Chapter 149: Red Ledger and Blue Ledger

Taizhou Prefecture, Prince Yi’s Mansion.

The door to the study was tightly shut, and not a soul attended within thirty paces outside.

Inside the study, Prince Yi and Dongfang Rui sat reading separately. Prince Yi lifted a thick ledger and passed it to Dongfang Rui. “Take a look,” he said. “That year, the official kilns produced only three hundred tea sets in total. Aside from those supplied to the inner court and the various princes’ mansions, every last one was sold off cheap to Fusang. Should we say that fellow doesn’t know how to do business, or that he’s just fattening his pockets on the losses?” Prince Yi twirled the Yang Green Jade Thumb Ring on his thumb, clucking his tongue.

Dongfang Rui glanced up for a quick look. Her face showed no extra expression—she seemed utterly accustomed to such things, or perhaps already mentally prepared.

She tapped the ledger in her own hands. “A mere handful of tea sets is nothing. Now look at this. This is what’s truly shocking.”

With that, Dongfang Rui slid her ledger across to Prince Yi. As soon as he saw its contents, his expression turned grave. He pressed his lips together and fell silent.

A moment later, Prince Yi seemed unable to trust his own eyes. He flipped the ledger over to check the cover, where the bold words “Copy of Overseas Trade Division Blue Ledger” stared back at him.

The so-called “blue ledger” was a special term of the Import Division, referring to their outgoing trade dealings initiated with foreign lands. The counterpart was the “red ledger,” which recorded tributes from those lands and trade they proposed. In simple terms, the blue ledger tracked sales, while the red ledger tracked purchases.

Seeing this, Dongfang Rui couldn’t help asking, “Is the source of this copy reliable? You haven’t been set up and turned into someone’s pawn, have you?”

Prince Yi shook his head with firm assurance. “The ledger is absolutely genuine. You can rest easy on that score.” He let out a cold laugh. “I’d wager the red and blue ledgers sitting in the Import Division are the fakes.”

A glint of sharp insight flashed in Dongfang Rui’s eyes before quickly vanishing.

Prince Yi flipped back to the page she had indicated. There, starkly listed, were the Liang Dynasty’s exports to Fusang over recent years: silk, tea, and several massive shipments of wrought iron. Even weapons and armor!

And at prices barely three-tenths of market value!

Silk and tea were one thing—the Liang Dynasty was vast and bountiful, after all, and they granted such goods to foreign realms each year even without exports.

But wrought iron had always been a resource under strict imperial control. For one, the dynasty’s smelting techniques weren’t advanced enough to produce such vast quantities without immense labor and resources. For another, wrought iron needed only basic processing to become weapons, armor, shields, siege engines, and the like. Thus, it had long been a key strategic reserve—no one dared sell it privately without His Majesty’s personal vermilion approval.

As for finished weapons and armor? Those were watched like hawks by the Ministry of War. Possessing just three suits of armor privately was enough for a death sentence! And yet here they were in Import Division records.

Silence fell over the study. Even Prince Yi and Dongfang Rui felt a chill of alarm. They simply couldn’t fathom why that person would do such a thing. His position had always been so exalted, both before and now. Why collude with Fusang?

Fusang had gotten its name from the shape of its homeland resembling a mulberry leaf. Resources there were scarce, driving many Fusang people to the seas for a living. Pirates ran rampant, once plaguing the Liang Dynasty’s coasts.

Knock knock knock.

As Prince Yi and Dongfang Rui pondered in silence, a knock sounded at the study door.

Prince Yi’s expression soured. “Who is it?” he called in a deep voice.

A trusted subordinate’s voice came from outside. “Your Highness, it’s this lowly one, He Guang.”

“What is it?”

“Your Highness, the gatekeeper reports a young lady named Wu Wei requesting an audience.”

“Wu Wei?” Prince Yi raised a brow and glanced at Dongfang Rui.

The latter merely smiled faintly. “Wu Wei isn’t the type to curry favor with the powerful. She must have urgent business. I suggest you see her.”

Prince Yi nodded. “Conveniently, I have a question for her as well.” According to letters from Cao Tianwang and Hou Yuexia, Wu Wei was worldly and insightful, often letting slip astonishing truths without realizing it—a profoundly mysterious woman.

Dongfang Rui rose to see him out, but Prince Yi waved her off. Before stepping through the door, he asked, “You’re still not planning to tell her about your situation?”

Dongfang Rui considered for a moment and shook her head. “Not yet.”

“Very well, then.”

…

Prince Yi left the study and instructed He Guang to escort Wu Wei to the side hall to wait.

…

Wu Wei eyed the steaming tea and exquisite pastries before her, temptation winning out. She pinched one up for a taste—and her eyes went wide in delight.

This was the closest thing to Blue Star confections she’d had since arriving here. So rich and sweet—delicious!

Packing some to take back for Third Sister was out of the question. Sugar was a luxury in the Liang Dynasty, and what was available wasn’t nearly this sweet. Wu Wei resolved to have a few more pieces.

