Chapter 32, Book Files
Pei Lin reached out to grab the top scroll, but before he could even touch it, he was stopped.
The file was covered in old dust and showed obvious signs of dampness and crumbling. Preserved like this, it must have been thrown into the most inconspicuous place in the archives.
He glanced at Zhou Wenbin sideways but remained silent.
Opening the case file, the date recorded was three years ago, indicating a missing person case.
The handwriting was messy, and it only said, "A woman surnamed Zhang from the south of the city, fifteen years old, went missing while going to the market." There was no further information after that. Not only was there no record of any investigation, but there wasn't even a portrait.
Pei Lin picked up the next volume of files and couldn't help but make a sarcastic remark, "Is this how you keep these files?"
Zhou Wenbin didn't dare to reply, only chuckled awkwardly twice, and wiped his sweat to hide his guilty conscience.
Xiao Yunzhan also picked up a book, casually flipped to the middle, and his eyes stopped on a line of text: "On the Cold Clothes Festival in the eighteenth year of Tianqi, Li Erlang from the west of the city, aged seventeen, went to the river to release lanterns and has not returned."
The note below reads, "Officers have been dispatched to investigate, but there has been no news." The date is three days after the Cold Clothes Festival last year, and there are no further records after that.
He picked up a few more books, most of which were similar in appearance.
The beginning is a rough sketch, and the ending is either a statement that the investigation yielded no results, or simply nothing at all.
The flower hall was so quiet that only the sound of the two of them flipping through the files could be heard.
Granny Li stood to the side, her eyes fixed on the files, though she didn't know what she was hoping for.
They vaguely hoped to find similar cases among them, thinking that this would make the government pay more attention.
But then again, they feared that if they actually saw it, it would prove that the disappearance was not accidental, and Qiao'er's situation would only become more dangerous.
“A total of twenty-five people,” Pei Lin said, looking up after finishing flipping through all the files.
"In the past three years, all the missing women reported to the authorities have been between the ages of fourteen and seventeen."
He pointed to the file he had placed on the other side.
"There are also five boys, aged fifteen to eighteen; and five children, the youngest being only five years old."
Thirty-five people.
Pei Zhiwei frowned as she pondered: Thirty-five people reported to the authorities, but what about those who didn't?
Perhaps they felt it was pointless to apply, perhaps they were too poor to bother, perhaps they were afraid of being gossiped about, and some even thought it would save them food...
If we calculate it this way, the 35 people who went missing in Suzhou are probably just a tiny fraction of the total.
Currently, it seems that Sun Qiao'er is the closest to the incident, but seven days have already passed.
On the night of the Cold Clothes Festival, the riverbank was packed with people, leaving no trace.
Gu Boheng was originally standing by the window, intending to get some fresh air to calm himself down.
Upon hearing Pei Lin's words, he suddenly turned around, strode to the table, grabbed the top few files, and flipped through them rapidly.
The more he turned over, the heavier his breathing became, and the color drained from his face, leaving only a bluish hue.
With a turn, she forcefully threw the file in her hand at Zhou Wenbin's face. A missing person notice tucked inside floated out, the portrait on it was drawn with blurry features, and it was even impossible to tell whether it was a man or a woman.
"Zhou Wenbin!" Gu Boheng roared, his chest heaving violently, "Why didn't you report these cases?!"
Zhou Wenbin was startled by the file that Gu Boheng threw at him, and instinctively tried to catch it but failed.
He looked at the files on the ground, then at Gu Boheng, his lips trembling.
“I…I thought these were isolated cases, nothing unusual, and that they’d probably be back in a few days…I never imagined…I never imagined I’d accumulate so much…”
"An isolated case? Not unusual?"
Gu Boheng had been trying to suppress his temper because Xiao Yunzhan and Pei Lin were present.
Upon hearing Zhou Wenbin's words, he rushed over in three quick steps and kicked Zhou Wenbin in the stomach.
Zhou Wenbin was kicked hard, cried out in pain, and curled up in a ball, clutching his stomach.
Gu Boheng pointed at the files on the ground, his hands trembling with anger: "A five-year-old child is missing, and you just pretend you didn't see it?"
Twenty-five young ladies have gone missing, and you're just going to have the clerk register it?
If you can't handle the case, why don't you report it to your superiors?
Are you planning to wait until all the children in Suzhou have disappeared before telling me to "wait and see" too?
Zhou Wenbin was kicked so hard he couldn't speak, he could only lie on the ground groaning, tears mixed with cold sweat streaming down his face.
He genuinely didn't take it seriously. Suzhou is not a small city, and every year there are always a few families who lose their children, but this wasn't something that only happened during his tenure.
Little did he know that this time, Granny Li was from the Princess's residence, and coincidentally, she alerted Prince Rui and Pei Shaoqing, making it impossible to hide any longer.
Xiao Yunzhan bent down to pick up the dossier from the ground, gently patted off the dust, and placed it on the table.
He didn't look at Gu Boheng or Zhou Wenbin, and asked casually, "Pei Shaoqing, do you still remember the imperial decree His Majesty gave you before you left?"
Pei Lin glanced at Zhou Wenbin sideways. "I remember. Officials below the fifth rank can be executed first and reported later."
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhou Wenbin, who had been rolling around clutching his stomach, froze instantly, his face turning as white as paper.
He raised his head, his eyes filled with panic, and looked at Xiao Yunzhan. His lips moved, but he didn't say anything.
