Bei Jiu seemed to have accepted her fate and confessed everything.
When she was young, she had followed her teacher around the lowest rungs of society. Everyone who dealt with their teacher-and-disciple pair had been an ordinary commoner from all walks of life. Not to mention someone like Shen Tang, who stood at the summit of power—even the gatekeeper watching a local landowner's gate was someone she would never dare provoke lightly.
She had heard that the powerful hated people who betrayed their masters most of all.
Bei Jiu considered herself someone who had not climbed out, but she had brought others along to feast as well—she had not only failed to contribute much to Lord Shen, she had also taken advantage of Lord Shen, studied Lord Shen's painstakingly crafted works, secretly learned from the Sacred Object Tian Gong Kai Wu, and, without even saying hello, "dragged her entire household" along to eat from the government's grain stores. If she were Shen Jun, she would certainly hate someone as despicable as this to the bone.
The more Bei Jiu thought about it, the more frightened and miserable she became.
Before Shen Tang could speak, she bowed and confessed her guilt.
She closed her eyes and waited for the final verdict.
Everyone present: "..."
"I humbly request that my lord forgive Zhoukou this once. She was poor in her youth and relied on the Mohists of her school to survive until now."
Although Yun Ce knew Shen Tang would not blame Bei Jiu over such a minor matter, he still stepped forward to plead for her, giving his lord a way down—after all, Bei Jiu's matter could be considered serious or trivial. Taken seriously, it counted as favoritism; taken lightly, it was merely providing jobs for a few Mohists. Those Mohists