Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 18 Food Shortage

His tone sounded incredibly familiar, but the closer he acted, the more he underestimated Fengyu. Yiling Village had always been under Feng Shu's management, and Village Chief Wang thought a little girl had come to collect rent, knowing nothing—she'd take the money and leave.

"Thank you for your efforts, Village Chief. I've been free of affairs lately, and thought I'd take this opportunity to clear my mind," Fengyu replied softly, her voice gentle and fragile, appearing entirely easy to bully.

"Our village has excellent feng shui, and the scenery along the way is quite beautiful," Village Chief Wang said with a cheerful smile. He handed over the ledger, which Qiuxiang took. As he passed it to her, he casually brushed her hand, prompting Qiuxiang to glare at him. He looked embarrassed and offered a sheepish, innocent grin in return.

Zhang Da stepped forward, clutching his knife; his fierce appearance instantly discouraged trouble. Village Chief Wang chuckled awkwardly.

Fengyu took the ledger and flipped through it page by page while Village Chief Wang secretly glanced at her. This Miss Feng of the Feng Family was stunning—Second Miss was a national beauty, radiant and striking, and now the Third Miss was like a lotus emerging from water, her beauty enough to leave one breathless. Even the servant girls by her side were prettier than his concubine at home.

"Miss, this is the exchanged silver note; please inspect it," Village Chief Wang said as Fengyu was flipping through the ledger. He handed the silver note over, and Chunlu took it to count.

Chunlu tallied the silver note, verifying its authenticity. "Miss, one thousand taels of silver," she reported.

This was Yiling Village's land rent for half the year.

Closing the ledger, Fengyu spoke lightly, "I am not the same as my sister. She doesn't concern herself with such trifles and doesn't care. But me? If it isn't mine, I won't take a single coin; if it is mine, I won't let go of even one. Village Chief Wang, are you certain this is half a year's land rent?"

"Third Miss must be joking. Of course this is the rent for half the year—it's all written meticulously in the ledger. How could I dare falsify anything?" Village Chief Wang laughed as if in earnest honesty, yet when his gaze met Fengyu's soft, smiling face, his laughter froze on his face.

He felt an intangible pressure as sharp as a blade, as though it were already pressed to his throat. How could a girl who'd just reached adulthood exude such a chilling authority? Nervously wiping his sweat, Village Chief Wang pondered in his heart—had she discovered something?

The noon sun grew dangerously hot, prompting Zhang Da to subtly shift position, shielding Fengyu from its harsh rays. Fengyu said indifferently, "Why has Yiling Village's land rent reduced by half over the past three years?"

"Third Miss, you live sheltered in the inner chambers, unaware of the hardships people face. You don't understand the tenants' plight. This year the rice fields yielded poorly, and the dry fields were also affected—everyone's surplus grain is scarce. Other villages can't even pay rent, yet our Yiling Village still managed to pay one thousand taels. You wouldn't believe how much effort I put into persuading each household to tighten their belts just to make ends meet. We're poor, we're suffering—that's nothing. But the rent must be paid on time. Second Miss never pressures us about rent; she's kind-hearted and we're deeply grateful. How could we dare falsify the rent?" Village Chief Wang first mocked Fengyu's ignorance and then poured out his grievances, praising Feng Shu while subtly accusing Fengyu of being cold-hearted by demanding rent.

Between his words, Fengyu was clearly belittled.

Leaning languidly against the long bench, Fengyu stayed unmoved. This was the village square of Yiling Village. The villagers, seeing the commotion, understood quickly that the Feng Family had sent someone to collect rent, and they stayed in the distance to watch the spectacle.

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"Two years ago brought incredible harvests. One mu of rice fields produced six shi of grain. On average, each Yiling Village household has one mu of fertile land, totaling over a hundred households—with an output of 600 shi. Seven-tenths of the grain is due in rent. That amounts to about 420 shi. In years of war and famine, grain has been valued highly; two years ago, the market rate was one tael per shi. Just from the rice fields, Yiling Village's rent at that rate was 420 taels of silver. With rice fields producing two harvests a year, the rent amounts to 840 taels of silver. Last year, the excellent harvest continued, but grain prices rose to two taels per shi. This year's yields may be poor, but the price for grain has surged to five taels per shi. Village Chief Wang, do you think one thousand taels of rent is reasonable?"

This calculation only accounted for the rice fields' yield—dry fields had not yet been factored in. Dry fields were vast and yielded double. By Fengyu's rough estimation, Yiling Village's rent for half a year was short by at least one thousand taels.

