Brazen Greed (Please Follow-up Reading)

In a room at City Hall, Chen Mu flipped through the accounting manuscripts in his hands.

Someone stood beside him, explaining every item of income and expenditure recorded in the manuscripts.

Chen Mu read carefully from beginning to end.

"Young Master, these are all the income and expenditures of Golden Lion Market over the past three months. They're all recorded in these manuscripts."

The potbellied middle-aged man beside him explained ingratiatingly.

This middle-aged man was Tru Laredo, the man previously in charge of Golden Lion Market.

"William, take a look."

Chen Mu handed the manuscripts to William behind him.

Chen Mu said nothing, and William silently flipped through the manuscripts in his hands. After a while, he looked at Chen Mu and gave a slight nod.

"Only three months' worth? Are there any from before that?"

Chen Mu looked at Tru and asked.

By then, Chen Mu had taken over Golden Lion Market for several days. Over those days, he had gradually familiarized himself with the work of managing the market.

It had to be said that this was no simple task. It was not as easy as Chen Mu had imagined.

"This..."

Chen Mu naturally noticed Tru's hesitation. He could tell at a glance whether these people had embezzled money.

Still, it was impossible for someone in that position not to take even a little for themselves. What Chen Mu wanted to know now was exactly how much they had taken.

"What? Is that inconvenient?"

Hearing the impatience in Chen Mu's tone, Tru hurriedly said, "It's convenient. It's just that the manuscripts from before three months ago aren't with me. They're with the Finance Officer. I'll go get them for you right away."

Seeing Chen Mu nod without speaking, Tru quickly withdrew to fetch the earlier accounting manuscripts.

Time passed as Chen Mu lightly tapped his fingers against the table before him.

He had learned this from Earl Arthur.

Now he had developed the same small habit. Whenever he thought, he would unconsciously tap the table in front of him.

Chen Mu did not have to wait long. Tru soon returned and respectfully handed him a stack of manuscripts.

Chen Mu took them and casually picked one up to read.

The moment he saw the writing on it, Chen Mu frowned.

He sped up the pace at which he turned the pages. The farther he read, the deeper his frown became, and the room gradually fell silent.

He put down one manuscript and picked up another, continuing to read. The more he read, the more appalled he became.

Well, damn. Just damn.

Were these people really not afraid that Earl Arthur would inspect the accounting manuscripts? They had been so brazen about it.

"Bring the Finance Officer here. I have some questions for him!"

Chen Mu suppressed the anger in his heart and spoke in a low voice.

Every entry on those pages represented money belonging to the Golden Lion Family.

"It's over!"

A thin sheen of cold sweat appeared on Tru's forehead, and a trace of panic showed in his eyes.

"Yes, Young Master."

At Chen Mu's words, he hurriedly nodded and replied.

After a while, Tru brought a thin middle-aged man into the room.

The thin man wore the standard uniform of a Finance Officer. The moment he saw Chen Mu, he respectfully bowed, then stood off to the side.

Chen Mu knew that this man was the Finance Officer, Mousse Carter. He picked up the manuscript in his hand and threw it onto the floor in front of Mousse.

Mousse naturally understood what had happened. He hurriedly picked up the manuscript from the floor.

"Explain this. What kind of circus performance costs twenty thousand gold coins?"

Chen Mu's tone was calm, but his eyes fixed coldly on Mousse before him.

Although Chen Mu was not particularly knowledgeable in this area, he knew that a circus performance could not possibly cost twenty thousand gold coins.

If circuses could make that much money, everyone would be opening circuses.

Not only Tru and Mousse heard Chen Mu's words; William behind him heard them clearly as well.

William was not only a Grand Knight. In his early years, he had also served as Earl Arthur's accountant, so he was extremely sensitive when it came to money.

How could they dare?

That was William's first reaction upon hearing Chen Mu's words.

He knew what these people were like, but he had never expected them to dare embezzle such a large sum.

What did twenty thousand gold coins mean?

A somewhat decent Knight Sword cost only around fifty gold coins. Twenty thousand gold coins could buy four hundred Knight Swords.

An ordinary slave cost only a few dozen gold coins. Twenty thousand gold coins could buy several hundred slaves.

This was no longer as simple as being parasites. They were outright clinging to the family and sucking its blood.

And if they dared to embezzle such a huge amount, they must have been doing it for a long time without ever being discovered. That was why they had grown so bold.

"Not talking? Does the Golden Lion Family keep you around so you can cling to the family and suck its blood?"

Chen Mu was truly angry now.

He had expected these people to embezzle money, but he had never expected them to be so brazen.

You could at least alter the manuscripts!

They had not even bothered to change anything, simply recording it all nakedly in the manuscripts and saving Chen Mu the trouble of investigating.

Was his father, the Golden Lion Earl, really so lacking in authority that those beneath him dared act with such impunity? "You didn't even bother altering the accounts. You really dared write it down like this. I don't know whether to call you clever or stupid."

Chen Mu was somewhat speechless now.

Embezzling was one thing, but they had so casually recorded the evidence of their own embezzlement in the manuscripts.

Just how much had they taken without being discovered for them to dare be this arrogant?

What Chen Mu did not know was that it was not that they had not intended to alter the records. Chen Mu had arrived before they had the chance.

They had never expected the family's young master to come and take over Golden Lion Market. Earl Arthur had not informed them at all.

Coupled with the fact that they had never been discovered before, they had dared act this way.

Watching the two men tremble all over as they wiped away sweat and stood there without uttering a word, Chen Mu sighed inwardly.

"Forget it. I don't care how much you embezzled before. Return the gold coins you took, then end your own lives.

"Of course, rest assured that no one involved will escape. At least you won't be lonely on the road to the underworld."

The moment they heard Chen Mu's words, the two men completely panicked. Without caring about anything else, they immediately dropped to their knees.

"Young Master, I know I was wrong. Please give me one more chance! From now on, I'll serve the family with all my heart!"

They did not know what the road to the underworld Chen Mu mentioned was, but they understood what he meant.

Chen Mu listened to their pleas with calm eyes.

"Now you know fear? Unfortunately, it's too late! Even dying ten times wouldn't be enough to make up for how much you stole."

When he finished speaking, Chen Mu turned to William. After seeing Chen Mu's look, William gave a slight nod.

As subjects of the Far East Territory, the Golden Lion Family naturally held the power of life and death over them.

If the family told them to die, then they had to die. It was no joke.

The two men kneeling on the floor went completely limp after hearing Chen Mu's words. They knew they were finished.

Realizing that he was about to die, Tru's expression instantly twisted. He crawled across the floor toward Chen Mu.

"Young Master, this has nothing to do with me! Mousse was the one who told us to do it! And James, Com, Dov—it was all them! Young Master, it has nothing to do with me!"

His voice was utterly shrill, and even Mousse, who was also kneeling nearby, instantly turned furious.

Seeing Tru crawl toward Chen Mu, William, who stood behind Chen Mu, stepped forward and kicked Tru over.

Tru's words did not change Chen Mu's expression. He remained as calm as ever, though he did give Tru one response.

"I'll investigate."

Please Follow-up Reading~ Please recommendation votes~ Please Monthly Passes~