CHAPTER 121: CHAPTER 121: SO, TRYING TO MANIPULATE OUR THIRD BRANCH?

If it weren’t for Pei Shu’er pushing her to the point she couldn’t live on the Deserted Mountain, she might have discovered the secret of cultivation by now.

By then, she could have used this skill to reduce her sentence!

Thinking of this, she became increasingly restless, immediately walking up to Niu Qian to tell him about it.

Niu Qian was resting in bed at the time, still healing from the injuries caused by Tang Zan and Pei Shu’er.

His whole body ached.

"Brother Niu, the Tang Family’s third branch is about to have their sentence reduced by another three months. They reduced their sentence through cultivation, making it difficult for us to rely on cultivation to reduce ours in the future."

Niu Qian couldn’t stay calm. This wasn’t the most important issue.

What mattered most was that he had been in exile for four years and had fought enemies on the battlefield, yet he had never had his sentence reduced.

Why should the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled of the third branch have their sentences reduced?

He was unconvinced.

He was someone who respected only those stronger than himself.

He didn’t think the third branch was superior to him in any way.

Unable to sit still, he immediately got out of bed and headed to the Deserted Mountain.

When they arrived at the Deserted Mountain, they saw everyone busy with farming.

Seeing the lush crops on the Deserted Mountain, Niu Qian’s eyes turned green with envy.

It must be the good soil on the Deserted Mountain that makes the crops thrive.

What technology could Pei Shu’er possibly have? It was definitely the soil.

He now coveted the land. If he too had a piece of land on the Deserted Mountain, with so much food, how could he not hire capable subordinates?

He immediately gave a signal to his men, and one of them kicked over a convict’s bucket.

"What are you planting? A bunch of fools being used and they don’t even know it."

The convicts were stunned at first, then asked with hostility, "What are you talking about?"

Tang Qingrou smiled gently and spoke to everyone in a friendly manner.

"Brother Niu’s words may have been harsh, but he’s indeed speaking up for everyone."

Seeing the confusion in everyone’s eyes, Tang Qingrou smiled and explained the situation.

"Everyone should know that as long as the crop yield on the Deserted Mountain increases, the people of the third branch will have their sentences reduced."

"But has anyone thought about this? It’s everyone else doing the work on the land, while the third branch only owns 5 acres, and the rest of you own 95 acres. The land is cultivated by others, so why should only the third branch have their sentences reduced?"

"In my opinion, it’s everyone who’s the real contributors, yet the credit is claimed by others, and the third branch only provided some fertilization technology."

"Even without the third branch’s technology, as long as everyone takes care of the crops, they can also produce high yields. At that time, everyone can negotiate with the Lord."

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly realized it. They had always thought something was off, and now that Tang Qingrou pointed it out, they understood.

Some of them hurriedly approached Pei Shu’er, saying, "Miss Pei, why don’t you negotiate with the Lord about the sentence reduction? We also want our sentences reduced."

Pei Shu’er looked at these people, moved by the persuasion, and found it amusing.

These people, truly, it’s easy to talk when they’re not involved.

Yes, it seems that Pei Shu’er only provided the technology, only the fertilizer.

But have these people ever thought that without the fertilizer, without the technology, their crop yield would only be what it is now.

If the potato yield could reach 800 kilograms per acre, that would already be a blessing.

They truly believe that the previous four or five thousand kilograms per acre of cabbage was because the soil was of high quality.

Not to mention the Spiritual Spring Water, she had drawn so much from the space that the water level dropped by five centimeters!

Pei Shu’er smiled and said, "At the time, the Lord made it very clear when he announced it: as long as we increase the yield per acre, only those taught by our third branch can have their sentences reduced."

"This was the requirement from the government officer, not something we ourselves claimed."

"If everyone is interested, why not go and speak with the government officer yourself? It’s also not wrong for everyone to strive for their own sentence reduction."

"However, if they think they can leech off me, Pei Shu’er, and expect me to plead on their behalf with the Lord, they have miscalculated."

That person originally thought Pei Shu’er would be furious, but her calm statement left him feeling a bit embarrassed.

At the same time, he secretly hated himself for speaking too quickly, for saying it out loud.

After all, the people from the third branch are not to be trifled with.

Tang Qingrou said, "You’re only passing on technology, just flapping your lips. The rest are the ones diligently working the land. Ah, Pei Shu’er, aren’t you being too selfish?"

Pei Shu’er didn’t let Tang Qingrou provoke her; instead, she slightly curved her lips into a smile.

"Everyone might want to consider this first: when I was fertilizing the fields, I didn’t hold back any secrets. I saw some families following along to learn, but as for your yield per acre, you should know even without me saying anything."

"So do you really think it’s just the technology? Let me tell you all, without fertilizer, the soil would still be poor, and the yield per acre wouldn’t improve."

"Do you think making fertilizer is easy? Do you know how I’ve locked myself in the Experimental Building, poring over numerous ancient texts, experimenting for so long, and using so many precious raw materials?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, realizing that they had almost been convinced by Tang Qingrou.

Indeed, Pei Shu’er had mentioned before that apart from farm manure, fertilizer was crucial too.

The small white granules they had seen before, they didn’t know how they were made.

Only Pei Shu’er knew how to make them.

No one dared to speak anymore.

Pei Shu’er’s gaze swept across the group, finally landing on Tang Qingrou with a smile on her face.

"Those who think I’m selfish, please step forward."

The others were unwilling to step forward; Tang Qingrou smiled and said, "Don’t be afraid, the farming conditions in Yuhua Valley are much better than here. With us here, do they really think the third branch can dominate everything with just one hand?"

As soon as she said those words, those who were still hesitating stepped forward.

Pei Shu’er counted three families in total—the Huang Family was doing well in terms of harvest, the Ma Family was second, and the Li Family had the poorest yield.

The Li Family hesitated and said, "Miss Pei, we just feel it’s a bit unfair, nothing more."

Pei Shu’er curled her lips into a smile that wasn’t genuine. They had already stood up against her, yet they claimed they meant nothing else.

"If you think I’m taking advantage, and you want your sentences reduced too, then you should speak with the government officer."

Now, some people didn’t want to go to the government officer anymore. They found the officers intimidating and had never interacted with them before.

Moreover, going to the officers now would mean they would have to pay Silver. Otherwise, the officers would surely whip them across the face.

A man stood up laughing, "Miss Pei, since the officers have already said it, to get a sentence reduction, you need to increase the yield on all the land on the Deserted Mountain. If any piece of land fails to meet the yield, then it won’t work."

The smile on Pei Shu’er’s face disappeared.

Tang Zan frowned upon hearing this and threw the stick in his hand, hitting the man heavily on the face, leaving a bloody mark.

Tang Zan’s voice was ice-cold, causing the man to shiver involuntarily.

"What’s this, trying to manipulate our third branch?"