AWB Chapter 2112 Ancestral Skills
Chapter 2112 Ancestral Skills
A cold, mocking smile appeared on Mu Huanying's lips.
"In 40, before the sun had even risen the next day, the Mu family's three antique shops in Liulichang—Fengyaxuan, Boguzhai, and Langdangting—were looted by a group of unidentified thugs under the pretext of confiscating contraband property. Priceless paintings, calligraphy, porcelain, and ancient books were all stolen!"
"No one knows who stole these antiques from the Mu family, and no one has found out the truth! However, not long after, the best of these stolen goods appeared on the shelves of the Treasure Pavilion, which you, Yan Qinghe, secretly invested in and which was run by your cousin, Yan Qingyan. They were sold at high prices under the guise of war relics, which immediately aroused speculation throughout Yanjing!"
boom!
Upon hearing this, Yan Qinghe's gaunt face twitched several times, and his cloudy old eyes widened in shock as he looked at Mu Huanying in disbelief.
He seemed to never have imagined that such a secret and top-secret matter could have been discovered by the other party!
Is this a coincidence?
In the silence, Mu Huanying turned to meet Yan Qinghe's surprised and suspicious eyes. The latter suddenly shrank his neck and lowered his head. His expression revealed who was behind the trouble.
"You thought you were doing it secretly, but little did you know, the person who paved the way for you and facilitated the raid was a section chief under the high-ranking official who took over the business. This man passed away in Hong Kong four years ago, and his diary was sold to me by his descendants. It contains a detailed record of how he accepted two gold bars from you and how he helped you with this matter!"
"A copy of the diary is in the drawer of my desk in my room!"
Yan Qinghe's smile froze completely, and all color drained from his face.
He thought he had done it secretly back then, using several white gloves and connections to make it look completely real.
But in the end, one link was still missing!
That section chief with long arms actually kept a diary!
How could that greedy section chief be so bored as to write this down, and it ended up in Mu Huanying's hands?!
"No...no, Sister Mu, this must be a misunderstanding! Someone framed me! That Treasure Pavilion has nothing to do with me. I only went there occasionally because of our family relationship. I really don't know anything about these things!"
Yan Qinghe was still making a last-ditch effort, his voice hoarse, his eyes darting around in a panic, searching for a way to escape, just like an old fox caught in a trap.
"Hehe, Yan Qinghe, your Yan family's reputation as a fox is not for nothing."
Mu Huanying showed no mercy, "Scheming and speculation, taking risks, attaching yourself to the powerful and wealthy, and getting a share of the bloody soup—isn't that the very skill that brought your Yan family to power?"
"You say you come from a humble family, but have you calculated the exact value of the treasures in those three shops?"
Mu Huanying stared at him coldly, her voice instilling fear in everyone present.
"You keep saying it has nothing to do with you, so do I need to read you a list of how you used your connections, who you bribed, and how you gradually embezzled the Mu family's other scattered assets?"
Yan Qinghe opened his mouth, but could no longer make a sound. Cold sweat soaked through his inner shirt, and his thin body trembled slightly.
He knew that his smooth sophistry had completely failed him, given that the other side had so much substantial information.
Mu Huanying snorted, her gaze passing over him and naturally landing on Qian Houjin at the edge of the crowd, the one who had previously been the most obedient and even secretly inclined towards Li Xiangnan.
Qian Houjin's feelings at this moment were extremely complicated.
Fear is natural, after all, the Qian family wasn't exactly clean back then.
But more than anything, it was an anxiety to prove himself, to distance himself from the situation, and to show loyalty to Li Xiangnan.
Before Mu Huanying could speak, Qian Houjin gritted his teeth, staggered forward a few steps, and then knelt down in front of Mu Huanying and Li Xiangnan with a thud.
"Senior Master Mu! Doctor Li!"
His voice was choked with sobs, yet exceptionally loud, ensuring that everyone in the room could hear him clearly.
