Transmigration: From Farmer To Empress-Chapter 1931 - 1938: Yu’er Is Missing (6)

Cai Wei was holding Jin’er, walking and asking passersby: "Excuse me, have you seen an old lady holding a child? She is holding a child exactly like this one I have..."

The passersby shook their heads; none could provide her with the answer she wanted. Jin’er saw his mother anxious, like something was wrong, and tried to comfort her sensibly: "Mother, don’t worry, we’ll definitely find Younger Brother."

"Mm!"

Cai Wei nodded, but tears unknowingly started to flow. She had always been a spoiling mother, never imagined she would lose a child, especially Yu’er, who was the timid one. Just recently, while talking about the growth of young eagles, he was saying that preserving life was the priority. Never imagined that at this moment he would be abducted by kidnappers. She didn’t know whether he’d suffer or face any danger.

If, by chance, the kidnappers discover Yu’er’s identity, would they act like cornered dogs, and destroy evidence or anything of the sort? The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, and her steps grew weak.

"Cai Wei!"

A familiar voice called out, like a gentle breeze and drizzle. Cai Wei paused and looked towards the voice, seeing Huo Yuan and Cao Jin coming out from a restaurant by the roadside.

Seeing Cai Wei’s tear-streaked face and fragile appearance, Huo Yuan’s heart ached and he softly asked, "What’s the matter? Why are you crying like this out of the blue?"

Upon seeing Huo Yuan, Cai Wei felt as if she saw family and sobbed, "Big Brother Huo, please help me, my Yu’er has disappeared, taken away by an old woman."

Upon hearing this, Huo Yuan quickly asked, "Have you notified His Majesty?"

"Not yet, I was just about to return to the palace to seek help."

Cao Jin said, "I’ll go notify His Majesty. You gather more people to search; those kidnappers usually abduct for money, so the young prince should be safe."

Immediately, Cao Jin hurried into the palace to report to Wanyan Jingchen. Upon hearing this, Wanyan Jingchen decisively ordered the Nine City Soldier and Horse Department, Patrol Camp, Jingzhou Prefecture, and the Department of Penalty to act, strictly inspecting the nine gates and searching the entire city. Huo Yuan also mobilized his power to search for Yu’er’s whereabouts everywhere.

They initially thought that the kidnappers were mere troublemakers without much capability, and within one hour they could retrieve Yu’er. However, who would have thought the sun had set with no sign of him; Cai Wei was about to go mad with anxiety, and even Nangong Yi began to feel restless.

They didn’t know that at this moment, Yu’er, who they couldn’t find anywhere, had been taken to a small village not far from the capital city.

At this moment, in a household located in the western part of Nao’ao Village, the courtyard door was tightly closed. Two big dogs lay in the corner of the yard gnawing on bones, the main hall’s door was shut, with a faint red glow of the fire basin seeping through, and voices and aromas of meat and wine wafted from inside.

"Big Brother, the children we have this time are pretty good. Once sent to the south, they should fetch a good price!"

The speaker was the owner of this small courtyard, Scarface. The man he referred to as Big Brother was in his forties, extremely short and ordinary in appearance, yet his eyes emitted a sharp vibe. Upon hearing this, he laughed heartily and took a swig of liquor: "Rest assured, once they sell for a good price, according to old rules, we’ll split it evenly, Big Brother won’t mistreat you."

"Look at what you’re saying, as if me and my mother don’t trust you and that’s why we’re saying this, we didn’t mean it that way. Come, come, drink, drink!"

Scarface’s mother brought out scalding liquor from the kitchen, just as she heard Big Brother’s words, and laughed it off while pouring the drinks.

This maid wasn’t anyone else but the very one Cai Wei had entrusted to hold the child.

Looking at the maid’s kindly elder-like appearance, she was actually malicious, together with her good-for-nothing son, running schemes of kidnapping and theft. The capital is bustling, and every year they steal children out from the capital, hand them to Big Brother, rest a bit then take water routes, selling the children directly to the South. Because the stolen children are always of exceptional appearance, each trip ends up quite lucrative.

This time, capitalizing on the Shang Yi Wu Festival, they snatched seven or eight children in one go, and also several striking maidens, all drugged and packed in a carriage, smuggled out of the capital, hidden inside her home.

The children this time were quite a nice haul, especially the little child she picked up, fair and tender even though young, but that appearance, one glance and it’s an earthly beauty. Such goods, if sold to small official residences in the South, would fetch a sky-high price.

It’s known that boys are far more expensive than girls; even boys from ordinary households are guarded closely, regarded as lumps of gold, selling girls is common but selling sons is quite rare. This batch of good-looking boy goods is almost nonexistent, and encountering such an earthly beauty, the price...

Just thinking about it makes one’s heart excited!