After arriving at the Prince's Mansion, Xiao Dao's condition gradually improved. He trusted Su Xiao Ning completely and followed her almost everywhere.
Su Xiaoning also doted on Xiaodao. One day, seeing that it was a bright and sunny day outside, she took Xiaodao and Su Qingcai out for a trip.
The three of them walked along the riverbank, looking like any ordinary family. Children were flying kites on the lawn nearby, and the calm lake surface shimmered beautifully, creating a serene and peaceful scene.
But for some reason, Xiao Dao seemed terrified of the lake, cowering behind Su Xiaoning and not daring to even glance at it.
Feeling the trembling little hand in hers, Su Xiaoning squatted down and gently patted Xiaodao's head reassuringly: "What's wrong? Are you afraid of water?"
Xiao Dao nodded slightly, and said somewhat nervously, "Sister, before I was taken to beg, I was kept in captivity on the lake for a while. I... I didn't like it..."
"Captive? What does that mean?" Su Xiaoning was taken aback, a bad feeling creeping into her heart.
"After we were kidnapped by those bad guys, we had to wait to be reassigned to others. At the time, we were kept on a boat in an inland lake. I heard from others that this lake was called Mirror Lake..."
Upon hearing the words "Mirror Lake," Su Qingcai's expression hardened, and the atmosphere around him seemed to drop.
Seeing his solemn expression, Su Xiaoning knew this was no simple matter and couldn't help but ask, "What kind of place is Mirror Lake? Do you know something about it?"
Su Qingcai nodded and said somewhat heavily, "Mirror Lake is an inner lake next to the royal garden. There is only one boat there, which is Xiuyifang. Xiuyifang is a gathering place for the powerful and wealthy in the capital, and ordinary people do not know about it."
"There are places like this..." Su Xiaoning's face also darkened. She knew that places involving powerful and influential people were generally difficult to deal with. "Then... have you been to Xiuyifang? Do you know anything else?"
"I've never been there. It's just a place where spoiled brats go to have fun." Su Qingcai shook her head, making no attempt to hide the disgust in her eyes.
Su Xiaoning was immediately at a loss: "What should we do? I think the owner of Xiuyifang might be the mastermind behind this."
“That’s what I think too, but some things aren’t so easy to investigate.” Su Qingcai lowered her gaze, feeling very displeased at the thought of that mysterious place.
"Although ordinary people don't know about the existence of Xiuyi Workshop, among people of a certain status, everyone knows about this place. Xiuyi Workshop doesn't have a good reputation. Do you think no one wants to destroy this extravagant place? It's just that over the years, no one has succeeded, and there are even rumors... that the person behind Xiuyi Workshop is the Emperor."
When Su Qingcai said the last two words, he deliberately lowered his voice, but Su Xiaoning's heart still tightened.
She leaned close to Su Qingcai's ear and whispered, "It's not impossible. If it really is the Emperor, what should we do?"
"We can only take it one step at a time; these things are still undecided," Su Qingcai sighed, sounding somewhat frustrated.
The situation suddenly became complicated, and both Su Xiaoning and Su Qingcai fell silent. Their minds were a jumble of thoughts, like a tangled mess, and they had no idea where to begin.
Just then, the laughter of Xiaodao, who was playing on the lawn, drifted from afar.
Su Xiaoning looked in the direction of the sound and saw that Xiao Dao seemed to have made a friend. He was chatting excitedly with a chubby boy, and the two of them laughed from time to time.
“This child.” A gentle smile appeared on Su Xiaoning’s face. She approached Xiaodao, intending to take him back to the manor, but suddenly heard some key words.
"...Master Cao..."
Su Xiaoning was taken aback and immediately stopped in her tracks, listening intently to their conversation.
"Let me tell you, don't look down on me. I've been to the residence of Minister Cao of the Ministry of Justice! Guess what I did there? I did his son's homework as a substitute writer! This Minister Cao is never home, saying he's gone to some Xiuyi Workshop. It's really good that he's not back, so I can go to his residence every day to do his son's homework..."
Upon hearing the words "Xiuyifang," Su Xiaoning's heart began to pound.
She knew she might have gleaned some crucial information and looked excitedly at Su Qingcai behind her.
Su Qingcai clearly heard this as well, and he frowned and looked at Su Xiaoning.
The two exchanged a glance, and in a flash, they both confirmed one thing.
The Minister of Justice may be involved in these human trafficking cases!
Desperate measures are necessary; any clue is better than none. Su Xiaoning and Su Qingcai made a decisive move: to start with the Minister of Justice to uncover the truth.
Su Xiaoning and Su Qingcai hurriedly returned with Xiaodao. After returning to the mansion, Su Qingcai immediately instructed Ding Yi and Bing Er to investigate the background of the Minister of Justice.
Ding Yi and Bing Er had almost completely uncovered the Minister of Justice's activities during this period, and sure enough, they found that he had recently been in contact with the man who forcibly took away Xiao Dao.
Upon hearing this, both Su Xiaoning and Su Qingcai felt a weight lift from their hearts.
Su Xiaoning frowned and said, "That man is part of a gang. Lord Cao's contact with them is definitely not for good purposes. He might be making some kind of improper deal with that gang!"
Su Qingcai nodded, but then hesitated, "You're right, it's possible, but we don't have the evidence, so we can't convict the Minister of Justice so easily."
Ultimately, these are all just inferences; without substantial evidence, there's no way to do anything to the Minister of Justice.
Su Xiaoning and Su Qingcai fell silent again, unsure of what to do next.
Feng Jiuming, who had been listening silently to the side, suddenly chuckled, his eyes revealing disdain.
"This is no big deal. Since the Minister of Justice may have made illegal deals with that gang, they must have ledgers! As long as we get the ledgers, why would he not confess?"
"That's right!" Su Xiaoning's eyes lit up. "If they really made a deal, there must be ledgers, which would be the best evidence. But these are definitely being kept secret by the Minister of Justice. How can we get our hands on them?"
"That's easy, just watch me!" Feng Jiuming raised an eyebrow, pushed open the door, and walked out.
Under the cover of darkness, Feng Jiuming sneaked directly into the residence of the Minister of Justice. After all, he was the head of the Phoenix Cry Pavilion and possessed considerable martial arts skills; his lightness skill was superb, and no one noticed him at all.
Feng Jiuming silently slipped into the study, searched through it, and finally found a suspicious ledger in a locked drawer. He didn't have time to look at it before hurriedly leaving the mansion with the ledger in his pocket.
Upon returning to the Prince's residence, Su Qingcai hurriedly took the account book handed to him by Feng Jiuming. After flipping through only a few pages, his expression became increasingly solemn.
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