Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

From afar, Xiao Yi and his companions could see two lanterns swaying in the night wind at the entrance of the county government office.

The faint light cast a dim glow on the stone lions on the steps.

"Young master, at this hour, I'm afraid we won't be able to get into the county government office."

Besides, the county magistrate is probably already asleep at this hour.

Qingfeng asked with concern.

They are just ordinary people now, and most officials look down on people.

Besides, it's the middle of the night.

"Young Master Qingfeng, you are overthinking it!"

Such a serious matter as child abduction would not be ignored by the county magistrate.

"The county magistrate must rise as long as he has a breath left."

Ah Chen said dismissively.

"Young Master Chen, you have no idea how corrupt the government is. I hope this magistrate is a good official!"

Qingfeng shook his head, thinking that the Crown Prince probably wouldn't have said that if he hadn't lost his memory.

"Stop arguing, I have a way to get the magistrate to do his job."

"Qingfeng, have you forgotten that I still have the Seven Killings Pavilion!"

Xiao Yi smiled, looking confident.

Qingfeng slapped his forehead. "Oh right, we also have the Seven Kill Pavilion. Hehe, look at my pig brain, I even forgot about that."

The reputation of the Seven Killings Pavilion is even better than the Prefect's personal visit.

Even members of the royal family dare not offend the Seven Killings Pavilion, let alone a mere county magistrate.

"Let's go, don't waste time. We still need to go to the inn to meet up with Tao'er and Ayan after we finish our business."

Xiao Yi quickened his pace.

The yamen runners on night duty saw a group of people approaching menacingly from afar. Just as they were about to reprimand them, Xiao Yi pulled out a token from his waist and handed it over.

The constable took a look, his face immediately changed, and he turned and ran inside, shouting, "Sir! Sir! Open the middle gate quickly!"

That's the token of the Seven Kills Pavilion's leader. The Seven Kills Pavilion is a name that strikes fear into the hearts of people in the martial arts world. Who wouldn't be afraid of it, and who would dare to provoke it?

Of course, many more people wanted to make connections, so the constables ran as fast as they could, seeing it as a good opportunity for them to curry favor with their superiors.

If the adults benefit from it, they will naturally promote him.

The county magistrate, whose real name was Qin Shouzheng, was about forty years old. He had a round face and a neat, short beard.

He had already taken off his official robes and was preparing to rest, but upon hearing the announcement, he rushed out to greet them without even having time to put his shoes back on.

Seeing his men in a panic, he scolded them in an annoyed tone, "What time is it? What's all this shouting about? Is the county government office on fire?"

"My lord, please calm your anger. I have important matters to report."

After the constable finished speaking, he took two steps forward and whispered something to Qin Shouzhen. Qin Shouzhen's eyes lit up immediately. He looked up and saw Xiao Yi and the others just two feet away.

The three men clearly possessed extraordinary bearing.

The person on the left, dressed in black, moves with the agility of a swallow, suggesting considerable martial arts skills.

The man on the right is handsome and elegant, exuding a natural air of nobility.

With striking eyebrows and bright eyes, he stood tall and exuded an aura of authority that commanded respect without anger.

Qin Shouzhen pondered for a moment, then immediately stepped forward, bent down, and said...

"Young master, is there anything I can help you with so late at night?"

Xiao Yi waved his hand, then clasped his hands in a salute, "Lord Qin, my master's nephew has been kidnapped by kidnappers. I have come to ask you to send troops to arrest him and rescue the child."

"If anything happens to my nephew, you know what the consequences will be!"

Xiao Yi knew that if he didn't bring up the Seven Killings Pavilion, Magistrate Qin probably wouldn't conduct a midnight search and arrest.

Qin Shouzhen broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this; these money-grabbing thugs were incredibly audacious.

He nodded quickly, then asked, "Don't worry, young master, I will definitely cooperate fully."

Please provide the specific details.

Xiao Yi briefly explained the situation.

He thought to himself that if Qin Shouzhen was willing to cooperate in arresting people, and was an upright and good official, then so be it.

If he doesn't cooperate, he's a corrupt official, and he doesn't recommend replacing the magistrate of Ping'an County.

As Magistrate Qin listened, his face grew increasingly grim. When he heard that the kidnappers had abducted children on the street during the Lantern Festival, he slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Outrageous!"

This is utterly lawless!

There have been several cases of children going missing recently, but the perpetrators have not yet been caught.

The investigation yielded no important clues.

Xiao Yi looked at Qin Shouzhen's feigned anger and thought to himself, "Looks like he's just another corrupt and incompetent official!"

Xiao Yi continued, "Magistrate Qin, now is not the time to be angry. We must hurry to those dens, arrest those child traffickers, and rescue all the children."

The other dens are located at…

Upon hearing that Ma Zi had revealed the hiding place of his accomplices, Magistrate Qin suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing with shrewdness, overjoyed.

"Men! Pass down the order: muster all troops and depart immediately with me!"

He turned around, bowed deeply to Xiao Yi, his voice trembling slightly: "Young master, to be honest, this gang of beggars has been committing crimes in this county for several months. I am worried day and night, but I have repeatedly failed to catch them. I cannot eat or sleep at all."

"Today, you, sir, have seized this crucial lead for me. On behalf of those parents who have lost their children, I kowtow to you!"

He then actually started to kneel down.

Xiao Yi quickly reached out to support him, his tone calm yet sincere: "You flatter me, sir."

Those who traffic in children are committing the heinous crime of child abduction and trafficking, and everyone should condemn them. Moreover, my master's nephew is among them.

"My lord, there's no need for further words. Let's set off immediately, or things might change."

Magistrate Qin nodded repeatedly, straightened his clothes, and led dozens of constables. Under the guidance of Ma Zi, they rushed straight to the dilapidated house in the west of the city under cover of night.

The operation went surprisingly smoothly.

The lame old Liu and Ma San were still fast asleep in the house when the yamen runners broke in and pinned them down in their blankets. They didn't even have time to put on their pants before they were restrained.

The old woman called Sister Hua was clever; hearing the commotion, she tried to slip away through the back door, but Qingfeng, who was guarding the back, kicked her back, and she fell flat on her back.

The four children who were locked in the woodshed are still alive. The oldest is only six years old and the youngest is just over two years old. They are all covered in dust and their eyes are full of terror.

Even Qingfeng, a grown man, had tears welling up in his eyes. He knelt down and comforted each of them, whispering, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, your brothers will take you home."

As the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, the last lantern went out.

Xiao Yi stood at the entrance of the county government office, watching the yamen runners escort the four beggars into the office in single file, and watching Magistrate Qin arrange for people to go down and cook noodles.

I felt relieved; these despicable swindlers had finally been caught.

The children were also rescued.