The ledger was filled with children's names, each followed by a cold number—their "price." Their destinations weren't limited to begging gangs; they went to all sorts of dark places. The ledger was a stark reflection of reality.
The more Su Qingcai looked at the ledger, the more he felt a tightness in his chest, making it hard to breathe. He slammed the ledger shut and threw it on the table, then lowered his head and remained silent.
Seeing his expression, Su Xiaoning understood what was going on. She carefully took the ledger and opened it to look at it with Feng Jiuming. Upon seeing it, both of them felt their blood rush to their heads.
"So our guesses were right... Lord Cao has actually been involved in this heinous crime of child trafficking all along, and it's even formed a complete industry chain! He deserves to die!"
Su Xiaoning cursed angrily. When she thought of Xiao Dao's miserable state earlier, she couldn't bear to think about what would happen to the children who hadn't been rescued yet.
Feng Jiuming was also furious, his face turning ashen. He stomped his foot hard, feeling unable to vent his anger, and simply ran out the door.
What are you going to do?
Su Qingcai raised her eyes and stared intently at Feng Jiuming, who was about to rush out.
Feng Jiuming put his hands on his hips and shouted, "You've seen this ledger, how can you still tolerate it? This Minister of Justice is simply inhuman, I'll make him suffer!"
"Don't act rashly. Making a move now could ruin everything." Su Qingcai frowned. "I will point out Lord Cao's crimes in court tomorrow. Don't do anything rash."
Feng Jiuming, however, was unconvinced: "What are you afraid of? The ledgers are in our hands, are you afraid they'll fly away?"
He waved lazily, one foot already out of the door: "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"
After saying that, Feng Jiuming used his lightness skill to fly away and disappeared into the thick night in the blink of an eye.
Unable to stop him, Su Qingcai could only sigh and wait with Su Xiaoning for Feng Jiuming to return.
...
Fifteen minutes later, at the Cao residence.
The mansion was brightly lit and filled with noise. The Minister of Justice was extremely agitated, and his shouts echoed throughout the courtyard.
"You bunch of good-for-nothings! You didn't even notice someone broke in and stole something. What good are you guys anyway! Search! Find it all! If you can't get it back, you're all fired!"
The Minister of Justice was furious. He paced anxiously in his study, staring at the empty drawer with a look of panic on his face.
Sometimes when he can't sleep, he gets up to check the account books. Tonight, however, he discovered that the lock had been pried open and the contents of the drawer were missing... If the account books are leaked, he might not be able to save his life!
"Tch... Let's see if you can find it."
Feng Jiuming landed on the roof of the study, lifted a brick to observe the situation below, and revealed a disdainful smile.
He squinted and observed the people coming and going in the courtyard. He waited quietly until most of them had left the area, then grabbed a burlap sack and slipped into the study.
"Creak—"
The sound of the door turning startled the Minister of Justice, who was dozing off at the table.
"Who!" He looked up and saw something suddenly being put over his head, plunging him into darkness.
"Don't call me that, I'm your grandpa!" Feng Jiuming changed his voice and said mischievously.
The Minister of Justice was terrified, trembling like a leaf: "Who are you? Don't hurt me, I can give you money..."
"Who cares about that piece of junk!" Feng Jiuming scoffed and threw a punch, making the Minister of Justice's head buzz and unable to speak.
That one punch wasn't enough; a barrage of blows followed. Feng Jiuming showed no mercy, almost killing him with every punch landing squarely, leaving the Minister of Justice whimpering on the ground, utterly powerless to retaliate.
The gushing blood from his nose spread across the sack like a vibrant flower. Feng Jiuming seemed extremely satisfied; he kicked the Minister of Justice hard and, just as he had arrived, drifted away.
The Minister of Justice was in so much pain he couldn't get up. He lay on the ground for a while before shakily removing the sack from his head. He wiped the blood from his nose, and in a fit of rage, shouted:
"Quick! Go find the Seventh Prince!"
...
Feng Jiuming was unaware of the situation at the Cao residence. After reprimanding the Minister of Justice, he returned to the Ninth Prince's residence triumphantly and embellished his "heroic deeds" to tell Su Xiaoning.
Su Xiaoning didn't see anything wrong with it; in fact, she was incredibly excited: "That's great! To deal with such a villain, you have to use methods even more powerful than his! If only I could go with him and teach him a lesson..."
"You still want to come along? Don't you think about your own situation? Don't do anything reckless." Su Qingcai tapped Su Xiaoning on the head lightly.
He glanced at Feng Jiuming indifferently, without blaming him for acting impulsively, but his eyes were filled with worry, wondering if this action would affect the charges tomorrow.
The evening always seems to pass quickly, and the next morning arrives soon.
Su Qingcai left in a hurry, grabbing the account book from the table and rushing to court. In court, as planned, he directly exposed the wicked deal made by the Minister of Justice.
This incident caused an uproar throughout the court. The emperor angrily questioned, "Minister Cao, is this truly the case?"
Various gazes, each carrying a different emotion, fell upon the Minister of Justice. A flicker of panic crossed his face for a moment, but remembering Su Qinghe's assurance to him last night, he immediately regained his confidence and calmly said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. This matter is nothing but slander. May I ask if the Ninth Prince has any evidence?"
"The evidence is in my hands," Su Qingcai said coldly, pulling out a ledger from his robes. "This ledger contains records of your transactions with others, all involving the buying and selling of children. The evidence is irrefutable!"
"Ninth Prince, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! When has my family ever kept such an account book? I have no grudge against you, so why are you using a fake account book to frame me?"
The Minister of Justice remained calm and composed, as if the account book had nothing to do with him.
His strange attitude naturally aroused Su Qingcai's suspicion. However, with so many eyes watching in the court, he was in a difficult position and could not back down.
Su Qingcai sneered, lowered his head and opened the account book: "Lord Cao really won't shed tears until he sees the coffin. Then let me read the contents of this account book to the Emperor properly, you..."
The sound stopped abruptly, and Su Qingcai's hands, which were holding the ledger, trembled slightly.
His pupils contracted slightly as he stared intently at the contents of the ledger, a chill running from his feet up his spine.
This is not the original ledger at all!
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