Reborn and married in a swapped marriage, my aloof husband is too ruthless.

A flash of cold light appeared, not from a drawn sword, but from... a gold ingot landed steadily in the hand of one of the guards.

Yan Cheng'an smiled slightly, his expression meaningful: "Now, may we open the door?"

The two guards were stunned for a moment, weighing the heavy gold ingots in their hands, and then their expressions changed instantly: "Oh, young master, you are too kind! We are just doing our duty. Since you have given the order, we will open the door right away!" The heavy wooden door creaked open, revealing the dim light inside the accounting room.

Su Jinxin and Yan Chengan stepped inside. Inside the accounting room, Steward Qian sat upright, holding a cup of hot tea, looking quite relaxed.

Accountant Zhou kept his head down, fiddling with the abacus, looking nervous, his fingers trembling slightly.

Upon seeing Su Jinxin enter, Butler Qian immediately stood up, his face plastered with a fake smile: "Miss, it's an honor to have you grace our humble abode! May I ask what brings you here?"

Su Jinxin didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Butler Qian, I've come to take a look at the account books."

Butler Qian's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal: "The ledger? Of course, Miss, please take a look." As he spoke, he handed a thick ledger to Su Jinxin.

Su Jinxin took the ledger, casually flipped through a few pages, and her brows furrowed tightly.

The records in this ledger can only be described as a complete mess.

Not only was the handwriting illegible, but the numbers in many places didn't match up, and there were even obvious signs of erasure.

She looked at Butler Qian with a half-smile: "Butler Qian, is this the kind of accounting you manage? You're probably just trying to fool someone."

The housekeeper's forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, but he tried to remain calm and said, "Miss, there are so many accounts, it's inevitable that there will be omissions. Please forgive me."

Mr. Zhou, the accountant standing to the side, was deathly pale, his lips trembling, but he dared not utter a single word.

Su Jinxin threw the account book onto the table with a loud "thud," making the teacups jump.

Her gaze was piercing as she stared directly at Butler Qian, her tone icy: "Butler Qian, do you take me for a fool? This ledger has clearly been tampered with!"

The housekeeper's face changed drastically, and he stammered, unable to speak.

Su Jinxin sneered and turned to look at Accountant Zhou: "Mr. Zhou, you tell me, what exactly is going on with this ledger?"

Accountant Zhou trembled with fright. He glanced at Steward Qian, then at Su Jinxin, and finally lowered his head, not daring to say a word.

Seeing this, Su Jinxin understood.

She slowly walked up to Mr. Zhou, bent down, and said softly, "Mr. Zhou, don't be afraid. As long as you tell me the truth, I promise I won't let you get hurt."

Accountant Zhou looked up, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.

Su Jinxin continued, "I know you were forced into this situation, but you also need to understand that secrets can't stay hidden forever, and things will come to light sooner or later. Rather than being implicated later, it's better to confess everything now."

Accountant Zhou took a deep breath, seemingly having made up his mind. Just as he was about to speak, Steward Qian suddenly shouted sharply, "Accountant Zhou, how dare you!"

The steward's stern shouts echoed in the accounting room, but they did nothing to scare Su Jinxin away.

She glanced coldly at Butler Qian: "Butler Qian, are you threatening the witness? It seems you have something to hide!" Su Jinxin's lips curled into a cold smile. Although she was not familiar with business in her previous life, she remembered some key financial data and the patterns of family business dealings very clearly.

In her eyes, this ledger, which had been carefully "polished" by the money housekeeper, was full of loopholes, like a tattered net full of patches, utterly vulnerable.

Her slender fingers traced lightly across the ledger, finally settling on a record.

"Butler Qian, tell me, why is the cost of this batch of silk from Jiangnan 30% higher than in previous years? Could it be that the silkworms this year have become sentient and are producing silk made of gold?" Su Jinxin's voice was clear and crisp, yet carried an undeniable air of authority.

Sweat dripped down the Qian steward's forehead like pearls from a broken string. He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Mr. Zhou, the accountant standing to the side, was also stunned. He looked at Su Jinxin in surprise, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes.

Seeing that Butler Qian was speechless, Su Jinxin continued, "And this payment for the timber purchase is huge, yet there are no detailed records. Butler Qian, you're not telling me this timber fell from the sky, are you?" Butler Qian's face turned pale. He stubbornly tried to argue, but Su Jinxin said, "Butler Qian, I know you and Second Uncle are in cahoots, lining your own pockets, but do you really think you can hide your dirty deeds from everyone?"

The housekeeper panicked completely. He subconsciously looked at the accountant, Mr. Zhou, with a hint of threat in his eyes.

Seeing this, Su Jinxin sneered, "Mr. Zhou, do you have anything else to say? It's not too late to confess now." The accountant took a deep breath, finally mustering his courage, and said, "I..."

Accountant Zhou took a deep breath and finally mustered up his courage to speak: "I...I...Madam, I'm innocent! I was just doing what Steward Qian told me to do. I did exactly what he told me to do. I don't know anything!" He was crying and sniffling, looking just like a wronged wife, his acting skills were comparable to those of a famous actor in a theater.

Butler Qian glared at him fiercely, cursing the old man inwardly as a weather vane who would sway whichever way the wind blew.

