Chapter 171: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 171: Punishing the Absurdity of the New House (5)
Cai Shi hesitated for a moment. "I would chase them away. Even if there's a lot of meat in the house, there's no reason to let the dogs snatch it every day."
Mo Yan continued to inquire, "Would you scare the stray dogs away with a stick, or would you directly beat them to teach them a lesson, so they never come back to steal meat again?"
At this point, Cai Shi finally understood Mo Yan's meaning. Wang Dali and the others, greedy for the silver in Mo's family, shamelessly came to demand compensation. They were just like those stray dogs eyeing the meat.
Demanding five hundred taels of silver at once, wasn't that insatiable? Such people needed a thorough lesson, or they would keep causing endless trouble in the future.
With a sense of relief on her face, Cai Shi said, "Miss Mo, I misunderstood you. People like Wang Dali deserve a lesson to learn some manners."
Mo Yan smiled back. She admired Cai Shi and might need her help in the future. She didn't want this incident to create any grudges in Cai Shi's heart, affecting their future interactions.
Lin Yong, who had remained silent throughout, looked at Mo Yan with satisfaction. He had always worried that Mo Yan's kindness would make her an easy target for malicious people. Now, it seemed he had underestimated her.
When Mo Qingze returned, Mo Yan explained everything that had happened and the intention behind trapping Wang Dali and the others.
Mo Qingze remained silent for a moment, then picked up the papers and sighed, "It's not appropriate for a young girl like you to go to the yamen. Stay at home and leave this matter to me."
Mo Yan chuckled secretly upon hearing this. She had been worried that her father wouldn't agree with what she had done!
The next day, Mo Yan stayed obediently at home, teaching Zhen'er how to read. When Li Zhong returned in the afternoon, she informed him that several constables from the yamen had arrested Wang Dali and the others and thrown them into prison, awaiting trial.
Within two days, the magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture held a trial for Wang Dali and the others on charges of extorting two thousand taels of silver from the Mo family. Wang Dali and the others pleaded 'innocent,' claiming that the five hundred taels of silver were given to them voluntarily by the Mo family and they didn't extort it.
However, the magistrate paid no attention to their defense. The evidence clearly showed why the Mo family had given them the silver. Only a fool would believe they were given five hundred taels of silver for nothing.
Ultimately, with both evidence and witnesses, Wang Dali and the others were convicted of extortion and were each given thirty strokes of the paddle.
Initially, they would have faced several more years in prison due to the large amount they extorted. However, Mo Qingze, following Mo Yan's wishes, pleaded for leniency, stating that they had families to support and he didn't want their loved ones to suffer. As long as they returned the extorted silver, he wouldn't pursue the matter further.
With the victims not pressing charges, the magistrate was also relieved. After Wang Dali and the others' relatives returned the extorted silver to Mo Qingze, they carried the four men, bruised and bloodied from the beating, back home.
Many villagers had come to watch the excitement at the yamen. Seeing Wang Dali and the others wailing and howling after being beaten, and even losing the strength to cry afterwards, they were all frightened.
Those who had harbored ill intentions towards the Mo family no longer dared to plot anything, fearing they might end up like Wang Dali.
Mo Yan didn't continue to pursue the matter because these four men were pillars of their families. If they were really sent to prison, their families would undoubtedly suffer greatly.
It's human nature to sympathize with the weak. If the villagers sympathized with them, it would inevitably lead to resentment towards the Mo family. Mo Yan naturally couldn't allow such a thing to happen if they wanted to settle down in Liuyang Village.
▶▶The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Next Chapter▶▶
.png)
Comments
Post a Comment