A sudden windfall of 580,000 taels of silver overnight injected a much-needed shot of adrenaline into the empty coffers of the Da Ming treasury. Even Chongzhen’s posture seemed to straighten as he walked with renewed confidence.
Early the next morning, Bi Ziyan was once again summoned alone to the Qianqinggong.
Though the old Shoufu’s inner excitement had not yet fully subsided, his face now bore a trace of worry.
The silver was there, but it was hot to the touch!
Countless eyes in the court were now fixed on it. The slightest misstep could bring disaster upon oneself.
Chongzhen sat upright behind the imperial desk, holding a teacup. He blew gently on the tea before taking a slow sip.
“Minister Bi, although these 580,000 taels of silver have relieved our immediate crisis, their origin… remains rather conspicuous.”
Bi Ziyan’s heart tightened, and he immediately bowed.
“Your Majesty is most wise. This wealth was obtained by exploiting the people’s hard-earned resources. That traitor Wang Hua deserves death ten thousand times over.”
Chongzhen nodded slightly, set down his teacup, and motioned for Bi Ziyan to step closer. Lowering his voice once more, he said:
“We are thinking: with the national treasury so depleted, such ‘ill-gotten gains’ will only become more common in the future. Do you have any method, dear minister, to ‘cleanse’ these funds before they enter the treasury?”
“Cl… cleanse?”
The color instantly drained from Bi Ziyan’s aged face as he stared at Chongzhen in horror. His mind raced through a series of images: Taoist rituals, altar ceremonies, sprinkling of blessed water, shamanic dances, and more.
Cleanse money? Could His Majesty be planning to use witchcraft to launder money?!
“Your Majesty! This must not be done!!”
The old Shoufu fell to his knees with a thud, trembling like a leaf.
“The nation’s gold and silver are tied to its fate! How can we resort to such sorcery?! This would shake the very foundations of the state! This old minister… this old minister would rather die than carry out such an order.”
Lin Yuan, standing in the corner as part of the background, nearly choked on her own saliva.
[Hahahaha! What on earth is this? ‘Cleansing’ money like that… Boss, your choice of words is way too literal. Look how scared Old Bi is—his brain must be overheating. He probably thinks you’re planning some grand feudal superstitious ceremony in the treasury.]
[Bro, money laundering is about making dirty money appear legal through accounting tricks, not literally washing it in water! Hahahaha, but it’s understandable that people in ancient times wouldn’t get it. Who would’ve thought Chongzhen’s imagination was this wild?]
Chongzhen’s fingers twitched slightly.
So that’s what it meant.
Making the origin of the money appear legitimate through accounting methods.
His expression remained calm as he looked down at Bi Ziyan, who was still trembling on the floor, and said coolly:
“Minister Bi, what are you imagining? We meant that since the source of these funds is improper, we need a proper method to tidy up the accounts. Only then can the money be rightfully allocated to the treasury and silence those censors.”
Bi Ziyan looked up dazedly, his face a mix of relief and confusion.
“Yes… this old minister was foolish and misunderstood Your Majesty’s intention.”
Chongzhen waved his hand, signaling for him to rise, but silently filed away the method of “accounting tricks” in his mind.
The morning court session a day later fully confirmed Lin Yuan’s suspicions.
If Wen Tiren’s downfall had everyone scrambling for the position of Shoufu, then Wang Hua’s downfall turned into a grand game of “Werewolf.”
“Your Majesty, I impeach the Earl of Jiading, Zhou Kui! This man has long been closely associated with Wang Hua. Just half a month ago, he visited Wang Hua’s residence and did not leave until late at night. This is highly suspicious!”
A censor was the first to jump out and launch an attack. Whether it was his own idea or he was acting under someone’s instruction remained unknown for now.
[Oh ho, it’s dark, please close your eyes. The Seer killed one last night, and now a civilian has stepped forward to accuse another of being a wolf—and the one accused is Empress Zhou’s father.]
With someone taking the lead, others naturally followed.
Thus, another official immediately stepped forward to refute.
“Your Majesty, please see clearly! The Marquis of Jiading is the father of the Empress and has always been honest and upright. This is a false accusation! In my opinion, the truly suspicious one is Zhang Da, the Bingbu secretary. Just a few days ago, he accepted an ancient painting from the previous dynasty as a gift from Wang Hua.”
[Thrilling. Is this a wolf exposing another wolf, or a civilian stumbling upon a real wolf? But, boss, all these people are deep-cover wolves—not a single good person among them. I suggest voting them all out and ending the night directly.]
Chongzhen sat high upon the Longyi, saying nothing.
He quietly watched his ministers below engage in fierce verbal battles while also listening with great interest to the “live commentary” from the little palace maid in the corner.
[The first censor who jumped out—though there’s no evidence—doesn’t matter. According to the ironclad rules of Werewolf, if he’s not acting under someone’s instruction, he’s trying to clear his own name, a classic move of sacrificing others to buy himself an opportunity.]
