Chapter 452
"A wise man knows when to bow to circumstances," Jin Xu said, revealing everything he knew to save his own life. "Zhao Chunlai is indeed skilled at accounting, but he's not entirely clean. Most of the Jin family's accountants are household servants, and we rarely use outside accountants."
The Jin family's business was not entirely legitimate, and the position of accountant was crucial. Furthermore, each branch of the family was in a state of mutual defense and competition. Whether an accountant was swayed by family members or bribed by outsiders, it would result in significant losses for the Jin family.
Therefore, the Jin family invested heavily in selecting children with mathematical talent from collateral branches or among their household servants. They would begin training them from the age of seven or eight, and within about ten years, they would be ready to take over the accounting duties. Since their deeds of sale were held by the main family, there was no worry about accountants falsifying accounts or betraying the Jin family.
Zhan Feiyu looked at Jin Xu, who was expecting praise after his confession, and asked, "What about the Shi family? I heard that the eldest daughter of the Shi family was once an accountant for the Jin family."
The matter of the eldest Shi daughter had caused a great stir back then. Although it was eventually suppressed by the Jin family, the Shi family's old residence was burned down, and many Shi family members were either killed or crippled. Jin Xu, even as a junior, was aware of this.
"That was because my fourth paternal uncle took a liking to Shi Nannan." Jin Xu swayed slightly. Having lived a life of luxury for many years, he was already finding it difficult to endure kneeling on the cold ground for half a day.
Licking his chapped lips, Jin Xu looked at Zhan Feiyu as if he wanted to say something but hesitated. Even though he couldn't escape punishment, he might at least gain some favor, as it was a simple matter for Zhan Feiyu to grant it.
Zhan Feiyu smiled softly and turned to Xiao Zimo. "Please trouble you, Guard Xiao, to send some food and a blanket."
This was not a difficult request, and Xiao Zimo immediately agreed, instructing the jailers to fetch the items.
"Is that all?" Jin Xu was greatly disappointed. However, meeting Zhan Feiyu's half-smiling gaze, Jin Xu opened his mouth but ultimately dared not bargain. Otherwise, a whipping would surely make him confess everything, whether he wanted to or not.
The Shi family had produced accountants for generations, and their family traditions were excellent. They had their own unique methods for bookkeeping and accounting. Although the Jin family trained accountants, they also coveted the Shi family's inherited knowledge, and Jin Xu's fourth paternal uncle harbored wicked intentions.
"The eldest daughter of the Shi family, Shi Nannan, was the most talented in mathematics among her generation in the Shi family. The Shi family did not adhere to the notion that a woman without talent is virtuous. Miss Shi privately tutored the young ladies of the Minhe Prefecture in bookkeeping and accounting." Jin Xu, being a merchant, greatly admired the Shi family's foresight.
These young ladies, who were of marriageable age, would eventually become the mistresses of their families. As the saying goes, a teacher for even a single character is a lifelong mentor. The eldest Shi daughter was considered their "mathematics tutor," forging a connection that would lead to them offering assistance to the Shi family in the future.
Jin Xu leaned back against the soft blanket and, after drinking some hot water, continued to recount the old story. "My fourth paternal uncle was very adept at scheming. He used a stratagem to make the eldest Shi daughter indebted to him. During the year-end accounting, my fourth paternal uncle's accountant injured his eye, so to repay the favor, the eldest Shi daughter came to help with the accounts at the shop."
Initially, Jin Qilun intended to use his male charm to seduce the Shi family's eldest daughter, who was then in her prime. Although the Jin family was wealthy and Jin Qilun was refined and did not appear like a mere merchant, Miss Shi was not tempted. She only wanted to finish the accounting and repay the favor.
After the lure of benefits failed, Jin Qilun became enraged and resorted to forceful means, attempting to coerce the eldest Shi daughter into submission, desiring both her person and the Shi family's inherited knowledge.
"What about 'Divine Calculator' Zhao?" Zhan Feiyu asked. Judging by Shi Fan's hateful demeanor, if Jin Qilun was the mastermind, then Zhao Chunlai was the direct culprit.
With a dismissive scoff, Jin Xu clearly looked down on a sinister person like Zhao Chunlai. "Zhao Chunlai had the same intentions as my fourth paternal uncle. The only difference was that my fourth paternal uncle had a house full of wives and concubines, while Zhao Chunlai wanted to marry Miss Shi with proper rites and betrothal gifts."
However, whether it was the former or the latter, they both coveted the Shi family's inherited knowledge, aiming to gain both wealth and a person.
The final outcome of this matter was that the eldest Shi daughter was defiled by Jin Qilun and imprisoned for half a year. At that time, she was already five months pregnant. As for the so-called falsified accounts, they were fabricated by Zhao Chunlai.
The two colluded to cause the death of both the mother and child of the eldest Shi daughter. Fearing retaliation from the Shi family, they decided to eliminate the root of the problem altogether and set fire to the Shi family residence. Otherwise, the Shi family would not have had Shi Fan, a young boy, to support its household.
"All the accountants in Minhe Prefecture follow Zhao Chunlai's lead, especially Kang Ziqian and Zhuang Wei. However, there is another person who has been in close contact with Zhao Chunlai." Jin Xu was responsible for some of the Jin family's businesses in addition to a few shops, and he interacted with merchants from all directions. Therefore, he was somewhat familiar with these accountants. Otherwise, such minor figures would not have warranted his attention.
Upon hearing these two names, Zhan Feiyu connected them with individuals in her mind. With the current unrest in Minhe Prefecture and Lord Yao's iron-fisted and ruthless methods, daring to make a move at this time was incredibly audacious.
The most feared scenario for a false resurgence was by the Jin family and Zhao Chunlai. The former had already fallen, so the one who had plotted against Shi Fan must be Zhao Chunlai, and his trusted subordinates were the ones who acted. Kang Ziqian and Zhuang Wei were the most suspicious. With this method of theft, unless it was someone close, outsiders would certainly not know.
Zhan Feiyu returned after only about fifteen minutes. Lord Yao and Lord Zheng were both aware that Zhan Feiyu had gone to see Jin Xu in the prison.