The room fell silent upon hearing this.

Zhou Chongshan felt guilty after hearing what Manager Yu said. When he saw Prefect Qi reach out to take it, he panicked and reached out to snatch it as if he had lost his mind.

The guard beside Manager Yu reacted quickly, shoving him out and shouting, "What are you doing?"

The guard was also sharp-tongued: "You tried to snatch the evidence as soon as it was presented. Isn't that a sign of a guilty conscience? And you even tried to snatch it from the prefect. Your Zhou family is really something, not even putting the prefect in your eyes."

The moment that accusation was leveled against him, Zhou Chongshan felt a chill run down his spine. He looked up to see Prefect Qi's mocking smile: "No..." he panicked, his eyes darting around, "I'm just afraid that the man surnamed Yu might resort to some underhanded tricks out of fear of harming others..."

Manager Yu sneered, "If I were to resort to underhanded tactics, I wouldn't be doing this to Prefect Qi!"

He took a deep breath and bowed to the crowd: "I, Yu Xinghong, swore an oath the day I took over the escort agency from my father that we would admit any mistakes made by Longchang Escort Agency, but if someone frames us, Longchang Escort Agency will not stand idly by!"

Manager Yu sneered, "Our Longchang Escort Agency has been established for decades and has weathered many storms. Even if we're not among the top in Changzhou Prefecture now, our connections are unmatched by ordinary escort agencies." He stared directly at Zhou Chongshan, "Young Master Zhou, do you think our Longchang Escort Agency has survived for so many decades solely because of these few guards?"

Zhou Chongshan was sweating profusely, frozen in place, not daring to utter a single word.

"It's a fact that our Longchang Escort Agency lost its shipment, and we acknowledge that. Therefore, we will compensate you according to the contract. However, our Longchang Escort Agency will not let you get away with cheating us out of our shipment and framing us for the death of your female relative!"

Manager Yu's words stirred the blood of many around him. In contrast, Young Master Zhou hung his head and shrank his shoulders. Everyone knew who was right and who was wrong without Magistrate Qi's judgment.

Some onlookers, eager for a good show, immediately shouted, "Stop hiding it! Tell us what happened and let us be the judge!"

"Exactly, exactly, why keep us in suspense?"

“This week, Chongshan even dared to take action against Prefect Qi. I’m afraid there’s something fishy going on here.”

In just a short while, Zhou Chongshan was so anxious that bubbles were forming at the corners of his mouth. He kept looking towards Prefect Qi, hoping that Prefect Qi would downplay the matter. After all, he had just reminded Prefect Qi that the people behind him were from the Li Family Trading Company.

Everyone knows that the owner of Li's Trading Company is a powerful and influential person.

However, Qi Wenhan remained remarkably composed, his expression unchanged. Young Master Zhou had no choice but to step forward again and remind him, "Prefect Qi, I just said..."

Qi Wenhan waved the evidence and interrupted him, "Take them all back to the yamen. If the Zhou family dares to resist, torture them directly."

These words were tantamount to directly condemning the Zhou family, leaving no room for maneuver. Only then did the eldest young master Zhou hurriedly give his confidant a look, wanting him to return to the Zhou family to report the news. However, the confidant was escorted back after taking only two steps back.

Qi Wenhan watched coldly without saying a word, and only after all the Zhou family servants had been captured did he turn around, mount his horse, and leave.

With the parties involved gone, there was naturally nothing exciting to see anymore. The people walked and talked, and before long, the place returned to its previous quiet state.

On the second floor of a restaurant opposite the Longchang Escort Agency, a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's robe stood by the window. After seeing the Zhou family being taken away by Prefect Qi, his face showed undisguised anger: "Fools!"

Just as he was about to close the window, he saw a carriage slowly starting to move in the darkness. The guards around it were all tall and sturdy with straight backs, and it was clear at a glance that these people were extraordinary. The middle-aged man frowned slightly and said in an almost inaudible voice, "The Wen residence?"

Gu Yuzhi was completely unaware that he was being watched. Hearing from those around him that Manager Yu was suing the Zhou family for defrauding them of goods, he immediately became interested: "Chief Secretary Xie, what evidence did Manager Yu submit? Was that ginseng fake?"

Before Xie Changshi could speak, he shook his head again, saying, "No, no, definitely not. How could Manager Yu not recognize the authenticity of a ginseng root?" He suddenly opened his mouth wide, his eyes darting around, "Could it be that the Zhou family's daughter isn't dead?"

Looking at Gu Yuzhi's lively and adorable manner, shaking his head and nodding, Xie Changshi couldn't help but smile: "The Zhou family's daughter is definitely gone, but the cause of death is definitely not because of a ginseng. There are probably some other interests involved, which is why Manager Yu handed the evidence over to Prefect Qi instead of making it public."

Gu Yuzhi was too young to understand the intricacies of the situation: "But, but didn't he let the people know about the Zhou family's fraudulent escort scheme?"

Chief Secretary Xie laughed heartily: "That's the cleverness of Manager Yu. He presented the evidence in front of the people, and although he didn't elaborate, he made everyone understand the integrity of the Longchang Escort Agency."

Longchang Escort Agency admitted its mistakes and accepted punishment, but it was definitely not the kind of organization that would stand still and take a beating without knowing how to fight back.

Gu Yuzhi's face darkened as he followed Xie Changshi's words, thinking further: "Xie Changshi, is it because Manager Yu doesn't want to transfer these troubles to us?"

"Yes." Chief Secretary Xie smiled. "The Longchang Escort Agency will change hands tomorrow. This is Manager Yu's pledge of loyalty to you."

Gu Yuzhi nodded vaguely, understanding that Chief Secretary Xie had approved of Manager Yu, and then paid no more attention.

The next morning, Qi Wenhan came to report back. Considering that Gu Yuzhi was too young, he didn't speak very tactfully: "Manager Yu brought some private information about the Zhou family. The Zhou family's daughter's pregnancy was unclear, and she was going to die anyway. After the Li family's business learned about this, they contacted them, offering a large sum of money. In addition, they promised to cover up the matter, so the Zhou family naturally agreed with great joy."

The people from Li's Trading Company originally thought that taking over the Longchang Escort Agency was only a matter of time, so they didn't put too much pressure on them at first. Who knew that Gu Yuzhi would disrupt their plans? Under immense pressure, the Zhou family had no other choice but to come up with such a foolish idea...

Gu Yuzhi didn't understand what it meant to be unsure of one's gestation, so he silently asked Manager Wen. He saw Manager Wen looking up at the sky and down at the ground, refusing to look at him. Even Teacher Shu pretended to be busy and coughed from time to time.

He immediately realized this was not a good thing, and patiently listened to Qi Wenhan say: "Before Manager Yu produced any evidence, Zhou Chongshan did mention Li Ji Trading Company to me. But when we went to court, the Zhou family was afraid of retaliation from the Li Ji Trading Company, so they didn't mention it at all, only saying that they were blinded by greed. Manager Yu didn't intend to investigate further either, so I ruled that the Zhou family should return all the money they had paid."

Gu Yuzhi whispered, "They really got off easy." He rolled his eyes and said cleverly, "But now that everyone knows the Zhou family cheated the escorts, no escort agency will dare to take their orders anymore."

Thinking about it this way, he felt a little smug; bad people should never get a good ending.