Hearing this, Fourth Master was now certain that Lanqin was almost certainly there. The weight that had been on his shoulders finally lifted for a moment. He had been very worried about that young woman ever since Shuiling had mentioned it. However, he couldn't show his panic in front of the servants.
"You two, take good care of these two brothers. I'm going to the outhouse, I'll be right back," the servant said to the two women. He was actually the manager of this estate, eager to serve the magistrate first and didn't want to stay in this rural area, so he always treated visitors with utmost hospitality.
He rose from his seat and walked out alone. Both Fourth Master and Ling Feng knew this was an opportunity, so they disappeared into the darkness, waiting for their prey to emerge.
He came out carrying a lantern, humming a little tune, completely unaware that the next line was followed by someone.
Ling Feng's kung fu skills were also quite remarkable. Although he and Gesang were the Fourth Master's coachmen, they were also highly skilled individuals who could serve as the Fourth Master's bodyguards at any time.
A hand reached behind the man and covered his mouth, while another hand pinned his waist down. Fourth Master immediately picked up the lantern that had fallen to the ground, and the two of them dragged him into a dark room.
Fourth Master didn't know what was going on inside the house, but since there was no one inside, they tied the man up and brought him here.
Fourth Master drew a dagger from his body and pressed it against the man's neck, then said in a deep voice, "Don't scream, or my blade will sever your neck in the next moment."
At Fourth Master's signal, Ling Feng released his hand from the man's mouth. He was already so frightened that he almost wet himself, and now that he felt a chilling dagger pressed against his neck, he dared not make a sound.
"Spare me, spare me!" He looked at the Fourth Master in terror, completely bewildered as to why anyone would dare to trespass on the magistrate's private residence, and even somewhat incredulous.
"I don't want your life. Just tell me where those two groups of people brought by the magistrate are being held. I'll let you go. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't be able to go back." Fourth Master pushed the knife in his hand a little closer to the man's neck, but it was already enough to make the man scream in pain.
"Don't shout!" Fourth Master roared.
The man dared not shout again. A thousand thoughts flashed through his mind, but he could not find a way to escape danger. He could only say tremblingly, "You, you are the prisoners that the magistrate is escorting?"
The Fourth Prince patiently said, "Where are they? Stop wasting time and tell me!"
Upon hearing the words "This King," the man was so surprised that he almost forgot the pain in his neck, and simply stared wide-eyed at the Fourth Prince.
"Well, it seems you intend to pledge allegiance to your prefect. Then I shall grant your wish." Seeing that the man was staring at him without speaking, the Fourth Prince increased the pressure of the dagger in his hand.
"No, no, I'll talk. I'm just a steward, I have no relation to the Prefect. Are you looking for the man, or the two women and the man?" He still valued his life and didn't want to die here. Besides, the man who just called himself "this King" was an official much higher than the Prefect.
"Where are they? Speak! If I find out you've uttered even a single lie, you won't have another chance," the Fourth Prince said.
"The first two women and one man who were sent over were all locked in a secret room in the prefect's courtyard. The ones who were just sent over are in the cellar under the kitchen," he said hastily.
"Let's go to the secret room first. How do we get there? Do you have the key?" Fourth Master asked.
"No, no, I don't have any. They're managed by the head steward here. I only know they're in charge of that area," the man quickly explained. "This one was just delivered today, though. I can take you there."
The Fourth Prince exchanged a glance with Ling Feng, nodded, and then said to him, "Alright, if you want to lead us to find Gesang, you will have redeemed yourself. The crimes committed by that prefect are not ones you can afford to commit. If you can help me find my concubine today, I can pardon your crimes; otherwise, you will all be implicated and will not be forgiven!"
"This king? A concubine? Who are these people?!"
"Your Highness, I will take you there immediately! We were just following the orders of the Prefect, how could we know what he did? Please spare our lives, Your Highness!" The man was so frightened that he immediately lowered his head and begged for mercy.
Meanwhile, in the pitch-black cellar, Gesang had already worn through one rope, and now there were four ropes binding his hands.
Knock knock! Someone is opening the cellar door.
Gesang immediately stopped what he was doing. He didn't know who else might come at this moment! But the sound grew louder and louder, and finally a lantern pushed back the absolute darkness of the basement.
When Fourth Master and Ling Feng appeared in the basement, Gesang's eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn't expected that Fourth Master and the others would find him so soon, only an hour after he was brought here.
"Go and untie him!" When Fourth Master saw Gesang, he immediately signaled Ling Feng to rescue him, while he himself still held the dagger up to the man.
"Your Highness, spare me! I've brought you here. Now you can finally release me!" the man said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Take me to the head steward, and have him lead us to the person I'm looking for. In return, I will release you," the Fourth Prince said.
Ling Feng untied Gesang's ropes, and they immediately went to Fourth Master. Gesang grabbed the man's collar and said, "Take the Prince to find him immediately!"
Several people together dragged the man out of the cellar.
"Gesang, go over there and subdue those two yamen runners who brought you here. Once I find my concubine, we'll go back to the city together. I'm afraid that slippery prefect will deny everything to the death," the Fourth Prince said.
Gesang accepted the order and left. Ling Feng grabbed the servant by the collar, tied his hands behind his back, and pushed him to lead the way to another house.
Meanwhile, the two men waited for a long time, but the person who went to the latrine did not return. So they began to mock him, saying, "I wonder if that kid Hu Song fell into the latrine. Why hasn't he come back for so long?"
“He didn’t drink that much, he shouldn’t be drunk inside, I say, should we go and check on him?” another constable said.
"Alright, he's probably gone to sleep. Let's just drink our own. Come on, have some more, and then we'll go to sleep." The man holding Yan Hong pulled her into his arms, grinning lewdly.
Thump!
A loud noise came from outside the house, startling the four of them.
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