Chapter 240: The Affairs in the Ancient Stone Estate (2)

Translator: Iris

Gu Tingye gave a wry smile and said, “We only have a few days to practice those soldiers. It’s not like we know some magic tricks. His Majesty is well aware of the exact details.” Even so, it was still important to put up a front since this was the first time the new emperor came to review the troops.

“In that case, you can be relaxed for a while?” Minglan peeled a loquat for him while asking that with a smile.

While Gu Tingye was eating the sweet fruit, he saw Minglan’s fingers that were as white as the coconut milk moving flexibly in those golden loquats. He even felt that maybe her fingers were as sweet as the fruit. Then he only stared at her quietly.

“What happened in the Estate?”

Minglan raised her head to look at Gu Tingye with her face bulged and said in an apologetic tone, “I have wanted to tell you after you finish your work.”

“Tell me.” The man pinched her cheek and said gently, “Tell me how serious it is.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Minglan bit her lips and finally told everything she had seen and heard during these days to him. While Gu Tingye was listening to her, his face turned gloomier. At last, he finally couldn’t bear it anymore and thumped on the table angrily. All the loquats on the table jumped due to his thump.

Minglan opened her arms right away to hold the fruits together. Then she looked out of the door. Luckily, Xie Ang had already led a group of people to surround the room. Otherwise, she would still be afraid that she might be overheard.

“... Only after Meng and others reported all those things to me did I make up my mind. I am really furious.” Minglan put the loquats back into the small basket which had been knitted with white jade bamboo while saying, “Not only are the rents here twenty to thirty percent higher than in the other imperial estates, but Wu Guang always orders the tenants to do private work for him. He asks for money from the tenants and orders them to work at every festival. Also, he’s good at finding excuses to increase the rents. Those landlords have even taken advantage of their power to rape the tenants’ wives and daughters. They are animals! Wu Guang is just a steward, how dare he do so many evil things! I, cannot tolerate this guy!”

“I even got scared when I heard those things.” Minglan put the last fruit into the basket and said with a sympathetic look, “In the coldest days of the year, the whole family of the tenants didn’t have any firewood and could only keep out the cold with a few pieces of clothes. Some of the tenants’ children died from coldness. Some of the elders in their family died of hunger because the rents were so high and they wanted to save the food for their families. Even so, the men and the women in those families had to work in the farm every day.”

They had to work when they coughed blood, or when they got chilblains all over their feet, or when their children cried bitterly in their rooms because they were cold and hungry... It was not that those tenants didn’t want to fight back. However, Wu Guang got support from the officials and also had those ferocious landlords as his hatchet men. Those tenants were kept on a short leash and didn’t know how to find an imperial censor to sue those evil stewards and landlords. After their revolts had been suppressed for a few times, they were bullied even more fiercely.

Minglan’s eyes were moist. She couldn’t imagine those scenes. Right now, she felt herself burning with anger. She had never hated someone so much ever since she transmigrated to the ancient times. Those women who were engaged in the schemes and intrigues might have their own difficulties due to the social system. However, a person like Wu Guang was just a lunatic! Minglan really wanted to execute all those stewards and landlords by shooting! One by one!

The look on Gu Tingye’s face also turned gloomy and scary. He said to Minglan, “I have heard of some of those things before, but I don’t remember why I haven’t made time to deal with those bastards. The reason why I left more guys to you is that I want you to punish those people! Just tie them up and send them to the Ya Men(Chinese authorities government).”

After Gu Tingye had lost his temper, he exhaled and snorted, “How dare he threaten his madam! I think he is tired of living! He has lived a comfortable life for so long! He has a relative in the department in the royal palace, so what? He really considers himself a nobleman? Our former emperor was so kind to them that they are used to putting on airs. The income of this Estate is merely three to five thousand ounces of silver per year. It’s only around twelve or thirteen years since Wu Guang took charge of the Estate, and the tenants have already owed the Estate twenty thousand ounces of silver?! I never heard there were any disasters happening here. I’ll see who dares to argue with me!”

Minglan, with her head lowered, stayed silent for a long while and then sighed slightly, “I would have done all the things you have just said if I could.”

“What are your scruples?”

