Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 54 Defeating Them One by One
Household head Shi Jiuyue was the first person Yang Can sent to invite for "tea".

The basis for this claim was some issues that Mr. Li found in the accounts.

The head of a household is the most basic level of management personnel in a village.

His main responsibilities included collecting taxes, undertaking government duties, and managing household registration.

Such people are usually middle-class landlords or rich peasants.

Only people like this have the ability and prestige to interact with ordinary people at the grassroots level.

And when necessary, he has the ability to advance taxes for the households under his jurisdiction.

Of course, he will raise interest rates later and then urge farmers to pay their taxes.

When Yang Can's men took Shi Jiuyue away, he was embracing a rather attractive young woman and being intimate with her.

This is a debt that a poor farmer couldn't repay last year, which he had advanced to his young wife.

Having already secured the prize, Shi Jiuyue naturally had no need to be impatient.

He had intended to have a few drinks to prepare himself before engaging in a thrilling battle.

As a result, Yang Can sent people to take him away.

……

"Mr. Li, why did Deacon Yang arrest Chief Shi? Won't something bad happen to him?"

Xiao Tan sat on Li Damu's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and asked in a coquettish and infatuated tone.

"Don't worry, Deacon Yang has come down here, do you expect him to go back empty-handed?"

Li Damu smiled and pinched the little fairy's pert bottom.

He's now "ordered to pick up girls," a tragic hero who's willing to sacrifice his virtue to infiltrate the enemy's den for the sake of the grand investigation.

What else does he have to worry about?
Once he felt relieved, the little girl in his arms seemed even more fragrant.

Xiao Tan's eyes widened: "Sir, you mean that Steward Yang has to find out something so that he can give an explanation to the young mistress of the eldest branch of the family?"

"That's right, Xiao Tan is the smartest."

Li Damu chuckled and patted Xiao Tan's shoulder.

The clever Xiao Tan immediately understood what he meant and gave him a rather charmingly disdainful look.

……

"You mean, Yang Can just wants to uncover some cases so he can give the eldest branch of the family and the clan head an explanation?"

Young Master Zhang looked at Xiao Tan with some nervousness.

Xiao Tan said, "Yes, the matter concerning Chief Shi was not a big deal to begin with."

Mr. Li said that Deacon Yang simply wanted to give an explanation to his superiors, nothing more.

Young Master Zhang breathed a sigh of relief, his worries gone, and waved to Xiao Tan with a smile.

As Xiao Tan nestled obediently into his arms, Young Master Zhang chuckled and said, "Tell me how Accountant Li bullied you."

Xiao Tan is Sang Zhi's personal maid, and Sang Zhi is Zhang Zhuangzhu's concubine.

But judging from the current situation, Xiao Tan and Young Master Zhang seem to have a secret relationship.

Therefore, it's hard to say whether the young lady Sangzhi and Young Master Zhang have any connection.

Xiao Tan knew about Young Master Zhang's quirks, so she described them to him in vivid detail.

Young Master Zhang became excited, so he held Xiao Tan down and copied her description exactly, before letting her leave satisfied.

Shi Jiuyue was just a minor household head, so naturally she couldn't withstand the severe torture and interrogation by Yang Can's men.

He endured half a day in vain, but no reinforcements arrived. Instead, he received a hint:
Despite the explanation, there shouldn't be any major problems.

So he told Li Damu everything he found in the accounts.

Of course, he didn't say a word about things he shouldn't know, or things he shouldn't say.

Once the head maid who was questioning Yang Can obtained his confession, she stopped making things difficult for him, but she didn't release him either.

The head maid locked him in the granary on the grounds that "it needs to be verified".

It's late spring now, and many granaries are empty; they'd be perfect for imprisoning people.

A vast space, a claustrophobic environment, and utterly alone people...

Immediately afterwards, Wang Gou Dan, the miller, was invited to "have tea".

Don't underestimate Gou Dan. As the manager of the Feng'anzhuang mill workshop, he wields considerable power over ordinary people.

Processing grain involves extracting a portion of it; his routine operation is to use a large container to feed the grain and a small container to extract it.

Withholding finished products and extorting money by using "priority" all depend on how ruthless he is.

“Tell him he confessed everything. It’s not a big deal, it’s not a capital offense.”

Young Master Zhang crossed his legs and said nonchalantly, "I will compensate Deacon Yang when he returns to the mountain."

Gou Dan was already at his breaking point, and after receiving a message from Young Master Zhang, he readily confessed.

Thus, Shi Jiuyue met her first fellow sufferer, which made the lonely Jiuyue cry tears of joy.

While September and Gou Dan were having a heart-to-heart talk in the empty granary, two stewards and two nannies sent by Suo Chanzhi came out at the same time, each inviting one person to "have tea".

They are the younger brothers of the tenant leader Shi Yiyue and Shi Jiuyue, respectively.

There are also craftsman Liang Feng, canal chief Yao Yu, and warehouse supervisor Zhuang Dehou.

Seeing this situation, Lai Gulu and Peng Jin were starting to feel overwhelmed.

They hurried to find Young Master Zhang.

Young Master Zhang was having an affair with Sang Zhi when they caught him in the room. In a panic, he quickly pushed Sang Zhi into the closet.

This is my father's concubine. He can use her to entertain guests, but that doesn't mean he can have an affair with her.

As soon as Peng Jin entered the room, he sniffed around and noticed that the smell was a bit strange.

"Young Master, I don't think Steward Yang intends to quit while he's ahead."

