sbdcsierra Chapter 106 The battle's turmoil has not yet subsided, but Xin'an's will remains firm
Chapter 106 The battle's turmoil has not yet subsided, but Xin'an's will remains firm
"Losing money?!" Yan Cheng'an raised an eyebrow, took the ledger from Su Jinxin in disbelief, and scanned it quickly.
The romantic atmosphere in the garden vanished instantly, replaced by an awkward feeling of "loss".
"This... how is this possible?" Yan Cheng'an muttered to himself in disbelief, as if he had seen his beloved little cabbage being eaten by a pig.
Su Jinxin rubbed her temples. During the war, she was busy coordinating supplies and stabilizing the market. How could she have time to check the accounts in detail?
Now that the war has subsided, a closer look reveals that many cooperative projects have gone down the drain.
With the border conflict escalating and supply lines repeatedly blocked, goods are unable to be delivered on time. The situation is dire at the front and strained at the rear, resulting in substantial losses.
"It's not just a loss, it's a total loss!" Su Jinxin sighed deeply, feeling as if her heart was bleeding.
The original estimate of losses was just a drop in the ocean, but now it seems like all nine cows have been plucked!
Several timid business partners, seeing that the war was at a stalemate, immediately chickened out and demanded to withdraw their investment, fearing that they would be caught in the crossfire and lose everything.
"What bad luck to have met the right people!" Su Jinxin couldn't help but sigh. These people usually called each other brothers, but when it came down to it, they ran away faster than rabbits.
To make matters worse, before the accounts could be sorted out, news came from the imperial court that the corrupt official Li had turned the tables and falsely accused Su Jinxin of delaying the supply of materials and missing the opportunity to fight!
"Outrageous!" Su Jinxin slammed her hand on the table, splashing water from her teacup.
"That old scoundrel, he embezzled military pay for himself, and now he has the nerve to slander me?!" She had long known that this corrupt official Li was no good, but she never expected him to be so audacious!
In order to get the supplies to the front line as soon as possible, she went to great lengths, pulled strings, and even used her personal connections.
Now look what's happened! He didn't get any credit, and instead became a sinner!
When the news reached Yan Cheng'an's ears, his face darkened and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Jinxin, don't be angry. Leave this to me."
Su Jinxin sneered: "Deal with? How? This old scoundrel is deeply entrenched in the court, how can he be dealt with so easily?" She knew all too well the darkness of the court, which could not be explained in just a few words.
Moreover, there might be an even greater force backing this corrupt official, Li.
Yan Cheng'an stood up, walked to Su Jinxin's side, gently patted her shoulder, and said firmly, "Don't worry, I have a way." He paused, a deep light shining in his eyes, "Some scores should be settled..."
Yan Cheng'an smiled slightly, but there was a hint of chill in that smile.
He slowly took out a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to the eunuch who had come to deliver the imperial decree: "You've worked hard, sir. Please present this to His Majesty for his perusal." The eunuch took the scroll with suspicion, feeling that it was heavy in his hand, and wondered what was inside.
The next day, the atmosphere in the imperial court was unusually heavy.
After reading the case file, the emperor's face turned ashen. He slammed the file down in front of the corrupt official, Li, and demanded, "Lord Li, what else do you have to say?!"
The case file contains detailed evidence of Li's crimes of embezzlement, bribery, and misappropriation of military funds, and even evidence of his collusion with enemy countries and the sale of intelligence!
All of this evidence was secretly collected by Yan Cheng'an, who was just waiting for this day to bring the corrupt official Li to justice.
The corrupt official Li was terrified, his face turning ashen, his whole body trembling. He fell to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly and begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life! I'm innocent!"
"Injustice?" Yan Cheng'an sneered. "With witnesses and physical evidence, you still dare to cry foul? Do you think the Emperor is a fool?" His words were powerful and resounding, like thunderclaps in the court.
The emperor was furious and immediately ordered that the corrupt official Li be dismissed from his post, investigated, his property confiscated, and executed!
When the news reached Su Jinxin's ears, she couldn't help but clap her hands in delight: "Serves him right! Serves him right for being greedy! Now he's in jail!"
Just after dealing with the corrupt official Li, those business partners who had previously withdrawn their investments came running over to apologize, each with a long face, saying that they had been confused and blinded by greed, and begged Su Jinxin to give them another chance to reinvest.
Su Jinxin sneered. How could she let them get away with it so easily?
She imposed even harsher conditions, giving these opportunists a severe beating.
