Seeing this, Cheng Ruyi couldn't help but imagine the worst-case scenario: what if this human trafficking organization was colluding with officials in the county government? The situation would be truly dire.
It is utterly absurd and lawless for the authorities to lead the trafficking of ordinary citizens from their own county. Has Dayue County become so rotten?
It shouldn't be that bad...
She shook her head, forcing herself to calm down. After thinking it over carefully, she started walking towards the Zhiwei Restaurant.
"Madam Cheng? What brings you here at this hour? Are you hoping to book a private room on the second floor to watch the lantern festival? That's not easy; all our seats were booked this morning..."
Huang Youcai was quite surprised to see Cheng Ruyi arrive at this time. He was wondering whether to give her the private room reserved for the boss when he suddenly noticed that her expression was not quite right. "Madam Cheng, why do you look unwell? What happened?"
"My youngest daughter is missing!" Cheng Ruyi didn't bother with any more words and simply raised her right hand and waved it. "This thick hemp rope was tied to prevent me from getting separated from my daughter, but now it has been cut with a sharp weapon. So my youngest daughter definitely didn't get lost by accident, but was kidnapped. I think it's very likely that it's a human trafficker, and it's possible that more than just my daughter was kidnapped!"
Cheng Ruyi's words were so informative that Huang Youcai was a little overwhelmed. Before he could react, Ruyi suddenly asked in a low voice, "Manager Huang, what kind of person is the magistrate of Huaishan County?"
"Huh? Magistrate Luo? Hmm..."
Huang Youcai gestured for Cheng Ruyi to walk to a corner of the lobby on the first floor before speaking in a low voice: "It's neither good nor bad. He probably grew up in poverty, so he's inevitably a bit greedy, but he's not very bold. At most, he'll be a little greedy. And it's said that he's already made arrangements so that he can be promoted smoothly when his term ends next year. So he absolutely won't allow any trouble this year."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruyi felt a great weight lifted from her heart. As long as it wasn't a case of collusion between the county magistrate and the people, everything would be fine!
"That would be best... By the way, if the young master and young lady of the Zhou family have gone out to see the lantern festival, you should send some people to check on them. Today's events are not simple, and we are afraid that other unexpected things may happen."
After Ruyi's reminder, Huang Youcai immediately realized the seriousness of the matter and prepared to inform the Zhou family. Before leaving, he told her, "Magistrate Luo also has a daughter, about the same age as your eldest daughter. If you can't see the magistrate, you can use my name to find Registrar Peng, the one who handled the land deed last time. He will do his best to help you!"
"Thank you, Manager Huang!"
After getting the information she wanted, Cheng Ruyi immediately left Zhiwei Restaurant. However, she did not go directly to the yamen (government office) but planned to go home first. Apart from her youngest daughter, she did not know if the others had been in trouble.
When she rushed home, she found everyone at the door, clearly having just returned. Only then did she finally relax.
"Mother, where's Yunle? Why isn't she by your side?" The observant Cheng Yun'an noticed immediately that his younger sister was missing.
"Let's go inside and talk!"
After everyone entered the main room, Cheng Ruyi asked, "Are you all alright? You disappeared in the blink of an eye, where did you all go?"
"Hey, don't even mention it! After that fire dragon arrived, we were being pushed around like crazy. Somehow we ended up on Jinxiu Street. When the fire dragon went around the lantern mountain, it knocked down several lanterns, which fell into the crowd and almost burned people!" Xu Cui helped Cheng Yun'an sit down, looking shaken. Wiping her sweat, she said, "Luckily, I'm strong. I pulled them apart, preventing them from being hit by the lanterns. But... I accidentally used too much force, and Yun'an twisted his ankle..."
Cheng Yun'an smiled at Xu Cui and comforted her, "I'm fine, I just need to rest. If Aunt Cui hadn't pulled me up in time, I might have been hurt even more badly. Thank you!"
