Inside the storehouse, candles burned brightly.
Ye Xunyang rolled up his sleeves, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead, as he directed two pages in sorting and registering the final crates of medicinal herbs.
Large sheets of Xuan paper were spread across the floor, covered in names of various items, quantities, and entry dates. Though the handwriting could not be called neat, the organization was clear and easy to grasp at a glance.
Having plunged straight into the storehouse after the afternoon meal, he had not left once.
He had only hastily swallowed a few bites for lunch and was now starving, but watching the chaotic accounts gradually grow orderly under his hands, a strange sense of accomplishment outweighed his fatigue and hunger.
He liked to get things done in one continuous go. Once he started, he felt entirely restless until he thoroughly sorted everything out.
“Consort, this box of Western Regions Snow Lotus has been registered. There are ten plants in total, entered into storage three years ago,” a page reported, holding a ledger.
“Mn, write it down. Put it in a separate section and note that the herbs are precious and require regular inspection,” Ye Xunyang said without lifting his head, making a checkmark in the corresponding grid.
It had not been very long since his wedding yesterday, yet he had already grown accustomed to being addressed as the Consort.
Just then, a cautious knocking sound came from outside the storehouse door.
“Consort, the Prince’s side has sent someone to invite you over several times. The evening meal has been ready for quite a while now, if you might…”
Only then did Ye Xunyang belatedly realize that it was already late. He rubbed the back of his sore neck, looked at the final two uninspected crates of brocades before him, and figured he might as well finish everything in one go before going to eat, sparing himself the trouble of unpacking them again tomorrow.
“Tell the Prince I will be finished here immediately and will come right over once it is sorted. Let him eat first; he does not need to wait for me,” he called out loudly, his tone carrying a hint of perfunctory haste.
There was a moment of silence outside before the steward acknowledged the order, his footsteps gradually fading into the distance. Ye Xunyang continued with his sorting.
Lou Jin sat at the table, watching the meticulously prepared dishes transition from steaming hot to lukewarm, his expression turning as cold as the temperature of the food.
He had been sitting here since the third quarter of the Xu hour.
Thinking that Ye Xunyang had just arrived from elsewhere and was moreover a man, he worried the servants might neglect him on account of this. Thus, he had deliberately cleared his schedule, wanting to share the evening meal with him as a gesture to show how much importance he attached to this consort.
As a result, when the servants first came to report, they said the Consort was counting the storehouse inventory and would be right there.
He understood. A newly appointed official brings three fires, and having some drive was a good thing.
The second time the servants went to urge him, the report remained the same: the Consort said just a little more was left, and he would come as soon as he finished.
Fine. He exercised his patience and told himself to wait a little longer.
The third time, the fourth time, the people sent back similar replies.
Watching the sun sink lower and lower bit by bit, the dishes on the table warmed and cooled, cooled and warmed, until even the steward standing in attendance beside him broke out in a cold sweat. The frequency with which Lou Jin’s knuckles tapped against the tabletop grew slower and slower, while the low pressure radiating from his entire body grew heavier and heavier.
Having held a noble status since childhood, even while bedridden for three years, no one had ever dared to put him off repeatedly like this.
Was this Ye Xunyang truly so engrossed in managing accounts, or was he intentionally giving him, this sickly prince, a show of force?
Anger, mixed with a trace of indignation at being ignored, quietly ignited deep within his heart, burning hotter and hotter.
He wanted to see with his own eyes what kind of mountains of gold and silver were hidden in that storehouse, allowing Ye Xunyang to not even spare time for a meal while leaving him hanging here for nearly an hour!
“Push me to the storehouse.” Lou Jin’s voice was as cold as ice, shattering the suffocating silence within the dining hall.
“Your Highness, your health…” The steward tried to dissuade him.
“It is fine,” Lou Jin interrupted, gritting his teeth.
“This Prince will go invite the Consort to dine in person.”
A guard hurriedly pushed the wheelchair forward. Lou Jin was helped into a seated position, and the group moved silently and swiftly toward the storehouse.
Inside the storehouse, Ye Xunyang had just finished recording the last bolt of cloud brocade. He let out a long breath of relief and patted his hands in satisfaction.
“Mission accomplished! Now my mind is finally at ease!”
He stretched out in a grand yawn, shaking his head to loosen his neck joints, which let out a soft cracking sound. Only then did a fierce wave of hunger crash over him like a rolling tide.
Just as he intended to tidy up and head off to eat, the storehouse doors were pushed open from the outside.