Those around her, seeing this, couldn't help but admire Su Jinxin's methods immensely, exclaiming, "Madam Su is truly a woman who doesn't yield to men! Her methods are even more ruthless than men's!"
Su Jinxin smiled slightly and said casually, "These are all basic procedures, don't be silly."
As night fell, Su Jinxin, having finished dealing with all her affairs, could finally catch her breath.
Yan Cheng'an walked to her side, gently took her hand, and his warm and strong palm enveloped her slender hand, as if silently conveying strength and support.
Su Jinxin looked up and met his gaze. Their eyes met, and without a word, they understood each other perfectly.
"You've worked hard, Madam." Yan Cheng'an's gentle voice rang in Su Jinxin's ears, tinged with a hint of heartache.
Su Jinxin grasped his hand in return and smiled sweetly: "It's all a small matter, don't be so fussy."
The two looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.
While the young couple were deeply in love, the emperor in the palace was also busy.
He was overjoyed and highly praised Su Jinxin's contributions in the war, feeling that this girl was a real gem and deserved a good reward.
So, with a wave of his hand, he directly bestowed a prime commercial piece of land upon Su Jinxin, ostensibly to support national economic development.
When the imperial edict arrived at the Su residence, Su Jinxin almost thought she had misheard.
This piece of land is a geomantically auspicious location in the capital!
So many people would kill for her, but the emperor just gave it to her like that!
Su Jinxin couldn't help but exclaim: This was truly a huge profit!
She immediately convened a meeting with her business partners to discuss how to make the most of this prime location.
The team members were all incredibly excited, offering their ideas and suggestions, eager to turn the land into a gold mine.
“Madam, with this land, our business empire will reach new heights!” a partner said excitedly.
Su Jinxin smiled slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes: "This is nothing! The real show is yet to come..." She paused, her gaze falling on a map hanging on the wall, her finger lightly tapping a spot, "I want it here..."
Su Jinxin pointed her slender finger at the map and said with certainty, "I'm going to build a den of iniquity here!" Everyone gasped. A den of iniquity?
Madam, your generosity is truly astounding!
This is no ordinary shop; it's a super commercial complex that integrates entertainment, shopping, and dining!
"Madam is brilliant!" An excited companion was the first to react, leading the applause. "Once this money pit is built, it will surely bring in a fortune every day, with wealth rolling in!"
The other partners echoed this sentiment, their eyes gleaming with a desire for future wealth.
Su Jinxin's lips curled up slightly as she thought to herself: This is nothing compared to what I've achieved. My goal is to build a business empire!
However, the ideal is full, and the reality is very skinny.
Just as Su Jinxin was preparing to make great strides, border war broke out again, and General Wang's letters requesting reinforcements came like snowflakes.
In the letter, General Wang spoke with urgency, stating bluntly that the army's food supplies were running low and pay was insufficient; if no further support was received, he feared...
"Outrageous!" Su Jinxin slammed her hand on the table and stood up. This corrupt official Li actually dared to embezzle military pay!
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. Now was not the time to be angry; she needed to find a way to solve the problem.
"Madam, please don't worry, leave this matter to me," Yan Cheng'an said calmly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Su Jinxin nodded. With Yan Cheng'an around, she always felt much more at ease.
"Alright, go and investigate this matter. I'll focus on calming the troops down here."
So, Su Jinxin had to raise funds and supplies while also appeasing General Wang. At the same time, she also had to deal with those "pig teammates" who were panicking because of the renewed war and wanted to withdraw their investments.
“Madam, the border war is intense right now, shouldn’t we put this extravagant project on hold for now?” a partner suggested cautiously.
Su Jinxin gave him a half-smile: "Take it easy? You've probably forgotten who was crying and begging to join my team back then, haven't you?"
The companion trembled at Su Jinxin's gaze and hurriedly waved his hands, "No, no, no, Madam, you've misunderstood, I..."
"Alright, what time is it? Still thinking about withdrawing your investment?" Another partner couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to say, "You call yourself a businessman? You can't even take this much risk. You should go home and take care of your kids!"
"You!" The companion's face turned red with anger, but he dared not refute and could only shut his mouth in frustration.
Su Jinxin looked around at everyone, her tone firm: "Everyone, I know what you're worried about, but it's precisely at times like these that we mustn't lose our composure. As long as we work together, there's no difficulty we can't overcome!"
Inspired by Su Jinxin's imposing presence, everyone expressed their willingness to stand with her through thick and thin.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and a servant rushed in, his face panicked: "Madam, something terrible has happened..."