Pampered by the Toughest Man After Divorce
Chapter 176 - 178 Someone Has to Take the Blame_1

Chapter 176: Chapter 178 Someone Has to Take the Blame_1

In the Village Chief’s house.

The Chief had been on edge due to the happenings of last night.

According to the laws of the Dajin dynasty, if crops yield less or nothing due to natural disasters or man-made calamities, the village can report this to the higher authority, which can then report to the government. The government will then consider the circumstances and reduce grain taxes for the village accordingly.

With Wenxuan now teaching in the county, the Chief had to seek help from a literate individual from a neighboring village to help draft the report.

Subsequently, the document was presented to the town on the same day and passed to the Yamen’s office by Lizheng.

The official in charge of the grain tax, upon reading the document, fetched Wan Jian’an, the official responsible for the sluice gates. Wan Jian’an staunchly claimed that the reservoir, which he was responsible for building, was well-made and it was impossible for it to leak without reason - he was adamant that someone must have done this on purpose.

Wan Jian’an arrived at Dajin village on the same day and surveyed the Min’an reservoir.

Upon his investigation, Wan Jian’an got affirm his suspicions that this incident was intentional. The water level of the reservoir was in standard limits and had not overflowed. Furthermore, the sluice gate, which he had diligently designed and had a famous blacksmith in the county make, couldn’t have opened without a catalyst.

"But, we cannot find who’s responsible," said the Village Chief with difficulty.

Wan Jian’an responded, "The person responsible must be found. Otherwise, I will be the one blamed because I designed the reservoir. Can I be accountable for the fault? This is clearly a problem of your lax management."

"Yes, yes," the Village Chief nodded, "Indeed, my supervision was slack."

"Do this then, assign someone to guard the reservoir in the future, preferably someone idle. They’ll receive 500 Wen per month, okay?"

"Well," the Village Chief asked hesitantly, "Who will pay for this?"

"You can apply in writing, and the funds will be allocated from the town."

"Alright, alright," nodded the Chief, "So, who bears the responsibility for this incident?"

Wan Jian’an was not bothered by this, "That’s none of my business. My reservoir was built reasonably. If you failed in your duty, that’s on you. If you can’t find the person responsible, you’ll bear the blame."

"...."

After Jian’an left, the Village Chief was riddled with a splitting headache.

He must find the person responsible; otherwise, he’ll take the fall, facing not only fines but also removal from his position.

However, if no one comes forward to admit their guilt, and if there is an issue with the early rice harvest or the seedlings, the village won’t be able to get a tax reduction.

What to do?

The Chief considered all aspects before finally exclaiming in frustration, stomping his foot in his room, "Damn it, who could be so treacherous? If I find out who did this, I swear I’ll make him pay!"

...

The village’s notice had been released for a few days, but still, no one stepped forward to confess.

However, with grain taxes being a vital matter, if the culprit wasn’t discovered soon, there might not be any tax reduction. Thus, everyone in the village was on tenterhooks.

The villagers went from being anxious to intense, from intense to explosive. Led by rumors, they started blaming Nan Feng and Ye Ge.

Needless to say, these rumors were fueled by the Village Chief.

Many said that if it weren’t for Nan Feng and Ye Ge who wanted to dominate the village and constructed this reservoir, none of these disasters would have occurred.

Wherever Nan Feng went in those few days, she encountered cold glances.

Nan Feng was aware that this incident was undoubtedly orchestrated by the members of Zhou family, but currently, she had no evidence to prove it. The town’s commandment was clear—they had to find the person responsible, meaning someone had to take the fault.

If not her, then it would be Ye Ge.