As night fell, at the Changxing Inn.
Standing by the window, He Nuan withdrew her gaze. "Miss, there are at least twenty experts outside. Judging by their methods, they should all be desperate fugitives."
From the release of Sister Hong and the two human traffickers held in the prison, and the escape of the leg-broken human traffickers from the medical clinic, He Sheng had already contacted the Forbidden Dragon Guard.
Let alone twenty desperate fugitives, even the elite guards cultivated by the Jiao family could be captured instantly if the young lady gave the order.
Under the bright candlelight, Zhan Feiyu remained seated at the table, writing. The scent of ink mingled with incense wafted through the room, inexplicably bringing a sense of peace to the mind.
"The Jiao family is, after all, a family of officials. Young Master Jiao would not dare to act openly," Zhan Feiyu was indeed not worried. Even if they were targeting her, these people from the martial world outside were merely for intimidation. If they dared to kill in the inn, the three judicial departments of Qianzhong Circuit were not to be trifled with.
He Nuan nodded, listening to the footsteps outside the door. After a while, a rhythmic knock sounded.
"Go ahead, ask Young Master Jiao to wait in the private room," Zhan Feiyu said without looking up, her brush moving like a soaring dragon as she continued her unfinished article.
With a creak, the sound of the door opening in the quiet night seemed particularly abrupt. He Nuan blocked the doorway. "It's almost a quarter to midnight. Young Master visits so late?"
Ignoring He Nuan's questioning, Young Master Jiao cast a cold glance into the room. The inn's room layout was simple, and Zhan Feiyu, seated at the desk, was visible at a glance.
Not to mention the pile of books on the table, just the ink fragrance alone indicated that Zhan Feiyu studied diligently. It was no exaggeration to call it years of hard study.
"Miss Zhan is indeed diligent," a mocking voice sounded. Looking at Zhan Feiyu, Young Master Jiao involuntarily thought of his second brother, who was also studying hard at home.
...
Zhan Feiyu's words about the child snatchers and the abducted children changed, and she no longer had the simple honesty of the farmer.
Looking at the stunned Tu Da Niu, Zhan Feiyu delivered another strong blow. "I heard that to cut the grass and eliminate the roots, to prevent future trouble, they kill the parents and relatives of those children to silence them."
Like breeds like; dragon begets dragon, phoenix begets phoenix. No matter whose child it is, there will definitely be some similarity in facial features to their parents and siblings. If a kidnapped child was merely sold for a good price, it would not matter if their family recognized them later.
But if the kidnapped child was secretly trained and could be used as a "right-hand man" in the future, once recognized by their family, it would undoubtedly lead to endless trouble.
As if thinking of something, Tu Da Niu's sturdy and robust body could not bear it and retreated several steps. With a bang, he hit the trunk of the tree behind him, his entire being stunned as if his soul had been sucked away.
Tu Da Niu himself had done such a thing. Last summer, he had set fire to those three rooms, and all twelve members of the family had died in the blaze.
Villagers had brought basins and buckets to help fight the fire, but the fire was too intense. After the fire, which had burned all night, was extinguished the next day, only twelve charred bodies were found in the ruins.
The yamen also came, but after investigating, they only found that the fire had started in the kitchen. It was estimated that the fire in the stove had not been extinguished, and sparks had flown out, landing on the dry grass, eventually causing the fire.
As for why the entire family could not escape, the yamen could not figure it out. After all, farmers did not hold grudges against anyone. They might have argued a few words with their neighbors, but they would never set fire to kill an entire family. In the end, the matter was dropped.
Tu Da Niu's face turned pale, and he suddenly looked up, his eyes sharp and fierce as he stared at Zhan Feiyu. "Who exactly are you?"
Even an heir meticulously trained by a noble family would not possess such composure and calmness at her age. This young girl was definitely not an ordinary person.
Zhan Feiyu glanced sideways at the two constables standing not far away. "Who I am is not important. Whether you are using Zhao's pastry shop as a cover, or have other schemes, it's just a matter of meeting force with force and blocking water with earth."
Not getting the desired answer, Tu Da Niu stared at Zhan Feiyu, who turned to leave, and could not help but say, "You crippled several of our people. Do you think you can get away unscathed?"
Unfortunately, Zhan Feiyu did not stop her steps and continued to walk forward.
...
