Idle game leads to another world.

Chapter 365 Chain Plan

In the era of feudal rule, anything related to the royal family was a big deal, and the tribute of silk could be a big or small matter.

In the smallest case, as long as the silk is burned, no one will have any evidence. But in the biggest case, once the news of the tribute being found around the silk factory spreads, the Wen family will probably be in bad health...

Wen Peng was taking Tang Lianyu to visit his own silk factory, which was supposed to be a good opportunity to expand his business, but suddenly he was informed by Yang Yiyi that tribute had appeared near his silk factory.

Let me put it this way, the fact that Mr. Wen didn’t pee out of fear means that his bladder is actually still fine.

He didn't dare bring many people with him. He only brought two trusted servants and the accountant who happened to be there to report the account books, and Tang Lianyu who was present and heard what happened. The group quickly rushed to the cave under the hillside to check.

"Yes, this is indeed a tribute."

Because he was in the raw silk business, Wen Peng often dealt with friendly merchants, including some silk merchants who had offered tribute.

When Wen Peng heard the news, he didn't quite believe it, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn't help but believe it.

Qin Yan handed the found letter to Wen Peng:
"Someone may want to mess with your Wen family, but we don't know who it is."

Wen Peng took the letter and read it. His face turned pale and blue. It was unclear whether he was scared or angry.

"Thank you two ladies, otherwise our Wen family would be in great trouble."

Yang Yiyi was about to say something polite when she was suddenly stunned.

"Well, I'm going to the toilet."

"..."

Do you think now is the time to say this?
We were just discussing serious matters, but suddenly someone asked us to go to the toilet, shocking everyone.

Yang Yiyi didn't care about their reactions and ran out, but came back soon.

And as soon as he came back, he said straight to the point:

"This matter is not just about the Wen family. The Qing family is also a victim. Please ask the master of the Qing family to come as well."

"Did Miss Yang think of something?"

"It's hard to say now. When the person arrives, I will explain in detail."

It is not an easy task to send someone to invite the mortal enemy Qing family. If we go there in the name of Wen family, they might not open the door at all. But Tang Lianyu happened to be there, so it is not impossible to invite the master of Qing family to come over in her name.

The Qing family's silk factory was also outside the city, and the master of the Qing family happened to be inspecting the silk factory. When he got the news that it was Tang Lianyu's invitation, although it was a bit strange to go to the silk factory of his arch-enemy, he still had to give face.

Not long after, Qing Linhong, the master of the Qing family, also rushed to the scene. When he saw the tribute silk in the cave, he was so scared that his face turned pale.

"The people have arrived. Miss Yang, can you speak frankly?"

"Um...wait a minute, I'll go to the toilet again."

"..."

This time it took a little longer, but when Yang Yiyi came back, her face was filled with confidence.

Qin Yan was familiar with this expression. She had the same look when she was deciphering the deceased's information before.

"Everyone, whether it's the recent deaths of the two families or this tribute of silk, they are all related to a conspiracy. Someone set up a trap to drag both of your families into it."

The Qing family master asked:

"how you said that?"

The tribute silk was found next to the Wen family's silk factory. If anyone was going to be punished, it should be the Wen family, not the Qing family.

"Please be patient and listen to me carefully."

Yang Yiyi felt like she was telling a story. She cleared her throat and said:
"First, let's talk about the two dead. One was the accountant of the Wen family, and the other was a servant of the Qing family. Both were hired about two months ago. Not only did they die on the same day, but the time of death was also very close. The two were probably sent by the person behind the scenes as spies. After they lost their usefulness, they were killed to silence them. The method was similar to the martial arts left by the ancestors of the Wen and Qing families. The news was also spread to create rumors that the conflict between the two families was escalating."

"Spy?"

Wen Peng was surprised:

"What secrets do our two families have that require spies?"

"Creating rumors of escalating conflicts can only be regarded as a waste of waste in the entire conspiracy. The real purpose of these two people is to obtain the warehouse keys of your two silk factories."

Qinglin Hong retorted:

"Impossible. Let alone the Wen family accountant, if a servant of mine stole the key, how could I not know?"

"What if the key wasn't stolen but a clay model was made with it?"

Yang Yiyi looked at Tang Lianyu, who said:

"Not long ago, Lady Xia Yang and Lady Xia Qin found a small gourd among the belongings of the Qing family's servant. Inside the gourd was a clay mold that the thieves used to copy the key. I have sent someone to make the mold. We will know whether it is the warehouse key after the key is cast and tested."

Yang Yiyi also took out a wax model from her pocket:
"This was found behind the bookshelf in the Wen family's accounting office. Although the shapes are different, they are all used as keys."

