The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 227

Nie Bao looked at Liu Damo, who seemed a little uneasy, and said.

Upon hearing this, Liu Damo knelt down with a thud.

"I beg the magistrate to uphold justice for me."

"Get up and talk."

Zhou Chu took a sip of tea.

Upon hearing this, Liu Damo timidly stood up.

"Let me ask you, do you still have that notebook where you made those notes?"

Zhou Chu looked at Liu Damo and asked.

"Yes, sir. Just in case, I made an extra copy of this booklet. One copy was kept in the storeroom, and when those people found out about it, they probably burned it long ago. But I've kept the other copy hidden."

Liu Damo answered truthfully.

"Shen Lian, take your men and go with him."

Zhou Chu said.

"Yes, my lord."

After bowing, Shen Lian, along with a dozen Jinyiwei guards who had been secretly following him and Liu Damo, went to retrieve the booklet he had hidden.

"It's fortunate that Huating County has a magistrate like Lord Nie, otherwise Liu Damo's family would probably have died unjustly."

Zhou Chu sighed.

"I am ashamed that I cannot uphold justice for Liu Damo's family. I can only do my best to protect them."

Nie Bao said with some shame.

"Lord Nie, there's no need for that. The situation in Jiangnan is beyond your ability to handle alone. Your protection of Liu Damo has already been a great help to me."

Zhou Chu comforted him.

"I admire Lord Zhou's courage in setting such a precedent. I have heard that Lord Zhou has encountered countless dangers on his inspection tour. These people are truly lawless."

Nie Bao's words were filled with anger as he spoke.

"It's just a little hardship. If I couldn't even get through this, how could I dare to do this?"

Zhou Chu smiled indifferently.

"Many things have to be done by someone, otherwise our Great Ming will eventually follow the same path as the former Yuan."

Upon hearing this, Nie Bao admired the young man even more. He realized that the young man's courage, ability, and vision were far beyond his own.

Nie Bao had heard about Zhou Chu's past deeds, each one of which was earth-shattering.

That's why Nie Bao admired Zhou Chu even more. If it were anyone else, Nie Bao wouldn't have mentioned Liu Damo, since he couldn't be sure which side those people were on.

As they chatted and laughed, Shen Lian and Liu Damo returned quickly.

"My lord, this is the booklet I kept."

Liu Damo respectfully handed a yellowed booklet to Zhou Chu with both hands.

Zhou Chu took the booklet and began to slowly flip through it.

This booklet is very detailed, recording which household embezzled more land and by how much. It even includes detailed drawings of each household's land outline, with the area marked next to each plot.

With this booklet, the entire Huating County can be treated as a key area for development.

"Liu Damo, would you be willing to serve in my Embroidered Uniform Guard?"

After closing the booklet, Zhou Chu looked at Liu Damo and said.

"Me? Can I?"

Liu Damo was a little dizzy from this sudden surprise.

"If I say it's okay, then it's okay. As for the indentures of your family, I will also take care of them for you, so there's no need to worry."

Zhou Chu said calmly.

"What do adults need from children?"

Liu Damo said somewhat nervously.

"It's simple. My Embroidered Uniform Guard is currently conducting land surveys throughout Suzhou Prefecture. You just need to keep an eye on the clerks conducting these land surveys and prevent them from doing anything wrong."

Zhou Chu was never entirely at ease with those clerks. The Embroidered Uniform Guard was ultimately unprofessional in this regard, and if those people really wanted to use underhanded tactics, the Embroidered Uniform Guard might not be able to see through them.

But Liu Damo was different; he was an expert among experts. With him watching over things, Zhou Chu naturally felt at ease.

Upon hearing this, Liu Damo hesitated. He had already suffered a loss once, so he was hesitant to offend those people again.

"Don't worry, with Lord Zhou here, no one will dare to touch you, much less your family."

Nie Bao gave Liu Damo a reassuring look.

"I am very grateful for your guidance, sir."

Liu Damo knew that things had already been said to this extent, and if he refused again, he would be ungrateful.

Moreover, he hadn't had any income for almost a year, and the money he had saved was about to run out. Naturally, he couldn't continue to rely on Lord Nie's protection in the dark.

For Liu Damo, Zhou Chu's appearance was a major opportunity to change his fate. Liu Damo also knew that if he didn't seize the opportunity, he would probably have no hope in this life.

Zhou Chu nodded in satisfaction upon hearing this, and then handed the booklet to Shen Lian.

"Have someone make several copies of this booklet for record-keeping, then hand it over to the commander of Songjiang Prefecture, and have him lead his men to search and confiscate the items according to the records in the booklet, and do whatever is necessary."

"Yes, my lord."

Shen Lian took the booklet, his face beaming with excitement.

He seemed to have already envisioned the entire Huating County in complete chaos.