Chapter 345
~ DUMBFOUNDED ELDEST MADAM ~
Shen Binghuai took the wooden box. When he saw the so-called silver notes, he frowned deeply. “This is not silver notes. It is clearly a pile of waste paper.” “Impossible!” The Eldest Madam screamed and went forward to grab a few pieces of silver notes. She carefully examined them in her hands and found that some of the ink marks on the edges of the silver notes had already fainted, blurring people’s vision to the point that they couldn’t clearly see the amount. It was clearly a fake. “This box hasn’t been touched since it was handed over yesterday. It must be fake as soon as it was handed over!”
Mu Yunyao’s face turned pale. “Eldest Aunt, all of the silver notes used at tNi Yun fang and Bu Xian Luo issued by Chang He. They all have stubs there and can never be faked....”
The Eldest Madam panicked to the extreme. “So what? Could it be that you deliberately fake these banknotes? I never thought that you would have such malicious thoughts at such a young age! ”
“I’ve been staying at Baohua Temple for the past few days. Even when I was in residence, I still stayed in Jiyue Pavilion obediently. May I ask if I have the chance or the ability to falsify a banknote to frame you? You think too highly of me.”
The Eldest Madam turned her head to look at Su Wenyuan in panic. With a resolute tone, she said, “Master, I haven’t touched this wooden box since it was delivered here. I don’t even know what the silver notes inside are like. It must be Mu Yunyao who framed me!”
Mu Yunyao shook her head slightly. She looked at the Eldest Madam with a strange gaze, as if she had just realized her true appearance, “Eldest Aunt, as long as I send silver banknotes and other valuables, I will let people put them in boxes. After that, the box’s edge is sealed with wax, and it will be locked. If you say you haven’t touched it, what about the sealing wax and the lock on the box?”
“How would I know what this box is like when it has been delivered here!”
“Nonsense!” Cough cough … Yun Chun was very excited and coughed a few times before she got over it, “When I sent the box over, it was clear that the sealing wax and the lock were intact, but now it’s been opened … You must have done something....”
Mu Yunyao shook her head and seemed disappointed to the extreme. “Yun Chun, don’t say anymore. These two hundred thousand taels of silver … Just forget it, and let’s pretend that it never existed. If worse comes to worst, we can postpone the opening of Ni Yun Fang and Bu Xian Luo in the Capital for a few months. Now, Mother and I only want to move out, and I have asked Eldest Uncle and Eldest Aunt to agree.”
“No, I have to make this matter clear. If you are so vague about it, I will lose my reputation lose. What if the word spread around? Everyone will think that I, the dignified lady of Su family, am greedy for your silver!”
“Eldest Aunt, why must you persist when things have come to this point? You clearly knew that Lord Shen’s rank was one level lower than Eldest Uncle’s and that without His Majesty’s approval, it would be impossible for him to investigate this matter. Could Eldest Aunt be willing to have someone search the room?”
The Eldest Madam gritted her teeth and looked at Su Wenyuan. She had to clean herself of this matter. If she could not prove her innocence and could only cover it up, her reputation would be completely ruined. Once her reputation was ruined, it would definitely implicate Su Yuyi, who she had raised with her own hands.
“Alright, as long as I can prove my innocence, I will let you search the courtyard. If the clear is cleared, and the muddy is muddled. Only those with dark minds and dark hearts are spend the whole day fighting with evil people and spending their time with the heart of a villain, but the belly of a gentleman.”
When Su Wenyuan saw his wife’s resolute expression, his heart relaxed a little. What had happened before was a little too complicated to explain. The crime of being greedy for two hundred thousand taels of silver could not be committed any further. Seeing his wife’s expression, it was clear that she hadn’t touched the banknotes at all. If that were the case, it would be impossible to have so much silver appearing out of nowhere without fear of being found.
“Madam’s words are reasonable. In order to prove the innocence of my Su family and prevent rumours from being spread outside, it is also fine to search the courtyard. It just so happens that Lord Shen is present and can be a witness from the side.”
Shen Binghuai looked a little troubled. “Isn’t this a bit inappropriate?”
Su Wen Yuan said: “Don’t worry, Lord Shen, I spoke of it myself. No matter what happened, I will not implicate Lord Shen. Even if the Emperor were to ask, I would explain it to him.”
Not long after, the Eldest Madam’s room was searched, but nothing was found.
The Eldest Madam sneered, “Mu Yunyao, you should believe me now, right?”
“Who knows if the Eldest Madam has hidden the banknotes somewhere else?” Jin Lan spoke up angrily.
“Jin Lan, shut up!” Mu Yunyao turned around and berated her. “Apologize to Eldest Aunt.”
Jin Lan unwillingly stepped forward and bowed. “Your servant’s words have no meaning. Eldest Madam, please punish me.”
“Heh, alright. Since you’ve already searched my room once, you might as well search the entire East Courtyard. I have a clear conscience, so naturally, I am not afraid of the villains!” The Eldest Madam immediately ordered the maidservants and mamas, “Keep searching. Shuntian Manor’s men, please watch from the side.”
The East Courtyard was huge, so the search was naturally not that quick. After a while, a maidservant came by and asked, “Madam, do we still need to open the storehouse?”
There wasn’t anything shameful in the East Courtyard’s storeroom, so the Eldest Madam just nodded. “Qi Mama, go back to my room and get my key. Let these people search thoroughly.”
Mu Yunyao quietly stood at the side. Seeing that Su Qing’s expression was sad, she comforted her in a small voice, as if she didn’t care about the search results.
After about a quarter of an hour, an official of the Shuntian Manor came over with a stack of silver banknotes in his hand. “Lord Shen, we’ve found them.”
The Eldest Madam felt as if her ears had been struck by lightning, causing her to be struck dumb on the spot. What ... what? What did you find? ”
Su Wenyuan was also stunned. He stared at the stack of banknotes as he strode forward to pick up a piece of the banknotes. These banknotes were issued by Chang He, and each banknote was worth a thousand taels of silver. This thick stack of banknotes was really captivating.
The Eldest Madam came back to her senses, disbelief written all over her face. She stepped forward and grabbed the banknotes, “Impossible. Where did you find all these banknotes?”