Chapter Thirty-Nine: She's dead, so there's no way to prove it.

"Go to the government office?!"

Chen Qing's words were like a thunderclap, shocking Chen Zhenyan and almost causing Zhang Shi, who had just regained consciousness, to faint again.

"You rebellious daughter! How dare you!" Chen Zhenyan's eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse with extreme anger and fear.

Having managed the Chen family business for many years, he knew all too well what it would mean if this matter went to court.

Not only would he lose face, but the Chen family's reputation, imperial merchant status, and even their political enemies might use this as an opportunity to attack them, bringing about their annihilation! And embezzling the imperial gifts would also implicate the entire family, leading to their certain death!

"Why wouldn't I dare?" Chen Qing stood firm, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, fixed on Chen Zhenyan's panicked face.

"Father, you forced me to this! What my mother left behind was not just wealth, but also the last bit of hope and support she left for her daughter in this world! Now that she has been ruined like this, if I cannot get justice, I, Chen Qing, am not worthy of being a daughter! What is there for me to cherish in this Chen family?!"

Her words were resounding, carrying a sense of resolute determination.

"You...you..." Chen Zhenyan trembled with anger, pointing at Chen Qing, but he couldn't utter a single complete sentence.

"Master! Master!" Madam Zhang scrambled to Chen Zhenyan's feet, clinging to his leg, tears streaming down her face, all traces of her usual elegance gone. "Master, save me! I... I was just confused for a moment, all for this family, for you, Master! Some of those things were used to bribe officials, some were for temporary cash flow. Master, you must investigate thoroughly, you can't let Qing'er report it to the authorities! Otherwise, our Chen family will be finished!"

She cried out incoherently, trying to evoke Chen Zhenyan's pity.

Looking at the disheveled Zhang Shi at his feet, and then at Chen Qing opposite him, whose expression was cold and who wouldn't budge an inch, Chen Zhenyan felt a metallic taste rise in his throat. He knew, of course, the consequences of reporting to the authorities, but to immediately make up for the huge deficit, which would almost drain the Chen family's liquid assets, would also be a devastating blow!

Just as the stalemate reached a breaking point, a soft, tearful voice broke through:

"Father! Mother! Sister! What are you doing?!"

Chen Jiao, dressed in a brand-new wedding gown, rushed over, surrounded by a group of maids. She had clearly dressed up carefully in preparation for her wedding the next day, but now she was weeping, her face streaked with tears, a pitiful sight to behold.

As soon as she arrived, she knelt down in front of Chen Qing and cried out in a pitiful voice:

"Sister, it's all my fault! I was ignorant and made you angry! If you want to blame someone, blame your daughter! Please, Father and Sister, don't let this small matter ruin your relationship, and please don't report it to the authorities! Tomorrow is my wedding day. If rumors spread, how will I... how will the young master of the Zhao family face us? Where will our Chen family's reputation be?"

As expected, Chen Zhenyan's expression became even more conflicted upon hearing this. The Zhao family's young master was to be married tomorrow; if a scandal broke out now, with the legitimate daughter reporting her concubine for embezzling the dowry, the marriage might not even be possible!

Seeing her father waver, Chen Jiao turned to Chen Qing, her eyes brimming with tears: "Sister! I know you hate me, hate me for stealing your marriage! But it was all arranged by Father and the Zhao family, and I had no choice! Sister, please, for the sake of our sisterhood, for the sake of my life's big day tomorrow, please be merciful! As for the dowry... Father will definitely find a way to make it up to you! Please, sister!"

As she spoke, she kowtowed to Chen Qing, her posture extremely humble, looking pitiful and heartbreaking.

The servants around them watched this scene and began to whisper among themselves. Many felt sorry for the third young lady, who was to be married tomorrow, yet this had happened. Others felt that the eldest young lady was too aggressive and showed no mercy.

Zhang, as if grasping at a straw, cried out, "Qing'er, it's all my fault! I was blinded by greed! Your sister is innocent! If you have any anger, take it out on me, don't ruin your sister's life!"

The mother and daughter worked together to shift the focus of the conflict, attempting to use public opinion and family ties to blackmail Chen Qing.

If it were the original owner of this body, she might have been fooled by this performance and softened her heart to back down. Unfortunately, they were facing Chen Qing.

Chen Qing watched Chen Jiao and Zhang Shi's performance with cold eyes, her sneer growing more pronounced. She didn't even bother to bend down, simply looking down at Chen Jiao kneeling on the ground, her voice calm and even, yet clearly reaching everyone's ears:

"Little sister, what you're saying makes no sense."

"First of all, I have never said that I hate you for stealing the marriage. If you like the Zhao family's marriage, then take it. I, Chen Qing, would never stoop to picking up what others have left over."

