Chapter 64 Trafficking
People bought from outside, without any household registration, can only be obtained through human trafficking.
“The Xia family has to send so many letters every day, so there must be quite a few messengers like this. Since there aren’t any at home, they must be being kept outside.”
“All the estates under Xia Zhao’s name have been seized. I’ll have someone go down and investigate later,” Ji Jinghe said.
Yu An sighed helplessly, "How long have they been trained to be so loyal to the Xia family? They were just captured and didn't even know what was going on before they committed suicide by poisoning themselves."
She had little experience with court affairs, let alone the darker side of the court. What she found hard to accept was nothing more than the most ordinary things for Ji Jinghe.
"There are many things in the world that have a hidden side. You only see their blind loyalty, but you don't realize that they are also ants in the hands of those in power. Rather than being caught, tortured, and tormented, they would rather die quickly. They are just nameless and faceless people in this world."
Yu An was lost in thought. "I thought that human trafficking only happened in other places, at least not in the capital."
Ji Jinghe smiled and said, "All that is beautiful on the outside is rotten on the inside. It is precisely in the capital that human traffickers from all over the country make the most money."
She didn't need to know before, but now that she intends to overturn the case on her own, she has to learn to accept these dirty and shameless things.
Yu An lowered her head, her eyes filled with gloom, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
"Go back and get a good night's sleep, you'll feel better when you wake up."
She ignored Ji Jinghe's words and got off the carriage as soon as she got home.
She was powerless to do anything, and couldn't concentrate on reading or embroidery, so she simply lay down on the bed and slept for a while, just as Ji Jinghe had said.
After dinner, Baozhu served a bowl of bird's nest soup.
"This is good for your health, young lady, please take it."
Yu An: "Where did you come from?"
"The gifts you received when you lived in the palace."
Baozhu blew on the spoon twice, then shoved it directly into her mouth, saying, "Don't ask anymore, just eat..."
Yu An swallowed hurriedly, "Tell the truth, who delivered it?"
Baozhu pouted, "There are too many things to explain clearly. Which one are you asking about, young lady?"
"What's right in front of you."
“…It was sent by Madam.” Baozhu, having given up all hope, saw that Yu’an was about to get angry, so she quickly advised, “They want to compensate you, Miss. Just pretend you don’t know anything and accept it. You should focus on your health and not worry about favors.”
"Even if you return those things from today, the old man will still try his best to send them back and forth. Why bother?"
Yu An firmly replied, "There's no room for discussion. Have someone return it first thing tomorrow morning. Since we've said we have nothing to do with each other anymore, we can't take advantage of others."
Baozhu hummed for a long time without making a sound. Yu'an asked again, and she finally said hesitantly, "I want the young lady to be well..."
Yu An's heart softened, she let out a soft breath, nodded and whispered, "I know, but we can buy these things ourselves."
Compensation is temporary, not permanent.
She could accept the Ji family's financial assistance with a clear conscience, believing it to be compensation from others, but that didn't mean she could accept it all the time.
Everything has its limits.
“Alright.” Baozhu knew she couldn’t argue with her. “Then you eat this bowl, and I’ll have someone return the rest tomorrow morning.”
"Eat up... I made this myself; it took me ages to make."
Yuan:......
Ji Jinghe's investigation was swift, yielding results in just three or four days.
She took a car to the estate she had found, and Ji Jinghe followed.
Although it is in the vicinity of the capital, it is still an hour's journey from the capital.
This estate was no different from any other estate; it had no fertile land, and since it was autumn and winter, it was barren as far as the eye could see.
"This village is full of deaf and mute people. Just like I said the other day, they were all poisoned into becoming deaf and mute."
Yu An lifted the curtain to look around. As the carriage passed by, people nearby would invariably raise their heads to look at her, their eyes empty and pale, as if they were dying people clinging to life.
A chill ran down my spine, and for some reason, I felt a chill run down my spine.
She lowered the curtain and looked at Ji Jinghe: "They don't have household registration?"
“Some have it, some don’t, and those chosen by the Xia family are all without household registration.” Ji Jinghe secretly observed her expression and tentatively asked, “Would you like to go down and take a look?”
He saw her hesitate before nodding.
Ji Jinghe respected her and immediately ordered someone to stop the car.
Yu An got out of the car and walked in front of and behind Ji Jinghe.
Shock outweighed surprise; even the ground beneath my feet felt strangely unsteady.
Yu An felt uncomfortable as pairs of eyes turned to her.
As they walked along the road, they found two or three people standing in a courtyard. Some of them were anxiously pacing around until a bright and abrupt cry rang out, and they realized that the woman in the family was giving birth.
A newborn baby crying indicates that its parents are normal people.
"They settled down here, had their own children, and when those children grow up, will they become like their parents...?"
"I don't know, but the outcome won't be good either," Ji Jinghe answered truthfully.
Yu An stopped at the door of that house, and just as she was about to leave, a man holding a swaddled baby in the yard suddenly knelt down before her.