Passing the wax model to Wen Peng, Yang Yiyi continued:
"As the accountant, it is not difficult for him to ask for the warehouse key in the name of checking the numbers. It is said that the servant of the Qing family actively went to the silk factory to help the master get samples of the silk factory. It is not surprising that he had the opportunity to touch the key during this period. To make the clay mold, you only need to press up with the key. If you are skilled, it only takes a few breaths and no one will notice." Wen Peng asked while holding the wax mold:

"The warehouse key is made to put the tribute into the warehouse?"

"That's right, but the killer move is not just about framing someone, we have to find a way to make it real."

Yang Yiyi turned to look at the Wen family's accountant:
"Mr. Accountant, when we were leaving, you said you wanted to report the error in the account book to the master. Is the error in the quantity of goods?"

The accountant was stunned:
"Yes, exactly."

"But we are short of 10 horses?"

"As the heroine said."

"Please count again how much tribute silk there is here."

When everyone looked, they saw that there were exactly 10 horses, no more, no less.

"10 rolls of silk that are not in the account book, plus there are exactly 10 rolls of tribute in the warehouse. If you were the one who came to investigate this matter, what would you think?"

Seeing tribute in the warehouse does not necessarily mean that someone is buying and selling it privately. Maybe someone is framing it.

But when we looked deeper, we found that 10 horses were missing from the account, so the suspicion was basically confirmed.

When the Wen family heard this, they felt a chill all over their bodies. This seemed like they were going to be wiped out, without giving them any chance to argue.

"Who on earth could have come up with such a vicious plan! Could it be..."

Wen Peng looked at Qing Linhong, who immediately started to jump up and down as well.

"No matter how despicable I am, I will never use such a despicable method. I swear to heaven that if I tell a lie, I will be struck by lightning!"

As the saying goes, the person who knows you best is not your friend, but your enemy.

The feud between the Wen and Qing families has lasted for over a hundred years, and they have been fighting for a long time, but when Wen Peng calmed down and thought carefully, he realized that Qing Linhong would not do such a thing.

Even if we don't consider Qinglin Hong's character, we still have to consider the risks.

If they secretly obtained the tribute and it was exposed along the way, it would be the Qing family that would be confiscated. Taking such a big risk is simply not worth it. After all, it's not some irreconcilable blood feud, it's really not that serious.

"Who is that person?"

"There is a person who has been appearing in Silk City recently. He has access to the tribute and can even secretly modify the amount of tribute and withhold some without anyone noticing."

When Qing Linhong heard this, his face was full of disbelief.

"Ms. Yang, what you mean is..."

"It is the Young Master Liu who came from the capital."

"But why is he doing this..."

Qinglin Hong was a little incoherent, Wen Peng pondered and said:
"Miss Yang suspects him, do you have any evidence?"

"This Mr. Liu is the son of a third-rank official in the capital, and this third-rank official is the salt transport envoy. He is not only in charge of salt affairs, but also in charge of palace procurement. He has access to tributes. This is one reason. The largest share of the raw silk business in this Silk City is divided between the Wen and Qing families. This is the second reason."

“Why is this the second one?”

"If the Wen family goes bankrupt because of the tribute, who will take over the Wen family's share?"

Originally there were two strong competitors, but suddenly one of them was gone. Most of the market share will definitely be swallowed up by Qingjia, and a small part will be taken by other retail investors.

"I heard that the Qing family wants to marry Mr. Liu. This is the third reason. After all, Mr. Qing has no son yet. Who will inherit the family business in the future?"

If there is no son, it will naturally be given to the daughter, but the daughter is already married, so the family business will be managed by the son-in-law.

"This plan can take over the entire silk business of Silk City. This is Master Liu's plan. And don't forget, he also sent people into the Qing family and got the key to the Qing family's warehouse. This is as insurance. If the marriage fails, or if the Qing family has a son to inherit in the future, then..."

"He will use the same old tricks again, so that my Qing family will have to cling to his thighs, or even more ruthlessly, destroy the Wen and Qing families, and let the merchants under Master Liu occupy the raw silk business in Silk City!"

Young Master Liu's father was the salt transport envoy, in charge of palace procurement, and must have connections with silk merchants in other cities. It was normal for someone to rely on their family's support to help Young Master Liu with his work.

This is a chain of traps. Although Mr. Liu is a commoner with no official title, he can rely on his father's connections to carry out this conspiracy. Once it succeeds, it will be like having an extra cash cow.

"But the above are just my speculations. I haven't found any evidence related to Master Liu. He did it very cleanly."

This is what Li Chengxi specifically told Yang Yiyi to say, so that if she guesses wrong, she won't blame us.

But Li Chengxi also provided a method to prove it.

"If you two don't believe me, I have a plan that can determine the outcome."

As she spoke, Yang Yiyi looked at Qin Yan, who pointed at her face. Seeing Yang Yiyi nod, she suddenly had a bad feeling...

(End of this chapter)