The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

Chapter 514 Arresting Young Master Zhao

"So she's here to plead for me? Get ready and go see her."

Xiangyang reminded her, "Madam is way past her mealtime. You should eat something first before you go, otherwise the lady will be angry. Besides, your current health doesn't allow it."

"Okay, go get some food and bring it over."

As Xiangyang went out, Du Mingxian tidied herself up. She still preferred to sleep with her hair down, so she had to re-style it every time she woke up, which was quite tiring.

Xia Yu quickly came in and styled Du Mingxian's hair. When the food was served, Du Mingxian ate slowly, not forgetting to ask a question.

"Has anyone been sent to keep an eye on Aunt Liu?"

"Yes, news has come that Aunt Liu is extremely anxious and is pacing back and forth in the hall."

"it is good."

The fact that she found the exit from that house was not kept secret; the whole county probably knows by now. It's normal for Aunt Liu to be anxious; it would be strange if she weren't.

After dinner, Du Mingxian applied a little powder to make her face look paler, and deliberately wore a light-colored outfit, making her look sickly.

When she entered the hall, Aunt Liu wanted to speak to Du Mingxian, but seeing the sickly look on her face, she didn't say anything for a moment.

"Please sit down, Aunt Liu." Du Mingxian walked to the main seat and sat down. "I'm so sorry, I'm not feeling well, and the maids didn't dare to disturb you, so I've kept you waiting."

Aunt Liu shook her head, "I didn't wait long, it's just..."

For a moment she hesitated. Was it right to come and see the magistrate's wife? Judging from the magistrate's complexion, she had been ill for a long time. But if she spoke up, she would only add to the magistrate's worries.

But... but now, apart from coming to the county magistrate's wife, she really has no other way.

Seeing that Aunt Liu didn't speak, Du Mingxian asked directly, "Aunt Liu, why are you in such a hurry to come see me? Is there something you need?"

"I have something urgent to attend to."

"Okay, tell me, and I'll see if I can help."

"The human slave trade incident caused quite a stir a couple of days ago. When the officials were investigating, they discovered that the house had a cellar with an exit that led to the woodshed in our Zhao family's villa."

Du Mingxian was surprised. "There's such a thing? I've been sick, and the adults never tell me these things. I only found out about this because of you. Are you trying to get information from me?"

"Yes."

"Xiangyang, go ahead and find Xiangguang, who is next to the adults, and ask him about the situation."

"Yes."

While pretending to be unaware, Du Mingxian was also comforting Aunt Liu, hoping to get to know her better and see if she was truly unaware.

“Aunt Liu, this matter sounds serious, but if the Zhao family did not do this, there is no need to worry. The magistrate will definitely give you justice.”

Aunt Liu shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "My master has been arrested and imprisoned. I don't know much about the house, but I can assure you that he knows nothing about the woodshed."

"Well... how about we ask my maid when she gets back?"

People's hearts change. Aunt Liu's certainty that the man surnamed Zhao is no problem seems a bit like someone blinded by love.

When I last met Aunt Liu, I found her to be a very intelligent person, but now she seems a bit silly.

"Okay, thank you ma'am."

Aunt Liu was very grateful to Du Mingxian. She had long been prepared to be turned away at the door and not be able to see anyone, but she did not expect that the other party would just ask her to wait and then actually see her.

Xiangyang returned shortly afterward.

"Madam, Xiang Guang said that the master asked Master Zhao, and Master Zhao said he knew nothing about this matter. Although the villa is in his name, the house has always been used by the young master of the Zhao family. So the master has already taken people to invite the young master of the Zhao family."

"What?" Aunt Liu stood up abruptly, shaking her head repeatedly. "No, no, what does this have to do with the eldest young master? He's just a child."

Du Mingxian just looked at Aunt Liu without interrupting.

Although Aunt Liu was anxious, she didn't lose her mind. She turned to Du Mingxian and said, "Madam, the master will interrogate the person after bringing them back, right?"

"If you are in a hurry to go back and see, I will also go and ask the adults in a while. The main thing is that this matter involves two lives. I... I can only guarantee that there will be no torture, but if Young Master Zhao knows anything, please tell him the truth."

"The clearer you explain, the faster the officials will investigate. If the Zhao family is innocent, they can get rid of this matter sooner."

Aunt Liu could easily understand the meaning behind Du Mingxian's words, so she could only nod and say, "Alright, I will tell the eldest young master. I will take my leave now."

After the people left, Du Mingxian took a sip of water before asking, "Did they really go to capture the Zhao family's young master?"

“Before I came back, I saw the young master of the Zhao family being brought back at the door. When he came back, he was still struggling and said that he was innocent and knew nothing.”

"They're still crying foul even after arriving at the government office, which shows they're a bit guilty." Du Mingxian thought of Aunt Liu and instructed Xiangyang, "Go to the front again and tell the officials that I promised Aunt Liu I wouldn't torture the young master of the Zhao family, but I also won't let him off easily."

"Yes."

There are many ways to torture someone without resorting to physical punishment. As long as Young Master Zhao is willing to tell the truth, things can proceed more quickly.

"By the way, how's the Yu family?"

Xia Yu answered from the side, "Mo Dong has been keeping a close eye on Yu Dabao lately."

Du Mingxian sighed, "We still don't have enough manpower. I don't know when your former master will be able to send some more people. If no one comes soon, the few of us won't be able to hold on."

The more things are investigated, the more people need to be kept in check; manpower is the biggest problem.

When Xia Yu heard the words "former master," she didn't react at first, but then she thought of the Crown Prince and couldn't help but laugh. "My lady is so cute."

Du Mingxian just complained that she still had to wait for news, and there was no other use in it.

Because Du Mingxian had promised Aunt Liu that she wouldn't be tortured, Zhao's son couldn't get any information out of her, so he simply locked her up in jail.

Ling Silang looked very unwell when he returned.

"What's going on here?"

"There are few capable officials among these yamen runners; most of them are corrupt officials left over from before. When I went to the prison for the second time to question Young Master Zhao, I saw some yamen runners forcing him to pay money or he would be beaten."

"There's such a thing?" Du Mingxian was also shocked. "This is too arrogant. They're capable of anything. What's the difference between this and blatant robbery?"

"That's right. I immediately ordered them to be flogged, dismissed from their posts, and thrown out."

Are you afraid that someone will be unhappy with you?

“No.” Ling Silang sighed. “Ping County is a small place. It looks good on the surface, but it’s actually rotten to the core. You can imagine what other places are like… They eat people without spitting out the bones.”