The prison cell was damp and dark, holding dozens of inmates.
A thick stench of decay permeated the air.
As Prefect Qin stepped inside, he gagged from the foul odor.
Prefect Chen, seeing this, whispered, "Your Excellency, perhaps I should bring the prisoners to the public hall for trial!"
Such a filthy place was hardly befitting a Prefect.
"No need, we'll conduct the trial here!" Prefect Qin was stubborn and resolute.
In fact, Prefect Chen had already begun interrogating the prisoners before Prefect Qin's arrival.
Prefect Qin's personal visit to the prison was to vent his anger on behalf of his two daughters.
His presence would also serve as a deterrent to the other inmates.
Sister Xia Si, bruised and swollen, lay on the ground like a heap of mud.
One-Eyed Dragon was dead, and she was left with only one confidant.
It was the man who had been bitten by the snake.
"Prefect Qin and Prefect Chen have arrived, prisoners, lift your heads!"
The prison guard shouted.
Sister Xia Si's plump body trembled, and she looked up at the two high officials outside the bars.
The man also sat up, a fierce glint in his narrow eyes.
The two human traffickers confessed their crimes of kidnapping children without reservation.
It was even smoother than Prefect Qin had anticipated.
He was quite surprised and stared at Sister Xia Si, asking, "Do you know what crime you have committed?"
To dare kidnap the Prefect's daughters, this woman deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces.
To his surprise, the man scoffed and calmly said, "We have confessed our crimes, what more do you want?"
"Besides, even if I am guilty, you wouldn't dare kill us."
Prefect Qin frowned upon hearing this, "Why wouldn't I dare kill you?"
As a third-rank official, could he not execute a few human traffickers?
If not, he might as well resign and return to farming!
Just as the man was about to speak, Sister Xia Si kicked him and subtly winked.
The man immediately stopped talking, daring not to say another word.
Prefect Chen had also reached this stage of questioning yesterday. Whether through torture or coercion,
The two refused to speak.
Prefect Qin walked out of the prison thoughtfully, his expression complex.
"Your Excellency, the food is ready, let's eat and discuss!" Prefect Chen said.
Prefect Qin gave him a deep look.
Why was Prefect Chen always thinking about eating?
"I suspect there's something fishy about these two."
Prefect Qin walked with his hands behind his back to a plum tree and looked up.
The plums were not yet ripe at this season, hanging green on the branches.
Prefect Chen's eyes darted, and he asked, "What does Your Excellency mean?"
Although there was something suspicious, the case was solved, and the children were rescued.
The next step was to follow the legal procedures of the Daliang Dynasty.
Prefect Qin withdrew his gaze, "Don't you think these two have a protective umbrella above them?"
Otherwise, how could they have spoken such arrogant words?
Ordinary people usually flattered and bowed to Prefect Qin.
But the man just now not only disregarded him but also spoke wildly, claiming he wouldn't dare kill him.
Prefect Chen pondered for a moment and said in a low voice, "Your Excellency means someone is backing these human traffickers?"
"It's just a guess!" Prefect Qin did not delve deeper into the matter.
Prefect Chen's eyes, however, lit up as if he had thought of something.
He quickly took out a silver hairpin from his sleeve and handed it to Prefect Qin with both hands.
"Your Excellency, this was given to me by Little Sweet Treasure from the Yun family."
"Little Sweet Treasure said this hairpin was found on the human traffickers, please take a look, Your Excellency!"
Prefect Qin casually took the silver hairpin. With just a glance, he was stunned...
While the county yamen was bustling with activity, Prefect Chen's wife, Madam Huang, was also busy preparing gifts.
The Prefect's two daughters were now staying in Dashui Village, and she had to attend to them.
As long as the two young ladies were happy, her husband's career would also prosper and advance.
In the largest general store in the county town.
Madam Huang, accompanied by her maid Jasmine, browsed around, dissatisfied with everything she saw.
"Oh dear, I don't know what children like nowadays, it's so hard to choose!"
Madam Huang frowned.
If the gifts were too valuable, she feared the two young ladies might not accept them.
If they were too cheap, it would be a disgrace to the Prefect's family.
Jasmine smiled and said, "Madam, why don't you see what our young ladies like and buy more of the same..."
They had been wandering here for an hour, and hadn't even had lunch.
Madam Huang glared at Jasmine and snorted, "Hmph, Xiao Ran likes fishing, am I supposed to buy them two fishing rods?"
This foolish girl was coming up with such terrible ideas.
Jasmine: "..."
Madam, aren't you just arguing for the sake of it?
If Xiao Ran liked boys, would you then send two boys over?
Why speak such nonsense!
She dared not say these words, fearing Madam would hit her.
Finally, Madam Huang bought a sack of candies.
She had almost emptied the candy shops in the county town.
She not only considered the Prefect's children but also Little Sweet Treasure.
It was heard that Little Sweet Treasure had made significant contributions in rescuing the kidnapped children this time.
Prefect Chen constantly praised Little Sweet Treasure's intelligence and spirit to her.
Therefore, Madam Huang felt it necessary to appease this little fairy...
At the Old Yun Residence.
In the morning, Yun Daman drove the carriage to the county town to buy things for Qin Yiyi and Qin Fenglan.
Liu Cuirong and Gao Fengjuan also went along.
The two sisters-in-law bought a large pile of snacks and toys.
As for small clothes and shoes, there was no need to mention them; they were all vibrant.
Liu Cuirong was tight on money, not as generous as Gao Fengjuan.
Therefore, the gifts she bought were somewhat meager.
Gu Shi looked at the large and small bags of items on the kang with a speechless expression.
"What exactly do you two want to do?" Gu Shi's face darkened.
"I've already said, those two girls are just staying with us for a few days."
"You're buying so many things and trying to curry favor, not only wasting money but also competing with each other."
"Are you very rich?"
Liu Cuirong's face turned red, and she glared at Gao Fengjuan.
If she hadn't insisted on picking the best, would Liu Cuirong have competed with her?
Now, all the money she had saved was spent.
She didn't even have money left to buy candy and melon seeds...
Gao Fengjuan was also very annoyed.
Why did she have such a shameless second sister-in-law?
She had lost all dignity in her attempt to flatter the Prefect's daughters.
Gao Fengjuan snorted.
Her family runs a silk shop, how can you compare with me?
Gu Shi was annoyed whenever she saw these two daughters-in-law.
So she waved her hand, "You two go to Gougou Lake and see if anyone is selling fish, buy two back!"
Gao Fengjuan's face lit up, "Mother, your daughter-in-law can go alone."
She didn't want to be associated with Liu Cuirong.
It was embarrassing!
"Pah, as if anyone wants to go with you."
Liu Cuirong gave her a glare and turned to leave.
She knew that the Qin sisters and Chen Xiaoran were playing by the lake.
Going there now was the perfect timing.
Gao Fengjuan couldn't let her gain the advantage, so she also trotted after her...