Shang Yunruo happily stopped his words. She told Chu Yao to guard outside the door and not let anyone approach, then invited Shan Junxin into the main hall.
Seeing this, Shan Junxin wisely kept silent and directly handed over an account book and a drawing.
Shang Yunruo touched the account book on the table and immediately knew that the matter had succeeded!
Shan Junxin whispered, "This is the drawing showing where the account books are hidden. If the lady wants to find those in other shops, I guess their hiding places are similar."
Only then did Shang Yunruo notice there was another piece of paper.
She immediately called Chu Yao in and asked her to take a good look at the drawing.
After looking at it, Chu Yao exclaimed in surprise, "They actually hid them in the wall of the basement. Are you doing business or being spies?"
Shang Yunruo said to Chu Yao, "Hurry up and send this drawing to Chu Yan. Let Yin Shan send it to the marquis. Be quick!"
Chu Yao answered and rushed out.
Shang Yunruo composed herself and said to Shan Junxin, "Do you want to follow me?"
Shan Junxin immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times. "Shan Junxin is willing to follow the lady."
Shang Yunruo said, "I already know your intelligence. Now I also need your loyalty. If you believe I won't treat you badly, then work hard for me."
Shan Junxin clasped his hands in salute and said in a firm voice, "Please give your orders, my lady. I will surely go through fire and water to fulfill my ambition!"
She nodded and said without hesitation, "I'll assign you a fine horse. Go back to the shop right away and keep an eye on things there. Report immediately if there's any sign of trouble. I'll give you a waist token so you can enter and leave the mansion at will."
Shan Junxin agreed and left in a hurry after receiving the waist token.
Shang Yunruo stood up and walked to the door. The cold night wind blew the hem of her skirt. She silently prayed that everything would go smoothly tonight.
---
In Jinghuiyuan, everything was as normal. The whole family was gathered for a luxurious dinner.
Rarely, the eldest daughter - in - law, Mu Chunxi, also came for dinner. Since the eldest son, Chu Zhuo, had been away on military expeditions all year round, Mu Chunxi stayed in her courtyard and ignored all the family affairs. Her presence in the family was very low.
He Shi didn't look favorably on this daughter - in - law at all.
Although she was from a military family, the family's influence was gradually waning. She was too upright to flatter her mother - in - law, so naturally she didn't meet He Shi's standards.
Chu Xiuyi said sarcastically, "Oh, sister - in - law actually came for dinner today. I almost forgot there was such a person in the family."
Mu Chunxi picked up her chopsticks without even giving her a glance and said coldly, "You can forget such a big living person like me. Maybe your brain is broken. Go see a doctor."
Chu Xiuyi stamped her foot in anger. "Who are you scolding?"
Xue Ning'an said softly on one side, "Sister Xiuyi, don't be angry. Sister Chunxi must not mean that..."
Mu Chunxi lifted her eyelids and looked at Xue Ning'an. "Then tell me what I mean?"
Xue Ning'an immediately pretended to be aggrieved and wiped away non - existent tears with a silk handkerchief. Chu Xiuyi stood up and pointed at her. "Ning'an was just speaking up for me. Why are you being so fierce?"
"Enough! Stop arguing! All of you shut up!"
He Shi slapped the table, and everyone fell silent.
"Eldest daughter - in - law, if you don't want to have a good meal, you can go back to your Yuqingzhai. Don't be like a firecracker, ready to explode at any moment."
Their words didn't affect Mu Chunxi's appetite at all. She took a sip of bird's nest porridge and said, "Mother - in - law, as long as they don't provoke me, I'll keep quiet. I just came to enjoy these last delicacies."
He Shi frowned and asked, "What do you mean? What do you mean by 'last delicacies'?"
Mu Chunxi leisurely took another sip of ginseng soup. "It means exactly what it says."
He Shi sneered. "You're quite well - informed. Just because that Shang Yunruo has checked my accounts a few times, you think I'm going to hand over the power of managing the family, right? I tell you, she's still too inexperienced!"
Chu Xiuyi also said arrogantly, "Does she have that ability? She's overbearing and as stupid as a pig. She can't even win my cousin's heart. What waves can she make?"
Mu Chunxi just focused on her own delicious food and disdained to say more to them.
He Shi looked confident. She calmly and gracefully scooped up a spoonful of crab soup. Suddenly, she heard a servant announce something outside the door.
He Shi wiped her mouth and asked sternly, "What's all the noise about? Come in and report."
The servant entered the main hall. He Shi asked casually, "Have they burned them?"
Today, she had ordered all the shopkeepers to burn all the account books hidden in the basement. Since Shang Yunruo wanted to find evidence of her embezzlement, she would destroy the evidence and see how she could investigate.
The servant said, "The shops... have been... surrounded by the marquis's soldiers!"
He Shi was stunned for a moment and asked in a trembling voice, "Which marquis? Chu Jinli?"
The servant replied, "Yes."
He Shi shouted, "Is he crazy?!"
Unlike Chu Xiuyi's panic and Xue Ning'an's worry, Mu Chunxi suddenly smiled and whispered, "When did Shang Yunruo learn to use her brain?"
He Shi rushed out of the door in a hurry. When she reached the goldfish pond, she sprained her foot and almost fell in.
The second uncle, Chu Bei, quickly stepped forward to support her and asked with concern, "Are you okay? Did you fall? You're such an old person. Be more careful!"
He Shi shook off Chu Bei's hand and accused, "It's all because of your incompetence. At my age, I still have to worry so much about this family!"
Looking at her limping back, Chu Bei shouted, "What's the use of you going there?"
He Shi said, "I know Jinli best. He's indecisive and easily influenced. I'm sure I can hold him back!"
---
In Muchenxuan, Shang Yunruo placed the Jingyou zither in the courtyard. Her slender fingers gently plucked the strings, and the mellow sound of the zither poured out.
With a flick of her left hand, the sound of the zither took on a heroic and sonorous tone, combining hardness and softness.
A series of disorderly footsteps approached. Suddenly, Chu Yao said, "Miss, Shan Junxin is here."
The sound of the zither stopped abruptly. Shan Junxin stepped forward quickly and reported, "The mistress has stopped the marquis. The marquis seems to be wavering. Originally, his men didn't surround the shops tightly. The mistress has been persuading the marquis to withdraw his troops. Now there are even fewer people around the shops. There are only two guards at the door."
Shang Yunruo's suspended heart finally died.
"The time she held him back is enough to burn the account books. Why did I so easily believe that Chu Jinli could guard the shops for me and find the account books?"
Now she was only filled with remorse. She hated herself for overestimating Chu Jinli, which led to the failure of the whole plan.
After a pause, Shan Junxin said, "My lady, is this matter a complete failure? I've gathered all the shop assistants who were on good terms with me and arranged them in secret to observe for me. If you have any other orders, I'll do my best to arrange them."
Shang Yunruo sighed. "Fortunately, I have the general ledger of the jewelry shop you brought. It's not a complete failure. It's just that the evidence is thin and it'll be a bit tricky."
Suddenly, a servant came to announce, "My lady, a shop assistant claiming to be from one of the shops requests an audience."
Shan Junxin quickly said, "He's one of mine."
He went out for a moment and came back with a happy look on his face. "My lady, you have reinforcements?"
Shang Yunruo thought, Reinforcements?
Just when He Shi was finally about to persuade Chu Jinli to withdraw his troops, a troop of cavalry galloped out of the darkness, holding torches that illuminated the night sky of Lingyang Street.
At the head of the troop was the handsome and tall Chu Yan. His cold and resolute jawline tightened slightly. One man and one horse emerged from the darkness into the light, looking like a god.