Amidst the flickering candlelight, Lou Jin sat in his wheelchair, slowly pushed in by a guard.
He was still dressed in everyday attire, his complexion appearing even paler under the dancing firelight, but those deep eyes locked firmly onto Ye Xunyang, who was standing amidst a pile of ledgers and miscellaneous items.
The air seemed to freeze instantly.
Ye Xunyang had not expected Lou Jin to come over personally, and for a moment he was somewhat stunned. Especially upon meeting the other man’s distinctly displeased gaze, he belatedly recalled that it seemed someone had come to invite him to dinner earlier, and had invited him more than once.
“Y-Your Highness?” Ye Xunyang instinctively stood up straight, feeling somewhat guilty like someone caught in the act.
“Why have you come? Your health is not good; you should be resting more.”
Lou Jin’s gaze swept over the large sheets of paper spread across the floor, then grazed past the neatly stacked ledgers and classified zones of items, finally returning to Ye Xunyang’s face, which was smudged with a bit of dust yet could not conceal his bold spirit.
He truly looked as though he had been burying himself in work rather than intentionally being dilatory.
Yet this could not entirely extinguish the fire in Lou Jin’s heart.
“The Consort is truly diligent,” Lou Jin began, his voice level yet carrying an imperceptible trace of cold mockery.
“So absorbed you forget to eat or sleep, it is quite touching. I only wonder: is this storehouse of mine more alluring than the evening meal?”
Hearing the dissatisfaction in those words, Ye Xunyang lowered his head and spoke the truth. “My apologies, Your Highness. Once I get busy, I lose track of time. There are quite a few discrepancies between these accounts and the physical stock, so I figured I would clear it up all at once to save trouble later. Keeping you waiting so long, this is my fault.”
His attitude was open and frank, and his confession of fault was prompt, causing the anger Lou Jin had accumulated to feel as though it hit a ball of cotton, leaving him with nowhere to vent it.
Lou Jin fell silent for a moment, looking at the lingering focus and exhaustion in Ye Xunyang’s eyes, along with his thoroughly genuine apology. The anger in his heart was gradually replaced by a more complex emotion.
He waved a hand, signaling the guards to step back first.
The storehouse door gently closed, leaving only the two of them once again.
“The accounts have problems?” Lou Jin maneuvered his wheelchair closer, his gaze falling upon the sheets of paper on the floor.
Seeing that the other man seemed to have calmed down, Ye Xunyang relaxed as well. Pointing at his own records, he explained, “These are the accounts I kept myself. For instance, these few medicinal herbs show massive expenditure on paper, but the storehouse inventory does not match the actual consumption records. I suspect there is something fishy going on in between.”
Looking at the ledgers filled with Ye Xunyang’s personal style, a flicker of surprise crossed Lou Jin’s eyes.
Though this method was rough, it struck straight at the core and was exceptionally efficient.
This was certainly not something an incompetent person could come up with.
“You also understand these things?” Lou Jin’s tone softened considerably.
“I know just the basics. I saw my mother managing affairs back at the General’s Mansion and picked it up through osmosis. It cannot compare to a professional accountant, but it is enough to catch major problems.”
Lou Jin raised his eyes to look at Ye Xunyang. Under the candlelight, his complexion was radiant with spirit, and those eyes were brimming with pride and satisfaction.
At that moment, Lou Jin could not help wanting to smile. The slight displeasure born from waiting completely vanished, and he even felt a faint, inexplicable admiration for Ye Xunyang.
Lou Jin looked away, cleared his throat, and his voice returned to its usual low pitch.
“Since you are done, let us go have our meal first. The food should be warmed up again by now.”
“Great, great, great! I am starving!” Ye Xunyang responded enthusiastically, his stomach chiming in appropriately with a loud rumble.
The corners of Lou Jin’s mouth curved in an imperceptible arc as he turned his wheelchair toward the door.
“Let us go. Next time, remember to eat on time. The Prince’s Manor is not so harsh that it would let the Consort tally accounts on an empty stomach.”
Following right behind him, Ye Xunyang listened to these seemingly reproachful yet subtly caring words, rubbed his nose, and muttered to himself that this Prince Jin did not seem quite as hard to get along with as the rumors said, and his plans might actually be doable after all.
“Consort, your dowry has it been counted and entered into the inventory yet?”
A sudden question from Lou Jin left Ye Xunyang completely dumbfounded.
“Huh?”