"How dare you! What kind of behavior is this, making such a racket in front of the county government office!"
Just as Cheng Ruyi was wondering whether she should bite the bullet and ask if the person knew martial arts, a powerful voice suddenly rang out, as if parting the clouds and soaring straight to the sky, instantly silencing everyone.
Following the sound, everyone looked and saw a young woman with a special temperament walking gracefully towards them. Although she was not dressed in any fancy clothes, she gave people a strange sense of oppression.
The other person's features were not particularly refined, but he had a heroic air about him, sharp eyes, and a steady gait.
Someone in the crowd recognized the woman and excitedly shouted, "It's the magistrate's wife! It's the magistrate's wife! Please, magistrate's wife, help us!"
"Madam Magistrate! My beloved grandson is missing! He's the only son in our family for five generations! That wicked villain is so vicious, he's trying to wipe out our lineage! Please, Madam Magistrate, help us!"
"Our daughter is missing too! She's only five years old, and she's always been so timid. Waaaaah, please, Madam Magistrate, save our daughter's life! Waaaaah~~"
"My son is missing too!"
"My granddaughter too!"
"Me too!"
"My family is the same!"
When the people gathered at the entrance of the county government office learned that the county magistrate's wife had arrived, they immediately turned to her, crying and begging for help. Many even knelt down and almost kowtowed!
"No need to kneel before me, everyone please get up quickly!" The magistrate's wife was somewhat moved upon hearing this. She quickly pulled up several kneeling people, then asked Peng, the registrar, with a serious expression, "Where is the magistrate? Where is he?"
Just as Registrar Peng was about to answer, the County Magistrate suddenly spoke up first, saying, "Madam Luo, the county government has its own rules. As the wife of the county magistrate, you should be even more careful with your words and actions and help manage things in the backyard. It is really impolite of you to show your face in public like this... Oh dear!"
Before the county magistrate could finish speaking, he suddenly collapsed and lay on his knees, howling in pain.
Cheng Ruyi's eyes lit up immediately!
She had clearly seen it; it was the young woman standing behind the magistrate's wife who made the move. However, the speed of her hand was so fast that she could only barely see the other woman's wrist move, and something hit the magistrate's knee.
She looked at the girl with the baby face, who was about ten or twenty years old, and felt incredibly excited!
I've finally found you, "Amazing Sister"!
Ignoring the county magistrate lying on the ground, Peng, the registrar, stepped over him and then respectfully said to the magistrate's wife, "Madam, the magistrate is currently at Baizhenlou."
"Such a big thing happened in the county town, didn't you send anyone to inform him?"
The magistrate's wife wasn't particularly surprised after hearing this, but her tone became even colder, and for a moment no one dared to make a sound.
Only Registrar Peng calmly replied, "Chief Jiang has already informed the magistrate, who said he has other important matters to attend to, so he sent Assistant Magistrate Cao instead."
After hearing this, everyone was very disappointed with the magistrate. The so-called Assistant Magistrate Cao clearly only wanted to get rid of them and had no intention of helping them at all.
But they didn't dare to condemn it loudly, and could only mutter to themselves, "How could they do this?" "How irresponsible!" "Eating at Baizhenlou at this hour!" and other such words.
The magistrate's wife remained silent. Although her expression was calm, her hands clenched into fists and trembled slightly, clearly suppressing her anger.
She took a deep breath, then turned to the young woman beside her and said, "Xiaoyu, go tell Luo Xian that his daughter is also missing. If anything happens to Xiuwei, I will make sure his whole family pays the price!"
Perhaps it was the magistrate's wife's words that were so impactful, or perhaps it was the young girl's martial arts skills that were too high. In any case, a quarter of an hour later, everyone successfully entered the county government's courtroom, including the pale-faced Magistrate Luo.
Then, under the pressure from the magistrate's wife, all the staff of the county government were recalled, and the information of each missing child was quickly registered. In less than a quarter of an hour, they were all dispatched again, with some going to seal off the county town and the rest searching for the children.
Cheng Ruyi witnessed for the first time what it meant to be decisive and efficient; the magistrate's wife was a hundred times more reliable than the magistrate himself!
Although she knew where the children were, she couldn't tell everyone directly. She needed to wait for an opportunity. Seeing that there was no other way, she had no choice but to let Cheng Yan go home to comfort his family, while she went out with the constables, pretending to look for the children, but actually to keep watch at the Zheng residence.
Fortunately, people from those dozen or so households came out looking for their children, so she didn't seem strange mixed in with them.
The search operation continued until midnight, during which dozens more families searching for their children were discovered, bringing the total number of missing persons to an alarming 37.
Magistrate Luo finally sobered up and vaguely realized that he might be in big trouble!
Unfortunately, by the end of the Yin hour (3-5 AM), and it was almost dawn, there was still no discovery.
The county town wasn't big; three hours was enough to turn it upside down. If they still couldn't find it, everyone started to think the worst. Some people cried and wailed, while others looked ashen-faced. The atmosphere in the county government office was extremely oppressive. Some even thought the thieves had already left the town and shouted for the city gates to be opened immediately to give chase!
Seeing this, Cheng Ruyi knew the time was ripe, so she quickly walked to the magistrate's wife, who was sitting to the side with her eyes closed and resting. "Madam Magistrate," she said, "when I was looking for someone in the north of the city, I found a suspicious place. Would it be possible to come here and discuss it in detail?"
The entire courtroom was packed with parents who had lost their children, and with the yamen runners coming and going, the scene was incredibly chaotic and noisy, hardly a suitable place to discuss matters.
