Doted By The Regent King-Chapter 695 - 694: Raising an Army

Lu Da, paying no attention to his wailing mother, hurried to the family’s hall, where he saw Mayor Ma and his son with grim expressions seated there. His heart skipped a beat, and he forced a smile.

"Mayor Ma, what an honor to have you visit. My apologies for not greeting you from afar!" Lu Da clasped his hands together and bowed with a smile.

Mayor Ma said, "Enough pleasantries, Lu Da. Where is that son of yours called Xinlong?"

Lu Da felt a twinge of unease and subconsciously glanced at Ma Guang, who looked as if he was certain of Lu Da’s doom, and replied, "That scoundrel’s whereabouts are unknown at the moment. Is there an issue? Please, do not hesitate to speak your mind."

"An issue?" Ma Guang scoffed coldly. "Lu Da, your precious son has grown quite bold—he introduced a batch of sick pigs into the pig farm and secretly swapped an equal number of healthy pigs to sell on the side. What a sly move, switching the dragon for the phoenix!"

Lu Da’s heart pounded fiercely upon hearing this. "Impossible. Could there be some misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding? I heard it from Little Flower Fairy herself. You’re not unaware of your son’s infatuation with her, are you? With the money he got from selling the pigs, he immediately bought a gold hairpin weighing three taels to curry favor with the beauty," Ma Guang said mockingly.

Lu Xinlong could indeed be reckless, and Lu Da knew this. He also knew about his son’s obsession with that wretched Little Flower Fairy. Now, with Ma Guang laying out the facts so convincingly, could it be that the animal had really done such a thing?

Mayor Ma, witnessing Lu Da’s look of shocked uncertainty, spoke up, "Old Lu, it’s not that I don’t trust you. The pig farm has been operating for a year and doing well; I believe in your competence. But could it be that the inexperienced have been misled? You know as well as I do that these pigs end up in people’s stomachs. If any sick pigs were swapped in, and an incident occurs because of it, who would be responsible? The farm belongs to the Lu Family!"

Lu Da’s face turned pale.

"So, we’d better call him in and ask about the whole matter," Mayor Ma continued.

Lu Da nodded and immediately dashed out the door.

Mayor Ma paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, pondering the consequences of the matter. He felt uneasy, as if something had gone wrong.

Ma Guang, thinking about his own losses, took a step forward and whispered, "Father, judging by this, the Lu Family is unreliable—especially that Lu Xinlong. I reckon it’s about time they give us an additional ten percent share in the dry stocks."

Mayor Ma glared at him and said, "At a time like this, all you think about is Silver."

Ma Guang felt wronged. If he wasn’t supposed to think about Silver, what then? Was he actually expected to plead with the Lu Family?

Lu Da returned and said, "Mayor Ma, I’ve already sent someone to fetch that good-for-nothing. If things are indeed as you and Young Master Ma have described, I won’t let him off easily."

"Whether to forgive him is the least of our worries. By selling off like that, we’re left with sick pigs that can’t be sold; we’ll have to dispose of them. We might end up making less profit by the end of the year—how do we settle that?" Ma Guang hummed softly. "For all we know, he might’ve done the same thing last year."

A vein throbbed on Lu Da’s forehead as he said, "I was personally in charge last year, Young Master Ma, rest assured. If this is true, I will make sure you are satisfied." He almost spat the words through clenched teeth.

How could Lu Da not understand Ma Guang’s implication of wanting compensation? His family had already given them several shares, yet they were still so greedy.

Only then did Ma Guang seem satisfied, but before he could say more, Mayor Ma gave him a warning glance to stop him.

"Old Lu, I trust you. The pig farm is critical to the livelihood of several families. Hence, it’s best to clarify everything. In case of any issues, we should be prepared to deal with them," Mayor Ma put on his concerned face.

As they spoke, Lu Xinlong, reeking of alcohol, was dragged in by Lu Xinxing.

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