Hong Yingrong heard the conversation between Xue Zhongfu and the city gate guard in the carriage. She lifted a corner of the curtain to take a look and immediately felt relieved.
With Xue Zhongfu's joining, handling affairs on the farm naturally became more handy.
The carriage slowly drove out of the city gate and headed towards the farm of Xingyuan Marquis Mansion in the west of the city.
In the night, the tranquility of the fields formed a sharp contrast with the sound of the moving convoy. After a while, the outline of the farm gradually appeared in everyone's sight.
Hong Yingrong lifted the curtain of the carriage and looked at the farm in front of her in the moonlight. At first glance, the lights were very dim and it seemed unusually quiet.
Xue Zhongfu rode his horse and looked around, and he also realized that something was wrong. He frowned and his eyes revealed a serious look.
The fact that mother Hong Yingrong came in person must mean that the situation has become so serious that it cannot be ignored.
"Have you found out who is the leader of the trouble?" Xue Zhongfu asked Xue Zhong, his tone revealing unquestionable majesty.
Xue Zhong hurriedly reported, "Second Master, it was the stewards Zhao Wu and Lai Sheng who were leading the riot. The other stewards did not show up."
As soon as they arrived at the farm gate, they saw some tenants so scared that they dropped their farm tools and fled back home in all directions.
The accompanying guards quickly demonstrated their well-trained character.
In a very short time, the farmers who had previously besieged Xue Zhong were subdued and tied up one by one.
Faced with this situation, Hong Yingrong did not seem panicked.
She calmly turned to Xue Zhongfu and ordered in an orderly manner, "Second Brother, immediately lead the guards to patrol the surroundings of the manor and arrest Zhao Wu and Lai Sheng. Make sure the safety of the other tenants is ensured."
"I understand, mother." Xue Zhongfu responded respectfully, and then quickly led a team of guards to begin a strict patrol around the farm.
However, when everyone tried to find Zhao Wu and Lai Sheng, they found that they had disappeared without a trace. Although they searched the entire farm, they still couldn't find them.
At the same time, Xue Zhong also found several servants who had been detained before in a dilapidated woodshed.
They were all tied up, with cloth strips stuffed in their mouths. They had obviously been beaten and looked in a miserable state.
As soon as they saw Xue Zhong and the old lady and the second young master who arrived later, they immediately became excited, and their eyes were full of looks for help.
One of the servants struggled, trying to make a sound.
After Xue Zhong untied him and pulled the cloth out of his mouth, he immediately said anxiously, "Manager Xue, as soon as your carriage rushed out, Zhao Wu and Lai Sheng knew something was wrong. They hastily tied us up, beat us up to vent their anger, and then fled in a hurry."
Xue Zhong's voice was a little hoarse with anxiety, and he asked in a deep voice: "Do you know where they escaped to?"
One of the servants, the moment the cloth was ripped out of his mouth, spoke impatiently, "Manager Xue, they knew they couldn't catch up with your carriage, so they were like frightened birds, rushing to move things with carts and carts. We're tied up here, so we can only hear some noises, but we can't see where they've fled to."
Another servant added indignantly, "Yes, those two were very cunning. They tied us up tightly before running away, fearing that we would have a chance to escape."
Hong Yingrong listened to the servants' stories and her expression became more and more solemn.
"Here we come! Quickly open the grain warehouse!"
Hong Yingrong came in person this time and brought with her the key to the spare warehouse in the account office of the Marquis' Mansion. She could open it directly without waiting for the stewards to gather.
Everyone followed closely behind him and arrived at the warehouse door.
Xue Zhong carefully took the master key to the farm and tried to unlock the heavy door.
However, after trying two or three keys in succession, his expression suddenly changed. He turned to Hong Yingrong and reported, "Madam, something terrible has happened. All the locks have been changed, and none of our keys will open them."
As soon as these words came out, Hong Yingrong's eyebrows immediately raised and she shouted sternly: "Come here! Quickly get an axe and chop open all these door locks!"
Upon hearing this, the guards present quickly got hoes and axes from the farmers and chopped at the sturdy door lock.
At this moment, in the open space in front of the warehouse, the rebellious farmers and tenants who were subdued by the guards were terrified. They witnessed the shocking scene of the axe chopping off the heavy iron chain. Their hearts were filled with fear, and cries for mercy were heard one after another.
Xue Zhongfu pointed at the terrified crowd, whip in hand, and said, "As long as you tell me the whereabouts of Zhao Wu and Lai Sheng, all your previous mistakes will be forgiven. But if anyone knows and doesn't report it, they will be sent straight to the Jingzhao Yin prison. When the time comes, don't blame the Marquis' Mansion for being merciless!"
As he spoke, he lifted his cloak, revealing the crane patch on his official uniform underneath. The sharp-eyed people immediately recognized the symbol of his rank and, terrified, rushed forward, kowtowed, and begged for mercy.
"Master, Master, we really don't know where Zhao Wu and Lai Sheng went. Usually the village head and the stewards live in the courtyard, how could we possibly know their whereabouts?"
"We offended that master before, and we were just following orders. Our family's lives are in the hands of the stewards, so how dare we disobey them?"
As they spoke, many people crawled towards Xue Zhong, kowtowing and begging desperately, "Steward, we were wrong before and offended you. You can beat us or punish us, but please don't send us to jail."
Some people even started slapping themselves, which made it difficult for Xue Zhongfu to punish them.
Seeing this, Hong Yingrong couldn't help but shake her head. "Forget it, Second Brother. Every wrong has its perpetrator. Even if you force them to death, you won't get anything out of them."
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