"You!" Both officials were furious, pointing at Henry Carter and unable to speak.

"If you keep talking nonsense, you'll get the whole family killed!" William Carter was also enraged, raising his hand to slap Henry Carter.

Henry Carter was about to dodge, but suddenly a figure blocked his way. It was Edward Carter, who raised his hand to stop his elder brother.

"A gentleman uses words, not fists. Brother, just lecture him, don't hit my son!"

"This is all because you've spoiled him!" The eldest uncle was beside himself with anger, struggling to shake off Edward Carter while shouting, "Not only does he fool around all the time, but now, when the whole family's life is at stake, he dares to cause trouble. I must teach him a lesson today!"

But Edward Carter held his elder brother tightly around the waist, insisting:

"Besides, I think my son makes sense. From beginning to end, they haven't let us see father, which is really unsettling..."

The three outsiders' expressions changed slightly when they heard this.

The three exchanged glances, and Mr. Foster stood up angrily, saying coldly, "Kindness is taken for ill intent!"

The censor followed suit, threatening, "Still dreaming that your father will be reinstated? Get ready to be exiled three thousand miles!"

"Mr. Carter, are you still borrowing this money or not? If not, we're leaving!" The pawnbroker Mr. Bolton chimed in.

William Carter panicked, trying to persuade them to stay, but was still blocked by his brother, so he could only call out awkwardly:

"Wait, wait, don't go!"

Henry Carter, acting as if nothing had happened, added fuel to the fire:

"Go ahead and leave. The deficit was caused by everyone, and no matter what, there's no reason for our family to bear it alone!"

Mr. Foster's mouth twitched at these words, pretending not to hear Henry Carter, and only stomped his foot at William Carter, threatening:

"If you don't sign, we really will leave!"

The censor, whose surname was still unknown, sighed deeply and said earnestly to William Carter:

"If your father hadn't offended Minister Gao back then, would the Southern Ministry have caught the capital's attention? Now that my Southern Office is investigating, we can still cover things up, but once it's handed over to the Northern Office, there will be no way out!"

With that, the two made as if to leave again.

Henry Carter had been a bit uncertain, but seeing the two so angry, yet still playing good cop and bad cop, he finally felt reassured and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, so Gao Xinzheng doesn't even know about this yet!"

Edward Carter was stunned and straightened up, asking his brother, "Ah, brother, didn't you say it was that Gao who ordered this against father?"

"If they hadn't told me, how would I know?" William Carter was also confused, looking to the two officials for confirmation.

"If it really was Minister Gao's order, would they dare to take charge here? They'd have long since hidden away like turtles!" Before the two could reply, Henry Carter sneered from the side.

The two officials were thoroughly embarrassed. Mr. Foster flicked his sleeve in disgust and said, "Hmph! What does a child know? Mr. Carter, your family discipline is terrible!"

William Carter, already muddle-headed, scolded Henry Carter at these words: "Stop butting in!"

Seeing that he still hadn't come to his senses, Henry Carter sighed in frustration.

"Uncle, you're confused! If they only said they could ensure grandfather's safe return, we might believe it. But they shamelessly claim they can get him reinstated—that's pure nonsense!" Pausing, Henry Carter raised his voice: "Think about it! Grandfather is a dignified third-rank vice minister, locked up in the Southern Office for days, with such a big scandal—can they really pretend nothing happened? Do you really think all those censors and officials are just sitting around doing nothing?!"

Although William Carter was only a hereditary official, he was not unfamiliar with officialdom's rules. He had just lost his composure and vigilance earlier. Now, reminded by Henry Carter, William Carter was startled and blurted out:

"Ah! Sirs, please let me see my father first, and let him decide!"

Seeing even William Carter change his stance, the two officials realized things were hopeless, and, furious and embarrassed, they spat out a harsh threat:

"Truly biting the hand that feeds you—just wait and see!"

With that, the two flicked their sleeves and left. William Carter was left in a state of confusion and didn't try to stop them again.

The pawnbroker Mr. Bolton hurriedly called the last group of workers, carrying out all the boxes, tables, chairs, and tea tables.

……

Like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, only the two father-son pairs of the Zhao family were left in the hall.

It was in the truest sense that only they remained, because when Mr. Bolton left, he didn't leave a single movable item behind except for these four worthless people...

Edward Carter was a bit confused, scratching his head and saying, "Ah, why did they just leave? What now, what now, what should we do?"

William Carter was anxious, not knowing what consequences this would bring to the Zhao family. Hearing this, he pointed at Henry Carter, glared at the ever-protective Edward Carter, and spat, "Ask your good son! If anything happens to father, I won't forgive you two!"

With that, he took the still-stunned Charles Carter and stormed off to the back.

Edward Carter was somewhat afraid of his elder brother. After William Carter and his son left, he finally comforted, "Son, your uncle was just talking, don't take it to heart."