interrogation
As she leaned forward, the two of them made quite a commotion, which caused Dou Yanzhou, who was sitting some distance away, and Sun Biying, whom he was holding in his arms, to turn around and look over.
But Yao Niang's antics made it seem as if the two had merely been flirting. Seeing Yao Niang's flushed face and Dou Yanxun's twirling of the folding fan, Dou Yanzhou couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Second brother, you used to be averse to women. I told you long ago, once you've tasted the flavors of these beautiful women, I guarantee you'll never forget them... See, now you know how to cherish and pamper women..."
At that time, no one knew how afraid and pained Yao Niang felt when she looked at the handsome figure beside her.
Sun Biying smiled casually, her alluring eyes sweeping over Dou Yanxun and Yao Niang, but finally focusing on Yao Niang, her gaze becoming somewhat deep.
At that time, Sun Biying was the most sought-after courtesan in Bihua Tower, and countless men were willing to spend a fortune to win her.
But Yao Niang was nothing more than a lowly, helpless cattail.
She gradually recalled the days she had spent hiding behind the curtain learning Sun Biying's dance moves. It turned out that Sun Biying had already noticed, but deliberately only showed a fraction of her skill in front of her. She couldn't help but feel ridiculous... Men oppress women, and women kill each other... In the end, this place was nothing more than a place where people devour each other!
She wanted to run, to escape, but in the end, she could only sink deeper into the mire. However, since she was chosen by her mother, she naturally possessed remarkable beauty. After Yao Niang appeared, Bihua Tower gradually gained more patrons who came only for her.
She had no talent, her dancing was clumsy, her piano playing was jarring, and she didn't even understand why these people had come.
At that time, Dou Yanxun was still a regular at Bihua Tower. His mother always reserved the quietest private room for him upstairs. No one outside knew that the real lecher was his virtuous and upright elder brother, while he, the notorious playboy, would just sit quietly to the side, either dozing with his eyes closed or drinking tea while looking out the window.
At that time, she both hated and feared him. Looking at his sharply defined profile, she was filled with incomprehension: How could there be someone in this world who would be willing to ruin his own reputation just to please his brother?
Yao Niang didn't understand, nor did she want to understand. The two brothers of the Dou family were one hypocritical and the other cruel and sinister; she wished she could have nothing to do with them for the rest of her life.
But things didn't go as planned. On a torrential rainy night, Dou Yanxun still came to find her.
He held the folding fan that had once taken from her, revealing the gleaming iron blade inside, and cornered her against the wall, pressing the sharpest point against her neck.
He said he came to make a deal with her.
Yao Niang dared not make a sound. She knew all too well how ruthless the person in front of her was, despite her usual leisurely and indifferent demeanor. At that time, Sun Biying had been missing for several days.
"If you don't want to die, do as I say."
She shivered in the torrential rain, her face pale, because she knew that this sinister man before her would do whatever he said.
She was always very observant. Once, she accidentally stumbled upon Dou Yanzhou having an affair with a courtesan indoors. Meanwhile, he stood outside the door with a gloomy look in his eyes, whispering something to the guard beside Dou Yanzhou.
With just one glance, she keenly sensed that this person was definitely plotting something in secret, and was doing something unspeakable behind the back of his so-called brother.
To survive, she had no choice but to reluctantly agree, and from then on, she did everything in her power to please his elder brother who was close to him.
Actually, she didn't need to try much. After Sun Biying disappeared, Dou Yanzhou lost his sense of fun and quickly turned his malicious, lewd gaze towards her. She was easily made the new courtesan of Bihua Tower by Dou Yanxun's lavish spending.
In name, Dou Yanxun became her biggest patron at Bihua Tower. But behind the scenes, she was forced to do things for him.
Dou Yanzhou was stubborn and self-willed, and he would get completely drunk every time he drank. She quickly collected a lot of evidence that he was in charge of the construction of water conservancy canals but was lining his own pockets.
She only knew that Dou Yanzhou was a hypocrite, but she didn't know that Dou Yanzhou had secretly colluded with so many officials, embezzled public funds, and taken bonuses privately, causing him to lose a lot of money over the years.
Dou Yanxun was no simple man either, managing to patiently lie low for so long, and even ruthlessly targeting his own brother. But after she had painstakingly gathered enough evidence to present to Dou Yanxun, his expression inexplicably changed. He coldly told her to immediately stop everything and never approach Dou Yanzhou again.
…………
Yao Niang quietly pondered those old stories, her hair dancing wildly in the cold wind. When she came to her senses, she was already icy cold all over.
She had lost count of how long she had been standing there by the railing.
The neighborhood was already bustling with activity, but she looked coldly at the prosperity below, feeling only weariness.
"If Dou Yanzhou comes again in the future, you must stop him at the door. Under no circumstances should you let him in."
The burly man was loyal to her, but he was puzzled: "...However, this young master Dou's father is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and he himself is a sixth-rank official. Would offending him bring some trouble?"
Yao Niang closed her eyes.
"It won't be long."
Although she had no further contact with Dou Yanxun, she had long known that given his personality, methods, and his rapidly rising career, the current tranquility would likely not last much longer.
"I told you to find Fu Qing, have you found him?"
The big man lowered his head.
"The house where Miss Qingqing used to live in Yuehuan Lane has been vacant for a long time, and Miss Fu has also disappeared without a trace. We really can't find her."
Fu Qing was deeply in love with Dou Yanxun, and no matter how much she tried to dissuade him over the years, Fu Qing's infatuation remained unchanged. Although she was not a virtuous woman, she knew that Dou Yanxun was unfathomable, and Fu Qing had been working for Dou Yanxun for many years, yet she always did it willingly. She feared that sooner or later, something bad would happen to Fu Qing.
