Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 12 The Traitor Revealed

The next morning, Lin Chen was still asleep when he was woken up by a system notification.

"Ding! Daily check-in successful!"

"Received: 200 taels of silver"

"Obtained: [Item - Luminous Pearl] x2 (worth 1000 taels, can also be used for lighting)"

"Obtained: [Martial Arts - Concealing Breath Technique] Manual x1 (Profound Rank, Excellent, can perfectly conceal one's aura)"

Lin Chen sat up, a thin booklet now in his hand.

Opening it reveals a complete set of techniques for concealing one's aura, with detailed explanations from basic to advanced levels.

"Perfect timing." His eyes lit up.

Although last night's operation at the gambling den was successful, it was still risky.

With this concealment technique, it will be much easier to act covertly in the future.

This secret manual can be passed on to others—such as trusted guards in the manor.

Just as he was pondering this, Lin Wen's voice came from outside the door: "Eighth Master, Third Madam requests your presence at the accounting office, saying there is something important."

Third sister-in-law Qin Shuyan?

Lin Chen recalled what Wen Ruoxi had mentioned yesterday: Qin Shuyan had discovered some problems when checking the accounts. It seemed she had found something.

He quickly washed up and changed his clothes, then put the "Breath Concealment Technique" manual into his storage ring.

He then took out two more luminous pearls and examined them—they were the size of pigeon eggs, lustrous and radiant, truly fine items.

"I should give my sisters-in-law some gifts," Lin Chen thought to himself.

Upon arriving at the accounting office, they pushed open the door and found that not only Qin Shuyan was there, but Wen Ruoxi was also present.

The two men were talking in hushed tones in front of a pile of account books, their expressions grave.

"Third sister-in-law, fifth sister-in-law," Lin Chen greeted.

Qin Shuyan looked up, her eyes bloodshot, clearly having not slept all night: "Eighth brother is here, please sit down."

Wen Ruoxi's expression was also unpleasant. She handed over a cup of tea, saying, "Eighth Brother, take a look at this first."

It was an old account book, the paper yellowed and the edges torn.

Lin Chen opened the book, which contained the income and expenditure details of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion three years ago—six months before his father and elder brother went to war.

"This is the main account book for the public funds of the manor," Qin Shuyan said, pointing to several locations.

"Look here, on March 12th, three thousand taels were spent, the purpose of which was 'donation for repairing the northern border defenses'."

On April 18th, five thousand taels were spent "to comfort the soldiers in the northern border." In May…

She pointed to seven or eight places in a row, all of which were large expenditures, ostensibly to support the North.

"What's the problem?" Lin Chen asked. "My father is the Duke of Zhenguo, so it's only natural that he would care about border defense."

"The problem is," Wen Ruoxi interjected, "that these expenditures don't match up in the records of the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue."

She took out another transcribed document:

"This is a record that I had someone copy from the Ministry of War."

At the same time, the Ministry of War received a donation from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, which was only 30% of the total amount received here.

The remaining 70%... vanished without a trace.

Lin Chen's eyes narrowed: "Was it intercepted in the middle?"

"It's more likely that the accounts are falsified," Qin Shuyan said coldly.

"Some people use the name of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to embezzle money from the mansion, but in reality they only take out a small portion as a show, and the majority goes into their own pockets."

"Who has such great ability?" Lin Chen asked in a deep voice.

To be able to tamper with the accounts of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and to have connections with the Ministry of Revenue to forge records, one must be no ordinary person.

Qin Shuyan and Wen Ruoxi exchanged a glance and simultaneously uttered a name:

"Lin Fu".

Lin Chen was taken aback: "Butler Lin Fu?"

"Not just him." Qin Shuyan then opened another account book.

"But he is the key. Lin Fu has been in the household for over thirty years, deeply trusted by his father, and in charge of all affairs in the household."

These large expenditures all require his handling.

Wen Ruoxi added:

"I checked, and Lin Fu's son bought a three-courtyard house in the south of the city last year for eight thousand taels of silver."

"Where would a mere butler get so much money?"

Lin Chen fell silent.

Lin Fu was an elder of the Lin family. In the original owner's memories, this steward was always loyal and reliable.

His father trusted him implicitly when he was alive.

"Is there any solid evidence?" Lin Chen asked.

Qin Shuyan shook her head: "The accounts are done flawlessly, and there is no problem on the surface."

I only discovered this after comparing accounts from over a decade ago – the frequency and amount of these "donations" suddenly surged three years ago.

"Moreover," Wen Ruoxi lowered her voice.

"Yesterday I sent someone to secretly keep an eye on Lin Fu and discovered that he went to the 'Jubao Money Exchange' in the west of the city in the evening. That's a property under the Cui family."

"The Cui family?" Lin Chen's eyes turned cold.

The Cui family, one of the "Five Families," controlled nearly 30% of the money shops and pawnshops in the Dayan Dynasty, making them incredibly wealthy.

More importantly, the Cui family has a close relationship with the Second Prince.

