"You can speak now." The Fourth Master sat upright in his grand chair, and kneeling before his table was the very man who had dared to stop his carriage in the bustling city.
"Your Highness, I come from the outskirts of the capital. I'm here to find my younger brother," the man said.
"Looking for my younger brother? How do you know I am a prince of the current dynasty, and how do you know I am sitting in that carriage?" Fourth Prince asked, completely bewildered.
"I, I have been staking out this place for days and only dared to stop you after confirming that you are a prince of the current dynasty," the man said.
"You're quite clever," Fourth Master said. "Tell me, what younger brother are you looking for?"
“My surname is Quan, and I am originally a farmer from Yanjiao. Not long ago, my younger brother and I were drugged and knocked unconscious. When we woke up, we were captured and imprisoned in a dungeon. We were too scared to make a sound. Before long, my younger brother and I were brought to the capital. I escaped when they were off guard, but they took my younger brother with them,” the man said.
Hearing this, Fourth Master's handsome eyebrows furrowed. The man's words sounded like human trafficking.
"Why don't you go to Magistrate Tang of the Capital? He's in charge of these kinds of cases," Fourth Master said.
“I also wanted to go to him, but after thinking about it carefully, I realized he might not be able to handle this matter. So I came to find someone who can,” the man said.
Fourth Master looked him over carefully for a few moments and said, "Stand up."
After he stood up, the Fourth Master found that the man was very handsome, but judging from his speech, he was not the kind of ignorant and shallow person.
"Then tell me, why do you want to find me? I can help you find your brother. Why?" Fourth Prince asked.
“Because I know where my brother is, but that place is one I cannot afford to offend. Nor can Lord Tang afford to offend it. Only Your Highness can make the decision. I believe that kidnapping someone in this way violates the laws of the Qing Dynasty, so I have come to report to Your Highness,” he said.
"Who were the people who kidnapped your brother?" Fourth Master asked curiously, noticing his strange tone.
"Your Highness, it was a servant from that family who drugged my brother and me, and it was their son who took us away. Their surname is Shi, and they are from the family of the Crown Princess's maternal relatives, the Inspector Shi Bingde," he said.
Fourth Master stared blankly at the young man before him. He had regular features and asked, "Tell me your name. Judging from your appearance, you are educated?"
The man said, "My humble name is Quan Xinwei. When my family was wealthy, I attended a private school for a few years. It's just a pity that I didn't continue studying."
The Fourth Prince said, "Do you know that you are talking about the Crown Prince's father-in-law?"
Quan Xinwei said, "I know, that's why I risked my life to stop Prince Yong's carriage. Today, I don't ask to leave alive, I only ask to tell you about the Shi family's exploitation of the villagers and their abduction of people."
Fourth Master's heart skipped a beat; it seemed that the case that had been shelved was making a comeback. He then gestured for Quan Xinwei to continue.
"Shi Qingyong is Shi Bingde's second son. He's the one who led men to the countryside to capture young and handsome men. My younger brother was very good-looking from a young age, but the young master of the Shi family took him away somewhere. I've gone to ask for him many times, but I can't find him. I've been beaten out by the servants," Quan Xinwei said.
"So they didn't arrest you again?" Fourth Master asked.
“Under the emperor’s nose, they naturally wouldn’t dare to arrest me again. I waited outside his house for several days, but I didn’t see my brother,” Quan Xinwei said.
"You said that when you were first abducted from the countryside and brought here, if it wasn't the Shi family, then where were you?" Fourth Master asked.
“I don’t know what kind of place that was. We were all locked in the dungeon at the time. When we regained our sight, I used the excuse of having an upset stomach to escape. But my younger brother was taken to the Shi family by him,” Quan Xinwei said.
"So, after you escaped from them, you've been following them ever since?" Fourth Master asked.
“Exactly. Otherwise, I wouldn’t know where my brother is,” Quan Xinwei said.
“But based solely on your word, I cannot possibly lead men to the Shi family to search for them,” the Fourth Prince said.
Quan Xinwei nodded and said to the Fourth Prince, "Your Highness, when I was imprisoned in that dark dungeon, I learned a secret of the Shi family."
"What secret?" Fourth Master asked.
“It was someone who was imprisoned with me in the dungeon who told me this. He told me to find the Prince after I got out. That’s how I found the Prince,” Quan Xinwei said.
The Fourth Prince's expression grew increasingly puzzled. He asked, "Are you saying that the person who was imprisoned with you in the dungeon sent you to find me?"
Quan Xinwei nodded and said, "At first, I didn't take what he said seriously. It was only after I failed to find my brother that I remembered what he said. He said that the Shi family was audacious and deliberately plotted to harm Prince Heshuo."
Fourth Master gasped and said, "You really heard that from him?"
Quan Xinwei nodded uneasily and said, "That's exactly what I heard. He said that as long as I could find a way to tell the prince that, the prince would bring people to rescue him."
The Fourth Prince abruptly stood up from his armchair, staring at Quan Xinwei and asking, "Do you still remember that place?"
Quan Xinwei nodded and said, "I vaguely remember, Your Highness, where exactly did they take my younger brother?"
Fourth Master said, "We'll have to rescue that person first to find out. Once we have his confession, the Shi family can search the area, and finding your brother won't be difficult."
Quan Xinwei nodded and said, "This humble servant is willing to lead the way for Your Highness."
After settling Quan Xinwei in, Fourth Master was filled with excitement. He thought he had reached a dead end, but unexpectedly, a new clue appeared. Fourth Master had promised Lanqin that he would return after dealing with the matters in the front yard, but now he was too excited to go.
With Su Peisheng's help, Fourth Master washed his hands and face and went to bed early. He needed a good night's sleep to ensure he could quickly and decisively find the place Quan Xinwei had mentioned the next day. If Fourth Master wasn't mistaken, the person in the dungeon might be Shi Junyan. Because Fourth Master had his eye on him, the Shi family had imprisoned him, which was why Fourth Master and his group hadn't been able to find him.
"I searched high and low, only to find it right under my nose!" the Fourth Prince muttered to himself. He thought that Kangxi's early departure to Rehe meant he didn't want to pursue the matter any further. But the Fourth Prince felt that the matter should still be investigated thoroughly. Regardless of whether Kangxi wanted to know or not, he was determined to find out.
The following day, the Fourth Prince took Quan Xinwei with him to the residence of the Prefect of the Capital.
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