Lian Erye in the Red Mansion

"So, what did the old lady and the others say? Did they scold you?"

As soon as Jia Lian returned to the steward's room, Wang Xifeng came up to him with concern and asked him what was wrong.

Jia Lian smiled and said, "The old lady and the madam are both reasonable people. After they learned about the Shan family's embezzlement, they were very angry and asked me to deal with it according to the clan rules and family laws."

The deliberately amplified sound caused the surrounding butlers and stewards to lose all hope and lower their heads even further.

Jia Lian immediately ordered his men to drag Shan Daliang's wife away and give her sixty strokes of the cane.

After the execution, Jia Lian stood in front of the corridor, facing the men, women and servants in the courtyard, and said in a deep voice: "The Shan family disregarded the kindness of their master, was greedy by nature, and stole and cheated the master out of tens of thousands of yuan worth of property."

He should have been handed over to the authorities and sentenced to death by hanging according to the law.

However, considering that the Shan family had served their master for many years and had made some contributions, it was decided to treat them leniently.

All of the Shan family's property and houses were confiscated by the government. The seven members of the Shan family were sent to a village in the north to guard the farmland.

After dismissing the Shan family, Jia Lian continued, "Although the Shan family's embezzlement is the most serious, they are by no means the only ones."

The booklet in my hand contains the names of quite a few people…”

Jia Lian took out a small booklet from his pocket, opened it, and looked at it.

Upon hearing this, the servants in the courtyard, both big and small, were immediately on tenterhooks.

The once-powerful head steward of the Shan family was suddenly brought down to earth, barely managing to save his life. This precedent served as a stark warning to the servants present.

Sure enough, Jia Lian said, "You guessed right. The first name on this list is Shan Daliang."

Now, his matter has been resolved.

Originally, my plan was to deal with them one by one, following the list in this booklet…

Everyone in the courtyard quietly held their breath.

"However, after thinking about it again, I decided to give the people above a chance."

What opportunity?

After all, many of these people have been servants of their families for generations and have some dignity. If their property were confiscated like that of the Shan family, it would seem too inhumane.

As the old saying goes, "Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be treated severely." Today, let's play a game.

I have a half-hour time limit. Everyone in the household, from the steward to the head steward Lai Da, must come before me and fill in a number.

What is this number? It's the total amount of money you've embezzled from the household through improper means since you started working as servants there, besides your rightful monthly wages, pay, and the gifts from your master..."

Hearing Jia Lian say this, everyone became surprised and suspicious.

Wang Xifeng and Qingwen and the others who came to see what was going on were full of curiosity. What was the Second Master up to now? It sounded like a lot of fun.

However, the feeling was quite different for those in charge.

Reporting the money you embezzled is like admitting guilt and digging your own grave.

Is Second Master stupid, or do they think they are stupid?

"You can rest assured that no one but me will know what number you filled in. This is to save face for everyone, since most people will probably still be working from home in the future."

As for the size of the number, you can fill it in however you like. I won't mind if you fill in one cent, or I won't mind if you fill in one hundred thousand.

As long as the number you filled in is deemed reasonable by me in the end, then not only are you safe today, but from now on, the government will never pursue your past crimes again. In other words, no matter how much you embezzled in the past, as long as you behave yourself from now on, you can continue to hold this position of steward or head steward.

Of course, if the answer is not reasonable, then I might have to apologize.

Not every servant in our household has the same respectability as Shan Daliang, who managed to escape with his life by sheer luck.

In short, let's treat tonight as a game, and the rules are that simple. I suggest you write more rather than less, because writing more won't be a crime, but if you write less, you're on your own.

Did you understand?

A commotion suddenly erupted in the courtyard.

The stewards were naturally terrified, their faces ashen. Meanwhile, the ordinary people without any duties were all gloating.

One of the bolder ones even mingled in the crowd and shouted loudly, "Second Master, you are truly virtuous! You can't let them off so easily. Over the years, they've embezzled who knows how much, openly or secretly. They live a more respectable and extravagant life than their masters. Second Master, you absolutely cannot let them go so easily..."

Jia Lian looked over and spotted him immediately, then said, "Wait a minute, you come and fill out one too."

"Huh?? But Second Master, I'm just a gatekeeper, I don't manage anything..."

Those around him laughed and made a fuss, adding a touch of humor to the otherwise serious scene.

Seeing the stewards and servants slowly approaching Lai Da, seemingly wanting to discuss their strategy, Jia Lian didn't mind. He simply looked at Lai Da and asked with a smile, "Did Steward Lai understand the rules of the game?"

Lai Da was somewhat uneasy, but not afraid.

Standing in his position, he saw things much more clearly than others, and he guessed that Jia Lian's actions probably had three meanings.

First, it serves to deter the growing trend of corruption within families.

Secondly, he also wanted to take the opportunity to recoup some money... He was well aware that the official treasury was decreasing year by year.

Third, Master Lian is establishing his authority here.

Now that Master Lian holds a noble title, he's probably already eager to show his family who will have the most influence in the future...

"Yes, Your Highness, I understand."

"That's good."

Jia Lian smiled slightly, then ordered his men to move the extra tables aside, leaving only one in the middle.

When Wang Xifeng saw Jia Lian ordering all the servants to step back five paces, she volunteered, "I'll help you grind the ink for your writing brush."

She actually has a playful side and found Jia Lian's money game very interesting and to her liking.

Jia Lian shook his head: "With you here, the servants are under a lot of pressure, so if you have nothing else to do, you should go back and take a bath as soon as possible..."

Even though Jia Lian's voice was rather low at the end, it still startled Wang Xifeng. She quickly stepped back, glared at Jia Lian, and then said to cover it up, "Never mind, never mind, I won't look. What's so strange about it!"

With that, he led Ping'er and the others away.

"Xiangling, you stay here to grind the ink."

"Yes……"

Once the formation was set up, all the ordinary servants consciously stepped back, making room for the stewards and deacons.

Jia Lian then looked at Liu Chun and the others and said with a smile, "Steward Liu, you are one of my men, so let's start with you."

"Yes……"

Liu Chun took a deep breath, walked forward alone, took the brush Jia Lian handed him, and quickly wrote a number on the white paper...

……

In fact, Jia Zheng had known about what was happening in the steward's office for a long time.

Even one of his personal attendants, Shan Daliang's eldest son, came to plead with him early in the morning.

But he ignored it.

Jia Lian had informed him beforehand that he would be dealing with several greedy servants, and asked if he wanted to go and see for himself.

Jia Zheng was a man who disliked trouble and cared little about the life or death of servants.

The silver in the corrupt official's pocket is his own. He might not dare to act on it normally, but since Jia Lian is willing to play the villain, why would he disagree?

He was even somewhat pleased, but he cautioned Jia Lian to be careful with his methods and actions, so as not to displease the old lady...

Although he was reluctant to get involved in such troublesome and complicated matters, he couldn't completely ignore the commotion over there.

Every now and then, they would send someone to gather information.

When he heard that Jia Lian was idly playing "house" with the servants in the courtyard, he was speechless.

Fine, I'll see how he plans to manage this household first. If he manages it well, fine. But if he doesn't, or if something goes wrong, then I can step in and make myself look like I'm in complete control.

Jia Zheng felt that he was now the general, and no matter how much Jia Lian made a fuss, he was just his vanguard.

So good.