Chapter 33: The Ministry of Revenue

Shen Yuezhuang’s days of idleness were finally over!

That morning, for once, she willingly got up early, washed up, and changed into the official robe that the Weaving and Dyeing Bureau had rushed to finish yesterday afternoon.

Her official position, Director of the Bureau of Budget, was Rank 5b. The robe was vermilion, embroidered with mountains and rivers on the upper part and birds and flowers on the lower part.

Regardless of rank, just the vermilion robe was incredibly beautiful when worn!

Old Madam Huo circled Shen Yuezhuang several times, finally settling her gaze on the bright, uninhibited face reflected in the bronze mirror. Unconcealed joy filled her eyes.

Shen Yuezhuang had a striking kind of beauty. When she was lazy, she had a gentle, seductive charm. When she was lively, she was full of buoyant energy.

But in the end, she was still a child at heart, looking young and immature, always a cause for concern.

No one expected that once she put on the official robe, it would somehow give her an air of silent authority!

Old Madam Huo smoothed out the last tiny wrinkle on her official robe once more and said, with emotion, “The little monkey has grown up. Now, in this official robe, she almost looks the part!”

Shen Yuezhuang’s gaze dropped, falling on the silver threads in her grandmother’s hair. Her heart stirred, and she was about to speak, but Old Madam Huo shushed her.

“Shh, don’t talk. Say as little as possible. Better yet, don’t say anything. Your grandfather hasn’t been to court in a while. I woke up early today with a headache. Just try to be silent and dignified for a little longer.”

Shen Yuezhuang: “…”

So, Shen Yuezhuang silently put on her clothes, left the house, and got into a small sedan chair, heading towards the Ministry of Revenue office.

Great Liang had a small court session every three days and a grand court session every five.

