Chapter 262

Chapter 262: The Woman Sold by Her Fiancé

With such a tragic past, it was no surprise that Li Yu would turn into a vengeful ghost.

She had thought about hunting down that scumbag to take revenge, and she had wanted to kill Yu Tie Zhu, the one who planned it all. But she could not leave the dry well at all.

Yesterday, Yu Zhi Yi had people lift her out, so Li Yu could finally move around freely. But then she realized she could no longer sense the scumbag’s presence.

Yu Zhi Yi asked: “Do you know his birth date and hour?”

Li Yu thought for a moment and said: “Before the accident, our families were arranging our marriage. I know his birth date and hour.”

She recited it. Yu Zhi Yi did a quick divination, her face showing surprise for a heartbeat. After a moment, she said: “He did not end well. We happen to be passing through your hometown next. I will take you to see what has become of him.”

Hearing that the scumbag met a bad end, Li Yu’s anger thinned a great deal. She said: “All right, I trust Official Yu.”

Most of the other girls’ last wishes had to do with their families. Almost all wanted to see their loved ones one last time. No one but Yu Zhi Yi could really help with that.

But Yu Zhi Yi’s leave was only one month, and these victims came from all over the land. If they set out as one big group, they would not finish all the wishes before her leave ended.

Yu Zhi Yi thought it over and decided to write a letter when she got back to her lodging to ask the Emperor for more time. Two months would be best. She figured that whatever work piled up, she could handle it by working overtime when she returned.

She put thought into action. That night she wrote a petition and sent it back to the capital by fast horse. Since they had only just set out that day, the courier could travel light and make it back quickly.

Commandery Governor Du worked fast. By the next day, he had already found the hometowns of the women who had survived in the Immortal Grotto, and he even learned the identities of some of the lords who had patronized the place from the victims’ accounts.

However, the court had abolished the strict rule against officials visiting brothels decades ago. So even knowing who those patrons were, they could not punish them. As for figures like Branch Master Chen, a hero from the martial world, there was no way to convict them either.

The only people they could deal with were the staff of the Immortal Grotto.

Governor Du reported everything to Yu Zhi Yi exactly as it was. Looking at the long list of names, she spoke after a long pause: “Send the women home first.”

She had Li Rou bring out several banknotes and said: “Please keep following up on the later matters, Governor Du. It would be best to check in on them after some time to see how they are doing.”

“If any woman returns home and cannot make a living, I ask that Da He Commandery help place her and give her honest work so she can support herself.”

Seeing the banknotes, each worth a thousand taels, Governor Du grew flustered and said: “Official Yu, I cannot accept this. I will keep a close eye on the matter. There is no need for you to spend money.”

Yu Zhi Yi glanced at Jiang Liu Yun, and Jiang Liu Yun tucked the money into Governor Du’s arms. She said: “You are an upright official, Governor Du. I cannot make you pay out of pocket. Do not worry, this is not my private money. His Majesty gave me special permission to do charity. This money counts as public funds. When I return to the capital, His Majesty will reimburse me.”

Only then did Governor Du relax and accept the money. He said: “In that case, I thank His Majesty and I thank Official Yu.”

They stayed one more day in Da He Commandery to follow the progress of the two dens of evil.

The Immortal Grotto needed little explanation. All the people involved were either arrested, rescued, or buried, as each case required.

The Black Inn had fewer victims than the Immortal Grotto, but it was no less troublesome. First, many who vanished there were hard to track. Even though Yu Zhi Yi found a ledger that recorded where the victims were sold, the buyers were scattered everywhere, so rescue would be very hard. Second, the stolen silver would be hard to recover. Lastly, there were the identities of the dead. Oddly enough, that part was the easiest because Yu Zhi Yi was there. She spent another afternoon matching the remains to the victims and confirming who they were, so she could finally cut ties with those two big cases.

As for the rest, though troublesome, the yamen could get good results if they worked with care over time. Yu Zhi Yi did not intervene further.

Early on the third day, they set out again for Tian’an Commandery.

Because the two cases were so cruel, everyone’s spirits were low on the road. Only the most optimistic one, Jiang Liu Yun, recovered quickly and even felt like talking. He said: “Speaking of which, Governor Du is truly unlucky. He has been in office one year, but he has to take the blame for the two previous governors’ neglect. If Sister had not been drawn into this at just the right time, he could never have cleared his name.”

Marquis Wu’an’s heir apparent agreed completely. He now fully believed in Yu Zhi Yi’s ability. So did the escorting guards. They had to admit it. Without Official Yu protecting them, they would have fallen into those monsters’ traps and ended up eating human flesh and drinking human blood.

Thinking about that made many of them want to throw up.

The rest of the journey went smoothly. They traveled by day, rested by night, and moved at a steady, determined pace toward Tian’an Commandery.

No one knew that on the fifth night after leaving the capital, their well-protected young lady slipped out of the inn without a sound.

Feng Gu Commandery sits about two hundred li from both Tian’an Commandery and Da He Commandery. It is not a very lively commandery city.

In this Central Plains commandery, there were once two wealthy merchant families that were well matched. The two heads of the families had grown up together and promised to watch over each other, help each other, and grow together. When their wives got pregnant around the same time, the two men made another promise: if the babies were the same sex, the children would become sworn siblings; if one was a boy and the other a girl, they would marry them.

Ten months later, the two madams gave birth only a few days apart, one to a boy and one to a girl. The Wang Clan had a young master, and the Li Clan had a young miss. The two heads were overjoyed and set a child betrothal so the children would marry when grown.

Seventeen years passed in a blink, and the two children reached marriage age. The families began to prepare the wedding according to their promise. But less than half a month before the wedding, the Li family’s young miss suddenly disappeared. The two families searched for a full month, yet they found no trace, living or dead. Madam Li cried every day until she fainted many times. Her health grew worse and worse. Everyone thought Miss Li had been harmed by criminals.

The Wang Clan acted generous. They said that no matter what, Miss Li was their daughter-in-law, and they would help the Li Clan search for her until she was found.

Just then, a woodcutter from outside the city came to report that a little over a month earlier, he had seen Miss Li. She was holding hands with a man, carrying a bag, smiling happily, and walking toward the city gates.