"Where are you taking us? I want to see Manager Xiao. I want to go home!" one of the people in the crowd cried out in alarm.
Why does that voice sound so familiar? I couldn't help but glance at the person. By the light of the moon and the lanterns nearby, I recognized him at a glance. It was none other than Yang Hong.
Yang Hong's question received no answer. Then, with a "smack," a large cleaver was slapped on his back. Before he could even cry out, his mouth was gagged.
Yang Hong remained silent and walked towards the river with the flow of people.
The group finally left, but I still didn't dare to breathe loudly. I lay hidden behind the sand dune. It was dangerous here; if I poked my head out, I might be discovered.
After a long time, two people came from the riverbank and stopped not far from the sand dune. I huddled behind the sand dune, not daring to move.
"Master Tiao, are all these hundred-plus slaves being transported to Yuanxi to mine?"
That was Xiao Kui's voice. I never imagined that Xiao Kui was involved in the slave trade. I will never dare to look for work here again. I might be sold into slavery by Xiao Kui at any time.
"Of course they should be sent to Yuanxi. That's where they're safest. Even if you let the slaves go, they won't be able to leave Yuanxi alive."
"I'm relieved to hear that, Boss. Most of the more than one hundred people we transported out this time were locals. If even one of them escaped back, we would be finished."
"Don't worry, once these people go to Yuanxi, they won't be able to come back alive."
"With your words, I feel relieved. It's getting late, almost four in the morning. I can still get some sleep when I get back."
After they finished speaking, they left, but I remained lying there, too afraid to move. About an hour passed, and there was no more movement on the dock. Dawn was approaching, and it was unlikely that anyone would come here again.
Thinking of this, I quickly left the dock, and by the time I got home, it was already dawn.
My wife asked me what happened, where I went last night, and why I'm only coming back now.
So I told her about what happened last night, what I saw yesterday, and told her not to tell anyone about it.
Unexpectedly, she let it slip and told you that I met Yang Hong at the dock in Yingkou Town.
If this gets out, our family will be doomed, so my wife and I will never dare to say anything more. We hope you can understand.
After hearing Old Man Cui's story, Mrs. Sun collapsed to the ground. She never imagined that her son had been sold into slavery.
"This matter is of utmost importance. You must report it to the authorities immediately. We must not let this get out of the loop. If Xiao Kui finds out, we will all be dead," Old Man Cui said.
After recounting these events, Ms. Sun was already sobbing uncontrollably and nearly fainted.
Those around them were also stunned. They never imagined that there was such a large-scale slave trade in this day and age. Although the government cracked down hard on the slave trade, some people still took the risk.
Standing to the side, Li Xue was furious. The Great Northern Dynasty was the territory of her Li family, how could she tolerate such a thing happening?
“Auntie, tell me where Xiao Kui is now. I’ll catch him first, and then I’ll wipe out all those human traffickers.”
"Princess, please calm down. Do not alert the enemy. The mastermind is not Xiao Kui, but another person called 'Master Tiao'."
"Uncle Tiao's nickname should probably be 'Tiaozi' (meaning 'copter'). He was very likely involved in a home invasion robbery that happened in the village five or six years ago. That case is still unsolved, and this might be a good lead. This matter is of great importance and must be reported to the authorities."
Li Xue nodded, also feeling that this case was too important, involving not only a large number of people but also multiple regions, and that the county government probably couldn't solve it either.
Although she was a princess, she could not make this decision on her own; only the government could resolve it.
Seeing that Li Xue was no longer saying anything, Zhao Xian then spoke up:
"It's getting late today, and it will be dark soon. If we go to the county government now, we won't even be able to get through the city gate. We might as well go earlier tomorrow."
Although Sun was extremely anxious, she had no other choice but to do so.
Early the next morning, Li Xue rushed over from the inn. Zhao Xian had already made preparations. When he saw Li Xue arrive, he took Sun Shi with him and went to the county government office together.
Lady Sun was deeply moved that the current princess would accompany her to the county government office and help her deal with the matter.
Since Zhao Cheng was driving, Zhao Xian didn't let Wang Xing and Lü Liang come along, but instead had them stay at home to guard the house.
An hour later, two carriages arrived in front of the county government office. Magistrate Cao, having been informed by the yamen runners, quickly came out to greet them.
"Greetings, Princess; greetings, Registrar."
In fact, Magistrate Cao was a seventh-rank official, higher than Zhao Xian. However, Zhao Xian came with the princess, so Magistrate Cao paid his respects to both of them.
“Magistrate Cao, there’s no need for such formalities. Please come into the county office. I have something important to discuss with you,” Li Xue said.
Seeing that Princess Li Xue and her entourage were in a great hurry, he knew that something important had happened and dared not delay. He quickly led them to the inner hall of the county government office.
After the group was seated, Madam Sun knelt down before Magistrate Cao, who was stunned, as he did not know who Madam Sun was.
"This humble woman begs Your Excellency the Magistrate to grant me justice and save my son."
Zhao Xian quickly explained to Magistrate Cao, "This is my mother-in-law. Due to a major change in her family, she has come to ask for your help, Magistrate."
"So you are the Registrar's mother-in-law. Please rise quickly. Do not hesitate to ask for my assistance." After saying this, Magistrate Cao helped Madam Sun up.
Ms. Sun sat in the chair, too excited to speak for a moment.
At this moment, the yamen runners brought out tea. Magistrate Cao picked up a bowl of tea and handed it to Madam Sun. Madam Sun took the bowl and drank it in large gulps.
Seeing this, Zhao Xian said, "My mother is exhausted from what has happened at home. Let me handle this."
Magistrate Cao nodded, and Zhao Xian then recounted what had happened three months prior at the Yingkou Town dock and the incident of Yang Hong being sold as a slave.
It was also explained that the "cop" mentioned in this case might be the same cop who committed a burglary in Shuixian Village five or six years ago. If the two people are the same person, the previous case would have been solved.
Magistrate Cao was shocked that such a thing had happened in his jurisdiction. The case was not only serious but also complicated, and he dared not act rashly. If he alerted the suspect and the criminal escaped, the trail would be broken.
The two key suspects in this case are Xiao Kui and Tiao Ye. It is not difficult to capture Xiao Kui, but it is hard to say whether to capture Tiao Ye. If we are not careful, we may alert Tiao Ye and let him escape.
Next, the group began to discuss countermeasures and quickly reached a consensus: not to act rashly for the time being, but to report the matter to Prefect Shen and let him make a decision.
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