The small court session was for the Emperor to call a few high ministers, such as the Left Chancellor and the Ministers of the Six Ministries, to discuss state affairs in the Imperial Study. The grand court session was for all officials above the fourth rank to convene in the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Shen Yuezhuang was Rank 5b. Unless specially summoned by the Emperor, she wasn’t required to attend either session. She only had to report for duty at the Ministry of Revenue office in the morning.

~~~

The Ministry of Revenue office was located near the palace, right outside the eastern palace wall. Besides the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Rites, and the Imperial Observatory were also here.

Shen Yuezhuang’s father was a military official. She had grown up playing at the Patrol Garrison on the western side, which also housed the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review. That was the area she knew well!

This side was… far more elegant and refined.

The street in front of the office was wide and orderly, with a row of tall acacia trees across the way.

There were already stalls selling noodle-based breakfast items under the shade. A bit further on, near the entrance of the Imperial Observatory, there were people selling candies. Just as Shen Yuezhuang climbed out of her sedan chair, she saw another small sedan chair turn around the corner, with A Sang walking beside it.

It must be Pei Shangyu!

Since Pei Shangyu left the palace, Shen Yuezhuang had only caught a brief glimpse of her when A Sang was picked up. Pei Shangyu had told her not to come looking. Later, her grandmother told her that Pei Shangyu’s father, furious upon hearing that she had given up on becoming an imperial consort, had rushed from Yongzhou to the capital.

By her calculation, Uncle Pei must have arrived yesterday. Shen Yuezhuang wondered how their father-daughter discussion had gone. She lifted her robe and trotted over.

The sedan chair stopped in front of the Ministry of Rites. A Sang had spotted her long ago, her hands eagerly waving as if she were a happy dog wagging its tail. But her steps remained steady beside the sedan chair. Only after Pei Shangyu stepped out did she approach, glancing between the adjacent doors of the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue, her eyes full of surprised joy.

But when her gaze swept over Pei Shangyu, the joy faded, replaced by a subtle, indescribable melancholy.

Shen Yuezhuang could roughly guess the reason for A Sang’s melancholy. She bent forward to look at Pei Shangyu’s thinner face, frowning slightly. “Sister Pei, is the palace food that bad? You look a lot thinner.”

Pei Shangyu had indeed lost weight. Her complexion wasn’t as rosy as when she first entered the palace, but her eyes were brighter than Shen Yuezhuang had ever seen them.

She smiled. The vermilion official robe on her gave her a lean, elegant, and timeless quality.

Pei Shangyu raised a hand to touch her face, her voice slightly tired but still playful. “The food was fine. My appetite was just poor. I guess without you clowning around in front of me, eating lost its flavor!”

Hearing this, Shen Yuezhuang squinted and smiled, like a cat that had been successfully petted. She fished out a handful of peanuts, melon seeds, and walnuts from her inner pocket, stuffing some into Pei Shangyu’s hand and some into A Sang’s.

“My grandfather said the first day on duty is the most boring. Take some snacks to keep yourself entertained.”

As they chatted, more sedan chairs began to arrive. Pei Shangyu saw that Lord Wen had already arrived, so she didn’t linger. She urged, “Lord Wen is already here. You should go.”

Shen Yuezhuang nodded, but after a few steps, she turned back. “Let’s have lunch together!”

She patted her side pocket. “I’m rich now!”

There was still nine hundred and eighty-six taels and three silver coins left from the original thousand! It turned out that not paying debts was the right thing to do. A lack of scruples truly brought lasting happiness!

Only after seeing Pei Shangyu nod did Shen Yuezhuang breathe a sigh of relief and hurry over to the Ministry of Revenue.

By then, Lord Wen had just stepped onto the steps of the main gate. A few unfamiliar officials were following half a step behind him, silent as crickets. Only Shen Yuezhuang ran up, huffing and puffing, without any trace of shyness.

“Lord Wen, mind the step.”

“Lord Wen, mind the threshold.”

“Lord Wen, mind the step on the way down.”

“Lord Wen…”

Shen Yuezhuang followed the grim-faced Wen Xuanming all the way inside. An attendant brought in freshly brewed tea, which Shen Yuezhuang took and placed on the desk in front of Wen Xuanming.

Shen Yuezhuang’s face was a picture of innocence. “Lord Wen, your tea.”

Wen Xuanming: “…”

Wen Xuanming gave her a long, conflicted look. Seeing that she showed no sign of leaving, he let out a light sigh and took the teacup with a headache, silently cursing: That old dog Huo Rufang, not saying a word in the hall that day. Of course, he was planning something bad!

Now, this hot potato had landed on his plate. What was he supposed to do with this already-famous female official under his command? Should he be hostile, condescending, cold, or magnanimous?

No matter what he did, someone would find fault. He had planned to just ignore her for now, let the initial commotion die down, and deal with her later. But who would have thought this young lady couldn’t even read the room!

He had been wearing his coldest expression from the office door all the way inside, and she was still shamelessly pushing forward!

How did A Yuan end up with a granddaughter like this?

Lord Wen couldn’t help but be saddened by the memory. A Yuan had been so considerate and gentle!

But this one… it was all that old bastard Huo Rufang’s fault!

The more Wen Xuanming thought about it, the angrier he got. He wanted to take a sip of tea to calm his fury, but Shen Yuezhuang said, “Lord Wen, careful, it’s hot!”

Lord Wen: “……”

With a clatter, the teacup was slammed heavily onto the desk. Lord Wen’s expression was pained, and he finally lost his patience, pointing at Shen Yuezhuang’s clothes.

“Look at what you’re wearing! A woman, wearing an official robe! This is truly…” A woman usurping authority, acting recklessly, destroying moral order, a total mess!

Before he could finish his tirade, Shen Yuezhuang spread her hands and patted the neat robe in front of her with satisfaction. “Does it look good? My grandmother said it gives me an air of silent authority.”

“…” Lord Wen nearly ground his teeth to dust. “It’s passable!”

He pointed at the crown on her head with disgust. “Straighten your crown! You look a mess! Where is the dignity of an official?”

~~~

Shen Yuezhuang had made her introduction to her immediate superior.

After that, she was left to stay in her tiny office, flipping through miscellaneous books, snacking, and waiting for the midday break.

She was assigned to the Bureau of Budget, which was in charge of overseeing allocations and expenditures. Simply put, it planned the Imperial Court’s annual spending and decided where the money would go.

Shen Yuezhuang was just a name on the roster here. She would have to wait for specific duties to be assigned. Even though she knew she was here for debt collection, she would have to wait until the Emperor issued a clear decree, which would be passed down to Lord Wen, who would then delegate it to her.

Of course, the Emperor could directly order her to take charge. But either way, she had to wait for the specific orders before she could start her work.

When the sun was high in the sky, Shen Yuezhuang left the office right on time.

