"These people should be a gang committing crimes. Where are they hiding?"
[These people are not only a gang, but their leader is also a member of a gang in Shangjing City. Above them, there are even clerks in the yamen acting as their protectors.
The hiding place is even more unexpected to many people. Ling Yinghua borrowed the servants from the families of her relatives and friends to search for the children. They searched for three days and three nights.
The reason why they couldn't find those children was not only because someone was obstructing them, but also because the place where they were hidden was too unexpected.
As the first city in Dayan, the size of Shangjing City is as large as the underground waterway network beneath it.
There are quite a few people living down there, mostly those who commit crimes. If the emperor were to conduct a thorough investigation of the underground water network, he could arrest many wanted criminals.]
A flash of sharp light passed through the eyes of Cai Xian and Wei Ping. They were currently tracking down several fugitives and enemy spies. The information they received was that these people were still in Shangjing City, but they couldn't find where they were hiding, not even a single clue.
Now, after hearing what the divine artifact master said, they thought that the people they were looking for were very likely hiding somewhere in this underground water network.
"Shouldn't that place be full of sewage? Can people still live there?"
[It's certainly possible. The water network down there is well - developed. Of course, people can't live in the main waterways. However, some of the tributaries that are severely silted up have been abandoned or artificially diverted by the people living there.
There is an entrance hidden in the well of the broken temple in the south of the city. The so - called 'beggars' living inside just sleep all day long. They don't even beg but can still be well - fed. It's because these people are actually the guards of the entrance pretending to be beggars.
There is also an entrance hidden in the orphanage in the north of the city. The dean has long colluded with those people. Some of the children in the orphanage were finally sent down there by him, either to be thugs or for the amusement of the people below.
In the Chongming Temple in the west of the city, there is also an entrance hidden under a arhat statue behind the side hall.]
"Xiaozhuzi, what do you mean by someone obstructing?"
[Normally, the Ling Jijiu family quickly noticed that the children were missing and immediately started mobilizing people to look for them. Those abductors didn't have time to transfer the children underground.
They should have been able to find the children in time. Several times, they passed by the children's hiding place, but they didn't find them. Besides the intentional misleading of the Xia family,
there was also a clan elder of the Ling family who had a vested interest relationship with Brother De, the leader of the child - abducting gang. This Brother De was lame, so his nickname was 'Lame Brother De'.]
"Those child - abducting people are really immoral. They are extremely immoral. After death, they will surely go to the Avici Hell and suffer for a hundred years."
[A grandson of this Ling clan elder, Li Shu, joined Brother De's gang. He often used his convenience in status to gather a lot of official information for Brother De.
On that day, his family also participated in the search for the children. They deliberately covered for the child - abducting people at the place where the children were hiding.
As soon as someone came to that area, they pretended to be searching too and then loudly said that they found nothing unusual.
In this way, they deceived several groups of people. Finally, they covered for those people to enter the underground through the entrance in the Chongming Temple.]
"This family is at least of the same clan as the Ling Jijiu family. Just because a grandson is involved with Brother De, they help outsiders harm their relatives? The minds of ordinary people are really complicated."
[Master, that's because there was a feud between the two families in the previous generation. Sometimes, outsiders are not scary. It's the backstab from so - called relatives that is the most deadly.]
"What kind of feud? It probably involves nothing more than money and status."
[The father of this clan elder and the grandfather of Ling Jijiu had the same father. Ling Jijiu's grandfather was the eldest legitimate son, and the father of this clan elder was the youngest concubine - born son.
Later, Ling Jijiu's great - grandfather had a younger full - brother who died unmarried. He felt sorry for his brother having no descendants and being afraid that no one would offer sacrifices to his spirit after his death, so he adopted his youngest concubine - born son to his younger brother's branch.
Later, when his great - grandfather divided the family property before his death, the main branch got 60% of the property, and the remaining 40% was divided among all the other brothers. The father of the clan elder thought that since he was inheriting the incense of his uncle's branch and was considered an independent branch, he should get more.
Unfortunately, his wish didn't come true. Later, his mother's concubine died unexpectedly. The father of the clan elder thought that Ling Jijiu's grandfather and great - grandmother were behind it, and since then, he hated the eldest branch.
Also, his aunt had an unhappy marriage and died early. His father also blamed the eldest branch for this.
When the clan elder was a child, his father instilled this feud in him. So, although this branch of the family still seemed to be part of the Ling family, they had long been estranged from the main Ling family because of the interest disputes in the previous generation.]
"Did all these things happen because of Ling Jijiu's grandfather?"
[No. The old concubine slipped and fell on the icy ground in winter. She was ill for more than half a year and then passed away.
His sister married into the family of his mother's concubine's elder sister. That family embezzled her dowry and took in new concubines. In the end, his sister died of depression.
The father of the clan elder didn't stand up for his sister because of the kinship. After her death, he couldn't get the dowry back, so he blamed Ling Jijiu's grandfather for not helping. ]
"I guess Ling Jijiu doesn't even know that there is such a big 'enemy' beside him."
Ling Jijiu: Who would have thought that the uncle who always smiles when meeting actually always has the intention to take revenge on his family!
[This family later did quite well in Beili after the fall of the Dayan Dynasty because they were the first to surrender and made contributions when the new regime was established.]
"How did they make contributions during the siege? Did they open the city gate?"
Emperor Mingxi and his officials all felt a sinking feeling in their hearts. Could the city gate be opened by just anyone?
[There are countless crimes hidden underground in Shangjing City. When foreign enemies invaded, many people down there led the way for the foreign troops, hoping to gain a 'merit of following the new emperor'.
People like Brother De and Li Shu hid some foreign soldiers underground and even dug a waterway leading outside the city. The Dayan army was caught off guard...]
"Let's not worry about this for now. It was the incompetence of the entire court and the emperor in governing the country that led to the downfall of Dayan. No one can be blamed for this."
The officials of the Dayan Dynasty: Sure enough, the young immortal is still as heartless as ever. She never even thought about saving their lives! Doge face JPG
[Master, do you want to save these three children of the Ling family?]
Yue Fuguang thought for a while. Just when everyone thought she would refuse, they heard her say, "Innocent children should be saved. Later when we go to see the lanterns, we'll pass by the Ling Mansion anyway. Let's go and take a look."
[Should we tell Lord Ling?]
"How can we tell him? Should we say that his grandchildren will be abducted by child - abductors today and will never be found again? Do you think he'll believe it?"
Ling Yinghua nodded frantically in her heart. Believe, of course I believe. But the premise is that you have to open your mouth first!
[Forget it then. Master is still just a child in their eyes and lacks authority. They probably won't believe the truth even if we tell them.]
The officials of the Dayan Dynasty stared with wide eyes as if their eyes could speak. The same message was conveyed in their eyes: Your master lacks authority?!
In the hearts of these people in the Dayan Dynasty, her words were comparable to the imperial edicts of the emperor.
