The butler was forced to kneel for a long time. At first, he begged for mercy on his behalf, but Sun Lan ignored him. He could not continue his one-man show, and his voice slowly died down under Sun Lan's aura. For a moment, only the sound of bamboo slips colliding could be heard …
Sun Lan was checking the accounts.
The grandfather and grandson had not been in the mansion for the past two or three years, and the mansion's various expenditure records were done by the butler.
Most of the grandfather's salary for the past two years went to the treasury, and a small part was used for the mansion's daily expenses and the servants' monthly allowance. However, when Sun Lan sent someone to check, she found that a lot of things were missing from the treasury, and even the salary for the past two or three years was missing by 20 to 30 percent. Because the mansion only had the grandfather and grandson, and there were not many servants serving them, Sun Lan could roughly estimate the expenditure at a glance after working in the military logistics for so many years. How could she not know?
Haha …
Someone was greedy, and not only was he greedy, but he was also greedy for his grandfather's salary.
Making false accounts was blamed on him?
Did they really think that they could embezzle as they pleased just because they never opened the treasury to check?
If they did not punish these crafty servants, once the news got out, they would become the laughing stock of outsiders.
What was the use of strategizing on the battlefield? If they could even deceive a few crafty servants when they returned to the mansion, what would happen to their reputation?
Thinking of this, Sun Lan's eyes were filled with killing intent.
"All these years, you served us hard, but grandfather and I did not mistreat you, right?"
Not only did they not mistreat him, but they treated him well.
Because of the disaster, grandfather was cold to outsiders, but he treated these people who served him very well.
Unfortunately, these people took advantage of him, and could not see themselves clearly. Instead, they treated everything in the master's family as their own.
The butler's heart skipped a beat, and he knew that he had messed up. He trembled and said, "This old servant was also blinded by lard."
The master had already put on such an attitude, and if he continued to be stubborn, he would not be able to get any benefits. It was better to play the emotional card and beg for leniency.
In fact, it was not uncommon for a butler to be greedy, but there were not many who were as greedy as him.
He was originally just a little greedy. That little bit of money was not a big deal, and he could just make a false account to fool others. The master was not stingy, and Sun Wen did not have time to carefully check the accounts for a few strings of silver. As long as the accounts were not outrageous, they would not care about this matter.
After that, Sun Wen and Sun Lan both left the mansion for two to three years.
Furthermore, the housekeeper had a lot of power in his hands. He could easily get close to the property in the mansion. It was too convenient for him to be greedy.
Today, he needed to brag to others, so he took some. Tomorrow, his wife wanted to buy some makeup and new clothes, so he took some. The day after that, he was going to a brothel to meet his lover, so he took some. The day after that, a poor relative came to ask for some money, so he took some …
In short, it was to buy, buy, buy, and buy to their heart's content, chopping off their hands again and again!
The wealth of the Sun Residence became his pocket. It was not difficult for him to take and use it however he wanted. After a long time, he became complacent.
Not only did he become arrogant, but he also became even more extravagant in spending money. He bought mansions, bought maids to serve him, and lived like a real rich master.
When he sobered up a little and saw the gap in the accounts getting bigger and bigger, he knew something was wrong.
The master did not care about the two strings of coins, but what if the residence lost a few thousand strings of coins?
One had to know that Qiguan Rang, Feng Jin, and a few other important officials had annual salaries ranging from seven to nine thousand strings of coins according to their positions. Zhang Ping and a few other big shots in scientific research had the highest annual salaries. Their salary plus Jiang Yu's allowance was about ten thousand strings of coins. Naturally, Old Man Sun's salary would not exceed this amount. The amount of money that the housekeeper had embezzled over the past few years had directly swallowed Old Man Sun's annual salary. How could his appetite not be big?
At this time, the salary was not fully paid. Part of it was replaced with gold and silver, and the other part was rice, meat, cloth, and even antiques.
The housekeeper took away the unmarked money because it was convenient to circulate, but it was also easy to be exposed.
The gap was too big, and the housekeeper could not balance the accounts. At this time, the news of Sun Lan's return reached his ears, and he was so scared that his legs turned to jelly.
It would be fine if Sun Lan did not check the accounts, but once she did …
His whole family would die!!!
Therefore, the housekeeper thought of a way to save the country in a roundabout way.
If Sun Lan took in his youngest daughter, then he would be half a father-in-law to Sun Lan. If his daughter did not disappoint and was favored by Sun Lan alone, or even if his daughter was pregnant with the eldest son of a concubine … For the sake of the bloodline, even if he embezzled a thousand strings of coins, this pair of grandfather and grandson would probably be lenient, right?
The housekeeper's plan was brilliant, but Sun Lan was not the lecherous person he thought she was.
Sun Lan took a glance and knew that the amount of money that the housekeeper and the others had embezzled was enough to kill them. She threw the bamboo slip away.
"Flog them to death."
The housekeeper's expression changed dramatically, and the other accomplices were also frightened. Some cried, and some begged for mercy.
Sun Lan could not help but sneer, and asked, "Do you know who you are?"
The housekeeper and the others could not help but shrink back.
"If you don't remember, then let me tell you who you are. You are slaves bought by the Sun residence, and belong to the lowly register. You are also the private property of the Sun residence." Sun Lan did not leave the slightest face to reveal their background, and the housekeeper felt even more humiliated from head to toe.
During the days when Sun Wen and Sun Lan were not around, the housekeeper gradually lived a wealthy life. He lived in a mansion bigger than the Sun residence, and the maids and servants in the mansion were several times that of the Sun residence. Gradually, the housekeeper forgot that his birthplace was not a good one.
Sun Lan continued, "According to the current law, those who embezzled one string of coins will be tattooed on their faces and displayed in public; those who embezzled five strings of coins will be exiled for a thousand miles; those who embezzled ten strings of coins will be beheaded in public; those who embezzled twenty strings of coins will be skinned and cut into grass! As for the punishment for embezzling thirty strings of coins, fifty strings of coins, and one hundred strings of coins, you know in your heart. Think about it, as the servants of the Sun residence, how much money and grain have each of you embezzled from the master's family? Your whole family's life is not enough to pay for it. Your children, wives, parents, none of them can escape. In serious cases, you will be exterminated! Who gave you the courage to do such a thing? Are you bullying us because we are weak and can't control you, or do you think we are stupid and easy to bully? "
When Sun Lan said these words full of killing intent, the housekeeper sat on the ground as if he was drained of his strength. The others were so scared that they forgot to cry and beg.
They had received a lot of benefits from the housekeeper, and the money they embezzled was about fifty strings of coins to a hundred strings of coins.
Who knew that it would be so serious …
The housekeeper suddenly came back to his senses, and cried and begged, "I have really been blinded by lard. Please, Elder Langjun, for the sake of our past relationship, let me off this time. I will do my best to serve Elder Langjun in the future, and I will never dare to do such a thing again … "
Everyone wanted to live, and it was scary to think of the way to be beaten to death.
Sun Lan looked at their reaction coldly, and suddenly thought of something.
"Wait — keep it first."
The housekeeper could not help but be overjoyed, but before he could rejoice, Sun Lan's words sent him back to hell.
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