The constables had been temporarily reallocated to maintain order in the bustling city, so as they passed through a street and entered a place with lanterns where many families lived and a few scattered stalls, they heard screams in the distance. So people began to cautiously peek in their direction.
Manbao and her companions were driving the carriage with their heads soaked in sweat. When they saw these people, it was as if they had seen saviors, and they imdiately shouted, "Help! Please help us—"
The people couldn’t see the individuals tied and being dragged behind the carriage. Upon seeing the young girls driving the carriage calling for help, the crowd, filled with a sense of justice, imdiately jostled each other and rushed forward.
Seeing that soone was finally coming to their assistance, Manbao imdiately shouted to the ones behind, "I’m stopping the carriage, I’m stopping the carriage."
The young girl behind them imdiately reined in the horse. Changyu, who was following closely, didn’t notice in ti, and as she exclaid "Ah," quickly pulled the reins, but it was too late. A person being dragged behind the second carriage scread.
Hearing this, Changyu wanted to steer the horse aside but accidentally stepped on another person. In a fit of anger, she threw down the reins and jumped off the carriage, throwing a tantrum, "I’m not driving anymore!"
The person’s calf was being stepped on by the horse’s hoof, luckily it didn’t step on the bone, only on a bit of flesh, but it was still excruciatingly painful.
Changyu jumped off the carriage, directly pointing a whip at him, saying, "If you scream again, do you believe this young lady will whip you?"
The human trafficker imdiately clamped his mouth shut, not daring to make another sound.
He didn’t think being whipped would be more painful than being stepped on by a horse, but he was afraid that if she lashed out, the horse would be startled and might charge forward...
The two traffickers tied behind turned pale and didn’t dare to make a sound.
The people who were running towards them finally arrived. When they saw the people being dragged behind the carriage, they looked at the girls driving with disapproval.
Manbao imdiately explained, "They are human traffickers, they captured us to gouge our eyes out. We barely escaped, can you please help us report this to the authorities?"
After hearing this, the crowd looked at the blood-streaked individuals lying on the ground with disdain.
Imdiately, soone ran off to find the constables...
anwhile, the guards and palace attendants who had dispersed the crowd finally erged, regrouping with Bai Shan and his group. Once together, they asked, "Where is the princess?"
Bai Erlang, who had been hiding behind a stall, saw that the street had cleared a bit and people were walking normally, so he imdiately pulled Mingda along to search for others.
Consequently, Bai Shan and the guards exchanged worried glances, feeling a chill running down their spines as Bai Erlang returned holding Mingda’s hand, "I was so scared, so scared. You’re all here."
Seeing Princess Mingda, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that she was only slightly disheveled but otherwise okay and not looking frightened, everyone finally felt at ease.
Princess Mingda’s maid imdiately stepped forward to support her, whispering, "Princess, shall we find a place for you to freshen up?"
Bai Shan had already asked, "Where are Manbao and Princess Changyu?"
Bai Erlang said, "They should be fine too."
After all, Manbao was always reliable.
County Magistrate Tang thought the sa, but still hurriedly sent people to look for them, instructing not to call attention to the princess, but to call for Zhou Man’s na instead.
"With so many people dispersed, might they already have left this street?"
Bai Shan looked at the gradually dispersing crowd and the injured being carried aside, pursing his lips, "Even if she left initially, she would circle back, she’s a doctor..."
Bai Shan thought of sothing and imdiately instructed a guard, "Go back to our Bai Family’s lantern stall and see if they returned there."
County Magistrate Tang also imdiately dispatched people to each intersection to search, ensuring that they found them.
But within less than half an hour, feedback ca from each side, "They haven’t returned to the Bai Family’s lantern stall."
"No response from shouting at the third intersection."
"The fourth intersection yielded no results."
"Nothing from the fifth intersection either."
A guard returned holding a trampled, unrecognizable object, sweating profusely, "This seems to be the roasted at Lord Zhou Junior and Princess Changyu were carrying."
County Magistrate Tang sharply turned to look at the nearby injured, his face pale with anger as he asked, "Are all the injured here tonight? Can you confirm if there are any fatalities?"
The constable imdiately responded, "No fatalities, but two are critically injured and still under rescue efforts. The doctors at the Hundred Herbs Hall say their chances of survival are slim."
He quickly added, "However, both of them are n."
Bai Shan said, "They will be fine, they must have gone sowhere."
Manbao also had her little father-in-law with her, there must be no issue.
While Bai Shan was deep in thought, a constable ca running at top speed to report, "Sir, families who lost children are causing a commotion at the County Governntal Office. They demand the traffickers and want to see their children. More than one family lost a child—a total of five families, but not all of them lost children on this street."
Lord Tang and Bai Shan exchanged a glance, both feeling an unsettling premonition.
Could the traffickers be this coincidental...?
Lord Tang felt a little overwheld, he imdiately instructed, "Quickly, seal off the city gates... no, no, we can’t seal them. Go back to the County Governntal Office, have the elders of Old Lu’s group stationed at the three city gates, instruct them to keep their eyes peeled, and for anyone suspicious leaving the city, to be detained."
"Yes!" The constable received the order and left.
County Magistrate Tang began pacing, and Mingda asked, "Should we return to the palace to dispatch more people?"
"No!" County Magistrate Tang imdiately refused, softening a little before forcing a smile as he said to Princess Mingda, "Your Highness, my superior is Lord Yin. He not only oversees the capital prefecture but also commands the Imperial Guard. It’s better to request his assistance for deploying forces than to return to the palace for help."
Returning to the palace might not ensure finding help, but it could ensure losing his position first.
It would be better to utilize the capital prefecture and Imperial Guard to start the search. Requesting troops from Yin Li could be quicker than seeking reinforcents from the palace.
However...
County Magistrate Tang pondered that the traffickers might not necessarily leave tonight, but rather hide sowhere, waiting for the situation to calm a bit before slipping out of the city...
But the capital was so vast, where could he find their hideout?
County Magistrate Tang began recalling any shady figures or gangs within his jurisdiction who might know sothing.
A fierce look flashed in County Magistrate Tang’s eyes as he contemplated whether anyone would enjoy this Mid-Autumn Festival when an Imperial Guard trotted up on horseback. Dismounting, he reported, "Lord Tang, we found Lord Zhou Junior and Princess Changyu near the East Market during our patrol, as well as... the human traffickers."
Recalling the miserable state of those traffickers, the Imperial Guard lowered his head, "Sir, you’d better go have a look."
Those traffickers appeared to be on the brink of death, likely unable to give any statents if they delayed further.
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