Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 14 Third Sister-in-law Comes to the Door Late at Night

As night fell, the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion gradually quieted down.

Inside the West Garden Study, the candlelight flickered.

Lin Chen sat at his desk, toying with a copper coin in his hand.

This was found in Lin Fu's house; it bears the secret mark of the Cui family's money shop.

During the day, he had Yuan Tiangang secretly search Lin Fu's room and discovered many suspicious items:

Secret letters exchanged with the Cui family, large banknotes, and several ledgers recording special transactions.

"My lord, Lin Fuhai will be going to the storeroom to take inventory at 10:00 PM," Yuan Tiangang's voice rang out from the shadows. "It's a secluded place, perfect for taking action."

Lin Chen nodded: "How are the preparations going?"

"Eight thugs have been deployed around the warehouse to ensure that no one enters or leaves."

The three employees in the warehouse were all Lin Fu's trusted confidants; they would be dealt with together.

"Don't kill anyone," Lin Chen instructed. "Just knock them unconscious. I need a confession, not a corpse."

"Understood."

Lin Chen put away the copper coins and was about to get up when he suddenly heard footsteps outside the courtyard.

It's very light, but very stable.

That wasn't the pace of a guard.

"Someone's coming," he whispered.

Yuan Tiangang silently disappeared into the darkness.

A knock sounded on the door, neither hurried nor slow.

"Eighth brother, are you asleep?" It was Qin Shuyan's voice.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow—His third sister-in-law came to visit late at night?

He got up and opened the door.

Qin Shuyan stood outside the door, wearing a moon-white cloak, holding several account books in her hands, with a hint of weariness on her face.

"Third Sister-in-law, what is this...?" Lin Chen stepped aside to let her in.

"I'd like to reconcile some accounts with you." Qin Shuyan walked into the study and naturally sat down opposite the desk.

"It's inconvenient during the day because there are too many people around."

Lin Chen closed the door and said with a smile, "Third Sister-in-law, you've worked hard. Still busy so late."

"I'm used to it." Qin Shuyan spread out the account book. "Take a look, this is what I found today."

Lin Chen sat down opposite her and looked at the account book by candlelight.

This is the government's daily expenditure record for the past three months. The densely packed numbers would give most people a headache just looking at them.

But Lin Chen was a financial professional in his previous life, and reading financial statements was a basic skill for him.

He quickly scanned the page and soon discovered the problem.

"There's something wrong with these three purchase payments," he said, pointing to several lines of transactions.

"I have a general understanding of the prices of the household's daily necessities, such as rice, flour, oil, salt, cloth, and medicine. But these few items have unit prices that are at least 30% higher."

Qin Shuyan's eyes lit up: "Eighth Brother also knows the market?"

"You'll naturally know after visiting many markets," Lin Chen said casually.

"And look, all three suppliers are from 'Honest Trading Company.' I've heard of this company; they have a shady background and often sell inferior goods as superior ones."

"I've checked," Qin Shuyan said in a low voice, "Chengxin Trading Company is an external business of the Cui family. The manager's surname is Sun, and he is Lin Fu's cousin."

"They really are in cahoots." Lin Chen sneered. "Over the years, Lin Fu has embezzled at least 100,000 taels of silver from the manor by raising purchase prices, exaggerating losses, and forging donations."

"Maybe more than that." Qin Shuyan then opened another account book.

"Look here, this is a record from five years ago. At that time, my father was still alive, and the government purchased a house in the east of the city, saying it was for meritorious veterans to live in comfort."

But I went to see it; no one lived there at all. It was sold to a businessman surnamed Zhao last year.

"Zhao?"

"Zhao Yuan," Qin Shuyan uttered.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed—Zhao Yuan, a member of the royal family, the Empress's uncle, and one of the participants mentioned in the secret letter.

"How much did the house sell for?"

"The account shows 20,000 taels, but I checked the Ministry of Revenue's transfer records and the actual transaction price was 50,000 taels. The difference of 30,000 taels has vanished."

Lin Chen tapped his fingers lightly on the table: "So, Lin Fu not only helped the Cui family embezzle money, but also helped Zhao Yuan launder money."

"And it's very likely," Qin Shuyan's voice was even softer, "that batch of Corrosive Spirit Stones from the Northern Territory three years ago was smuggled out using this method. It was purchased under the guise of 'military supplies,' but it was actually smuggling."

Silence fell over the study, broken only by the crackling of the candlelight.

After a long silence, Lin Chen asked, "Third Sister-in-law, why didn't you tell Grandmother about these things?"

Qin Shuyan smiled bitterly: "What good would it do to tell Grandmother? The Lin family is already facing internal and external troubles, and Grandmother is already worried enough."

Besides... without solid evidence, alerting the enemy would only make things worse.

She looked up at Lin Chen: "Eighth Brother, I know you've changed recently."

Although you still have that spoiled brat attitude, everything you do is for the Lin family. So I think, perhaps you can resolve these troubles.”

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat: "Does Third Sister-in-law trust me that much?"

"I trust my own eyes," Qin Shuyan said solemnly.

"Your methods for dealing with the Wang family were clean and efficient."

The snow-white jade lingzhi you gave to your second sister-in-law was priceless, yet you gave it away so casually.

The swordsmanship you taught your sister-in-law is exquisite.

If someone like you is truly a spoiled brat, then all the spoiled brats in the world should go and bang their heads against a wall.

Lin Chen smiled: "Is Third Sister-in-law praising me?"

"It's just a reminder." Qin Shuyan closed the account book.

"Eighth brother, I know you have a secret, but I won't ask. I just hope you remember this: the Lin family can only rely on you now."

There's only so much we women can do; the only one who can truly support this family is you.

These words were spoken earnestly, carrying a sense of entrustment.

Lin Chen's smile faded, and he said solemnly, "Don't worry, Third Sister-in-law, I know what to do."

Qin Shuyan nodded, then suddenly remembered something:

"By the way, my sister-in-law spoke to Fourth Sister. Fourth Sister agreed to help you train the guards, but on one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"She wants to test your skills herself." A hint of a smile flashed in Qin Shuyan's eyes.

"Fourth Sister said, if you can't even beat her, don't expect her to teach you."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Is Fourth Sister-in-law testing me?"

"I suppose so." Qin Shuyan stood up. "It's getting late, I should go back. Eighth Brother, what are your plans for Lin Fu's matter?"

"We'll make our move at 9 PM." Lin Chen didn't hide anything. "Third Sister-in-law, would you like to come along?"

Qin Shuyan thought for a moment, then shook her head:

"I'm not good at this kind of thing. I'll wait for your news in the accounting office."

"Alright."

After seeing Qin Shuyan off, Lin Chen checked the time; it was about time.