Chapter 285: Ruthless

voice was sweet as a yellow oriole as she performed a standard bow. Then, she rose."Miss Lian Yue came to see me this evening. Is there something I can help you with"Ripple nodded and smiled softly,...Upon hearing the yamen servant's harsh reprimand, all the servants in Zhuangzi fell silent as if struck by a chill. They knew very well that their deeds of sale were held by their master, and now with the arrival of the yamen servant, even the slightest movement could result in their death without any recourse. Therefore, they all knelt down unanimously.

Only then did Wuzhong take two steps forward and say:

"The mistress is merciful, she will only punish the ringleader. Anyone who points out the person who deceived their master can stay, otherwise, the entire family will be sold!"

Of course, you also better not bite indiscriminately. The master in the yamen will verify it himself. Those who knowingly commit crimes, men will be sold to dig mines, and women will go to dark brothels!

Wu Zhong's words silenced the people kneeling below. Then, a ragged ten-year-old boy, his face flushed, stood up and pointed at Zhuang Tou, shouting:

I accuse the head of the estate. He is a deceiver, taking advantage of those above and below him. Half of the estate's income goes into his family's pockets, and they even pretend to be the owners of the estate, living in this very courtyard!

Zhuangtou Wu Liang saw that my sister was beautiful and forced her to be his concubine. Our family disagreed, so they withheld the seeds, preventing us from growing food, in an attempt to force us to agree!

My sister is hot-tempered. Knowing that Zhuangtou was using our family's lives to force her, she hanged herself at their doorstep! Everyone in the village knows this!!!

Wu Liang's face turned pale at this moment. He turned around and pounced on the young man fiercely, but unfortunately, he didn't usually do anything. The people in the village were not cooperative and directly blocked his way.

The steward winked, and immediately strong guards rushed into the crowd. They struck the opponent's back with their swords, capturing and binding them before leading them to the front.

With the young man leading the way, people in the village started to speak out one after another about the evil deeds that Zhuangtou had committed over the years. It could be said that not a single member of Zhuangtou's family of over ten people was innocent.

Ripples summoned Wu An, bringing along two guards, to the residence of the young boy at the head of the village. They ransacked his home and seized all his possessions.

While the entire Zhuang family was under control, Zhuang's eldest son, strong and powerful, tried to resist. He was directly chopped off an arm by the guards. The nearby officials just watched and did nothing to stop it because these people all had sale contracts, they were private property of their masters, and how they were handled depended entirely on the master’s will.

In a short while, Wu An ran back, leaned in the steward's ear and whispered a few words. The steward nodded and then came to Lian Yi's side, bowing respectfully and saying:

"Miss, the Zhuang family's home has quite a bit of silver, grain, and silk."

"Let Wu An take Luo Huai to count. I want to see how much this litter of fat rats raised on the estate has stolen."

A tender voice rang out, and silence fell around it.

Yes, Miss!

Luo Huai's status was second only to Luo Ying. He was honest and sincere, but not foolish either. He knew that Miss was establishing her authority here, so after readily agreeing, he ran inside to get paper and pen, and left again with Wu An.

"Officer, we've raised such a troublesome servant at home. Should we handle this ourselves"

The ripples turned his head and asked the two yamen servants, mainly to give people face.

"They belong to the young lady entirely, at her disposal. They are her private property."

The clerk understood the ins and outs, immediately smiled and nodded.

Then ripples nodded and said to Wu An beside her:

The head of the village is the culprit, he deserves a hundred lashes!

"Yes!"

The guard, upon hearing orders, hoisted Zhuang Tou up and bound him to a black stool. After stripping him of his outer trousers, they discovered he was wearing a pristine white silk undergarment. This sight turned Wu Zhong's face ashen.

"Hit!"

The steward barked an order, and the sound of slaps hitting flesh echoed through the room.

His rippling gaze swept over the bound members of the Zhuang family, then paused on a woman the same age as Luo Ying before he lowered his eyes, obscuring the darkness in them.

This girl was the one the housekeeper brought from the estate to serve as a personal maid for the original owner. After all, both of her two personal maids had been killed by bandits at the time, and since the servants' contracts from the estate were still valid, she could be used by the original owner.

Unbeknownst to him, this family had long since lost their loyalty. The person he brought along as his sole confidante turned out to be an accomplice of the mastermind behind this treacherous plot.

How could the frail body of an old man at the village head withstand the guards' batons The cries went from loud to soft, slowly fading into silence. In just a quarter of an hour, he breathed his last.

"Miss, she's passed away!"

The ripples nodded, then raised a small finger and pointed to the plump wife of Zhuang Tou and said:

"Next it's her!"

"Spare me, miss! I am a woman of virtue, and I do everything according to my husband's orders. I dare not disobey!"

"Stripped her bare"

Liàn yī was too lazy to waste words with the other party and directly ordered.

The guard dragged the ferociously struggling, plump woman. Upon ripping off her outer garment, he saw a red silk cheongsam underneath, the attire of a mistress of the house.

Luo Ying's eyes were about to burst into flames, and she directly shouted angrily:

“You audacious wretch! I'm in mourning, and you dare to wear red knowing that my young mistress is here to observe the rites of filial piety If I caught you, death would be too merciful a punishment!”

The heads of those below bowed even lower, as if wanting to cover their ears entirely. But the sound of the board striking flesh and the woman's high-pitched screams made their bodies tremble uncontrollably.

Ripple's face held no much expression. This head of the village is nothing but a troublesome piece of dung; if not cleaned up, this village will eventually change hands.

Perhaps Zhuangtou's wife, because her flesh was thicker, persisted a while longer than Zhuangtou and breathed her last.

Ripple raised his hand again, pointing at the eldest son who had lost an arm. Then the eldest son struggled desperately and begged for mercy, but unfortunately, after the board fell rhythmically, his voice grew weaker and weaker until it finally disappeared completely.

The stench of blood had spread, causing those kneeling below to tremble with fear.

The village head also has a second son, who looks frail and seems to be literate. He enjoys a good reputation among the people in the village. When the village head acted excessively, it was he who stood up to dissuade him and protected the children in the village. No one accused him of wrongdoing, but only because he was the village head's son, was he pushed to the forefront along with the others.

The ripples' hand pointed without hesitation at the other party, and the guard lifted them onto the newly vacated stool.

"Spare me, miss! I'm innocent! I had nothing to do with anything that happened at home, and I even tried to dissuade them. That's why my relationship with my parents has always been strained!"

"Butler, tell them the reason!"

The ripples was too lazy to explain, but she didn't want the people on the estate to think she was heartless and tyrannical when she was establishing her authority.

"Advice If you truly wanted to dissuade him, then the terrible things done at the village head's hands should have been impossible. Your advice likely serves as a show for the other villagers, aimed at preventing further conflict between your father and them!"

You are the beneficiary, yet you still put on a mask of hypocrisy. You are the most wicked person! How could you learn to read and keep accounts without Zhuang Tou's support

The butler looked over the ledger Wu An had scurried to deliver, and coldly asked.

When these words reached Zhuang Min's ears, they began to whisper amongst themselves. The next moment, the sound of a board striking flesh rang out again, and everyone clamped their mouths shut.Your identity was given to us by headquarters, and they also said that you were about to enter a period of weakness. We have to capture you within twenty-four hours, and headquarters specifically emph...