Chapter 56: Daily Life

The more he calculated, the tighter his brow furrowed. After counting every which way, he hadn't managed to raise four hundred thousand taels yesterday, and Yang Huaizhong alone had contributed three hundred thousand of it!

"This bunch of misers!"

Wei Liangqing fumed inwardly, but he had no choice but to grit his teeth and register everything clearly. These were all verbal promises, and when the time came, he'd have to go door to door asking again.

"My lord."

Zhang Yanyao carried a cup of tea over and set it gently beside Wei Liangqing.

Wei Liangqing's expression flickered for a moment. He looked up at Zhang Yanyao, took a sip of tea, then lowered his head to continue his calculations.

A look of surprise crossed Zhang Yanyao's face. This was the first time she had seen Wei Liangqing so serious.

Zhang Yanyao did not leave. Instead, she stood at his side and asked softly, "My lord, are you worrying about the principal for the money shop?"

Wei Liangqing sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You don't know, my lady. These people would squeeze out a profit even at their own father's funeral. There's no way to pry silver easily out of their hands."

Seeing that Wei Liangqing seemed ready to give up, Zhang Yanyao subtly steered him: "My lord, even if Her Ladyship isn't anxious, you truly cannot afford not to be."

Wei Liangqing was taken aback. He turned to look at Zhang Yanyao and said, "What do you mean by that? Her Ladyship sent someone to pass word—perhaps she has some plan in mind."

Zhang Yanyao felt helpless at Wei Liangqing's denseness. She laughed lightly and said, "I fear this is Her Ladyship testing you, my lord."

"A test?"

Wei Liangqing's face changed, and he instantly grew solemn. Before long, he suddenly stood up and said to Zhang Yanyao, "Thank you, my lady. I nearly made a grave mistake. I'll go think of a way right now—I must pry the silver out of their mouths. One million taels, not a single tael less!"

Zhang Yanyao gave a gentle smile, as if her words just now had been spoken without thought, while inwardly she shook her head.

Why would Her Ladyship the Empress bother testing a down-and-out man like you? Countless people are fighting for the chance to serve Her Ladyship. This is the moment for you to show your ability. If you perform unremarkably, never mind the future—there may not even be a future.

Wei Liangqing summoned Hou Guoxing and the others once more. They conspired in the study for half a day, then each left Wei Liangqing's residence with murderous intent.

"Seventy-five points. Barely passing."

In Jinghuan Palace, Zhu Xu handed the white paper exam to Fu Tao, his face showing slight displeasure.

Fu Tao took the paper, looked up at Zhu Xu, and didn't know what to do. He'd gotten a quarter wrong.

Zhu Xu was even more displeased with his expression. In truth, he had quietly increased the difficulty during his teaching. By all rights, Fu Tao shouldn't have passed sixty points—yet now he'd scored seventy-five?

You won't give me a chance to discipline you—doesn't that leave me, your teacher, feeling rather awkward?

But these were just Zhu Xu's private mischievous thoughts. He didn't make things difficult for Fu Tao. He cleared his throat and said with a stern face, "Everything before counts as past. Practice diligently from now on. Today, I'll teach you about the accounting room—how to keep accounts, how to audit accounts, how to reconcile accounts, and how to cook the books!"

Fu Tao hastily picked up his brush, lowered his head, and prepared to record seriously.

Zhu Xu nodded with great satisfaction and said, "Good. Let's begin then."

Zhu Xu had taken an accounting course as an elective, but he'd either skipped class or slept through it. He could only organize what he still remembered and pass it on to Fu Tao, then have him follow the old accountant, learning and digesting on the job—applying what he learned.

Fu Tao listened. He was still a layman himself, straining to memorize and ponder.

Both of them were laymen—one lectured with gusto, the other listened with earnest attention.

Yao Qingqing, Cao Huachun, and Cao Wenzhao all stood not far away, equally lost in a fog, not understanding a word.

And so, with nearly everyone completely ignorant of accounting, Zhu Xu's teaching session came to an end before lunch.