These words were like a silent slap across Chen Jiao's face, instantly freezing her carefully maintained delicate expression. The surrounding servants also showed surprise; did the young lady really look down on the Zhao family's marriage proposal?

"Secondly," Chen Qing turned his gaze to Zhang Shi, his eyes suddenly turning cold, "embezzling my mother's dowry and stealing imperial gifts—is this a trivial matter? Aunt Zhang, are you defying the law, or are you defying the late Madam?"

“Third, and most importantly,” Chen Qing’s voice suddenly rose, carrying an undeniable force, “Don’t use my sister’s wedding and the family’s reputation to blackmail me! When my mother’s dowry was embezzled, who thought about my mother’s reputation? When I was abandoned in the avalanche, who thought about my life or death? Now that I want to take back what is rightfully mine and uphold my mother’s dignity, I’ve become a sinner who disrupts family harmony and disregards my sister’s happiness?”

She looked around, her gaze sweeping over every servant, before finally settling on Chen Zhenyan's face: "There's no such logic in this world!"

"I, Chen Qing, am making this clear today!" she said, each word distinct and resolute. "Not a single item of my mother's dowry can be missing! Any gifts bestowed by the emperor must be returned in their entirety! If all the missing items cannot be replaced and placed in my music academy by dawn tomorrow..."

Chen Qing took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes, and his voice, like the clang of metal, resounded throughout the courtyard:

"I, Chen Qing, will immediately go to the Qingzhou government office and beat the drum to appeal for justice! Furthermore, I will make hundreds of copies of the whole story, along with the dowry list, warehouse records, and witnesses and physical evidence, and post them throughout the streets and alleys of Qingzhou! Let all the people of Qingzhou judge and see how the Chen family, the richest family in Qingzhou, has spoiled his concubine and neglected his wife, embezzled his eldest daughter's dowry, and desecrated the imperial gift!"

"You...you dare!!!" Chen Zhenyan roared like a wild beast, his face turning from blue to purple, his chest heaving violently, and he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood!

"master!"

"father!"

Zhang and Chen Jiao were terrified and rushed over to support the swaying Chen Zhenyan.

The entire warehouse front yard was deathly silent. Everyone was stunned by Chen Qing's ruthless methods—a scorched-earth approach aimed at utterly destroying the Chen family's reputation and dragging them into the mire!

She not only wants to report this to the authorities, but also wants to expose this family's scandal to the world! This is tantamount to utter destruction for the Chen family!

Chen Qing looked at Chen Zhenyan, who had collapsed while vomiting blood, her eyes showing no emotion, only a cold resolve. She turned to Li Yi, Pei Xuan, and Wang Zhong and instructed them, "We're going back to the Qin Academy. Li Yi, guard the entrance to the Qin Academy. No one is allowed to enter without my order! Wang Zhong, move the dowry items that have been counted and are currently verified back to the Qin Academy!"

"You...you wretched creature...you're going to ruin the Chen family!" Chen Zhenyan, supported by Zhang Shi and Chen Jiao, pointed his trembling finger at Chen Qing's back, his voice hoarse and desperate, showing no trace of the dignity of the head of the family.

Chen Qing didn't stop walking, nor did he even turn his head. Only his cold words carried on the wind: "It was you who destroyed the support my mother left me. If the Chen family falls, it will be your own fault."

Her figure disappeared behind the moon gate leading to the music academy, leaving behind a deathly silence and a scene of desolation in front of the storeroom. Even the sunlight seemed to have turned pale, shining on the pool of blood that Chen Zhenyan had vomited, making it appear even more desolate.

Upon returning to the music academy, Chen Qing immediately displayed her decisive and efficient nature.

"Zhu Yan, immediately take men to inspect all the doors and windows of the Qin Academy, especially the back corner door, and bolt them all from the inside! Li Yi, you are in charge of the perimeter security of the Qin Academy. Anyone who tries to approach or spy on the academy without prior notice will be warned the first time, and arrested on the second time!"

"Pei Xuan, assist Wang Zhong in carrying all the chests that have been counted and confirmed to be correct into the east wing of my courtyard, and assign reliable people to guard them in shifts!"

"Xiao Wu, go help Sister Zhu Yan and keep an eye out for any unfamiliar faces loitering around nearby."

Each instruction was clear and unambiguous, carrying an unquestionable authority. The servants of the Qin Academy, who had previously been somewhat lax, were now filled with awe for Chen Qing after the shock they had experienced in front of the storeroom, and they carried out the instructions swiftly and efficiently.

