The fourth one?
Even though Mu Jingrui had killed countless people on the battlefield, he still felt frightened at this moment.
"Where did you bury the other barrels?"
Old Ding pointed at Mu Jingrui's feet with trembling hands. "I also know that what I did was immoral, so I dare not go deep into the forest in the middle of the night. The rest... is right under your feet."
Mu Jingrui looked down, frowned, and then turned his sharp eyes to Lao Ding.
"dig!"
Old Ding was so scared that his face turned pale. He didn't want to dig out the buried wooden barrel, but he didn't dare to disobey Mu Jingrui, so he had to pick up the shovel and get to work.
He dug alone for a whole hour before he dug out all three wooden barrels.
Mu Jingrui opened them one by one, and indeed they were all dead young girls. However, their bodies had already begun to rot.
Old Ding fell to his knees on the ground, exhausted, with his eyes closed, chanting "Amitabha".
Mu Jingrui was silent for a long time, then took out a small firework from his arms and shot it into the sky.
Soon, several men came quickly.
"grown ups."
"Put these four bodies in a nearby charity cemetery. Then take this old man away and lock him up."
When Old Ding heard this, his legs went weak and he kowtowed repeatedly to Mu Jingrui.
"Please spare my life... It's none of my business. I just want to make some money to make my life better. I'm an old man without children, there's nothing I can do..."
Mu Jingrui didn't listen to what Lao Ding said anymore, but turned around and disappeared into the darkness.
"Come on, my master locked you up to save your life."
Mu Jingrui's men helped Old Ding up. After all, he was an old man and people would always have more sympathy for him.
Old Ding didn’t know whether it was true or not, but he couldn’t run away anyway, so he had to follow them obediently.
The next day at the morning court, after the court session, Mu Jingrui reported to Shangguan Yue what had happened last night.
Shangguan Yue brought Mu Jingrui back to the Prime Minister's Residence, and the two went into the study for a secret talk.
"I've been wanting to find a chance to tell you. I received a secret report that not long ago, Ling Ruiying bought five girls from human traffickers. I originally thought they would be slaves in the mansion, but I didn't expect..."
"Five? That means there is still one?" Mu Jingrui was shocked, "I'm afraid... he can't escape the poisonous hands either."
"It's a pity that the evidence we have now is not enough to convict the Ling family father and son. I hope..." Shangguan Yue sighed heavily, "I hope that after Lao Ding is taken away by you, the Ling family father and son will be alert and will not kill again for the time being."
Mu Jingrui felt that this idea was a bit self-deceptive.
He lowered his eyes, his thoughts turning quickly and steadily.
"Jingrui, during this period, you are not allowed to take any action."
Shangguan Yue saw through Mu Jingrui's thoughts. "I know you want to save that girl, but you don't know where she is imprisoned. If you rush into Ling's house rashly, the chance of success is too small. You might even lose your life."
Mu Jingrui understood that Shangguan Yue was telling the truth. He wanted to say something several times but stopped himself. Finally, he had no choice but to give up.
"But we can't just do nothing. We know about the five girls, but what about the ones we don't know? Who knows, maybe they will buy more next time."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of this matter. I want to give the Ling family a warning so that they won't dare to act rashly again."
Shangguan Yue didn't want anyone else to be harmed, so he sighed deeply. "I hope Ning'er can report back with good news soon."
Shangguan Wanning and Huo Gang found out from the files they stole from the government office that the previous prefect had been transferred to another prefecture.
After discussing, the two decided to go find him and ask if there were any other clues. Just as they were packing their bags and preparing to leave...
The city is under lockdown.
The Turks had gathered a large number of troops and were ready to launch an attack at any time. In order to ensure the safety of the border towns, the state government issued an order to impose martial law throughout the city.
"Brother Huo, do you think...will the imperial court and the Turks fight?"
Huo Gang was originally standing at the door of the room. When he heard Shangguan Wanning's question, he slowly turned around and shook his head in confusion.
"I grew up in the southeastern prefecture, and I have not seen many wars between the imperial court and the Turks. Since Ling Ruiying came to guard the border, the currency exchange between the two sides has been opened, and many preferential policies have been given to Turkic merchants who come to the Central Plains to do business."
"Ling Ruiying also went to the Turks on behalf of the court and met with the Turkic Khan. The relationship between the two sides has always been good. This war... was indeed a bit sudden."
Huo Gang's thoughts were wandering, and he felt vaguely uneasy.
"But, Miss, this is not the purpose of our visit. I will take you out of the city after nightfall. I am afraid...if a fight really breaks out and the city falls, you will be in danger."
Although the city was closed, Huo Gang was still confident that he could take Shangguan Wanning away.
What's more, besides him, there is a group of secret guards who can assist him.
"No, Brother Huo, I don't want to leave for the time being."
"Why? It would be dangerous."
"Have you forgotten that after Ling Ruiying left, no one was arranged to take over the garrison. In other words, there is no general who can take charge of the overall situation at the border. The prefect Liu has a bad character and was born a civil servant. If the imperial army really fights the Turks, I'm afraid... the border will be lost."
Huo Gang's heart skipped a beat.
Shangguan Wanning's worries are not without reason.
"Miss, if this is really the case, you should leave immediately. Otherwise..."
Shangguan Wanning still shook her head, indicating that she would not leave.
Two days later, the Turks launched an attack. Just as Shangguan Wanning had worried, the imperial army was leaderless and was unable to fight back even though they had the advantage in numbers.
The imperial court had lost two cities in a row. If the Turkic army was not stopped, they would soon attack the provincial capital.
If the state capital is lost, it is equivalent to opening the border gate.
"Miss, if you don't leave now it may be too late." Huo Gang urged Shangguan Wanning.
Although he was unwilling to give up the investigation, he always put Shangguan Wanning's safety first.
"Brother Huo, let me see the files you took out from the provincial government office."
Huo Gang couldn't persuade Shangguan Wanning, so he spread the file on the table.
She flipped through the pages carefully, silently, and finally, her finger pointed at a name.
Jin Ruhong.
"Brother Huo, take me out of the city tonight. I want to go find him."
Huo Gang asked curiously, "Does the young lady know him?"
"I don't know him. I'll know him when I get there." Shangguan Wanning said with a smile, "I think he is a man who can turn the tide."
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