However, the next second, a group of people suddenly rushed in and surrounded everyone on the scene. The emotions of the caged teenager fluctuated. His black eyes, which were originally as empty as a stagnant pool, were like newly resurrected black butterflies, blinking once, twice.
Suddenly, the brothel became chaotic. Shi Muyuan clearly felt that the people in each private room were scurrying away in a hurry. But Huo Qizhou's men had already noted them all down one by one. Those who had bought people even had red circles marked next to their names by the black - clothed men.
Huo Qizhou's original intention was just to warn the duke and cut off one of his money - making paths. So the people in these private rooms left smoothly.
Why not focus on proper business but instead engage in illegal activities? He really didn't know what the duke was thinking.
Yan Mo's men quickly controlled the scene. In auctions, usually the buyers paid first, and then the brothel staff would clean up the auctioned people and send them to the buyers. So almost all the auctioned people were still staying in the back, except for the first two who had already been sent away.
Shi Muyuan thought of that little girl. They were still too late.
She was just about to ask Huo Qizhou if the booklet recorded who had bought that little girl. "Huo Qizhou, can we rescue those two little girls who were bought earlier?"
Huo Qizhou interrupted her, "Naturally not. Do you still want to go to someone's mansion to ask for them back?"
Shi Muyuan bit her lip. It seemed that it was impossible.
The brothel was a hidden underground trading place. Even if the news that it had been raided by Yan Mo and his men got out, it didn't cause much of a stir among the people. However, those who knew about it became more cautious, fearing that they would be investigated.
Those people who had spent silver in the brothel that day but didn't get the people they bought. Now that the silver had been seized by the people from the Supreme Court of Justice, they didn't dare to ask for it back. They could only consider themselves unlucky.
Yan Mo and his men acted extremely quickly. By the time the duke got the news from his servant, it was already too late. He couldn't even salvage the situation and could only swallow this bitter pill.
The duke had successively lost the Ten Thousand Flowers Brothel and the black - market brothel, but he couldn't even complain. He was so angry that he was smashing things in his study when someone came from the palace saying that they had brought something. Zhang Yuan'an straightened his robe and looked at a chessboard placed on the bookshelf.
This Yu Li really knew how to behave. Did she think two antiques could make him calm down? If she hadn't been so reckless and sent people to arrest the Empress Dowager, Huo Qizhou wouldn't have discovered the matter of the Ten Thousand Flowers Brothel, almost ruining his foundation. She still wanted to be the Empress Dowager. It was simply a pipe dream.
"Put this chessboard and the things that were just sent into the warehouse. Ask the people around Yu Li to remind her to be more restrained. If there is a next time, the position of the Empress Dowager may not necessarily be hers."
...
In the Longevity Palace, the resentful look in Concubine Rui's eyes as she looked at her empty small treasury scared Zhu'er.
Just now, a little palace maid suddenly asked to see her. She was waved out of the hall by the concubine and didn't know what had happened. But when she came in again, the concubine's face was even darker than before.
"Concubine."
"How are the shops in the city?" Concubine Rui suddenly asked.
"Reporting to Concubine, they are still the same as before and haven't made any profits."
"What's going on? The things in the shops are extremely good. Even I'm reluctant to use them. Why aren't there any buyers?"
"Concubine, these... these things are all tributes that various foreign states have presented to the palace every year. Although the special marks have been modified by the embroiderers, there are still traces on the modified parts. And... and..." At the end, Zhu'er suddenly became hesitant and didn't dare to say anymore.
"Just say it. And what?" Concubine Rui was a bit impatient.
"Concubine, the prices in the shops are too high. There are also these tributes in other shops. They have no flaws and the prices are reasonable. Naturally, they sell better."
"How could there be tributes in other places!"
"Concubine, calm your anger. These tributes are just the best ones selected by various foreign states as tributes. They are not exclusive to the palace. If others like them, they can also buy them with money. They just don't have the private seal of the tributes. Although our goods are much better than the same ones, the flaws..." Zhu'er really didn't dare to say the following words anymore.
Concubine Rui threw the box in her hand away, and her eyes became venomous and vicious.
She was also involved in the matter of the Ten Thousand Flowers Brothel before and could get a considerable income at regular intervals. But because of Shi Muyuan's matter, she had successively lost two extremely valuable things, all to keep her position in front of the duke. After all, she wasn't the only concubine in the harem who could cooperate with him.
Just now, that person had implicitly and explicitly reminded her not to be self - righteous anymore.
Self - righteous? Oh, it was really infuriating.
The previous ways of making money were no longer feasible. What should she do?
"Go and find some people who know how to do business again to manage the shops properly." It was just for fun before, but now she had to calculate carefully.
The next morning in the court, when Huo Qizhou reported the matter to the emperor, some people's looks at the two of them had changed compared to before. Many people were also on tenterhooks, afraid that Huo Qizhou would say something that would make them lose their official positions.
Fortunately, Huo Qizhou didn't say anything. He just said that the group of criminals who had been trafficking in young girls recently had all been captured, their dens had been destroyed, many abducted people had been rescued, and several large boxes of gold, silver, and treasures had been confiscated.
Ji Heng highly praised this and rewarded Huo Qizhou and Yan Mo with many things.
After the court session, an official walked beside Huo Qizhou, hesitating to speak.
"What's wrong, sir? Do you have something to say?"
The man looked around and then whispered, "Thank you, National Master, for saving my little girl."
"Sir, you don't need to be like this." Huo Qizhou reached out his hand to support the man's arm and stopped him from bowing.
"A few days ago, when Assistant Minister Yan came to my mansion to inquire, my family refused. It wasn't that we didn't want to cooperate, but we really didn't dare." The man's eyes with fine wrinkles gradually became moist.
"Dare not? Is it because of the duke?"
The man was greatly surprised. "Has the National Master already investigated this?"
"It's just some clues. Do you know something, sir?"
"National Master, this is not a place to talk. How about we meet at a teahouse?" The man looked at the people who hadn't dispersed around and asked tentatively. After all, the National Master had never contacted him before, and his official position was rather low.
"Then on the day off tomorrow, let's meet at the Yuqing Teahouse, Lord Li."
"I'll be waiting for the National Master tomorrow." Li Han bowed with joy.