HUS Chapter 54: Defeating Them One by One
Household Head Shi Jiuyue was the first person Yang Can sent people to invite for "tea."
The basis was some problems Mr. Li had found in the accounts.
A household head was the most basic level management personnel in a village.
He was primarily responsible for collecting taxes, undertaking government corvée duties, managing household registrations, and such matters.
Such people were generally middle landlords or prosperous farmers.
Because only such people had the capability and prestige to deal with the most basic common people and when necessary, he had the ability to advance tax payments for the households he managed.
Of course, afterward he would add interest and then collect from the farming households.
When Yang Can's people took Shi Jiuyue away, he was being intimate with a quite attractive young married woman.
This was the young wife a poor farmer who truly couldn't repay last year's tax payment he had advanced had just given him as payment.
With the fatty meat already in his mouth, Shi Jiuyue naturally wasn't in a rush.
He had originally wanted to drink a few cups, cultivate the mood, and then have a thoroughly satisfying battle.
As a result, Yang Can sent people to take him away.
...
"Mr. Li, why did Steward Yang arrest Household Head Shi? Nothing bad will happen, will it?"
Xiaotan sat on Li Damu's lap, her arms around his neck, asking coquettishly.
"Don't worry. Steward Yang came down here, can you expect him to go back empty-handed?"
Li Damu smiled and pinched the little vixen's perky bottom.
He was now "flirting by imperial decree," a tragic hero who sacrificed his dignity and infiltrated the enemy's lair for the great cause of investigation.
What did he have to worry about?
With the psychological burden lifted, he felt the little girl in his arms smelled even sweeter.
Xiaotan widened her eyes, "Sir means Steward Yang has to find something to report to the eldest branch's young mistress?"
"Exactly. Xiaotan is so clever."
Li Damu chuckled and pressed down on Xiaotan's shoulders.
The clever Xiaotan immediately understood his meaning and gave him a quite flirtatious eye roll.
...
"You're saying Yang Can just needs to catch some cases to have something to report to the eldest branch and the Clan Head?"
Young Master Zhang looked at Xiaotan somewhat nervously.
Xiaotan said, "Yes. The matter concerning Household Head Shi isn't that serious. Mr. Li said Steward Yang just needs to have something to report to those above, nothing more."
Young Master Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. With his worries set aside, he smiled and beckoned to Xiaotan.
When Xiaotan obediently nestled into his embrace, Young Master Zhang chuckled softly, "How did Accountant Li bully you? Tell me about it."
Xiaotan was Sangzhi's personal maid, and Sangzhi was Estate Head Zhang's concubine. However, from the looks of things, Xiaotan and Young Master Zhang seemed to have an unspeakable relationship.
If so, whether that Miss Sangzhi had a relationship with Young Master Zhang was also hard to say.
Xiaotan knew Young Master Zhang's peculiar tastes, so she vividly described it to him.
Young Master Zhang immediately became excited, so he pressed down Xiaotan and, following her description, mimicked it like painting a gourd. Only then did he contentedly let her leave.
Shi Jiuyue was just a small household head and naturally couldn't withstand torture and interrogation by Yang Can's people.
After suffering for half a day, he didn't wait for reinforcements but received a hint:
Go ahead and confess, the problem isn't serious.
So regarding the problems Mr. Li's account examination had discovered, he spilled everything like pouring beans from a bamboo tube.
Of course, matters he shouldn't know about, or rather matters that shouldn't come from his mouth, he didn't mention a word.
The steward matron questioning on Yang Can's side obtained the confession and stopped making things difficult for him, but also didn't release him.
The steward matron, on the grounds of "requiring verification," locked him in the granary.
It was currently late spring, and many granaries were empty, making them quite good for holding people.
The huge space, the oppressive environment, the solitary person...
Next, mill head Wang Goudan was invited for "tea."
Don't underestimate Goudan. As the minor steward managing Feng'an Estate's grinding workshop, he also had enormous power over the common people.
Processing grain required extracting a portion of the grain. Using large measures for input and small measures for output was his standard operation.
Withholding finished products, and using "priority rights" to extort and demand bribes, all depended on how black his heart was.
"Tell him to confess everything. How serious can it be? It's not a capital crime."
Young Master Zhang crossed his legs, saying nonchalantly, "After Steward Yang returns to the mountain, this young master will compensate him."
Goudan originally couldn't hold out. After Young Master Zhang sent someone with a message, he readily confessed.
Thus, Shi Jiuyue welcomed his first fellow sufferer, which made the lonely Jiuyue weep with joy.
While Jiuyue and Goudan had an intimate night talk in the empty large granary, the two stewards and two matrons Suo Zhanzhi had sent simultaneously moved out, each inviting someone for "tea."
They were respectively tenant head Shi Yiyue, Shi Jiuyue's younger brother and also head craftsman Liang Feng, canal chief Yao Yu, and granary supervisor Zhuang Dehou.
Seeing this situation, Lai Gulu and Peng Jin couldn't handle it.
They hurriedly went to find Young Master Zhang.
Young Master Zhang was fooling around with Sangzhi and was cornered in the room by them, hurriedly pushing Sangzhi into the wardrobe.
This was his father's concubine. While his father could use her to entertain guests, that didn't mean he could steal a taste.
As soon as Peng Jin entered, he sniffed. The smell in the room was a bit strange.
"Young Estate Head, I see that Steward Yang has no intention of quitting while ahead."
"Yes, yes, he's arresting people one after another. He's almost arrested all the lower-level people."
