Chapter 1741 – Punishing the Mischievous Servant
The Steward had been forced to kneel for quite some time, initially begging for mercy, but Sun Lan paid him no mind. His solo act dwindled under Sun Lan’s imposing presence, and soon all that remained was the noise of bamboo slips rustling and clashing…
Sun Lan was auditing the accounts.
For the past two or three years, their grandfather and grandson had been away from the residence, leaving the Steward in charge of all expenditures.
Most of the grandfather’s salary over the last two years went to the storeroom, with only a portion used for household supplies and monthly wages for the servants. Yet upon investigation, Sun Lan discovered that the storeroom was missing quite a few items, and even the salary for the last two to three years was short by a significant amount. Given that there were only the two of them as legitimate masters and very few servants, Sun Lan, having worked in military logistics all these years, could easily grasp a rough estimate—how could he not know?
Hehe—
Someone was embezzling, and not only that, they had the audacity to pilfer from the old lord’s salary.
Cooking the books to this extent?
Did they really think that the grandfather and grandson never checked the storeroom and could just steal at will?
If these deceitful servants weren’t properly punished, and word got out, the grandfather and grandson would become a laughingstock.
What good was all the strategizing on the battlefield if back at home even a few pesky servants could deceive them? Where was their reputation?
Contemplating this, a hint of killing intent flickered in Sun Lan’s eyes.
“These years, you have indeed worked hard for our family, but haven’t we treated you well?”
Not only well, but they had actually been quite generous.
Due to past hardships, the grandfather was cold-hearted towards outsiders, yet treated his own servants quite kindly.
Unfortunately, these people had overstepped their boundaries, unable to see their own positions, and took everything belonging to their masters for granted.
The Steward’s heart sank as he realized he was in deep trouble. Trembling, he said, “Old servant has been blinded by greed.”
With the master putting on this serious demeanor, stubbornness wouldn’t earn him any favors; better to play the emotional card and plead for leniency.
Embezzling wasn’t uncommon, but not many were as bold as him.
Originally, he was merely skimming a little off the top. A few coins gone here and there could be easily covered up with a false account; the master wasn’t stingy, and Sun Wen didn’t have the time to scrutinize the accounts over a few coins. As long as the accounts didn’t look outrageous, he wouldn’t bother with the matter.
Afterward, both Sun Wen and Sun Lan were absent from the residence for two to three years.
With the Steward wielding considerable power, he had easy access to the household finances; embezzling was far too easy.
Today he needed some cash to brag, so he took a little; tomorrow his wife wanted new makeup or fabric, so he took a little more; the day after he needed to wine and dine his mistress, so he took a bit; another day saw some poor relatives come calling, so he swiped some more…
In short, he just kept buying and buying!
The funds of the Sun residence had become his own personal piggy bank, and he took whatever he pleased without a hint of difficulty, and over time, he became reckless.
Not only reckless, but he spent extravagantly, acquiring luxurious estates and hiring maidservants as if he were a genuine wealthy lord.
When he finally woke up to the reality of the increasingly widening deficit, he realized he was in serious trouble.
While it might have been acceptable to overlook a few coins, what about thousands of them missing?
To put it in perspective, Qi Guanrang and Feng Jin, as high-ranking officials, earned salaries ranging from seven thousand to nine thousand coins, while Zhang Ping and several other scholarly types earned the highest salaries, roughly around ten thousand coins with Jiang Pengji’s subsidies. Naturally, the old lord’s salary would not exceed this. The amount the Steward had embezzled over the years was equivalent to a year’s salary for the old master—wasn’t that quite a hefty bite?
At that time, salaries weren’t all paid in cash; some were in gold and silver, while others were in rice, meat, cloth, and even antiques.
The Steward had discreetly taken the unmarked funds for easier circulation, but that also made him vulnerable to exposure.
With the deficit too large, the Steward found himself with no way to balance the books. Just then, news of Sun Lan’s return reached his ears, sending him spiraling into panic.
If Sun Lan didn’t check the accounts, it was fine, but once he did…
The whole family would be doomed!!!
Thus, the Steward hatched a scheme to save himself.
If Sun Lan took a liking to his youngest daughter, he would become half of Sun Lan’s father-in-law. If his daughter proved worthy enough to gain Sun Lan’s affection and perhaps even bear a legitimate child… surely, for the sake of bloodline, they would go easy on him for stealing thousands of coins, right?
The Steward had his calculations all figured out, but Sun Lan was anything but the lustful fool he thought.
With just one glance, Sun Lan could tell that the amount the Steward had embezzled was enough to cost him his life. Disregarding any further deliberation, he tossed aside the bamboo slip.
“Execute them all.”
The Steward’s face went pale, and the other accomplices were equally frightened, some crying, others pleading for mercy.
Sun Lan couldn’t help but sneer, questioning, “Do you know your identities?”
The Stewards and his accomplices instinctively shrank back.
“You’ve likely forgotten, so let me remind you: you are the bought servants of the Sun residence, classified as lowly, and are private property of the Sun family.” Sun Lan laid bare their shame without a hint of mercy, causing the Steward to feel utterly humiliated from head to toe.
In the absence of Sun Wen and Sun Lan, the Steward had gradually begun to live a lavish lifestyle, occupying an estate larger than the Sun residence itself, with servants outnumbering those of the Sun family by several times. Over time, he had completely forgotten that his status was not that of a gentleman.
Sun Lan continued, “According to the current laws, embezzling one coin results in face branding; five coins lead to exile; ten coins warrant execution; twenty coins entails skinning! As for the penalties for thirty, fifty, or a hundred coins, I trust you know all too well. Think carefully—how much grain have you all embezzled from your master? Even accounting for your families, you would not have enough to cover your lives; no one escapes—children, spouses, parents; all will face doom, and the most severe will wipe out the entire clan! Who gave you the guts to commit such acts? Do you think you can bully us just because we’re alone and powerless, or do you believe we are fools easy to deceive?”
As Sun Lan uttered these deadly words, the Steward felt all strength leave him, collapsing onto the ground, while the others were too terrified to even cry or plead.
Having received numerous benefits from the Steward, they had embezzled sums ranging around fifty to a hundred coins each.
Little did they know it could be this dire…
Suddenly, the Steward snapped back to reality and begged, “I was truly blinded by greed! I implore you, Young Master, to spare me for old times’ sake. I swear to serve you faithfully from now on and never dare to do such a thing again…”
Everyone just wanted to live; what kind of death was execution by clubbing? Just thinking about it sent chills down their spines.
Sun Lan coldly observed their reactions, when suddenly he remembered something.
“Wait—hold on.”
The Steward felt an uncontrollable surge of joy, but before he could bask in it, Sun Lan’s next words plunged him back into despair.
“Keeping you alive for just one more day will let me gather a case at the local office tomorrow before I deal with you.”
