After the presiding judge looked at Mo Fei and repeatedly signaled for him to find a way out, only to be ignored each time, he finally gave up on him entirely.
And so, he was about to have Mo Fei taken into custody.
The examiners who had already been bought off looked delighted as well.
To them, offending an ordinary man with neither power nor influence in exchange for a large sum of money was a good deal no matter how they looked at it.
But no one expected things to change so quickly.
Just after the presiding judge delivered his final verdict, someone pushed open the door and walked in.
Everyone looked in surprise at this man who dared to challenge the rules.
But a moment later, many of the more worldly people immediately changed their attitudes, becoming exceedingly obsequious.
"Does Lord Earl Winter have any instructions? What brings you here?"
Of course, the person who had arrived could not possibly have been Earl Winter himself. That would have been far too absurd.
The man who pushed open the door was Winter's butler, an important figure who represented the Winter family's standing. Generally speaking, his appearance signified Earl Winter's wishes.
After glancing around the room, the newcomer looked Mo Fei over several times.
"According to Earl Winter, the matter this man was involved in was carried out at Earl Winter's behest. So, would you consider releasing him and letting him come with me to see His Lordship... Though he handled things poorly, he is still one of the Earl's people, after all..."
The meaning behind those words was clear: he was backing Mo Fei.
This turn of events instantly drained the color from many examiners' faces, and some even felt a measure of resentment toward him.
"If you knew the Earl, you should have said so sooner! If I'd known, where would I have found the nerve to mess with someone so powerful?"
The people who had just been delighted by how easily they had earned their money now wanted nothing more than to throw away the money that could cost them their lives!
The presiding judge, seated at the highest point, was the first to react to this development, issuing his final ruling at once.
"The director of the Mo Orphanage-Mo Fei-is diligent in his work, friendly in his manner, and conscientious and responsible. This incident was entirely a case of false accusations. All complaints are hereby dismissed!"
Many of the examiners below hurried to follow suit. "Agreed!"
The review, whose outcome had still been somewhat uncertain earlier, suddenly proceeded with extraordinary speed.
Mo Fei was escorted straight to the butler's side.
"You're free to go!" The examiner's tone held a measure of caution as he escorted him over.
Mo Fei did not scorn their shift from arrogance to deference. Besides, that deference was directed not at him, but at His Lordship.
He had even less reason to take issue with it.
Under everyone's gazes, he left with the butler.
Whatever arguments broke out inside after the door closed were no longer his concern. Once the Earl intervened, such minor matters became inconsequential.
Only after leaving city hall and boarding the carriage with the butler did he speak with some hesitation.
"May I ask how I should address you? And His Lordship...?"
Mo Fei had originally thought it would be enough for Miss Colleen to send someone to have a word. That would already have carried an astonishing amount of weight, but now that the Earl had intervened, the weight behind it was rather excessive.
This also left Mo Fei a little worried.
The man merely glanced at him, but still spoke in a politely distant tone. "You may call me Butler Morgan. I am His Lordship's butler. As for what His Lordship has in mind, you'll find out shortly. I would not presume to speculate... Rest assured, since His Lordship has already taken your side, any problems are minor matters now!"
With that, he said no more.
Even so, Mo Fei still felt somewhat uneasy.
It was not the fear of facing someone in power. Rather, it was more like the nervousness of being forced to meet a classmate's parents.
So when he stepped down from the carriage, his left foot caught on his right, and he nearly tripped.
This rather clumsy behavior made Molly, who was waiting to greet him at the entrance, laugh outright.
Seeing Molly, someone he knew, put Mo Fei somewhat more at ease, at least.
When he met His Lordship, the Earl was speaking with Miss Colleen.
Faced with this scene, Mo Fei did nothing and simply stood there. He expressed no thanks and asked no questions about the reason, merely standing and watching.
The Earl and Colleen's conversation continued for a while before ending.
Colleen looked at him several times, but said nothing.
The Earl had not even looked his way since he entered.
Mo Fei did the same. As long as his host did not speak to him, he would say nothing.
This stalemate lasted for a while before His Lordship spoke.
At the same time, he looked at Mo Fei.
Mo Fei had a typically mixed-race appearance, though the deep-set features of Westerners were not especially pronounced on his face. With his black hair and gentle, jade-like eyes, he gave the impression of a graceful young gentleman.
Unfortunately, he was no longer young. The nasolabial folds around his nose and the marks on his forehead and temples all bore witness to the passage of time.
Thus, that air of a jade-like young gentleman had become something scholarly, also giving him the air of an amiable man.
The Earl was quite satisfied with such a man.
As long as he was not some rash young fool.
"Very good. We have accepted your request for help this time. What comes next?"
Although Mo Fei was not much younger than him, the Earl had spoken from a position of superiority from the outset.
No one present took issue with it, except Mo Fei.
But considering that he truly owed him a favor this time, he said nothing and accepted it.
"I'm very grateful for your help. There isn't much else to say. If you have any instructions, as long as they're within my ability, I'll do my best to carry them out..."
Seeing that Mo Fei understood at once, the Earl was even more satisfied with him.
He gestured for his daughter to continue, and Colleen spoke next, her clear, youthful voice easing the solemn atmosphere. "As for what comes next, we'll open a bakery in Earl Winter's name. You'll be responsible for supplying it, and for selling the bread as well... The vast majority of the money earned will belong to us..."
At this point, she deliberately paused and looked curiously at Mo Fei's reaction.
But this time, Mo Fei did not even frown.
"And after that? That sort of thing is very simple..."
Colleen found his reaction somewhat difficult to understand, but soon continued. "We won't keep a penny of the money earned. It will all be donated to the orphanage in my name. But you'll need to keep proper records of where the funds go, so I can inspect them at any time... Is that a problem?"
Mo Fei's expression relaxed considerably, even taking on a measure of delight. "No problem..."
Then he glanced thoughtfully at the two of them and continued along the same lines. "I'll do everything I can to spread the word about this. The neighbors will hear of Miss Colleen's kindness as well... And I'll regularly give back to the people nearby, so they know of Earl Winter's benevolence..."
Mo Fei's addition brought a flash of surprise and delight to the Earl's eyes.
He had not expected this director to be so quick on the uptake.
"That will do!"
"Oh, one more thing. Regarding this incident, I hope you can settle it cleanly. Don't let it cause any more trouble..."
"Of course. I understand!"
After saying all this, Mo Fei left the Earl's residence. Once again, a carriage took him straight back.