Li Man'er's intention to examine the accounts was a fatal blow to Su Hai.
It was true that he worked for Madam Guo, but it was also true that he had been embezzling her money.
Madam Guo rarely visited the estate and knew little about farming. She wasn't very informed about what crops were grown on the estate, their yields, or how much they could be sold for. When she married, her family had only provided this one estate, and the soil quality wasn't great. The annual harvest wasn't very substantial, and Madam Guo paid it little mind.
Her attention was now entirely focused on the shops in the capital. As long as the estate's harvest wasn't outrageously bad, she didn't pay it much attention.
Su Hai had exploited this loophole, and had been playing Madam Guo for a fool.
Soon, Ziyan found the ledger that Su Hai had hidden and eagerly brought it to Li Man'er.
"Miss, this fellow Su is indeed dishonest. The ledger is one real and one fake; even I can see the problem."
Who would produce fake documents if they were honest?
"Two faces, huh?" Li Man'er flipped through the fake ledger, finding that every entry was meticulously and realistically made.
In good years, the harvest was plentiful, and the money recorded in the ledger was more; in bad years, the harvest was meager, and the money in the ledger was less. It appeared to have no issues.
However, in reality, the estate's land had long stopped planting traditional crops. The crops by the roadside were merely for Madam Guo's eyes. The fields had been converted to growing watermelons, and the income had increased exponentially. Yet, the ledger still recorded the old production figures, creating a discrepancy.
It was a clever deception, a perfect example of "replacing the plum with a peach."
"Steward Su is truly skilled. This Xiaowang Estate is practically your personal domain. Mother must have been kept in the dark by you all along, thinking you were an honest man." By the end of her sentence, Li Man'er almost burst into laughter.
Su Hai lay on the ground, groaning in pain, but his eyes held a ferocious glare, as if he wished he could flay Li Man'er alive.
"Overestimating yourself." Li Man'er closed the ledger, handed it to Luyi to hold, and said, "Take Steward Su away first."
Wife of Zhou Wang quickly found two household guards and instructed them to take Su Hai to a side room and lock him up, adding, "You two watch him closely. Don't let him escape."
"Yes."
"Yes."
The two men dragged the bruised and battered Su Hai to the side room. The courtyard, now free of Steward Su's moans, became much quieter.
"You all..."
The servants in the courtyard, hearing Li Man'er's words, all hunched their necks like startled quail.
"I will ask, and you will answer. Those who tell the truth will be spared physical pain; those who try to deceive me will see the fate of Steward Su."
"We wouldn't dare." A hunched old servant replied tremulously, "Young Miss, please ask whatever you wish, and we will tell you everything without reservation."
At his age, if he were to be beaten, he likely wouldn't see tomorrow's sun.
"Good. Is Steward Su married? Where has he settled his family?"
"Replying to Young Miss, Steward Su has been married for a long time, but his wife died a few years ago. He only has a daughter, who is now at the Guo family's."
"Ah, Steward Su is also a servant of the Guo family? Is he a hereditary servant?"
"Yes."
Li Man'er had a rough idea and asked, "Are there any friends or relatives of Su Hai on this estate?"
"No." The hunched old servant thought for a moment and then added, "Steward Su has always kept a low profile. He feared exposure and hasn't contacted his daughter for years, let alone anyone else. We've never heard of him associating with anyone. However, the estate's overseer is like a brother to him; they are very close."
The overseer?
Was his name Ge Dazhuang?
"Send someone to find this Ge Dazhuang. Tell him I have something to ask him."
"Yes." The hunched old servant quickly pointed to a young man, "You have quick legs, you go."
The young man looked about seventeen or eighteen, but he was as thin as a bone. Though his clothes were clean, they were ragged.
He didn't argue with the old servant and quickly went to fetch the overseer, running with great speed.
Nanny Wu couldn't quite understand Li Man'er's actions. Why was the young lady meddling in other people's affairs? Logically, if Madam Guo suffered a loss, the young lady should be happy. Why was she now standing up for Madam Guo?
"Wife of Zhou Wang, take two people and walk around the estate. See if there are any wronged parties and bring two of them here."
Wife of Zhou Wang was stunned for a moment, then understood Li Man'er's intention. She immediately promised, "Miss, rest assured, I will go now."
Not long after, the brothers Ge Dazhuang and Ge Er Zhuang were brought in.
Seeing the situation before them, both felt uneasy, unsure why Li Man'er had summoned them.
"Are you the overseer?"
Ge Dazhuang bared his teeth and smiled, "I am, little one."
"When did this estate start planting watermelons?"
Ge Dazhuang's heart was pounding. This matter had always been kept from the higher-ups, and it was all Steward Su's decision. Although they had been uncertain at the time, they had risked it for the sake of profit. For the past few years, everything had been smooth sailing, with no incidents. Who knew that with the arrival of this young lady, Steward Su would be brought down?
"Uh, Young Miss, please be discerning. This matter was all Steward Su's idea; we were merely following orders." Ge Dazhuang did not have the simple honesty of a farmer; instead, he was a bit glib, so Li Man'er did not believe his words.
However, this was not important. What was important was that this person could be used.
"Oh, so Steward Su forced you to do it?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Ge Dazhuang assumed Li Man'er knew nothing. "Steward Su was in charge of all matters on the estate. We couldn't afford to offend him, so naturally, we did as Steward Su said."
At this moment, the wronged parties that Wife of Zhou Wang had found also arrived.
The entire family was dressed in extremely tattered clothes. The adults and children alike lamented their suffering, denouncing Su Hai for treating them, the tenant farmers, like dirt. Not only did he collect exorbitant rent, but he also demanded an additional ten percent as hush money.
Hush money?
"He was afraid we would reveal that we were planting melons, so he charged each family ten percent as hush money, effectively extorting our hard-earned money. He originally said this money would be returned to us, but it's been delayed year after year, for three years already."
"How much rent did he collect from you?"
The old man wiped his tears and said, "When we used to grow wheat, he collected seventy percent. Now that we grow melons, he still charges seventy percent, plus ten percent hush money, leaving us with only twenty percent. And he doesn't even allow us to sell the melons ourselves; we have to hand them all over to him for unified sale. We only get grain in return, not a single coin."
Ge Dazhuang was sweating profusely. He exchanged a look with Ge Er Zhuang, and the brothers, understanding each other's intent, tried to run.
The people nearby were caught off guard and almost let them escape. Li Man'er, with a quick hand, threw the plate used for holding melons on the table. It happened to hit Ge Dazhuang squarely on the back, sending him sprawling to the ground.