Chapter 50
Chapter 50
"Mother-in-law, it's true that Xu Wensuo is a petty, small-minded man. But why would he target me, seeking revenge and trying to strike me down? Is it simply because he's close with his nephew, Wang Lian? Or could it be that I've obstructed his path in some other way?"
Shen Lang's words struck a chord. Before Xu Wensuo could plant his seeds of slander, Shen Lang had already sown his own. The Count and his wife hesitated for a long moment, at which point Shen Lang produced two ledgers.
"These are ledgers prepared by Xu Wensuo. They record the wine purchases for banquets held at the estate. They aren't particularly important ledgers, but I've discovered a serious case of embezzlement within them."
The Countess asked.
"Is that true?"
The Count also asked.
"Where did you get those two ledgers?"
"Ahem, ahem. That's not important, but... I, I asked my brother-in-law to bring them from the accounting office."
*'Brought them? He clearly stole them!'*
The Count's face twitched. *That foolish son of mine!*
"Old Master Lin is also skilled in arithmetic. Moreover, he is a man of noble and upright character who views money as filth. I would like to investigate the estate's finances with him."
Shen Lang made his intentions very clear. He would not act out of personal grudge, and he wanted the upright Old Master Lin to supervise him. The Countess took the two ledgers from Shen Lang. She didn't know much about accounting, but she trusted her son-in-law. If he said it was serious, it must be serious.
"My lord, I think it would be good to investigate."
"But..."
Xu Wensuo was a distant relative of the Countess, which was one reason the Count had been so lenient with him.
"Since marrying into the Jin Clan, I have become a member of the Jin family. The interests of our family are more important to me. So let's investigate. It would be best if Xu Wensuo hasn't embezzled anything, but if he has taken only a small amount, we can overlook it as we have before. But if the sum is large, we cannot simply let it pass."
The Count hesitated for a long time. He didn't want to be the villain. Although Xu Wensuo was narrow-minded and arrogant, he had served him for over a decade. Even if he had no great merits, he had certainly put in the effort over the years.
"Father-in-law, I will only investigate the ledgers. After a clear investigation, I will present everything to you and offer no opinions of my own."
The Count furrowed his brow and then said.
"Very well... Shen Lang, let me make one thing clear to you beforehand. Xu Wensuo has served the estate for many years. You must preserve his dignity. You are not to speak of this investigation to anyone. Furthermore, if he returns, you must stop immediately, regardless of how much you've uncovered. You must not tarnish his reputation."
Shen Lang was speechless. His father-in-law was overly generous, his heart too soft.
"Understood."
Shen Lang said with a bow. Xu Wensuo had been publicly humiliated, so he likely wouldn't return to the estate for a while. There should be enough time. But what if, by some chance, he returned tomorrow morning?
"Yes, Father-in-law! I will go at once."
Shen Lang immediately left the room, and the Count watched him go, remarking.
"Look at that, just look. That rascal insists on avenging even the slightest grudge. I really don't know where he gets such a strong desire for revenge."
"I actually find that rather endearing. He's straightforward and doesn't hold anything back from us. He treats Big Dummy so well, even though he was just a playmate from the village. With Mulan married to a man like that, I feel quite at ease."
"You say Mulan married well with Shen Lang, but does that mean you didn't marry well with me?"
The Countess chuckled.
"I did, I did. You're just a bit too stubborn."
"I can't stand to see that boy act so petty."
"It's enough for one person in a couple to be generous. Mulan is magnanimous, and if Lang were too, our family would only ever suffer losses."
* * *
Inside the accounting office. Shen Lang was stunned.
"Damn, there are so many?"
Thousands of ledgers were piled up inside the accounting office.
"These are the financial records for over twenty years; of course there are many. It would take months just to look through them all. If you want to properly audit the accounts, you'd need dozens of people working for over a month to finish."
There were so many ledgers that it would be impossible to investigate them without dedicating one or two months to the task. How much time did Shen Lang have? He wasn't sure, but at most, four or five days; at least, a single night.
"Young Master Shen, you have only one night. The attendant who just opened the door for us is one of Xu Wensuo's trusted disciples. He saw you come to inspect the ledgers, so he will send word before dawn. Xu Wensuo will be back first thing tomorrow morning."
When Xu Wensuo returned, he would reclaim the significant power of the accounting office. The Count, being soft-hearted and generous, would surely not refuse to let him resume his accounting duties. As a result, Shen Lang's investigation would fizzle out, and he would never get another chance to examine the ledgers. In the end, all his efforts would have been for nothing.
After leaving, the attendant who had opened the door to the accounting office wore a sinister expression. He immediately went to the home of the chief steward in charge of the office to report the matter.
"That sickly Young Master Shen came to investigate the ledgers? We must send someone to inform Lord Xu Wensuo at once."
Once the estate gates were closed, no one could leave. They would have to wait until dawn for the gates to open.
"Should we set fire to the accounting office? We can burn him to death along with it."
The attendant said in a cold voice. The middle-aged chief steward glanced at him.
*'My, why is this young whelp so vicious?'*
The middle-aged chief steward said.
