Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 168 Canglan Ferry (38)

Fuming Mountain.

The night was as dark as ink. When the group reached the foot of the mountain, Zhang Baichen belatedly realized that they were going the wrong way and whispered to Pei Ji, "Your Highness, have we taken the wrong path?"

Pei Ji remained expressionless: "Judging from the tracks on the road, they're heading this way... Shh!"

As soon as he made a shushing gesture, Zhang Baichen immediately shut up.

"Did you hear anything?" Pei Ji asked. "It sounds like a woman calling for help."

Everyone pricked up their ears, listening intently to any sounds coming from the night.

A breeze blew by, making the trees in the surrounding mountains rustle, interspersed with faint sobbing sounds.

"There are people crying, and more than just one or two."

Pei Ji and Zhang Baichen exchanged a glance, sensing from each other's eyes that the situation was not simple. Zhang Baichen immediately ordered his men to extinguish the torches, and hundreds of people crawled forward in the mountains and forests.

After turning a bend in the mountain valley, lights appeared ahead, revealing a solitary village.

Night had fallen, but Zhuangzi was brightly lit, making the woman's intermittent sobs even clearer.

When the enemy and ourselves are unclear, it is most taboo to act rashly. In order to avoid alerting the enemy, Pei Ji and Zhang Baichen discussed and decided that Pei Ji would take four highly skilled guards to find out the situation.

The others lay prone at a distance, keeping a close watch on any activity within the village.

Pei Ji moved quickly, returning in no more than 45 minutes, his expression grave.

“Lord Zhang, there’s a cloth dyeing village at the foot of the mountain. The crying is coming from the village. Judging from the noise, it’s possible that more than just my wife and your daughter have been kidnapped.”

Zhang Baichen's expression was serious: "Under the very nose of the emperor, how dare these bandits be so audacious!"

As the two were talking, a shrill cry suddenly rang out from inside the manor.

Zhang Baichen quickly turned his head to look into the manor, where he saw two women being dragged out of the manor by three or four strong men, who then swiftly killed them with their knives, splattering blood everywhere.

Zhang Baichen frowned as he looked at it.

He was a scholar-general who had fought alongside the emperor, who was then the crown prince, when he was young. However, he had not been involved in any bloodshed for many years. Now, seeing two living people being killed before his eyes, he felt not only uncomfortable but also somewhat anxious.

My daughter is still inside. If we don't save her quickly, will Lan'er be the next one to be killed?

Pei Ji seemed even more anxious than him: "Lord Zhang, let's get started quickly. If we delay any longer, I'm worried they might harm my wife."

He was about to lead his men to rush down the slope when Zhang Baichen stopped him, saying, "Your Highness, wait!"

Zhang Baichen stared at the manor at the foot of the mountain. From his prone position, he could see the guards patrolling around the manor.

These guards didn't resemble roughnecks in skill or demeanor; rather, they seemed like professionally trained assassins.

“This matter is not so simple.” Zhang Baichen lowered his voice and analyzed to him, “Those patrolmen are quite skilled. The people you and I brought today are mostly servants and guards, and they are probably no match for them.”

Pei Ji subtly lured him into the situation, asking, "Then what should we do?"

Zhang Baichen did not answer immediately, his eyes fixed on the commotion in the manor, his mind racing.

Just as he was pondering how to solve the problem, the sound of a carriage came from the road leading to the manor.

Two carriages approached from afar, with the person leading the horses carrying a lantern. The eerie yellow light shone like a moving will-o'-the-wisp in the thick darkness.

Pei Ji immediately said, "Someone is coming."

The two held their breath and watched as the carriage stopped in front of the manor. The curtain was lifted, and several people got out of the carriage and were led into the manor.

By the light of the lanterns and candles in front of the manor, Zhang Baichen could see the faces of two of them clearly, and his expression immediately turned serious.

"Lord Wei, Lord Pan... why are they here?"

Pei Ji pretended not to hear clearly: "Lord Zhang, what did you say?"

Zhang Baichen realized that the matter was far more complicated than he had imagined. This manor was not home to any bandits or outlaws, but rather to an organization backed by someone with a powerful background.

If he rashly gets involved, he may find it difficult to remain unscathed in the future.

Zhang Baichen hesitated for a moment.

Should we drag the entire Zhang family into this mess in order to save our daughter?

Pei Ji noticed his hesitation and suddenly said, "Could the women in this manor be victims of the missing young girls case?"

Zhang Baichen paused, then asked, "What?"

Pei Ji explained, "A few days ago, a government official in the capital reported that his ten-year-old daughter had gone missing. The yamen investigated and found that there had been more than thirty similar cases in the surrounding towns and villages in recent years. However, most of the missing girls were daughters of farmers, so it did not attract much attention. The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review are investigating this case. Could it be that those missing girls were taken to this village?"

Zhang Baichen's expression darkened, as if he had somehow connected the dots: "Most likely."

Upon hearing this, Pei Ji immediately said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's solve the case and save the people!"

"Your Highness!" Zhang Baichen called out to him, "This matter may involve court infighting. If you and I go down to rescue them, we may be forced to take sides in the future, and we will have no choice in what we do."

Only that person would dare to do such a thing under the emperor's nose, and even involve court officials...

"That's for later. Right now, all I want is to save my wife! And I also want to solve this major case that has been troubling the Ministry of Justice for so long."

Pei Ji said with a determined look, "Lord Zhang, isn't the duty of an official to speak up for the people? The case and the victims are right in front of us. I can't pretend nothing happened. Are you going or not? If you're not going, I'll go by myself."

Looking at his passionate expression, Zhang Baichen was slightly taken aback, as if he were seeing himself when he first entered officialdom.

At that time, he was also full of ambition, wanting to bring benefits to the country and its people and to accomplish a great career that would be remembered for generations.

Having navigated the ups and downs of officialdom for decades, he had long since seen through the ways of the world. In recent years, he had carefully cultivated his own virtue, done his job well, and remained unmoved no matter how those people tried to win him over.

Honestly, does he really want to remain numb forever?

On one side was the Zhang family and his career, and on the other was his daughter and a major case involving dozens of households. Zhang Baichen gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and with what little youthful ambition he had left, said, "Go!"

Pei Ji's heart skipped a beat. He had succeeded!

With Zhang Baichen involved, this matter is almost certain to be resolved.

"Then let's do it now..."

“No!” Zhang Baichen said calmly. “The master behind the manor may be the Prince of Yan and important officials in the court. It’s not something that you and I can handle. You take your men and stay here to guard the place. I will go back to the capital to ask for help.”

Pei Ji asked, "Lord Zhang, are you going to report this to the authorities?"

"No, I want to go to the palace to meet the Emperor."

Pei Ji did not expect Zhang Baichen to be so decisive, directly reporting the matter to the emperor.

But on second thought, this is the most direct and effective method.

"The palace gates are already locked at this time. How will Lord Zhang meet with the Emperor?"

“I have my own way,” Zhang Baichen said. “You just need to promise me that you won’t act rashly and wait for me to come back here.”

Pei Ji nodded solemnly: "Okay!"