Chapter 448 New Year's Greeting Turns into Solving a Case

Just as the guests were filling the room, the prefect's wife suddenly lowered her voice with a solemn expression and said, "Lord Yuan, have you heard? Something terrible happened in the city last night."

Yuan Hongqu keenly sensed the hidden meaning in her words and gave her a wink, leading her to a side hall to talk. Daiyu understood and followed.

Seeing that no one was around, the prefect's wife whispered, "During the riots in the streets last night, many women and children went missing in the city. There were more than ten cases reported to the authorities; they were all kidnapped during the chaos."

Upon hearing this, Daiyu immediately recalled the coincidence of the startled horse's appearance yesterday and couldn't help but gasp: "Could it be that someone deliberately startled the horse?"

“The princess is wise,” the prefect’s wife sighed. “The prefect himself also suspected the same thing. To avoid causing panic, the whole city is under secret martial law. The tenth prince led the constables from the yamen to search everywhere early this morning.”

Yuan Hongqu's expression was solemn: "No wonder there were many more patrolling soldiers this morning than usual."

Just then, the Tenth Prince rushed in with several constables.

He looked travel-worn, clearly having been out and about all morning.

Although the Tenth Prince was covered in dust and his eyes showed obvious fatigue, he still maintained the dignified demeanor of a royal. He first solemnly bowed to Lin Ruhai and said, "May Lord Lin have a happy new year and be safe and sound every year."

Then he turned to Daiyu and took out an exquisite brocade box from his bosom: "Princess Lin, Happy New Year. This is a New Year's gift that I specially found for you."

Daiyu took the brocade box and saw a gold and kingfisher feather hairpin inside, exquisitely crafted and clearly very valuable. She quickly said, "Your Highness is too extravagant. I heard you've been working on the case all night; you should get some rest."

The Tenth Prince waved his hand and laughed, "Paying New Year's greetings is an important matter, how can it be delayed by official business? Besides..." He lowered his voice, "those kidnapped women and children have not yet been found, how can I rest in peace?"

Yuan Hongqu asked with concern, "Has Your Highness discovered anything?"

The Tenth Prince shook his head solemnly: "These human traffickers are extremely cunning. They specifically target secluded alleys, leaving almost no trace."

He suddenly remembered something, "That's right, we found this under the saddle of that runaway horse yesterday."

Then he took out a small cloth bag containing several strange feathers, brightly colored, unlike those of ordinary birds.

Daiyu took it and examined it closely, then suddenly said, "These look like the feathers of a bird of paradise from the South Seas. I've seen them in the 'Illustrated Records of Exotic Lands' in the academy's library."

Yuan Hongqu asked thoughtfully, "Have any merchant ships from Southeast Asia arrived at Suzhou Port recently?"

The Tenth Prince's eyes lit up: "Indeed! A Siamese merchant ship just arrived the day before yesterday!" He immediately stood up, "I'll go check right away!"

"Your Highness, please wait a moment," Daiyu called out to him. "You haven't slept all night, why don't you have some tea and snacks before you go? I've asked the kitchen to prepare some refreshing soup, it will be ready soon."

The Tenth Prince then felt tired and sat down with a smile: "The Princess is so thoughtful."

At this moment, the maidservant brought out a steaming bowl of refreshing soup and several delicate tea snacks.

The Tenth Prince was indeed hungry, and he did not refuse. After having the soup and snacks, his spirits improved significantly.

Before leaving, he solemnly said to Daiyu, "Thank you for reminding me of the clues from Southeast Asia. If the case can be solved, you will be credited with the greatest merit."

Daiyu said softly, "Your Highness, it is important to take care of your health. Solving the case is important, but there is no need to rush it."

Upon hearing this, the Tenth Prince felt a warmth in his heart, gave Daiyu a deep look, and was about to leave.

"Your Highness, please wait," Daiyu called out to him. "If it was truly the work of foreign merchants, they must have a hiding place. Are there any abandoned warehouses or secluded residences near Suzhou Port?"

An old constable chimed in, “There is indeed an abandoned warehouse on the west side of the port. It belonged to a merchant from Southeast Asia in the previous dynasty. It was later seized for smuggling and has been empty ever since.”

The Tenth Prince immediately mobilized his troops to prepare for the search.

Daiyu, however, said, "If Your Highness goes so openly, I'm afraid you'll alert the enemy. It would be better to send a few skilled individuals to investigate secretly first."

Yuan Hongqu agreed, "Yu'er is right. It would be safer to have Lan Su take a few female guards disguised as village women to inquire first."

With the plan settled, Lan Su immediately led her people off. Daiyu, however, remained restless in the mansion. Suddenly remembering something, she said to the Tenth Prince, "Since those human traffickers specifically target women and children, they will surely continue their crimes. Why don't we set a trap to lure them out?"

The Tenth Prince asked with interest, "How do we set up this scheme?"

Daiyu pondered for a moment and said, "Since they are making their move in a busy place, we will arrange for female guards to disguise themselves as lone women in several bustling markets and keep watch in secret. Once we spot anyone suspicious, we will quietly follow them and trace the clues."

Yuan Hongqu added, "We also need to deploy more personnel at the city gates to strictly inspect vehicles leaving the city, especially large cargo boxes."

The Tenth Prince repeatedly praised the idea and immediately went to make the arrangements.

Sure enough, that afternoon, at the Guanqian Street market, a female guard disguised as a flower girl spotted suspicious figures: several men dressed in Han Chinese clothing, whose behavior was rather strange and whose accents had an exotic feel.

The female guard quietly followed them and discovered that they had entered a secluded courtyard. She immediately signaled to her companions who were lying in ambush.

Upon receiving the news, the Tenth Prince personally led his men to the residence. To avoid alerting the enemy, he had most of his men wait outside while he himself, accompanied only by two personal guards, scaled the wall and entered.

But after they left, there was no news for a long time.

The constables waiting outside waited for half an hour, but the Tenth Prince did not come out. Knowing something was wrong, they hurriedly returned to the manor to report the news.

Upon hearing this, Daiyu turned pale: "Your Highness has probably fallen into an ambush!"

Yuan Hongqu made a quick decision: "Lan Su, you lead a team to launch a frontal assault. I'll lead another team to provide support from the back door. Yu'er, you stay here and wait for news."

Daiyu said, "I'll go too! I'm familiar with the terrain there, so I might be able to help."

Yuan Hongqu initially wanted to refuse, but seeing Daiyu's firm gaze, she had no choice but to agree: "But you must stay close to me and not act on your own."

The group arrived at the house and found the gate ajar, the courtyard eerily quiet.

Lan Su led her men in first, only to find the courtyard empty except for two of the Tenth Prince's guards, who were tied to a tree with cloth stuffed in their mouths.

"Where is the prince?" Lan Su asked anxiously.

A guard said with difficulty, "There's...a secret passage inside...the prince went in..."

Yuan Hongqu's expression changed drastically: "Oh no! We've fallen into a trap!"

Daiyu calmly observed her surroundings, then suddenly pointed to the ground: "There's blood here!"

A few drops of still-dry blood dripped onto the ground, extending into the room. Following the bloodstains, the group arrived at a side room, where a painting hung on the wall, its frame stained with bloody handprints.

Daiyu gently pushed the picture frame, and the wall rotated in response, revealing the entrance to a secret passage!

"I'll go in and take a look!" Lan Su was about to enter.

"Wait!" Daiyu stopped her. "Since they've set a trap, there must be mechanisms inside the secret passage. Let's test the waters first."