Marrying a concubine to seduce him and lure him into the game

Chapter 176: Being stretched thin

"You are such a daring maid, you stole the family's property and even tried to drag Wan'er into this. You are so bold!"

After that, she took the items and quickly handed them to the maid beside her: "Quick, take all these to the warehouse and hide them. Don't let outsiders see them!"

Seeing this, Mr. Su's expression eased a little.

Su Rao watched coldly. Although she knew that Chen was not a very wise person, she could always show her cleverness at critical moments. This trick of escaping was to push all the responsibility directly to the maid.

The maid was also smart. Upon seeing this, she immediately shut her mouth tactfully.

"Rao'er, thanks to you for discovering this maid's evil deeds in time."

Chen pretended to be sincere, "I will definitely punish him severely."

Su Rao caught a hint of subtle pride in her eyes, but she obviously would not give up.

Su Rao was quick-witted and changed the subject: "I just noticed that the maid acted quite sophisticatedly and knew how to use the fifth sister as a cover. It seems that she is quite familiar with this method. I am afraid this is not the first time. Zhang Xiaoniang, you have to investigate it carefully. Maybe there are other things missing. This way, we can clear the reputation of the fifth sister and avoid rumors from the outside world that the fifth sister and the Shen family rely on the Su family for support, which will bring shame to the fifth sister. At the same time, it also protects the reputation of the Shen family as a scholarly family from being damaged."

Master Su nodded repeatedly, expressing his agreement: "Yes, we must investigate it thoroughly!"

Chen secretly groaned in her heart. This was certainly not the first time. She knew the shortfall in the warehouse best, but outsiders had not noticed it yet.

If we really investigate it, I'm afraid it will involve a lot of problems.

But when she investigates herself, she naturally won't be serious. She is just pretending to do it and going through the motions so as not to reveal any flaws.

So, she forced a smile and said, "Rao'er is right. I'll check it out right away."

"I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well go with my aunt." Su Rao said casually and was about to follow Chen.

In fact, she was intentionally trying to make Chen's life difficult today...

It was all because of Chen, who planned and caused her mother to be innocently captured by the vicious Jinyiwei. Not only that, her mother was seriously injured and has been bedridden ever since. She, Su Rao, will never let go of this blood feud!

Chen noticed that Su Rao was following her closely, and her face gradually darkened. She forced a faint unnatural smile at the corner of her mouth.

"Rao'er, you are following me so closely, are you doubting your mother's ability to manage the household?" Chen's tone was sharp, and her voice rose a few decibels involuntarily.

Su Rao's eyes were like torches, and she was tit-for-tat, with no intention of backing down: "Why is Auntie so angry? Did you really do something shameful and are afraid of being exposed?"

Chen took a deep breath and forced herself to suppress the anger in her heart, but she still maintained a dignified expression.

"Well, in that case, why not ask father to come along? With father present, many matters will be clearer."

Su Rao suggested, her tone brooking no refusal, "This matter concerns the reputation of the Su family. Father, are you willing to be an impartial witness?"

Mr. Su had nothing to do, and when he heard that this matter was related to the family's reputation, he readily agreed.

Regarding Chen's claim of financial deficit at home, he decided to investigate it himself and find out the truth.

So, the group headed towards the warehouse with great momentum.

On the way, Chen was feeling very nervous, thinking quickly in her mind how to cover up the secret of secretly helping Su Wan and the Shen family.

Arriving at the storeroom, Chen ordered the servant to fetch the account book. His fingers quickly jumped across the pages, trying to find clues that could justify his own explanation.

After reading it, she pretended to be calm and said, "Master, I have checked it and everything is normal."

Just as Chen was about to hand the account book to the old maid beside her, Su Rao was quick to snatch it away and began to examine it item by item.

"Can this be called normal? There are clearly two thousand taels of silver missing here! And here, how could the real estate contract disappear? Why did the income record suddenly stop? And here, here... This account book is full of doubts. How dare you say there is no problem, my aunt? Is it because of poor eyesight?" Su Rao pretended to be surprised, with sarcasm in her words.

Mr. Su's expression also became solemn. He took the account book, narrowed his eyes, and checked it one by one.

As a scholar, although his knowledge is mediocre, Mr. Su's insight has not deteriorated, and he can see the trick at a glance.

"Ms. Chen, what is going on?" Mr. Su's voice was filled with severity that could not be ignored.

Chen was at a loss for a moment, and stammered, "Master, this..."

"Aunt falsified the accounts and the expenses are so huge. Could it be that she has other intentions outside and has kept some shady man?" Su Rao's question hit the nail on the head.

Chen's face suddenly changed, and she hurriedly explained: "I have never done this, how can you slander me like this?"

She tightly grasped Master Su's arm and almost begged, "Master, you must believe me."

Master Su shook off her hand coldly: "If you want me to believe you, you have to give me a reasonable explanation. Where did all the money go?"

Chen hesitated for a long time and was about to speak when a weak but firm voice interrupted her.

"Dad, it was mom who used that money to subsidize us sisters." Su Wan slowly walked into everyone's sight. Her appearance startled everyone present.

After not seeing her for many days, Su Wan looked thin and haggard, and even the carefully applied makeup could not hide her pale complexion.

"So, please don't blame mother." Su Wan's voice was full of pleading.

Master Su frowned, with a complex emotion in his heart.

"Alas, the amount of this subsidy is too outrageous, isn't it?" There is no doubt that he loves Su Wan, but such a huge expenditure is far beyond his ability to bear, and his family is almost stretched to the limit.

"Dad, Shen Lang needs to pay for tuition, and he also needs to pay for the four treasures of the study, making friends and entertaining people." Su Wan explained, her tone mixed with helplessness and persistence.

At this moment, Su Wan's feelings towards Shen Jinghong are complicated and difficult to discern.

Once upon a time, Shen Jinghong was an impeccable and perfect man in her eyes. When she "took" him from Su Rao, she was overjoyed and thought that happiness was within her reach. She not only had a good man but would also become the wife of the Prime Minister.

However, life after marriage was much more difficult than she had imagined.

Her mother-in-law is difficult to deal with, and her husband's family members have their own thoughts, but she can still endure all of this silently. As long as Shen Jinghong treats her well and has a promising future, everything will be worth it.

But what she never expected was that Shen Jinghong actually had an affair with a frivolous woman like Chuncha behind her back!

In the previous life, Shen Jinghong had deep feelings for Su Rao. Why did the emotional balance tilt so much in the blink of an eye?

Su Wan was filled with loss, and the gap between her ideals and reality made her extremely painful.

But she had given too much and was unwilling to give up.

She kept comforting herself, which man is not romantic?