flstandardbreds Chapter 167 The road is rough
Chapter 167 The road is rough
Lu Yangyang grabbed the crown prince's hand and stood up.
Then he hurriedly let go of her hand and said excitedly, "Your Highness, I want to go to Chunfang Tower to find someone first. I promised that old lady that I would help her find her grandson. They are still waiting outside for me to reply to them. I'm afraid that if I go too late, they will move those children away. They can openly use the backyard of Chunfang Tower to do things. That Chunfang Tower is not clean either."
Lu Yangyang knew that many women were forced into prostitution, either because they were trafficked or unable to make a living. The most hateful people were those who trafficked them, those beasts who forced women into prostitution. None of these people should be let off the hook.
The Crown Prince stared at her for a moment, then nodded helplessly and said, "Go, call Yan Yue and have him bring his men."
"Understood, thank you, Your Highness!"
Lu Yangyang responded loudly and ran out in a flurry.
Pei Ji returned from outside and saw her running away. He couldn't help but say to the Crown Prince, "Miss Lu is so energetic."
"And he has a strong sense of justice," the Crown Prince replied, then asked, "Is everything arranged?"
“It’s all arranged, but Your Highness, Qinglian Temple has a lot to do with it. It’s backed not only by the Empress Dowager, but also by the Eldest Princess and the imperial clan. If we ask His Majesty for help…” Pei Ji pushed the Crown Prince out the door, and only when no one else was around did he ask in a low voice.
"It is because of these people backing us that those evil spirits and monsters can cause trouble. Throughout history, child trafficking has always been a serious crime, and no one should be tolerated. If anyone is dissatisfied, burn down the Qinglian Temple for me. Such a place should never exist." The Crown Prince gently turned a plain silver ring on his finger, the silver color slightly darkened.
“Your Highness, if His Majesty asks about this, it might be difficult to handle.” Pei Ji knew that the Crown Prince was already angry, but this matter was definitely not as simple as His Highness had agreed to let Miss Lu investigate.
"If he dares to ask, then let him ask." The crown prince looked ahead with cold eyes. Although the summer was not over yet, he felt a cold wind pass by.
……
Lu Yangyang hurriedly ran to the place where they had stayed the night before, told Sheng Yunjiao and Princess Liduan to go back first, grabbed two vegetarian buns haphazardly, stuffed them into her mouth, and ran to find Yan Yue.
Upon hearing this, Yan Yue immediately ordered two horses to be brought, and he and his men followed her out of the Great Buddha Temple.
Before the villagers had left, Lu Yangyang rode her horse up to the old woman and said to her, "Auntie, we're going to look for them now. You wait here. If we find them, I'll have someone bring them back as soon as possible."
Then he called to a guard and tossed him a purse: "Go tell the Great Buddha Temple to bring them some food."
After saying that, he hurriedly rode away on his horse.
Upon seeing this, the villagers immediately knelt down in unison to express their gratitude, even though Lu Yangyang had already run far away.
Yan Yue rode alongside Lu Yangyang on horseback and couldn't help but ask her, "Yangyang, didn't you say you wanted to be a great doctor? Then why do you have to do everything yourself, even finding people?"
"What's the difference between treating the sick and saving lives and helping those in need? Aren't they both about saving lives? If I see something and then pretend I didn't, what kind of doctor am I?" Lu Yangyang replied casually.
She wasn't really so idle that she would go out every day to see what injustices were happening and specifically go to help, but if she encountered injustices and happened to be able to help, how could she stand idly by?
As a child, she was disfigured and thrown into a trap in the mountains, which was a dead end. If it weren't for the passing hunter who saved her, she would have died there. There would be no her today.
If the man had simply stood by and watched, she would have been dead long ago.
She didn't initially aspire to be a doctor; she just wanted to survive. What her aunt taught her was enough to keep her alive and allow her to live on her own. It was a win-win situation where she could both survive and help those in need. Wasn't that great?
She didn't understand any grand principles; she was simply following her own heart.
Yan Yue was slightly taken aback. Seeing that Lu Yangyang had already surpassed her speed, she quickly caught up.
Chunfang Tower is located in a chaotic area in the south of the city. Brothels are always open all night, and the morning is the quietest time, when only the maids doing odd jobs are quietly washing and cleaning in the backyard.
When the Crown Prince's men took Cheng Shu away in the morning, they did not alert anyone and left people here to guard the place. As soon as Yan Yue arrived, the other party appeared and told them that they had not alerted the enemy yet and that no outsiders had come.
Yan Yue nodded to Lu Yangyang and said in a low voice, "You make the arrangements."
Lu Yangyang asked, "Can our men surround the entire Chunfang Pavilion?"
Yan Yue gave her a no-questions-asked gesture.
"Surround Chunfang Tower first, then we'll go straight to the cellar in the backyard. Don't let anyone out!" Lu Yangyang clenched her fists, her eyes blazing with fury. Even if she couldn't kill all the corrupt officials in the world, she was determined to crush this one she had caught today.
Yan Yue immediately ordered his men to quietly surround Chunfang Tower, then opened the back door and went directly into the backyard.
Five or six maids and servants in the backyard were washing dishes when they were startled by the person who suddenly rushed in. They instinctively wanted to shout, but Lu Yangyang took two steps forward, covered the person's mouth, and glared coldly at the others: "If anyone dares to make a sound, I'll break her neck."
Everyone immediately shut their mouths in fright and knelt down in unison. Among them was a chubby girl who shrank back and hid in a corner.
Despite this, Lu Yangyang still spotted her at a glance.
It's a round apricot.
After driving the person away that day, Lu Yangyang never thought of him again. She never expected that she would encounter him here in just a few days.
Yan Yue followed her gaze and naturally saw it too. He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise to Lu Yangyang, "This, isn't this your chubby little girl..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lu Yangyang glared at him.
Yan Yue kept his mouth shut.
"Go find the cellar!" Lu Yangyang said.
The maid whose mouth was being covered hurriedly raised her hand, sobbing as she replied, "I, I know..."
Lu Yangyang didn't let go of her. "Don't try anything funny, give me directions!"
The maid pointed in a direction for her, and it turned out to be the stables.
Lu Yangyang signaled for people to search, and sure enough, they found a wooden-framed cellar under a haystack behind the stables. The guards moved the frame, found a rope, jumped inside, lit a lamp, and after a while, shouted, "Found it!"
Lu Yangyang released the maid in her hand and jumped in with her, followed by Yan Yue.
This cellar was much larger than the one Lu Yangyang had seen when she was looking for Princess Liduan. There was actually another layer beneath the disguised cellar. When they reached the second layer, they first smelled a pungent, fishy stench.
Then there was a room full of a dozen or so children who were locked up.