Every year thereafter, the Liu family would send a thousand taels to the clan, and no one from the clan came again, so he didn't take the matter to heart.
Who would have thought that one thousand taels would turn into twenty thousand taels?
Why does an ancestral home need to be repaired every year, and why are there so many magnificent buildings that require so much money?
Unexpectedly, Ye Zhen opened another account book, "There are already tens of thousands of acres of fertile land registered under the name of the Marquis's mansion in our hometown."
The daughter-in-law carefully examined all the relevant ledgers and found that these fertile fields came from approximately three different sources.
One is the encroachment on the Xie family cemetery under the guise of land ownership.
Secondly, the government lent money to the people, with interest compounding. When the people could not repay the loans, the government used their land to pay them back.
Third, they use the guise of tax exemption for people registering their households to secretly change the number of households they register, thereby embezzling funds.
However, the accounts show that the annual grain output of these 10,000 mu of fertile land is less than that of the 1,000 mu of land in other villages.
Ye Zhen sneered inwardly, fearing that the rest of the grain had either been given by Liu to her lover or to Xie Yunzhou, who had faked his death.
Bang!
Upon hearing this, Marquis Zhongyong slammed his hand heavily on the chair, causing it to instantly fall apart.
What a Liu Shi! It turns out she's the biggest parasite in the Marquis's mansion, daring to oppress the people behind his back.
I was truly blind before.
Marquis Zhongyong took a deep breath. "What else did you discover?"
Ye Zhen seemed hesitant. "Yes, there is, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."
The feeling of unease that Marquis Zhongyong had returned.
"explain."
Whether you dare or not, Ye Zhen has already said a lot.
Ye Zhen then pushed several account books in front of Marquis Zhongyong, saying, "I've noticed that the household receives gifts during festivals."
Marquis Zhongyong never formed cliques, but being in his position, he was bound to be fawned over and flattered, and it was not uncommon for people to send gifts to his residence.
He waited for Ye Zhen to continue.
“Each festival gift includes silk and beaded jewelry that young women love, and they are quite expensive.”
In addition, Jin Yao would receive gifts every year on the eve of her birthday.
However, the ledger only indicated the hometown, with no further information.
Father, do you think this ancestral home might be the clan's ancestral home?
Marquis Zhongyong frowned but remained silent.
Ye Zhen glanced at her cautiously, "My daughter-in-law has only looked at the account books for the past three years. I wonder if these were sent three years ago?"
The younger sister-in-law is now past the age of marriage, and the daughter-in-law is worried that perhaps her mother-in-law has arranged a marriage for her, which is why the other party sends gifts every year.
She made that guess on purpose.
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