Chapter 625: Chapter 625: He Truly Is a Victim

Who is Liu Ji?

He’s someone who can take advantage of an opportunity instantly, like climbing up a vine the moment it’s given to him.

As he quietly observed Qin Yao finish a glass of water without saying a word about wanting to reunite with her brother, he immediately decided to forget all the information he had learned from the Qin Family’s caravan that morning, as if he had never known these secrets.

Soon, there was a commotion at the village entrance, and Liu Ji immediately rose to inquire, "Madam, I’m going to see if Ah Wang and the others have returned."

Qin Yao nodded, "Go ahead." She appreciated his awareness of the situation.

She really didn’t want to acknowledge Qin Feng as her brother. The reason was simple: because she wasn’t Qin Feng’s sister and couldn’t weave a perfect lie to assume this identity.

As for Qin Feng’s attitude... She would take it one step at a time.

Since they were siblings, he must have been aware of her oddities. He wouldn’t have tested her multiple times the night before but would have directly acknowledged her on the spot.

"Mother, so many government officers have come!"

Sanlang and Si Niang excitedly ran in, pointing outside, "Uncle Ah Wang brought many government officers, and all those villains have been captured!"

Sanlang and Si Niang pulled Qin Yao with one on each side, eager to see the excitement at the village entrance, as it was heartening to see the villains caught.

"Wait a moment." Qin Yao pulled her hands away from the two children and turned to gesture to the pile in the corner of the hall, "You two come with us, there’s no need to fear these villains anymore with the government backing you."

The government’s conviction required witnesses and evidence. No one knew better about the crimes of these human traffickers than Gouwa and his brother.

However, the pile of bedding only moved a little and then squirmed tighter.

Qin Yao only then realized how uneasily country kids like them fit into public courtroom settings.

Let alone little kids, even adults from the village and townsfolk avoided seeing officials unless absolutely necessary, fearing they might not come out once they entered the government office.

Qin Yao sighed helplessly and said, "My husband is a scholar; with him as a key witness, the County Magistrate will definitely handle this justly."

"Besides, if you two don’t seize the opportunity now, there will be plenty of witnesses stepping forward. By then, whether you can still earn the first achievement is uncertain."

After waiting a bit, the tightly bound bedding started moving. Gouwa, pulling his younger brother, came out cautiously, following behind Qin Yao and the three children.

On the way, Si Niang taught them how to speak when meeting government officers, advising against being timid or rash, answering only when questioned to avoid saying too much and making mistakes.

Gouwa was surprised by her earnestness and couldn’t help but ask in a small voice, "Fourth Sister, don’t you hate me?" Why would she tell him these things?

Si Niang snorted, not answering. She gestured for Gouwa and his brother to follow her and ran towards the busy group of officers at the village entrance.

She shouted, "Officers, here are two more witnesses!" gesturing with her eyes for Gou Dan to step up.

Being able to survive under the villains’ hands, he naturally had more courage than ordinary kids and immediately fell on his knees with his brother before what seemed to be the leading officer, explaining who the one-eyed man’s gang were and what each had done.

The officers had received the report early on and initially couldn’t believe it until Ah Wang presented Liu Ji’s scholar certification. With a scholar guaranteeing the report, they finally took action.

Upon following Ah Wang and Uncle Qi to Wildcat Village, seeing all the people there confusing them, Gouwa’s appearance was immensely helpful.

Quickly, the officers started taking action, the leaders were promptly cuffed, and the remaining minions, whether male or female, were tied, mouths gagged, and all bound with hemp rope.

The rescued women and children were placed in carriages, to be brought to the government office, where their families would come to claim them.

After busily working all morning, it wasn’t until noon that the officers finished clearing the entire Wildcat Village, escorting the traffickers and rescued women and children back to An County Government.

This major case caused quite a stir throughout Yu Zhou, prompting people from Yu Zhou Main City to be dispatched, and An County Government recruited personnel from various regions to capture the entire gang of human traffickers over half a month.

In this period, Liu Ji and Qin Feng went to court as informants. They stayed in the government office for two days until all statements were recorded before coming out.

Of course, Liu Ji didn’t forget his wife’s instruction. Many people came from the Main City, and he didn’t miss collecting rewards from anyone who posted a bounty before, collecting the prizes verified by An County Magistrate into his pouch.

Watching Liu Ji’s bulging money bag was so intimidating that even An County Magistrate couldn’t help but suspect that he reported out of scheming rather than claiming to be victimized by deceit as he said.

Feeling An County Magistrate’s suspicious gaze, Liu Ji pocketed the money bag and turned back with an innocent look.

He swore they were indeed victims!

The journey to the Capital was still long, and Qin Yao’s family couldn’t stay in An County to wait for the outcome. Once Liu Ji came out of the office, the family continued their journey.

The children seemed concerned about Gouwa and his brother, as they had no parents or relatives and didn’t know where they would head.

Yin Le gently tapped the heads of the droopy children, optimistically saying, "Don’t worry, those are two tough kids. They survived under the traffickers’ hands. Even without family protection, they’ll surely live well."

Driving the carriage outside, Liu Ji laughingly added, "Many gold and silver items were found in Wildcat Village’s cellar, to be given as compensation to these innocent kids. They’ll get at least one or two hundred coins and won’t starve for a while."

"Moreover, only two of them are left in Wildcat Village. With the fields and lands, and the house... It’s hard for them to be poor~" Liu Ji couldn’t help but speak with a tone of envy.

However...

Looking at his own small money bag, much fuller than before, he didn’t need to envy others too much.

For generosity, no one surpassed his wife.

See, he just spent two days at the office and helped her reclaim a total of 180 taels of bounty, and she generously rewarded him thirty taels as hard-earned compensation.

Although it covered the cost of food, meat could be caught by Ah Wang, and vegetarian dishes could be foraged by Ah Le and the children during breaks. Rounding up, these thirty taels were barely touched!

"Hehehe~" The thought made Liu Ji unable to restrain his laughter.

Just then, Ah Wang passed in front of the carriage on horseback, flicking a tailful of dust in his face.

Liu Ji: "..."

Ah Wang reported, "Madam, the Qin Family’s caravan has been following us. It seems they’re traveling with us. Should we go say hello?"

Both sides cooperated to take down the human traffickers’ hideout. Two days ago, Qin Feng and Liu Ji also testified together at the government office, eating and living together, so some rapport was built.

The Capital is still far off, and no one could predict what might happen along the way. Traveling together with the caravan for mutual support could save them a lot of trouble.