Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 1017: The Test of Indulgence (2)

Chapter 1017: Chapter 1017: The Test of Indulgence (2)

Before being forced into embezzling food, he had originally raised chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs, and he would also underreport their numbers. Such acts were very common among the large householders; as long as the mandated quantity could be turned in at the end of the year, the surplus could be kept for themselves. As a result, including the silver coin made from selling the embezzled food, over the course of ten years, the silver Zhao Dafu had gathered exceeded the One Thousand Taels of Silver that Mo Yan had estimated by quite a bit.

Looking down at the Zhao family people kneeling below, anxiously awaiting her decision, her expression gradually softened, "You may stand up first."

The Zhao family people looked at each other, but no one dared to be the first to stand.

Mo Yan, observing Old Lady Meng’s shaky figure and the several children, feigned anger and said, "What, do you think by using this method you can force the County Lord to spare you?"

"The servant would not dare," said the Zhao family people in genuine fear, scrambling up from the ground and carefully standing to the side, not daring to lift their heads to look at Mo Yan.

Mo Yan paid no heed to the Zhao family people. She furrowed her brow as if facing a difficult issue, her index finger unconsciously tapping on the table surface, producing a "thud thud" sound, again and again, as if it were hammering into the hearts of the Zhao family people, causing each of them to have their hearts in their throats, their expressions unavoidably revealing a trace of nervousness.

After a long while, just when the Zhao family people were almost unable to hold up, Mo Yan looked at Zhao Dafu and suddenly asked, "Those fifty tenant farmers unanimously threatened you, there must have been someone leading them; do you know who was leading them?"

Zhao Dafu was startled, clearly not expecting that Mo Yan’s first concern would not be to deal with them but to inquire about the tenant farmers instead. He instantly became more alert and seriously replied, "The ringleader is the nephew Chen Xue of the Chenjiacun Village chief. With the Village Chief as his backing, and because his actions would benefit the other tenants, those tenants followed his lead and threatened the servant."

At this point, Zhao Dafu’s face was filled with shame. Although initially threatened by the tenants of Chen Family Village, when the estate was reclaimed by the Court, he had a chance to expose the matter but lacked the courage to say it. For one, he feared that the Court would dredge up old issues and punish their family, and secondly, greed got the better of him, unable to part with the substantial income of dozens of taels of silver each year, so much so that he became increasingly mired in it.

This time, the rice harvest was exceedingly bountiful, the yield unprecedentedly high, and the tenant farmers replicated their previous tactic, again having him cover up for them, to which he agreed. Had this new master not arrived unexpectedly, catching him off guard, he did not know when he would have stopped.

At this thought, he suddenly felt gratitude towards Mo Yan. Although he embezzled that silver, greatly improving his family’s life, over these years, his heart was always suspended in mid-air. Now that he had confessed everything, even if he was about to face punishment, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief and clarity of mind.

The changes in Zhao Dafu’s expression did not escape Mo Yan’s eyes. She nodded silently and continued to ask, "What kind of person is Chen Xue? If the land is not rented to them next year, will he gather others and come to make trouble?"

"Chen Xue has some bandit-like tendencies, but he is quite righteous. However, if the land is not rented to them, he will inevitably bring people over to seek an explanation. Whether they will cause a big ruckus, the servant cannot be sure."

Although it was Chen Xue who came up with the idea and threatened Zhao Dafu himself, the crux of the matter lay with Zhao Dafu, who had also benefited for so many years. Therefore, in front of Mo Yan, he could not, in good conscience, badmouth Chen Xue no matter what.

Mo Yan pondered for a moment, then looked at Zhao Dafu with an added sternness in her gaze, "The misdeeds you committed in the past, the County Lord might overlook, but whether you can remain depends on your own abilities."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Dafu could hardly believe his ears, and the other Zhao family people also looked at Mo Yan with disbelief, their eyes filled with hope.

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