"The Yin Family?"
The Yin Family was no obscure household. As the largest cloth merchant in Yulin, it was somewhat familiar to Magistrate Hui.
He remembered that Yin Deyuan, the head of the Yin Family, was extremely sophisticated. He wasn't a fool.
How could such a man tolerate Yin Qingxuan's lawlessness and let him cause trouble in his jurisdiction?
"Time is of the essence! Zhao Quan, take some men immediately to the Yichun Inn to rescue the hostages."
"Also, arrest Yin Qingxuan and that Qiao Haicheng for me!"
Zhao Quan received the order, bowed again, and then rushed out.
At the Yichun Inn.
Spring Niang and the two children were thrown into the cellar in the backyard, where it was pitch - black.
After an unknown amount of time, Spring Niang slumped to the ground. Her forehead hit a hard object, and the pain jolted her awake.
She was completely dazed. She raised her hand to hold her forehead, and her consciousness gradually returned as she recalled what had happened before.
She had seen her husband and Niuniu, and then, there was a dull pain in the back of her head. After that, she couldn't remember anything.
Right! Where were the kids?
Spring Niang felt a pang of fear.
She was in this god - forsaken place. Where were the children?
Spring Niang trembled all over and instinctively groped around.
She felt the familiar fabric and the smooth cheeks of the children!
Spring Niang called out urgently, "Girl? Boy? Wake up!"
She shook one in each arm, but Xiaojiao and Ahu in her arms were still sound asleep. There was no sign of waking up, and they didn't look like they were in a normal sleep at all.
Spring Niang panicked instantly. If anything happened to the children, she would never be able to atone for her sins.
Perhaps the extreme situation had awakened her survival instincts.
Spring Niang temporarily put the children aside and groped her way out by the faint light. Her foot seemed to trip over something.
She picked it up and recognized it as a cucumber...
There were all kinds of fruits and vegetables piled on the ground. Presumably, this lightless place was a cellar.
Once Spring Niang figured this out, she inched her way out. There must be an exit in the open space where there were fewer vegetables.
Sure enough, Spring Niang listened carefully below. There were people walking back and forth above.
She could also hear the voices of the kitchen helpers.
She was about to call for help.
Suddenly, she came to her senses and thought, what if they were all in cahoots?
Would those people come down and harm the children?
This thought made Spring Niang dare not act rashly.
She turned back and carried the two children over. This place was closest to the exit, so there was at least a little air.
Dear God and Bodhisattva, please send someone to save them!
Perhaps Spring Niang's prayer had worked.
She had been listening intently to the sounds outside the cellar.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside. It seemed that a group of officers and soldiers had come.
The leader with a booming voice said, "Search for them! A wet - nurse and two children. The Qiao brothers said they're hidden in the inn."
The footsteps came closer and then went farther away. In desperation, Spring Niang opened her mouth. Her voice was hoarse.
She shouted desperately, "Help! We're here! Come and save us! Sirs..."
Maybe the search in other places had yielded no results, or maybe Spring Niang's voice had finally reached their ears.
Zhao Quan and his men noticed the cellar in the backyard.
Several strong men worked together to move the debris covering the cellar entrance and pry open the cellar door. The glaring light from outside slanted in.
Who else could it be inside but Spring Niang and the two children?
Zhao Quan saw that the two children were being held safely by Spring Niang. They seemed to be unharmed, with no limbs missing. He heaved a sigh of relief. "Go and report to the constable and Lady Qi. We've found them!"
Not seeing the children for a moment, how could Pei Xia and Qi Jiao not be worried?
The couple followed Zhao Quan. When they arrived, they happened to run into Yin Qingxuan and Qiao Haicheng, who were trying to escape.
How could Pei Xia let the two culprits get away?
He took a few quick steps and caught up with them. Immediately, he beat the two of them half - disabled. Yin Qingxuan cried out for his parents, while Qiao Haicheng kept trying to clear himself of the blame. He even pulled Yin Qingxuan in front of him when being beaten.
Yin Qingxuan, forgetting about his swollen face, turned around and faced Qiao Haicheng with a look of "if I go to hell, you're coming with me". The two of them fought each other, which actually saved Pei Xia a lot of trouble. Soon, he tied them up like dumplings and threw them into the carriage.
