She Became A Downfall Noble Lady

Jinrong slightly furrowed his brows. The court had issued a clear decree, strictly prohibiting the slaughter of oxen used for plowing. The current Emperor led by example, not only did he personally handle the plow to start the spring farming every year to show the importance he placed on agriculture and oxen, but also, no beef had been seen in the royal palace for over a dozen years.

Jiang Yifan explained, "The cow that was slaughtered at the cattle farm has a record at the county government office. The record states that this cow had injured one of its hind legs and could no longer work."

Qi Younian added from the side, "I should have mentioned this to Sixth Master earlier. This is a dairy cow, and it used to produce a decent amount of cow’s milk. But after its leg was injured, the milk yield dropped significantly. Several attempts at breeding were unsuccessful, and keeping it was impractical, as selling it would not fetch a good price. It had been raised for over a month, just waiting to be slaughtered for the New Year."

Jinrong’s frown relaxed. Indiscriminate slaughter of plowing oxen could hinder agriculture, and if someone with ulterior motives were to exploit this, his and Jiang Yifan’s cattle farm might end up under the court’s surveillance. However, if there was a justifiable reason with records at the government office, that was another matter altogether.

"Pfft!" Guan He looked at Jinrong with disdain in his eyes, "How does Sixth Master manage his household, employing people without even knowing the tempers and nature of his stewards? Would Qi Ye leave such a handle for others to grab? Sixth Master’s questioning was entirely unnecessary."

Jinrong glanced at Guan He, "It’s just about eating beef a little later, look at your lack of ambition. Not only have you not improved over the years, but you’ve also become even worse than before."

Guan He retorted sarcastically, "I’ve gotten older, it’s natural for an old man to lack ambition. Sixth Master, in prime age, isn’t much better. Rather than staying properly in the capital, you came here to squeeze a young woman to work for you."

"What do you know? I am employing the right person for the right job, Qi Ye is displaying her talent and capabilities, and we both get what we need. You, a carefree wanderer of Jianghu who lacks responsibility, wouldn’t understand these things," Jinrong said.