"It's terrible! Someone has kidnapped Miss Xiaoxiao! Help!"
The woman on stage stumbled to her feet and cried for help. Those in the audience were too busy to help themselves, and those who were lucky enough to escape took the opportunity to run away without a word.
Sun Miao'er thought to herself that this was not a place to stay for long and did not want to get into trouble. "Miss Xue Ru, let's go too."
She looked around and saw that the lantern-lighting ceremony, which should have been joyous and noisy, had turned into a complete mess.
"Halt! Not a single one of you is allowed to leave!"
Suddenly, a strong male voice rang out, accompanied by orderly footsteps, instantly surrounding the area.
Oh no, we're too late.
Sun Miao'er turned her head at the sound and saw a group of constables, dressed in official robes and with long knives at their waists, in perfect order.
The head constable strode out from the crowd, his brows and eyes imposing, his expression solemn, his features resolute. He appeared to be in his early twenties and said sternly, "You lot, go and count the casualties first. You and Xiao Liu keep a close watch on the rest of them. Don't let a single one of them out!"
After giving his instructions, he looked up at the crowd and said calmly, "Gentlemen, I'm sorry, this happened suddenly. Miss Dongli has disappeared without a trace. Please stay where you are and cooperate with the government's investigation! Please don't worry, you will be released after the questioning is over."
"Oh, my Xiaoxiao! Shanqiu, you'd better give me an explanation today!"
Not far away, a man rushed out of the sedan chair that had just landed and ran up to the constable, shouting, "Shanqiu, let me tell you, if I can't find Xiaoxiao, I'll tear down your yamen!"
Sun Miao'er recognized the voice and squinted to look. Coincidentally, wasn't this the shopkeeper Hu who had given her the land deed that day?
Yes, Duhuanlou is Manager Hu's family business. Dongli Xiaoxiao's accident directly affects his interests.
Dan Qiu remained unfazed, his voice growing even colder as he sneered, "Hu Tingzhi! The yamen warned you long ago that this matter was unacceptable, but you insisted on your own way, causing such a huge mess. The yamen hasn't even settled accounts with you yet, and you're already accusing others of being the villain?"
"It's obvious that your government is short-handed. Everyone knows the principle of taking money to solve problems. Don't think that I, Hu, am easy to bully. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. Xiaoxiao is my lifeline!"
Hu Tingzhi rolled her eyes in anger, looking at the mess on the stage, feeling like crying but having no tears.
Sun Miao'er had an idea and stepped forward, saying, "Manager Hu, how have you been?"
Hu Tingzhi bowed, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, then forced a smile and said, "Miss Sun, what are you doing here?"
"Just as Manager Hu saw, we came to the city to join in the fun, but we didn't get to see the fun and we were even detained." Sun Miao'er spread her hands, her face full of helplessness.
Wang Xueru quietly tugged at Sun Miao'er's sleeve and asked in a low voice, "Miss Sun, do you recognize him?"
"Manager Hu has some connections with my master; I've met him."
Wang Xueru understood; Hu Ting knew that she had heard her father say that he was the richest man in Pingnan City.
The Wang family was large and powerful, with deep roots in Pingnan City. However, compared to Manager Hu, who was incredibly wealthy, the Wang family was nothing.
She could no longer treat Sun Miao'er as just an ordinary country girl. After all, how could a country girl possibly know someone like Hu Tingzhi? Moreover, it seemed that Manager Hu's attitude towards her was quite unusual.
On his way back to the Wang family, Wei Jingnian heard from the people who had escaped that something terrible had happened during the lantern-lighting ceremony, with many dead and injured. He was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat and quickly led his two children toward the platform. His legs were almost numb on the way.
He never believed in ghosts or gods, but at this moment he kept silently praying for God's blessing.
When they arrived, the platform was heavily surrounded. The people on the outer perimeter were the most seriously injured, with large patches of blood soaking the ground. The wounded had several knife wounds and were being carried away, howling in pain.
Wei Jingnian had never seen such a scene before. His heart pounded with nervousness as he walked forward with trepidation.
"Sister, where are you?!"
Wang Ziqian was extremely anxious and started shouting at the top of his lungs. He was short and couldn't see clearly what was happening inside, but he knew that his sister was in great danger.
Xiao Ning seemed much calmer than him. She first carefully examined the marks on the ground, then looked around at the injured people, before drawing a conclusion and comforting them, "Young Master, don't worry, my sisters are fine."
"Waaaaah..."
Wang Ziqian wiped away his tears and looked pitifully at Xiao Ning, his eyes seemingly saying, "Give me an explanation."
Xiao Ning calmly explained, "Young Master, the injured are all placed on the south side, while the area that is surrounded is the north side, which means that the people on the north side are all uninjured."
Hearing her younger brother's voice, Wang Xueru called out in response, even though there were still several people gathered outside: "Ziqian, your sister is here! Ziqian!"
Finally, the response from inside reached the outside, and Wei Jingnian was overjoyed, exclaiming uncontrollably, "It's good that you're all alright!"
"Sir, their sisters are inside right now. Could you let them in to let us know they are safe?"
Wei Jingnian and the constable exchanged pleasantries, and Wei casually pulled out a string of silver from his pocket.
"Young master, go out and ask around about the character of our Constable Shan. Don't bother with these formalities. Our Constable Shan has given orders that no unauthorized personnel are allowed to enter!" The constable on duty sternly refused, leaving Wei Jingnian no room for negotiation.
Dan Qiu fixed his gaze on Sun Miao'er, raising an eyebrow, "What are you two girls doing here?"
"Sir, I come from the countryside and have never seen much of the world. It's not easy for me to come to the city, so naturally I want to take a look."
Sun Miao'er stopped Wang Xueru from speaking and stepped forward to explain that this constable seemed unapproachable, and given Wang Xueru's temperament, it would be even more troublesome if she angered him.
If she explains things politely, she might be allowed to go home sooner.
Several doctors rushed over with their medicine kits. It was almost midnight, and many clinics had already closed. They had all been woken up from their sleep in the middle of the night, and some hadn't even finished getting their boots ready before they arrived with their medicine kits.
Dan Qiu hesitated for a moment, then nodded and asked, "Where are you two located?"
"Right under the platform."
Sun Miao'er pointed to the distance. She hadn't expected that the chaos had pushed them so far away. It was a stroke of luck that they hadn't fallen and become human cushions.
Dan Qiu's hand, gripping the long sword, rubbed against the scabbard. A light stubble had appeared on his chin, and he looked slightly tired, but his eyes remained incredibly resolute. "At this close range, have you seen anything clearly?"
"Reporting to Your Excellency, when the incident occurred, a white fog rolled in. Although we were close by, we couldn't see anything at all, not even what the people next to us looked like."
Sun Miao'er answered truthfully, saying that she just wanted to deal with the constable as soon as possible, as it was getting late.
"White mist? Hu Tingzhi, what's going on?"
Dan Qiu's gaze returned to Manager Hu, his sharp eyes leaving no room for argument.
Hu Tingzhi's face was deathly pale, and even the jade thumb ring on his hand had become noticeably duller. "Those are the smoke bombs we often use at Duhuanlou. The girls use them to create atmosphere during their performances. Isn't the point of coming to Duhuanlou to have some fun?"
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