Before Old Master Ye could speak, the Chief Accountant of the Ye Family, who was standing beside him, grew anxious.
"Fourth Miss, you mustn't say such things.
We in the accounts department verify all the Ye Family's business records at least three times.
If you speak like this, we old folks would truly feel ashamed before the Ye Family ancestors and have no face to remain in the Ye Family any longer."
As he spoke, the chief accountant knelt before Old Master Ye.
The three masters of the Ye Family immediately stepped forward to help the old gentleman up.
These senior accountants had been with the family since their grandfather's generation and had witnessed the growth of the Ye Family's enterprises.
Sometimes, in Old Master Ye's eyes, these old accountants were even more reliable than his three sons!
Old Master Ye glanced at the old accountant.
"What's the hurry? Fourth Girl only said there are doubts about the accounts, not that you were the ones who made them.
You merely verify the account books submitted by the shops below.
Even if there are errors, it's not your place to take the blame.
If it truly were your fault, kneeling with your entire family wouldn't absolve you of responsibility," Old Master Ye said calmly.
The chief accountant…
Wiping his face, the chief accountant obediently resumed his position beside Old Master Ye.
Only then did Old Master Ye turn his gaze back to Ye Cishu.
"Fourth Girl, do you have any evidence for what you said?" Old Master Ye asked.
"Xin Shou and Kai Chu are not balanced," Ye Cishu replied seriously.
"In what way are they not balanced?" Old Master Ye continued.
"Because the tribute of Tian Si Duan this year is twenty percent less than last year, Bai Zhi Fang's Xin Shou has decreased slightly compared to last year.
However, the Kai Chu generated by Tian Si Duan has not decreased.
Grandfather, Ci Shu reviewed Bai Zhi Fang's accounts last year.
Last year's Kai Chu for Tian Si Duan at Bai Zhi Fang is the same as this year's figure," Ye Cishu explained.
Everyone around frowned.
Ye Xiushu, who had come along, furrowed her brows even more tightly.
Was Bai Zhi Fang's Kai Chu for Tian Si Duan this year really the same as last year's?
How could she not remember this at all?
Others were also surprised.
Last year's accounts? Could it be that Fourth Miss remembered the account books she saw during the year-end accounting competition last year until now?
"Ci Jie'er, you still remember last year's accounts?" Second Master Ye asked in astonishment.
"Vaguely," Ye Cishu whispered.
Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes filled with disbelief.
With so many accounts each year, how could she specifically remember Bai Zhi Fang's figures for Tian Si Duan?
Upon hearing this, Old Master Ye chuckled.
"So that's what you're referring to? Since you're in the inner household, it's normal for you not to know certain things.
Because at the beginning of the year, the Imperial Household Department in the capital requested a slightly smaller tribute of Tian Si Duan from the Ye Family compared to last year, you think that since the tribute quantity has decreased,
it stands to reason that the Kai Chu generated by Tian Si Duan should also decrease, right?
Actually, this portion of Kai Chu is relatively fixed.
Tian Si Duan is difficult to dye, requiring highly skilled dyeing and weaving workers.
Almost all the dyeing and weaving workers in the entire Jiangnan region who possess this skill are with the Ye Family.
Grandfather will be honest with you:
Even if Tian Si Duan were not offered as tribute this year, the Ye Family would still support those workers for life.
The Ye Family would not dismiss those workers simply because the tribute quantity decreased.
Do you understand this now?" Old Master Ye said earnestly.
The people around also nodded repeatedly, and the chief accountant breathed a sigh of relief.
Exactly, what use is it for a young lady in the inner chambers to only know how to keep accounts?
The reason the Ye Family became the number one Imperial Merchant of Dayu wasn't just because the Old Master was good at accounting, but because the Old Master knew how to handle affairs…
Look, with such boldness, which merchant house could achieve this…
Ye Cishu nodded, not dwelling on this issue any further.
"Grandfather, Cishu understands what you're saying, but what Cishu is referring to isn't this part of the Kai Chu expenses.
The expenditure for dyeing and weaving workers has always been stable; Cishu knows this," Ye Cishu said.
Old Master Ye felt a bit puzzled.
If it wasn't the expenditure for dyeing and weaving workers, then which part of the Kai Chu expenses was it?
"Fourth Girl, explain yourself more clearly," Old Master Ye said, his expression growing more serious.
"The most crucial step after weaving Tian Si Duan is dyeing.
During the dyeing process, a special medicinal herb needs to be added.
Using the Ye Family's secret method, Tian Si Duan dyed with this herb becomes colorfast, and even after twenty years, the color remains as vibrant as newly dyed fabric.
This herb is expensive, scarce in production, and can only be found deep in the mountains of the Southwest.
Most importantly, the potency of this herb lasts only three months.
After three months, the herb loses its efficacy and becomes no different from roadside weeds.
Every year, the Ye Family precisely times the procurement of this herb from the Southwest.
The procurement quantities from the Imperial Household Department in the capital are announced every February.
The Ye Family purchases this herb based on the quantities required by the capital.
Within two months, this herb must be delivered to the Ye Family's dyeing and weaving workshop.
In the remaining month, the dyeing and weaving workers work day and night to dye the Tian Si Duan to the specified colors within that month.
This year, the Imperial Household Department's required quantity decreased by twenty percent, but the quantity of herbs purchased did not change; in fact, it increased by ten percent.
Grandfather, as you know, the herb's potency is time-limited.
Therefore, there is no possibility of purchasing extra for use in the following year.
What puzzles Cishu is the Kai Chu figures for the Tian Si Duan segment," Ye Cishu replied calmly.
Everyone fell silent, their faces filled with shock.
Old Master Ye's expression darkened even further.
"Daxing, go and bring me last year's Kai Chu accounts for the dyeing and weaving workshop of Bai Zhi Fang," Old Master Ye said gravely.
Upon hearing this, the chief accountant nearby quickly whispered a few instructions to his apprentice…
While last year's dyeing and weaving Kai Chu accounts had yet to be brought over, Old Master Ye carefully reviewed Bai Zhi Fang's accounts related to the dyeing and weaving workshop.
The more he looked, the more something felt off to Old Master Ye.
Not only did the procurement quantities of the special herb not match the quantities of Tian Si Duan produced, but other Kai Chu figures also seemed abnormal.
Once the dyeing of Tian Si Duan begins, the workers in the dyeing and weaving workshop cannot stop; they work day and night.
During this process, to maintain their strength, the workers have a dedicated kitchen that cooks for them.
They eat lavish meals, consuming whatever is rich and oily.
With this year's tribute of Tian Si Duan reduced by twenty percent, the related expenses should also decrease by twenty percent.
But what the accounts now show…
Old Master Ye said nothing, only rolling up the account book.
The three masters of the Ye Family dared not speak.
Everyone watched Old Master Ye's expression cautiously, afraid that when he eventually lost his temper, they might be implicated.
Especially the Ye Family Eldest Master, who was even more uneasy.
Bai Zhi Fang was under his management. If something major happened, the first to be scolded would undoubtedly be himself…
When the dyeing and weaving accounts for Tian Si Duan from Bai Zhi Fang were delivered to Old Master Ye, his face had already darkened to the extreme.
"What audacity! They actually dared to tamper with the accounts!" Old Master Ye slammed the tea table beside him heavily.
Everyone in Shouxi Hall knelt down.
Ye Cishu looked around and saw that everyone had knelt, including her nominal father. She quickly tugged at the equally bewildered Ye Xiushu and obediently knelt down as well…
A wise person knows when to yield. A woman must know when to bend and when to stand firm—when kneeling is called for, one must kneel…