Chapter 869

First Volume_Chapter 869: Disguised Inspection

Zhou Bantou showed the mother and daughter a hundred and twenty percent of his warmth, greeting them with such kindness he had never shown even his own father.

The woman felt as if she were dreaming; before this, she had never even heard the name "Qin Feng."

Only after being dragged to the County City did she learn from Wu Qi that such a person as Qin Feng actually existed in the world.

First Marquis of Liang, Lord of the Northern Border, commander who crushed the great Di army in open battle, defender of Daqingshan who escaped death…

All these honors were like listening to celestial scripture to the woman.

A woman who had spent half her life struggling merely to survive could not possibly comprehend what these honors meant, given her limited understanding.

But one thing she understood: this man named Qin Feng was a figure so powerful that even His Majesty feared him.

To the woman, His Majesty was heaven, and Qin Feng was a mountain that reached the heavens themselves.

And yet such a towering figure actually cared about the life or death of a Commoner—this shattered her entire worldview.

The other commoners present were no better; their gazes at Qin Feng were filled with utter disbelief.

In an instant, murmurs rose and fell all around the scene.

"Did I see that right? Qin Feng told that mother and daughter to seek shelter at the County Yamen?"

"Did Wu Qi mishear? Is Qin Feng really not as brutal as he described?"

"Exactly—he's a Foreign Country Envoy, yet he treats the people with more diligence than our own Officials…"

"Hmph, rumors are always false!"

Qin Feng ignored the murmurs, scanned the crowd gathered outside the County Yamen, and noticed many women among them.

Indeed, all Local Strongmen across the land were the same—exploiting the people without blinking.

Qin Feng called Liu Ming to his side and whispered a few words.

Under the tense and puzzled stares of the crowd, Liu Ming brought a stool, stepped onto it, and shouted: "All women here who did not come voluntarily, step forward and form a new line on the west side."

"Those who came voluntarily as Laborers but have elderly or young children to care for may also step forward."

At first, everyone was too nervous to move.

But seeing the mother and daughter huddled inside the Yamen for warmth, and looking at Qin Feng's ever-present faint smile, their tension eased.

When the first woman stepped out of the crowd, the rest lost their hesitation—in moments, over fifty women appeared in Qin Feng's sight.

The youngest among them looked sixteen or seventeen; the oldest appeared over forty.

Any woman who had borne children and could still perform heavy labor was considered strong.

In contrast, the men present were far more tense, for these women were their Jia Guan—if anything happened to them, their families would soon be destroyed.

At Qin Feng's instruction, Liu Ming gathered the fifty-plus women before him and lined them up in order.

He then placed a chair behind Qin Feng and brought a charcoal brazier from the Yamen to warm him.

In truth, Qin Feng's physical condition made such measures unnecessary—he was not frail, and this cold was nothing to him.

But since it was his Shu Xi's earnest kindness, Qin Feng did not refuse; he studied the women before him, their cheeks flushed red from the cold, and began questioning them one by one.

"What is your name?"

The woman, in her thirties, lowered her head, dared not meet Qin Feng's gaze, and clenched her fists tightly: "This Commoner has no name; I take my husband's surname—the villagers call me Zhang Jia Xifu…"

Qin Feng nodded: "Zhang Jia Xifu, were you taken by the Wu Family, or did you come voluntarily as a Laborer?"

At this, Zhang Jia Xifu burst into tears, sobbing: "This Commoner was living peacefully at home when the Wu Family came, seized me without cause, and claimed I had hit the jackpot—go to Wang Du, and each month I'd receive one hundred and fifty wen or one Shi of Grain to survive the winter."

"But… but… this Commoner has three children at home—the eldest is only six, the youngest hasn't even reached his first birthday."

"If my husband and I leave, those three children will starve to death."

Saying this, Zhang Jia Xifu became hysterical, fell to her knees, and wailed: "I beg Lord Qin to be my judge!"

Qin Feng had come personally to Changshui County precisely because he feared Local Strongmen were exploiting the people—and his suspicions were confirmed.

He had spent money and enabled a heap of evil deeds—this was too much of a loss.

Before Qin Feng could respond, Liu Ming softly comforted her: "Zhang Jia Xifu, do not worry—Lord Qin came to Changshui County himself to be your judge."

Hearing this, Zhang Jia Xifu stopped crying and looked up at Qin Feng; though she knew this man was unlike the bloodthirsty nobles, she still could not believe he would truly stand up for a Commoner.

Qin Feng did not immediately reply to Zhang Jia Xifu; instead, he glanced at the crowd of men and asked casually: "Who is her husband?"

A thin man in the crowd had been holding back no longer—he rushed forward, fell to his knees, and bowed his head, though he himself did not even know why.

Qin Feng gave a glance; Liu Ming pulled the thin man to his feet.

"Though these evil deeds were committed by the Wu Family, I am their hidden patron and must bear some responsibility."

"What is your name?"

The thin man hurriedly answered: "This Commoner is Zhang Erniu."

Qin Feng nodded, pulled a money pouch from his sleeve, and took out a piece of Sui Yin—less than one Tael.

The crowd murmured inwardly.

Had they not seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed such a great figure as Qin Feng would use Sui Yin—when even County City magnates casually tossed out several Tael of Silver, extravagantly beyond reason.

Qin Feng's silver was not blown in by the wind, and his current mindset had long since lost interest in "wasteful indulgence."

"Bring the Wu Family."

Wu Heng, who had been shouting from afar, had planned to reclaim his dignity and show Qin Feng who truly ruled Changshui County.

But after his endless shouting went ignored, Qin Feng's casual command caused Ning Hu to charge forward—before Wu Heng could react, his nose took a punch.

Blood and tears streamed down his face.

Wu Heng howled in pain, his knife kicked from his hand by Ning Hu, then seized by the nape of his neck and dragged straight to Qin Feng.

All the Protectors of the Wu Residence stood frozen in shock.