The magistrate's wife's surname was Guo, and her given name was Qinglan. She looked to be only in her early twenties. Her father was a general in the previous dynasty. After the change of dynasties, he retired and opened a "Changfeng Escort Agency" in Yongzhou Prefecture.
Guo's father was highly skilled in martial arts and an upright man. Over the years, the reputation of the escort agency has grown, and it has gradually developed into the largest escort agency in Yongzhou. Guo Qinglan has loved playing with swords and spears since she was a child. Although she was not particularly talented, she actually longed to roam the martial arts world more than marrying and becoming a good wife and mother.
As the escort agency's business grew, it naturally attracted the covetous eyes of many. The Guo family could not rely solely on brute force to establish itself. After much deliberation, they decided to sponsor several promising scholars, and when they passed the imperial examinations, they would select suitable candidates to marry into the Guo family, paving the way for their future.
Luo Xian was one of them. Ten years ago, at the age of 26, he passed the imperial examination with the second-class degree and was the most promising among all the people sponsored by the Guo family. So the Guo family married their only daughter to him.
Unfortunately, Luo Xian was too arrogant and soon offended some influential people in the capital. Five years ago, he was demoted to a remote and desolate place. It was only after the Guo family spent a lot of money to smooth things over that he was able to be transferred back to Huaishan County as magistrate two years ago.
Therefore, the Guo family is Luo Xian's biggest support, which is why, even though he looks down on Guo Qinglan, he doesn't dare to divorce her.
The couple disliked each other, but were forced to stay together because of their shared interests.
While Guo Qinglan was thinking of a solution, she slowly looked up after hearing Cheng Ruyi's words. She saw that although Cheng Ruyi's clothes were ordinary, her expression was firm and calm, unlike other parents who were panicked and completely lost their composure.
He began to believe her somewhat. Since he was at a loss for what to do, he figured she might actually have some clues. So he got up and gestured for her to come with him.
After passing through the courtroom and arriving at the adjacent west courtyard, the surrounding environment instantly became much quieter.
Cheng Ruyi immediately took out a folded piece of coarse cloth, carefully unfolded it, revealing a section of branch, which was brown all over and had blood-red thorns, it was the Red Thorn.
"This plant is called Red Thorn. Its thorns are poisonous and can paralyze anyone who touches it. I obtained it by chance. Although this may sound a bit exaggerated, I can guarantee that I am the only one in the entire Great Yue who has this plant!"
It's not just Da Yue; theoretically, she should be the only one in this world with this ability. But we can't be too sure. Who knows if there might be a second person who transmigrated here? What if that person also has the same cheat ability?
Seeing that the magistrate's wife and the young girl named Xiaoyu were clearly interested in the red thorn and showed no impatience, she boldly spoke up: "The sap from the roots of the red thorn can be used as an antidote, and its toxicity is not great. I planted a few at home after I got it, just to use it for self-defense."
"My daughter is kind, optimistic, and easily trusting. Before the lantern festival today, I suddenly felt uneasy, so I deliberately collected some poisonous thorns from the Red Thorn before leaving home and put them in the inner pocket of her cotton-padded coat, just in case. Just now, while I was looking for clues at the North Gate, I found several identical poisonous thorns on the ground in a dark alley..."
Upon hearing this, Guo Qinglan exchanged a glance with Xiaoyu beside her. Then, Xiaoyu suddenly reached out and touched the poisonous thorns of the Crimson Thorn with her left hand.
"careful!"
The opponent was too agile; Cheng Ruyi had no time to stop him!
After touching it, the little fish girl paused briefly, then raised her left hand to make a fist, but the whole process seemed to be in slow motion, taking several seconds to complete.
The little girl's eyes lit up! "These thorns look so ordinary, yet they actually have a paralyzing effect! I've never heard of such a thing before!"
Cheng Ruyi was relieved to see her reaction. "I swear that everything I said is true. If the magistrate's wife doesn't believe me, she can send this young lady or a yamen runner with me to take a look."
Although the city gates are now sealed off, and the Zheng family probably has no way to transport the children out, so it is estimated that all the children are still trapped in the Zheng family. However, to avoid any unforeseen complications, it is safer to act quickly!
"No need for that, we'll go with you and lead the way."
Guo Qinglan is decisive and a woman of her word. She hates procrastination. Since Xiaoyu thinks this thorn is unique, it must be true.
Despite her calm demeanor, she was actually quite desolate inside. After so many years of a dull and boring life, her only hope lay in her daughter, and she couldn't imagine the consequences if something happened to her daughter.
So she immediately returned to the courtroom, grabbed Magistrate Luo and a whole bunch of bailiffs, and stormed off toward the north gate!
The group, holding lanterns, surrounded the alley behind the Zheng family's house and found several dark red thorns on the ground, which were deliberately left by Cheng Ruyi.
Cheng Ruyi gestured for Guo Qinglan and Xiaoyu to squat down together and examine the details carefully.
Luo Xian, who knew nothing about the situation but had been dragged there, felt embarrassed and was about to yell at him when he remembered something. He lowered his voice and said coldly, "What's wrong with you now? Why are you standing around behind someone's house for no reason! Master Zheng put in money and effort for this lantern festival, and now he's encountered such bad luck. I finally managed to calm him down. Can you please stop causing me trouble!"
Luo Xian didn't want to continue being controlled by the Guo family, so he searched for a long time before finally choosing the Zheng family. He knew that the Zheng family was backed by a powerful clan from the prefectural city. If he could get their help, what was the Guo family? Just a bunch of brutes!
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