The next morning, Yun Qingluo had Yun Tao move a chair to the door.
Before long, everyone in the village was summoned, including not only the manager but also the tenant farmers and their families.
"I called everyone here today for no other reason than that I am new here and don't know much about the situation."
But when I was at home, my father and mother talked about how the managers and everyone else in the estate had worked very diligently. They've truly worked hard all these years, so today I'm giving everyone a reward, for good luck.”
After Yun Qingluo finished speaking, she glanced at Yun Tao, walked to the front, and said loudly, "Everyone's name and the number of people in your family have been registered. Next, those whose names I call, come forward to collect your reward. The reward will be given according to the number of people."
"Please stand in an orderly manner and do not push," An Jiu said coldly, seeing the chaotic scene.
No sooner had she finished speaking than a soft laugh was heard, and Yun Qingluo spoke again:
"Yun Tao, what have you done? How can the managers' and the tenant farmers' reward money be the same thing? Hurry up and invite all the managers to the side hall, serve them some good tea, and I, the princess, will be there shortly."
"Oh, right, Yunxin, please invite the families of all the stewards to the backyard. Granny Gong is waiting there. The families of all the stewards have worked so hard for so many years; they must be very tired. They deserve a proper reward, not just a perfunctory one. Hurry up and go."
One of the stewards, puzzled as to why Yun Qingluo would do this, stepped forward and asked, “Your Highness is too kind. We are already family with them. It doesn’t matter who has more or less. Your Highness doesn’t need to go to such lengths.”
“Yes, we’ve been family for a long time. Why should we ask for special treatment? Your Highness, why don’t you give them our reward money too? We don’t need that much. It’s them who have really worked hard all these years.”
"Yes, yes, we don't need that much. Our family is small, so it's fine if we use less. The General's Mansion has never mistreated us. Your Highness, please give all the reward money to them. We can just watch from the side. There's no need for us to wait in other places."
These managers were all shrewd people, and they naturally realized that Yun Qingluo was doing this to get rid of them. Otherwise, why would she also send away their families?
So the group of people immediately became unhappy, and several of them exchanged glances and made excuses.
But they had no choice. An Jiu made a gesture, and a group of guards came out.
"Just do as the Princess says. Don't you all understand the difference between master and servant? What? Have you all become so unruly on the estate all these years? Don't you understand any sense of hierarchy?"
An Jiu's face turned cold as he continued, "Men, take them all away. If they resist, tie them up and take them away."
The leader of the group of stewards stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and said bluntly, "Your Highness, do you even respect us?"
Yun Qinglu smiled slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes, and said softly;
"What are you saying, steward? How could I, the princess, not care about you?"
"Look, they've taken you managers to the side hall to receive your rewards one by one, and then sent your families to the back courtyard to collect them from the palace maids, clearly separating yourselves from the others. How can you call this disrespecting them?"
The steward snorted coldly, "Your Highness, we are the late Emperor's people. Is this how you treat us? You even had us tied up with ropes. Won't people misunderstand if word gets out?"
"Yes, that would tarnish the Regent's reputation. It's one thing for you, Your Highness, to make a mistake yourself, but how can you implicate the Regent?"
Yun Qingluo was displeased, but she remained outwardly friendly. "The managers are joking. There are some things I just wanted to discuss with you privately."
Besides, I, the Princess Consort, only wanted to discuss the situation of the estate with you all privately over the years. I haven't done anything heinous. Even if this were to reach the Emperor, I, the Princess Consort, would still be in the right. Do you, the stewards, agree with what I said?”
Seeing that invoking the late emperor was no longer effective, the stewards could only reluctantly be escorted away by the guards.
Meanwhile, the family members of the stewards, seeing that their men had been taken away, meekly followed the other guards to the backyard.
Yun Qingluo turned her head and said kindly, "Alright, everyone who was supposed to leave has left. Now it's my turn to talk to you. Don't be afraid, everyone. Take a few steps forward, otherwise I'm afraid I won't be able to hear you clearly."
This princess asks: How have your stewards treated you all these years?
The group of people standing below exchanged glances but dared not speak, remaining subservient and hesitant.
Upon hearing Yun Qingluo's question, they took a few steps back. If it weren't for the guards behind them stopping them, they probably would have retreated even further.
Seeing this, Yun Qingluo felt somewhat helpless. Was it because she had been too kind to those managers, making them think that she was on their side?
Yun Tao stepped forward and said loudly, "The Princess Consort said that you don't need to be afraid, so please rest assured. The Princess Consort and those managers are not in cahoots. The Princess Consort is here today to uphold justice for all of you. You can speak up about anything you have to say."
However, no one dared to stand up and complain, which made Yun Tao and the others quite anxious.
"Oh dear, hurry up and tell me! If you don't speak, how can the Princess uphold justice for you?"
A low, cold snort rose from below, "Hmph, anyone can say nice things, but I've never seen a good person come to save us. Who knows if you're in cahoots with the manager?"
When Yun Tao saw that someone dared to talk back to Yun Qingluo, she took a few steps forward and was about to scold them, but Yun Qingluo stopped her in time.
Yun Qingluo glanced at the middle-aged man who had just spoken and said calmly, "It seems you've been subjected to the control of these managers quite a bit on a daily basis."
Then, feigning confusion, he asked, "I remember last year, because of the disaster, the General's Mansion issued an order to halve the taxes, with the General's Mansion subsidizing the other half. Why do you all still seem to be doing so poorly?"
Suddenly, chaos erupted below.
"Taxes halved? Bullshit. Our taxes have actually increased, and by 20% compared to previous years."
“Last year, we only had half a bag of grain left in our house, but those people still didn’t let us go. They caused my grandson to starve to death. Waaah, my poor, miserable grandson.”
"And you're telling me? Last year, my daughter really wanted to eat a white flour steamed bun, but she never got to eat one before she died. It's my fault for being incompetent and not being able to earn money. Buying medicine for my daughter is my fault."
"The orders issued by the stewards said that the General's Mansion was running a deficit and could only collect more rent. After taxes and rent, the remaining food and money were not enough to feed a family. Of the hundreds of people, only we are left now."
Moreover, these stewards, relying on the fact that they were bestowed upon them by the late emperor, have always acted arrogantly and domineeringly. We have nowhere to reason with them, and anyone who leaves the manor is caught and severely beaten.
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