Chapter 48: Conscripting Young Men and Digging for Gold
Although he was not sure, Sakuratoki still had some clues.
"Go on."
Deng Youning felt that she was very close to the answer.
"The midwife for you and the prince was the same woman named Niu. I guess the person in the letter must be her," Ying Shi said.
"Go find someone!" Deng Youning ordered.
When Yingshi received the order and left, the sky was a little dark and gloomy.
It's going to rain soon.
A thunder sounded, and Deng Youning, who was alone in the room, suddenly felt uneasy.
She had just guessed that her and Deng Yi's biological father might be the groom, when someone came to give her clues about the midwife.
All this made Deng Youning feel that there was a pair of eyes watching her every move.
The wooden railings at the family recognition banquet, the mechanical locks at the bear viewing banquet...
There are also those bad rumors about the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion in the city.
Maybe, it's all related to this force.
And everything she did seemed to be fueled by this invisible hand.
That person also helped me.
Not necessarily a friend, but definitely not an enemy!
What confused her even more was that the "ghost" in the Qiuyue Waterside Pavilion only appeared during the period when she had just returned, and there had been no movement since then.
Could this "ghost" be related to the power behind it?
In the evening, Yingshi returned from Niujia Village.
"Miss, Niu Wenpo is still living in Niujia Village. Should I go and ask her about this, or bring her to see you?"
Niu Cuiqin has the guts to help Gu's company to commit fraud. If Ying Shi asks her like this, she will definitely not tell the truth.
Besides, confessions cannot be forced into action.
Deng Youning hopes that the midwife will sincerely tell the truth about what happened and serve as a witness for her.
"Prepare the car and tell grandma that I'm going to go for an outing in the suburbs early tomorrow morning."
It's been a few months since she came back, but she really hasn't gone out to play yet.
Yingshi took the order and did it.
Han Qiongyue knew that the Duke's Mansion could not trap her, so she never restricted Deng Youning's actions.
This time she said she wanted to go for an outing, and Han Qiongyue agreed, but she still repeatedly reminded Yingshi to take good care of her master.
The sound of horse hooves clattered and the wheel tracks were clearly visible on the country path after the rain.
The sky is blue and the fields are green.
It's a refreshing ride all the way from the city.
"Miss, Niujia Village is just ahead."
Ying Shi pointed to the village not far away and reminded Deng Youning that it was time to get off the bus.
At the same time, a large group of people came towards the village entrance.
The cries of men, women, young and old in the crowd were deafening.
"Boss, you can't go. There's no return from the mine. If you die, how will we, an orphan and a widow, survive?!"
"Master, my father is over 60 years old. He really can't dig anymore!"
"Son~ Let my son go, don't catch him——"
“…”
Deng Youning was very curious when she vaguely heard these heart-wrenching cries.
Sakura didn't care and explained:
"The foreman must be here to recruit strong men to dig for gold in the nearby mine."
She came to explore the area yesterday and already had a general idea of the area.
There is a mountain range not far from here. In the mountain there is a gold mine, which originally belonged to the imperial court. However, a natural disaster occurred half a year ago and the mine suddenly collapsed, killing many people.
The imperial court ordered that no more digging be allowed.
However, two or three months ago, the local county magistrate felt it was a pity not to mine the mine, so he restarted the work.
"Does the imperial court know about the mine reopening?"
Deng Youning asked suspiciously.
Ying Shi shook his head. "Since the county magistrate is involved, he must have received orders from the court. Otherwise, privately mining gold and silver would be a crime of treason."
She only mentioned the court but not the emperor.
The scope of this imperial court is so broad!
“Get lost!”
"You bunch of troublemakers are obstructing public service. If anyone dares to block the road again, don't blame me for punishing him directly!"
"Especially you, old witch, let me go!"
Seeing that these villagers were so difficult to deal with, the officers started beating them.
He forcibly dragged an old woman and pushed her to the ground as if she were an object.
The road in the village is uneven and there are big rocks everywhere.
The old woman was at least fifty years old. She was in so much pain after the fall that she couldn't get up anymore.
She could only collapse on the ground, wailing and crying.
"Miss, it's Niu Wenpo!"
Yingshi recognized the bullied old woman at a glance and became extremely nervous.
If something bad happens to her, who will tell them the answer?
"Walk."
Deng Youning gave her a look.
The master and servant got out of the car and ran straight to the old woman.
Yingshi helped her up and simply asked if she was injured.
Seeing that they were just two women, the officers thought they were ordinary people and did not pay much attention to them.
"Thank you, ladies. But they want to take my son away. There is no point in me living any more!"
Niu Cuiqin stared at the men with their hands tied with tears in her eyes.
There were more than ten people, the oldest was sixty or seventy, and the youngest was only twelve or thirteen.
Her son's age was neither too old nor too young, he was in his prime and was the most suitable laborer.
"You are my midwife, I will help you."
Deng Youning said this and walked towards the officer.
She bowed respectfully to the messenger.
"Sir, my husband is doing some small business in the city. He wants to come and see his cousin tomorrow. Now that you've taken him away, how can we reunite?"
As she spoke, she stuffed a silver note worth one hundred taels into the hand of the officer.
With her charming smile, she does have the shrewdness of a young merchant woman.
The officer looked at the banknote in his hand.
One hundred taels! He might not be able to earn that much in two years.
"Which one is your cousin?"
Deng Youning pointed at Niu Cuiqin's son.
The police officer took a look at the man. He was strong and muscular, and looked like a capable worker. It would be a pity to let him go.
Seeing him hesitate, Deng Youning took out another silver note.
"Sir, the Kunlun slaves in the city are ten taels of silver each. Can't you just take the money and buy a few to replace him?"
"The rest is my daughter's gift to you. You and your brothers can have a couple of drinks."
The policeman rubbed the silver bills in his hands, a greedy smile on his face.
He gave his men a look, indicating that they should release the man.
He has the final say on how many people to arrest.
After the officials left, the women and children who had come to see off their own male children looked at the Niu mother and son with envy and jealousy.
When did this midwife have such wealthy relatives? !
"Thank you for saving my life, young lady."
The Niu family mother and son were so grateful that they wanted to kowtow to Deng Youning.
"You two, get up quickly."
"Our young lady is from the Deng family of the Zhenguo Mansion. She wants to ask you, Niu Wenpo, something."
After getting Deng Youning's consent, Ying Shi introduced herself.
When Niu Cuiqin heard that they were from the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, she was in awe of them.
I have delivered two babies for the Deng family!
"When you were helping Madam Gu deliver the Crown Prince Deng Yi, did you notice anything unusual?"
Niu Cuiqin, who had just been telling everything she knew, changed her expression instantly when she heard Deng Youning's words.
"What is the Crown Prince Deng Yi? What is the Zhenguo Mansion?"
"Girls, you have found the wrong person. I have never delivered a baby for the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, and I don't even know the Crown Prince Deng Yi."
She looked panicked and was obviously lying on purpose.
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