夜三更时分,木拍声从远处传来,沉闷而悠长,打破了沈家深宅中短暂的宁静.沈若欣的小绣屋里,烛光摇曳,映照着她微微苍白却格外专注的脸庞.
那碗象征生日的红枣莲子汤早已凉了,被扔在一边.在所谓的"生日晚宴"上,她找借口说自己身体不舒服,最终避开了.她不敢去想,如果她走了,此刻自己会面临怎样的屈辱和算计.刘夫人和王掌柜的对话就像一根冰冷的针,每一句话都刺痛着她的心.
时间紧迫.她不能再等了.
她妈妈留下的梨花木盒是她最后的王牌.除非绝对必要,否则她绝不会轻易地向别人展示.在此之前,她必须尽可能地主动出击,而沈家赖以生存的基础——那些堆积如山的账簿——可能隐藏着打破僵局的关键.
她不仅要保全母亲的嫁妆,还要弄清楚,除了觊觎她的私宅外,她的哥哥沈仲康和继母刘还篡改了沈家的巨额财富.父亲病重,失去了动力.在这段时间里,他们做很多事情都足够了.
不过,查阅沈家主业的账本,远比之前"询问"出母亲的嫁妆账要困难得多.主会计室的守卫更加严格.刘会计室虽然有些警惕,但最终还是听从了现在实际掌权的哥哥和妻子的命令.
黑夜就像墨水,是行动的最佳掩护.
沈若欣换上了一件方便行动的深色连衣裙,干脆把发髻盘起来,用一块深色丝布包住口鼻,露出一双清澈警惕的眼睛.她默默地打开了门,就像黑夜中的影子,融入了寂静的庭院.
凭借对沈家布局的熟悉,她避开了几名守夜人的路线,轻松抵达了主会计室所在的院外缘.果然,守卫着院门口的两位强壮能干的仆人,正是刘夫人的心腹.
全力以赴是绝对不可能的.
沈若欣没有靠近,而是绕到会计室院子的后墙.这是一棵老槐树,枝条茂盛.它的一根粗枝斜靠着院墙.这是她童年玩耍时发现的"秘密通道".它已经很多年没有使用了,目前还能不能用还能用.
她观察了一会儿,确定周围没有人,然后深吸一口气,双手双脚爬上了树干.动作不熟练,甚至有点笨拙.他不在乎自己的袖子是不是被粗糙的树皮割伤了.当她爬上靠在墙顶上的树枝时,她抽了摇头,屏住呼吸,像壁虎一样小心翼翼地溜进了墙里.
它无声无息地落下.
一盏微弱的光从会计室的窗户照进来.看来里面还有人.
沈若欣的心搅动了起来.她悄悄地靠近窗户,从窗棂的缝隙里往里看.
坐在台灯下的桌子上的人原来是会计刘.他皱着眉头,快速拨通算盘,在账簿上记录了什么,脸上满是疲惫和焦虑.
为什么这么晚他还在这里?难道刘家他们有什么新的指示吗?
沈若欣并没有轻举妄动.她只是耐心地躲在窗外的阴影里,静静地观察着.
在房间里,会计刘似乎想出了什么难点.他不耐烦地放下算盘,揉了揉眉头,喃喃自语,低估了自己,"这..."为什么这家丝绸和缎子店有这么多库存?我们几个月前不是刚刚说市场不错,我们从苏州和杭州购买了大量的新货吗?为什么发货这么慢...这种资金周转可能会遇到问题...
丝绸和缎面商店?库存积压?资金周转?
沈若欣的心猛然一震!
沈家的主营业务,除了几块农田和当铺外,是城里最大的绸缎店——"锦绣阁".这占了沈家收入来源的 70% 以上.我爸爸沈万山从经营锦绣阁开始创业,逐渐将沈家打造成江南地区知名的富商.
刘今天见的人是"锦绣布店"的老板王某.然而,沈家自有的"锦绣阁"丝缎店却遇到了库存积压,资金周转的问题呢?这两者之间有什么联系吗?
沈若欣压抑着她的怀疑,继续倾听.
会计刘似乎翻阅了另一本账簿,眉头皱得更紧了:"奇怪..."这几笔给"元风星"的预付款,金额都不小.从逻辑上讲,货物应该早就收到了.为什么根本没有标志?而这笔总和...支付给城西"恒通"步行服务的运费也比平时增加了 30% 以上...少爷最近是怎么管理这个账户的..."
元丰兴是沈氏家族长期合作的生丝供应商之一.亨通船务公司负责为沈家运输大部分货物.无法收到预付款?运费是否异常上涨?