“Not scruples. It’s just...” Minglan sighed gently, “Years ago, my father had a classmate whose last name was Qiu. Uncle Qiu was certain that Third Prince could ascend the throne. But what has his sharp eyes brought to him? Uncle Qiu was put in jail a few years before Third Prince became a crown prince because he was impeached. After that, he died in exile. Third Prince didn’t become an emperor and Uncle Qiu died for nothing. There are still no one reversing the verdict for the Qiu Family.”

Gu Tingye gradually quieted down. The fight for the crown which had lasted for almost ten years nearly turned half of the capital upside down. There were countless civil and martial officials being involved. After those officials attacked each other by raking up each other’s past, even those ones that had picked the right side might not come to a good end.

As he thought of that, he listened to Minglan quietly.

Minglan said in a lower voice, “Better offend a man of noble character than offend a vile person. Although our former emperor is deceased, his imperial concubines and those eunuchs still have some influence in the palace. They might not be able to instigate any incidents. However, as long as they are still alive, they could still seize a chance to stab us in the back if they hold a grudge against us. After all, becoming open enemies and having no close contact are two different things.”

In the Sheng Family, Old Madam Sheng always persuaded Sheng Hong with the words Minglan had just said. Unfortunately for Gu Tingye, he didn’t have any elders that he could rely on.

Gu Tingye closed his eyes. The cicada was chirping on the locust tree outside the window off and on, which was in the same rhyme as Minglan’s anxious heartbeat. After a long while, Gu Tingye let out a breath with difficulty.

“Your scruples make sense. What do you want to do now?”

“I don’t know.” Minglan showed a confused look, “Those evil guys deserve to die. I wish I could chop their heads off. However, there are so many restraints so I cannot punish them. I don’t know what to do. However, I think, at least, we should drive them away first. Then this Estate will truly belong to us. If we keep those bastards, we’ll be afraid that we might take the blame for them every day. By then I can’t even sleep, so...”

“So?”

With her teeth gritted, Minglan continued, “Can we pay those tenants’ debts? We pay everything and send the bad guys away once and for all.”

After saying that, Minglan checked the look on Gu Tingye’s face right away. He was stunned at first, and then he started to ponder. Minglan was ill at ease. She knew that her proposal would cost him lots of money. The annual expense of a normal rich family was around five to six thousand ounces of silver. But she had just asked Gu Tingye to pay thirty or even forty thousand ounces of silver!

What was more, the money was not for a title, or social contact or enjoyment. She did have asked too much from him.

Gu Tingye didn’t say anything and only picked a big and fleshy fruit from the basket. Then he started to peel the loquat. After a short while, the bumpy pulp of the loquat showed up between the man’s long fingers.

Before Minglan could react, that loquat was put into her mouth. Gu Tingye found her quite funny and poked her bulging face.

“Good idea.” He said smilingly, with a pleasant look, “I’ll give the money.”

Before Minglan came back to her sense, he had already turned around and ordered Xiaotao to call the guys over. Minglan then had to go to the inner room to listen to their conversation.

...

“Hao Dacheng.”

“I’m here. Master.” A medium-built steward stepped forward and bowed to Gu Tingye.

Gu Tingye put one of his hands on the table, sitting straight and upright, “Bring a group of people with you to guard Wu Guang and seven other people. Feed them well, speak nicely to them, but don’t allow them to step out of the room or contact anyone. Meng, I need you to be there too. If anyone dares to get out by force, show them your martial art! Watch them closely!”

Hao Dacheng made an obeisance and answered in a loud voice. Gongsun Meng followed him cheerfully and left.

Gu Tingye nodded and turned to Tu Long, saying in a heavy voice, “I need you to come back to our mansion and ask Sir Gongsun to write some name cards. Also, ask Tongpan Lv in Shuntian Prefecture to send an assistant of county magistrate and a scholar. Then, ask Eunuch Xia to send two eunuchs here to fetch those people. At last, I need you to invite someone in the State Inspection Department to be our witness. Are three days enough for you?”

Tu Long was a steady person. Then he also gave his obeisance and replied reverently.

“Master, what about me?” Tu Hu got anxious waiting for his mission.

“Hu, I need you to command some guys to guard this Estate. If anyone dares to create a disturbance...” Gu Tingye picked the satin handkerchief on the table to scrub his fingers, saying, “My hatchet men are not for keeping up my family’s appearance. Just don’t kill anyone.”

The white handkerchief in Gu Tingye’s hands was tinted with golden color and suffused with the sweet smell of the fruit.