Green Mountain

Just as Chen Wende was about to retort, Chen Lizhi raised his hand nonchalantly and said, "Let's not talk about these trivial matters, let's discuss something important. Chen Yue, you speak."

Chen Yue, who was standing below, took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Chen Ji, it has already spread in the city yesterday that you sold half of our Chen Family Salt Shop's salt permits to black market salt dealers. Is there such a thing?"

Chen Ji responded, "There is no such thing."

Chen Yue was taken aback and shouted, "Nonsense, yesterday the Salt Inspection Envoy captured a group of black market salt dealers outside the city at a manor and discovered 150,000 salt permits. Those 150,000 salt permits were precisely what you sold to them yesterday."

Official Chen suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Chen Yue continued, "Chen Ji, do you realize that our Chen family is a reputable family engaging in legitimate business? How could you disregard the national laws and family rules for petty profit, and collude with black market salt dealers?"

Official Chen looked indifferently at Chen Ji, "Is there such a matter?"

Chen Ji cupped his hands and said, "To the Family Head, there is absolutely no such matter."

Chen Wende, unperturbed, said, "Someone has already given you away, and you are still trying to argue?"

Chen Ji straightened himself and asked, "May I ask where those black market salt dealers are, so they can be brought here to confront me?"

Chen Wende, with a bland expression, said, "These salt bandits were extremely vicious and did not surrender even when surrounded. The Salt Inspection Envoy had them all executed to serve as a deterrent."

Chen Ji asked again, "Then how can it be said that I sold it to them?"

Chen Wende explained, "One of them bragged while drinking flower wine in the Eight Great Hutongs, claiming that he had hooked up with Young Master Chen Ji from the Chen family and that nobody dared to catch them even when doing black market salt business openly. The Salt Inspection Envoy discovered this clue and caught them all because of it."

Chen Ji responded neutrally, "The lie is well-crafted and solid."

Chen Yue, looking confident of victory, said, "Still not admitting?"

Chen Ji cupped his hands again and said, "I won't admit to something I didn't do."

Chen Yue asked loudly, "Then let me ask you, are the Chen Family Salt Shop's permits still in your possession?"

Chen Ji calmly replied, "They are certainly in my possession. I just finished counting them last night."

Chen Yue's face darkened, "Very well, we only need to check if you are missing 150,000 salt permits, and we can clear your name."

At this moment, Chen Lizhi glanced at Chen Lizun and suddenly said, "Chen Ji, you are one of the Chen family, even if you were momentarily led astray, you wouldn't be treated as harshly as an outsider wishing you harm. As long as you admit your mistake, there's still hope for you. But if you persist in your ways, once something is uncovered, no one can save you."

Chen Ji earnestly said, "Second Uncle, I transported the salt permits to the Silver Apricot Garden last night to personally oversee them. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to move all the salt permits to Wendan Hall for inspection."

By the side, Chen Yue's expression changed, feeling something was amiss. Chen Ji's account books and salt permits were all at Meihua Ferry Crossing, so how were they all suddenly moved back to the Chen Mansion, as if waiting for convenience to be inspected at this moment?

He looked up at Chen Lizhi but saw a flash of doubt in his eyes.

Looking again at Chen Lizun, he was relaxed with a hint of a smile on his lips.

Chen Lizun said to the middle-aged man next to Official Chen, "Chen Xu, send someone to bring the boxes from Chen Ji's room over."

Chen Xu whispered his agreement.

About thirty minutes later, Chen Xu led over forty servants and returned carrying over twenty large boxes, placing them outside Wendan Hall.

Chen Xu glanced at everyone inside Wendan Hall and opened the boxes one by one, revealing they were filled with neatly packed salt permits and account books.

Having managed the salt shop for decades, Chen Yue could tell at a glance if the salt permits were complete in number.

The complete thirty million salt permits were all here.

Chen Ji pointed at the boxes and said, "The salt permits and account books are all here. Shopkeeper Chen, please check."

Chen Yue muttered, "How could it be possible? No, these are salt permits moved from elsewhere."

Chen Ji calmly replied, "What are you saying, Store Manager? Each salt permit issued by the Ministry of Revenue has a serial number. The Chen family was the first salt merchant to receive permits this year, from number one to thirty million. Check the numbers to see if these are indeed our Chen family's salt permits."

Chen Yue abruptly looked up to find Chen Lizhi coldly staring at him with a sinister expression.

He then turned to look at Chen Lizun.

Ministry of Revenue.

Nowadays, Official Chen had long since relinquished control of the Ministry of Revenue to Chen Lizun, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. Only this Vice Minister could quietly issue such a vast number of salt permits.

Before he could think further, Chen Ji spoke to Chen Lizun, "I've been busy reconciling the accounts recently and haven't had the time to concern myself with the salt shop affairs. Shopkeeper Chen Yue is absolutely right; I'm an outsider to this business, and I need to look through the account books to understand how the salt shop is managed. However, there is one matter I haven't investigated yet. According to the account book, there should be 270,000 taels of silver stored in the Chen Family Salt Shop's warehouse for operating expenses... Shopkeeper Chen Yue, is this silver still there?"