The proprietress of the steamed bun shop exclaimed loudly, "My steamed buns! Grab him!"
It was early morning at the market, and there were many people there. When everyone saw that the person grabbing the buns was a fool, no one went to chase after him, because the buns had already been scattered almost everywhere.
Xiao Kui found the scene amusing and didn't react much. Suddenly remembering what Bao Ping had told him last night, he shouted, "Quick, grab him!"
Since the boss had given the order, the underlings around him did not delay. They immediately rushed over, surrounded the idiot, and started punching him.
This terrified Xiao Kui. He was a government official, and he couldn't bear the responsibility if he were injured.
The fool curled up on the ground, covering his head with his hands, enduring the punches and kicks from these people.
"Stop! He's an idiot. Just stop him. Why hit him?"
The underlings stopped, finding it a bit strange. This wasn't like their boss at all. They weren't unfamiliar with beating idiots; in the past, they would only stop when they were tired of beating them, and their boss would never tell them to stop on his own initiative.
"Forget it, this idiot is strong and has some strength. Take him to the barn. If he can carry the sacks, give him a bite to eat. It's better than starving to death on the street."
Xiao Kui's men immediately understood his meaning and took the fool away. At this time, Xiao Kui remained calm. He still went to a restaurant and left only after he had eaten his fill.
On the way back, Xiao Kui glanced at Bao Ping and saw that he didn't react. He felt a little calmer. He was worried that he had upset Bao Ping by beating up the government officials earlier.
Upon returning, he instructed his men to patrol the town more, capture any fools or simpletons they encountered, and, as was the custom, reward each captured person with two taels of silver.
But you're not allowed to hit anyone. If the idiot gets even a little bit injured, I won't take the goods; I'll skin him alive myself.
The subordinates immediately obeyed and began wandering around, seeing this as a great opportunity to make money.
After Prefect Shen laid out this large net, Zhao Xian was free of trouble, and he returned to Shuixian Village with Sun Shi.
Li Xue did not return; she had been staying at the county government office, closely monitoring the case's developments.
After staying in Shuixian Village for two days, Sun returned to Yangjiawan. Before leaving, Zhao Xian repeatedly instructed her not to tell anyone what had happened here, so as not to interfere with the government's investigation and rescue of Yang Hong. He told her to just wait at home.
More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye, and there was still no news from the county government. Zhao Xian was unaware of the progress of the case.
He was considering whether he should go to the county government office to find out what was going on there when Li Xue returned.
"The princess is back. How is the situation over there?" Zhao Xian asked anxiously.
"Things are progressing smoothly, and everything is under our control. The twenty experts arranged by Prefect Shen were all treated as slaves by Jiang Baitiao and taken to the trafficking ship. Soon after they boarded the ship, they subdued all the human traffickers on board."
All the people on the cargo ship were rescued; most of them were mentally challenged, and they were replaced by more than a hundred well-trained soldiers.
These people will continue to disguise themselves as slaves and head towards the source of the river. Then, they will use this opportunity to penetrate deeper into the western plains and rescue Yang Hong and the slaves there.
"Has Jiang Baitiao been caught? What has been done to him?" Zhao Xian asked.
"After the government took control of the boat, they immediately arrested Jiang Baitiao. Before Jiang Baitiao even left the dock, he and all his men were arrested, and of course, his hideout was raided immediately."
Xiao Kui has made a significant contribution this time, and the government has not taken any action against him for the time being. Although he has been spared the death penalty, he will certainly still be punished.
"This grand game has only just begun. The opening is good, but whether we can achieve final victory depends on how well we play the next few moves," Li Xue said excitedly.
"This time, our soldiers disguised themselves as slaves who had been bought and sold, and made a long-distance raid to rescue those who had been trafficked. We hope that everything goes smoothly for them, that they succeed quickly, and that they return in triumph."
"This rescue operation will definitely succeed. Prefect Shen has already sent people to Yuanshui to inform the government of the operation. Yuanshui will definitely provide full assistance, so you can rest assured."
There was another matter that had been resolved, and thanks to the clerk's reminder, Magistrate Cao interrogated Jiang Baitiao.
Jiang Baitiao has confessed that he committed the burglary years ago, and that he was the "cop" back then. He also had accomplices who were still in contact with him, and they were also arrested this time.
The case that the previous magistrate couldn't solve was unexpectedly cracked by Magistrate Cao with ease. This was a great gift Magistrate Cao received at the beginning of the year.
"That's great! The case is solved, the robbers are caught, and we can give an explanation to Chen Zhenggang's family. We can also recover the thirty taels of silver that were stolen back then," Zhao Xian said excitedly.
At this moment, Li Xue suddenly looked at Zhao Xian and said:
"Sir, it is estimated that it will take more than ten days to reach Yuanshui by boat this time. If we travel by carriage, it will only take seven or eight days. I would like to go to Yuanshui and then enter Yuanxi. Do you think that is feasible?"
Li Xue's words startled Zhao Xian, who quickly replied:
“Yuanxi is a barren land, rife with bandits. It would be too dangerous for the princess to go there. Besides, Prefect Shen has already made meticulous arrangements for rescuing the trafficked people in Yuanxi. There is no need for the princess to go and take any risks.”
"Of course I know that. I went to Yuanxi not for that, but for something more important."
“What could be more important than the princess’s safety?” Zhao Xian said.
"When I came here this time, I heard that although the Yuanxi region is the territory of our Great Northern Dynasty, the government has neglected its management, which has led to rampant banditry there."
The key issue is that there may be some foreign forces infiltrating there. This is a malignant tumor in our Great Northern Dynasty, and if it is not eliminated, it will cause endless trouble.
Zhao Xian was stunned. He had never imagined that there were foreign forces deep in the barren western plains.
It makes sense when you think about it. If these forces were in the Central Plains, they would be discovered very quickly, but it's a different story in the Western Plains.
It's not surprising that foreign powers can survive there, as the government has difficulty effectively managing the area.
“In that case, the princess should definitely not go there. We know nothing about Yuanxi, and it would be very dangerous for us to go there rashly,” Zhao Xian said.
"Of course I know all this. My father has speculated that the spies sent by the foreign kingdoms are very likely to have gone to Yuanxi. I suspect that the people who were trafficked went to Yuanxi to mine jade, which is very likely related to the foreign kingdoms."
I've heard that the jade artifacts of the foreign kingdoms are very famous; perhaps their jade originated from the Yuan Dynasty.
Li Xue's analysis makes some sense. The border between the Fan Kingdom and the Great Northern Dynasty is very long. Although the two countries have been at war for many years, there are still exchanges between the people. It is very possible that the jade mined in the Yuanxi region was transported to the Fan Kingdom.
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