[And the one defending the Empress’s father—does the Empress’s father even need his defense? His own record isn’t clean. What did the unofficial histories say about him back then? It seems his brother-in-law ran a grain shop and was involved in reselling military provisions last year—a classic undercover wolf!]
Unofficial histories? Does Da Ming have so many records even in the immortal realm?
Chongzhen marveled at Da Ming’s “fame” while coldly sweeping his gaze over the assembled ministers below.
Good, very good!
My court, my so-called pillars of the state—turns out they’re all like this.
Thus, the morning court session ended unhappily amid a cloud of mutual accusations and slander. Bi Ziyan was once again kept behind alone.
“Your Majesty, we have thoroughly examined Wang Hua’s account books, but…”
He presented a thick ledger, his face troubled.
“The accounts are as chaotic as scattered sand, all recorded as single entries with mixed transactions. Many entries use coded language and symbols, making it impossible to trace anything. That old traitor is truly cunning!”
Chongzhen took the ledger, flipped through it, and frowned deeply.
Indeed, the notations inside were incomprehensible to him as well.
[Sigh. Single-entry bookkeeping—no wonder it’s a mess. It’d be a miracle if any issues could be uncovered.]
Lin Yuan stood to the side grinding ink while idly complaining in her heart.
[If this were at our company, we’d just use double-entry bookkeeping. Set up a T-account, list debits and credits on either side, and any discrepancies in the accounts would be obvious at a glance.]
[Assets equal liabilities plus equity—just look it up on Baidu! But if you tried explaining this to these ancients, they’d never understand. To put it simply: money = debts + your own money. It’s a very simple equation, even a primary school student would know.]
Chongzhen listened carefully to Lin Yuan’s complaints.
Double-entry bookkeeping…
What is a T-account?
He truly didn’t understand those strange terms, but he grasped a core principle—balance.
All things carry yin and embrace yang, blending qi to achieve harmony… Isn’t this the way of yin and yang?
A gleam of insight flashed in Chongzhen’s eyes. He knew what to do.
He stood up, walked to an empty desk nearby, spread out a sheet of Xuan paper, picked up a brush, and dipped it in ink.
“Minister Bi, watch closely.”
Bi Ziyan was puzzled but obediently leaned in to observe.
Chongzhen wrote the large characters “Income” and “Expenditure” on the left and right sides of the paper.
“All accounts must be categorized. Each transaction must have its origin and destination. Where there is income, there must be expenditure; where there is expenditure, there must be a reason. The left side is for income, the right for expenditure, and the two must balance.”
As he spoke, Chongzhen dissected a messy entry from Wang Hua’s ledger, filling it into the columns under “Income” and “Expenditure.”
“Use this method to recopy all the accounts. If the final income and expenditure do not balance, the discrepancy will reveal the deficit. That will be ironclad evidence of embezzlement!”
Bi Ziyan went from initial confusion to shock, and finally, his eyes filled with fervent admiration.
This… this is a talent of unparalleled brilliance!
Such a simple “yin-yang method” could actually clarify such complex accounts so clearly.
“Your Majesty, you truly… truly are a divine being descended to earth!”
Bi Ziyan was so moved that tears streamed down his face once more as he knelt and kowtowed to Chongzhen.
“With this method, corrupt officials across the land will have nowhere to hide! Heaven truly blesses our Da Ming!”
Watching Bi Ziyan leave in a frenzy, clutching Chongzhen’s example manuscript, Lin Yuan sighed silently in her heart.
[Old Bi’s loyalty is truly admirable. But for the ancients to use this new method without familiarity, the workload will at least double, right? I’m already starting to pity the accountants in Hubu—they’re about to experience the 007 lifestyle. Thankfully, I’m just a little palace maid who grinds ink and pours water.]
Hearing this, Chongzhen glanced at the little palace maid standing obediently with her head bowed, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
Thinking you can stay out of it?
“Wang Chengen.”
“Your servant is here.”
“Convey Our decree.” Chongzhen looked at Lin Yuan.
“From today onward, palace maid Lin Yuan need no longer serve in Qianqinggong.”
Lin Yuan was ecstatic!
[Holy shit! I’m being sent away! Finally, I can leave this low-pressure boss. Send me to Yushanfang! I want to eat good food!]
But… before her joy could fully bloom.
[Instead, she is to be transferred to the Hubu office to assist Shoufu Bi as a scribe and recorder. Ensure that Minister Bi applies Our ‘yin-yang accounting method’ flawlessly to all ledgers.]
What?!
Lin Yuan’s eyes widened in disbelief.
[Damn! Why am I being sent to the front lines of 007 overtime as a supervisor?]
[No! I don’t want to go! I just want to laze around, save money, and run away! Did you even ask for my consent? This violates labor laws!]
Chongzhen, with his hands behind his back, walked back to the Longyi with light steps and sat down, feeling an unprecedented sense of relief.
Thinking of running away?
As long as We are here, and the Da Ming empire remains, you will go nowhere!
Stay right here, and together with Us, safeguard Da Ming!