"Oh, no need to thank me. I've watched you all grow up, you're all my precious children. How could I just stand by and watch you get hurt!"
After listening, Cheng Ruyi felt even more strongly that there was something wrong with the fire dragon team, so she turned to ask her son about their situation.
"We were in a similar situation, being pushed forward by the crowd. It was chaotic all the way. We even saw someone wearing a terrifying mask. Xiaoman and Mande were both scared. When I saw them like that, I immediately pulled them away. We were the first to get home. We waited for Grandpa and the others for a while before they arrived."
Unexpectedly, Cheng Yunping proved to be quite reliable at the crucial moment. Cheng Ruyi had been worried that he would get too excited and forget his wife and children, and thought that Xiaoman would be the one to bring him back. It seems that he has matured quite a bit during this time!
After everyone had sat down and calmed down, Cheng Ruyi spoke seriously: "Yunle is missing. Don't panic. I will go to the yamen to report to the authorities immediately. Registrar Peng of the county yamen is acquainted with Manager Huang. He will definitely help me."
After saying that, she stood up. "Father, come with me to the yamen. As for the rest of you, stay home and don't wander around. Otherwise, we'll have to come looking for you when we find Yunle! Understand?"
She didn't tell anyone about the human traffickers because she didn't want them to worry, and she hoped everyone would stay home and not go anywhere!
Perhaps it was because the matter was too shocking, or perhaps it was because Ruyi was too calm, but in any case, the whole family looked blank and could only nod in response instinctively.
It wasn't until Cheng Ruyi and Cheng Yan left that they slowly realized that their little darling Cheng Yunle had disappeared.
What could they do? Everyone was extremely anxious and wanted to rush out immediately to help find the person, but then they remembered what Cheng Ruyi had just told them and thought it made a lot of sense. After hesitating for a moment, they decided to listen to Cheng Ruyi and stay in the house.
Meanwhile, Cheng Ruyi and Cheng Yan bypassed the main street and headed straight for the county government office. Unsurprisingly, they were stopped by the yamen runners again. This time, she directly said that Manager Huang had something to discuss with the registrar, and the yamen runners dared not stop them and let them pass.
Without hesitation, the two rushed towards the county government office. Before entering the gate, Cheng Ruyi noticed that the thin red line ran straight through the street next to the county government office and disappeared into the mansion at the end. It seemed that Cheng Yunle was being hidden here!
She looked up and glanced around, and sure enough, the nameplate on the gate of the magnificent mansion read "Zheng Mansion".
It seems that all of this is connected: the Zheng family, the lantern festival, the prefectural city, the acrobats... these are like an invisible net, but we don't know who is casting the net or what their purpose is.
When the two arrived at the county government gate and were about to beat the drum to report to the authorities, they were stopped again.
"Stop! Who are you! How dare you cause trouble at the yamen? Guards, take them away!" The yamen runner at the gate didn't even ask any questions and immediately judged them as troublemakers. What a joke! What day is it today? If this drum is beaten, he'll probably lose his job!
"Officers, we're not here to cause trouble, we're here to report to the authorities!" Cheng Yan was also helpless. Why was he always misunderstood and driven away every time he came?
The yamen runners didn't care about anything else. Even if the sky were to fall, they couldn't allow anyone to cause trouble today. This was an order from their magistrate, and who dared to disobey!
Just as Cheng Ruyi was about to use Peng Zhubu's name, she saw Jiang Dutou come out from inside, so she immediately called out to him: "Jiang Dutou! Do you remember me? I came here with Manager Huang from Zhiwei Restaurant last time!"
Upon hearing the names of Zhiwei Restaurant and Manager Huang, the constables immediately stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Chief Jiang, awaiting his instructions.
Jiang Dutou frowned and stared at Cheng Ruyi for a long time, seemingly genuinely not recognizing her.
