Old Yang seemed to be used to Land Officer Yang’s behavior. No matter what Land Officer Yang said to him, he just kept quiet and smiled.
Seeing Old Yang’s dumbfounded look, Land Officer Yang wanted to spit in disgust.
Yang Chuxia quickly changed the subject, "Grandfather, how was the situation at the county office today?"
Land Officer Yang sighed, "Our County Magistrate is quite attentive to solving the case. I heard they started the trial last night. Both Ye Ziping and Burly Lu confessed under the torture. Apparently, several missing girls were due to their crimes. Right, remember when your house was robbed during the move? It was Burly Lu who did it."
"I knew it was him!" Yang Chuxia clenched her fists and said, "If we had caught him last time, no other girls would have been victimized."
"It’s not your fault," Land Officer Yang added, "With the undeniable evidence, Burly Lu was sentenced to be executed. Ye Ziping was brought in by him; although not the mastermind, he still got lifetime exile."
"What about Ms. Hua Junior and her group?" She was very concerned about this, as she didn’t want Ms. Hua Junior and her group to return at all.
"Ms. Hua Junior? She and Ye Zi’yong didn’t participate in those crimes. At most, they were just guilty of withholding information, just like Miss Li Chun. They’ll be released after a month of detention."
"Really?" Yang Chuxia raised her voice slightly, "Isn’t that too short?" Even in modern times, harboring criminals would lead to at least three years of imprisonment for mild cases. In Ms. Hua Junior’s case, even a shorter sentence would not be a month. Yet now it ends in just a month. Whatever happened to the brutality and severity of ancient punishments?
"It’s the County Magistrate’s judgement. Besides, they really didn’t commit any major crimes. None of us mentioned the incident on the Winter Solstice, nor did Ye Ziping mention it."
"What about those girls? Were they all found?" Yang Chuxia asked.
"Did your father tell you about the priest escaping?"
Seeing Yang Chuxia nodding, Land Officer Yang continued, "The place where some girls were held was only known by that priest. Constable Hong did find two places with imprisoned girls, but only half of them were there. The other half was said to have been transported elsewhere. The remaining girls should be released in the next couple of days. As for the priest, Constable Hong is searching for him with his men."
"Those damn thieves." Yang Chuxia gritted her teeth and said, "Didn’t Ye Ziping tell where those girls were taken?"
Yang Dayong interrupted, "Isn’t it obvious? The places near the sea that need girls are either for divers or brothels. If they aren’t near the sea, they are all sent into brothels."
"Exactly, now stop worrying about these things. We are common people, and we can’t handle such matters. By the way, the County Magistrate really appreciated your help in catching the coachman. He said he wanted to give you some commendations."
Talking about this, Land Officer Yang became happy. In his eyes, the county officer was a high-ranking official. Receiving commendations from the county officer was a great honor.
Such an honor was not something ordinary villagers could attain.
"Grandfather, is this true?" Hearing this news, Yang Chuxia was also delighted. If she really got a plaque, it would be great. It would be more useful than silver. She was planning to open a shop, and when the plaque was hung in the shop, ordinary people would not dare to cause trouble.
"Of course, it’s true. The steward himself let the news slip. They’ll probably send it to you before the New Year."
"That’s terrific!" Yang Chuxia clapped her hands and laughed.
Yang Chuxia then ran back to her room like the wind and brought out a stack of papers, "Uncle Dayong, these are what I drew this afternoon. Please take a look if you can figure them out. If it works, I’ll go with Brother An tomorrow to find someone to set up a shop. As soon as we get the plaque from the County Magistrate, the shop can open."