After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

"My lord?"

"Which Duke?"

The magistrate dared not look the crown prince in the eye and stammered, "Duke Rui... Duke Rui!"

The Crown Prince turned to the left: "Who is the Duke of Rui? Is there such a person in the capital?"

Zuo Yi replied, "The Duke of Rui does not live in the capital! I've forgotten, when I was four years old, I was almost kidnapped when I left the capital, and he risked his life to save me. To repay his kindness, I asked the Emperor for the title of Duke. Because his name contains the character Rui, he is called the Duke of Rui. This Duke of Rui is nothing in the capital, but outside, he might be using the name of the royal family to act as an accomplice to evil."

The prince remembered.

On the Mid-Autumn Festival when he was four years old, the capital city was bustling with activity. He was scolded by his father and mother, and felt very aggrieved, which sparked his rebellious thoughts. He sneaked out of the palace with a young eunuch, but they were separated from each other once they were outside.

Living in the palace, unaware of the dangers of the common people, he was nearly kidnapped by human traffickers. At the critical moment, a man rushed out and rescued him from the traffickers. To repay the debt, he asked his father and mother to grant him the title of Duke, and after that, he was no longer involved in the matter.

Upon hearing Zuo Yi's words, the county magistrate vaguely guessed the Crown Prince's true identity. He dared not ask, nor dared to guess any further, and only tentatively asked, "Do either of you know the identity of that Duke?"

Zuo Yi casually remarked, "Isn't he just the Duke of Rui? He really thinks he's royalty just because of a title."

The magistrate fawned, "That's not what I meant. What I meant was that the imperial court didn't investigate the background of that Duke Rui before bestowing the title?"

The Crown Prince's gaze sharpened: "You know?"

The magistrate smiled, still with an apologetic and ingratiating expression.

"I have heard some of these things, but whether they are true or false, Your Excellency may wish to investigate further."

"Enough with the nonsense!" Zuo Yi pointed his sword at him: "Tell me what you know."

"Before being enfeoffed as a duke, this Duke Rui was a street hustler and was quite familiar with those child traffickers. The reason why His Highness the Crown Prince was not abducted was not because His Highness was blessed, but because Duke Rui was discerning and recognized that His Highness the Crown Prince was extraordinary and not someone they could offend."

This is indeed the case.

If the Crown Prince were lost, they would search the earth three feet deep to find him. Even if they found a dead man, they would skin the entire slave trader of Beiliang alive. Duke Rui turned the tables, transforming the kidnapping into a rescue, and became the Crown Prince's benefactor.

The Crown Prince was too young to remember dealing with the human slaves. The Emperor and Empress, seeing that the Crown Prince was unharmed, also overlooked those minor matters.

Zuo Yi belatedly realized: "The magistrate means that the Duke of Rui is in cahoots with the human traffickers."

The magistrate chuckled: "Not just one group, but a conspirator. I swear to God, this Duke of Rui is no good man. I couldn't stop him from doing what he did, but I can testify against him as a witness."

The Duke of Rui not only received the title of Duke, but also a fiefdom located in this county. In the capital, this title wouldn't amount to much; at best, he'd be considered a nobody. But in this county, he was a true Duke. Local gentry, eager to curry favor, showered him with gifts of gold, silver, jewels, beautiful women, and whatever shops they could find.

Twenty years is enough time for the Duke's power to become deeply entrenched in the county. The county magistrate, though in charge of the county, is a newcomer. Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, and besides, he's not yet a powerful dragon.

The matter of this land had already been put on hold, but last night, the Duke's steward suddenly came to the door, saying that the land had changed hands. He also said that Old Man Xu was courting death by selling the land to someone else instead of the Duke, and that the Duke had to get the land back no matter what.

The magistrate had no idea that the land had been bought by His Highness the Crown Prince. If he had known, he wouldn't have dared to let anyone rob it even if he were given several heads.

The magistrate pursed his lips: "This place is truly a geomantically auspicious location!"

Zuo Yi retorted, "Nonsense! His Highness didn't want that piece of land! His Highness's distinguished guest was seriously injured by bandits while passing through this area. It was Mr. Xu who generously vacated his estate for his guest to recuperate. His Highness bought the estate and the surrounding land because he was worried that this incident would implicate innocent people."

The magistrate, sweating profusely, said, "I deserve to die. I was foolish and failed to investigate the truth."

Zuo Yi placed the land deed and house deed in front of the county magistrate: "Look carefully, this estate and this land both have owners. If the Duke of Rui wants the land, let him come to the estate and ask my master for it."

The magistrate nodded repeatedly without asking any questions.

After bathing and changing into comfortable clothes, I lay half-reclined on the bed listening to Physician An tell his story. Although we hadn't spent much time together, I could tell that Physician An was a man of discretion, who would never say anything inappropriate at an inappropriate time. He asked me to take charge of things for him, indicating that his predicament was related to this place or county and needed to be resolved here.

"Is what Physician An is asking about related to this place?"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Imperial Physician An raised his hands and prostrated himself on the ground: "The matter I seek concerns the Duke of Rui in this area. I beg Your Majesty and His Highness the Crown Prince to grant my request."

The ancestral home of Physician An is also in this area.

Physician An's grandfather resigned from his position as imperial physician twenty years ago because he fell ill and lost control of his right hand. For a person administering acupuncture, being unable to control the hand holding the needle is tantamount to murder for money. Twenty years ago, Physician An, already old enough to remember things, accompanied his grandfather, father, and mother back to the An family's old residence.

At that time, the old house was about to be seized by someone, none other than the Duke of Rui, who had been personally appointed by the Emperor. The Duke of Rui had not yet gained significant influence, while my grandfather had a large group of colleagues from the Imperial Medical Academy. The Duke of Rui appeared to be yielding, but in reality, he harbored resentment and was waiting for an opportunity to retaliate.

"When my grandfather was alive, he was wary and dared not act. But as soon as my grandfather passed away, he had someone set up a trap to trick my father into selling all the shops and land my grandfather had left behind." Doctor An sighed, "Upon learning the truth, my father went to the Duke's mansion to demand an explanation from Duke Rui, but was severely humiliated by him. Unable to bear the humiliation and ashamed to face his mother and me, my father tied a rope to the stone lion in front of the gate and hanged himself."

"Do you have any evidence that the Duke of Rui framed you?"

"Yes!" Physician An took out evidence from his bosom: "This is my complaint, these are the relevant witnesses and physical evidence, as well as the documents signed by my father and the swindler. Duke Rui not only swindled, but also used His Highness's Eastern Palace to swindle."

“This Duke Rui is truly audacious. He amasses wealth for himself while claiming it’s for the benefit of the Crown Prince and the Eastern Palace. Liuying, take my token and convey my order to invite that Duke Rui over.”

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Imperial Physician An quickly stopped Liu Ying: "Once Your Majesty orders someone to summon the Duke of Rui, and once the Duke of Rui learns that His Highness and Your Majesty have intervened in this matter, all the women who were abducted by the Duke of Rui, including my fiancée, will lose their lives! I am anxious, but I beg Your Majesty to consider this carefully!"

"Abduction? This Duke of Rui is forcibly taking women from the common people?" Liu Ying angrily swung her arm, tearing at her wound and grimacing.