When Qi Jiao and Pei Xia heard that the people had been found, they rushed towards the backyard.
Spring Niang had already been pulled out by Zhao Quan and his men. She was holding the children and crying. When she saw Qi Jiao and Pei Xia, she felt ashamed. Her knees went weak, and she knelt straight down in front of them.
"Madam, Sir... I was just confused for a moment. I failed to protect the children well. I'm guilty!"
Qi Jiao certainly knew that Spring Niang was at fault.
But Spring Niang was just a weak woman, and the thieves had used Spring Niang's husband and daughter as bait. She couldn't be blamed for this.
Qi Jiao didn't say a word. She first checked on the children.
Xiaojiao and Ahu had rosy complexions, but no matter how they were called, they wouldn't wake up!
This was about the children. Qi Jiao was almost crazy with anxiety. She got into the carriage and kicked Yin Qingxuan and Qiao Haicheng hard in the chest. "If anything happens to my children, I'll make you pay with your lives!"
Pei Xia forced himself to hold back his anxiety and tried his best to comfort Jiao Niang. He asked the people around to help carry the children, and then they rushed back to the county town to find a doctor.
The group rushed to the Huichun Hall. It was Doctor Zou who was on duty.
Doctor Zou examined Xiaojiao and Ahu and quickly wrote out a prescription. He told Qi Jiao and Pei Xia not to worry. "The two children must have been exposed to some sleeping incense. They'll wake up after sleeping for a few hours. It's nothing serious."
Doctor Zou was highly skilled in medicine. If he said it was okay, then it was okay.
Qi Jiao wiped the sweat from her palms. It took her a while to find her voice. "That's good, that's good. Thank you, Doctor."
Pei Xia supported Qi Jiao, whose legs were weak. He stroked her back gently. The two of them looked at each other. What could be more fortunate than a false alarm?
**
The children were safely brought back. Tang Guiniang from Yinwan and the Ye family members all came and kept watch day and night.
The wrongdoer should be held accountable.
Qi Jiao had always been someone who returned evil for evil, and Pei Xia would never allow anyone to bully his wife and children.
It was time for revenge.
If it hadn't been for Lianlian biting Qiao Er desperately when the two children and Spring Niang were abducted, God knew what terrible consequences there would have been.
Qi Jiao was burning with anger. Without even taking the time to change her clothes, she went directly to the county yamen and beat the drum to ask Magistrate Hui for justice.
Ge Fan, Ye Pa and the others spread the news in the streets and alleys that the Yin Family's young master had committed crimes and bullied the people of Lingle County.
The common people had long heard of Jiao Niang's good name and also respected Constable Pei for his integrity. When they heard that the young master of the Yin Family from the prefectural city had done such evil deeds, they were immediately enraged. They were eager to break into the prison and bash in Yin Qingxuan and Qiao Haicheng's heads.
Magistrate Hui and Fang Yunxin would help Qi Jiao get justice both for public and private reasons. They even helped to stir up public opinion and sent people to the prefectural city to "publicize" the whole thing.
Now, Yin Deyuan could no longer sit still. The nanmu armrest of his chair was completely destroyed by the enraged family head.
"Beast! What a stupid fool! I, Yin Deyuan, have been smart all my life. How could I have such a good - for - nothing son?!"
"Father, calm down! Maybe Big Brother did this because of the weaving skills and recipes of the Tang - Han Workshop. He had no other choice."
Yin Qingyue, the second young master of the Yin Family, said slowly, telling Yin Deyuan not to lose his head.
"In my humble opinion, this time, it was probably Cousin Qiao who instigated Big Brother. Big Brother is usually such an honest person. How could he come up with such a sinister and vicious plan? Don't worry, Father. Let's hire the best lawyer. We'll surely clear Big Brother's name and the Yin Family's name."
After hearing his son's words, Yin Deyuan gradually calmed down. He looked deeply at Yin Qingyue. "You're right. Your elder brother is timid and cowardly. This stupid idea must have been Qiao Haicheng's doing. Your elder brother was just being used... Right, do as you said. Go and hire a lawyer quickly..."