"Fool, do you have a death wish? If you do that, we'll all die. Go and inform Lord Xu Wensuo before dawn tomorrow. That brat Shen Lang won't be able to investigate all the ledgers in one night."
Another chief steward beside him sneered.
"There are thousands of ledgers. Just looking through them would take a month, and it would take dozens of people one or two months to complete a proper investigation. He won't be able to find anything in a single night."
"That fool trying to investigate the ledgers in one night... he must have lost his mind. Not even a god could do it. When Lord Xu Wensuo returns tomorrow, that brat will naturally be humiliated."
"Trying to investigate our ledgers... he really doesn't deserve to live. Tomorrow, we should discuss with His Lordship how to get rid of him."
* * *
Inside the accounting office. Old Master Lin spoke.
"Young Master Shen, if you had such a plan, you should have told me beforehand. I could have devised a way to send Xu Wensuo away on some outside business for a few days."
"Do you also suspect Xu Wensuo, Old Master?"
"It's not suspicion; it's certainty. The Count is too generous and doesn't grasp the wickedness of people. I, too, have wanted to investigate the ledgers many times to find out just how much money Xu Wensuo has siphoned off. I even had one of my students infiltrate his accounting office."
Shen Lang was surprised to hear this. He hadn't expected such a thing to have happened.
"That boy spent three years undercover before finally earning Xu Wensuo's trust. Just as he was about to uncover crucial information, he suddenly fell ill and died."
Shen Lang said.
"He was likely poisoned."
"I thought so too. I asked Physician An Zaishi to examine the body, and the cause of death was *jiaochangsha*. He said it was caused by a most virulent poison."
Shen Lang had witnessed Physician An Zaishi's skills firsthand; his medical expertise was indeed profound.
"Since then, I've had no chance to investigate Xu Wensuo's ledgers. However, I am certain he has either embezzled a great deal of money or inflated the numbers in the books. But he runs the accounting office with an iron fist; everyone there is his disciple or grand-disciple. And his own skill in arithmetic is so exceptional that there are no obvious flaws in any of the ledgers."
A ledger with absolutely no flaws doesn't exist; they only appear flawless on the surface. Old Master Lin said with deep regret.
"Sigh, Young Master Shen. You acted too hastily. Xu Wensuo has managed the entire accounting office for decades, so we have no assistants and must investigate by ourselves. A proper audit would take at least a month or two. Moreover, he will be back early tomorrow morning. In just one night, we won't even have enough time to flip through all these ledgers. Not only will we find nothing, but haven't we just needlessly put them on their guard?"
Would one night not be enough? If it were just Shen Lang and Old Master Lin, even a month would be insufficient. But there was no need to check every ledger; they only needed to examine the most crucial ones from each year. Investigating dozens of thick ledgers like these from scratch would take at least ten to fifteen days, but Shen Lang had a computer in his brain. And not just any computer, but an upgraded one.
*'It's time to show you the power of a genius! I'm not like you!'*
"Old Master, one night may seem very short to some, but it will be enough for us. We just need to make every moment count and waste no time. You have some knowledge of the accounts recorded here, so please pick out the key ledgers and give them to me. I will calculate them swiftly."
There were thousands of ledgers in the accounting office, so Shen Lang couldn't possibly examine them one by one. The priority was to find and investigate the most crucial ones.
"Even the key ledgers number in the dozens. It would take you several days and nights just to flip through them once. There are only five *shichen* left until dawn..."
The old master's meaning was clear: not even a god could investigate dozens of ledgers in just five *shichen*.
"How will we know if we don't try? Come, let's begin!"
"I truly don't believe you can do it, but I am willing to join you in this madness. If you can catch this great pest, Xu Wensuo, you will not only strike a blow against him but also recover a great loss for the Jin Clan. That would be a tremendous service to our estate."
Old Master Lin began picking out the key ledgers from the mountain of books. These were the ones that recorded the annual and quarterly flow of assets. Having been with the estate for decades, he could find the crucial ledgers with just a brief search. Eventually, he didn't even need to search; he could identify them by their names, indexes, and even the differences in their thickness and paper quality. As he found the ledgers, Old Master Lin sighed.
"From the perspective of a subordinate, the Count is the best of masters, but regrettably, not the best of lords. His excessive generosity and lack of ruthlessness are his flaws. Especially in these tense times of political reform, the Count prioritizes stabilizing and uniting his people, so he turns a blind eye even when his subordinates have sticky fingers.
While it is certainly a righteous approach, it has given some the opportunity to misappropriate funds. There is a line that should not be crossed in all things, and Xu Wensuo has crossed it. I grew up in this estate and received the grace of the previous Count. The estate is my home, so I cannot tolerate a pest that gnaws away at the Jin Clan's century-long foundation."
There was not a hint of falsehood in Old Master Lin's words. While Xu Wensuo had bought a great deal of real estate and farmland outside, Old Master Lin had never taken so much as a single roof tile for himself; his entire family lived and ate within the estate. As he spoke, Old Master Lin swiftly picked out one ledger after another that needed to be examined and placed them on the table in front of Shen Lang.