The pork butcher is smoother than a pig butcher!

Chapter 33 The Vanished Couple

Five days later.

The attending physician in charge of trauma at the clinic announced that the 75 seriously injured patients, including Mr. Luo, could be discharged from the hospital.

A full recovery is impossible.

It simply allowed the patient to let the wound heal until it scabbed over.

He's about 50-60% recovered internally, so he won't easily die on the road.

The reason these people were discharged from the hospital so quickly is not because they only needed a few more days to travel.

The problem was that the public funds in the hands of the two leaders were about to run out.

In less than seven days, the little three hundred taels of silver had dwindled to only one hundred and fifty taels.

If we don't leave now, we'll lose all 150 taels of silver.

Clearly, this amount of silver was not enough for the 330 prisoners and 70 officials to reach the border town.

Left with no other choice, the two had to borrow money from Cheng'an Prefecture once again on behalf of the Daming Prefecture government.

The leader surnamed Huang clutched his chest:

"I'm too ashamed to go back and see my superior! Other people who escort prisoners on a long trip get promoted or make a fortune! It's just the two of us, sending back loan slips again and again."

The leader surnamed Mao looked much more haggard than before.

He shuddered slightly: "You can't expect us to pay you out of our own pocket, can you?"

Who can guarantee that?

After all these events, there probably isn't much left to exploit from the Zuo clan.

So how can they make money?

I haven't figured out a way to make money yet.

The morning after these people were taken out of prison.

They're in big trouble again!

Zuo Wenxuan and his wife, along with their twins, disappeared at a post station within the jurisdiction of Qingfeng County.

When the escorting officers discovered that the family of four was missing, they felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them on a bright June day, chilling them to the bone.

The leader, surnamed Huang, trembled as he forced out a few words through gritted teeth:
"When did everyone disappear? Is anything unusual?"

"Boss, it must have been last night! The strange thing is, they're gone, but the bundles inside the house are still there, untouched."

Oh, that old woman still hasn't woken up. There's something off about the smell in the room; they might have used medicine again.

The two leaders felt like their heads were about to explode.

Quickly have someone bring cold water to splash the thirty-something-year-old nanny awake.

The old woman opened her eyes and was startled to see so many people surrounding her. She clutched her clothes tightly.
"Sir, what... what are you doing?"

"Get up right now. I'm asking you, did your masters do anything unusual before they went to bed last night?"

The old woman looked bewildered: "Something's wrong? There's nothing wrong!"

After speaking, she instinctively looked to see what her master meant, but after glancing around, her pupils dilated.

He called out, "Madam, young master, young lady?"

Seeing her like this, the officers' hearts sank to the bottom.

The leader, surnamed Mao, waved his hand and said, "Lock this old woman up and interrogate her properly!"

They're completely lost now, attacking whoever comes their way.

And those who are most closely related to Zuo Wenxuan's family by blood, none of them can be spared.

They first thoroughly investigated the dormitory where Zuo Wenxuan's family lived.

There were no signs of a fight inside.

There was no bloodstains or anything like that left behind.

They also have people on night watch.

How can one leave quietly without alerting the night watch officers?

The post station was quickly turned into a courtroom.

The officials were all on-duty personnel drawn from various county offices in Daming Prefecture. The constables and jailers were very familiar with the procedures for handling cases.

The postmaster was the first to be summoned for questioning.

Unfortunately, they knew nothing when asked.

One by one, the exiled prisoners were summoned for questioning.

The topic of the question.

First, they inquired about the direct line's relationship with the family, specifically which generation and clan they belonged to. Second, they asked if any unusual circumstances had been discovered regarding Zuo Wenxuan's family. Finally, they asked which room they were in at midnight last night and who could testify to their presence.

The officials said they would treat those who provided useful information well.

Those being questioned were all completely baffled.

When it was Gan Minglan's turn, she immediately sensed the officials' anxiety as soon as she entered.

After asking a few questions, I roughly understood what kind of trouble this family had gotten into.

He has many ideas in his mind, but he answers questions very slowly.

The officials didn't have much patience for this foolish beauty either, and when they realized they couldn't get anything out of her, they let her go.

After all that searching, no useful clues were found.

A former constable, based on the scene and the interrogation, said to the two leaders, "I believe they were kidnapped!"

Actually, everyone already had a guess in their hearts.

It's probably that thief's gang.

They have the resources and the motive to commit the crime!
The boss surnamed Huang's CPU was completely burned out:

"But last time they kidnapped people to steal, and they already stole several thousand taels of silver. What is their purpose in kidnapping people this time?"

"Could it be revenge for those three fellow disciples who were killed?"

"Shouldn't revenge be sought from the pork butcher?"

"Is it possible that they believe that the chivalrous hero was protecting Zuo Wenxuan's family?"

"According to you, why not just kill this family of four and be done with it? Why bother kidnapping them alive?"

Yeah! What's the point?
From the moment they started stealing from these poor people through the thieves' gate, everything felt out of place.

According to the rumors they had heard in the underworld, every time these people took action, it was a major case.

For a mere few thousand taels of silver, they sent so many people!
The two leaders discussed whether to report it to the authorities.

With only seventy men to guard three hundred and thirty prisoners, they simply didn't have the extra energy or ability to search for people.

Thinking of that eerie thief's den, I also recalled the chivalrous man that the pork seller's father had hired.

Then some people set their sights on her.

Gan Minglan, who was summoned to discuss an important matter, was speechless after hearing the whole story.

She pondered for a moment, then asked:
“They charge fifty taels of silver for each service because of their friendship with my father. How much are you planning to offer?”

The leader surnamed Mao was furious:
"Gan family, how dare you ask for money at a time like this? If Zuo Wenxuan's family runs away, all of you will be held accountable, and you might even be beheaded on the spot!"

Gan Minglan spread her hands: "The officials don't have to pay me to order them around, but I don't have the ability to catch the culprit!"

The other person retorted angrily, "Isn't he a friend your father invited?"

Gan Minglan chuckled and said, "Yes, it costs fifty taels of silver to save me once. If it's not a friend, the fee would be much more."

The officials were speechless, and they didn't have much time left.

The four people have been missing for three hours!
After discussing it, the two leaders decided to offer a hefty sum of one hundred taels of silver to hire a martial arts master to help.

Of course, they will only pay money to experts who provide reliable information.

Gan Minglan represented them in the transaction with the other party.

Entrusted with this important task, Gan Minglan readily agreed, and she even took a personal item with her.

He simply said, "This smells of sweat; perhaps it can be of some help to my fellow martial arts enthusiasts."

"Yes, yes, bring a few more items!"

"Just tell me if you need anything else. My only concern is finding this family as soon as possible; I don't care if they're alive or dead."

(End of this chapter)