Mr. Qian brought the box in and opened it step by step. Only then did Su Qingyu realize that it was a box with a mechanism.
In the previous dynasty, there was a Minister of Works named Lin who was particularly interested in studying the mechanisms on boxes and furniture.
Judging from the workmanship of Mr. Qian's box, it doesn't look like it was made by Minister Lin, but rather like it was imitated by a folk craftsman.
Even if it was a replica, the material of the box would be just average, but the mechanism inside could be copied almost exactly. After all, it was a centuries-old item, and it had been thoroughly studied.
But these things are still as difficult as climbing to the sky for an outsider like Su Qingyu.
Mr. Qian's account book box is ingeniously designed, with three mechanisms that need to be opened in sequence.
When the box was opened, Mr. Qian carefully took down a gauze bag from the top, but it was impossible to see what was inside.
"What is this?" Su Qingyu asked.
Mr. Qian took out the account books and explained, "There's phosphorus powder in here. If you force the box open, something inside will stir the phosphorus powder. As soon as the lid is opened, it will immediately catch fire."
Mr. Qian knew that only the Third Madam could save his life. The image of the fire was still lingering in his mind. So he answered all the questions Su Qingyu asked.
Su Qingyu's heart skipped a beat. Fortunately, she didn't go directly to the Qian family to search. The box looked ordinary. If she had searched it directly, the account books would probably be gone.
The reason she hadn't taken any action was simply because this matter was too important, and she wanted to proceed steadily, preferring a little trouble to the slightest change.
Fortunately, fortunately she was not in a hurry.
Su Qingyu let out a long breath and called Wenzhu in.
"Take all these account books back to the mansion."
“Send someone to guard this house. No one in the Qian family can go out for the time being, and nothing can happen.”
She didn't have time to interrogate Mr. Qian now. If she didn't return home, Shen Zhixiu would probably come in person.
Besides, it would be useless for her to interrogate him. She had no idea what happened to the Shen family back then. She had to go back and tell Shen Zhixiu about this. Since she was going to investigate, she had to investigate thoroughly.
Su Qingyu led her men out of the back door, where the mansion's carriage was already waiting.
Feicui lifted the curtain and Su Qingyu stepped on the footstool and got into the carriage.
The familiar atmosphere in the carriage made Su Qingyu pause, and then she sat in naturally.
Feicui, who was outside the carriage, raised her foot to get in, but was grabbed by Wenzhu.
Feicui subconsciously slapped Wenzhu with her backhand, but Wenzhu grabbed her wrist again.
"Don't do anything, the Third Master is in the car." Wen Zhu said in a low voice.
Only then did Feicui realize why he didn't let her get in the car, and she withdrew her hand embarrassedly.
"I'm sorry, I was a little impulsive just now."
Wenzhu waved her hand nonchalantly, motioning her to get on the carriage behind which was loaded with account books.
The wheels turned slowly, making a creaking sound.
Su Qingyu raised her eyes and glanced at Shen Zhixiu's tense face. At this moment, the sound of the night watchman's beating could be heard outside. It was already the second watch.
She reached out, grabbed his fingers, and shook them gently.
"Are you angry? I had something urgent to do and didn't have time to tell you."
Shen Zhixiu moved his wrist slightly and wanted to shake it off, but he couldn't bear to do so and grabbed her hand again.
"Is your husband dead?" Shen Zhixiu suddenly asked in a cold voice.
Su Qingyu was stunned. Wasn't he her husband? Why was he asking if he was dead or not?
He answered quietly, "Not dead."
When Shen Zhixiu heard this, he almost laughed out of anger.
He reached out and pulled the person over, and as the carriage swayed, Su Qingyu sat directly on his lap.
Shen Zhixiu held the man tightly, his tone still cold.
"Your husband is not dead, why don't you ask him for help when you have something to do? You are taking risks without permission and not returning home at night."
"Su Qingyu, you really are..."
"With such a big fire, what were you thinking? Fortunately, the two houses are not connected in the middle, so the fire didn't spread to the edges. What would you do if something happened? What would you let me do?"
He was so angry that his teeth were itching, but he couldn't bear to say even a harsh word.
Su Qingyu finally understood what he meant, and realized that she had indeed gone too far today.
She nestled herself in his arms, mumbling coquettishly, "Shen Zhixiu, shout after me."
She rarely spoke to him like this, except... in bed.
After hearing what he said just now, Su Qingyu felt a little guilty. She shouldn't have made him worry, and she felt sorry for his anxiety just now.
So this act of coquettishness is more like making amends and showing goodwill.
Shen Zhixiu froze for a moment when he heard this, and then spoke again in a softer tone.
"I didn't yell at you. I was just discussing the matter."
Su Qingyu snorted, "You still say you're henpecked. Which henpecked husband would dare to call you that?"
Shen Zhixiu was angry but couldn't help laughing, so he reached out and pinched Su Qingyu's face.
"Just wait and see how I punish you when I get back."
Su Qingyu knew that the matter was over, and continued to nestle in his arms with peace of mind.
After returning to the west courtyard, she instructed Wenzhu to move all the account books to the small study in the east room.
Shen Zhixiu didn't have time to ask Su Qingyu what was going on, so he was a little confused when looking at the account books.
"What are these?"
He picked up a book and started reading, "The Shen family's account books, how come these were brought back from outside?"
Su Qingyu gestured for Shen Zhixiu to sit down, and asked someone to bring in a cup of ginseng tea.
"Third Master, I'll tell you this from the beginning. The final decision on how to handle this is up to you."
Whenever Su Qingyu talked about serious matters, she would look solemn and wouldn't even hold his hand.
Seeing her expression, Shen Zhixiu knew that the matter might be serious. He also collected his thoughts and listened carefully.
Su Qingyu pursed her lips and spoke.
"Mr. Qian met with my sister-in-law in private yesterday, and I managed to eavesdrop on their conversation."
"Mr. Qian threatened my sister-in-law to save his son, saying he had another set of account books."
When Su Qingyu said this, Shen Zhixiu's expression remained calm. He just asked calmly, "Are you saying that my sister-in-law colluded with Mr. Qian to cook the books?"
Su Qingyu nodded and went over what she was about to say in her mind again.
"There's one more thing. I heard from Mr. Qian that my eldest sister-in-law had something to do with the old man's death."
"I was in a hurry today, so I didn't ask in detail what happened. The interrogation will depend on the decision of the Third Master."
Shen Zhixiu, who usually kept his emotions secret, suddenly changed his expression.
"Is my father's death related to my sister-in-law?"
Shen Zhixiu stood up and told Wen Zhu, "Take Mr. Qian to the dungeon. I will interrogate him personally."
He walked closer to Su Qingyu and leaned over to hug her.
"You've been tired all day, go and rest first. I'll go find out what's going on, and we'll discuss what to do tomorrow morning."
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