Harem Daily Life

Chapter 225 I think you are the one seeking death

Huangzhuang is actually a few hills and a large area of fields, very much like a small village. Tenants work and live in it, and some families have been farming here for generations.

Tao Yanyan checked the account book of the imperial farm and walked around the fields. He always felt that although it was an agricultural economy era, the yield of crops was too low.

"Are these mountains just going to be empty?" Tao Yanyan felt it was a pity.

Manager Li said: "The main thing is that I don't know what to grow. You can grow food in the fields, but what can you grow on this mountain?"

Tao Yanyan said: "Fruit trees and medicinal herbs can all be planted. Chickens can be raised directly under the trees. The free-range chickens can earn a lot of money just by picking up eggs every day, not to mention that chickens can also be sold for money."

Manager Li hesitated when he heard this and said, "But, we can't get that many saplings!"

Tao Yanyan thought for a moment and said, "Then we can plant as much as we can. When the fruits are ripe, we will have seeds. In three to five years, the whole mountain will be covered with fruit trees. We can raise chickens and collect eggs under the fruit trees, and we will earn money every day."

When Manager Li heard her words, he became excited: "Yes, I will implement this matter today and have them plant it in the spring."

As a result, Li Zongguan asked Wang, the manager of the imperial farm, to come. Wang kept making excuses, saying that there were not enough people to plant the crops. Then he said that even if he hired people, he couldn't afford the wages. In short, it was impossible.

Tao Yanyan said calmly: "Whose relative are you? Who recommended you to manage this imperial farm?"

Steward Wang looked fearless and said, "I am from the Queen's family. My grandmother was the wet nurse of the Queen's mother."

Tao Yanyan's mouth twitched. They were not related at all, so what was there to brag about?

"Then pack up your things and hand over the keys and account books to Li, the chief steward. You won't have to manage this imperial manor anymore."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shishi said anxiously, "Sir, I was personally arranged by the Queen."

Tao Yanyan thought, how can the Queen know you, a small steward?

He snorted coldly: "So what? If you can't manage well, can't I replace you? Is your position permanent? The royal family pays you to be the manager, but you have no execution ability. Can't I replace you with someone who can do the job? Who do you think you are!"

Tao Yanyan had been angry these past two days, and this person just happened to be a whetstone for her.

"Someone, take him to take over. If you can do it, do it. If you can't, get out!"

Yin Jiu silently looked at Concubine Tao who had a serious face. He didn't expect that although she was usually soft and well-behaved, she could be quite intimidating when she got angry.

As the two guards stepped forward, Steward Wang said quickly, "I can do it. I will do whatever you tell me to do. I will never dare to contradict you again!"

"It's too late to repent now." Tao Yanyan waved his hand, and the man was taken away by the guards.

The tenants gathered outside the door. When they saw Manager Wang being escorted out, they looked at each other, then knelt outside the door and shouted, "Sir, please help us. Manager Wang bullies men and women, oppresses tenants, takes bribes, and embezzles food."

"You are talking nonsense. You are a bunch of peasants who have rebelled. I am the Queen's man. When I come back, you will frame me. Just wait and see!" Steward Wang shouted.

Tao Yanyan gave Manager Li a look, and Manager Li went out to ask the guards to bring Manager Wang back, and also called in a few tenant representatives to make things clear.

"Please, sir, make the decision for us!" The tenants knelt as soon as they came in, and Tao Yanyan asked them to speak one by one.

"I'll go first." A young man in his twenties said, "My name is Du San. My sister and I depend on each other for survival. My sister was only fifteen years old when she was harmed by this steward Wang. Later, my sister couldn't stand the humiliation and jumped into the river. Steward Wang gave me one or two taels of silver and sent me away, saying that if I continued to make trouble, he would break my legs."

"And me, my daughter was also harmed by Steward Wang. He is already over thirty years old and has a wife at home, but he always stares at other people's virgin girls. My daughter was only fourteen when she was captured by Steward Wang. She was locked up for three days before she came back with not a single piece of good flesh on her body. My daughter has been crazy since then and doesn't recognize her parents. Her mother couldn't stand it and jumped into the river! If I didn't have to take care of my crazy daughter, I would have wished I had followed my wife!"

Tao Yanyan looked at Manager Wang and asked coldly, "Is what they said true?"

Steward Wang swallowed his saliva and said, "I have already paid for all the money."

"Bullshit! You want to buy a life for just one ounce of silver, you bastard. I, an old woman, wish I could drink your blood and eat your flesh. My grandson couldn't bear to see you harming other girls, so I wanted to stop you from doing evil, but you sent someone to break his legs. He's only seventeen years old, and his life is ruined!"

The old woman knelt at Tao Yanyan's feet and said, "Sir, this steward Wang always uses the Queen to pressure us, saying that he is the Queen's man, and he has hired a few thugs to beat anyone who resists. No one has come to inspect the farm before, and no one cares when we go to the authorities to complain. It's a pity that we live under the feet of the emperor, working for the royal family, but living such a miserable life. Please help us, sir!"

"You, you guys don't want to live anymore? I'm the Queen's man! As long as I tell the Queen, you peasants will never be able to work in this imperial farm again!" Manager Wang was escorted by two guards and was still threatening the tenants with words.

"Manager Li, please take a few people with pen and paper to write down everything the tenants said and hand it over to Jingzhao Yin for investigation. If this Manager Wang really has several lives on his shoulders, I think he has no need to live!"

Steward Wang turned pale with fear: "Who are you? Do you know that offending the Queen is a capital crime?"

Tao Yanyan looked at him like an idiot: "The Queen is the mother of the country, well-educated, and loves the people like her own children. How could she let a scum like you use her as a banner to do evil and bully the people? You are damaging the Queen's reputation, and I think you are courting death!"

After she finished scolding, she looked at the kneeling tenants and said, "Stand up, the Queen is definitely not an unreasonable person. This Steward Wang is using the Queen's name to scare you. You can't trust him and you can't misunderstand the Queen."

The tenants looked at each other in bewilderment. The old woman said, "So, this Steward Wang is not the Queen's man at all?"

Tao Yanyan nodded: "No."

The tenants wiped their tears and said, "We misunderstood. We...we said a few bad things about the queen behind her back. We are guilty."

Tao Yanyan sighed: "The Royal Farm belongs to the royal family. The Queen didn't manage these details, so she let a scum like Wang Guanshi take advantage of the opportunity to harm you. It's normal for you to say a few words to her."

"Ahem, ahem." Manager Li and Yin Jiu hurriedly coughed to dissuade Tao Yanyan from being disrespectful to the Queen. Tao Yanyan glanced at the two and said with a pout, "Okay, you guys go out and help the Queen speak well of her and explain. As for Manager Wang, I will stay here today and handle the matter before I leave."

The tenants left with gratitude, and Manager Li immediately took people to take notes.

Xiao Jinan touched his belly and asked, "Brother Yan, when is lunch?"

The three-headed little Jin'an was hungry and felt aggrieved.