Voluntarily Delivering the Silver

Su Ziji turned to look at the clerk who was so eager to please him.

While he had been busy with the handover and affairs of Shunan Prefecture, he had not wanted the officials he had newly promoted to handle Qi Hongxin's family's affairs, lest the Qi Family suffer any indignity.

He had deliberately assigned the task to this veteran who had served Prefect Qi for some time, so Qi Hongxin's family could live in peace in the rear courtyard. Wasn't this the very clerk he had put in charge?

"They sent someone to find me, and you had them stopped?" Su Ziji stared at him, his voice low.

Fool. Too clever for his own good, and ungrateful to boot.

Qi Hongxin himself had promoted this man!

Seeing Su Ziji's expression, panic flashed across the clerk's face. He hurried to explain, "My lord, I saw how busy you were and didn't want anyone disturbing you... Ow!"

Smack! Su Ziji slapped him. Like Fan San, the clerk's face swelled purple, but he did not dare cry out in pain. "My lord, my lord... I was wrong. I was wrong," he mumbled.

With that, he dropped to his knees and begged for mercy.

Su Ziji looked down at him coldly. "What nerve you have, withholding Prefect Qi's ice silver. That alone is enough to convict you!"

"Since you did your duty during the locust eradication, take off that uniform and find yourself another livelihood!"

He had dismissed him on the spot.

Everyone in officialdom knew a superior's authority was not unlimited. This was as far as it went.

The clerk's face turned white. He opened his mouth to protest his innocence, but Yu Zhilin, delighted, gripped his sword hilt and drew the blade halfway. Cold light flashed.

Knowing neither fear nor pleas