Chapter 67 Substituting Inferior Goods for Superior Products
After further examination, Doctor Luo determined that it was a case of inferior goods being passed off as superior ones.
Knowing about this, Mu Xun did not intend to tell Mu Xi.
The main reason was to avoid causing trouble; at worst, they could just spend more money to buy better ginseng in the market. However, when it came to food, Bao Fan was quite meticulous.
Li Fu was unsure about Bao Fan's background.
Mu Xi didn't even lift her eyelids: "Steward Li... You suspect Cao Pan'er of theft without any evidence. Now I have to suspect that you have been in charge of the treasury. Have you ever done anything to steal or replace the good with the bad? Why don't we go and check it out now?"
“Your Highness, your skills today…” Li Fu’s expression became unnatural.
Before he could finish speaking, Bao Fan added, "And shark fin."
"Shark fin? What's wrong with shark fin?" Mu Xi wondered, why is it always related to food?
Bao Fan opened the box in his hand. Inside were four abalone the size of a bowl and two shark fins the size of a fan: "The abalone were soaked in water, and the shark fins are not from the West Sea."
"How do you know that?" Mu Xi asked curiously.
Bao Fan casually mentioned Versailles: "I used to eat this all the time."
Indeed, the Yan Sheng Continent is surrounded by the sea, so seafood is not uncommon, but seafood of exceptional quality is still rare.
Zelan added from the side, "Your Highness, these were just what I took Baofan to collect, but as soon as we got them back, Baofan said they weren't good."
Li Fu finally reacted, forcing an awkward yet insincere smile: "Your Highness, what do you mean? This young man is..."
Mu Xi didn't even bother to lift her eyelids: "Who he is is not important. What's important is that you're in charge of the treasury, but it's full of substandard goods. What do you have to say about that?"
"This...that..." Li Fu couldn't explain, so he could only stammer.
"If you can't explain it, you might as well send it to the Court of Justice as usual and let them investigate it." Mu Xi thought to herself, if she could break the people around Gao Shi, it wouldn't be a bad idea.
If we don't do anything, Ling Mei and Han Shi have already been ruined by her, so Li Fu is no different.
Li Fu has come to us of his own accord today, so there's no need to be polite.
Li Fu's mind raced as he tried to come up with a solution: "Your Highness, there are gift lists and purchase records for these ginseng, abalone, and shark fin. Even if there are problems with these things, it's none of my business."
Mu Xi carefully observed Li Fu for a moment.
Li Fu was around fifty years old. He wore a gray silk robe and satin boat shoes. His face was oily, and his triangular eyes darted around and flickered. At first glance, he did not look like a servant but rather a rogue who was making a fortune by stealing.
People like that would definitely have a lot of faults to find.
"Well, if that's what Manager Li says, then we'll need to investigate further. Don't worry, I won't easily wrong an innocent person. Putting aside whether these two boxes are real or fake, I just want to ask, Manager Li, how much is your monthly salary, and how much is this outfit of yours worth?"
Li Fugang's heart, which had just relaxed, jumped into his throat again: "This humble servant... this humble servant... three taels of silver a month. As for this outfit, the fabric of this outfit was a gift from the madam. This humble servant works for the Jun family and inevitably has to deal with outsiders. The madam also did this for the sake of the Jun family's reputation, which is why she generously bestowed so much wealth upon this humble servant."
Still a lot of wealth?
This effectively shut down any further words Mu Xi might say.
Mu Xi refused to admit defeat. Once a person becomes greedy, he will continue to be greedy, and there will definitely be more than one handle to cover up.
At this moment, Cao Pan'er joined in: "Your Highness, Li Fu's drinking, gambling, whoring, embezzlement of public funds, and counterfeiting are all common knowledge among the servants. He pawns things from the mansion to pay off gambling debts. Many people also know that he lends money at exorbitant interest rates in the name of the mansion. Your Highness can find out as soon as you investigate."
“This lowly servant is talking nonsense, this lowly servant is talking nonsense…” Li Fu went mad.
Cao Pan'er retorted, "It doesn't matter if you don't admit it, Your Highness. As long as you have the bookkeeper from the storeroom bring all the account books here, we can check them one by one and the truth will be revealed. Of course, Li Fu has a separate set of accounts regarding the loan sharking..."
Before Cao Pan'er could finish speaking, Li Fu lunged at her, shouting, "You deserve to die..."
Mu Xun had already stepped in to block him.
Cao Pan'er was startled, but still fell off the stool: "Ah..."
Li Fu was kicked to the ground by Mu Xun.
Li Fu knelt down and said, "Your Highness, don't listen to this lowly servant's nonsense. I am innocent."
Cao Pan'er clutched her stomach and tried to stand up, but failed. She glared at Li Fu with hatred and gritted her teeth: "Li Fu's other set of account books is hidden in the room of his mistress, Granny Qian."
“Ah…you…” Li Fu’s veins bulged.
Mu Xi, wary of his sudden outburst of rage, took a step back and said, "Guards, take Li Fu away."
"Yes." Guards from the garrison came up behind Mu Xun to arrest him.
Li Fu was taken into custody, and in desperation, he cried out, "You're deliberately trying to harm me, and now you're even tolerating this lowly servant girl who's turning around and biting me back!"
"Whether they'll bite back or not, we'll only know after the interrogation." Mu Xi remained unmoved.
Just as he was about to wave his hand to have Li Fu taken away, a sharp shout rang out from afar: "Wait!"
Lady Gao arrived late, accompanied by a group of servants.
Upon seeing Madam Gao, Li Fu felt as if he had been saved by a savior. He struggled to break free and rushed towards her, pleading, "Madam, please save me! They have wronged me! They have wronged me!"
It's unclear how Gao Shi is feeling lately, but she has clearly lost weight. Even with thick makeup on her face, she can't hide her haggard appearance. It seems that even a casual glance at Mu Xi reveals her deep resentment.
Mu Xi couldn't help but shiver.
The hatred for killing one's mother is irreconcilable.
Although Gao Shi outwardly refused to acknowledge her birth mother, they had been "master and servant" together for many years. If she hadn't privately relied on Han Shi and had a mother-daughter relationship with her, she wouldn't have brought her birth mother to her side after marrying into the Jun family.
Such hatred can only be resolved through death.
Mu Xi was also mentally prepared.
When Madam Gao approached Mu Xi, she abandoned her noble, elegant, and innocent persona for the first time and directly questioned him sharply: "What is the young master doing? Hiding a maidservant in the East Courtyard and having her give birth to a bastard child of unknown father, isn't this turning the Jun Mansion into a den of iniquity and smearing the Junhou's reputation?"
"Madam's arrival is just in time. It's true that we should let her give birth to the child, and perhaps we can find out whose bastard it is after the birth," Mu Xi retorted sarcastically.
Madam Gao glanced at Cao Pan'er's stomach, having already made up her mind before coming. With a flick of her sleeve, she said, "Guards, take this lowly servant back. This servant belongs to the inner court, and how to deal with the bastard in her belly is a matter for the inner court. There's no need for the young master to worry about it."
As soon as she finished speaking, four rough-looking female servants rushed out from behind her and surrounded Cao Pan'er.
Cao Pan'er had just fallen to the ground and was barely helped up when she was suddenly grabbed by four people. In her panic, her face suddenly changed, and she cried out in pain, "Ah...it hurts...it hurts..."
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