Chapter 127 Settlement of Accounts
"It seems that you don't know~" Song Qingci was not in a hurry.
"Madam, is there any misunderstanding here? We are from the General's Mansion. We are all doing things for the General's Mansion." Cui didn't dare to tell the truth, but she didn't dare to remain silent, so she could only make up for it by asking for favors.
I hope I can use this to fight with Song Qingci. After all, she is a new bride, and she has only been married to the general's mansion for a few months, so she may not have a firm foothold yet.
"Oh, is that so?!" Song Qingci said unimpressed, "You are working for the General's Mansion? So, is it the General's Mansion that lets you collect 70% of the rent? Is it the General's Mansion that lets you abuse private punishment? Or is it the General's Mansion that lets you take people's lives?"
With every question raised, Song Qingci's expression grew colder.
Inside the cell, everyone understood except those little brats.
I also instantly understood why they had fallen into this situation.
What they did in the manor was known by the people in the General's Mansion.
The young lady is the representative of the general's mansion, and she is here to settle accounts with them.
"We didn't!" Although Cui was afraid, she still had to keep it together. If she confessed, her fate would be even worse than it was now.
"Madam, we are really wronged. We have never done any of these things!"
When others heard Cui say this, they immediately felt guilty and started to protest their injustice.
"Madam, we are really wronged. For so many years, my father and I have worked hard for the general's mansion. We have never done those things!" Xu Zhongwu looked so sincere that if someone who didn't know the inside story saw it, he might really be convinced.
Song Qingci didn't expect that Xu Zhongwu was actually very talented in acting.
"Yes, Madam, we really didn't do anything wrong. We were wronged!" Xu Zhongwu's wife also spoke for her man. However, she didn't dare to approach Song Qingci like Cui did.
Instead, while speaking, he turned his body sideways and half hid behind Xu Zhongwu.
In this way, the words spoken will naturally lose some credibility.
"You didn't exploit the tenants? Then why did all the tenants in Xiaowang Village say that you have been raising the rent every year since ten years ago. This year, the rent has been raised by 70%? Could it be that all the tenants have joined forces to slander you?"
"You didn't lie to your superiors or subordinates? Then why is it that no matter how much you raised the rent for the tenants, the surplus sent to the general's mansion was always a few hundred taels of silver? There was even one year when you said that the harvest was poor due to weather conditions, and you begged the general's mansion to waive the rent for the tenants for a year? Where did all the money go?"
"Also, you haven't forgotten where your family lives, right? Is the main courtyard comfortable?" Song Qingci raised an eyebrow after saying this. Although her expression didn't seem to change much, one could feel that she was very unhappy.
"I...I...we..." Cui kept saying "I" for a long time but didn't utter a single extra word.
Hearing what the Major General's wife said, it seems that the investigation has been almost completed and all the tenants should have been questioned.
Xu Zhongwu also lowered his head instantly, not daring to look at Song Qingci again.
He didn't lower his head because he was ashamed, he lowered his head because he was afraid.
"Young Madam, we were wrong. Please forgive us this time for the sake of the old lady! Xu Chun was the old lady's servant who came with her as a dowry. We followed her into the general's mansion. For so many years, we have helped to manage the manor. Even if we have no merit, we have worked hard. We were wrong and we should not have been greedy. We are willing to give back all the money we have embezzled over the years. Please forgive us this time." Cui knelt down again and begged for mercy.
These things, if you are willing to investigate, there are too many witnesses. There is no way to argue.
Cui made the best countermeasure she could think of at the moment. Instead of continuing to be stubborn, it would be better to directly confess her guilt and beg for mercy.
The issue of embezzlement of money exists in every government office. To be honest, it is not a big deal. It all depends on the attitude of the host family.
Moreover, she was willing to return all the money she had embezzled over the past decade. This was a considerable sum of money for the General's Mansion.
When Xu Zhongwu heard his mother say that she wanted to return the money, the first thing that came to his mind was that he was unwilling.
However, he didn't dare say it out loud and could only worry on the sidelines.
Seeing that Song Qingci had no reaction, Cui continued, "We are willing to hand over the management rights of Xiaowangzhuang to the General's Mansion. We are also willing to leave the capital from now on and never set foot in the capital again in our lifetime."
After hearing what Cui said, Song Qingci smiled.
Her smile was so beautiful that for a moment, everyone in the cell was stunned.
But, my heart became even more uneasy.
"Cui, don't you think your words are ridiculous?" Song Qingci slowly put away his smile and continued, "What do you mean by handing over the management rights of Xiaowangzhuang to the General's Mansion? Have you forgotten that Xiaowangzhuang originally belonged to the General's Mansion? You are just a bunch of rotten people who are taking advantage of the power of others."
"What else is there to leave the capital? Do you think you can leave? Or will I let you leave?"
After hearing what Song Qingci said, Cui was panicked. "Madam, we...we are only guilty of embezzlement. Even if we report it to the government, we will be sentenced to exile at most. If we can make up for the embezzled money, we can be pardoned. Madam, you don't want to abuse lynching us, do you?!"
"Oh~ I didn't realize that you know the law well. You know that corruption will lead to exile, and you know what to do to avoid punishment. It seems that you have worked hard on this~" Song Qingci smiled but didn't smile. "However, when you mentioned the abuse of lynching, it reminded me of something else."
"What?" Cui had a hunch that he wouldn't hear anything good next, but people can't help but be curious.
"Wang Qingqing, Wang Taohua, Wang Xiaolian, Wang Erya, Li Zhenniang, Li Baozhu, Zhang Cuicui, He Ermei, Chen Sanmei, Chen Xiaocao..." Song Qingci counted on his fingers as he read out the names. "Alas, my two hands are not enough."
When other people heard these names, they looked puzzled. Only Cui and Xu Bowen's wife's faces turned paler when they heard these names.
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