grabbed Chenchu ​​and asked anxiously:

"Young master, have I really gained a lot of weight? Do I really look like a pig now?"

Her eyes were red, and she looked like she was saying, "If you dare to say yes, I'll cry right now."

Shen Chu patted her hand and lied, saying, "No, no, you're nowhere near as good as a pig."

Red sleeves...

Is it just my imagination?

Why does it feel like what the young master said was even more unpleasant than what the third young master said?

Chen Chu didn't give her time to think it over, urging, "Don't just stand there, take me to see the room."

"Oh, alright, young master, this way."

With his two senior brothers and Hongxiu by his side, he felt as if he had returned to the time in Medicine King Valley, which dispelled much of the pent-up frustration that had accumulated in Chen Chu's heart over the past few days.

After eating and resting for a while, I felt much more energetic.

She asked Ling Ce, "Third Senior Brother, you've been in Yangzhou for a while now. What information have you found out about the case of the missing girls in Yangzhou?"

Ling Ce sat up straight. "If you're talking about this, I really have to tell you all about it."

I've made careful inquiries, and it turns out that a total of twenty-one women have gone missing in Yangzhou over the past two months. Nineteen of them are unmarried girls, and two are married women.

Shen Chu asked, "What are the identities of these missing people? Do they have any common characteristics? Did anything special happen before or after their disappearance?"

Ling Ce shook his head. "Most of the missing girls come from ordinary families, some even from impoverished backgrounds."

Only those two young women married minor officials of the eighth rank in Yangzhou Prefecture.

They disappeared at different times and places; some disappeared while going to the market in town, while others disappeared on their way to the temple to offer incense.

Some disappeared while gathering herbs in the mountains, while the two young women disappeared on their way back to their parents' home.

The authorities sent people to search for a long time, but they couldn't find him, either alive or dead; it was truly bizarre.

After hearing this, Shen Chu felt a heavy weight in her heart.

Two months have passed, and most of the missing girls are probably dead.

"Don't these girls have any interaction? For example, have they ever been to any places together, or met any people?"

Ling Ce shook his head.

“I… I might know,” Hongxiu, who was sitting to the side eating snacks, suddenly raised her hand, puffed out her cheeks, and mumbled.

Shen Chu and Ling Ce both looked at her at the same time.

Ling Ce looked doubtful.

"I've been investigating for almost half a month and haven't found anything. You've been eating and shopping all day long, practically eating your way through the entire city of Yangzhou in just half a month. What do you think you know?"

Hongxiu swallowed the pastry in her mouth and pouted unconvinced.

"I eat with my mouth, but that doesn't stop me from listening to news."

Chen Chu urged, "What did you hear?"

Hongxiu scratched her head. "Just a couple of days ago, I went to the street ahead to buy some wontons. The wonton vendors were an elderly couple, and their chicken soup wontons were so delicious—thin wrappers, lots of filling, and the broth was so flavorful..."

Shen Chu's eyebrows twitched. "Hongxiu, get to the point."

"Oh, just as I was eating wontons, a middle-aged man with a stubble beard came to the old couple to borrow money."

The elderly couple refused, so the middle-aged man lay on the ground and threw a tantrum, uttering a few words.

The elderly couple had no choice but to give him a coin. After he left, the old woman gave the middle-aged man a severe scolding.

The old lady cursed, saying that the man was greedy, always fighting for things that weren't meant to be his, and even insisting on sending his daughter to some Mingde class.

The old lady said that if she hadn't sent her to the Mingde class, maybe her daughter wouldn't have disappeared so mysteriously.

Two days ago, I went to Chaoyang Street to buy some snacks. There was a family there whose daughter had gone missing, and I overheard the couple arguing.

The woman was also berating the man, saying things like he shouldn't have spent money on the Mingde class, and that he'd disappeared before even getting his money back.

After Hongxiu finished speaking, she blinked her round eyes and looked at Chen Chu.

"Young master, do you think this Mingde Class might be a clue?"

Shen Chu's eyes brightened slightly, and he gave Hong Xiu a thumbs up.

"It's very likely, Hongxiu, you did the right thing."

Ling Ce glared at Hong Xiu, clearly unconvinced.

"I've been running errands for half a month and haven't found anything, while you've been eating and drinking and still managed to get clues. What's that called? 'Fools have their luck'?"

"Third Young Master!" Hongxiu exclaimed angrily.

Shen Chu interrupted the two, "Stop fooling around, Third Senior Brother. You should quietly investigate what's going on with this Mingde Class. It would be best to find out if the other missing girls also attended the Mingde Class."

Before leaving, Ling Ce asked, "Aren't you planning to meet with the prefect of Yangzhou first?"

Shen Chu shook her head. "What's the rush? We're new here, we should understand the situation first."

Ling Ce went out to inquire about the Mingde Class, and he got news in less than half a day.

"I've inquired carefully, and all the missing people are students from the Mingde Class, including the two girls who are already married."

The head of the Mingde Troupe was surnamed Fang. It is said that he had spent two years in the palace in his early years and later worked as a tutor in a wealthy family in the capital for several years.

Five years ago, she moved to Yangzhou and lived in Anle Lane, where she opened the Mingde Class, which specifically taught girls from poor families to recognize characters and the rules of wealthy families.

Most of the children who graduated from the Mingde Class in the first year married into good families, and even the worst ones went to wealthy families as study companions or as first-class maids in front of their masters.

Later, many wealthy families in Yangzhou would go directly to Granny Fang to choose their maids, saying that the children taught by Granny Fang were well-mannered and had good manners.

If a child is chosen, there's no need to sign a contract of servitude. Instead, a short-term contract is signed, and the child is released to go home when the time comes. The master will also give the child many good things as a gift.

This is practically the best way out that children from poor families can find, and many children who want to find a way out for their children are rushing to sign up for the Mingde Class.

I heard that their requirements for admitting students have become much stricter in the past two years.

Chen Chu stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.

“Mingde Class… Let’s go, let’s go take a look at Mingde Class, and also meet this Granny Fang.”