Chapter 52: Come on! Experience the magic of genius killing

Shen Lang arrived at the outside of the Duke's residence.

The Duke and Duchess had already gone to bed.

"Mother-in-law, father-in-law!" Shen Lang called out with a pleasant voice.

"Hmph!" It was the father-in-law's voice.

"Hey, what's the matter, Lang-er?" his mother-in-law's voice was very gentle.

Look, this is the result of putting the mother-in-law in front of the father-in-law.

Shen Lang said, "Mr. Xu has left in anger and probably won't show up for a few days. But the accounts of the Duke's residence need to carry on as usual. There has been a large amount of money and goods coming in and out of the residence these days. If the accounts are delayed for a few days, the next round of money and goods may not be so easy to settle. Your son-in-law happens to have some expertise in arithmetic, so why not let me take over for these days and hand it over to Mr. Xu when he returns?"

The Duke said, "Can't this wait till tomorrow?"

Come on, you're a Duke, why are you in such a bad mood? It's only around nine o'clock in the evening. Why are you going to bed so early?

The Duchess said, "Lang-er has a good heart, can't you speak nicely?"

Then the voice of the Duchess came from inside.

"Lang-er, come in and speak."

Shen Lang still paused outside for a while and then walked in, so as not to see anything inappropriate.

The Duke looked displeased, but the Duchess gazed at Shen Lang with a pleasant expression.

"Tell the truth, what's on your mind?" the Duke said to Shen Lang.

What's most important when dealing with family?

Building trust!

While being smart, don't treat others like fools.

Shen Lang said, "I suspect Mr. Xu embezzled money from the Duke's residence, so I want to examine his accounts."

"Nonsense…" the Duke slammed the table.

He couldn't tolerate Shen Lang's straightforwardness.

Today, Mr. Xu did cause trouble for you, but it wasn't long before you pushed him away. Now, you want to go after him again?

But the Duchess appreciated Shen Lang's straightforwardness.

She thought her husband was too lenient, and this child, Shen Lang, was straightforward and not at all hypocritical.

Shen Lang said, "Father-in-law, Mr. Xu's annual salary is only two hundred gold coins, yet his sons and wives wear gold and silver, silk and satin. Not only do they marry, but they also have several concubines. In Xuanwu City and even Nujiang County, they own numerous properties, with more than a thousand acres of land. This far exceeds his income level."

The Duke frowned and said, "Lang-er, clear waters have no fish!"

This remark indicated that the Duke was a discerning person, but often turned a blind eye to many things.

Shen Lang said, "Father-in-law, you are too kind-hearted, perhaps Mr. Xu's embezzlement of money far exceeds your imagination and tolerance?"

The Duchess said softly, "Lang-er, tell Mother, why are you targeting Mr. Xu like this?"

Shen Lang said, "Mother-in-law, Mr. Xu is a narrow-minded person, but why is he so eager to retaliate against me? Is it just because he has a close relationship with his nephew, Wang Lian? Is there another reason, such as me obstructing their path?"

This was really hitting the nail on the head.

Mr. Xu's slander hadn't come to light yet, but Shen Lang's slander came first.

The Duke and the Duchess fell into contemplation.

Then, Shen Lang took out two account books and said, "These are Mr. Xu's account books. Although they are two very unimportant books, they contain records of the purchase of alcoholic beverages for the Duke's residence's banquets. Yet I have discovered serious corruption."

"Really?" the Duchess asked.

The Duke said, "Where did you get these two account books from?"

"Uh, that's not important," Shen Lang said. "I asked the heir to help me get them from the account room."

He said 'get'? It was obviously theft!

The Duke's expression twitched a bit. What a foolish son!

Shen Lang said, "Mr. Lin is also good at arithmetic. Moreover, he is a man of high integrity and doesn't care about money. Your son-in-law wants to invite him to examine the Duke's residence's accounts together."

Shen Lang's meaning was very clear: I won't show favoritism, so I'll have Mr. Lin, an upright person, supervise on the side.

The Duchess took the two account books that Shen Lang handed over. Although she couldn't understand them very well, she believed her son-in-law's words.

If he said the problem was serious, it must be serious.

The Duchess said, "Husband, it's good to check."

"But…" the Duke hesitated.

After all, Mr. Xu was a distant relative of his wife. He had been lenient with Mr. Xu before because of this.

Countess said, "After I married into the Jin family in Xuanwu City, I became part of the Jin family and should prioritize the interests of the family. If we find that Xuwenzhao did not embezzle, that's good. Even if he did, we can turn a blind eye to it if it's not too much. But if it's too much, we cannot tolerate it."

The count hesitated for a long time.

He really didn't want to be the bad guy. Even though Xuwenzhao was narrow-minded and arrogant, he had been with him for decades and had some merits even if he had no outstanding achievements.

Shen Lang said, "Father-in-law, I am only responsible for checking the accounts. After I have examined everything, I will bring it all to you without expressing any opinions."

The count frowned and then said, "Alright..."

Then he solemnly added, "But let me tell you, Shen Lang, Xuwenzhao is an old member of the count's mansion. He must be given face. You cannot tell anyone about checking the accounts, and once he returns, whether you have found anything or not, you must stop immediately and not disgrace him."

Shen Lang was speechless. His father-in-law was too soft-hearted and too lenient.