Having learned from Sun Biying's experience, she was even more terrified when she heard that Fu Qing had suddenly vanished.
Yao Niang gripped the cold railing tightly in the chilly night air. Her fair, moon-like hands were completely bloodless, and her voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Go find her again... before Dou Yanxun gets rid of her..."
.
Inside Qingyang Agricultural College.
Zhou Laosan secretly sized up Lin Xu in front of him.
She sat upright at the wooden table, with two thick account books in front of her. They were worn and yellowed, perhaps from being looked at for a long time.
However, she remained calm and composed. Her simple dress accentuated her noble bearing, and her cuffs were neatly folded. A ruby ring on her finger shimmered with a cool light due to the flickering lamplight.
Zhou Laosan had worked for the Liang family since his father's generation. At that time, he was just doing farm work on the farm. Later, his father learned how to use an abacus and was promoted step by step to become a manager. After he had worked for so many years, the Liang family had never sent anyone to check on him. At first, he was honest and dutiful, but over the years he gradually became bold and cunning.
He had heard that Liang's married granddaughter was coming, so he secretly asked Wang Mazi, who often went to Mujing to sell goods, about it.
Unexpectedly, Wang Mazi said that whenever people in Mujing mentioned Lin Xu, they all said that she was eccentric and unruly, with a terrible reputation. They heard that after she came of age, no one wanted to marry her, and she had to shamelessly ask for a marriage proposal herself.
Zhou Laosan was relieved upon hearing this.
What ability could a spoiled and arrogant young lady from a wealthy family, who never lifts a finger, possibly have to manage a household? How could she possibly understand account books or farming matters?
It seems that it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision to visit Qingyang. All he needs to do is prepare well, make the person happy, and then simply fool them a few times to get it over with.
But to my surprise, Lin Xuzhen was quite different from the rumors. Not only was she not as eccentric and unruly as the rumors suggested, but she also seemed very calm and composed, unlike those gentle and refined ladies from noble families. Although her eyes and brows appeared soft, when viewed in the light, one could clearly see an unconcealable sharpness within them.
For no apparent reason, he felt a sudden tightness in his chest.
Zhou Laosan swallowed hard and forced a smile:
"Spring drought... The spring drought was severe, and the seedlings were damaged... As you know, the fields depend on the weather, and we can't predict the future. Besides, those few acres of fields near the river have also been flooded, and I dare not hide it..."
Unexpectedly, Lin Xu slowly raised her head and looked at him through the flickering flames on the table, her eyes sharp as needles piercing paper.
"I remember the spring drought. Qingyang is located in the north, and droughts are common. Back then, you wrote to complain about the high rent, so I reduced it by 20% and asked you to divert water from the irrigation canals as soon as possible. You benefited from that and readily agreed, even replying that the crops would be well-watered and stable afterward. How come you forgot what you said a few months later, Manager Zhou?"
Zhou Laosan immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
Lin Xu casually flipped through an account book, his well-maintained fingers tracing over a few lines of entries:
"Furthermore, the river's backflow usually occurs frequently in the summer, so why do you record that grain production decreased and crops were scarce starting in May or June?"
Zhou Laosan was immediately thrown into a panic, and before he could answer, Lin Xu said sternly again:
"How come, despite your hard work, Steward Zhou, my estate is being flooded by the river earlier than other people's? I think Steward Zhou is just too diligent!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Laosan could no longer hold back and immediately knelt down, shaking his head and crying:
"Madam, you are wise to know. I dare not conceal the truth; it was perhaps merely a momentary oversight..."
"For a while?"
Lin Xu stood up from his seat at a leisurely pace and slowly walked along the stone slabs in the room.
“Since my maternal grandfather’s time, the Liang family has entrusted the management of these shops and estates in Qingyang to their subordinates. Originally, it was because my maternal grandfather was kind and my mother was benevolent. I never expected that such leniency would lead to such treacherous behavior from you, a traitor who deceives your superiors and enriches yourself! Zhou Laosan, how dare you!”
With a sudden increase in her voice and a cold shout, even Tian Ying, who had been silent until now, was so shocked that he trembled all over.
Seeing that his scheme had been exposed, Zhou Laosan could only beg for mercy and cry out in despair:
"Madam, you are so magnanimous! I was truly blinded by greed because I couldn't collect the rent. Please forgive me! I will never dare to do it again..."
Lin Xu had anticipated that Zhou Laosan would persist and bring up the rent she had collected again, so she immediately interrupted him, a cold smile playing on her lips:
“Ever since I took over the dowry left to me by my mother, I have been considerate of everyone. Whenever there is a disaster, I will definitely reduce the rent so that everyone can avoid working too hard all year round and having a poor harvest. Let me ask you, the rent was 60%, but I reduced it to 50% at the beginning of the year. The weather this year is better for planting than last year, so why can't the rent be collected? Did you, Zhou Laosan, do something to it?”
As soon as she spoke, Tian Ying's expression suddenly became somewhat strange.
Zhu Ling, who was standing to the side, noticed this and gently tugged at Lin Xu's sleeve to signal Tian Ying's unusual behavior.
Lin Xu looked at Tian Ying, who had been silent all along, and saw that his face was red and he was stammering. He looked at Zhou Laosan kneeling on the ground begging for mercy but could not speak for a long time.
Lin Xu naturally knew there must be something strange about it. Just as he was about to ask a question, he heard a "clang" sound suddenly coming from the direction of the house door in the courtyard.
It sounded exactly like porcelain being smashed in a panic.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