"So, it's possible that the Cui family, through Lin Fu, swindled money from the Lin family?" Lin Chen pieced together the clues.

"But what was the purpose? The Lin family was at the height of its power at the time; the father was a Grandmaster, and his seven elder brothers were all fierce generals in the army. Why would the Cui family risk offending them?"

Qin Shuyan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Does Eighth Brother know about the 'Bone-Corroding Spirit Stone'?"

Lin Chen's heart stirred: "I've heard of it. It's a special kind of spirit stone with excellent cultivation effects, but its production is scarce and it's strictly controlled by the imperial court."

"That's not all," Qin Shuyan said in an even lower voice.

"The Bone-Corroding Spirit Stone comes from the extremely cold northern region, and it is difficult to mine. Moreover... there are rumors that long-term contact with this spirit stone can damage a martial artist's meridians and cause their cultivation to regress."

Lin Chen suddenly looked up: "You mean...?"

"I'm just guessing," Qin Shuyan said.

"But a month before my father went to war, he received a batch of 'military supplies,' which included the Bone-Corroding Spirit Stone."

My father was furious. He said someone was trying to harm the soldiers in the North and that the spirit stones had to be returned.

"And then?"

"Then it just fizzled out." Qin Shuyan shook her head. "Later, my father was ordered to go to war."

Silence fell over the room.

If Qin Shuyan's guess is true, then that would be terrifying.

Someone used Lin Fu to embezzle funds from the Lin family to buy Bone-Corroding Spirit Stones, which were then mixed into military supplies and sent to the northern border.

But the father discovered the problem, so...

"So the deaths of my father and brothers in battle may not have been an accident," Lin Chen said coldly.

Wen Ruoxi said worriedly, "Eighth brother, this is just speculation, there is no evidence."

"Then let's find evidence." Lin Chen stood up. "Where is Lin Fu now?"

"They should be inventoried in the warehouse," Qin Shuyan said. "Are you going to see him?"

"No," Lin Chen shook his head, "It wouldn't be good to alert them. Third Sister-in-law, Fifth Sister-in-law, you continue checking the accounts, but be careful not to let Lin Fu find out. Also..."

He paused for a moment: "There may be more than just Lin Fu as a mole in the mansion. You should also be wary of the people around you."

The two goddesses nodded solemnly.

After leaving the tent, Lin Chen did not return to the West Garden, but went to the back garden instead.

The garden was quiet in the early morning, with only a few gardeners pruning the flowers and trees.

Lin Chen walked to the pavilion behind the artificial hill and said calmly:

"Yuan Tiangang".

A figure appeared like a ghost in the shadows outside the pavilion.

"My lord."

"Three things," Lin Chen said in a low voice, his back to him.

"First, Chalinfu."

I need to know everything about him, including his family, his assets, his relationships, especially his connections with the Cui family and the Second Prince.

"Second, investigate the origins of that batch of Bone-Corroding Spirit Stones from three years ago. Who purchased them, who transported them, who received them—not a single link can be missed."

"Third, arrange for a few people to secretly protect the Third Madam and the Fifth Madam."

They're checking the accounts; it could be dangerous. The other ladies need to be taken care of.

"Understood, sir." Yuan Tiangang paused. "Also, regarding the Wang family gambling den incident last night, the Imperial City Guard has made a move."

"explain."

"Liu Zheng went to the Wang family this morning, but only stayed for a quarter of an hour before leaving. Afterwards, the Wang family spread the word that the gambling den had been robbed and offered a reward of a thousand taels of silver for the capture of the thieves, but did not mention the Lin family at all."

Lin Chen sneered: "They wouldn't dare mention it. The ledgers are in our hands; mentioning them would only be asking for trouble."

"There's one more thing," Yuan Tiangang said. "The Second Prince's residence has a guest today, an elder from the White Tiger Sect."

They spoke privately in the study for half an hour; the content is unknown, but the White Tiger Sect elder left with a grim expression.

"White Tiger Gate..." Lin Chen recalled the assassin from last night.

"It seems the Second Prince is dissatisfied with the White Tiger Sect's performance and wants to replace them?"

"Possibly. Also, Mr. Zhao, the owner of Zuiyuexuan, attempted suicide by hanging last night but was saved by his family. This morning, his wife knelt outside the Second Prince's residence to plead for him but was beaten out by the guards."

Lin Chen's eyes turned cold: "You're pushing people too far."

He pondered for a moment and said:

"Make arrangements; I need to see Boss Zhao tonight. Also, give them one hundred taels of silver to help them get through this difficult time."

"Yes."

After Yuan Tiangang left, Lin Chen sat in the pavilion for a while to clear his mind.

The mole, the Corrosive Spirit Stone, the Wang family, the Second Prince, the White Tiger Gate, the Drunken Moon Pavilion... these clues seem chaotic, but they are subtly connected into a net.

And at the heart of the network may lie the truth behind the war in the North three years ago.

"I need to speed things up," Lin Chen muttered.