Village Chief Wang's face changed slightly, his smile now faintly disfigured. He hadn't expected that a little girl, supposedly ignorant of the world, could grasp grain prices with such clarity. Dressed in jewels and finery, how could someone so sheltered know market rates for grain?

"Third Miss, you're truly naive," Village Chief Wang said loudly. "Tenants rely on heaven for their livelihood. A single mu of the best rice fields may indeed yield six shi, but during harvest, there's always loss—how could it yield exactly six shi? This year's harvest was poor, and both rice and dry fields suffered equally. If you still insist on calculating rent based on the ideal yield of six shi per mu, where would we even find the extra grain to pay you?"

Fengyu furrowed her brows slightly. Village Chief Wang deliberately raised his voice so nearby neighbors could hear. Several young, sturdy men gathered around to watch, assuming Fengyu was about to impose additional rent. They began talking over one another, insisting this year's yield was low, and the recorded rent was accurate.

"Third Miss, the rent isn't negotiable. This year, life has been hard for everyone—with taxes particularly heavy. The court is preparing for war and has added an additional tax levy. We truly don't have surplus grain," one man said.

"Draped in gold and silver, with servants everywhere, how could you possibly understand the suffering of those who labor from dawn to dusk, enduring cold and heat, struggling with hardship?" another added.

"The rent is what it is. If you want more, there's genuinely nothing we can give."

A handful of women gathered not far away. "She's as beautiful as a celestial maiden, but her heart is awful—she doesn't even consider the tenants' hardships," one muttered.

"All those silks and jewels she wears, aren't they funded by Yiling Village?" another commented.

Qiuxiang planted her fists on her hips and scolded as the young men gathered closer, "What are you all doing? Step away from our Miss. Don't approach any further!"

"If you increase the rent, you're forcing us toward death!"

"If we can't survive, nobody will live well!"

The group of young men displayed fierce expressions, waving their arms and shouting, inciting more villagers to gather. Soon, over a hundred people had amassed—men, women, elders, and children alike.

Village Chief Wang looked smugly at Fengyu, hoping to see her panic and flee. How could a little girl ever have faced such a scene? Surely, she would be terrified out of her wits.

Zhang Da and his few men formed a line in front of Fengyu to block the villagers. Sensing the situation slipping out of control and fearing for Fengyu's safety, Zhang Da leaned in and whispered, "Miss..."

Fengyu raised her hand, stopping Zhang Da mid-sentence.

Remaining lazily reclined, Fengyu continued as she was, unmoved by the villagers' shouting. She casually ate the fruit Qiuxiang had prepared, composed, and unflinching, leaving Village Chief Wang increasingly unsure. With all these people yelling threats of violence, why wasn't she afraid?

The villagers shouted fervently for a long while, only to realize their words felt like punches thrown into cotton, dissipating without effect. A few of the younger men exchanged uncertain glances.

"Third Miss, the villagers are just venting their frustrations. Please forgive them," Village Chief Wang declared, pretending to mediate, though his tone was condescending. "Now that you've collected the rent, please return. It wouldn't be good if there were any conflicts. Rest assured, the rent for the second half of the year will arrive on time."

"Why should I forgive them?" Fengyu cleansed her hands and rose to her feet. She maintained her languid demeanor, paired with a consistent smile. "Yiling Village's annual yield and rental amounts—both are clear to us. My parents are far away in Ningzhou, so you have deceived my elder sister and me, taking advantage of our youth. All your schemes must have already been arranged. A year's harvest totals six, and you report three. Every household does the same, earning profits together while pilfering unapologetically from Feng Family income. The Feng Family may have vast assets, but even so, you've grown bolder and more blatant with time."

The villagers knew the truth all too well, their guilt apparent on several women's faces, though the young men refused to yield, gruffly claiming that the rent was accurate as declared. Fengyu continued calmly, saying, "The usual tenant-landlord arrangement splits the yield eighty-twenty, yet our family agreed to seventy-thirty, giving you an extra ten percent. We hoped you'd have safe homes and fertile land to settle comfortably. But as you lived here longer, you began treating the land as if it were your own. That's unacceptable. Underpaying rent year after year carries little consequence—just mere loose change; my elder sister dismissed it as unimportant. Two years ago, she already noticed the rental shortfall at Yiling Village but chose not to intervene."

Her tone remained cheerful, yet as she shifted her stance, her gaze sharpened like a blade. "This year's famine has led you to hoard grain, selling it in Miliang Village. From what I've gathered, you began purchasing rice from the Capital City prior to harvesting, waiting for the famine to inflate prices fivefold before reselling and profiteering. Truly impressive!"

This was Fengyu's true reason for investigating Yiling Village!