"Yes." Shen Lang bowed.

It was expected that with such a blow to Xuwenzhao's dignity, he would definitely not return for at least four or five days, so Shen Lang still had enough time.

But, it's always better to be safe than sorry. He might come back tomorrow morning. Shen Lang would seize every minute and second.

"Yes, father-in-law!" Shen Lang said, "I will go now."

After Shen Lang left, the count pointed in the direction he had disappeared and said, "Look at this scoundrel, so vengeful. I don't know where he got such a strong sense of revenge."

The countess said, "I think it's quite good. He is really straightforward and has not hidden anything from us. He treats Big Fool as just his childhood friend. If Mulan marries such a man, I feel quite reassured."

The count felt jealous and said, "Mulan marrying Shen Lang is good, but does it mean it's not good for you to marry me?"

The countess chuckled, "Okay, okay, dear husband, you're just too old-fashioned."

"I just can't stand him being so unforgiving," the count said.

"As long as one of us is forgiving, it's enough. Mulan is already very forgiving. If Lang is also forgiving, our family will suffer," the countess said.

In the account room, Shen Lang was stunned.

"So many?"

The entire room was stacked with thousands of account books.

Old Master Lin said, "These are account books for over twenty years. Can they be few? It will take months to read them all. If you want to thoroughly check the accounts, you will need dozens of people and at least a month's time."

With so many account books, it was impossible to finish reading them in just a month. How much time did Shen Lang have?

He didn't know, it could be four or five days at best or just one night at worst.

"You only have one night," Old Master Lin said. "The young man who opened the door for us just now is Xuwenzhao's trusted disciple. He will spread the news as soon as he sees you checking the accounts, and Xuwenzhao will return tomorrow morning."

When Xuwenzhao came back, he would take over the control of the accounts, and the count's leniency would ensure that no one would refuse.

Therefore, Shen Lang's audit would come to nothing, and there would be no further opportunity to check.

By then, Shen Lang would have been nothing but a pawn, futile and pointless, and would have lost face.

After the young man who opened the door left, his face immediately turned grim.

He rushed to the room of the account manager to inform him of the situation.

"That little nobleman actually came to check the accounts? We must send someone to inform Master Xuwenzhao."

Once the gate of the count's mansion was closed, no one could leave, and they had to wait until dawn to open it.

"Do we need to set fire to the account room? And burn that little nobleman to death inside," he said in a chilling tone.

The middle-aged man couldn't help but give him a glance.

Damn, didn't expect you, at such a young age, to be so ruthless?

"You fool, you want to die? If we do that, everyone will die," the middle-aged man said. "Go inform Master Xuwenzhao at dawn. It's impossible to check the accounts overnight."

A manager next to him sneered, "With thousands of account books, it will take at least a month to read, and without dozens of people, it's impossible to thoroughly check the accounts for one or two months."

"The little nobleman's foolish ways and his desire to check our accounts, it's impossible. Wait for Master Xuwenzhao to slap him in the face tomorrow."

"But that little nobleman is deliberately trying to check our accounts. He really shouldn't be allowed to live. Tomorrow, I will discuss with Master how to get rid of him."

Such ruthlessness is a characteristic of interest groups!

In the account room.

Master Lin said, "Sir, if you had this intention, you should have told me in advance. Then I could have thought of a way to send Xu Wenzhao away for a few days."

Shen Lang asked, "Master Lin, do you suspect Xu Wenzhao as well?"

"It's not suspicion, it's a certainty," Master Lin replied. "Count Lord is too kind and forgiving, underestimating the evil in human nature. I've wanted to examine the accounts many times to see how much money Xu Wenzhao has embezzled. I even sent a student to infiltrate his accounting office!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Lang was surprised.

He hadn't expected there to be such a story.

Master Lin continued, "That child went undercover for three years and finally gained a bit of Xu Wenzhao's trust, about to uncover crucial data, when he suddenly fell ill and died."

"He was probably poisoned," Shen Lang remarked.

"I think so too, which is why I had Doctor An inspect his body. He found that it was the most intense form of acute colitis," Master Lin explained.

Shen Lang had witnessed Doctor An's exceptional medical skills firsthand, and they were indeed remarkable.

"Since then, I've had no opportunity to examine Xu Wenzhao's accounts thoroughly," Master Lin lamented. "However, I firmly believe he has embezzled a significant amount, perhaps an exaggerated figure. He manages the accounting office meticulously, and everyone here is under his control. Moreover, his arithmetic skills are truly exceptional, and all the account books are flawless."

A flawless accounting book is only perfect on the surface.

Master Lin sighed, "Sir, you are too eager. Xu Wenzhao has managed the accounting office for decades, and without any assistance, it would take at least one or two months for us to examine the accounts thoroughly."

"He will return tomorrow morning, and in just one night, we won't have enough time to even skim through so many account books, let alone find anything. We'll only be alerting the enemy."

One night wouldn't be enough?

It was true that with only Shen Lang and Master Lin, it might not be sufficient, perhaps even needing a month.

But there was no need to examine every single ledger. It would suffice to review the core accounts for each year.

Of course, that would still involve several thick volumes, taking at least ten to fifteen days.

Yet Shen Lang had a brilliant mind, an evolved one at that.

It was time for them to experience the power of genius!

They were not the same!