Chapter 282

"My lord, please grant a slight extension on the boat company's accounts for the sake of these two children."

"This humble one knows it is just a matter of your word."

Hearing this.

Outside the Beicheng Cavalry Office, silence instantly fell.

Everyone looked at Su Qiao.

Under everyone's gaze.

Su Qiao looked at the widow kneeling before him and let out a long sigh, saying.

"Lady, please rise first."

"And you two, rise as well."

The widow knelt on the ground.

Looking up at Su Qiao, she asked in near despair.

"My lord, give us a definite answer: can the accounts be extended? Otherwise, this humble one would rather kneel to death before you!"

Hearing the widow's words.

Su Qiao took a deep breath and said through gritted teeth.

"It cannot be delayed..."

The air outside the Beicheng Cavalry Office seemed to freeze.

Everyone looked at Su Qiao in disbelief.

These common people could not believe it.

That Su Qiao, Lord Su, who was willing to build community schools for Jin Ling's children and provide free education for the kids.

Could actually say such words.

Watching Qi Tai's face also showed clear shock.

Who could have thought.

Su Qiao would fall into his hands so easily.

Wasn't this asking for death?

"Su Qiao! Are you even human?"

Watching Qi Tai stared at Su Qiao with his mouth agape.

Su Qiao, however, gritted his teeth and looked firmly at the widow before him, saying.

"Not a single day can be delayed. Follow our contract. Pay whatever penalty is due, and pay it."

The widow looked at Su Qiao with difficulty.

Only after a long while did she slowly raise her head, looking at Su Qiao in disbelief and asking.

"Not a single day... can be delayed?"

"If we cannot repay, what do you want us, an orphan and a widow, to do?!"

Su Qiao said through gritted teeth.

"Follow the contract. We will seize however many boats are due, and we will not take a single coin more."

Seeing Su Qiao's cold expression.

The common people around instantly felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar.

Not a single one of them could guarantee they would live their whole lives in peace and safety.

Most of them had also borrowed silver from Su Qiao's Treasure Note Bureau.

Seeing the orphan and widow kneeling before Su Qiao.

They felt as if they were seeing their own future.

"Lord Su... you, you are being far too unreasonable?!"

Su Qiao looked at the corpse of Shopkeeper Sun before him.

After letting out a long sigh, he said.

"Lady Sun, if you do not understand anything about the contract, you may come directly to our Viceroy Yamen, and I will arrange for a specialist to explain it to you."

"Additionally, this is a small token of my personal goodwill for the children; please accept it."

Having said this, Su Qiao took two Treasure Notes of one guan denomination from his pocket.

He intended to hand them to Shopkeeper Sun's widow.

Unexpectedly, Lady Sun looked at the Treasure Notes in Su Qiao's hand and suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Lord Su! Wake up!"

"You give us two guan today, but next month, on the ninth day of next month, the three of us mother and children must return these two guan to you with principal and interest!"

"That is four hundred and fifty guan a month!"

"You want us, an orphan and a widow, to repay? If you want the Sun family's estate, just say so directly; why go through such a big circle?"

Su Qiao looked at Lady Sun and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he could only put away the Treasure Notes in his hand, then rose and clasped his hands to say.

"In that case, Su Mou takes his leave."

In fact, Su Qiao had known long ago.

Such a thing would surely happen.

But Su Qiao never expected.

That this would happen so quickly.

This time, Watching Qi Tai was at least not wrong.

Su Qiao did not kill Boren, yet Boren died because of Su Qiao.

But Su Qiao could only do this.

Gazing at Su Qiao's retreating back.

Lady Sun's eyes instantly blazed with towering hatred.

She was a wife who had lost her husband.

And a mother of two children.

She, too, wished to live with backbone.

But backbone cannot be eaten as a meal.

All she wanted to do now was to spare no effort in preserving some of the family property for her two children.

At dusk.

Under the gaze of countless common folk.

Lady Sun arrived outside Chengtian Sect, looking up at the Dengwen Drum hanging there.

Without the slightest hesitation, she stood outside Chengtian Sect and began to beat it.

Boom, boom, boom — the drum's sound echoed throughout the entire Forbidden City.

Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been dining at Qianqing Palace, gradually knit his brows tight.

When the Dengwen Drum sounds, the Son of Heaven must appear in person.

If any official obstructs.

All heavy punishment.

Zhu Yuanzhang did not hesitate in the slightest.

He immediately set down the bowl and chopsticks in his hands.

And walked toward Chengtian Sect.

Outside the palace gate.

Lady Sun was dressed entirely in white mourning clothes.

She knelt outside the palace gate with her two children.

Zhu Yuanzhang stood alone within the palace gate.

Looking at the orphan and widow before him, he could not help but ask in puzzlement,

"Who are you? For what case do you beat the Dengwen Drum?"

Lady Sun raised the petition in her hand, gazed at Zhu Yuanzhang, and cried aloud,

"This humble woman accuses Su Qiao, Director of the Baochao Tijusi, of lending at usury to harm the people and driving my husband to his death. I beg Your Majesty to take justice for this humble woman, and for the common folk of Jin Ling!"

Zhu Yuanzhang's face instantly froze.