A female coroner arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture.

Chapter 292 Entering Langshan (13)

Upon hearing this, the people of Shenmo Village all showed expressions of fear!
Song Shuyu had analyzed the Wuhuan people. Their seclusion and avoidance of the world did not mean they were unaware of the outside world or the official system of the Great Zhou Dynasty. This can be seen from their collusion with Wang Ruhua.

Therefore, he was not surprised by their reaction.

However, the old woman kneeling among the five, wearing an animal skin hat and a silver necklace, raised a stern look in her eyes and said, "Your Excellency, I am She, the chieftain of the Wuhuan tribe in Shenmo Village. Our tribe has lived in seclusion here for hundreds of years and has never had any contact with outsiders! But I don't know what the five women from the Great Zhou mentioned by Your Excellency have to do with our tribe?"

Song Shuyu was furious. "Chief She, do you think you can get away with this by just being stubborn? I have already shown you enough respect by being polite before resorting to force! If Chief She refuses to hand over the people, I will arrest your people, punish them, and exterminate your Wuhuan clan!"

The clan chief's domineering stance cracked instantly, and the other clan members were utterly shocked!
"You mere barbarian tribes, restless and uneasy in this world, dare to collude with Wang Ruhua to buy and sell the people of my Great Zhou? Do you really think that you can hide in the mountains and get away with it? Now that I have found this place, I have enough evidence to prove that Chief Ku's sophistry will not be enough to get away with it!"

Song Shuyu looked down at him with an imposing air, "I have little patience. You must choose: hand over the people, or fight to the death with your entire clan!"

"I, my people..."

"grown ups!"

Suddenly, Jiang Zhan's voice came from afar, interrupting the clan chief before he could finish speaking!
Mu Qingcheng stepped forward and called out, "Captain Jiang!"

Jiang Zhan, following the sound, squeezed through the crowd and rushed over, bowing and saying, "Reporting to my lord, Master Mu, I have found two iron cages in two underground warehouses!"

"Bring it up!" Mu Qingcheng's eyes narrowed.

Six constables split into two groups and carried the two heavy iron cages onto the square!
Countless gazes converged on the half-person-high iron cage!
But there, in one cage, one person was imprisoned!
The two girls, dressed in Wuhuan ethnic clothing, with disheveled hair and pale faces, had probably already learned of Song Shuyu's identity from the constables. Seeing their magistrate come to their rescue, the girls' lips moved in excitement, but no sound came out. Only large tears kept falling from their eyelids!

Shock, followed by rage, instantly swept through everyone's hearts!

Lin Jiao was anxious and wanted to rush forward, but Song Li had already sealed her acupoints, so she couldn't move!
Mu Qingcheng squatted in front of the iron cage, reached inside with both hands, grabbed one person in each hand, and asked with trembling lips, "What are your names? I am the female clerk of the Jingzhao Prefecture, my name is Mu Qingcheng, the man next to me is Lord Song, the Prefect of Jingzhao, and the man with the sword is Vice Minister Lu of the Dali Temple. We have mobilized a large force and come here specifically to find you!"

"My name is Ruan Yue. Thank God, someone really came to save us, sob sob..."

"I am Zhang Yu... Waaah, how fortunate I am to have troubled so many adults to come and save me..."

Mu Qingcheng's eyes welled up with tears, and she felt a lump in her throat. "Don't cry, it's alright, you're safe now."

Just then, Duan Qianzhong returned with two iron cages, exactly the same as the ones Jiang Zhan had found, imprisoning two girls.

Mu Qingcheng asked for their names; one was Chen Qingqing, and the other was Ji Xiaohua.

The four girls, upon seeing their fellow citizens, a high-ranking official of the Great Zhou Dynasty, in this foreign land, were overwhelmed with emotion and wept uncontrollably!

Suppressing his anger, Song Shuyu ordered, "Jiang Zhan, open the cage!"

Jiang Zhan looked troubled. "Reporting to you, sir, the cage is locked. I tried to break it open with a knife, but I failed with both the lock and the iron cage."

Duan Qianzhong nodded as well. Song Shuyu had previously shown some leniency to the clan chief out of consideration for his age, but now he could no longer remain calm. He kicked the clan chief over hard and shouted sharply, "Unlock!"

As more and more soldiers from the Jingzhao Prefecture arrived, and the imprisoned woman was found, the chief of the She tribe had no choice but to accept his fate, and presented a set of keys with both hands.

Jiang Zhan unlocked the cage one by one and helped the four women out of the iron cage.

Mu Qingcheng turned around, grabbed the clan chief by the collar, her eyes filled with malice, "There's another woman, Liao Ruyi, where is she?"

Lin Jiao glared and roared hoarsely, "Where is my sister? Hand over my sister!"

The clan chief looked towards the clan ancestral hall, his lips moved, but he did not speak.

Jiang Zhan and Duan Qianzhong immediately rushed into the ancestral hall!

A moment later, two men carried out a woman dressed in a red wedding gown, whose hands and feet were bound by iron chains and whose mouth was stuffed with a cloth!
Mu Qingcheng strode forward, removed the cloth, and confirmed, "Is the young lady named Liao Ruyi?"

The woman looked frightened, and tears streamed down her face.

The chains weren't locked, and Mu Qingcheng untied them one by one, freeing Liao Ruyi. She immediately knelt on the ground with a thud, kowtowing frantically and pleading, "Save me! I don't want to stay here! I want to go home! Please save me!"

Mu Qingcheng bent down and helped Liao Ruyi up, took out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, and said softly, "Okay, we'll take you home. Don't cry anymore, crying too much will hurt your health."

"Thank you, thank you..." Liao Ruyi was so happy that tears and snot streamed down her face.

Lin Jiao stared intently at Liao Ruyi, her bloodshot eyes brimming with the joy of something lost and regained, and the excitement of a long-awaited reunion!
However, Lin Jiao fell silent. He simply looked at his sister quietly, without acknowledging her or uttering a single word.

Once Liao Ruyi's emotions had calmed down, Mu Qingcheng asked, "Why are the other girls in the underground iron cage, but you are in the clan ancestral hall?"

Liao Ruyi replied bitterly, “After I was sold here, they forced me to marry a man in his thirties. A few days ago, that man fell seriously ill and died. Then they forced me to marry his forty-year-old brother. I refused, so they tied me up and took me to the ancestral hall to inform the ancestors and complete the marriage ceremony.”

Lin Jiao was instantly enraged, and the murderous intent that flashed in his eyes made Song Li shudder. He warned in a low voice, "Lin Jiao, this matter will be handled by the Jingzhao Prefecture according to the law. Don't even think about killing me, or I'll knock you unconscious with one palm!"

Mu Qingcheng nodded, then turned to look at Song Shuyu, "My lord?"

Song Shuyu curled his lips, “The world is vast, all land belongs to the king; all people within the borders are subjects of the king. On the land of my Great Zhou, regardless of race or rank, all must abide by the laws of my Great Zhou! Master Mu, you are in charge of criminal matters in the capital, and I grant you full authority to make decisions!”

"Your subordinate obeys!" Mu Qingcheng cupped his hands, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The next moment, she raised her voice and commanded, "Five girls, identify all those who participated in the trafficking, rape, beatings, and imprisonment of you! Such wicked people will not be tolerated by the law!"

However, the girls' surprise was short-lived, quickly replaced by hesitation and shame. One by one, they lowered their heads, and only sobs could be heard.

(End of this chapter)