266 - Destroyer of Ice and Fire

"Lord Lu instructed me to wake you up for breakfast and asked me to inform you that there has been some progress regarding the matter you were concerned about," the constable spoke in a normal tone only after Ning Songwu responded. "Alright, I'll come down shortly." Ning Songwu had always thought of Lu Jin as nothing more than a womanizer and drunkard. He was surprised that Lu Jin had managed to find someone in such a short period. At the front hall of the Pingyang County Office. "Kneel down and confess all the vile deeds you’ve done," the constable commanded, giving a tied-up man a rough kick. "Please, have mercy, Your Excellency. I'm just a worthless scoundrel; I beg you not to dirty your feet on me." The man knelt down and slowly raised his head with a sycophantic expression. It was none other than Gu Er, who had trafficked Ren Fanyin and Yan Xiang. "Enough of your flattery. Tell me exactly what you did yesterday," the constable demanded as he delivered another heavy kick to Gu Er's back. "Alright, I'll talk, just stop kicking me," Gu Er pleaded while clutching his lower back. "Yesterday morning, I ran into two women on the road. Seeing their pitiful state, I offered them a ride. They mentioned their financial troubles and desire for work, and it so happened that a wealthy household was in need of help, so I decided to do them a favor." Gu Er deliberately omitted that he had sold Ren Fanyin to a brothel. "Which household did you take the two women to?" the constable asked. "I sent one to Master Lin's house," Gu Er replied hesitantly. "And the other one?" "I don't know. She seemed ill, so I let her go." "Ill?" Ning Songwu couldn’t determine if it was Ren Fanyin or Yan Xiang and felt a pang of worry. "She appeared to have epilepsy. She suddenly collapsed on the ground, convulsing and foaming at the mouth. I was really scared, so I let her go," Gu Er explained, noting Ning Songwu’s concern and correctly assuming that the well-dressed man must be the provincial governor. Gu Er pleaded, "Your Excellency, I've told you everything I know. Could you let me go now?" "Ma Jia, take him away. We are heading to Master Lin’s house to rescue the person there. Everyone else, continue gathering clues. We must find the other woman as soon as possible," Lu Jin instructed the constables in the room. Lu Jin turned to Ning Songwu with concern and said, "Lord Ning, please rest here in the office. Wait for any news. You look exhausted, and it pains me to see you like this." "I'll come along," Ning Songwu insisted firmly while casting a cold glance at Gu Er. Gu Er, who had made a living on shady businesses for years, had preemptively bribed the constables, finding out that one of the trafficked women was the governor's cousin. Realizing the gravity of his mistake, he deeply regretted his greed for a small amount of money, which could have otherwise led him to riches. Yet, he dared not confess that he had sold Ren Fanyin to a brothel, holding onto a sliver of hope of leniency. Shortly after, at the Lin residence, Butler Gou introduced them to someone, explaining that his master had gone out and had not returned, potentially to avoid trouble. "Guye, Yan Xiang thought she would never see you again!" Yan Xiang burst into tears upon seeing Ning Songwu, vowing never to complain about him being useless again. "Where is your Miss? What was wrong with her health?" Ning Songwu was taken aback to learn that the ill person was Ren Fanyin, a delicate lady unaccustomed to hardship, and he felt a pang of guilt for not protecting her better. "She was taken away by someone called Second Master. Miss said both of us couldn’t wait there to die, so she pretended to be ill. Butler Gou saw her and didn’t take her in." Yan Xiang's words caught her attention when she saw Gu Er being escorted by constables. "Guye, it was him! He took Miss away. We mustn’t forgive him!" Yan Xiang spat angrily, glaring at Gu Er, wishing to tear him apart. Gu Er, knowing he was in the wrong, huddled and avoided Yan Xiang's glare, "Miss, please don’t falsely accuse me. Your Miss was ill; I left her at the street corner." "Bah, you heartless trafficker! You harbored ill intentions from the moment we stopped your cart. How could you suddenly be so kind as to release Miss? Where did you hide her?" Yan Xiang’s anger and urgency were palpable. She knew Gu Er was lying; he must know Miss's whereabouts. "Weren’t you the ones begging for a ride yesterday? I didn’t force you to stop my cart. How can you slander me like this? It’s my fault for misjudging and showing pity because you both looked disheveled. I thought I was finding you some easy work. I admit my mistake," Gu Er fabricated to deflect and mitigate his crime. "Guye, don’t believe him. He’s lying. You must rescue Miss," Yan Xiang implored Ning Songwu. "She is my lawfully wedded wife; how could I not rescue her?" Ning Songwu thought to himself, keeping the last part to himself. "My Lords, I didn’t recognize the caliber of individuals in front of me. Please, spare me your wrath. I don’t want the money for this girl anymore. As for the other girl, she was indeed ill. I didn’t dare buy her; it was Gu Er who took her away. She is not in this house." Butler Gou pleaded, kneeling and kowtowing desperately before Ning Songwu and Lu Jin to avoid imprisonment. "If you don’t believe me, you can call the gatekeeper as a witness. He was the one who let the girls in yesterday," Butler Gou added. "Quickly, get him here," Ning Songwu commanded coldly, brimming with a murderous aura. "It wasn’t me, Your Excellency," Zhang Cheng fell to his knees and pleaded, distancing himself. "Did you see where the girl who had a seizure went?" Ning Songwu questioned sharply. "She was ill, so Butler Gou didn’t take her. Second Master Gu took her away. I don’t know where she went," Zhang Cheng replied anxiously, eyes darting evasively. "My Lord, I did let her go," Gu Er nodded in agreement. "I’m giving you one more chance. Where did the girl go?" Ning Songwu suddenly stepped toward a constable, drew his knife, and held it to Zhang Cheng's shoulder. "Lord Ning, don’t do this," Lu Jin intervened, advising moderation. Despite Zhang Cheng's guilt, proper procedures demanded trial and approval from the court before any punishment could be administered.