Chapter 236 If checking the accounts is useless, then check the people.
In the following days, the Chen family remained silent.
Even after He Ran sneaked into the Chen family mansion and burned down the backyard, no one came to visit again.
He Ran wondered to himself, "What kind of wicked trick are they planning now?"
Meng Shilan: "When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it."
"If you're bored, I'll find you something fun."
She set aside the account book that Zhuangzi had sent her years ago.
He Ran felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the stacks of ledgers on the table.
"Doing accounting is no fun. I'd rather rob the rich and help the poor by becoming a bandit."
Meng Shilan smiled, her eyes crinkling. "It's about robbing the rich to help the poor."
The Duke of Zhenguo's manor owned many estates.
Since the passing of the old Duchess, these accounts have become lax.
Not only are there many termites in the shops, but there are even more in the farms.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was clearly not a harsh landlord, yet the tenants near the estate were all emaciated and pale.
Meng Shilan hadn't taken action to investigate before because it wasn't harvest season yet, and it wasn't the time for the estate owners to amass wealth.
The last time they "passed by" was during harvest time.
Now should be a time of overflowing granaries and joyful days for tenants to collect their wages.
Shuang'er learned that all the grain on the estate had been sold to Fengde Grain Store in the capital.
The owner behind Fengde Grain Store was none other than the brother-in-law of Minister Yuan of Agriculture.
However, Zhuangzi's account books over the years show that his income was meager.
To her disbelief, the yield was so meager that it couldn't even compare to the output of her hundreds of acres of land in Ding County.
Meng Shilan brought He Ran to the manor again.
They still didn't send anyone to give prior notice.
The carriage stopped in its usual spot.
The fields are now bare, as they have mostly been harvested.
Only a few children, carrying small baskets, were picking up fallen ears of wheat from the field during the harvest.
He Ran had never seen such a scene before.
"Do you really need to pick up this little bit?"
Meng Shilan followed her gaze and glanced at her. "Don't underestimate this."
"They can eat from these for several days."
He Ran said, "This child is too thin and small. Is the rent for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion very high?"
Meng Shilan withdrew her gaze. "The ledger shows a low figure, even lower than the other estates."
He Ran frowned. "They actually pulled some tricks!"
The He family also had a estate in the border state, but the harvest from the land there was not as good as here, and her mother only collected a token amount of rent.
In years of poor harvest, not only will rent be waived, but tenants will also receive money and grain.
Meng Shilan looked at the village headman running breathlessly in the distance, and she moved closer to He Ran.
"Once you enter, all of this will be your land. Don't hold back during the interrogation later."
He Ran raised an eyebrow.
Oh right, this is all her money! How dare that old man embezzle her money!
"Miss!"
Zhuang Tou had a big head and a thick neck. He almost lost his life running back.
Meng Shilan said, "Lead the way, village chief."
Before the headman could exchange pleasantries, he led the carriage back.
In his mind, he had already cursed this young lady, whom he had only met twice, to the point of being furious.
Even when the old lady was alive, she never treated him like this.
A girl I met along the way really thinks she's something special!
Zhuangzi was very profound, and his teachings were perfect.
This place was once the imperial estate of the previous dynasty.
This place was originally given to the founding prime minister, but his descendants couldn't keep the family business and sold it to King Xuan of Wu.
King Xuan of Wu gave it to his youngest son, who then gave it to Princess Shouchang as a betrothal gift.
Princess Shouchang had no children in her life, and after her death, the estate returned to the royal family.
Until the late emperor bestowed it upon Mengyu Mountain.
This estate has changed hands many times, and it has been maintained and repaired very well.
He Ran fell in love with the place as soon as he entered the estate.
"Yao'er, if you're tired of living in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, you can stay here instead!"
Especially that large open space next to the manor, it would be perfect as a horse ranch!
What a waste!
If she had known earlier, she would have been willing to run horses here every day!
Meng Shilan could tell what she was thinking at a glance.
"Sure, if you like, I'll stay with you."
The head of the village stood behind the two men.
"Then I'll go and tidy up the rooms for the two young ladies."
He had just turned around when Meng Shilan called out to him.
“I remember Uncle Qi said that they also raise some top-quality Akhal-Teke horses here.”
"Where's the horse?"
"And there are good horses too!" He Ran's eyes lit up even more.
The head of the village stiffened for a moment, then turned around.
Yes, there is.
“Those horses have been raised on the estate for many years and are now old and frail, no longer suitable for riding.”
"The newly delivered horses are still too young and not suitable yet."
Meng Shilan saw the fleeting panic on his face, but didn't say anything; she simply nodded.
The head of the village finally breathed a sigh of relief and left.
He Ran leaned on the railing, "Tomorrow I'll go to the horse market and pick out a few good horses!"
She has now completely forgotten why she came to the manor.
Noon.
The meals consisted entirely of fresh fruits and vegetables from the village, and the rice was also new rice.
Meng Shilan tasted a bite of the new rice and said, "This rice is soft, fragrant, and sticky."
The head of the farm said with a smile, "The Duke also likes this rice. Every year, he sends some to the Duke who is far away at the border."
"The new rice is ready, and the new rice delivered to your residence is also this type of rice."
Meng Shilan nodded, then suddenly said.
"Besides what you keep for your own use, is there any extra rice?"
The steward hesitated for a moment, "There is plenty, but how much does Miss want?"
"If you want to give some away, there are still some available."
He Ran put down his chopsticks and bowl. "Isn't the head of the estate doing something wrong with this calculation?"
"Now, besides Yao'er, there are only a few children in the household."
"Even when Lord Meng is far away at the border, he only has one mouth."
"Can hundreds of acres of fertile land only support so many people?"
She just doesn't know how to use an abacus, and she knows it's wrong.
The head steward said, "Miss He has misunderstood. The yield of this glutinous rice is extremely limited. Apart from what the master keeps for himself, there is really not much left."
"The grain in the fields has just been harvested and is piled up in the granary. It's mostly ordinary grain."
"If you don't believe me, Miss, you'll see for yourself."
Meng Shilan didn't refuse and went along with his words.
"Okay, I'll go take a look after I finish eating."
"And while you're at it, bring out the ledgers; let's take a look together."
Zhuang Tou suddenly looked up, only to meet a pair of clear, cold, and expressionless almond-shaped eyes.
His heart skipped a beat, but he quickly regained his composure.
"yes."
Back when the shop manager was being reorganized.
He had already taken precautions, and all the accounts were flawless.
After the shop was shut down, Zhuangzi did not receive any news.
I thought that was the end of it.
They originally wanted to wait for the new grain to come out before settling accounts.
He Ran watched the head of the manor leave before quietly approaching Meng Shilan.
"He seemed very confident, as if he wasn't afraid of us checking the accounts."
Meng Shilan said, "He must have made a foolproof plan; there's absolutely no problem with the accounts."
"If auditing the accounts is useless, what should we do?"
"If checking the accounts is useless, then check the people."
He Ran looked at her, "Investigating someone?"
Meng Shilan took a bite of food and said, "There are many people in the village, and some will always betray you for money."
"He has been embezzling for so many years, it is by no means something he could have done alone. When there is a lot of money, people will be envious, and when the spoils are not divided equally, people will have grievances."
He Ran became excited, "I'll go right now!"
Meng Shilan reached out and pressed down on her arm, "Don't rush, wait for the fish to take the bait."
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