48: sucker Punch

"My Lords, please do me a favor and tell me, what does the Young Master want with me this time?"

Jin Er secretly pondered, could it be that the Young Master finally realized Jin Zihua was useless and planned to promote him?

At this thought, Jin Er couldn't help but be overjoyed, and his steps became lighter.

Jin Er was somewhat clever; although he thought Chang Sheng Village was a juicy target, he didn't plan to devour it all at once.

Yes, Jin Er intended to take it slowly, which would also allow the Young Master to see his capabilities.

Seeing this, the two guards exchanged glances. One of them curled his lip slightly, a hint of disdain in his eyes, and spoke impatiently.

"What is it? You'll know when you get there!"

Jin Er hit such a soft nail, his face turning pale then red.

Damn it, they're all dogs under the Young Master, so why are you two poodles and he's a mutt?

When this old man gets rich, he'll still ride on your heads and shit.

Unfortunately, at the moment, he dared not act rashly, so he suppressed his anger and responded with a fawning "Yes."

*

When Jin Er arrived, Shen Jianhong was already seated at the head, unhurriedly flipping through the account books of the Qingzhou Wanbao Merchant Guild.

The rustling sound of his slender fingers turning the pages was particularly jarring in the silent room.

Jin Zihua stood with his head bowed at the lower end, silent, the atmosphere oppressive.

"You're here?"

Shen Jianhong didn't even lift his head, his voice as light as if asking what was for breakfast.

Jin Er dropped to his knees with a thud, his forehead touching the ground:

"This one greets the Young Master! May I know what the Young Master's summons is for."

Jin Er knelt on the wool carpet, the faint scent of agarwood lingering in his nostrils.

Jin Er had secretly glanced earlier; on Shen Jianhong's desk was the sealed box of secret letters he had sent to the main guild, the wax seal on the lid perfectly intact.

From the looks of it, it seemed like a confrontation was imminent.

"You reported Jin Zihua for embezzlement and privately pocketing the guild's silver?"

Shen Jianhong unhurriedly opened the box, took out the secret letters inside, and flipped through them page by page.

"On the fifteenth of last month, Jin Zihua misappropriated three hundred taels to cover villagers' medical expenses."

"On the third of October, Jin Zihua sold the warehouse's grain and salt to Li Fu at an extremely low price."

"Early last year..."

"..."

As the contents of the letters were read out by Shen Jianhong, Jin Zihua's expression became increasingly relaxed.

"Shopkeeper Jin, what do you have to say?"

Shen Jianhong raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping lightly across Jin Zihua's face, noncommittal.

"Young Master, please allow me to explain!"

Jin Zihua calmly stood up, bowed deeply to Shen Jianhong, his expression composed and his gaze firm.

"On the fifteenth of last month, a large number of residents in Prefecture City suddenly developed an epidemic. The epidemic was fierce, and to prevent its spread, this one urgently mobilized a portion of medicinal materials."

"Jin Zihua, you've exposed yourself, haven't you? What right do you have to privately mobilize the medicinal materials from the warehouse? That belongs to the Wanbao Merchant Guild. You wouldn't be treating it as your own, to dispose of as you please, would you!"

Jin Er, kneeling on the ground, seized Jin Zihua's misstep and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Jin Zihua merely glanced calmly at Jin Er and said unhurriedly, "This portion of silver, I have already paid out of my own pocket, fully replenishing it."

Shen Jianhong slightly raised his eyes, his gaze lingering on Jin Zihua's face for a moment, noncommittal, merely letting out a soft "Mm" to signal him to continue.

Seeing this, Jin Zihua cleared his throat and continued, "As for the matter of selling the warehouse's grain and salt to Li Fu at an extremely low price on the third of October."

"Young Master, when it comes down to it, we actually benefited from this. You know the value of that Nine Revolutions Soul Return Pill..."

"And the year before last..."

