Chapter 47
After returning to Prince Wei’s residence, Cui Lanyin became busy.
Prince Wei had previously said he would assign people to assist her and had specifically instructed them to treat her with due respect. Yet nearly half a month had passed without any sign of them, so Cui Lanyin assumed they must have been needed elsewhere.
Since she had assigned Liu Heipi his duties, he had sent someone to report the progress every two or three days. By her calculations, all the businesses in which they held shares should have been notified within the next couple of days. After that, she would send people to inspect the accounts.
Liu Heipi had verified that the accountants they had used before could still be employed. None of them had had the opportunity to form connections with the owners of those businesses.
It turned out that, at the end of every year, the business owners simply brought over their account books. The accountants hired by Qilin Hall would check whether the figures matched, and if they did, the accounts were considered settled.
When Cui Lanyin learned how things had been done, she was speechless for quite some time. The accountants had merely been going through the motions. It would have been stranger if such a system had not produced fraudulent accounts.
Although all the accountants were experienced veterans who could still be used, auditing was not the same as reconciling accounts. If the other side presented a pile of falsified books, her people would have to identify the discrepancies quickly and follow them to uncover the holes.
Cui Lanyin did not want a single audit to drag on for ten days or half a month. The accountants might not mind, but Prince Wei’s capable people could not afford to waste endless time on such a task.
She had Liu Heipi gather the accountants who lived near Yicheng and hire several more locally. In all, there were thirteen accountants, one for each of the thirteen businesses in which they held shares.
Once everyone had been assembled, Cui Lanyin borrowed Qiansheng, Cui Sheng’s pageboy, and asked him to teach the accountants the methods Cui Sheng used to organize and consolidate accounts.
At first, the accountants felt insulted that a sixteen-year-old boy was instructing them. But after Qiansheng had spoken for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they all straightened their attitudes. Before long, they were taking notes furiously, afraid they might miss even a single point.
After an entire hour of instruction, the old accountants were all calling Qiansheng “Little Sir.” Baichi, who had stayed behind at home, was unbearably envious.
Seeing that Qiansheng could be of help, Cui Sheng simply gave him to Cui Lanyin. She found him easy to work with and had been lacking precisely such a person, so she accepted him without even bothering with the usual polite refusal.
Everything was ready. They only needed the people Prince Wei had sent to lend authority to the operation, and then they could set out to audit the accounts.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Xuanning fell ill at precisely that moment. Prince Wei was attending to him in the palace, and Cui Lanyin could hardly trouble him with such matters, so she had no choice but to put the audits on hold for the time being.
On the second day after Cui Lanyin moved into Yi’an Hall, the Chief Steward handed over all the internal and external accounts of Prince Wei’s residence to her.
Everything else was acceptable. But when she saw that only five thousand taels of silver remained on the books, Cui Lanyin thought her eyes must have deceived her.
How could the residence of a prince have only five thousand taels of silver left between its internal and external accounts? Was that even possible?
Yet after checking the figures line by line, she found that it was indeed true. They had only five thousand taels available.
Prince Wei received ten thousand taels in salary each year. The estates under his name could also produce more than ten thousand taels annually.
The salaries and rations of everyone in the residence, from the servants and guards to the Chief Steward and the others, did not have to come out of the residence’s funds. Prince Wei had neither a wife nor concubines or children, so there were hardly any places for him to spend money. He had only established his residence two months ago—so where had the seventeen thousand taels gone?
The accounts stated that Bailin had withdrawn the money. Thinking of the perpetually empty accounts of Qilin Hall, Cui Lanyin could not tell whether all of it had been spent on the Qilin Guards or whether Prince Wei had taken it away and stored it elsewhere.
Prince Wei had also promised to give Empress Dowager Chen two thousand taels every month, amounting to twenty-four thousand taels a year. If he had not set aside money somewhere else, where was that sum supposed to come from?
With no new source of income, Prince Wei would very likely soon be running a deficit.
Because of this, Cui Lanyin became even more eager to audit the accounts.
She also understood why the Chief Steward was always trying to obtain everything from the inner household and was forever attempting to claim and take as much as possible. When there was nothing in hand, one could hardly do otherwise. The poor Chief Steward had certainly had a difficult time.
When she said as much, the Chief Steward seemed to have found a kindred spirit.
