Chapter 505: Just Looking at Him, He Doesn't Look Like a Good Person

"My Lord, please examine the facts; this subordinate would never dare!"

Sighing, Chu Hong turned his head and pointed to the commoners kneeling there.

"Lord Shen, are you aware that these commoners kneeling there are all from Qiaoshan Village?"

"In the entire Qiaoshan Village, only those who go out to do manual labor can eat their fill, and only by relying on the meals provided by the government during their daily work do they have a chance to eat a full meal."

"As for the wages the government pays them, they save them up bit by bit by scrimping and saving!"

"They are not only redeeming Qinghan, but also repaying a debt of gratitude. But in fact, Qinghan passed away not long ago!"

"Passed away? You mean to say, they are trying to redeem a dead person?"

"Yes!" Chu Hong nodded very firmly and could not help but lament, "These commoners indeed came for this, even willing to kneel before these ferocious and insatiably greedy people."

"Yet, this very Qingzhu Yuan before us refuses to return Qinghan's remains no matter what!"

"Lord Chu, that is not right. Back then, Qinghan voluntarily sold herself into our Qingzhu Yuan; whether in life or death, she belongs to our Qingzhu Yuan."

"The money you offered is not enough; naturally, the person cannot be taken away!"

Looking at Shen Yu with apprehension, although Manager Qian did not know who the newcomer was, seeing that even a Prefectural Judge like Chu Hong was so respectful, his attitude could not help but soften significantly.

Although he was not afraid of a head-on confrontation, he was afraid of offending someone he could not afford to offend. If this young man could speak to the Prefect, that would be troublesome.

"Voluntarily sold herself? Why is that?"

"My Lord, you may not know this, but Qinghan was originally from Qiaoshan Village, where life was extremely difficult; every year, far more people died of cold and hunger there than in other places."

"Her father was the village chief of Qiaoshan Village at the time; come to think of it, he was a man both cultured and skilled in martial arts."

"Although Qinghan was from Xiaozhou, she was taught by her father from a young age to know etiquette and understand righteousness, and she was proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Coupled with her beauty, suitors were endless!"

"Originally, even with the difficult life, under the protection of the old village chief, she could have spent her life carefree."

"But for those two years, there was a great drought near Qiaoshan Village. The mountain stream, the only source of water, dried up. In two years, the fields yielded almost nothing, and countless villagers died of hunger and cold."

"The old village chief of Qiaoshan Village could only take out his own meager rations to provide for all the villagers, and as for himself, he actually starved to death!"

"A dignified expert of the Hou Tian Realm actually starved to death in his own home; how absurd!"

"There are such people in Xiaozhou!"

For such a long time, in Shen Yu's impression, his ears had been filled with words like Xiaozhou being a place of treacherous mountains and evil waters, with cunning people everywhere, as if everyone in Xiaozhou were selfish and profit-seeking.

Highway robbery and midnight black shops were just minor trifles. To survive, there were countless people here who would betray their trust.

For a little bit of food, they could even do anything. Selling their bodies, selling their souls—their bottom line could be lowered again and again.

It was also the first time Shen Yu had heard of such a person, who could actually give away their own food to provide for others, starving themselves to death.

Such sentiments, even in the vast Imperial Court, probably do not exist in many people.

"My Lord, the old village chief at the time would rather sacrifice himself to preserve the villagers. But this food was still a drop in the bucket for all the villagers, and people died of hunger every day."

"You also know the situation in Xiaozhou, My Lord; if they were to flee from famine, it would be hard to survive. At that time, these homeless villagers would likely be treated as food by people in other places who were driven mad by hunger."

"The villagers of Qiaoshan Village at that time were almost just waiting to die!"

"But it was at this time that Qinghan voluntarily sold herself to a Brothel, using the money from the sale to buy food, almost completely sacrificing herself, which saved the people of this village."

"After that, knowing she could not escape the sea of bitterness, Qinghan used her own meager strength to help the people in the village."

"She wanted these commoners to escape ignorance; she wanted the children in the village to read and write, and to distinguish right from wrong."

"Therefore, every year, she would hand over all the hard-earned money she made from accompanying guests and singing in the Brothel to the village, so that their children could read and write!"

"People are not made of grass or wood; who can be without feelings!"

Sighing deeply, he looked at the commoners kneeling there. At this moment, Chu Hong's mention of the past seemed to have stirred their memories, and some could not help but sob softly.

Gradually, most people's eyes were red and swollen, but they were all restraining themselves.

They did not want to lose face for Qiaoshan Village in front of outsiders, and even less did they want to lose face for Qinghan; this was already their last bit of stubbornness and dignity!

"My Lord, it is precisely because you have been pushing for the governance of Xiaozhou over this past year, distributing enough silver to the commoners, that they have had the hope of redeeming Qinghan!"

"So for this past year, these villagers have saved up all the silver they earned through hard work, just to find a day to redeem Qinghan and save her from the sea of bitterness."

"But before they had saved enough money, Qinghan had already died suddenly here!"

Speaking of this, Chu Hong's gaze stared coldly in the direction of Manager Qian, as if he wanted to swallow him alive.

"My Lord, these commoners want to welcome back Qinghan's remains, let her return to her roots, and be buried in Qiaoshan Village."

"But this Manager Qian of the Brothel is obstructing them with all his might, refusing no matter what, and even demanding that these commoners produce enough redemption money!"

"He even threatened to burn Qinghan's remains with a fire and scatter the ashes to be done with it."

"After learning of the situation, the commoners of Qiaoshan Village came down from the village, gathered here to beg him to show mercy, and that is why they are all kneeling here."

"This subordinate happened to be nearby; after seeing a large number of commoners gathered, I came over to understand the situation, and then I wanted to negotiate with Manager Qian, hoping they could show some leniency."

"As you have seen, My Lord, they still refuse, insisting on money!"

While speaking, Chu Hong complained to Shen Yu, "My Lord, to tell you the truth, these commoners have saved enough silver."

"Now, added to the salary I have saved for many years, it is more than enough. This Manager Qian still refuses to release her; he is simply insatiably greedy. This is unbearable!"

"Therefore, this subordinate implores you, My Lord, to intervene and help bring Qinghan out. Such a pure person should not be in this filthy place!"

"And this subordinate suspects that there is something strange about Qinghan's death; otherwise, why are they afraid of these villagers seeing the body? This is clearly a guilty conscience!"

"You, you are the Prefect? My Lord, I am wronged!"

Having listened for so long, at first, Manager Qian's back was still straight. Regarding the suddenly appearing Shen Yu, although he was somewhat apprehensive, he did not pay much attention.

"My Lord, look at his sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked face; he doesn't look like a good person at all!"

Although these two scholars looked like officials and had some power, their Qingzhu Yuan was not to be trifled with.

But when Chu Hong mentioned that this young man had been pushing for the governance of Xiaozhou and distributing silver to the commoners, Manager Qian's back completely bent.

In the end, being pointed at by Chu Hong and called insatiably greedy and having a guilty conscience, Manager Qian was so frightened that his knees went weak, and he knelt down with a thud.

He knew very well that if this young man was the legendary Lord Shen, he knew what kind of fate awaited him.

"My Lord, being ugly is not my fault; this commoner is a very good citizen!"

"This matter is truly not because I, a commoner, am greedy and insatiable; I truly have unspeakable suffering, I have my own hidden difficulties!"