"Yes, yes, he's arresting people one by one, almost wiping out his men." Young Master Zhang frowned: "What could be the problem? He hasn't even touched the two of you."

"Those low-level managers are just going through a little trouble, what's the big deal?"

Lai Gulu said worriedly, "Young Master, I'm worried that Yang Can has no intention of stopping!"

If this continues, who will he arrest?

Peng Jin raised an eyebrow, his expression grave. "It's only been three days. The manor lord has only been gone for three days. However..."

Peng Jin's face lit up with joy: "The Master should be back by now, right?"

Lai Gulu also seemed to wake up from a dream and said happily, "That's right, the master said he would be back in two days."

"He should be back today... perhaps the master was slightly delayed, but... he should be back tomorrow."

Seeing the two men's beaming faces, Young Master Zhang was quite displeased.

With his father gone, he was the most powerful person in Feng'an Village, wielding immense influence and living a very comfortable life.

But once his father comes back, he will be reduced to his original form and become that good-for-nothing that his father looks down on.

Young Master Zhang's face turned cold as he said, "If that's the case, what else do you have to worry about?"
"When my father comes back tomorrow, he'll make all the decisions."

“Yes, yes, yes.” Lai Gulu and Peng Jin agreed, saying that was what they thought too.

Compared to Young Master Zhang, they had more confidence in Master Zhang.

So, the village head Lai Gulu and the field supervisor Peng Jin bowed and took their leave.

Young Master Zhang didn't let Sangzhi out of the closet; he suddenly felt that the closet was also a very interesting place.

So he crawled inside too.

The cabinets in Zhang Dashao's room began to sway and rattle.

Lai Gulu and Peng Jin were stopped at the gate leading out of Feng'an Fort at this moment.

They were roughly taken away by Xiao Qingmei and her entourage in full view of everyone.

Yang Can first tried to stop the boiling water by diverting the tiger's attention away from the mountain.

Then came the gradual encroachment on the branches and trunk, applying pressure step by step.

The situation reached a climax when Lai Gulu and Peng Jin were arrested.

Every time a manager is arrested these days, it stirs up a storm in Feng'anzhuang.

The psychological pressure on the managers, both big and small, is increasing.

Meanwhile, the people of Feng'anzhuang's awe of Zhang Yunyi gradually weakened.

At this point, Zhang Yunyi's supreme authority in Feng'anzhuang collapsed.

For a long time, in the hearts of the people of Feng'an Village, Lord Zhang has been their god.

Now a new god has arrived.

If the new gods and the old gods were to clash, whose divine power would be stronger?
The people of Feng'anzhuang are not entirely sure about this.

Therefore, even after Yang Can's notice was posted in Feng'anzhuang, they remained on the sidelines and waited.

There were five notices in total, posted at the four exits of the village, with the last one posted at the entrance of Feng'an Fort.

Yang Can listed the various illegal acts of these officials in the notice and encouraged the people of Feng'anzhuang to report them or voice their grievances.

Once verified, Deacon Yang will provide compensation on behalf of the Yu family.

This "profit" was quite tempting to everyone, but they still wanted to wait a little longer for Master Zhang to come down from Phoenix Mountain.

They have lived here for generations. What will happen to them if Deacon Yang fails to subdue Master Zhang and then leaves?
At this point, a "shill" is needed.

This "plant" has appeared; his name is Lin Yan, a relative of Cheng Dakuan, the Leopard Head.

Cheng Dakuan went to see Zhang Yunyi, who was being held in the hunter's cabin, and only then did he have the courage to report him.

In villages, conflicts among villagers are common.

Your wall is half a foot higher than mine, my field ridge is three inches higher than yours, and we can beat someone's brain into a dog's brain.

These kinds of things are inherently a matter of each side having its own reasons, and sometimes even involve things like feng shui, making it extremely difficult to reach a balance.

In the past, the people of Zhangzhuang Village handled these matters in a simple and crude manner.

Either everyone should be punished equally, or the party that offered the bribe should be heavily protected.

Therefore, despite the great public resentment, he managed to cover it all up.

Now that Lin Yan has filed a complaint, Yang Can's people have thoroughly analyzed the situation and made a very fair judgment.

The Lin family successfully received compensation, but the Zhang family patriarch never showed up.

Rumors are circulating in the village that Master Zhang has been detained on Phoenix Mountain.

This was obviously intentionally spread by Yang Can through Leopard Head's family.

Moreover, it's not just spreading information quickly, it's becoming more and more authentic.

As a result, even more people could no longer contain themselves.

They still didn't dare to directly sue Master Zhang, but surely it wouldn't hurt to sue the managers who had already been arrested?
As a result, after Lin Yan set an example, Yang Can's notice stirred up a hornet's nest, and people came to complain in an endless stream.

Fortunately, Yang Can did not accept written petitions. Considering that the illiteracy rate among these people was almost 100%, Yang Can also allowed them to dictate their petitions.

This really exhausted Xiao Qingmei.

Because the number of literate people is limited, Xiao Qingmei also has to be responsible for receiving farmers who come to file complaints and helping them record their statements.

The common people are not good at expressing themselves, and they often talk in circles without getting to the point.

Qingmei had to interrupt them repeatedly, steer the conversation back on track.

After a busy day, Xiao Qingmei's hands were sore and her mouth was dry. She kept writing and didn't even have time to drink water.

But Zhang Yunyi's unparalleled prestige in Feng'an Village was being gradually eroded brick by brick during this process.

Zhang Yunyi's tower, which has suppressed Feng'an Village for many years, is about to collapse!
(End of this chapter)