Shipman helping shipman, especially since most of the crew on the ten or so ships next door are Gu Liugen's fellow villagers or even relatives.
The two judges realized that it wasn't easy to seize the ship, and if they really took coercive measures against Gu Liugen and his wife on the grounds of obstructing official duties, they were highly likely to get beaten black and blue by the indignant shipmen, perhaps even thrown into the river.
Local police and the Changhang police didn't help.
A wise man knows when to retreat.
They could only return the ship certificates to Gu Liugen and his wife and followed Han Yu to disembark using the Iron Dinghy.
