Gao Yuanxiang stammered, "Two hundred thousand taels..."
Shen Qing felt insulted.
After working themselves to the bone for half a year, they couldn't even earn a few hundred taels of silver. But Gao Yuanxiang could steal a single seal and get two hundred thousand taels!
Two hundred thousand taels is enough to pay off the debt!
What kind of world is this?!
Qi Zhenheng was still interrogating Gao Yuanxiang: "So the Hendustan jade on your neck was purchased with these 200,000 taels?"
"Yes, Lord Qi..."
Qi Zhenheng ordered his men to remove the jade pendant from Gao Yuanxiang's neck and confiscate it as evidence.
Why did Gao Yuanqi ask you to steal Gao Shen's seal?
"This humble woman does not know."
"What did you do after you stole the seal?"
Gao Yuanxiang immediately kowtowed and confessed, "After I stole the seal, I didn't use it anywhere. I just gave the seal to Gao Yuanqi. I didn't use it on those letters."
Qi Zhenheng immediately ordered his men to arrest Gao Yuanqi and bring him to justice.
All the evidence showed that Shen Qing was innocent. Shen Qing was released and went into the crowd to meet Chunju.
After experiencing this ordeal, the master and servant embraced and wept bitterly.
They stood at the front of the crowd, watching Qi Zhenheng preside over the case.
Gao Yuanqi was quickly brought to the court and knelt down next to Gao Yuanxiang.
Looking at the young but malicious Gao Yuanqi, Qi Zhenheng angrily asked, "Gao Yuanqi! Speak! Why did you instruct Gao Yuanxiang to steal the Shen family's seal?"
Gao Yuanqi looked resigned to his fate and remained silent.
Qi Zhenheng then ordered his men to beat him with a board. He was beaten until he was covered in blood and gore, but he still refused to utter a single word.
Qi Zhenheng had no choice but to lock the man in a cell first.
As the crowd dispersed, Shen Qing remained.
She went to the backyard of the yamen and asked to see Qi Zhenheng.
The guards at the gate had seen her a few times and knew that she had a good relationship with Qi Zhenheng, so they let her into the courtyard directly.
Just past the corridor, they ran into Qi Zhenheng, who had just come down from the courtroom.
Under the blazing midday sun, Qi Zhenheng's already bronze skin gleamed, making him appear dark and shiny.
Shen Qing smiled as she recalled the sports committee member who had pursued her in middle school, who also had dark, shiny skin and bright eyes.
Seeing that she was smiling despite her silence, Qi Zhenheng put on a stern face and said in a low voice, "I warned you long ago that as a woman, you should always keep a low profile and avoid making enemies, so as not to cause trouble! You are always high-profile, which is why you offend people without realizing it and get framed!"
In the past, Shen Qing would have retorted sharply, but now she couldn't bear to say a single harsh word to her savior.
Qi Zhenheng also scolded her: "I can save you once or twice, but I can't save you forever!"
Shen Qing smiled and corrected, "You saved me three times, not twice."
She smiled warmly, revealing two delicate dimples at the corners of her lips.
Qi Zhenheng was stunned. He swallowed hard and was momentarily speechless.
"Besides, why can't you save me for life? You're the local official, are you going to stand by and watch me die if I'm in trouble?"
Qi Zhenheng came to his senses, coughed lightly, and looked at the low tree next to Shen Qing: "I may not be the prefect of Jiangzhou forever. Maybe I will be transferred to another post next month."
Shen Qing asked nervously, "Are you being transferred to another place next month?"
"I'm just giving an example..."
Shen Qingsong took a breath and bowed to him: "Lord Qi, thank you for saving me today and clearing my name."
Qi Zhenheng nodded without a smile: "Of course."
"But how did you know I was arrested by that corrupt official? And even taken to court?"
"...It was your apprentice, that child named Sulan, who told me."
Shen Qing was surprised to find it was Su Lan, and her eyes welled up with tears.
The factory was dozens of miles away from the prefectural government office. How did Su Lan manage to get to the prefectural government office to tip her off?
I thought that since Chunju had also been arrested, no one would inform Qi Zhenheng for her, but it turned out to be that child, Sulan.
"This child is truly my benefactor," Shen Qing murmured.
She made up her mind that she would take good care of Su Lan in the future.
...
Shen Qing was in a hurry to get to the factory and quickly said goodbye to Qi Zhenheng.
As I walked out of the prefectural government office, I saw the familiar carriage waiting outside. I happily ran towards the carriage and got in without saying a word.
Seeing her, Old Xu was overjoyed and said in a simple and honest voice while driving, "Boss Shen has survived a great calamity and is sure to have good fortune in the future."
Shen Qing smiled and said "thank you," then asked him to drive her to the factory.
As soon as the carriage entered the path outside the factory, Shen Qing immediately pulled back the curtain and looked out.
From a distance, you could see some pale yellow things piled up outside the yard. When the wind blew, half of the yellow strips danced in the wind.
This is a semi-finished product of rayon.
The fabric, which had only been spun halfway, was roughly ripped off the spinning machine and thrown onto the roadside.
Shen Qing's heart was breaking.
The carriage entered the courtyard, and she got off. What she saw was a yard full of wooden barrels and half-woven fabric.
Some of the fabric was lying on the ground, trampled on by people, and footprints were still visible on it.
Shen Qing bent down to pick it up, gently stroking the texture on it, tears welling up in her eyes.
She walked into the factory with red eyes.
The ten machines, which were originally arranged neatly, are now lying crookedly on the ground, most of them already disintegrated.
The once lively scene flashed before her eyes, and she finally couldn't hold back her tears.
"Young Madam," Chunju asked softly, "are these machines still usable?"
"I have no idea."
She picked up the scattered parts one by one and put them back in their original places, silently shedding tears as she did so.
...
Shen Qing spent the afternoon in the equally chaotic accounting room, organizing the ledgers and putting them back in their proper places.
As dusk fell, a cold wind howled outside.
Chunju lit the lamp and came in, saying, "Young mistress, you haven't eaten for a long time. Let's go home and get some rest tonight. We can clean up tomorrow."
Shen Qing nodded blankly, got up and walked out.
He boarded the bus silently without uttering a word.
Although he knew the factory had been destroyed while he was in prison, seeing the factory he had built with his own hands reduced to this state was still a huge blow.
She is currently confused and doesn't know what to do next.
The machines were destroyed, the workers had all fled, and the three customers who had paid deposits would soon receive the news and come to demand their money back.
After returning the deposit, she was not only penniless, but also owed tens of thousands of taels to Gao's relatives and one hundred thousand taels to Master Zhao.
No one will lend her money to make a comeback.
She survived the courtroom, but now she has nothing left but this body...
"Young Madam, we've arrived. Let's get off the bus."
Shen Qing snapped out of his daze and, with Chunju's help, got off the carriage.
"Boss Shen," Old Xu called out to her softly, "I have something to tell you."
Shen Qing glanced at Chunju: "You go in first."
She gestured for Lao Xu to come aside and talk.
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