这些零散的信息,如散落的珍珠,在沈若欣的脑海中迅速串在一起.虽然前世不是顶级商业天才,但她接触到了信息爆炸时代,仍然具备基本的商业逻辑和财务风险意识.所有这些迹象都指向一种可能性 - 有人正在利用自己的地位来挪用自己的口袋,甚至...清空自己的积蓄!
Big Brother Shen Zhongkang, does he really have the ability to manage such a large family business well? Or is it that all of this was originally a meticulously planned scheme by him and the Liu family?
No. One must see the account books with their own eyes!
Shen Ruoxin no longer hesitated. She tapped the window lattice gently, giving out the secret signal three times, two times, three times. This was an agreement she made with the accountant Liu in her early years, just in case of any unexpected needs. Liu Zhanfang had received the kindness of her biological mother in the past, and he still held some old feelings and respect for her, the second young lady.
The sound of the abacus in the room came to an abrupt halt. Liu, the accountant, raised his head warily and asked, "Who?"
"Uncle Liu, it's me." Shen Ruoxin lowered her voice.
Liu, the accountant, was clearly taken aback. After a moment's hesitation, he got up and walked to the window, carefully opening a crack. Seeing that it was indeed Shen Ruoxin outside, his expression changed involuntarily: "Second Miss?" You... Why are you... at this time?
"Uncle Liu, I have an urgent matter. I must immediately check the account books of Jinxiu Pavilion for the past three months, especially the transaction records of inventory, purchasing and shipping." Shen Ruoxin's tone was beyond doubt and her eyes were sharp. "I heard everything you said just now." The current situation of the Shen family is well known to you and me. If there is really a major problem with the Splendid Pavilion, how could there be any intact eggs when the nest is broken?
Liu's expression changed, and fine beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. Of course he knew that what Shen Ruoxin said was the truth. These days, after the eldest son took charge of the accounts, many of his operations were rather strange. Although he had doubts, he dared not say much. But if the foundation of the Shen family is truly shaken, what good outcome could this accountant of mine have?
"Second Miss..." This... This is against the rules... Liu, the accountant, was still hesitating. "The Young master has instructed that the account books must not..."
"Rules?" Shen Ruoxin sneered, "The biggest rule in the Shen family now is to survive!" Father is seriously ill. Elder brother... Not necessarily capable of shouldering heavy responsibilities. If someone takes the opportunity to deplete the family business, who among you, me, and the entire Shen family can remain unscathed? Uncle Liu, you've been with your father for twenty years. Are you just going to stand by and watch the Shen family fall apart in an instant?
Her voice was not high, but every word was heart-wrenching.
Liu's expression became even more gloomy. His lips quivered a few times. Finally, he let out a long sigh, as if he had made up his mind: "Second Miss, please wait a moment."
He turned and went back into the house, blew out most of the candles, leaving only a dim oil lamp. Then, he walked to the back door and gently pulled open the bolt.
Shen Ruoxin darted in.
"Thank you, Uncle Liu." She said in a low voice.
Liu Zhangfang waved his hand, his face full of bitterness: "Second Miss, you need to hurry up." There were many spies and ears on the side of the young master and his wife. If discovered, old man... I'm afraid I can't afford it.
"I understand." Shen Ruoxin nodded, her gaze quickly sweeping over the neatly arranged accounting cabinets. "Find out the general ledgers, inventory ledgers, purchasing ledgers, sales ledgers of Jinxiu Pavilion for the past three months, as well as the detailed ledgers of transactions with Yuanfengxing and Hengtong Footwork."
Liu, the accountant, did not dare to be negligent. Relying on his years of familiarity, he quickly pulled out several thick account books from the depths of the accounting cabinet.
Shen Ruoxin took the account books and, without disturbing the guards outside, sat down at an unremarkable small table in the corner of the accounting room. By the light as big as a bean, she quickly began to flip through them.
Her flipping through the pages was extremely fast, her fingers skimming over lines of numbers and entries, her brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed. Liu Zhanfang stood aside, looking at the girl's focused and calm profile under the lamp, and couldn't help feeling a bit dazed in his heart. This second young lady, who usually seemed gentle and quiet, now faintly exuded a sharpness and efficiency that was not in line with her age, just like... The master in his youth.
Shen Ruoxin's attention was completely focused on the account books. Her memories from her previous life are like a huge database. Although the specific business knowledge needs to be adjusted in combination with the background of this era, the core logic and analytical methods are the same.