“Second Miss, the residence needs you to manage it. Without you, His Highness would simply muddle through each day.”
After moving into Yi’an Hall, Cui Lanyin turned the western side hall into her office.
After returning from Funing Palace, she changed into a narrow-sleeved dress and went to sit in the western side hall. She asked Sangzhi about the pastry shop near the Directorate of Education.
“Zhang Gui says it will be finished in a few days. He wants Second Miss to choose a date for the opening.”
Cui Lanyin smiled. “Have Geng Dayou go back and ask Father to choose an auspicious day.”
Sangzhi smiled as well. “The pastry recipes and menu were all written by Master. Now even the auspicious date has to be chosen by him. He still has to work at the Ministry of Works during the day—this will leave him needing to split himself in two.”
“Who can blame him? My father knows astronomy above, geography below, and everything in between—including how to cook and how to choose auspicious dates.”
“Exactly,” Aiye and Sangzhi echoed together.
“Second Miss, Lord Bai is here.” Buyan had spotted them through the window and hurried to stop laughing and open the door.
Bailin ushered in four men who looked to be around forty. Like Bailin and the other four members of his group, they wore robes in four different colors—white, blue, red, and black. Each had a short beard beneath his chin. They looked vigorous and walked with such light, steady steps that none of them seemed like men in their forties.
Cui Lanyin immediately thought of the people Prince Wei had said he would send to treat her with respect. She quickly rose and took two steps forward, then respectfully bent her knees in greeting.
Afterward, she asked Bailin, “May I ask how I should address these elders?”
Bailin was caught off guard. The man in the white robe slapped his hand away.
“Why make things so complicated? Her younger brother has already gone to study under the Four Elders. She can just address us the same way he does.”
Bailin did not argue. He smiled and introduced them one by one. “Uncle Bai, Uncle Qing…”
Cui Lanyin took over with a smile. “Then these two must be Uncle Chi and Uncle Xuan.”
The man in the red robe shot Bailin a sideways glare. “Exactly. It’s obvious at a glance. Did you really need to ramble on?”
Bailin did not dare talk back. He obediently moved aside and watched as Cui Lanyin offered her greetings to the four martial uncles once more.
Only then did Cui Lanyin gain a general understanding of the Qilin Guards’ structure. The three generations of the Qilin Guards passed down their teachings by skipping a generation. The third generation had to address the second generation as martial uncles, while the first generation members were all addressed as Elders. They could not be called masters.
Prince Wei had actually sent his martial uncles to assist her. Cui Lanyin began to worry. Could she really order them around as she pleased?
“Second Miss, just assign us whatever work you have,” Uncle Qing said with a hearty laugh. “We’ve waited all these years without seeing His Highness marry and have children. If we don’t get some exercise soon, we’ll truly grow grass all over from idleness.”
Cui Lanyin did not understand. What did their idleness have to do with Prince Wei not marrying and having children?
Bailin finally found an opportunity to speak. “Second Miss, there’s no need to hold back. The more work you assign my martial uncles, the happier they’ll be.”
“With Lord Bai saying so, then I…”
Before Cui Lanyin could finish, Uncle Xuan struck Bailin on the shoulder.
“Lord Bai? Look at you, getting carried away.”
Bailin bared his teeth but did not dare cry out in pain. He said aggrievedly, “I wouldn’t dare. I’ve told Second Miss several times already.”
He turned to Cui Lanyin and pleaded, “Second Miss, could you change the way you address me? Otherwise, every time you say it wrong, I’ll get hit.”
Cui Lanyin had no choice but to correct herself. “My apologies. Then… Bailin?” She gave a helpless laugh. “It really will take some getting used to.”
Bailin cupped his hands toward her. “Second Miss, please make sure you don’t slip again.”
Cui Lanyin told Uncle Bai and the other three about the auditing matter. Once the four men learned that they would be going with the martial-arts sects to reconcile accounts and collect debts, they sat there rubbing their fists and flexing their fingers. The air of lofty masters they had carried when they first entered was nowhere to be seen.
“These little bastards have been showing off shamelessly out there all these years. At last, they’ve remembered to let us have a taste of the profits.”
“This time, we’ll make them understand that a martial uncle is still a martial uncle. They’ve got a long way to go yet.”
Bailin, usually so eloquent, could only chuckle along with them.
