Chapter 11: Dream of the Red Chamber 9

Sitting in the carriage, Jia Hu inquired about the little girl's name and her family background.

The little girl answered timidly, "My name is Zhen Yinglian. I only remember there was a temple near my home, I think it was called Hulu Temple; I can't remember anything else clearly."

Liu Song raised an eyebrow.

In the original story, didn't it say that Xiangling completely forgot her original name and all details regarding her family?

This little girl, however, remembered her name and the crucial clue of Hulu Temple.

But upon reflection, Liu Song understood the reason.

Human traffickers beat and scolded children, forcing them to forget their pasts.

In the original text, Xiangling had been beaten and scolded by traffickers to the point of fear; perhaps combined with illness, she had forgotten her previous life.

But the current Zhen Yinglian was not the Xiangling of the original story; she had not yet been broken by the traffickers' abuse, as evidenced by her escape from them this time.

Naturally, the current Zhen Yinglian still remembered her name and relevant information about her home.

Perhaps, had Liu Song and Jia Hu not happened to encounter the scene where Zhen Yinglian was being snatched back by the traffickers and intervened, things would have been different.

If she had been taken back this time, Zhen Yinglian would have suffered greatly; it is highly likely that the severe injuries and fever caused by the traffickers' beating would have damaged her brain, causing her to forget her name.

This was likely the effect of a butterfly wing flapped unintentionally by Liu Song.

Returning to the Lin residence, everything had returned to tranquility, as if nothing had happened.

However, there were fewer people in Jia Min's courtyard.

One of them was a trusted personal servant of Jia Min.

Jia Hu and Liu Song asked nothing, only mentioning the matter regarding Zhen Yinglian.

Lin Daiyu pulled Zhen Yinglian forward to show her to Jia Min.

Jia Min likely inherited the aesthetic preferences of Lady Jia (Jia Shishi); seeing such a beautiful and well-behaved little girl, her heart softened completely. She immediately agreed to her daughter's request to let Zhen Yinglian stay at the Lin residence to accompany Lin Daiyu.

She also sent someone to search for the location of Hulu Temple.

Although the yamen (government office) would help kidnapped children find their biological parents, the number of children was vast, making it impossible to conduct a specialized investigation into a single child's origins.

After dinner, Liu Song and Jia Hu returned to their guest courtyard.

As Liu Song entered his room, he saw Ji Qiu waiting for him, her eyes burning with the fierce fire of gossip.

Liu Song couldn't help but smile slightly; this girl was truly suited to be an information broker.

Should he perhaps establish an organization that sells intelligence?

But he immediately dismissed the thought.

Better not; it would only invite trouble.

As Liu Song sat down in his chair, Ji Qiu immediately poured him a cup of tea and presented it to him.

Liu Song took a sip; the temperature was just right. It was good.

He spoke, "Sit down and tell me."

Ji Qiu complied, sitting opposite Liu Song and beginning to whisper the information she had gathered.

The poison that affected Jia Min was administered by that servant she had disposed of.

That person was a household servant born within the Rongguo Mansion. She was quite good-looking and had been a candidate for a concubine prepared by Lady Jia for Jia Min.

Lady Jia believed that since the woman's parents and relatives were all within the Rongguo Mansion, she would be easy for Jia Min to control. Making her a concubine for Lin Ruhai would be better than having a maid from the Lin family serve him.

However, Jia Min did not make that woman Lin Ruhai's concubine; instead, she chose a maid who was less attractive but more dull and honest to serve as his concubine.

Jia Min married that woman off to a manager in the Lin residence, thinking she was doing her a favor by providing her with a good home.

She did not know that after seeing the young and handsome Lin Ruhai, the woman became obsessed with becoming his woman.

Once Jia Min blocked the possibility of her marrying Lin Ruhai, the woman naturally grew to hate Jia Min.

She was deeply calculating and had never shown her resentment toward Jia Min.

It wasn't until recently that she discovered a way to add a specific herb to prenatal medicine that would turn it into a slow-acting poison.

And so, she acted.

She was Jia Min's confidante and a personal servant who had been by her side for over ten years.

Jia Min never imagined that this person would betray her.

It wasn't until Lin Ruhai discovered the truth that Jia Min could hardly believe it.

Jia Min was devastated, but her methods were not soft at all.

For those who betrayed her and harmed her and her child, Jia Min was ruthless.

Though she did not kill the woman directly, she fed her a medicine that rendered her mute and sold her to a coal mine.

Furthermore, Jia Min dealt with everyone connected to that woman, selling them all off.

The Lin residence had lost one-fifth of its servants this time.

"Well done," Liu Song praised Ji Qiu, and gave her a silver ingot as a physical reward.

Ji Qiu happily took the silver and left Liu Song's room.

After sitting in his room for a while, Liu Song heard a knock at the door.

After receiving a response, Jia Hu walked in.

Liu Song couldn't help but laugh. "Are you this gossipy too?"

Jia Hu said with a straight face, "I am merely concerned about my aunt and uncle."

Liu Song: "Are you so certain Ji Qiu could find out the truth?"

Jia Hu: "She was meticulously trained by you; I trust her ability."

Liu Song: "Ji Qiu would be very happy to hear you say that."

Jia Hu: "What did Ji Qiu find out? Who harmed my aunt and cousin?"

Liu Song relayed the information Ji Qiu had gathered to Jia Hu.

Jia Hu gritted her teeth. "Once I return to the Rongguo Mansion, I will drive her parents and entire family out of the estate."

To raise such a daughter, that family certainly couldn't be good people.

Liu Song nodded in agreement.

The woman had come from the family of Shan Daliang, a manager in the Rongguo Mansion.

In the original story, this woman was a loyal dog under Lady Wang, and along with Lai Da and Wu Dengxin, she had stolen many fine goods from the Rongguo Mansion, with her family's wealth starting at no less than a hundred thousand taels.

Many branches of the Jia family lived less comfortably than these servants.

In this world, since Lady Wang had not yet obtained control over the household management, it was unknown whether Shan Daliang had been secretly swapping genuine goods from the Rongguo Mansion's public treasury with counterfeits.

Jia Hu and Liu Song stayed with Liu Song for ten days.

During this time, besides visiting the scenic spots of Yangzhou, they followed up on news regarding the human traffickers.

The yamen acted quickly; capturing human traffickers was a significant achievement.

Once the location where Zhen Yinglian had escaped was known, the yamen officials went to make the arrests.

The traffickers had been waiting for their accomplices to return; realizing something had gone wrong, they were about to move the kidnapped children when they were cornered at the gates by the bailiffs.

Not a single trafficker escaped; they were all arrested.

The children were taken back to the yamen.

Some of them remembered their home details and were quickly reunited with their families.

The remaining ones, though too young to remember their circumstances, had been kidnapped from the vicinity of Yangzhou; the yamen posted public notices, and the parents of the missing children came forward to identify them.

The only complication was Zhen Yinglian. She had been kidnapped several years ago and was not from the Yangzhou area, so the yamen could not find her relatives.

Fortunately, the Lin family took over the task of finding her relatives, so the yamen set the matter aside.