"On behalf of the Qian family, I, Qian Houjin, apologize to the Mu family and to Doctor Li!"
This sudden kneeling and abrupt change in attitude stunned everyone.
Boom!
Qian Houjin kowtowed twice, then raised his head, his face streaked with tears and snot, displaying remarkable acting skills.
"Our Qian family... had shallow roots and short-sightedness back then! During the years of the War of Resistance, and even later when we established ourselves in Yenching... it's true... it's possible that we followed others, fished in troubled waters, and got involved in some things we shouldn't have!"
"But I was too young to know the specifics, and I wasn't involved in things at the time, so I probably don't know!"
"But since Senior Mu wrote it down in the book, it must be there!"
His words were extremely cunning. He first admitted that he might be guilty, but then shifted the blame to the past and others, making himself appear as an uninformed bystander who was forced into the situation.
"Your sister, Qian Laosan..."
As soon as he said that, Zong Wangshan, who was trembling with fear, was the first to react. He hated that this guy's ability to change his mind with the wind and his shamelessness far surpassed his own.
Even Ye Ruyan, Hou Wanjin, Yan Hu, and the others felt that Qian Houjin was really too daring, and they began to admire him.
But Qian Houjin didn't care what his colleagues in the lower five ranks thought of him, nor did he care how much Chen, Wang, Lu, and Han in the middle five ranks despised him. He changed the subject and his tone became quite sincere and heartbroken.
"Elder Mu! I, Qian Houjin, will make this clear today! As long as Elder Mu and Doctor Li point out what our Qian family took from the Mu family back then, what advantages we gained from them, whether it was property, shops, or money!"
"As long as the evidence is conclusive, our Qian family will accept it! Without a second thought! We will repay what is owed and compensate what is due! Even if it means going bankrupt and having to cut off our own flesh and bones, we will not hesitate! We only ask that the Mu family and Doctor Li give the Qian family a chance to repent and make amends! After all, back then, the circumstances were complicated, and everyone would do anything for a bite to eat. Please have some understanding!"
After saying this, Qian Houjin kowtowed heavily again and remained prostrate on the ground.
This performance was truly spectacular!
He neither specifically admitted to any of the crimes committed back then, because Mu Huanying hadn't had a chance to say so, nor did he adopt the most sincere attitude of admitting guilt and repenting and accepting punishment. He especially emphasized that the evidence was conclusive, and cleverly passed the buck back to Mu Huanying, while at the same time showing great goodwill towards Li Xiangnan.
This can be said to have brought the Qian family’s ancestral skill of currying favor and changing course with the wind to its extreme.
Mu Huanying looked at him with indifferent eyes, showing little emotion.
She was well aware of Qian Houjin's thoughts.
She quickly skimmed the part of the notes about the Qian family, not reading it aloud in detail, but simply summarizing it coldly:
"Forty years later, the Qian family, through marriage, took over the management of the Mu family's fourteen courtyard houses and street-front shops on both sides of Nanchizi Street at extremely low prices. Later, through illegal means, they seized these properties!"
"There are clues to this matter, such as the secret accounts left by the Qian family's accountant from back then!"
"..." Qian Houjin's face stiffened.
"Since Master Qian is so understanding and righteous, then you can verify the details yourself later and come up with a compensation plan!"
Qian Houjin was startled, thinking to himself that this old woman was so powerful that she had even found clues about his family's secret methods, such as using marriage alliances and keeping secret accounts.
But now that he had decided to pledge allegiance to the Li family, he had no other thoughts. Overwhelmed with gratitude, he kowtowed repeatedly and said, "Yes, yes, yes, the Qian family will definitely verify everything and give the Mu family and Doctor Li a satisfactory explanation!"
"Humph!"
Mu Huanying ignored him and instead turned her attention to Hou Wanjin, the last of the remaining five lower-ranked families, and Chen Wang Lu Han, the last four of the middle-ranked families.