The old lady snorted, "He came at the right time. Let him wait first."
He patted Su Qingyu's hand again and said, "I'll help you scold him later."
Su Qingyu smiled awkwardly, helped the old lady to the dressing table, and helped her fix her hair.
When the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law went out, Shen Zhizheng was sitting in the banquet hall drinking tea. He wore a dark blue Hangzhou silk gown, which made him look deep and reserved.
Seeing the old lady coming out from the inner room, Shen Zhixiu stood up and helped her, then glanced at Su Qingyu, "Madam is here too, is it time for lunch?"
There was an obvious friendly tone in his words.
Su Qingyu's face was stern. "Thank you for your concern, Third Master. I've already used it."
The old lady naturally knew what the two of them were talking about that morning. She glared at him and said, "You still care about your wife? Did you have a nightmare last night or are you possessed by a ghost? You're going to act so rudely over a bowl of porridge so early in the morning?"
"Qingyu is such a good daughter-in-law. If you make her angry, I will not forgive you."
Shen Zhixiu smiled apologetically, "How could that be? I was wrong this morning. Maybe my spleen and stomach are a little weak from being busy these days, so the food I eat doesn't taste right."
"I heard that Madam has checked the kitchen and there's nothing wrong with the red glutinous rice. I was wrong this morning."
Su Qingyu's expression became a little flustered for a moment, and she used her eyes to stop Shen Zhixiu from saying anything more.
The old lady was such a smart person that she could tell at a glance that something was wrong with Su Qingyu.
"What's wrong? Is there anything you can't say about checking the accounts?"
Shen Zhixiu also looked at Su Qingyu in confusion, "What's wrong with you? You usually handle these things calmly and calmly, why do you seem to have something wrong today?"
Su Qingyu pursed her lower lip, feeling a little conflicted. After Shen Zhixiu repeatedly asked her, she finally spoke.
"Today I checked the kitchen and purchasing accounts for the past few years, and also carefully checked with several merchants who delivered goods to us."
"According to them, the delivery records have been falsified since my sister-in-law became the manager. The merchants have duly given the extra money to my sister-in-law."
"I thought my sister-in-law had just been put under house arrest. If these things were to come out again, I'm afraid it would cause unrest in the family."
Su Qingyu actually felt a little guilty when she said this. Today, Shen Zhixiu was cooperating with her in a play.
In fact, she should have told the old lady everything directly. Such a roundabout way was a bit disrespectful to the old lady. But if she spoke directly, it would seem that she was eager to get rid of Chen. Even if the old lady didn't think too much about it, there was still the eldest master Shen Zhiheng to consider.
Shen Zhixiu also said that one should still do what is necessary for the sake of face, and that one must know that gossip can melt metal. He was solely concerned about Su Qingyu's reputation, and the two of them acted out this scene again.
The old lady's face was gloomy at this time. "How much silver is involved? How many people are involved?"
Su Qingyu replied, "I roughly estimated that 40% of the Shen family's kitchen expenses each year go into the eldest sister-in-law's private pocket. The kitchen and purchasing managers are all aware of this. I haven't checked with the accounting department yet. Mr. Qian is on leave today."
Shen Zhixiu's face was cold, "I'll go check the accounting office right now."
He couldn't wait to avenge his father, so he stood up, flicked the corner of his clothes, and turned to leave Qingyuanju.
Su Qingyu also stood up and said, "Mother, since you want to investigate thoroughly, I will go sort out the account books."
Aunt Hua sent Su Qingyu out. If she hadn't considered that there were other people around, she would have wanted to kneel down to Su Qingyu.
Just now, when she was next to the old lady, she listened to what the third lady said, and her heart almost jumped out of her chest.
She thought her sister was just embezzling some money, but she didn't expect that she had been working for the eldest lady day in and day out for more than ten years.
The Third Lady's action today was like a great favor to her life.
"I will remember the kindness Third Madam has shown me today. If you need me in the future, please let me know."
Aunt Hua whispered to Su Qingyu in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
Su Qingyu gave Aunt Hua a comforting look and said, "You are too polite, Aunt. I respect you as an elder. We are family and we don't have any differences."
These words made Aunt Hua's eyes sore. She nodded heavily at Su Qingyu and watched her leave.
The entire afternoon was filled with panic within the Shen family's inner chambers. First, the Third Lady interrogated the kitchen and purchasing staff, and then the Third Master's men took Mr. Qian, the accountant, into the mansion.
Then, one after another, people were taken away by the guards around the Third Master. At this time, everyone was afraid of being affected.
Li Chaoyun, painting in her study at Hanshuiyuan, also began to get restless after hearing the news. She didn't know what happened in the kitchen, but why was Mr. Qian still alive? Hadn't they said they had eradicated him completely?
I secretly cursed Chen in my heart for being so slow and inefficient.
Until the personal maid came in and reported, "Princess, the eldest lady has been taken to Qingyuan Residence."
Li Chaoyun was suddenly startled. "Where's the young master? Go and call him, and we'll go too."
At this time, Qingyuan was in the main hall, and the old lady was sitting at the top, her face as gloomy as water.
Next to the old lady was a stack of confessions.
Everything said by Mr. Qian, the steward, and the kitchen maid is clearly written above.
It also records in detail how Chen had been doing things behind the scenes over the years and how she had colluded with the stewards in the mansion to enrich herself.
The old lady also had a piece of paper in her hand, which mentioned the replacement of medicinal herbs in previous years. It also mentioned that after the old man passed away, the eldest lady no longer ordered them to replace the herbs. The old lady had a clue about the twists and turns in this paper, and she figured it out at a glance.
Shen Zhixiu sat in a chair, his face gloomy. "Mother, I can tolerate everything else. But this matter of medicinal herbs is the only one I must get to know clearly today."
"I asked Liu Yuanzheng back then, if my father could hold on for a breath, he would be confident he could rescue him."
"It's now obvious that there was something wrong with the medicinal materials in the mansion back then."
The old lady felt extremely regretful when she thought about what happened back then.
This matter was indeed her negligence. During that time, Shen Yue was seriously ill and she was unable to sleep or eat and took care of him. The old man's illness came on suddenly, so she was in a trance for two days, which allowed these people to take advantage of her.
"Investigate. This matter today must be thoroughly investigated. No one involved will be spared."
As soon as the old lady finished speaking, a servant came in to report that the eldest master, the eldest lady, the second master and the second lady had all arrived.
"Let them in."
After the four of them filed in, the old lady's sharp eyes swept towards Chen. Her fierce gaze was like a sharp blade, wishing to cut Chen into pieces.
Before she could speak, another servant came in, "Madam, the eldest young master and the princess are here too."
The old lady snorted coldly, "They are well-informed. Let them come in too."
Shen Zhao and Li Chaoyun had just come in, one after the other, and before they had even sat down on the chairs, they heard the old lady scolding them harshly.
"Chen Pinghui, kneel down."
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