"Last time, when Manager Huang and I came to transfer the property, it was you who took us to see Registrar Peng. Speaking of which, I didn't have a chance to thank you last time. This small gift is just a token of my gratitude!"
Cheng Ruyi took out the money bag she had prepared earlier and had Cheng Yan hand it to Jiang Dutou.
"Ah~~ I remember now, it was you!" After Jiang, the head constable, accepted the money bag without changing his expression, he dismissed the constables blocking the way, led the two of them into the yamen, and then said in a low voice, "Today is a joyous occasion, we cannot beat the drum. What brings you here to report to the authorities?"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruyi immediately raised her wrist, holding the broken rope, and explained the details to Jiang, the head constable. Seeing that he still seemed unconvinced, she continued, "The other party was armed with a sharp weapon and was very agile, clearly an experienced fighter. Moreover, this person was hidden in the crowd. Could it be just to capture an ordinary child? My biggest worry is whether he has other motives. You just said today is a joyous occasion, so I imagine the magistrate doesn't want anything to happen today. But if the other party is targeting the magistrate..."
Jiang Dutou immediately understood and was jolted awake – this was a rare opportunity for promotion!
“That makes sense! You...you wait here for a moment, I'll go find Magistrate Luo right away!”
"What do you want with Magistrate Luo? He's busy right now, he doesn't have time to see you~~" Jiang Dutou had just turned around and almost bumped into a figure before he even left the house.
Upon hearing this, he looked up and saw that the person was none other than Registrar Peng. He quickly grabbed the man's hand and asked, "Registrar Peng, do you know where Magistrate Luo is right now? Something terrible has happened!"
"Nonsense! The magistrate and Master Zheng are enjoying the lanterns at Baizhen Tower. What could possibly happen? Don't spoil their mood, or no one can protect you!"
Although Clerk Peng said this, he stepped aside to make way for Jiang, the head constable, who rushed out of the yamen without looking back and headed straight for Baizhenlou.
Cheng Ruyi watched Jiang Dutou's figure disappear into the distance and couldn't help but sigh, hoping that he would do his best to invite the county magistrate over.
“Madam Cheng, Manager Huang has already sent someone to inform me. You two don’t need to be too anxious. Please come with me to the side hall to wait for news.”
Peng, the registrar, looked to be about forty years old. He had a small mustache and wore a fine cotton long gown, giving him a scholarly air. However, his tone was rather cold, and he had no expression.
Cheng Ruyi was in no mood to sit and wait for that unreliable magistrate. She knew perfectly well that her daughter was in the Zheng family's house, but she had no way to find her!
Calm down! We need to stay calm, especially now. What other clues were there in Yunle's precognitive dream? Right! There was a "powerful older sister"—who could she be? The only people they know who know martial arts are from the Meng family. If it were them, Yunle would have given her name directly. So this so-called "powerful older sister" must be a complete stranger...
“Registrar Peng, I think the other party is experienced and must have come prepared. Such a large-scale operation cannot be just for abducting my daughter. Besides me, is there no one else who has reported this to the authorities?”
After thinking for a moment, Cheng Ruyi realized that this "powerful older sister" was most likely someone whose family had also had their child abducted. Only in this way could the other person be willing to risk their life to rescue the child with her.
Registrar Peng thought for a moment and replied, "There aren't any at the moment, but it could also be because they can't get in..."
That's right! How could she forget that the county government guarded the north side of the city and wouldn't let ordinary people in? That meant that even if people wanted to report to the authorities, they couldn't!
Thinking of this, Cheng Ruyi couldn't help but ask, "I wonder why the north of the city is sealed off today? This wasn't a tradition for the Lantern Festival in previous years?"
"This is Master Zheng's intention. He said that with so many people and such a chaotic scene today, there's a risk that some petty thieves might sneak into the north of the city and disrupt public order."
As expected, it was the Zheng family's doing again. Now we can be absolutely certain that they are the masterminds behind it all!
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