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墨書 Inktalez
However, Mu Junze only needed to focus on the Su Family. Now that the Su Family had made it through the preliminary selection, they could not afford to relax during the subsequent evaluations. No one could guarantee that there wouldn't be anyone looking to cause trouble. Given Mu Junze's concern for Su Che, he would undoubtedly do everything in his power to protect the Su Family.
Mu Tingxiu fell into deep thought at this point and asked, "How is it going with Xu Mu Cong? Has he returned yet?"
"The news says everything has been handled, but Xu Mu Cong hasn't come back yet. It is said he should arrive in the capital by noon today, so it should be soon."
Across from them, Mu Junze and Su Che showed no signs of worry, while only Su Father appeared somewhat anxious, wanting to ask something but hesitating. Although he was nervous himself, having Mu Junze around was reassuring, especially since he wasn't the one competing.
Yet Su Father felt a sense of urgency. Although he was a businessman who had always relied on good fortune and treating people well for his success, he rarely participated in such selections. He had never considered becoming an Imperial Merchant, but now that the opportunity lay before him—granted by Mu Junze—it wasn't just for his own sake. If he were to succeed, it would give Su Che more confidence and demonstrate that the Su Family was not entirely inept.
When Mu Junze returned, Su Father quickly regained his composure, the swift change surprising Su Che. It was often said that a businessman could change their demeanor as quickly as flipping a page in a book, and today he witnessed this firsthand.
"There's no need to worry. The warehouse accounts have all been checked; everything is normal. We've also assigned someone to oversee operations. With your father's capabilities, I believe the President will manage just fine," said Mu Junze, glancing at Su Father, noticing his tension as he tightly gripped his robe.
Su Father cleared his throat but said nothing more. For some reason, he always felt awkward around Mu Junze, needing to show both respect and the authority of a father-in-law—it was exhausting.
"Please have all the Shopkeepers enter! Time for account verification!"
The first round required checking each family's accounts for discrepancies or improper bookkeeping practices. Over a hundred people entered, all prepared in advance. Logically, this stage should have been the least prone to issues, yet some still faced elimination.
After nearly half a month of selections, it finally concluded. The next step involved deeper inspections among those who had already been selected. At this moment, Su Father felt even more at ease than before because their family had always been upright; there should be no significant discrepancies during the selection process that could be uncovered.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside the door of the Su Family. The three exchanged glances and hurried out to see what was happening. They found several young scholars standing at the entrance surrounded by a crowd of onlookers. The scholars were shouting accusations against the Su Family, claiming they had engaged in fraudulent activities and colluded with officials for many immoral deeds, asserting they were unworthy of becoming an Imperial Merchant.
"If someone like the Su Family can become an Imperial Merchant, it will surely bring disaster upon the common people and harm the court in the future!"
Hearing this, Mu Junze spoke sternly.
“What nonsense are you talking about?! Who sent you here?!”
The pressure emanating from Mu Junze caused several scholars to tremble, but they still stood their ground. One bolder scholar stepped forward and addressed everyone.
“Do you see? You accuse us of nonsense without verification and want to pin a crime on us! Don’t think that just because you are a prince and we are commoners, you can bully us at will!”
“Do you have any evidence that this prince is oppressing you? The law applies equally to the emperor and the common people. If you have evidence, present it. With witnesses among the common folk, you can file a lawsuit against me in court. Put away your little tricks; what is true cannot be false, and what is false cannot be true.”
“Everything must be based on evidence. Without evidence, it’s just slander, which can lead to imprisonment! Earlier, did you have any proof regarding the Su Family?”
Upon hearing this, the scholars gained some confidence. They had indeed come prepared but hesitated to present their evidence for fear that Mu Junze would seize it.
After all, who didn’t know that Duke Beiqin was the son-in-law of the Su Family and would naturally side with them?
Ultimately, the scholars demanded a public trial where they would present their evidence. Mu Junze was curious to see what kind of trouble they could stir up, so he agreed to follow them.
He also instructed someone to secretly investigate who had sent these individuals. When they arrived at the court, after some questioning, they dispatched officers to the Su Family for verification and evidence collection. They hurried back just before dusk.
The Capital Garrison brought with them a wooden box and an elderly man around sixty or seventy years old. This man was the accountant from the Su Family. When Su Che saw him, his expression remained calm, but Su Father looked somewhat shocked.
This man had been with the Su Family for thirty years since he was young; he had never been mistreated by them. It was unimaginable that he would betray the Su Family. If not for Su Che holding him back, Su Father would have asked if his conscience had been eaten by dogs.
“Shopkeeper Su, according to what they presented and what your family’s accountant has said, as well as the account books retrieved from the Su Family’s treasury, it indicates that the Su Family indeed had financial dealings with certain officials and had privately purchased items prohibited for ordinary merchants to buy or sell. Additionally, several expenditures were directed towards impoverished families. As for the reasons behind this, I will investigate further. Shopkeeper Su, do you have anything to say regarding all this?”
Su Che calmly took the account book and examined it, just as he had suspected, there were indeed two copies. However, he did not expect this account book to appear so soon.
He stepped forward and spoke.
"Your Excellency, although this account book appears to belong to the Su Family, it is not actually owned by us. Someone is deliberately trying to frame the Su Family. This account book was created by a traitorous servant in collusion with thieves, and I can provide proof."
As he spoke, he waved his hand to summon a witness. However, unexpectedly, an ambush occurred on the way. Fortunately, Mu Junze had secretly dispatched people for protection, but only one remained. Meanwhile, a figure in black on a nearby balcony watched the scene unfold through a Qian Li Jing. Seeing that the target had not been completely eliminated, he angrily struck his fist against the window.
"A bunch of useless fools!"
The witnessing servant was brought before them, but since he was a household servant and there was only one of him, it was difficult to reach a conclusion. As night fell, they decided to wait until the next day to investigate the whereabouts and intentions of the two sums of silver.
However, when they arrived the next day, they found either abandoned houses that were completely empty or crime scenes where people had been silenced. After inquiring around, they discovered that these families shared a common point.
That was, each household had once closed its doors for a period of time, after which their daughters went missing. The family that had moved away did take their daughter with them, but it had been many years since then; finding her now would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.
Once again, the situation turned unfavorable for the Su Family. Su Che did not expect their opponents to act so quickly. Mu Junze had already sent people for protection last night, but they had arrived too late.
It seemed that the mastermind not only understood the Su Family well but was also very knowledgeable about these matters. The two exchanged glances and quietly spoke in unison.
"Could it be him?"
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