After recounting each and every incident, Jin Zihua seemed to have made a certain decision. He straightened his back, looked directly at Shen Jianhong with piercing eyes, and declared loudly, "Young Master, in doing these things, this one has never had the slightest thought of personal gain. It has all been for the long-term interests of our Qingzhou Wanbao Merchant Guild."

At this moment, Jin Er, kneeling on the ground, was already drenched in sweat.

He stared at the intricate patterns on the carpet, his mind buzzing – how had those "incriminating evidences" he had painstakingly collected turned into Jin Zihua's list of merits?

"No, Jin Zihua, you're framing me! Why didn't I know about any of these things you did? Sneaky and secretive, there must be a sinister plot that cannot see the light of day!"

"Young Master!" Jin Er suddenly straightened up, his voice shrill and distorted, "These excuses are all fabricated by him after the fact! If it were truly as he said, why didn't he report it at the time? Clearly, he only did so when the matter was exposed—"

Shen Jianhong raised his hand and placed the teacup on the table, the crisp clink of the celadon causing Jin Er to abruptly fall silent.

"You mean to say that this Young Master is unclear on right and wrong, unable to discern good from evil?"

"Young Master, please see clearly!"

Jin Er suddenly kowtowed heavily, his forehead hitting the carpet with a muffled thud, "This lowly one was blinded by greed! But this report was truly out of concern for the guild, with absolutely no personal grudge!"

The room was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard.

Shen Jianhong's fingertips tapped lightly on the table, each sound like a hammer blow to Jin Er's taut nerves.

"Concern for the guild?"

Shen Jianhong suddenly chuckled, sliding a bamboo slip from his sleeve. "Then this letter, written to the young master of Yongchun Hall, is also out of concern for the guild?"

The bamboo slip unfurled with a crisp sound, and Jin Er's pupils contracted sharply—on it was clearly a secret letter he had written with his left hand, agreeing to a 30/70 split after the deed was done.

Jin Zihua gasped, "So, the century-old ginseng stolen from the warehouse last month, that was your doing."

"Nonsense! I didn't write this!"

Jin Er suddenly flared up, but then collapsed to the ground the moment his eyes met Shen Jianhong's.

"Writing with your left hand was very clever, but unfortunately... useless."

"If these are still not enough for you to confess, then perhaps you can explain why the medicinal materials you handled always cost three tenths more than the market price?"

"And why, before every audit, there was always an employee who died suddenly!"

This last sentence was like a blunt blow, completely stunning Jin Er.

Only then did he realize that his illicit methods had long been thoroughly investigated.

"A mere peddler under your command could achieve such a degree. Jin Zihua, what do you say?"

Jin Zihua bowed slightly and respectfully replied, "Young Master, Jin Er is meticulous in thought and subtle in his methods. To conceal these matters for a time, he certainly put in a lot of effort."

"This one knew the matter was serious and dared not report it rashly before obtaining conclusive evidence, lest he tip him off, allow him to escape punishment, and cause greater losses to the guild."

When Jin Zihua recently uncovered these things, he, too, broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn't expected Jin Er's appetite to be so immense. Originally, he had planned to endure it and give Jin Er another chance, but he hadn't expected Jin Er to give him such a big "surprise."

Since the cards were on the table, it was time to see who was truly capable.

Shen Jianhong nodded slightly, acknowledging Jin Zihua's explanation.

His gaze returned to Jin Er, who was now ashen-faced, slumped on the ground, completely devoid of his previous arrogance.

"Jin Er, what else do you have to say?"

Shen Jianhong's voice was bone-chillingly cold, as if from the depths of Hell.

Jin Er opened his mouth, his throat dry, and after a long moment, he squeezed out a faint sound: "Young Master... spare my life. This one knows his mistake. This one was momentarily led astray. I beg you, for the many years this one has served the guild, to mete out a lighter punishment..."

Shen Jianhong snorted coldly: "Many years of service? Your many years have been spent eroding the guild's Foundation! My Wanbao Merchant Guild achieved its current scale through honest business and unity, how can I allow a rat like you to act so wantonly?"