First, there is the inventory account. She carefully checked the storage dates, quantities and types of various silks. Just as Liu Zhangfang was worried, in the past three months, Jinxiu Pavilion has indeed consumed a large amount of high-quality silk, especially the expensive Yun brocade and kesi, with the amount of silk stored far exceeding that of the same period in previous years. However, on the corresponding sales books, the shipment volume of these high-end silks is very small, resulting in a huge inventory backlog.
"No..." Shen Ruoxin muttered to herself. She remembers very clearly that in the basic business knowledge she learned in her previous life, high-value goods usually pursue a high turnover rate to reduce capital occupation and storage costs. Stockpiling such a large amount of expensive and potentially outdated silk is completely contrary to normal business logic. Unless...
She quickly dug through the mine to buy it, her eyes fixed on the transaction records with "Yuanfengxing". Sure enough, the purchase price of this batch of high-end silk was at least 10% higher than the market price! Moreover, the payment method is full advance payment!
"Pay the full amount in advance to purchase high-priced goods and then accumulate them in large quantities in the warehouse?" A glint of coldness flashed in Shen Ruoxin's eyes. "This is not doing business at all. This is transferring assets!"
She then went through the detailed accounts of her transactions with "Hengtong Foot Walk". There is indeed a problem with the freight. Not only is the single shipping cost inflated, but there are also many inexplicable short-distance transportation records. The destinations are all a few unremarkable warehouses on the outskirts of the city, but the shipping costs are outrageously high.
When these abnormal purchasing records, inventory data and transportation costs are strung together, a clear thread gradually emerges - someone is taking advantage of the purchasing and transportation links to transfer a large amount of the Shen family's funds under legal names!
And those high-end silks piled up in the warehouse are probably just a cover-up to conceal the true whereabouts of the funds. Even so, these accumulated "inventories" can be sold off at a low price in the future under reasons such as "poor management" or "market changes", further rationalizing the losses.
What a win-win plan!
So, where did these transferred funds go?
Shen Ruoxin's gaze returned to the shopping account once again. Besides Yuanfengxing, she noticed that in the past month, there had been a new supplier on her account - "Jinxiu Cloth Shop"!
What is purchased is not silk raw materials, but... A large amount of ordinary cotton cloth and linen are available, but their prices are 20% to 30% higher than the market price!
Jinxiu Pavilion is a silk and satin store. Why does it purchase a large amount of ordinary cotton and linen with inflated prices? This makes no sense at all!
Unless... This is not a real transaction at all!
This is just a channel for money laundering! Under the guise of false purchasing, they openly transferred the money of the Shen family to Shopkeeper Wang's Jinxiu Cloth Store!
And what benefits can Mrs. Liu and her elder brother gain from it?
Then it was linked to the conspiracy between the Liu family and the shopkeeper Wang regarding her marriage...
Shen Ruoxin understood instantly!
This is not merely about emptying one's savings; it's more of a deal! Liu Shi and her elder brother used the money from the Shen family to bribe Wang Shopkeeper, getting him to cooperate in this "marriage alliance" drama, with the aim of legally seizing her mother's dowry and completely removing this obstacle from her!
What a sinister and vicious plot! First, use the Shen family's money to bribe the accomplice, then use the accomplice to deal with her, and finally swallow up the Shen family's business as well!
Shen Ruoxin felt a chill spread from the bottom of her heart to every part of her body. She had always believed that Liu Shi and her elder brother were merely greedy and wanted to seize the family property. Little did they expect that their methods would be so despicable and their hearts so malicious. They were even willing to empty the foundation of the Shen family to put her to death!
Father... How heartbroken he would be if he knew that the family business he valued most, his eldest son whom he had placed high hopes on, was destroying the family's reputation in such a way?
The flickering lights illuminated the shock, anger and desolation on Shen Ruoxin's face with extraordinary clarity.
She slowly closed the account book, her fingertips turning slightly pale due to the force applied.
Second Miss, you... What did you find out? Liu Zhanfang looked at her expression and asked carefully.
Shen Ruoxin raised her head. The confusion and vulnerability in her eyes had faded away, replaced by a kind of calmness and determination beyond her age.
"Uncle Liu," her voice was calm but carried an unquestionable power, "From now on, I will personally review every account and every contract of the Splendid Pavilion." Also, help me prepare a detailed list of all the properties of the Shen family, including shops, farmlands, warehouses, and... A list of all the shopkeepers and key assistants.
Liu, the accountant, was stunned: "Second Miss, what are you doing...?"
I want to take back what belongs to me. Shen Ruoxin stood up and looked out of the window at the deep night with a determined gaze. "And..." Something belonging to the Shen family.