Amidst the crowd, shouts rose and fell, and more and more people knelt down, pleading for John Washington.

"Well done! Justice has been served!"

"Young Master Zhu did the right thing!"

Thousands of people, a vast sea of black, cried out in unison to redress the injustice for John Washington, their voices thunderous and intimidating.

Standing on the platform, The Harris Father and Son and those few grain merchants actually felt a chill run down their spines... Since when did this Zhu fellow have such prestige?

"Father Marshal, John Washington is inciting the rabble, he—he harbors ill intentions!" Michael Harris leaned in to James Harris's ear, continuing to attack John Washington.

James Harris's face was dark, even more furious than before, the flesh at the corner of his mouth trembling slightly! If he was just acting earlier, now he was truly in the role—what a John Washington, even he couldn't easily deal with him anymore.

After a long while, James Harris finally said to his son, "Go to the Jiang family and see to the burial first."

Michael Harris hesitated for a moment, but could only leave in anger, calling for men to carry the heads and the corpses away.

James Harris finally turned to John Washington, his voice icy: "You have acted recklessly. Go home and reflect on your actions behind closed doors!"

John Washington was not severely punished, and the crowd immediately erupted in earth-shaking cheers. James Harris's old face grew even uglier, and he could only leave in haste.

Amid the cheers, John Washington returned to the small courtyard, but he could not feel happy; the Marshal's sudden arrival was baffling.

At this moment, Adams had also received the news. Seeing her husband in low spirits and learning the reason, Adams was furious as well.

"Chongba, I'll go see godmother and have her ask the Marshal—why is it that after all our loyalty to the Marshal and Haozhou, this is the outcome we get!"

The godmother Adams referred to was James Harris's wife, Mrs. Bolton. Although women had given names, outsiders rarely knew them. After marriage, the husband's surname, plus her own, with 'shi' at the end, became the formal address. For example, Mrs. Washington-Adams, Mrs. Harris-Bolton. In official history, the name of Empress Ma is not recorded; Ma Xiuying is a name from folk legend, originally from the opera stage. The same goes for Sun Quan's sister, Sun Shangxiang, and even more amusing, Diao Chan on stage introduces herself: "My surname is Diao, my given name is Chan, and my courtesy name is Yahuan..." Listen to that—is that even a person's name?

Seeing his wife stand up for him, John Washington was moved, but he didn't want to stir up trouble.

"Sister, don't be hasty. The Marshal only told us to reflect behind closed doors. It's a good chance to read and calm the mind." As John Washington spoke, he suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, where is the young teacher?"

Adams was also taken aback. That's right, where had William Bolton gone?

"I guess he probably went out for a stroll. With his cleverness, he won't suffer any losses."

John Washington thought so too, and simply went to the east wing, which was the study organized by William Bolton. Old Zhu came in, flipped through some books, but still felt restless, so he picked up a brush and wrote for a while.

And sure enough, gradually, his mind calmed down.

After filling eight sheets of paper, John Washington finally put down the brush, stretched, and turned to see William Bolton standing at the door.

"Benefactor, you truly have great self-cultivation—admirable indeed!"

William Bolton praised with a smile. Could this be the legendary composure in the face of honor or disgrace?

Old Zhu blushed, paused, and then said, "Young teacher, there are some things I can only tell you. Last night, the Marshal actually told me to deal with a few of them harshly, not to go easy. Without blood, these people won't be afraid!"

William Bolton raised his eyebrows, but wasn't too surprised—in fact, he seemed to have expected it!

Old Zhu was ruthless enough, but at present, he was only a squad leader under James Harris. Without orders from above, would he dare to behead a highly influential rich merchant in public?

That wouldn't be called decisive—it would be called courting death!

Only if James Harris gave him the order and he acted accordingly would it make sense.

But since James Harris told John Washington to do it, why all the crying and punishment afterward?

"Young teacher, could I have misunderstood? The Marshal told me to beat them, not to kill them."

William Bolton shook his head slightly, having more or less guessed James Harris's intentions.

"The Marshal is a local power in Haozhou, with countless ties to these people. If he wants to act, but can't be openly criticized, he has to pull a stunt like showing up late. He certainly wouldn't kill you, benefactor, but I guess he'll still punish you severely—a beating is unavoidable."

John Washington was stunned!

This did fit James Harris's usual behavior. But with all those commoners crying out for justice, he could only send me home to reflect.

Actually, he had sensed as much, so in front of so many people, he only argued a bit, then fell silent, not exposing James Harris. But with so many people speaking up for John Washington, things went beyond expectations. This was also because James Harris underestimated the people's hatred for corrupt merchants.

Though those above play their power games and those below are supposed to cooperate, am I just a monkey in your hands, General Harris?

"Benefactor, do you feel wronged?" William Bolton asked with a smile.

John Washington paused and said, "The Marshal has his own plans. I'll do as he says!"

William Bolton smiled, "Those in power rule with cunning, that's true... but General Harris's vision is a bit too narrow!"