Su Jinxin raised an eyebrow. It's a real pity that someone with such talent in singing, reciting, acting, and martial arts isn't a performer in opera.

“Mr. Zhou, you say you’re just following orders, but the word ‘timber’ on this ledger is written crookedly, like an earthworm crawling. Did Butler Qian teach you that?” Su Jinxin pointed at the ugly handwriting on the ledger, her tone laced with mockery.

Mr. Zhou, the accountant, was immediately speechless. The handwriting was indeed his own. He was so flustered at the time that his hands were shaking as if he had Parkinson's disease.

Just then, Yan Chengan walked in carrying a plate of exquisite pastries.

"Xin'er, you've worked hard checking the accounts. Here are your favorite peach blossom pastries, have some to tide you over." His gentle voice was like a spring breeze. Su Jinxin looked up and met his concerned gaze, feeling a warmth in her heart.

Yan Chengan placed the pastries on the table and then considerately poured her a cup of tea, his movements so gentle they seemed to melt your heart.

Su Jinxin felt incredibly sweet inside; her husband was definitely the most considerate person she knew.

However, this sweetness did not last long.

Su Jinxin quickly got back into the "battle." She picked up a peach blossom pastry, took a bite, and said indistinctly, "Thank you, husband. This peach blossom pastry is delicious. It's just a pity that some people can't enjoy it." She glanced meaningfully at Butler Qian.

Butler Qian felt a chill run down his spine; this Su Jinxin was truly a ruthless character!

Seeing Su Jinxin's persistence, Butler Qian and Accountant Zhou exchanged a glance and decided to take a gamble.

“Madam, you are so young and have never managed the family business, so it’s understandable that you don’t understand finances. These accounts are very complicated and not something you can understand,” Butler Qian said sarcastically. Accountant Zhou chimed in, “Yes, Madam, please don’t make things difficult for us.” The two of them worked together to portray Su Jinxin as an unreasonable person.

Yan Cheng'an looked at Su Jinxin, who was being "besieged," and felt somewhat displeased. However, he also knew that Su Jinxin had to overcome this hurdle if she wanted to take charge of the household.

He stood silently behind Su Jinxin, offering her unspoken support.

Su Jinxin sneered. Although she did not directly manage the business in her previous life, she had accumulated a lot of experience through observation and experience. Moreover, she had the memory of her previous life to rely on. How could these two old foxes fool her?

"It seems you two won't learn your lesson until you're faced with the truth..." Su Jinxin put down the peach blossom pastry in her hand, her eyes suddenly turning sharp. "In that case, let's..." She paused, her gaze sweeping over the two of them, "...have some fun!" She reached for the account book, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"I want to see what kind of trickery is hidden in these ledgers!"

Su Jinxin sneered, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the ledger, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound that struck the hearts of Steward Qian and Accountant Zhou like a death knell.

"Don't rush to put on this act, you two. The best is yet to come!" Her eyes lit up with a sudden idea. "I just remembered that there seem to be some old financial records stored in the family ancestral hall. Why don't we go take a look together, so you two can 'review the old and learn something new'?"

The expressions of Steward Qian and Accountant Zhou changed drastically. Those old account books in the ancestral hall were the "loopholes" in their falsification of accounts!

If Su Jinxin finds out, they're completely finished!

“Madam, the ancestral hall is a sacred place for the family. How can it be disturbed at will? Besides, those old account books are very old and the writing is blurred. I’m afraid we can’t even read anything.” Butler Qian tried to stop Su Jinxin.

"Really? Can't see clearly? My eyesight is excellent, try it if you don't believe me?" Su Jinxin's tone was light and airy, yet it carried an undeniable authority.

Yan Cheng'an watched from the side, a smile flashing in his eyes. His Xin'er was indeed not someone to be trifled with.

He silently walked to Su Jinxin's side, took her hand, and gave her strength.

"Let's go, Xin'er, I'll go with you."

The three arrived at the ancestral hall, where an ancient and solemn atmosphere enveloped them.

Manager Qian and Accountant Zhou were extremely anxious, like ants on a hot pan.

Su Jinxin remained calm. She walked straight to the bookshelf where the account books were kept, her eyes scanning the rows of thick ledgers with sharp eyes.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on an account book with a somewhat torn cover. She reached out, took it down, and gently blew away the dust, revealing a few ancient characters: "Accounts of the Gengchen Year".

Su Jinxin's lips curled up slightly as she opened the ledger and quickly browsed through its contents.

Upon seeing this, Steward Qian and Accountant Zhou's faces turned even more grim, and cold sweat poured down their backs.

“Found it…” Su Jinxin suddenly stopped, pointing to a line of text in the ledger, her tone icy, “In the year of Gengchen, three thousand taels of timber were purchased, but this ledger says five thousand taels. Where did the extra two thousand taels go?”

The housekeeper was speechless, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Mr. Zhou, the accountant, was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground.

Su Jinxin closed the ledger, slowly raised her head, her gaze sharp as a knife, and stared directly at the two of them. "Gentlemen, do you have anything else to say now?"

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the ancestral hall, and a servant rushed in, shouting in a panic, "Madam, something terrible has happened! Master... Master..."