The prince’s mansion was huge, after all. Who knew how long it would take for Prince Yi to arrive?

Thus, when Prince Yi entered, he beheld Wu Wei resembling a bloated squirrel—cheeks puffed out, crumbs clinging to her lips.

In his ears echoed Dongfang Rui’s high praise: Wu Wei was someone who acted with utmost steadiness…

Wu Wei froze. Prince Yi took the seat of honor without so much as a sideways glance, leaving her no chance even to curtsy.

She felt just like a student called on in English class with a mouthful of crunchy snacks—whatever the right answer was, all she could manage was “C,” lest she spray crumbs everywhere!

Fortunately, Prince Yi seemed unperturbed. He calmly lifted his teacup for a sip. Wu Wei seized the moment to do the same, washing down her mouthful of pastry. Only then did she bow and say, “This commoner Wu Wei pays her respects to Your Highness.”

“That’s enough. Sit.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Are the pastries in this prince’s mansion to your liking?”

Wu Wei’s cheeks flushed. “They are delicious.”

Prince Yi chuckled at her forthrightness and said no more.

Seeing he had no intention of pursuing the matter, Wu Wei settled into her seat.

From the moment Prince Yi sat down, he adopted a relaxed posture—leaning back in his chair, one hand propped on the armrest, idly twirling his thumb ring. He made no move to question her.

Wu Wei waited a bit, then understood he wished her to speak first. She rose and bowed. “This commoner seeks Your Highness today to report a grave matter.”

“Speak.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Thereupon, Wu Wei recounted how Boss Liu intended to corner and monopolize the grain markets of the city and its two counties.

Prince Yi listened without much reaction, then countered, “This prince has heard you operate a rice shop in the city yourself. Have they been squeezing you out?”

Wu Wei blinked in astonishment at his response. Had her ears deceived her, or had she phrased it poorly?

She addressed Prince Yi solemnly. “This commoner comes not to seek Your Highness’s aid for myself, but for the people of Taizhou Prefecture.”

“Go on.”

“Your Highness, before coming here, this commoner consulted the Liang Laws and found no provisions to punish or restrain Boss Liu and his ilk. Yet Taizhou Prefecture, Qinglu County, and Clear River County have all suffered drought. Crops have failed across vast areas; some farmsteads harvested not a single grain. River and well levels have dropped, leaving the people to scrape by on stored reserves. Farm families are large, and those reserves won’t last forever. By next summer, starvation is inevitable—they’ll have no choice but to buy from the rice shops. If Boss Liu monopolizes the markets of this city and those two counties, dictating prices at will, the people’s lives will become unbearable. We may see parents selling children, homes, and land. With misery mounting, the desperate will turn to begging or banditry. Fields will lie fallow, taxes plummet, Your Highness’s fiefdom suffer, city and county security crumble. Public outrage will boil over, bandits roam unchecked—it will take untold manpower and resources to restore order. As the proverb says, an ant’s burrow can collapse a thousand-mile dike. Boss Liu’s scheme is that ant hole. I beseech Your Highness to make things right for the people!”

With her final words ringing out, Wu Wei bent in a deep bow and held the position, refusing to rise.

Prince Yi gazed steadily at Wu Wei, shock and something unreadable swirling in his profound eyes.

Only when the light faded from them did he say coolly, “Rise. Sit and speak.”

Wu Wei couldn’t comprehend his calm after all she’d said—much like how Liu Cuiwei couldn’t grasp why Boss Liu would trample the poor to line his pockets.

Prince Yi toyed with his emerald Yang Green Jade Thumb Ring and smiled lightly. “Since you’ve studied the Liang Laws and know there’s no legal grounds to prosecute that Boss Liu, what can this prince possibly do?”

Prince Yi relentlessly pressed the question. “Are you suggesting that this prince should abuse his authority with private punishments, or… do you see this prince as the sort who would wield power unjustly in your eyes?”

Wu Wei’s heart sank. Prince Yi’s question was perilously loaded. Yet she had come prepared. Even in this society ruled by the whims of men, she had never once considered abusing her power.

She lifted her teacup and took a sip to moisten her parched throat, which felt ready to burst into flames. Then, with perfect calm, she replied, “Has Your Highness ever heard of the ‘Price Bureau’ and the ‘Food and Drug Safety Supervision Bureau’?”

This time, it was Prince Yi’s turn to falter. He was, after all, an imperial prince who had studied at the Grand Academy under the personal tutelage of eminent scholars. While he might not claim mastery over every school of thought, his breadth of vision and depth of knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary folk.

Prince Yi racked his brains, searching his memory for the two terms Wu Wei had mentioned, but he drew a blank. At last, he responded, “I suspect you’re just putting on a mysterious act. There are no such institutions anywhere in the Liang Dynasty.”

“Your Highness is ever keen-eyed,” Wu Wei said, “but this commoner woman is no charlatan weaving illusions. These two… to be precise, they are two government offices—ideas that this commoner woman devised herself.”