Chapter 297: A Small Token
Mr. Xu immediately put on a righteous expression and rebuked the servant beside him, "You audacious slave! How dare you use a fake Indenture Contract to fool me!"
The servant, filled with unspoken grievances, lowered his head and dared not make a sound.
Up on the dais, the Lord Prefect gave a light cough and began his judgment. "Mu Lanzhi, daughter of a disgraced official, is confirmed to be a maidservant of the Gu Family."
"Mr. Xu," COUGH COUGH, "that indenture contract of yours has been verified as a forgery. Considering you were also deceived by your servant, ignorance is no crime."
Mr. Xu quickly cupped his hands in a salute. "Thank you for your leniency, my lord."
The Lord Prefect then looked at the trembling servant beside Mr. Xu, took an order token from the holder, and threw it down. "The servant from the Ning’an Marquis Mansion deceived his master and forged a document! Take him away and give him twenty strokes of the board!"
The servant didn’t dare to argue. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, only to be dragged aside by the government officials and given twenty strokes.
For a time, the only sound in the main hall was the servant’s miserable screams.
Once the twenty strokes were finished, the Lord Prefect slammed his gavel. "Alright, this case is concluded. Court dismissed."
Forging a document was an offense that should have resulted in imprisonment, yet the Lord Prefect had let him off so easily.
Gu Fei understood what was happening but said nothing more, helping Lan Zhi up from the floor.
Mr. Xu walked forward with an embarrassed expression and gave a deep bow to Gu Fei and Lan Zhi. "Miss Gu, Miss Lan Zhi, I was deceived by that dog of a slave. I truly didn’t know the Indenture Contract was fake. I have offended you both, and I ask for your forgiveness."
He took a pouch from his sleeve and pressed it into Gu Fei’s hand. "This is just a small token to help calm your nerves."
"I hope... I hope you might put in a good word for me with the Young Master Heir."
Mr. Xu blinked, looking at Gu Fei with utmost sincerity. ’Please, please don’t let the Young Master Heir come looking for trouble with me.’
Practice makes perfect. Gu Fei calmly accepted the pouch and said unhurriedly, "Rest assured, Mr. Xu. I will make sure the Young Master Heir never learns of this."
Hearing this, Mr. Xu was moved to tears with gratitude. He bowed to Gu Fei again. "Miss Gu, you are truly magnanimous. I am in awe, truly in awe."
Gu Fei smiled and pulled Lan Zhi toward the exit.
’She didn’t like making enemies. As long as someone hadn’t offended her to the point of no return, she wouldn’t go out of her way to destroy them.’
’Mr. Xu would surely never dare to bother Lan Zhi again. In fact, he’d probably feel more at ease now that I have taken his silver.’
She couldn’t help but marvel, ’Using Xiao Yu’s name as a shield is really effective. In Ping’an City, it’s practically invincible.’
As she reached the entrance of the hall, Su Chen came up to greet them. "I’m glad you’re alright."
He had been standing near the front, so he had heard the verdict and the Lord Prefect’s questions with perfect clarity.
’I hadn’t expected that there would be no need to use my uncle’s calling card at all. The moment my cousin’s name was mentioned, the matter was resolved.’
’A frustrated feeling welled up in my heart again. I rushed all the way here, yet I wasn’t able to help Gu Fei at all.’
Gu Fei smiled at him. "We’ve troubled you, Young Master Su. You must not have rested well. Why don’t you go back to the inn and rest for a while?"
Su Chen waved his hand. "No, it’s alright. I rushed here from the academy last night and didn’t have time to ask my teacher for leave. I have to hurry and leave the city before the gates close."
He lowered his head slightly. "Miss Gu, I’m truly sorry I wasn’t able to help you."
Gu Fei quickly replied, "Young Master Su, how can you say that? You rushed here overnight. Lan Zhi and I are already very grateful for your kindness. If anything, I’m the one who doesn’t know how to repay you."
Su Chen pressed his lips together. "Please, don’t say anything more about repayment."
"I—" Su Chen looked around at the bustling crowd. ’This is hardly the place to talk.’ "I’ll be going now."