Young Master Zhang frowned, "What problem could there be? He hasn't even touched you two. Those minor stewards below, they'll just suffer a little. So what?"
Lai Gulu said worriedly, "Young Estate Head, I'm worried Steward Yang has no intention of stopping! If he keeps making trouble like this, who will he arrest next?"
Peng Jin moved his eyebrows, his expression grave, "It's only been three days, the Estate Head has only been gone three days. However..."
Peng Jin's expression brightened, "The Estate Head should be back, right?"
Lai Gulu also suddenly realized and said happily, "Right! The Estate Head said he'd return in two days. Today he should... perhaps the Estate Head was slightly delayed, but... he should be back tomorrow, right?"
Seeing the two men's delighted expressions, Young Master Zhang was quite displeased.
When his father wasn't here, he was the most important figure in Feng'an Estate, able to summon wind and rain, quite comfortable but once his father returned, he would revert to his original form, becoming that little waste his father looked down on.
Young Master Zhang's expression turned cold as he said, "Since that's the case, what do you have to worry about? When my father returns tomorrow, everything will be up to him."
"Right, right, right." Lai Gulu and Peng Jin repeatedly agreed. That was what they thought too.
Compared to Young Master Zhang, they had more confidence in Estate Head Zhang.
So Estate Head Lai Gulu and Field Supervisor Peng Jin cupped their hands and took their leave.
Young Master Zhang didn't release Miss Sangzhi from the wardrobe. He suddenly felt the wardrobe was also a very interesting place.
So he also climbed in.
The wardrobe in Young Master Zhang's room began to shake and bang unsteadily. However, at this moment, Lai Gulu and Peng Jin were blocked at the gate as they were leaving Feng'an Fortress.
The two of them were roughly taken away by Xiao Qingmei and her people in full view of everyone.
Yang Can first removed the fuel to stop the boiling, luring the tiger from the mountain.
Next was eating away at the branches, applying pressure step by step.
When Lai Gulu and Peng Jin were arrested, it reached a climax.
Every time a steward was taken away these past few days, it stirred up a storm in Feng'an Estate.
The psychological pressure on the various stewards grew greater and greater, while the awe in the hearts of Feng'an Estate's common people for Zhang Yunyi became increasingly loose.
At this point, Zhang Yunyi's supreme authority in Feng'an Estate came crashing down.
All along, in the hearts of Feng'an Estate's common people, Estate Head Zhang was their god.
Now a new god had arrived.
Once the new god and old god competed, whose divine power would be stronger?
On this point, the common people of Feng'an Estate still didn't have complete confidence.
Therefore, after Yang Can's notice was posted in Feng'an Estate, they still continued to wait and see.
There were five notices total, posted respectively at the four estate exits, with the last one posted at the Feng'an Fortress gate.
In the notice, Yang Can listed the various illegal actions of these stewards, encouraging Feng'an Estate's common people to report and expose them or bring their own grievances.
Once verified, Steward Yang would provide compensation on behalf of the Yu family.
This "benefit" made everyone quite tempted, but they still wanted to wait, waiting for Estate Head Zhang to come down from Phoenix Mountain.
They had lived here for generations. Once Steward Yang couldn't conquer Estate Head Zhang and patted his bottom and left, what would they do?
At this time, a "plant" was needed.
This "plant" appeared. His name was Lin Yan, a relative of Leopard Head Cheng Dakuan's relative.
Cheng Dakuan took him to see Zhang Yunyi detained in the hunter's cottage, and only then did he have the courage to report.
In villages and neighborhoods, conflicts between common people were common.
Your family's wall is half a chi higher, my family's field ridge occupies three cun of yours, these could lead to people beating each other's brains out like dogs' brains.
Such matters were originally "the duke says the duke is right, the duchess says the duchess is right." Sometimes they even involved things like feng shui, extremely difficult to balance.
Previously when Estate Head Zhang's people handled these matters, they dealt with them simply and roughly.
Either giving both sides fifty lashes each, or greatly protecting the side that sent benefits.
So although public resentment was great, he had covered it all with one hand.
Now Lin Yan brought a complaint, but Yang Can's people analyzed it clearly and made a very fair judgment.
The Lin family successfully obtained compensation, while Estate Head Zhang's figure never appeared.
Some people in the village were already saying that Estate Head Zhang had been detained at Phoenix Mountain.
This was of course intentionally spread by Yang Can through Leopard Head's family.
Moreover, it spread not only quickly but also became increasingly believable.
Thus, more common people couldn't restrain themselves.
They still didn't dare directly report Estate Head Zhang, but reporting those major and minor stewards who had already been arrested should be fine, right?
So after Lin Yan set an example, Yang Can's single notice was like poking a hornet's nest, with people coming to complain in an endless stream.
Fortunately, Yang Can didn't accept written complaints. Considering these common people had nearly a hundred percent illiteracy rate, Yang Can also allowed them to state orally.
This exhausted Xiao Qingmei because literate people were limited, Xiao Qingmei also had to be responsible for receiving complaining farmers and helping them record statements.
Those common people's expressive abilities weren't good either. They often spoke in circles for a long time without getting to the point.
Qingmei had to repeatedly interrupt, bringing their topics that had wandered eight hundred li away back.
After a day of busyness, Xiao Qingmei was so busy her hands were sore and mouth was dry. The brush in her hand couldn't stop, and she didn't even have time to drink water but Zhang Yunyi's supreme prestige in Feng'an Estate was, in this process, being removed brick by brick.
Zhang Yunyi, this tower that had suppressed Feng'an Estate for many years, was about to collapse!
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