An hour was enough for Constable Miao and the others to find twenty households in Liuxian County. The side rooms behind the court were now filled with people, a dense crowd. If one didn't know, they might think a major case had occurred.
The dozens of people brought by the constables were also tense and uneasy. Even though the constables repeatedly said it was just a routine inquiry, it still made people feel apprehensive.
"You will wait here for now. If the magistrate summons you, someone will escort you to the court," Constable Miao said, then gave a few instructions to some yamen runners before striding towards the back office.
On the court, Magistrate Zhu's face was solemn. Upon hearing Constable Miao's words, his expression changed slightly. "Bring the Wang Dongming family up."
The Wang family consisted of six people. After being led up by the yamen runners, they all knelt down with a thud, their voices trembling. "Your humble servant Wang Dongming pays his respects to the magistrate."
"Wang Dongming, raise your heads!" Magistrate Zhu said in a deep voice.
After the Wang family, old and young, raised their heads, the important figures in the court all turned their gaze, or rather, focused on their earlobes.
Is it really like this? Still kneeling before the corpse of Old Madam Tu, Tu Da Niu's hands, hanging by his sides, clenched into fists. Wang Dongming and his wife had no earlobes, so his three sons and one daughter also had no earlobes.
Except for Constable Miao and others, everyone else had initially thought Zhan Feiyu was speaking nonsense. Who would have thought it was actually true?
After the Wang Da Ming family left, the second family, the Mao Wang family, was brought to the court. The Mao family was prosperous. Old Man Mao and Old Madam Mao were still alive and had not separated their households. Therefore, their two sons, including their wives and children, were also brought along.
Magistrate Zhu took a closer look. Old Man Mao and Old Madam Mao had no earlobes, so their two kneeling sons also had no earlobes. However, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Mao family had earlobes. Of the four children of the eldest branch, two had earlobes and two did not.
But coincidentally, the second daughter-in-law of the Mao family also had no earlobes. Everyone saw that the second branch of the Mao family, the couple, and their three children all had no earlobes.
As for the youngest daughter, held in the arms of her daughter-in-law, she was less than three months old and was wrapped in swaddling clothes, so her ears could not be seen.
"Constable Miao, go and take a look," Magistrate Zhu ordered, his gaze complex as he looked at Zhan Feiyu standing below. What was the background of this young girl?
"Officer, Si Bao..." As soon as the young woman heard this, she trembled all over and instinctively hugged her infant daughter tighter.
Constable Miao walked over. "No need to be alarmed, I just need to take a look."
As his words fell, Constable Miao lifted the swaddling clothes. The sleeping infant did not wake up, but it was clear that she had no earlobes.
Two quarters of an hour later, the group brought back to the county yamen left in a daze. Fortunately, the commoners gathered outside the court explained the reason in a babble, and the group's suspended hearts finally relaxed.
At this moment, there was an eerie silence in the court. If what Zhan Feiyu said was true, then Tu Da Niu was a child adopted by Old Man Tu.
With a bang, the gavel was heavily slammed onto the desk. Magistrate Zhu sternly declared, "Tu Qishu, why don't you confess!"
Old Man Tu remained kneeling on the ground, his head bowed, making it impossible to see the expression on his face.
Zhan Feiyu curled her lips and smiled. Even without speaking, anyone could see the mocking smile on her round face.
"Stubborn and unrepentant! Guards, drag him out and give him twenty strokes with the plank!" Magistrate Zhu said with a dark face, throwing down the order tablet. Even a middle-aged man would probably not be able to withstand these twenty strokes, let alone Old Man Tu, who was advanced in age. A beating like this would likely cost him his life.
Tu Da Niu knelt on the ground, unmoved, as if still stunned by the fact that he was not his parents' biological child.
Old Man Tu was dragged away by the yamen runners. Until the dull thud of the court planks hitting his body was heard, Old Man Tu still did not speak.
One plank after another. It was likely that the county yamen constables knew that Magistrate Zhu enforced the law strictly, so no one dared to slack off because of Old Man Tu's age.
"Miss?" He Nuan withdrew her gaze and whispered to Zhan Feiyu, "If they keep hitting him, he'll probably lose his life."
Old Man Tu gritted his teeth and did not beg for mercy, but his buttocks and back were already bloody, and coupled with his heavy breathing, He Nuan knew that Old Man Tu could not hold on without taking his pulse.