"Do you have the contract with you?" Jiang Ling asked, looking at Wang Daniu.

Wang Daniu frowned and subconsciously clutched his chest. Jiang Ling pouted helplessly, "Take a look at the terms of the contract yourself! We've written down the quantity of fertilizer clearly and explicitly!"

"Moreover, there is a very clear statement that if any problems arise in the crops due to unauthorized additional fertilizer, the farmer will be held responsible! The county government and the Jiang family will not bear any losses!"

Jiang Ling's words seemed to make Wang Daniu think of something. A moment later, his legs went weak and he sat down on the ground with a thud, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans began to appear on his forehead.

Jiang Ling observed all of this but didn't expose it. She glanced at the people around her, pointed to the other withered land, and said, "Whose land is this? You should all step forward and speak up!"

The group exchanged glances, and the few troublemakers who had caused the disturbance earlier emerged tremblingly from the crowd.

Jiang Ling looked at them, her tone softening slightly: "Did you apply the fertilizer according to the dosage that Magistrate Duan taught you before?"

Those people all bit their lips and dared not speak.

"If you won't tell me, do I have to?" Jiang Ling sneered, her tone becoming sharp once again.

"Wang Daniu, I'm sure you selfishly used chemical fertilizer, aren't I? And did the rest of you also believe him and secretly increase the dosage of chemical fertilizer?"

"Do I need to repeat that sentence clearly written in the contract? You caused trouble in our Lu Family Village because of your own problems, and you even injured me, scaring my daughter-in-law into a difficult childbirth, almost resulting in the death of both mother and child! If I really pursue this matter, can you bear the consequences?" Jiang Ling was now exuding a powerful aura. Even though she was wearing the most ordinary coarse linen clothes, her presence made everyone in the room afraid to even breathe.

The village chief was a smart man; he stepped forward and slapped Wang Daniu hard across the face.

"Wang Daniu! Did you increase the dosage without authorization? Tell me now!" the village chief shouted, glaring at him.

Jiang Ling had never liked this kind of self-inflicted suffering, and impatiently interrupted the village chief.

"If you want to teach her a lesson, do it after I leave. You don't need to put on this show for me! To be honest, my daughter-in-law, Shen Congxin, is the legitimate daughter of Shen Qianhe, a major porcelain merchant in Guangping County. If my in-laws knew that their daughter had suffered so much, you can imagine the consequences!"

The village chief, embarrassed by Jiang Ling's observation, blushed and stopped what he was doing, but the anger in his eyes did not disappear at all.

Wang Daniu, who had been slapped, was no longer the same as before, and hung his head like a deflated balloon.

"Wang Daniu, tell me! Is it you or not?" The surrounding villagers also started to discuss among themselves.

"Yes! Yes! Wang Daniu, say something!"

"Jiang Anren! I...I'll report her!" A short, thin man suddenly appeared from the crowd. He looked at Jiang Ling with some fear and seemed to have mustered a great deal of courage when he said those words.

Jiang Ling frowned as she looked at the man. Whether it was Jiang Ling's expression that seemed somewhat ferocious or the man's fear, the man trembled and his knees buckled as he knelt before Jiang Ling.

"Get up. Although I am from Anren, I will not easily use my official power to oppress people!" Jiang Ling's meaning was very clear: she was warning these villagers not to go too far.

The thin man nodded and slowly stood up, supporting himself on the ground. He glanced at Wang Daniu and said, "It's Wang Daniu. I remember it very clearly. A month ago, Wang Daniu suddenly came to us and said that the fertilizer was very effective. After he added it, the crops this year were obviously better than in previous years. He said that if he added more, the crops would grow even better and he could get more grain!"

“At first, some people in the village did raise objections. After all, when the county magistrate came earlier, he had repeatedly emphasized that it was not allowed to increase the dosage of fertilizer without authorization. But Wang Daniu said that the magistrate did this entirely to prevent us from hoarding more grain so that we could sell it for money later. He was afraid that we would become rich!”

At this point, Jiang Ling was so angry she almost laughed. Although the corners of her mouth were upturned, her eyes were filled with rage.

"The magistrate is trying to prevent you from becoming rich? Wang Daniu, you're really judging others by your own petty standards! The exorbitant taxes and levies are paid proportionally every year. The more land you cultivate, the more you pay, and the less land you cultivate, the less you pay! You've all had some contact with Magistrate Duan, and we've even reduced or waived exorbitant taxes and levies when we introduced fertilizer! How could you think that, Wang Daniu!"

After hearing this, Wang Daniu regretted his actions. To save face, he bit his lip and continued to argue, "If Magistrate Duan didn't say that, then why doesn't he allow us to use more? Clearly, using more will make our crops grow faster!"

Listening to Wang Daniu's sophistry, Jiang Ling was furious. If there weren't so many people around, she would have rolled up her sleeves and given him a good beating.

Jiang Ling suppressed her anger and scolded, "Wang Daniu, you really won't learn your lesson until you see the coffin! Do you even know why you're not allowed to use it more? Using it more has led to this consequence!"

"Proper use of fertilizer can indeed provide plant nutrition and increase yield, but excessive use will destroy the soil's nutrients, and you've seen the consequences yourself! That's why Magistrate Duan has repeatedly warned you against excessive fertilization! You not only ignored his orders, but also slandered Magistrate Duan! I'll go to Qingzhou to explain the situation to Magistrate Duan about your Wangjia Village! If you haven't paid for the fertilizer, we don't need it! If you have, we'll refund all the money! From now on, Wangjia Village can forget about using my fertilizer!"

Jiang Ling grew angrier and angrier, her once fair face now flushed crimson with anger! She stamped her foot and looked at Jiang Shan beside her, saying, "Let's go, we're leaving these people behind!"

As he spoke, he turned and walked toward the carriage.

Jiang Ling's words made all the villagers' hearts tighten. Most of the people in Wangjia Village were still very obedient, especially when they saw that their crops were growing better than in previous years. Hearing Jiang Ling say this, they naturally panicked.

They looked to the village chief, hoping he would plead for leniency.

But when the village chief saw Jiang Ling's appearance, he was also trembling with fear. He could only watch helplessly as Jiang Ling got into the carriage and left them!

"Wang Daniu! Are you even human?! You not only ignore me, but you also cause trouble! What are we supposed to do?"

"Yeah, yeah! Wang Daniu, it's one thing for you to offend Anren, but why are you dragging us into this mess!"

"..."

Amidst the angry shouts of the crowd, Wang Daniu regretted his actions, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to look up at the village chief, only to find that the village chief was also glaring at him angrily.

Wang Daniu regretted his actions but was powerless to change anything.

Just when everyone was at a loss for clues, someone in the crowd suddenly mentioned it.

"Wang Daniu, why don't you take some gifts and go to Lujia Village in a few days to apologize?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, but Wang Daniu was unsure. However, seeing the indignant looks in everyone's eyes, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.