Tang Youyou checked all the account books in the accounting room for the past three years and found that the accounts on the surface had been tampered with greatly.
It seemed that the whole clan should be very wealthy, but the surplus of the clan members was less than one-tenth of that in the account books.
"Embezzling public funds should have a limit. The appetites of these elders are too big."
Tang Youyou threw the account books on the table. They had been embezzling for not just three years, but at least five years. Moreover, most of the embezzled money came from the Mo Clan and other small but wealthy countries.
"Su Bai, Su Ran, this vote is not just to decide my stay or leave."
"Everyone should also know clearly about the embezzlement of these elders. We should let them show their dissatisfaction with the elders at the upcoming meeting and take this opportunity to pull them down from their positions as elders."
Su Bai and Su Ran replied in unison. Over the years, they had collected a lot of information about the elders' embezzlement. They had also thought about getting everyone to expose the elders' dirty deeds together.
However, the elders had high positions and great power in the clan, and almost no one dared to defy their orders.
As years passed, the resentment in everyone's hearts grew stronger and stronger. After accumulating to a certain extent, they were just waiting for a leader who could lead them to resist to light the fuse.
Now that the Saintess had come, everyone saw hope.
"Leave this matter to us. Everyone has been looking forward to this day for a long time. But if several elders step down, who should be entrusted to share the clan's affairs for the Saintess in the future?"
Tang Youyou had also thought about this question. Although their clan had declined, it was still quite large in scale. If she were the only one to manage it, it would really be a lot of trouble for her.
"We need to select a few people who are trustworthy and of good character. After that, let the clan members choose the new stewards. From now on, the actions of the elders will be jointly supervised by everyone, and all financial transactions will be made public. In this way, we can prevent such things from happening again and reassure the clan members."
The two were greatly shocked after hearing this and praised Tang Youyou highly.
At first, when they decided to go out to look for the Saintess, they didn't have much hope. They just hoped to find someone who could balance the power of the elders. They didn't expect that she would bring them such a big surprise.
"From now on, my sister and I will only be loyal to the Saintess!"
Seeing them kneel down, Tang Youyou quickly pulled them up and frowned.
"There's no need for these formalities. The title of Saintess is just a name. Moreover, I didn't intend to take the position of Saintess at first. When qualified stewards are selected in the future, it will be the day for me to leave."
Hearing this, the two were extremely shocked. "Is the Saintess going to leave?"
Tang Youyou looked at the sky and the earth outside. "Yes, this is not my destination. You don't have to worry. I'll leave after all the affairs in the clan are arranged properly. You mustn't stop me then."
Su Ran was about to persuade her, but Su Bai interrupted her.
"We will surely follow the Saintess's arrangements."
Tang Youyou was very pleased. Su Bai seemed impulsive and reckless, but in fact, she was extremely considerate of others. With these two people around, even without Tang Youyou, the Blood Clan would surely thrive.
In the past few days, Su Bai and Su Ran visited every household, and the results were quite effective. However, they also encountered a lot of obstacles from the elders.
Among the clan members, a small number of people colluded with the elders. They tried to win over the clan members, using coercion and inducement to brainwash them. When Su Bai and Su Ran heard about this, they were extremely angry.
"I didn't expect them to do such a shameless thing!"
"Those people are either involved in the embezzlement or bribed by the elders. Now we have to find evidence to expose them. We can't be soft-hearted this time. Leave this matter to me."
Su Bai found those who had been won over. As soon as she entered the door, she saw that these people immediately showed a hostile look and tried to drive her out.
But she was not easy to deal with. She directly showed them the gold and silver. Seeing this, their eyes immediately lit up and they wanted to reach out to take it, but Su Bai took it back.
"See? These gold coins are what I got from working with the Saintess in the past few days. The Saintess said that if the precious flowers and plants planted by the clan members with great effort were sold on the market, they would have been extremely rich long ago. There's no need to live such a hard life."
These people had already heard about the elders' embezzlement. Now, after hearing what she said, they were even more hesitant.
Seeing this, Su Bai stepped up her efforts and continued, "Previously, the position of the Saintess was vacant, and all the affairs in the clan were managed by the elders. We don't know how they feasted and enjoyed themselves, but they let the clan members below go hungry."
"Yesterday, I heard the Saintess say that if she took over the Blood Clan, she would never let the once glorious Blood Clan decline to such a state. I just want to ask you, when have those elders ever said such things to you?"
They all lowered their heads and looked at each other. One of them, who seemed to be the head of the family, slowly stepped forward.
"You've seen what kind of life we've been living over the years, Protector Su."
"We don't ask for great wealth, but just for enough food and clothing. Now that my son is almost at the age of getting married, we can't even afford a decent betrothal gift. No wonder the families in the clan are all marrying their daughters outside. Since the Saintess has made such a promise, we'll trust you this time."
Su Bai didn't blame them for believing the slander. Everyone was just afraid of being poor.
"You won't be disappointed. The Saintess is determined to rectify all the affairs in the clan this time in order to let everyone live a good life."
Su Bai had investigated those who had been won over. The number was not large, only a dozen households. She gathered these people together, along with a family that had been successfully persuaded before, and exposed all the elders' embezzlement deeds in the past few years.
"I'm so tired. Hurry up and pour me a glass of water."
As soon as Su Bai entered the door, she slumped into a chair. Seeing this, Su Ran handed her the teacup in her hand.
"How did it go?"
She drank it in one gulp. "Needless to say, you can rest assured when I handle things. I've persuaded back all those who were won over by them. It's just too much of a hassle."
Tang Youyou entered the door and heard their conversation. "You've worked hard. I've prepared everything, and I've also found the place where those elders hide their gold, silver and jewels."
Tang Youyou hadn't been idle all day. While the elders were out, she secretly sneaked into their rooms and searched everywhere. Finally, after a thorough search, she found a promissory note in the cabinet.
She took out the promissory note and placed it on the table. Su Ran and Su Bai leaned forward to look. "They actually deposited all their treasures in the underground bank?"
"These old foxes must have set their eyes on the unique flowers and plants in the clan from the very beginning. We have to take the initiative and get this fortune first. It will be too late after they step down."