Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 34 It's Not Just About Children

The capital city has a network of waterways, so seeing a river while walking along the roadside is perfectly normal. But Jiu Que always felt something was amiss. When he reached the roadside, the river and the ground beneath his feet were clearly separated into two parts. The water level was half a person's height lower than the road surface. The river water was crystal clear and seemed perfectly normal.

Looking along the river into the distance, not far ahead, there was a small bridge. The area beneath it was dark, and nothing could be seen inside. Only the river water rippled subtly as it passed under the bridge. Jiu Que's eyesight was excellent; these ripples should have a certain pattern. But for a fleeting moment, the ripples undulated, quickly returning to calm, but something seemed different from before. Moreover, beneath the seemingly empty bridge arch, a faint light appeared to flash by?

I have already questioned the other party several times. Aunt Lin reacted very quickly. The moment she discovered that her grandson was missing, she called on acquaintances to keep an eye on the whole street. It was inconvenient to look for other people, but it was still easy to find a child.

Although Aunt Lin possessed the wisdom of an elder, she had never interacted with officials before, and Ying Jiuque was arguably the only official she knew. While she usually tried to stay away from government officials, in such an emergency, she still trusted them. Seeing Ying Jiuque staring intently at the bridge arch with his brows furrowed, she immediately felt a pang of anxiety.

"What's wrong, sir? What have you discovered?"

Jiu Que immediately shushed him, then winked at the tall, strong young men that Aunt Lin had brought. The men weren't stupid; they immediately walked towards the spot Jiu Que was looking at.

The surrounding noise gradually subsided. Seeing Ying Jiuque and the others' movements, everyone seemed to realize something and instinctively made way. The next moment, many people seemed to understand, excitedly holding their breath, and gradually walked towards the bridge.

Some parents are itching to tear the kidnapper to pieces! They're all experiencing life for the first time, how can someone be so ruthless?
Jiu Que kept his eyes fixed on the dark archway of the bridge. As people quietly passed by on the riverbank, Jiu Que leaned forward slightly, as if confronting something that didn't exist. At that precise moment, Jiu Que suddenly waved his hand!

"thump!"

Lin Mingde's father was the first to jump down, rushing into the dark underpass without hesitation. The other elders of the child followed closely behind. Almost at the same time, angry shouts and curses rang out, interspersed with sounds of fighting, one after another.

There really was someone in the underpass!
"Come help! There are several children down there! They're all unconscious! These heartless bastards put the children on the wooden planks, and they're all soaked!"

Upon hearing this, how could the people around them possibly contain themselves? They jumped down like dumplings being dropped into a pot. Jiu Que kept a close eye on the commotion, lest anyone sneak away. Fortunately, there's strength in numbers, and soon several helpful neighbors swam out, escorting the two disheveled men.

Some quick-witted people had already taken out belts and other items to tie the person up. As soon as they were pushed ashore, they were pressed down on the ground. Some people couldn't hold back and quietly punched them, and the scene became somewhat chaotic.

Ying Jiuque strode over. The people who jumped in had already brought the children ashore. She quickly scanned the area and saw that six children, mostly between five and eight years old, had been rescued unconscious. None of them had red birthmarks on their ears! Jiuque's brows furrowed immediately. Lin Mingde's father, disregarding his depleted strength and injuries from the fight, lunged forward, grabbed one of the children by the collar, and slapped him twice across the face, almost in a frenzy!
"Where's my son? Where's my son?! Where did you take him? Why isn't he here?!"

The man who was caught looked honest and simple, not at all like someone who would do such a thing, but he was caught red-handed and had no way to deny it. However, no matter how much Lin Mingde's father threatened or bribed him, the man remained silent and clenched his teeth.

Aunt Lin was seething with anger. Despite her advanced age, she smacked the man's head several times. Seeing he remained silent, she could only cast a pleading look at Ying Jiuque. In her eyes, this man, who had noticed the anomaly in such a short time and even helped catch two kidnappers, must be a clever man. Time was of the essence; she had to find him as quickly as possible, or her grandson might not return.

“Lord Ying…” Ying Jiuque had already walked over and looked at the two human traffickers kneeling side by side on the ground with bruises and swelling on their faces, as well as the children being comforted in the arms of the adults next to them. He closed his eyes.

"According to the laws of our dynasty, those who voluntarily confess to the main culprit will have their crimes reduced by one degree. If you are accomplices who trafficked children, you should be hanged. If you reveal where the other children went, you may be spared your lives and exiled instead. Although the road to exile is long, it is better to be alive than to go on a journey alone."

Neither of the two spoke; they were very loyal and clearly looked down on each other.

Jiu Que didn't care about their attitude towards him. He simply turned around and gestured for Lin Mingde's father to lead another shifty-eyed man to the other side of the crowd, and then followed him.

The honest and kind man, who had initially appeared to be a loyal martyr, became alert and looked over there with wide eyes when he saw Ying Jiuque follow his companions to the other side, where a large crowd blocked their view. But at that moment, he could only hear a faint sound—it was the female official.

"...What? It really is... Ouch, this is troublesome... No worries, I can always... protect you... scapegoat..."

The man kneeling on the ground stared wide-eyed. He knew that cowardly Black Third Brother was unreliable; he was always a spineless coward who would confess easily after being fooled by an official! And he called himself a brother? Pah!
"Black Third Brother! You coward! You dare say you're following the boss's whereabouts? Nobody can protect you! Do you want to be thrown into the Yong'an River and drowned?! You fucking shut up right now! You—"

The man's words were suddenly cut off, because he saw the delicate-looking female official walk out from the separated crowd. The crowd then closed in, blocking his view, so he couldn't see what a cowardly Black Third looked like, but he could see the ambitious yet regretful expression on the female official's face.

Regret? Regret what? Besides, shouldn't you be here interrogating me right now?

Ying Jiuque didn't even spare him a glance, striding past without looking back.

Why did she walk right past me without turning back? No! She must not know anything; she's definitely faking it!

Ying Jiuque strode past the man and whispered to the older brother next to him to help him report the case to the yamen.

"...Take this sign and tell them that two kidnappers have been caught in the city center, and six children have been rescued. One of them has revealed the whereabouts of the ringleader and the other children. They can be temporarily detained in a safe place. Also, we need a lot of manpower to help here. If necessary, ask the city patrol to take action. Make sure they are caught..."

No no no no!
Seeing that Ying Jiuque was about to walk away, and that his hope of survival was rapidly slipping away, the man finally couldn't hold back any longer. He shoved away the two burly men who were holding him down, and in his haste, his voice cracked from shouting!
"It's not just children! It's women too!"

(End of this chapter)