The man stammered and gestured, making no clear sense of what to do next. Yu An swallowed hard, her mouth agape, completely at a loss.
Baozhu: "What is he saying?"
The suffering of these people lies in the fact that they are not only deaf and mute, but also unable to write.
They are not like Uncle Zhuang, who can write but cannot speak.
Yu An stood frozen in place, and in the end, he simply asked Baozhu to hand him a few silver ingots.
She mouthed several exaggerated words: Xia Zhao is dead, she won't come back.
The man stared at her blankly, and Yu'an could sense that he was trying his best to understand, so she had to repeat herself a few more times.
Ji Jinghe sighed: "I'll arrange for someone to handle them. Let's go."
Yu An stopped, her head hanging limply, overwhelmed with emotions that rendered her speechless.
Driven by selfish desires, innocent people are trafficked across mountains and rivers to distant lands, becoming half-crippled and forced to marry and have children, ultimately leading to this tragic end...
No one can bring them justice, because the guilty are dead.
With tears welling up in his eyes, the man wrote half of the character "豫" (Yu) on the ground with his finger. He then pointed to his ear and nodded.
"Does he mean he can hear us?" Baozhu asked in surprise.
Yu An spoke to him in the same old way.
The man nodded and painstakingly wrote half a character on the ground.
Yu An still didn't understand. Suddenly, the person next to her spoke up.
“They were all trafficked here. Some came from Yuzhou, and some came from the south,” Ji Jinghe said calmly. “He could hear a little, probably because the dose of poison he took was less, and he was lucky to be better off than the others.”
"Can we tell His Majesty about this?"
Those eyes were clear and innocent, revealing a rare hint of compassion; perhaps that was why he was moved.
She always thinks more than most people, as if she wants to do her best to help everyone who is less fortunate than her.
Ji Jinghe nodded. "I will."
Yu An: "Will His Majesty intervene in this matter? Officials involved in human trafficking should always be punished, right?"
Ji Jinghe: "Yes."
The group did not linger in the village. Ji Jinghe, mindful of Yu An's discomfort, told them to leave quickly.
“I will arrange for them to be settled, so there’s no need to worry.” Ji Jinghe stared at her intently and said gently, “The people here come from all over the country and have been abducted for a long time. Settling here may be the best decision for them right now.”
Yu'an wanted them to return to her home, and his words answered her question.
“One or two deaf-mute servants have also come and gone from the Yan residence, but it is difficult to investigate.”
Even if an investigation is conducted, it doesn't prove anything, since the number is too small.
Unless they are eventually caught, the Yan family does indeed rely on deaf-mute servants to pass on messages.
Yu An understood, so she didn't say anything more.
"Qian Zhang's matter has also been investigated. He was indeed recommended by the Yan family when he took office as the political advisor of Lizhou, which was when the late emperor was still alive."
Ji Jinghe paused, "This alone cannot confirm anything. If we really want to find out something, it would probably be best to have Li Zhou personally investigate..."
"Ji Jinghe".
She called him.
Her gaze slowly met his.
Both eyes held a unique serenity.
“I’ve said it before, if you investigate this matter just for my sake, you won’t gain anything, and I will not forgive you for it.”
“I’ve said it before, I know,” he replied in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on him.
He turned his head and said, "We'll have to go to Lizhou sooner or later, but we need a catalyst. I can't give you a definite answer. All we can do now is continue investigating along this human trafficking trail."
Yu An gently shook her head: "I think the hope is slim. The Xia family's affairs are right under the Emperor's nose, and people are still taking advantage of this. How can we rely on our strength?"
The fact that the Yan family could secretly and quietly bring down two prime ministers shows how formidable they were.
"Finding it is a pleasant surprise, not finding it is the norm, but things can be done by human effort."
As soon as Ji Jinghe finished speaking, Qingque hurriedly reported.
"Sir, news just came from the manor that Master Shen has passed away. Madam urgently requests your return to discuss when you can set off south."
The patriarch of the Shen family is Shen Qiulan's biological father.
Judging by his age, he's reached a very advanced age.
Yu An went to see Ji Jinghe, and after a flash of surprise, he quickly returned to normal.
He kept his voice steady: "I'll send you back first, and I'll have someone tell you the rest."
After asking for his remains to be removed from the family register, Old Master Shen returned to his hometown. He learned from Ji's mother that he was also from Jiangnan.
Ji Jinghe grew up in the capital, while Kuang was preoccupied with pursuing fame and fortune, so their friendship was not deep.
This matter had nothing to do with her, but late at night before going to bed, she received a letter from Ji Jinghe.
Only then did she realize that the Shen family was in Lizhou.
Since we're both in Lizhou, why not take this opportunity to go and investigate?
"Girl, are you really going?"
Yu'an put down the letter. "Go. Zhuo'er is home right now, so I'll leave this place to her."
She didn't want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com