In the afternoon, Wang Xiaoliu took Zhao Jiaqi to the village. The idea alone sounded absurd, but seeing it with her own eyes made her feel as if she had stumbled into a fantasy.
Rows of houses with blue bricks and large tiles were not ordinary landlord residences. Instead, they were three consecutive three-courtyard estates. While not many people lived there, the amount of stored goods was staggering!
In these well-built houses, each room was a miniature granary. Furthermore, the rooms in the first courtyard were filled with jade ware and calligraphy and paintings. Though not comparable to the Chu residence, they were undoubtedly the hidden wealth of the village.
The Chief Officer took out several pieces of jade from a chest. There was a Guanyin statue holding a child, Bodhisattvas, and various jade Ruyi scepters carved from jade.
The Chief Officer glanced at them dismissively and said, "None of these are top-tier goods. A Guanyin holding a child like this should fetch a hundred to two hundred taels. This entire chest is filled with them, worth nearly a thousand taels!" Kuai Shu Ge.
Wang Liang's wife saw a group of people rush into her home. The moment they entered, they took control of everyone. She had never suffered such humiliation.
Pushing aside the constables, she rushed forward, intending to confront Zhao Jiaqi. "How dare you! Who are you people? My family serves the Prince. Have you lost your minds to dare rob us? Be careful, I'll have the Prince behead you!"
Fierce and menacing like a female yaksha, she was more formidable than any shrew. She kept repeating that they were the Prince's people.
This made Zhao Jiaqi chuckle. "You are a member of the Prince's family? Then tell me, what relation are you to the Prince?"
Last night, Zhao Jiaqi had already arranged for the people at the restaurant to be controlled. Wang Liang's entire household was unaware of the Prince and Princess's arrival.
While news had spread throughout the town, it hadn't reached the countryside, or perhaps someone knew but chose not to inform her!
Wang Liang's wife narrowed her beady eyes, her expression stiffening. She stubbornly declared, "My master is the Princess's cousin. What relation do you think we are to the Prince?"
Cousin?
Not just a cousin, but her cousin?
Zhao Jiaqi almost burst out laughing like a pig. In her memory, let alone a cousin, she didn't even know which direction her uncle's house faced.
Zhao Jiaqi shook her head. If they were impersonating her husband, that would be one thing, but to impersonate her own relatives! Within the entire Prince's manor, everyone knew how much she detested her wretched family.
"Chief Officer, I believe this woman is a bit deranged, falsely claiming kinship. Please have her cool her head for a while, lest she say something foolish later!"
Chief Officer: "Yes!"
He replied "Yes," his voice gritted with teeth. Then, he strode towards the plump woman, grabbed her, and plunged her head into the water vat. The icy water made her shiver violently!
The Chief Officer timed it, and when he felt enough time had passed, he pulled her out. "Speak! Whose family is Wang Liang really from!"
"Scoundrels! My master is the Princess's cousin! If the Princess finds out you are bullying us like this, she will surely kill you!"
Well, this stubborn woman's mouth was truly hard. Even now, she refused to tell the truth! She still dared to try and cling to the Princess.
This time, the Chief Officer showed no mercy, his actions becoming more forceful with each repetition. After several rounds, the woman finally confessed.
Crying and begging, she pleaded, "I'll say it, I'll say it, I'll tell the truth!"
Wang Liang's wife thought she had encountered bandits. She decided to hand over the goods in exchange for her life.
She said, "Take all of this. I promise I won't report you to the authorities. If this isn't enough, I have some money, and I'll give it all to you, just spare my life!"
The Chief Officer coldly watched the fat woman's performance and sneered, "We'll take your money, we'll take your things, and we'll even take your house!"
Wang Liang's wife's eyes widened. She hadn't expected these bandits to have such a voracious appetite. Weren't they afraid of choking?
"Let me tell you, the one sitting in front is the Princess herself. Your husband is currently in prison, awaiting the Prince's judgment. Yet you still dare to falsely claim kinship. How many heads do you have to lose!"
After a barrage of reprimands and threats, the woman's spirit was immediately broken. She collapsed to the ground, leaving an indeterminate yellow liquid in her skirt. A stench of urine suddenly filled the air.
Now, not only the Chief Officer held his breath in disgust, but even Zhao Jiaqi on the steps found it unbearable. The smell was truly foul.
She waved her silk kerchief, signaling the Chief Officer to tie her up. "Let's focus on the important matters first!"
The Princess's wishes were the Chief Officer's commands. This woman's mouth was tough, but her courage was undoubtedly small. He hadn't even used any torture instruments, and she had already wet herself out of fear.
The entire afternoon, the Chief Officer, along with several constables, conducted a thorough search. They found grain, valuable calligraphy and paintings, as well as some silver, bank notes, and deeds for land and property.
Zhao Jiaqi wasn't particularly interested in the silver and bank notes, but she had a special liking for the land deeds. Upon receiving them and carefully counting, she exclaimed, good heavens, a thousand mu of fertile land! This was unequivocally the mark of a wealthy landlord!
The property deeds were for shops in town. Although not many, considering this, a restaurant manager possessed such vast wealth.
It would have been one thing if he had earned it through his own merit. But he had been defrauding and deceiving people under the pretense of their names. This was truly unbearable.
Seeing that it was getting late, Zhao Jiaqi handed the land and property deeds to the Chief Officer. "Take these items away. Arrest everyone and throw them in prison. After Wang Liang is interrogated, their families will be sentenced!"
If they were not involved, they would be released. If they were involved, their fate would be decided based on the severity of their actions!
In the village, as they watched the family being tied up and led away, with all their belongings taken from the courtyard, the villagers came out to watch. Some children even threw rotten vegetables at Wang Liang's wife's head, shouting insults.
In contrast, the adults clapped their hands and discussed amongst themselves with great satisfaction.
Zhao Jiaqi observed the reactions of the onlookers and couldn't help but smile. It seemed they had been so oppressed that they dared not resist. Now that the culprits were apprehended, the villagers felt like peasants rising up to sing.
While Wang Liang's other belongings were easy to move, the grain was so abundant that it would take the constables all night to transport it. Zhao Jiaqi immediately requisitioned the village's wheelbarrows and ox carts, and any horse-drawn carriages available.
She paid wages and covered the costs of using the vehicles, mobilizing the villagers. Each person was paid a hundred wen, regardless of gender, all working together.
The villagers flocked for the hundred wen, and not just a few, but the entire village, from the elderly at sixty to the young at six, eagerly sought work.
Seeing this, the Chief Officer wasn't as strict. Some of their clothes were patched repeatedly, indicating extreme poverty. Their masters wouldn't miss a few taels of silver, so it was good to help where they could.
With the entire village mobilized, it still took them most of the night to transport all the grain to the county yamen. When Fan Zehao saw such a large quantity of grain, his mind reeled.