Chapter 503 Recommending Talents
Lu Zhiran quickly made a round of arrangements, speaking in a calm and orderly tone.
When Zijuan saw this, her originally tense heartstrings instantly relaxed a little, and she seemed to have found her backbone.
After arranging everything, Lu Zhiran looked at Zijuan.
"You go back first. If the child finds his way back home, you can get the news first."
Zijuan's face was filled with gratitude, "Thank you, Princess."
Lu Zhiran said with a serious expression, "They are my brothers and sisters. I will not sit idly by and watch. Finding them is the most important thing right now, so I didn't pursue you. Once I find them, I won't let you off easily."
Zijuan kowtowed repeatedly, "If I can bring the young master and young lady back, even if you ask me to cut you into pieces, I will be willing to do so."
Zijuan wiped her tears and left.
Lu Zhiran supported his forehead with his hand, his face showing a bit of fatigue.
Nanny Jin and the others comforted her, "Don't worry, Princess Consort. The young master and the third young lady are blessed with good fortune, and nothing will happen to them."
"If they reveal your identity, I don't think the thieves would dare to do anything to them."
Lu Zhiran shook her head. "You're wrong. If they reveal my identity, it might just be a death warrant."
If those human traffickers knew that they had captured the Crown Princess's family, they would probably kill them immediately to silence them and eliminate future troubles.
When Xiao Yanci received the news, he didn't bother to get angry and immediately arranged for people to conduct a full-scale search.
At the same time, imperial decrees were issued to all places at full speed, requiring all merchants coming and going to be searched and not to miss a single suspicious person.
In addition to land routes, all major merchant ships will also be searched by water.
When the government issued the decree, all parties took action.
Soon there was a harvest, and the officers found the kidnapped children in various places inside and outside the city.
Apart from being frightened and hungry, these children suffered basically no other harm.
The human traffickers realized that the imperial court's search was very strong and they did not dare to take any risks, so they released their prey.
Most families found their children.
But these children had never seen the faces of the traffickers, and even those who had seen them were so frightened that they could not describe them clearly.
Those human traffickers put on harmless faces again and disguised themselves as honest and decent ordinary people, making it extremely difficult to find them.
Among the rescued children, Lu Yanxiu and Lu Xingchen were not included.
Zijuan frequently sent people to inquire about the matter, and upon hearing the news, she immediately fell into deep despair.
Lu Zhiran's heart was also shrouded in a deep haze.
Could it be that the Lu family is really going to be extinct?
At this time, inside a merchant ship, Lu Yanxiu slowly woke up while staggering. His hands and feet were tied and he could not move.
Beside him lay Lu Xingchen, whose hands and feet were also tied, and several other children, both boys and girls, who were still unconscious.
Lu Yanxiu is nine years old this year. He has grown taller and looks like a young boy.
He is the oldest of the group of children.
He soon understood what had happened.
Fragmentary memories of last night before I fell into a coma came flooding back to me.
They encountered human traffickers.
The target of these human traffickers was Lu Xingchen, but when they attacked, Lu Yanxiu noticed it and while holding on to Lu Xingchen tightly, he was about to shout.
In desperation, the other party simply knocked him out and took him out of the city overnight.
They boarded the ship overnight and left the capital, unaware that the capital was already in a state of panic.
What would happen if he fell into the hands of human traffickers? Lu Yanxiu felt a sinking feeling in his heart.
At this moment, he vaguely heard movement coming from the hatch, someone was coming.
Lu Yanxiu immediately closed his eyes and fell asleep.
He didn't know where he was, nor how many people were on the other side. He didn't dare to act rashly, and decided to remain unchanged in the face of all changes.
This trafficking case caused a huge uproar in Beijing.
Xiao Yanci has been busy running around for this, but there is still no news from Lu Yanxiu and Lu Xingchen. Every day when he comes back, his face is gloomy.
"Did you know? Every year, there are hundreds of missing persons reported in the capital, especially during the previous period of political instability, when even more women and children disappeared. These cases were never brought before the emperor. If I hadn't personally investigated this matter this year and retrieved the files from previous years, I would have had no idea that human traffickers were so rampant."
Lu Zhiran was also shocked when he heard this.
"This time, I'm determined to get to the bottom of this and chop off those people's hands! Not only to find those two children, but also to protect all children from suffering in the future."
If Xiao Yanci wants to investigate this case thoroughly, he naturally cannot rely on himself alone. A good general does not rely on doing things personally, but on knowing people and assigning them to the right positions.
He discussed the matter with his staff, but as for how to prevent such cases, everyone was just talking about it and had no good idea.
At this time, someone recommended someone.
"Your Highness, I dare to recommend someone to you. This person is Shen Zhengqing, the prefect of Guihua County, Yongzhou. Kidnapping was once rampant here, but after his administration, there are no more kidnappers under his jurisdiction. I believe he has his own unique insights on dealing with kidnapping."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanci immediately became interested.
"Is there really such a capable person?"
The aide nodded. "Lord Shen and I are from the same hometown and school, so I have some understanding of his situation. He lost a child in his early years, so he has a deep hatred for kidnappers. This is one of the reasons why he is so dedicated to treating kidnapping."
Others couldn't help but wonder, "If this person is so powerful, why hasn't he been transferred back to Beijing for so many years?"
The aide seemed to be hesitant to speak, as if he had something to hide.
Xiao Yanci frowned, "Just say whatever you want to say. There's no need to be so hesitant."
The aide then said, "Lord Shen once offended the Li family. His performance has been judged as mediocre for many years. He has no way to be transferred, so he has been wasting his time in Yongzhou."
The Li family is the maternal family of the former Sixth Prince Xiao Yanqing.
More than ten years ago, Concubine Li was quite favored by the emperor, and the Li family acted very domineeringly, oppressing countless low-level officials.
Shen Zhengqing is one of them.
The Li family fell and the sixth prince was sentenced to death. When Shen Zhengqing heard the news, he felt that there was hope for his future.
The political situation was unstable at the time, and Shen Zhengqing did not find an opportunity to smooth things over.
Now that the new prince's position is solid and the political situation is stable, he has begun to write letters to his old friends, hoping that they can help him get some connections and move up a level.
The aide received his letter and gained some benefits. He also wanted to help him, but he never found an opportunity.
Today finally gave me the opportunity.
Xiao Yanci didn't expect that the Li family was involved in this, and his face suddenly became gloomy.
"Order someone to bring this man's file. I'll take a good look at it. If he's truly useful, I won't let this talent go to waste."
The aide was overjoyed to hear this and immediately agreed.
If he could really accomplish this, he would be able to gain a favor from Shen Zhengqing, and he would also have an extra capable helper in the future to serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.
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