Liu Yingying's judgment was indeed correct. Less than half an hour after they left, someone arrived at the manor.

It turned out to be Lin Litang, the younger brother of the Marquis of Yong'an, who was hosting a banquet tonight at the largest restaurant in the capital for several powerful figures he had long wanted to curry favor with.

They also learned that one of them had a penchant for pedophilia, and coincidentally, the business on this estate was a joint venture between him and his nephew, Lin Shichang.

So he immediately ordered his trusted men to come and pick two boys of good looks.

However, when his trusted confidant arrived at the estate, this was the scene he found.

All the villagers lay sprawled on the ground, unconscious.

The confidant's heart skipped a beat, and he rushed to the basement with a shocked expression.

Sure enough, the place was already deserted!

Where are they?!

"Chase them! Chase them right now!"

His confidant, both angry and flustered, gave orders to the men he had brought.

But there are clearly not enough people.

So he gave a second order, "Wait, go and wake up those useless idiots outside!"

"Let them go find me someone!"

As for himself, he needed to return to the city immediately to report the matter to the Second Master.

Once those children escape, the truth about what happened in the village is very likely to be exposed.

The secrets here must never be known to outsiders!

Meanwhile, Liu Yingying and Xue Ye led the group of children along a rugged, narrow path overgrown with weeds, barely able to move forward by the faint light of the stars and moon...

As she walked, she thought to herself that bringing so many children back to the city would be too conspicuous.

So she looked at Xue Ye and said, "Xiao Ye, let's find a place to stay first before making any plans."

They found a dilapidated temple on a hillside, the caretaker of which was nowhere to be found. Looking up at the roof, they could see sparse stars.

Fortunately, it didn't rain, so it's still barely habitable.

Liu Yingying and Xue Ye had agreed that Xue Ye would take the children to stay here first, while she would take the children into the city in batches.

Since the Yong'an Marquis's family is doing such dirty and shameful things in private, she has to expose them!

Perhaps this matter can bring some change to Lord Shen's situation.

Before leaving, Liu Yingying asked the children about Ah Chun again.

According to the children, Ah Chun was sent to the mansion of a wealthy man in the capital.

"Do you know who that lord is?"

The children shook their heads, looking equally bewildered.

Liu Yingying couldn't help but look somewhat disappointed. There were so many noble gentlemen in the capital; this one was hard to find...

At that moment, the older boy seemed to have thought of something and suddenly spoke up.

"Auntie, I remember now!"

"I overheard the steward mention it to someone before, it seems to be the residence of Lord Luo of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices!"

"Two of our younger brothers were also sent there before us!"

"Lord Luo!"

This matches the information the Qingyun Gang found out, so it seems this person is the key!

When Liu Yingying was preparing to return to the city with her three children, she found that there were many more patrolling soldiers at the city gate.

The Great Xia Kingdom was powerful, and the emperor above, in order to show his glory and confidence, ordered that the city gates of the royal city be kept open all night long, except for specific days of the month.

When they came out, there weren't any patrolling soldiers at the gate, but now there are suddenly so many more.

Liu Yingying subconsciously felt that this must be related to the Yong'an Marquis's mansion.

If she were to take these children into the city now, she would surely be caught red-handed.

But if she didn't go in, her plan couldn't continue...

What should she do?

Liu Yingying's mind was racing, trying to think of a solution, when a luxurious carriage slowly passed by her.

The carriage suddenly stopped, and the person inside reached out and lifted the curtain.

Liu Yingying raised her head and, by the bright moonlight, saw that incomparably handsome face.

It's him!

"Why would the Lady of Ning'an County be here in the dead of night?" Huo Huaizhi asked, glancing at the three children beside her with a hint of doubt.

"Are they... your children?"

If she had just casually admitted it, Huo Huaizhi would definitely not have believed her.

Liu Yingying remained calm and composed. "Who do we have here? It's the young master of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion..."

“Young Master, you may not know this, but I have purchased a house in the capital. Now that I have a house, how can I not buy some servants? These are the young men I just bought when I went out of the city today.”

These words were naturally not enough to fob off Huo Huaizhi. He looked at Liu Yingying with a playful smile and said casually.

"Oh, really? But there are plenty of human traffickers in the city. You can just have them bring people to your door for you to choose from. Why bother coming all the way to the city gates in the middle of the night?"

As Liu Yingying met those incredibly sharp eyes, her heart sank slightly.

He cursed under his breath, "Why am I so unlucky to run into him?"

Judging from Huo Huaizhi's relentless attitude, he won't give up until he gets to the bottom of things today...

So, she steeled herself, glanced around, and lowered her voice, saying, "Young Master, I have a request!"

Huo Huaizhi then withdrew his sharp and deep gaze with satisfaction and let her get into the car.

Once inside the carriage, Liu Yingying sat opposite Huo Huaizhi.

The man was dressed in a long, ink-wash style robe tonight, leaning back on the cushions with a slightly languid posture, exuding unparalleled charm and elegance.

"Speak, what exactly does the county magistrate want from me?"

After pondering for a moment, Liu Yingying spoke: "I come from a poor, remote village and have little knowledge of the world, but after coming to the capital, I have heard people talk about your father, the Duke of Zhenguo, and how upright and incorruptible he was. He dedicated his life to the stability of the world, and even in his fifties, he was still fighting on the battlefield..."

Huo Huaizhi frowned slightly and interrupted her impatiently.

"Stop, stop, stop... what exactly are you trying to say?"

Liu Yingying glanced at him and gave an awkward smile, "Actually, I just wanted to ask the young master to uphold justice for me!"

Huo Huaizhi looked at her with a strange expression. He never expected that this woman would have a day when she needed his help. This made him feel quite accomplished.

But he still felt that something was not right.

"Is it related to those three children outside?"

Liu Yingying nodded and then shook her head, leaving Huo Huaizhi completely bewildered.

She said, "I am pleading with you on behalf of the children outside. I have no other choice but to ask you for help!"

Her sudden change to humility caught Huo Huaizhi somewhat off guard.

"Who exactly did you mess with?" he finally asked the key question.

"The Marquis of Yong'an's residence!"

"What?" Huo Huaizhi frowned even more deeply.

He had already investigated the conflict between Liu Yingying and the Yong'an Marquis's family.

Rather than saying she had a grudge against the Yong'an Marquis's family, it would be more accurate to say that the Marquis's illegitimate son, Lin Shichang, had a grudge against her close male friend, Shen Shangxu.

I never imagined this woman would come begging to me for the sake of a man!

snort!