Cui Lanyin had assumed that Prince Wei would be spending the next few days lodging in the palace. She had not expected him to return at half past six.
Food had already been laid out in Yi’an Hall. Cui Lanyin had only just sat down when Buyan came to find her.
“Second Miss, the prince has returned. He wants you to join him for dinner.”
Cui Lanyin hurriedly had the dishes meant for her packed up, then had Buyan and Buyu carry them as the three of them went to the study at the front.
When he saw that she had brought her meal with her, Prince Wei looked at her disdainfully. “Afraid you’ll go hungry?”
Cui Lanyin had Buyan and Buyu set out the dishes. “I was just trying to save a little.”
“Worried I don’t have enough money?”
“There isn’t any money left in the Qilin Hall’s accounts.”
“Uncle Bai and the others have already gone out.”
Looking at Prince Wei, Cui Lanyin suddenly understood. “You assigned Uncle Bai and the others to me so that they could…” She pressed her five fingers together, choosing a tactful way to put it. “Keep an eye on them and bring the money back?”
Cui Lanyin puffed out her cheeks. “So even if I hadn’t mentioned it, you would have sent people to audit the accounts and collect the debts, wouldn’t you? Then wouldn’t I just have taken on all this work for nothing?”
“The accounts are already yours.” Prince Wei picked up a silver chopstick and prodded her puffed cheek.
Once Buyan and Buyu had finished setting out the meal, uncle and niece sat facing each other and ate.
Afterward, Cui Lanyin asked, “Uncle, why don’t you rest? Shall I go back?”
When she saw Prince Wei raise a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, Cui Lanyin found herself unable to take a step. “Are you very tired, Uncle? Did all the matters in the palace wear you out?”
“A bunch of people putting on an act. It never ends.”
“Then go to sleep now.”
“I can’t sleep at this hour.”
“Then shall I keep you company and talk for a while?”
“Mm.” Prince Wei tapped the surface of the luohan couch.
Ever since the last time he had suffered a headache and lain there, Prince Wei had always let Cui Lanyin sit up on the couch whenever she came to the study. She had grown accustomed to it, so she sat down on one side of the couch with a small square table between them.
Seeing that Prince Wei continued to pinch the bridge of his nose and the space between his brows, Cui Lanyin knew that he was thoroughly vexed.
“Would you like me to massage it for you? Sangzhi is very good at it in my room. I’ve watched her and picked up a few things.”
Prince Wei did not reply, but he shifted farther toward the outside of the couch. Cui Lanyin took that as permission.
She climbed down from the couch, walked around to kneel behind him, and imitated Sangzhi’s technique, smoothing the area between his brows again and again. After more than twenty strokes, she spread both hands and gently rubbed back and forth across his forehead.
“Does that feel any better, Uncle?”
“Mm.” His tone rose slightly at the end, and Cui Lanyin knew that the massage was easing him considerably.
She devoted herself even more earnestly to kneading and rubbing his temples. Unfortunately, she was weak to begin with, and because she was afraid of bumping into him, she sat at a slight distance. With her arms suspended like that, they began to ache and swell with fatigue before even half an incense stick had burned.
But when she saw that Prince Wei’s eyes were half closed and his brows and features had relaxed completely, it was obvious that he was enjoying it.
Sangzhi always massaged him for at least the time it took an incense stick to burn. Cui Lanyin had barely continued for a short while; stopping now would seem far too insincere.
She had no choice but to grit her teeth and persist. To distract herself, she began looking for something to say.
“Uncle, doesn’t His Majesty need someone to attend him tonight?”
“I attend him during the day. The others take the nights.”
“You’re the only one there during the day?”
“Mm.”
“Is it because they don’t want to delay their visits to the various ministries to discuss state affairs during the day?”
“They’re managing both the country and their family duties.”
Remembering that Prince Wei had just said a bunch of people were putting on an act, Cui Lanyin could easily imagine how lively things must be around Emperor Xuanning’s sickbed. Could that really be good for his recovery?
“Is Prince Kang there too?”
“He and Prince Duan are the busiest.”
As she continued massaging him, Cui Lanyin suddenly felt his shoulder stiffen. Only then did she realize that, at some point, she had pressed herself against Prince Wei’s back.
I’ll take it easy today and post more tomorrow!
