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The young man looked surprised at Wang Jinhe, “This village already has a village head.”
“You should be aware that after today, he won’t be the village head anymore. Not only will he lose his position, but he might also face imprisonment,” Wang Jinhe stated, looking at the young man.
The young man fell silent, appearing astonished at Wang Jinhe.
He seemed to be privy to something.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Wang Jinhe smiled at him, a smile that held a hint of mystery.
“What do you know?” The young man asked Wang Jinhe with certainty.
One sentence caused Wang Jinhe to smile involuntarily, “You’ve guessed it, but confirmation will come soon.”
The young man now understood Wang Jinhe’s intentions, “Removing him from the position of village head won’t be easy as you wish.”
“It’s my responsibility to remove him from his position, but what happens afterward is up to you,” Wang Jinhe spoke to the young man, her tone serious, which made the young man frown involuntarily.
“Why choose me?” the young man questioned.
“Isn’t the other half of the villagers who did not sell grain related to you?” Wang Jinhe asked with conviction, despite it being a question.
The young man remained silent because what Wang Jinhe said was indeed true, and it did relate to him. But how did it matter? These details were insignificant.
“So what?” he inquired.
“I hope you will become the village head. I believe you are the most suitable person. Others are too easily influenced by others’ thoughts.”
Upon hearing this, the young man chuckled softly, “Since the Princess trusts me so much, I will not disappoint her.”
In the midst of their conversation, a loud commotion erupted nearby. Wang Jinhe glanced curiously in that direction, realizing that everyone seemed to be condemning the village head, especially those villagers who had sold the grain.
“The village head was the one who instructed us to sell the grain. He seemed quite close to the buyers, and he even involved people from neighboring villages in the grain sale.” However, most of the villagers from those villages were sent back by their own village heads, except for a few who sold the grain. As for how much money their village head received from this, it remains unknown.
Upon hearing this, Wang Jinhe walked over curiously, asking, “What is everyone talking about?”
“Princess, these villagers are saying he seems to have a good relationship with those buying the grain,” the magistrate approached, his tone serious.
If this were true, things could get complicated. Could this man be from Lu Empire?
At this point, the magistrate began to doubt the village head’s identity.
“I have already initiated an investigation. We will decide what to do once we have the results. This man doesn’t seem to be from Lu empire; at most, he may have had financial dealings with them,” the magistrate remarked.
Relieved, the magistrate shot a fierce look at the village head, almost as if he wanted to give the man a good beating.
“If you want to reprimand him after the results are out, you have my permission,” Wang Jinhe suddenly interjected.
The magistrate felt a bit embarrassed, “Forgive me, Princess. I was just angry.”
Wang Jinhe understood his anger, as she had felt the same upon learning the truth.
The villagers were all on edge, fearing potential trouble ahead. Those who hadn’t sold the grain breathed a sigh of relief, grateful they had followed Cao Song’s advice to sell the grain to the reputable grain collectors in the capital city, rather than to just anyone. Otherwise, they would be the ones facing repercussions now.
The village head felt uneasy. Who would have thought those individuals were from Lu empire? If he had known earlier, he would have been more cautious. Money was the top priority for him; what did the rest matter?
Wang Jinhe inadvertently caught the village head’s gaze, noting his unpleasant expression. It seemed this village head was truly remorseful only when facing consequences.
Let him enjoy his brief moment of happiness for now; he will face the consequences soon enough.
The person who went to investigate returned quickly, “Madam, we have found the information.”
“This village head received five hundred taels of silver from those individuals. They asked him to help procure grain, the more, the better.”
The village head glared at the person speaking, his expression turning unpleasant as he retorted, “Nonsense! When did I ever do such a thing?”
“Is that so?” The reporting individual looked at the village head with a sly smile.
That look made the village head’s face turn even uglier. The damned scoundrel dared to cause trouble for him. There would be a price to pay for this.
However, what he didn’t realize was that he had no future ahead of him.
The magistrate cast a cold glance at the village head, “You have quite the audacity to engage in such actions.”
Anyone with a modicum of sense would know this situation is explosive, especially considering his involvement.
Individuals like him, if placed on the battlefield, would only cause chaos for those around them.
“This man is under your jurisdiction. Starting today, he is no longer the village head of this village,” Wang Jinhe declared.
The village head’s expression changed upon hearing Wang Jinhe’s decision. He glared at her, his expression sour, “Princess, please refrain from meddling in matters that do not concern you.”
“I am the village head, and it’s not for you to dismiss me,” the village head retorted with a cold expression.
The magistrate, infuriated by this defiance, pointed at him and stated, “The village head’s appointment is within my authority, not to mention the Princess’s.”
“The Princess has declared that you cannot continue as the village head. Do not entertain thoughts of retaining this position,” Wang Jinhe said, pointing to the young man beside her, “What is your name?”
“I am Cao Song, at your service,” the young man responded.
“Alright, starting today, you are the village head of this village. If you have any issues, you can approach the magistrate. He will assist you in managing village affairs until you are capable of handling them yourself,” Wang Jinhe addressed Cao Song.
“Understood.”
Those in the village who had good relations with Cao Song were delighted, while those who were close to the former village head had grim expressions.
They never expected that this brash lad, Cao Song, would receive favor from the Princess.
One person, with a mocking tone, spoke up, “Cao Song, how did you manage to earn the Princess’s favor? Teach us how to flatter the Princess so we can also secure a position.”
“Yeah, with your looks, it couldn’t be…”
The suggestive tone left no room for misunderstanding.
Wang Jinhe glanced at the speaker and gently interjected, “Wan Feng,.”
“You can only stop, when I say stop,” Wang Jinhe’s gentle but icy tone silenced the individuals teasing Cao Song, rendering them speechless as if they were being choked.
Upon hearing Wang Jinhe’s words, Wan Feng walked over, twisting his wrist. Before those individuals could react, he raised his hand and delivered a powerful slap.
The person was knocked to the ground instantly.
His face visibly swelled, and not only that, he even lost a tooth.
Wang Jinhe approached, looking down at the individual, “Before you slander me, think about your own status.”
“I… I didn’t slander the Princess,” the person stammered.