Chapter 583: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 583: Approaching Storm (1)
As soon as Han Zhiyun spoke, everyone's eyes turned towards him. The lead constable initially paid little attention to Han Zhiyun's words. However, upon recognizing his familiar face and recalling his identity, the constable was stunned. He quickly bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Master Han. If we have offended in any way, we ask for your forgiveness."
The other constables, though unaware of Han Zhiyun's identity, followed suit, bowing respectfully after seeing their leader's deference.
Witnessing this, Wang Dali felt a sudden sense of dread. Before he could pinpoint the cause of his unease, Yang Bao arrived hastily with a group of villagers.
Seeing Wang Dali in the courtyard, Yang Bao was incensed. He pointed at Wang Dali and shouted, "Wang Dali, how dare you sneak into Liuyang Village and deceive the officials to cause trouble for the Mo family? You've got a lot of nerve!"
Wang Dali was intimidated by Yang Bao, the village head, and the sight of the glaring villagers only heightened his anxiety. However, having come this far, he had no choice but to press on, insisting that the Mo family was hiding a dangerous beast with malicious intent. He hoped the officials would find the beast in the Mo household, thus avenging himself and potentially earning him some merit. Perhaps, with this, he could even return to the village and reunite with his family.
With this thought, Wang Dali looked determined and accused Yang Bao, "Hmph! As the village head, you disregard the villagers' safety, taking bribes from the Mo family to harbor a beast. You're unfit to be the village head!"
Yang Bao was outraged by the accusation. Although he had received benefits from the Mo family, he swore he had done nothing to harm the villagers. Being falsely accused by a scoundrel like Wang Dali infuriated him.
"Wang Dali, you've been banished. Even if I had done something wrong, you have no right to speak! Just for sneaking into Liuyang Village, I have the authority to deal with you."
...This novel is translated by the Eternal Novel Hits translators. Please read it at https://www.eternalnovelhits.com....
"Exactly! As a banished person, you have no right to criticize our village head. If I were kicked out of the village, I'd want to bury myself out of shame. But you, with your thick skin, dare to come back and cause trouble!"
"What's the point of reasoning with someone like him? He won't understand. We should just beat him out of the village and make sure he never dares to come back."
"Right, drive him out! We can't let a rotten apple spoil the whole bunch!"
The villagers echoed each other's sentiments, looking at Wang Dali with disdain. They preferred to trust Yang Bao, their fair and just village head, over the disreputable Wang Dali.
Even if Yang Bao had taken benefits from the Mo family, he hadn't used his position to harm the villagers. On the contrary, nearly every household had benefited from the Mo family in some way. Why would the Mo family need the village head's help to harm the villagers?
"Hmph! You useless bunch, scrambling like dogs for the Mo family's scraps. If you have any guts, why don't you rebel against the Mo family, live in their big house, eat their rice, and spend their silver..."
Unable to incite the villagers and now facing their disdain, Wang Dali, his face flushed with anger, started shouting insults like a mad dog.
The villagers were shocked by Wang Dali's shamelessness. Some believed that given his greed, he might genuinely harbor such thoughts. After all, last year's heavy snow had collapsed the Wang family's house, and even after being taken in by the Mo family, Wang Dali wasn't satisfied. He ended up refusing to leave, causing a series of troubles that eventually led to his banishment from the village.
Chapter 584: Approaching Storm (2)
Mo Yan also noticed Wang Dali's desperate attempts to argue with the villagers, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. As Wang Dali struggled against the united accusations from the villagers, he urgently pleaded to the observing officials, "Officers, the beast is hidden in the Mo family home. Please search quickly, or else it might escape, and you won't be able to report back to the Magistrate!"
The officials exchanged glances but remained still. They hadn't forgotten their original purpose for coming, but with Han Zhiyun backing the Mo family, they knew that even if they found the beast, reporting the incident could become complicated. The lead officer, feeling troubled, glanced at Han Zhiyun, whose pleasant demeanor did little to alleviate his anxiety. What seemed like an opportunity to earn recognition had become a delicate situation that couldn't be easily resolved.
Sensing their hesitation, Han Zhiyun smiled warmly. "Since you're here on official business, please proceed. But as I said, be careful not to damage anything, or you will be responsible for compensation."
Relieved, the lead officer expressed his gratitude respectfully, "Thank you, Master Han, for your understanding. We will be very careful and will not harm a single blade of grass."
Despite their polite assurances, the officials knew that even if they did find the beast, with Han Zhiyun's support, the Mo family wouldn't face any serious consequences. They could easily concoct an explanation, such as the beast coming down the mountain on its own, and Mo Yan, being just a young girl, couldn't possibly fend it off.
Han Zhiyun nodded in satisfaction and turned to Mo Yan, winking at her. "Yan girl, lead them inside for the search. Don't worry; everything will be fine."
At this point, he was unaware that the Golden Beast had already "left" the Mo family home and assumed it was still in Mo Yan's courtyard.
Mo Yan understood and smiled gratefully at him. "Uncle Han, the beast left last night, but it's good to let the officers search again to reassure everyone."
Han Zhiyun paused, then laughed heartily. "Exactly, let them search to ease everyone's concerns and prevent any troublemakers from taking advantage." He glanced meaningfully at Wang Dali.
Wang Dali shivered under Han Zhiyun's gaze, fervently hoping that the beast was still there, as it was his only chance to salvage the situation. However, he was unaware that his plans were doomed, regardless of whether the officials found the beast.
Mo Yan led the group of officials around the house, thoroughly searching every corner, including the chicken coop in the backyard. Of course, they found nothing. Even when they saw three small, intricately crafted wooden houses in Mo Yan's room, with a few hairs that might have belonged to a wild animal, they didn't question her, treating the houses as mere decorations.
The officials didn't inquire, and Mo Yan didn't volunteer any explanations. After the search, she handed the lead officer a pouch containing five taels of silver. "Thank you for helping to ensure my family's safety. This is a small token of my appreciation for you to buy some drinks."
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