Chapter 281

Wu Tingzan had nothing to hide, so he could only cup his hands and say,

"Reporting to Lord Qi, a shipping firm got tangled up in a homicide case and can't operate. The shopkeeper hanged himself in prison."

Hearing this, Watching Qi Tai immediately pressed,

"But did someone murder him in his cell?"

Wu Tingzan said with a bitter smile,

"Lord Qi, on my conscience, this humble official and that Shopkeeper Sun are fellow villagers who have known each other since childhood. We left home together back in the day."

"Not to mention making things difficult, I even took special care of him during that time. Who could have imagined such a thing would happen!"

Hearing Wu Tingzan's words.

Watching Qi Tai could not help but put on a look of lamentation and sigh,

"Sigh, this, why bother!"

"And you, young lady, your household is…"

Hearing Watching Qi Tai ask this.

The bookkeeper hurriedly recounted the matter of the Baochao Tijusi once more.

Watching Qi Tai's face instantly darkened.

He gritted his teeth and growled low,

"This is simply outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

"You common folk, do you truly think this is only right and proper?"

The bookkeeper looked at Watching Qi Tai in confusion and asked,

"But, but my lord, isn't repaying a debt simply a matter of heaven's mandate?"

Watching Qi Tai snorted coldly and said,

"Heaven's mandate?"

"Wasn't it that treacherous former-Song chancellor Wang Anshi who pushed through this very Green Shoots Law, and to this day he is listed in the Song's Biographies of Treacherous Ministers, despised by later generations?"

"Harsh laws are fiercer than tigers; the ancients truly did not deceive me!"

Hearing this, the widow immediately raised her head, looked at Watching Qi Tai in disbelief, and asked,

"My lord, you must see justice done for this common woman!"

"We are a widow with orphans; we are counting on you, my lord!"

The widow was a clever woman.

Right now, the family's breadwinner was gone.

But the shipping firm still had so many debts.

They, a widow and her orphans, had to keep living!

Right now, no matter what Watching Qi Tai's purpose was,

at the very least, Watching Qi Tai was going to stand on their side.

Before Watching Qi Tai could speak,

the widow hurriedly pulled the two children beside her over.

"Children, quickly kowtow to my lord, beg him to save us!"

The two children immediately dropped to their knees before Watching Qi Tai.

"My lord, my father was wronged!"

Watching Qi Tai looked at the widow kneeling before him.

His gaze could not help but turn to the common folk behind him.

And those common folk immediately cried out,

"Isn't that the Crown Prince's tutor, Lord Watching Qi Tai?"

"This is a man who can see Your Majesty!"

"Lord Qi, you must save the people from fire and water!"

"……"

Listening to the common folk's pleas.

And looking again at the two children kneeling before him.

His heart immediately surged with emotion.

A scholar-official.

Should be exactly thus!

To plead the cause of all the people!

Watching Qi Tai immediately cupped his hands and said,

"Rest assured, my lady. Qi Tai shall not fail the hopes of all the people!"

……

……

Inside the Baochao Tijusi.

The Deputy Commissioner hurried into the Viceroy Yamen.

He looked at Su Qiao in panic and said,

"My lord, something has happened."

Su Qiao waved his hand impatiently and said,

"Every day something happens. What could it possibly be now?"

The Vice-Commissioner lowered his head and said,

"Our Zanmenya Sect has driven someone to suicide..."

Hearing this,

Su Qiao's heart trembled instantly.

Then, unable to believe it, he looked at the Vice-Commissioner behind him and asked,

"Driven someone to suicide?"

"It was a boat company outside the city. The entire company was dragged into a murder case and brought back by the Beicheng Military Office."

"The Shopkeeper of the boat company could not resume work, fearing he could not repay the silver our Zanmenya Sect is owed next month."

"In the end, he committed suicide in prison."

Even Su Qiao, upon hearing this matter,

felt his heart tremble involuntarily.

Su Qiao, his face changed, slowly stood up and said in a low voice,

"Go to the Beicheng Military Office."

"Yes!"

After the people of the Treasure Note Commission heard the news,

they immediately ran quickly in the direction of the Beicheng Military Office.

Looking from afar,

they saw a crowd of common people gathered outside the Beicheng Military Office.

The Vice-Commissioner immediately stood at a distance and shouted,

"Make way, my lord Su is here!"

Hearing that Su Qiao had arrived,

the common people originally gathered before the Shopkeeper Sun's corpse immediately retreated to the side.

Su Qiao looked at the tear stains on the corpse's neck.

He could not help but let out a long sigh and said,

"This... Alas, why was this necessary!"

Watching Su Qiao, the Qi Tai standing nearby could not help but sneer and say,

"My lord Su, you did not kill Bo Ren, yet Bo Ren died because of you. My lord Su, there is no need for you to come here and feign grief like a cat crying over a mouse."

Seeing that Su Qiao had arrived,

the widow, disregarding that the Qi Tai had not yet left,

immediately knelt before Su Qiao again with her two children and pleaded.