In the courtyard before Jinghuan Palace, five people sat around the dining table, hands clasped in fists, chins lowered, eyes closed, expressions calm and solemn.

"At noon they hoe weeds in the fields; sweat drips down the soil. Who knows that every grain in the bowl is the fruit of bitter toil."

After everyone had finished reciting, Zhu Xu tapped his chopsticks and said, "Alright, we can begin."

Zhu Xu had no airs about him—he wolfed down his food himself. Cao Wenzhao was no better; he'd always been a big eater. Cao Huachun had been reserved before, but now he'd loosened up considerably. Yao Qingqing had always been a proper lady and had insisted on not sitting at the table, but Zhu Xu had dragged her over.

Fu Tao, however, surprised Zhu Xu. He ate like a whirlwind sweeping through clouds, as if his uncle regularly mistreated him and never let him eat his fill.

"Miss Yao, I think the meat is a bit tough. It could be a little more tender."

This was Cao Wenzhao's dinner-table commentary.

"If these vegetables were cut a bit finer, the flavor would be even better."

This was Cao Huachun's post-meal review of the dishes.

When it came to Zhu Xu's turn, he washed down the rice in his mouth with a gulp of soup, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and said, "I prefer salty soup—fish head would be best." This was his tactful way of expressing dissatisfaction with the soup.

Yao Qingqing looked at the three men, pressing her lips together in silence, her face calm.

The first time they'd eaten together, when she saw them all reciting "Sympathy for the Peasants," she'd been deeply moved. But the criticism session at the table soon made her furious.

Because it happened every single day—and the reasons were different each time!

Fu Tao was eating happily. He looked up, glanced at Yao Qingqing, and said, "I think it's pretty good—much better than our family's cook."

The three of them immediately glared at him!

Fu Tao froze, a mouthful of vegetables still in his mouth. He looked around and said, "What? Did I say something wrong?"

Cao Wenzhao looked at Fu Tao and said with complete seriousness, "Young Master Tao, sustained and valuable discussion helps improve our quality of life." This was the man who had initially been forced to learn cooking, then begged on his knees for an hour to keep eating from the imperial kitchen.

"That's right. The food now is much more delicious than before." Cao Huachun nodded in agreement. This was the man who had nearly set the kitchen on fire and been ordered by Zhu Xu to stay away from it.

Zhu Xu smiled without saying a word.

He was a man who believed that a gentleman stays far from the kitchen. In truth, he was simply used to having food brought to his mouth and clothes put on his back.

Fu Tao looked around the entire table, seeming to understand something, and continued eating with his head down.

Yao Qingqing looked at Zhu Xu, her voice crisp like an oriole in early winter—clear yet carrying a chill—and said, "Your Highness, I request a raise in my monthly allowance."

Zhu Xu's smiling, silent expression shifted. He glanced sideways at Cao Wenzhao and shot him a look.

Cao Wenzhao understood immediately. He set down his chopsticks and said in a thoughtful tone, "Your Highness, news from outside the palace says Wei Liangqing visited quite a few wealthy households yesterday, but didn't get much silver."

Zhu Xu nodded, then looked at Cao Huachun and said, "Little Cao, what about you?"

Cao Huachun had already set down his chopsticks. He looked at Zhu Xu seriously and said, "Your Highness, the workshop has run into some trouble. The original merchants are reacting rather strongly—they're very unhappy about our price cuts and have taken the matter to the yamen."

Zhu Xu seemed lost in thought, tapping his chopsticks on the table. "Alright, after we finish eating, let's go out of the palace for a stroll. What interesting places are there?"

"Now is just the right time for a spring outing."

"We could go boating. There are also many literary gatherings we could observe."

"Right, and some of the academies seem quite interesting."

The criticism session at the dinner table quickly turned into a discussion of current affairs and important matters, and Yao Qingqing could not get a word in edgewise.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened—Lord Wei has been dragged to the Shuntian Prefecture yamen."

At that moment, Feng Zhu ran in through the side door, hurried to Zhu Xu's side, and said with an anxious expression.