Qi Yuan said to the inspector, "I believe this boss is not the kind of person who steals, nor is he greedy, and he certainly didn't intend to use the document to blackmail us."

Good grief, you've said it all.

The old man listened from the side, his anger almost bursting forth.

The old lady pulled him back.

Qi Yuan continued, "I urge you, sir, to invite the boss to the yamen for a thorough investigation and to clear his name."

"Yes, we must investigate this thoroughly."

“I’ve been eating noodles here for years, and the owner isn’t that kind of person.”

"that is."

The old man's identity was unknown, let alone the patrolling soldiers. Even if a high-ranking official from Luozhou came, he wouldn't know who he was.

He's just an ordinary person who runs a fried noodle shop.

All he can do now is cooperate with the patrolmen and go to the yamen first.

The news will soon reach Pan Cong and the Du family, and they will get themselves out of trouble.

There will be no loss.

The old man and woman could only smile and close their shop, then followed the patrolmen away.

Li Xuanji also thoughtfully told the two, "I believe the government will clear your names. There are so many witnesses."

The old man made a silent vow in his heart.

Once he comes out, no matter who he is, send him to Yun Kingdom to be a medicine man!

snort!

Murong Yue and the inspector went to the prefectural capital. This matter was not enough to alarm Gao Wenjie.

His adjutant took care of it.

"You really lost it? Or was it stolen?" the adjutant asked Murong Yue.

Murong Yue nodded vigorously.

"At that time, it was just me and the owner's family in the store."

"They were both working, they weren't stealing anyone."

Well...

The adjutant understood, then turned to the old man, "Are you sure you didn't find it?"

The old man was half impatient and half arrogant, his previous憨憨 (simple and honest) demeanor gone.

"I was busy frying noodles and didn't even notice if anything had fallen on the ground."

"That's strange, how did this document end up under the flour box?" The adjutant, adhering to the principle of fairness, tried his best to find clues and not to wrong an innocent person.

"That's because someone picked it up and put it in there."

Ultimately, this is the only conclusion we can reach.

Everyone here is in the state capital, and the fried noodle shop is closed.

Qi Yuan's men are searching inside.

Six people filled up the tiny space.

Everything before was an act; apart from Murong Yue's impromptu performance, everything afterward was arranged by Li Xuanji on the spot.

Everyone has gone to the prefectural capital, so this place is empty. We might as well search it thoroughly.

The goal is to find powder, chestnuts, or semi-finished products.

“Nothing was found,” one of them reported in a low voice.

After the leader confirmed the situation, he was about to leave when he heard two thuds from underground.

It seems like something is kicking upwards from underground.

The group exchanged glances and immediately began searching for the switch.

Finally, they found the switch behind a dark, broken mirror.

Squeak, squeak.

The floor slowly opened, revealing a hidden room with a ladder inside.

The group exchanged glances, leaving two people upstairs while the other four went down.

The Imperial Guards of Qing Kingdom are truly extravagant. In this situation, they don't use tinderboxes or lanterns; instead, each person has a luminous pearl.

But don't get me wrong, not all Imperial Guards had luminous pearls.

Only the team personally led by Qi Yuan possessed this talent.

The dark room was illuminated, and everyone gasped.

Inside, three girls were tied up with thick hemp ropes.

The girl's clothes were tattered, and her pale skin was covered in blood.

The hemp rope was soaked in oil, which not only made no rattling sound like an iron chain, but also made it even harder to untie.

The three girls had wooden balls stuffed in their mouths, so they couldn't make a sound.

When they saw someone coming, they were first frightened, then struggled to their feet and kowtowed to the ground.

The silent plea for help moved several grown men.

They had just rescued several women not long ago, and now there are more here.

I used to laugh at other countries for having missing persons, but I never expected that my own Qing Kingdom would have the same problem.

The person in charge thought to himself that he should report back to Lord Qi.

Could we conduct a nationwide search for missing persons?

"Pack everything up and take it with you."

"yes."

...

After leaving the prefectural capital, Murong Yue was hungry again. She walked and stopped frequently along the way, eating her fill before heading back.

Upon arriving at the courtyard, they saw three quilts laid out on the ground, upon which lay three seriously injured women.

The imperial physicians are doing their best to treat him.

Murong Yue's good mood vanished instantly. "What happened?"

The person in charge of the team recounted what had happened.

“I confess my guilt for bringing the person back without permission.”

Murong Yue looked at Qi Yuan, but she didn't understand. Should he be punished or rewarded?

Qi Yuan nodded, "Bringing people back without permission, each of them shall be given ten strokes of the cane, to be carried out upon returning to the capital."

"yes."

None of the six people had any objections.

Oh, are we really going to punish them?

Murong Yue is pondering...

Qi Yuan continued, "You have rendered meritorious service in saving lives. You will be promoted one level and rewarded with fifty taels of silver."

"yes!"

The six of them responded in unison.

Ah—I see, Murong Yue understands now.

She waved her hand and said, "I will reward you with another fifty taels."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Of course, this expression of gratitude is done in a low voice to avoid being overheard.

Li Xuanji turned his head to look at Murong Yue, this was the first time she had referred to herself as "朕" (Zhen, meaning "I" or "the Emperor") since she recovered from her illness.

He had a premonition that His Majesty might actually recover from his illness.

However, the next second, Murong Yue's words made him realize that His Majesty might not be well.

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