Ling Qingxue glared angrily at the people in front of him, his handsome face flushed red with rage.
Several crew members were holding him back, while a short, stout middle-aged man stood opposite him, sneering, "Don't try to fool me. You say you have connections in Yangzhou who will pay your fare, but what if you don't?"
"You've been eating and lodging on the ship for free these past few days, costing me quite a bit of money. But with your pathetic, wretched appearance, who's going to pay you?"
"If I let you stay here and eat and stay for free, wouldn't I be losing out big time?"
The boatman said coldly, "This place isn't far from the shore. You can swim back to shore yourself!"
Ling Qingxue glanced at a waiter behind him, who quickly turned his head away, not daring to meet his gaze.
Is there anything else he doesn't understand?
However, he had received some tips from the customers these days, which aroused the waiter's dissatisfaction.
"Boatman, Ziyang is a scholar and would never deceive you. Once we reach Yangzhou, I will definitely hand over the fare with both hands!"
Su Xuerong, who was standing not far away, had not originally planned to watch the commotion, but when she heard the name "Ziyang" from the scholar, she was slightly taken aback.
Ziyang, this name sounds familiar. When and where have I heard it before?
Although she couldn't recall the exact details, she knew it was a name she had heard in the palace in her previous life.
The boat captain seemed determined to throw the man overboard, ignoring his words completely. He pointed to a spot not far away and said, "You only need to swim for half an hour to reach the shore. I'll give you a piece of driftwood, and I'll guarantee you won't die!"
"Men, throw him down!"
Several burly crew members stepped forward, and one of them grabbed Ling Qingxue's hands and feet, about to throw her overboard.
"stop!"
Su Jingxuan strode over and shouted sternly, "You are treating human life like dirt!"
It's unbelievable that this heartless boat captain would throw someone into the river for a mere penny!
The boat captain's face stiffened, and he recognized him as the cabin guest who had boarded the boat at Suzhou Wharf the previous night.
He dared not offend someone who could afford to pay ten taels of silver for a room, and hurriedly stepped forward, saying, "Sir, you misunderstand. This person... this person has been eating and staying on my boat for many days without paying, and that's why..."
"How much money does he owe you?" Su Jingxuan asked coldly, his gaze sharply fixed on Ling Qingxue.
But he noticed that although his face was thin and his clothes were tattered, his eyes were incredibly clear, and the composure and calmness in his gaze surprised him slightly.
It seems that he can save himself if I don't step in?
The boatman glanced at Su Jingxuan, then at Ling Qingxue, his eyes darting around for a moment before he immediately put on a beaming smile and said, "Nothing much, nothing much, sir, just two taels of silver will do..."
Ling Qingxue's eyes narrowed sharply: "What? Two taels of silver?"
The lowest class cabin on the ship only cost half a penny, not to mention he had already worked as a laborer on the ship for free for half a month.
This is outrageous!
Su Jingxuan coldly handed over the silver: "Here you go!"
The boatman's eyes narrowed with laughter: "Thank you, sir!"
He immediately left with his crew.
Ling Qingxue immediately clasped her hands and bowed to Su Jingxuan: "Thank you for your help, sir. When we arrive in Yangzhou, I will repay you tenfold!"
Su Jingxuan, however, angrily waved his sleeve and said, "No need. Just don't bother my daughter in the days to come!"
Ling Qingxue was taken aback, and suddenly remembered the beautiful young lady she had seen in the main room that morning.
Su Jingxuan ignored him and turned to leave.
Ling Qingxue stepped forward and asked, "May I ask, sir, was it that young lady who helped me this morning?"
Su Jingxuan said coldly, "It's good that you know. There's no need to meet again in the future!"
As Ling Qingxue watched his departing figure, the image of that stunning face from earlier that morning flashed before her eyes.
The thought of her clear, moon-like eyes stirred something strange within him.
But after a while, he couldn't help but give a wry smile.
Since ancient times, heroes have rescued beauties, but this down-on-his-luck man was rescued by a beauty today.
Extremely ironic.
Su Jingxuan returned to the cabin, where Su Xuerong greeted him: "Father, were you able to help that scholar?"
Su Jingxuan said irritably, "Why are you helping him?"
But after thinking for a moment, he sighed slightly: "However, if we don't intervene, that heartless boatman might really throw the person into the river! Is there no justice in this world?!"
The world is now at peace, but society remains chaotic, with the strong bullying the weak and ordinary people struggling to protect themselves.
Thinking of this, Su Jingxuan frowned and said, "When we arrive at the next port, I need to disembark and hire a few people to come over, otherwise trouble is inevitable along the way."
The next slightly larger port was Sizhou. The ship needed to resupply and would stay for two days, so Su Jingxuan took this opportunity to disembark and hire people.
Before leaving, Su Jingxuan specifically instructed Zhou Shi that she and her daughter should stay in the cabin, and if they really couldn't sit still, Su Xuerong should put on a veil and go to the deck to cool off.
Su Xuerong couldn't sit still any longer, so she put on a white veiled hat and took Yuan'er and Zhou Shi to the second-floor deck.
There weren't many guests in the upper rooms. During their two-day stay in Sizhou, some disembarked to explore, while others stayed in small groups on the deck to cool off.
Su Xuerong noticed that among the group of women, one was wearing a veil and was accompanied by several servants.
The servants were dressed in the finest clothes and jewelry, and the woman surrounding them, wearing a veiled hat, was graceful and dressed in even more luxurious and exquisite attire.
"Madam, it's windy here. It wouldn't be good if you caught a cold..." a middle-aged maid said softly.
“Aunt Zhong, Ling’er has been suffering terribly on the boat these past few days. She’s only come out to get some fresh air now that the boat has docked. Please don’t make things difficult for her,” said a young and pretty maid.
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