It was that time of year. The Ministry of Rites was busy with the exams. The Ministry of Personnel wasn’t yet at the time for evaluating officials. The Ministry of Works was consistently low-key. As for the Imperial Observatory… they might not have work for years at a time.

No one was particularly busy, especially Pei Shangyu, who was in the Ministry of Rites.

Her role there was to handle the reception of foreign envoys to Great Liang. But in recent years, with the constant border wars against the Xiongnu, the long-standing feud with Nanchu, and the uneasy peace with the Southern Frontier, which was only maintained to check Nanchu—the only tribute the Southern Frontier had ever sent was a beautiful woman, who then tried to poison the Emperor and accidentally poisoned Liu Yun…

Let’s just say that unless there was a major celebration and another ministry was short-staffed and borrowed her from the Ministry of Rites, she probably had nothing to do.

So, Shen Yuezhuang didn’t have to wait long before she saw Pei Shangyu and A Sang. The three of them didn’t bother with sedan chairs. They just sat down at the noodle shop under the acacia tree, waiting for bowls of soup noodles to fill their stomachs.

Both of them knew what was coming next. Pei Shangyu’s father had arrived in the capital, and he was furious. There would be arguments when they got home.

As for Shen Yuezhuang, she had been running around outside for over a month. Now that she was a female official, the rice was cooked. Tonight, she had to go back to the Yongding Marquis Manor.

There was no telling what “good treatment” awaited her at home. It was better to eat her fill outside first, so she’d have the strength to yell when she got beaten!

The noodle shop had two tables. They took one. The other had been “borrowed” by the Ministry of Works and placed not far away, where four officials sat eating in silence.

The three of them chatted idly. Since they were on the street, Shen Yuezhuang didn’t ask Pei Shangyu too much about her father. Seeing she was in good spirits was enough. She glanced at A Sang and said, “Take care of yourself. At least then, A Sang’s prayers for you in the Precious Flower Temple won’t be in vain.”

Pei Shangyu was taken aback for a moment, then looked at A Sang. A Sang immediately turned red down to her neck. She scrambled to her feet and said, “I’ll go check on our noodles.”

She walked away with her arms and legs moving stiffly. Shen Yuezhuang looked puzzled. “Didn’t A Sang tell you about this?”

Pei Shangyu shook her head, then let out a soft laugh. “Speaking of which, I’m surprised she even met the Empress Dowager.”

Shen Yuezhuang’s letter had arrived early. She had never intended for A Sang to use a life-pledge to help her. She only sent that reply to discourage her from seeking death. She never thought the Empress Dowager would actually leave the palace, and that A Sang would run into her!

While she was in the palace, Pei Shangyu not only hesitated about whether to take the gamble, but also constantly worried that the Empress Dowager might be in danger, or that this foolish girl would get caught up in it!

Of course, the palace food was good. But having no appetite to eat was also true. Pei Shangyu smiled bitterly and let out a long sigh. “In the end, I’ll only feel at ease if you’re the one watching over her.”

Shen Yuezhuang immediately stuck her neck out, her face full of undisguised pride. “Of course! I’m so much older than her, it’s only right that I take care of her!”

Pei Shangyu gave a faint smile, then changed the subject. “But, wasn’t your behavior towards Lord Wen today a little too… deliberate?”

Pei Shangyu chose her words carefully. “Lord Wen has a fiery temperament. He hates sycophants. The way you acted today… I’m afraid you’ve offended him.”

“Huh?” Shen Yuezhuang looked genuinely surprised. “No way. I did everything my grandfather told me to do!”

“Your grandfather?”

“Yeah. He said Lord Wen has no children. He told me to respect the elderly and take care of him in the office. After all, he’s a lonely old man. It’s kind of pitiful.” Shen Yuezhuang paused. “Was my concern this morning not enough? I saw him always looking at the ground when he walked. I thought he couldn’t see the road well.”

“…” Pei Shangyu had a complicated look on her face.

She was well aware of the grievances between Grand Preceptor Huo and Lord Wen. After all, the original cause of this feud was related to her great-aunt.

Lord Wen never married in the end. Who would have thought Grand Preceptor Huo…

Pei Shangyu looked at the unknowingly manipulated Shen Yuezhuang with tender affection.

“I didn’t realize Grand Preceptor Huo could be so ruthless in his revenge. He even sacrifices his own family!”

Shen Yuezhuang: “??????”