If you hesitate, it means that things have not reached the worst point, which means there is still room for negotiation.
It's good that we can still discuss it. Master Bai Qi endured the dull pain in his heart and continued to analyze it with Boss Ma in a reasonable way: "Old Ma, we are also making a living on the sea. You also know that this road is our lifeblood. We can't dig our own graves by doing such immoral things. What good will it do for us? I admit that I was wrong. I was blinded by greed, but fear is human nature. My mistake was that I knew about it but didn't report it. Now I have learned a lesson, a painful lesson. There is a perpetrator for every injustice and a creditor for every debt. Why do you keep staring at me? After so many years of friendship, isn't it worth giving us a way to survive?"
These words were spoken earnestly, and every word was heart-wrenching. Boss Ma frowned and stared at him: "This is not my idea, it's the prince's idea. You really did something stupid."
"Yes, we are really stupid!" Master Bai Qi immediately took over the topic and admitted his mistake. He said straightforwardly: "Your Highness can beat me or kill me, but you can't hold us by the neck like this. There are so many people who need to eat, and we have such a big stall to take care of. Once chaos breaks out, we will indeed have no way to survive, but what good will it do for Your Highness? The reason why the court has been unable to completely quell the Japanese invasion in recent years is simply because the situation is complicated and they can only take care of one thing but not the other. But if we are exposed, then to be honest, there will be no one to serve as a target for Your Highness!"
What he said was meaningful.
Boss Ma was startled, and looked at Master Bai Qi with a more profound gaze. After a long while, he snorted, "No matter how much you say, we can't just let this go. You must give an explanation!"
Master Bai Qi's eyes ached and his throat burned, but he was finally relieved in his heart. He responded without hesitation, "Give an explanation! Of course I have to give an explanation! Let's not talk about anything else. The person was raised in the Xu family. Xu Fengqing failed to take good care of him and lost him. It was a big mistake in the first place. He also kept it secret. No matter how the prince wants to deal with him, we will definitely not say a word."
This means that all the responsibility lies with Xu Fengqing.
To be honest, even though Shen Yaoniang seemed particularly noble because she was the daughter of Shen Hai, she was actually just an ordinary girl after all. If something happened to her, replacing the prefect with another one would not be a small price to pay no matter how you look at it.
Boss Ma hesitated for a moment, and didn't say yes or no. He just narrowed his eyes at Master Bai Qi and said, "Master Qi, go back first. Since you are so sincere, I will report to the prince and ask his opinion."
This means that at least in the next few days, they won’t cause any more trouble here.
Mr. Bai Qi felt relieved and bowed deeply to Boss Ma.
Qin Feng and the others had been waiting anxiously. Master Bai had been gone for so long and had such a big grudge against him. They were really worried that Boss Ma would get angry and do something drastic. They would not be able to handle it. Just as they were waiting impatiently, Qin Chong saw a few lanterns and then heard Master Bai's voice. He immediately shouted, "People are coming!"
Everyone on this side perked up and stretched their necks to look over there. Seeing that Master Bai Qi was indeed walking steadily behind those people, they couldn't help but feel relieved and shouted in unison: "Master Qi!"
Mr. Bai Qi walked towards the boat in silence. When he stopped, he bowed towards the island. He did not bend over to see the cabin until the boat left the island.
Qin Feng, Qin Chong and a few others followed him into the cabin and asked him impatiently, "Godfather, how is the situation? Are they willing to give up?"
give up
Bai Qiye laughed sarcastically, and no one knew what he was laughing at. No one in the room spoke. Seeing Bai Qiye's sneer, they all held their breath. After a while, Bai Qiye rubbed his brows with a cold expression and ordered Qin Chong: "Prepare a sedan chair. Go to see the young master tomorrow morning."
Qin Chong quickly agreed in a low voice and turned around to go out to do his work.
Qin Feng couldn't help but said, "Godfather, you didn't tell the young master when you came back. If you go to see the young master, what should you say?"
"Just say what you need to say." This time, Master Bai Qi was very straightforward, and his attitude was completely different from when he first arrived in Quanzhou: "I can't hide it anymore, and I can't hide it any longer. The young master will know sooner or later. It's better for me to tell him in advance so that he can know what's going on."
"That being said..." Qin Feng was the godson of Master Bai Qi, so he was straightforward in some of his words: "Godfather, but the things you have done recently have not been going well. I am afraid that the young master has been dissatisfied for a long time, otherwise there would not be so many troubles recently. If this time..."
He said these words out of concern, and Master Bai Qi was not angry. Instead, he looked at him with some relief, and his tone softened: "Yes, that's what you said. Qi Yunxi was incompetent, and Princess Fenyang acted impulsively and suffered repeated setbacks. In the capital, our power is no longer as strong as before, so it's inevitable that the young master is angry with me. But this matter cannot be covered up. First, it can't be concealed, and second, my fault is much smaller. This matter is not our fault."
Therefore, there is no construction without destruction, and some things must always be made clear.
After he said this, Qin Feng also understood, and sighed: "Godfather, you have worked hard and have done your best."
Master Bai Qi waved his hand disapprovingly: "There is no need to say these words. This is what we do. Since the young master thinks highly of us, we will naturally sacrifice our lives for him. Why should we cherish ourselves? As long as the young master works hard and one day takes back what belongs to us, then all this will be worth it."
As he spoke, Master Bai Qi yawned.
He had traveled all the way here and negotiated with Boss Ma, which had already consumed countless energy. Now he could no longer hold on and showed signs of fatigue.
Qin Feng hurriedly advised him: "Godfather, you haven't been able to sleep well for several days. Now things have finally taken a turn for the better. You have to rush to see the young master tomorrow. You'd better rest quickly and get enough energy so that you can work better tomorrow. The young master is kind, but those old stubborn people may not be easy to talk to. You still have to worry about it."
Mr. Bai Qi was indeed unable to hold on any longer. He endured the tiredness and hummed. He felt his eyelids gradually starting to fight. He waved his hand to let Qin Feng go down. He managed to finish washing up and then fell headfirst onto the bed.
Mr. Bai Qi slept peacefully, but many people stayed awake all night.