Xiao Yunzhan looked down at him.
“You are a sixth-rank county magistrate, and your head is still safely on your neck, not because you are innocent, but because the case has not yet been investigated.”
He slowly raised his hand and then slowly pointed around the files on the table.
"Three days. If you can't find even the slightest clue within three days, Pei Shaoqing doesn't need to lift a finger; you can handle it yourself."
Zhou Wenbin scrambled to his feet, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly, "Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Lord Pei! This humble official will definitely investigate! I will definitely find a clue!"
Gu Boheng took a deep breath, suppressing his anger once again, and shouted towards the door, "Someone come here!"
Summon the head constables and soldiers from the prefectural government! Also, notify the village heads of each neighborhood and ask them to cooperate in the investigation!
The deadline is three days. Anyone who dares to slack off or makes any mistakes will face consequences!
Before the servants could respond, Pei Lin quickly said, "Your Highness, it's probably not appropriate to investigate so openly."
Gu Boheng was taken aback: "Inappropriate? What's inappropriate about it?"
Pei Lin pointed to the cases in the file, "You see, most of these missing persons cases occurred when there were many people around."
The suspect dared to act at this time because he was fearless and usually did not act alone; there must have been a division of labor and cooperation.
Right now, we only know about Sun Qiao'er on the surface, but I'm afraid there are others we don't know about.
If we make a scene and everyone finds out, the perpetrator, fearing discovery, might become ruthless towards those who have gone missing.
After thinking for a moment, he continued, "How about this, openly let the yamen runners go to each neighborhood to inquire, saying that they are looking for news about Sun Qiao'er."
Secretly, he sent the commander of the local militia with his trusted men to search the riverbanks, alleyways, and abandoned houses.
Let the neighborhood chief help us check if there are any other missing persons we don't know about.
Find out where they all went missing so that the constables can intensify their search in those areas.
This way, we won't alert the enemy, and we can still make progress.
Gu Boheng thought for a moment and nodded: "Pei Shaoqing is right, I was confused in my haste. Let's do as you say, investigate both openly and secretly."
He then looked at Zhou Wenbin: "Did you hear that? If there are any more mistakes, you can come back with your head!"
Zhou Wenbin quickly agreed, grabbed the yamen runner next to him, and ran out of the flower hall.
The atmosphere in the flower hall eased a little after they left.
Xiao Wanyao offered a few more words of comfort before having the maids help Granny Li away.
Turning to the crowd, he said, "It's getting dark, and everyone must be tired from traveling today. Why don't you stay here at the manor? The guest rooms are all ready, which will make it easier to discuss the investigation tomorrow."
Everyone thanked the princess and followed the maid to their respective rooms.
Pei Lin placed the dossier on the table and said to Pei Zhiwei, "Take a look, pay attention to the location of the disappearance, and then compare it with the map."
Pei Zhiwei picked up a file and carefully flipped through it.
As she looked at the map, she found the corresponding locations and traced the routes on it with her finger.
After watching for about half an hour, Pei Zhiwei suddenly stopped.
She connected all the locations marked as missing persons and then looked at the surrounding streets.
“Father, look.” Pei Zhiwei pointed to the map, “These places where people went missing are all by the river, but there are roads next to them that can be used by carriages, not narrow alleys that can only be walked through.”
If the suspect wanted to take the person away, besides using a boat, he could also use a horse-drawn carriage, which would also be difficult for others to detect.
I want to go to these places tomorrow to see if horse-drawn carriages can really travel there, and if they can stop there without being noticed.
These things can only be known once you go there.
Pei Lin leaned over to take a look and nodded: "Then I'll go and take a look tomorrow."
Meanwhile, Gu Boheng returned to his study and, instead of having the maids serve him, called in his trusted confidant, Gu Xin.
Gu Xin is an elder of the Gu family, having followed Gu Boheng for many years. He is reliable in his work and keeps his mouth shut.
"Uncle Xin, go to the Gu family immediately and find the patriarch," Gu Boheng said in a low voice, leaning forward in his chair.
Gu Xin paused for a moment: "Your Highness, it's night now. If Prince Rui and Lord Pei find out, it might arouse their suspicion."
Gu Boheng waved his hand, "We can't worry about that now."
"Tell him that there have been 35 missing persons cases in Suzhou in the past three years. The imperial court is aware of this, and Prince Rui and Minister Pei are here investigating the cases."
You said I asked him if the Gu family used the canal transport to buy and sell people? Or if anyone in the family had ever done human trafficking?
Whether he has it or not, make him tell the truth, and absolutely not hide anything.
He paused, then his tone became urgent: "You must make it clear to him; now is not the time to hide it."
If the Gu family is really involved in this, tell me quickly, so we can still salvage the situation.
"If we keep this a secret, and Prince Rui and Pei Lin find out, the entire Gu family will be finished! Even the princess can't protect us!"
Gu Xin's expression changed, and he quickly nodded: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I will definitely convey your message and make sure the head of the family tells the truth."
“Also,” Gu Boheng said, pulling Gu Xin’s wrist, “tell him that since Prince Rui and Pei Lin are here recently, everything that can be stopped should be stopped, and everything should wait until they leave.”
If he disagrees, make him think carefully about whether short-term gains are more important than the lives of his entire family.
Gu Xin agreed and turned to leave.
Gu Boheng was still worried, so he called him back again: "Make sure he tells the truth."
"Understood, sir."
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