The old woman shook her head upon hearing this.
Leng Ruo Li glanced sideways at the young woman lying on the bed with her eyes closed. She knew this young woman was not asleep but simply didn't want to engage with anyone.
Leng Ruo Li had no intention of waking her. She reached out and carefully felt her pulse. Seeing that her physical condition was gradually improving, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Leng Ruo Li turned to the old woman and said, "Auntie, could you please come out with me for a moment?"
Leng Ruo Li sought the old woman's consent.
The old woman was stunned for a moment. Then, she glanced at the young woman on the bed. Seeing no reaction from her, she dared to agree.
"Yes, Consort," the old woman nodded.
A moment later, Leng Ruo Li led the old woman into the rest hall of An Ji Tang and they sat down. At this time, Jun Mo Han was also sitting in the rest hall, drinking tea.
"Auntie, do you have some unspoken difficulty you can't express?" Leng Ruo Li asked her directly.
Upon hearing this, the old woman's heart jolted, and she suddenly looked up at Leng Ruo Li.
Seeing the old woman's reaction, Leng Ruo Li realized that things were probably as she had guessed.
"Consort, how did you know?" the old woman asked in surprise.
"Yesterday, when I was examining your daughter-in-law, I saw the scars on her body. She, she was violated by some beasts, wasn't she?"
Leng Ruo Li knew that asking the old woman this way was a bit cruel.
But to uncover the truth and rescue the children who were captured from the manor, she had to ask the old woman to reveal the hidden truth.
"Yes... yes, Consort. My daughter-in-law was indeed violated by those beasts a few days ago," the old woman said, choking back sobs.
"Auntie, what exactly happened?" Leng Ruo Li asked urgently.
"That day, my son returned from that manor with severe injuries, but my grandson couldn't bring him back. Fearing he was dying, he told the location of that manor to Hui Fang (the old woman's daughter-in-law). After Hui Fang buried my son, she missed her child dearly and secretly went to that manor to find him."
The old woman paused at this point, tears streaming down her weathered face. She kept wiping her tears, but her tears had already soaked through her sleeves. She used to be in good health, but recently, the changes in her family had worn her body down. She estimated that her body wouldn't last much longer.
"But what happened next?" Leng Ruo Li continued to ask.
"The people in that manor were beasts. How could they return the child to Hui Fang? Then, they, they lured my daughter-in-law into sleeping with them, saying that if she slept with them, they would let her take the child home. As a result, those people were beasts. After they finished with my daughter-in-law, they threw her outside the manor to fend for herself. But the child was still not returned to her. Thus, my daughter-in-law was exposed to the elements for two days. Later, I found her and brought her home. After that, she fell seriously ill, often cried and made a fuss, and became completely deranged..."
The elder became more and more indignant as she spoke, telling Leng Ruo Li all the misfortunes that had befallen her family.
Because the old woman had observed this Cold Consort over the past two days and listened to others' evaluations of her, she found that this Cold Consort was indeed a kind-hearted person who cared about the common people.
Furthermore, it was said that she was a favored figure by the current Emperor and Empress Dowager. Perhaps she could help her find her child.
After all, her unfortunate son had passed away, and that child was the only bloodline of her old Sun family. She really didn't want to lose him.
"Auntie, do you definitely know where that manor is?"
Leng Ruo Li asked somewhat anxiously. Those people capturing so many children to extract their heart's blood must have a grand conspiracy.
"It's near Yun Hua Village outside the city," the old woman truthfully told Leng Ruo Li.
However, at this very moment, the young woman rushed in from the doorway.
"Consort, Consort, this common woman knows where that manor is. Please save my child. My poor child has been tortured beyond recognition by those people."
The young woman knelt before Leng Ruo Li, tears streaming down her face like a bursting flood.
"Sister-in-law, please don't cry. I will find a way to help you rescue the child, but you need to cooperate with me and tell me in detail about the situation in that manor."
Seeing this, Leng Ruo Li quickly comforted her and stated her request.
"Consort, that manor is called San Ying Zhuang. There are about twenty men guarding it (as for why she knew so clearly, it was because the men in that manor had all abused her). They captured a total of six children, both boys and girls, and an old man in strange clothing. He pricked the children's chests with silver needles every day and fed them two worms. This common woman doesn't understand what he's trying to do."
The young woman truthfully disclosed the situation inside.
"Yes, I understand the situation there, and I will rescue your son as soon as possible. Please rest assured and stay in An Ji Tang to recover."
After listening, Leng Ruo Li immediately comforted her.
Then, she called for Xing'er and Ling'er to help the mother and daughter-in-law back to the ward to rest.
"Jun Mo Han, do you know whose property that San Ying Zhuang belongs to?"
Leng Ruo Li asked casually.
"I'm not too sure about that either. I'll have Ye Ying investigate it immediately," Jun Mo Han also shook his head and said.
Immediately, Jun Mo Han wrote a note asking Nan Xi to summon Ye Ying to the rest hall.
Then, Jun Mo Han whispered a few words in his ear, and Ye Ying left.
After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Ye Ying quickly returned.
"Your Highness, Consort, that San Ying Zhuang originally belonged to Liu Ruo Yi's family. Later, Liu Ruo Yi's elder brother lost money gambling and mortgaged San Ying Zhuang to a gambling house. The gambling house then sold it to a wealthy family that refused to disclose their name. The subordinate could not find out who the buyer was after much inquiry."
Ye Ying reported the situation truthfully.
"Then there's no need to investigate. This person must be a major figure, and they won't let us find them easily. Let's go to San Ying Zhuang to take a look now," Leng Ruo Li said after a moment of thought.
Jun Mo Han agreed with her approach.
Next, Leng Ruo Li briefed them on the various affairs of An Ji Tang, then turned and, along with Jun Mo Han and a few others, rode their horses towards San Ying Zhuang outside the city.
At this time, two long queues had formed again at the main entrance of An Ji Tang. These were all people seeking medical treatment. Chu Ming Xuan and Doctor Huang were extremely busy, but Leng Ruo Li had to go to San Ying Zhuang to rescue people.
After leaving the city, Leng Ruo Li and her party found the San Ying Zhuang mentioned by the young woman after multiple inquiries.
The location of this San Ying Zhuang was very secluded, situated at the foot of two mountains. Its area was not wide, but the surrounding forests were lush and green, making it a suitable place for hiding people.