Wang Zhong, clutching his still throbbing forehead, said with a mixture of excitement and worry, "Miss, I'm afraid Master and Aunt Zhang won't let this go easily. Tomorrow is the Third Miss's wedding day; they'll definitely try everything to stop you..."

Chen Qing sat on a stone bench in the courtyard, his expression calm: "Of course they won't give up. Uncle Zhong, you need to do two things right now."

“First, make three copies of the preliminary inventory list of missing items in the warehouse. Keep one copy close to your body, give one to Li Yi for safekeeping, and for the other copy,” Chen Qing’s eyes flashed with a cold light, “find a way to let the Zhao family see it.”

"Second, go and find a few old servants who used to serve my mother. I need to know what Zhang has done over the years besides the dowry, especially things related to my mother's death."

Wang Zhong's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood Chen Qing's deeper meaning. The young lady was using a two-pronged approach: pressuring them with tomorrow's wedding while simultaneously digging into the Zhang family's past! He solemnly replied, "This old servant understands! I'll get on with it right away!"

Meanwhile, a somber mood hung over the main courtyard of the Chen residence.

Chen Zhenyan lay on the bed, his face ashen. The doctor had just given him acupuncture, saying it was due to excessive internal heat and he needed to rest. But how could he possibly calm down? Chen Qing's suicidal threat hung like a sword over his head.

Zhang was crying and sobbing on the side, completely at a loss.

Chen Jiao was both anxious and furious. Her dream of wealth and power, of becoming empress, was about to be destroyed by Chen Qing!

"Father! Mother! Are we really just going to let that bitch do whatever she wants? The Zhao family is coming to fetch the bride tomorrow! If things get out of hand and the Zhao family cancels the engagement, I... I don't want to live anymore!" Chen Jiao said, trying to bang her head against the wall, but the maids held her back tightly, causing another chaotic scene.

"Enough!" Chen Zhenyan growled irritably, a dull pain shooting through his chest. He closed his eyes wearily. "Just how large is the deficit in the treasury? Did we really not retain a single one of the imperial gifts?"

Zhang's sobs faltered, her eyes darting away. She stammered, "Well... not everything is gone. Some jewelry... was taken apart and re-attached. Some antiques, I just couldn't make ends meet, so I... pawned them. And the land deeds, several fertile estates, are temporarily registered under my brother's name..."

"You...you stupid woman!" Chen Zhenyan was so angry he almost fainted again. Pawning imperial gifts? Embezzling land and transferring it to her parents' home? Each of these was a crime punishable by the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire family! "In just a few years, you actually...you actually misappropriated so much?!"

“My lord, I’m doing this for the sake of the family! Managing things and maintaining appearances—all of that costs money. If our daughter doesn’t have a generous dowry when she gets married, how will she establish herself in the Zhao family?” Zhang retorted, but her voice was clearly weak.

"What's the use of saying all this now!" Chen Jiao exclaimed shrilly. "The most important thing right now is to keep Chen Qing in check! Father, how about... we pretend to agree to her request first, and use whatever money we can find in the storeroom to make up the difference, and keep her in check? Once your daughter has successfully married into the Zhao family, we can deal with her slowly!"

Chen Zhenyan remained silent; this seemed to be the only delaying tactic at the moment. But to raise the funds to cover that enormous deficit would require emptying most of his private treasury and available cash reserves—it was tantamount to cutting off his own flesh!

Just then, a trusted steward quietly entered and whispered a few words in Chen Zhenyan's ear. Chen Zhenyan's expression instantly turned even more grim.

"Master, what's wrong?" Madam Zhang asked anxiously.

Chen Zhenyan gritted his teeth, squeezing out the words: "That wretched child, she sent Wang Zhong out to find those old hags who used to serve her mother. She wants to investigate the cause of her mother's death!"

"What?!" Zhang was struck dumb, her face turning deathly pale in an instant, even more terrified than when she heard about the dowry incident! "She...how could she..."

Chen Jiao was also stunned. Having been reborn, she only knew that her mother had used medicine to fatten Chen Qing up and secretly skimped on the money. But regarding her late mother's death, she had always assumed it was due to her mother's poor health. Could there be another hidden story?

A more vicious and insane thought began to take root in Zhang's mind. She suddenly grabbed Chen Zhenyan's arm, her nails almost digging into his flesh, her eyes flashing with a desperate and ruthless light: "Master! We can't let her investigate any further! That bitch is a menace! If she lives, our whole family will die!"

Chen Zhenyan looked at Zhang's almost manic eyes and felt a chill in his heart: "What do you want to do?"

Zhang lowered her voice, her words like the spitting of a venomous snake: "Let's go all the way! Tonight... as long as she's dead, there will be no evidence! The dowry issue, all those old stories, can be covered up!"