Chapter 128 Is the beggar actually Steward Wang?

"That person used to be the steward of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion!"

These words, like a stone thrown into a still pond, instantly invigorated Xie Yunchuan.

Xie Yunchuan glanced at Thirteen without making a sound, and Thirteen's expression was also very solemn.

No one else noticed; they were all listening to the old woman.

"That man's surname is Wang, and he's been the steward of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion for many years. When he was the steward, many people cursed him because this Steward Wang often took advantage of his position to ruthlessly skim money off the common people!"

The old woman was quite old, and it was the first time she had spoken in front of so many noble people from the palace. Her words were a bit incoherent, but the others still understood her.

It turns out that when Steward Wang was working as the steward of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, he had ulterior motives and wanted to gain some benefits. The position of steward in a mansion is considered a minor one, and he comes into contact with so many things, so it is easy for him to make some extra money.

If they dared not act from inside the mansion, they would act from outside.

For example, the commoners who delivered vegetables to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion were originally supposed to be paid one tael of silver, but Steward Wang only gave them half a tael. At first, the commoners would be angry, but if you got angry, he would send someone to beat you until you calmed down, forcing you to leave "happily" with the money. If you said you wouldn't deliver anymore, fine, the Duke of Jingguo's mansion had plenty of ways to make your vegetables infamous, so no one would dare take them, and then see how you survived.

For example, there were those gambling dens. Steward Wang was so audacious that he tricked the owner of one of the smallest gambling dens at the time, saying that he would protect him if he charged him 10% interest. The gambling den owner, seeing that he was the steward of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, thought that Steward Wang meant that the Duke of Jingguo's mansion would protect him, and thought that if he could use money to serve him well in exchange for the Duke of Jingguo's mansion's protection, it wouldn't be a loss.

Who knew that the Duke of Jingguo's mansion had no idea about this? Steward Wang had been bullying people for several years by taking advantage of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion's reputation until recently when he was kicked out by the Duke of Jingguo's mansion. When the gambling den owner questioned him, Steward Wang stubbornly said that he had not lied to anyone and that he had said he could protect the gambling den.

I heard that the gambling den owner was so angry that he laughed, saying that he was just an ordinary citizen who had been kicked out of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, so what right did he have to protect the gambling den? Then he sent people to beat him half to death and leave him on the street, saying that he would beat him every time he saw him.

Seeing his condition—being kicked out of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion and beaten by the gambling den's men—the people on the street dared not hire him. Besides, Steward Wang had previously oppressed the people so much that they were all hoping he would get his comeuppance.

Since Steward Wang had no family, he could only become a beggar and eke out a living in the capital.

And sure enough, those guys were the gambling den's thugs. What a coincidence, we've run into Butler Wang again, so we can only have another friendly chat.

After hearing this, the group's initial anger subsided.

Sheng Sheng didn't know what to feel for a moment. Although she had saved someone, it was a bad person she had saved.

Xie Yunjia comforted her, "Don't overthink it. Even the worst people should be dealt with by the law. Although this Butler Wang deserved it, beating someone in the street is still a violation of our country's laws. You did the right thing."

Although similar things happen all the time, and many other things as well, they may never receive a judgment based on the law.

Xie Yunjia didn't say that, afraid of scaring the little guy again.

Sheng Sheng was finally relieved.

Xie Yunjia's voice reached the ears of the people outside. Xie Yunjia nodded, agreeing that Xie Yunjia's words made sense.

Seeing that the carriage was not moving for a long time, Xie Yunqi stuck his head out to watch the commotion for a while.

"Hey, Fourth Brother, what's wrong?"

Xie Yunqi lifted the curtain to show him. Xie Yunwen looked at it for a while and said, "It sounds like Sheng Sheng accidentally caught a bad guy."

Xie Yun said gently to the old woman, "Don't worry, we will handle this matter properly. Thank you for what you said."

Xie Yun's guards took out some silver, which Xie Yun intended to give as a thank-you gift to the old woman. The old woman repeatedly stepped back, saying, "Oh, no, no, you can ask anyone about these things. I just happen to know a little more than you need to. There's no need to thank me."

Xie Yunyang tried to give it to her again, but the old woman smiled and said, "I thought the nobles in the palace would be difficult to talk to, but I didn't expect you to be so kind. You're all quite young and so good-looking. I'd like to make a guess that you're princes or princesses from the palace, right? Being able to talk to princes and princesses is quite lucky for me. And you even caught that scoundrel and put him in jail. That's the best reward you could give!"

Xie Yun paused for a moment. Actually, he noticed that the old woman seemed to be struggling financially, so he wanted to use the excuse of giving her a gift to help her out.

The old woman seemed to understand what he meant, but still refused.

Xie Yun smiled and put the silver away.

Xie Yunchuan was somewhat touched by the simple and honest nature of the people and said with a smile, "Grandma, what you're saying is really just that we just took the person to Dali Temple on the side. You're making it sound like we did something incredibly good."

Perhaps it was because they had always been so gentle and approachable that the old lady became more outspoken.

"Of course there are! Take this little princess, for example. Her kindness in saving lives is something many people wouldn't do. I may be slow-witted, but I'd like to say that the country will still depend on you in the future. I hope that all of you princes can do good deeds for our people and be kind people. That's enough!"

The warm winter sun shone through the hustle and bustle of the city onto the group of people.

The old woman was just an ordinary citizen in Beijing, who worked diligently all her life just to live a happier life.

On this unexpected day, in front of everyone, the old woman smiled and spoke her heartfelt hopes, and made no attempt to hide her expectations for them.

It's a very strange feeling—to be expected and trusted by the people, to be entrusted with heavy responsibilities by them.

Unlike what his parents had expected of him, everyone was stunned by his words, and an indescribable emotion permeated their entire being.

Sheng Sheng pressed her little head against the window, the cold wind blowing in, only to be driven away by the warm sunlight.

"Be a kind person?" Sheng Sheng murmured unconsciously.

"Yes!" The old woman nodded with a smile, then turned back into the crowd. "Oh dear, I've talked too much again. Thank you, Your Highnesses, for listening to this old woman's rambling."

The group watched the old woman's retreating figure, but none of them made a move immediately.

After a while, Xie Yun-yang lowered his head and smiled, saying, "Let's go."

Xie Yunchuan nodded: "Mm."

Sheng Sheng was still thinking when Xie Yunchuan walked over, smiled, and tapped her on the head: "Still thinking?"

Sheng Sheng blinked, nodded, and then shook her head.