Chapter 25: One Rat Shit Spoils the Whole Barrel
Lu Zhiran flipped through the pages, reading slowly and steadily. Chu Yian looked at the thick account book, unable to conceal the shock in his eyes.
He raised his voice, "How is this possible? The Marquis' Mansion is a well-known and respected family in the capital. How could they owe you such a small amount of money?"
Lu Zhiran turned her gaze to Jiang, "If you don't believe me, you can ask mother."
Unexpectedly, Jiang flatly denied it.
"That's ridiculous! When did the Marquisate ever owe you this much money? Every time the Marquisate made a purchase from your shop, they always paid in full."
After hearing what his mother said, Chu Yian's anger suddenly burned even more fiercely, and the look in his eyes when he looked at Lu Zhiran was filled with deep disappointment.
"Lu Zhiran, how dare you forge the account books? Are you crazy about money? How dare you plot against the Marquis' Mansion!"
Lu Zhiran ignored Chu Yian and just looked at Jiang with a half-smile.
"Mother, have you really forgotten? Every single account has a traceable path."
Jiang sneered, "Even if I'm old and my eyesight is blurry, I wouldn't be able to misremember something this important. I'd like to ask you, where did this so-called account book come from?"
Jiang's eyes were stern, full of accusation.
She didn't feel guilty at all. She had people in those shops, and after so many years, they must have settled those accounts long ago.
Lu Zhiran said firmly, "This is the account book that Manager Tan gave me. How could there be any mistakes? For the past few years, my shop in the capital has been managed by Manager Tan, and he has never made a mistake."
Chu Yian found this incredibly absurd. "Just based on an account book given to you by an outsider, you suspect the Marquisate owes you money? In your heart, a steward is more trustworthy than your mother's words?"
Jiang looked at her with disappointment in her eyes. "You should go back and investigate this Manager Tan. You've lived in the inner chambers for so long and haven't personally managed the business. I'm afraid all the money the Marquis' Mansion has spent on your shop over the years has gone into his pocket!"
Tan Xuwen is a shrewd person and is not easy to fool. With him around, the people under Jiang have to be more restrained in their behavior. Jiang has long felt that he is an eyesore and is taking this opportunity to stir up trouble so that Lu Zhiran can replace the person herself.
Lu Zhiran seemed to have nothing to say, and there was a hint of suspicion in her eyes as she looked at the account book in her hand.
Seeing that she finally had nothing to say, Jiang's frustration was finally relieved a little.
Chu Yian looked at her with disdain, "With your ability to judge people, even the largest business would be squandered in your hands!"
Jiang sighed softly, "I have indeed sent you many capable and loyal people, who would never do such a thing as enriching themselves. It's a pity that all those talents were buried and not put to good use. Instead, I have raised a rat."
At this moment, an anxious voice came from outside, "Madam, it's bad! Manager He's mother is outside asking to see him. She said that Manager He was taken away by the government! He used old tea as inferior quality tea to deceive customers and make a profit..."
After seeing the situation in the house, the panicked voice stopped abruptly.
But everyone in the room heard clearly what they should have heard.
The expression on Jiang's face froze instantly.
Before she could finish her words, a slap came towards her.
It hurts so much!
Chu Yian didn't react for a moment, but he got angry when he heard this.
"These servants are truly insatiable. The master has provided for them well, but this has only widened their appetites! We must not keep such insane creatures around, otherwise, one rat shit will spoil the whole barrel."
Jiang let out a choking cough.
Lu Zhiran almost laughed out loud, but she held it back with great grace.
She turned to the old woman who had delivered the message and asked, "Which steward are you talking about?"
The messenger's voice was much weaker than before. "Yes, it's Mr. He, the manager of your Pinxiangming Tea House."
Chu Yian immediately sneered at Lu Zhiran, "These are the people you picked? They're all parasites who just sit there doing nothing but eating for free!"
Jiang: "Cough cough cough..."
Lu Zhiran lowered her head and covered her lips, hiding the corners of her lips that she couldn't suppress no matter what she did.
After laughing enough, she looked up and reminded him seriously.
"I'm sorry, you're mistaken. This Steward He wasn't chosen by me. My mother personally selected him for me. He's incredibly capable and loyal, and he'll never embezzle anything."
Chu Yian: ...
He looked as if he had been slapped several times by himself. His expression was very strange and he did not react for a long time.
When he realized that Lu Zhiran was trying to hold back her laughter, he felt extremely ashamed and angry.
He tried to make amends very bluntly, "I just misheard. Manager He has always been honest and dutiful, how could he be so dishonest?"
Lu Zhiran smiled faintly, "I'm also worried about some misunderstanding. After all, Manager He is the person that Mother strongly recommended. His character shouldn't be so bad."
No matter how she said it, it sounded like she was being sarcastic.
Chu Yian vented his anger on the messenger and shouted angrily, "Tell me quickly, what is going on?"
The old woman who delivered the message shuddered with fear, fell to her knees, and spoke haltingly.
"That distinguished guest originally bought tea to offer to his superiors in hopes of a promotion, but instead received stale tea. Not only did he fail to accomplish his mission, he also made enemies with his superiors. He was so angry that he reported the matter to the authorities."
Chu Yian changed his attitude and began to defend Manager He.
"Have the authorities come to a conclusion yet? If they haven't, how can we determine who is responsible for this?"
The messenger shook her head, "I don't know."
Chu Yian seemed to have finally found some confidence. "How can this matter be based on just one person's one-sided statement? Whether Manager He is clean or not is the prefectural governor's decision, not that so-called distinguished guest."
Chu Yian suspected that the so-called distinguished guest was deliberately arranged by someone just to frame Manager He.
The person who arranged this drama was none other than Lu Zhiran.
Lu Zhiran spoke slowly, "According to the timeline, the results of the government review should be out. We can send someone to the government office now to find out."
Jiang's eyelids twitched.
She knows better than anyone whether Manager He is clean or not, and he cannot stand the investigation!
Jiang was about to excuse herself from the matter by saying she was feeling unwell when a message came in from outside, "Madam, Madam Jin, the young mistress's assistant, wants to see you. She wants to report on the trial of Steward He."
Lu Zhiran showed a look of sudden realization. "I think the government has announced the result. Manager Tan has passed the news to the wet nurse. Let's call the wet nurse in and ask her about the result."
Jiang: "No..."
She rubbed her head and was about to pretend to be sick, but Chu Yian's voice had already drowned her out.
"Send the person in!"
Jiang: ...He is really her good son!
Nanny Jin walked in quickly and bowed to the masters sitting at the top.
Lu Zhiran: "Nurse, has the trial of Manager He at the government office yielded any results?"
Nanny Jin spoke in a loud voice, "That's right. Manager He was accused by a customer of selling inferior goods as good ones and deceiving them. At first, he denied it, but fortunately, the official was very perceptive and sent people to search his study in the teahouse. They found a lot of evidence!"
"In the secret compartment of that study, there are several forged account books, all of which contain evidence of how he has abused his position to enrich himself and profit over the years."
"The prefect sent people to search his private residence again, and they found a lot of dirty silver, more than five thousand taels!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
