The mad concubine of the group loves the world

Chapter 357 Blank Account Book
In the main hall, Lu Wanlan ignored the movement behind her, and just supported her small head on the back of her hand, sitting blankly in front of the cypress table full of ledgers and abacus.

Although Lu Yunli couldn't see her expression and face clearly, his eyes still brightened because of her neat attire today.

Unlike the previous flamboyant flamboyance, Lu Wanlan knew that today she was discussing important matters with the old shopkeepers of the Lu family, so in order to appear calm, she deliberately took off those silk clothes with complicated patterns and fancy accessories.

Not only did Kodan wash off the nails, but only a thin layer of rouge was applied on the face.

Even on the solemn golden silk bun, there is only a hollow gold hairpin inserted, and a piece of drop-shaped amber hangs at the end, the color is warm and moist, showing restraint in the sun.

This outfit was supposed to be the icing on the cake.

But because Lu Wanlan messed up the accounts, in the eyes of the shopkeepers, it appeared to be duplicity.

"Girl, it's all the slaves' fault, you should punish the slaves..."

Li Ying was holding a urn of black ash, and stood beside Lu Wanlan with her head bowed, she was so frightened that she shed tears.

If I hadn't put the girl up all night to calculate the result, and threw it into the brazier as waste paper, the girl wouldn't have been scolded bloody by the shopkeepers.

"It's not your fault, it's me."

Lu Wanlan sighed, and tugged at the lapel in frustration: "Let the noble man talk about it, your girl is really wearing a dragon robe today, and she doesn't look like a prince."

Seeing her own girl like this, Liying blamed herself even more, and immediately fell to her knees crying: "Girl, woo woo woo, beat up your slaves and scold your slaves, don't drive your slaves out of the house..."

"When did I say I was going to drive you away?"

Seeing that Liying's words became more and more outrageous, Lu Wanlan was about to get up and help her up.

Xiaoxi has sharp eyes and quick hands, and before her girl got up, she stepped forward and pulled Li Ying up: "What are you talking about, Li Ying! If the girl said she didn't blame you, she wouldn't blame you, get up quickly."

"Yes." Chi Zheng also comforted softly, "The girl must have her own arrangements, so please stop crying."

After she finished speaking, she took a handkerchief to wipe Li Ying's tears, then turned around and asked Lu Wanlan:
"Girl, my subordinates listened to what the shopkeepers said. There are not only rules and regulations for this accounting work, but they also checked the amount of grain and silver with the girl yesterday. The reason why they are dissatisfied with the girl is because the girl feels There are mistakes in the accounts, and they refuse to print the account books. You can ask the girl where the mistakes are in the accounts and when they will be able to figure it out, but you can’t make sense, girl. It is imminent for the court to urge the grain to be paid. If they follow their suggestion, the girl will appoint an old man Wouldn't it be nice for the shopkeeper to take full responsibility for this matter, and then find a suitable opportunity to report to the third and fourth masters?"

"That's very good, but..." Lu Wanlan sighed, but she didn't know if her intuition was right.

"What is the girl worried about?" Chi Zheng was puzzled. "Today, when my subordinates saw the shopkeeper Lai who was in charge of the distribution, he specially took out an account book. It seemed that he could only wait for the seal of the shrine to complete the transaction. The girl just stamped the seal of the patriarch on it." That's fine, why not cover it?"

"I can't cover it."

After Lu Wanlan finished speaking in a low voice, she was not in a hurry to tell them the reason, but just winked and told Xiaoxi and Liying to close the doors and windows.

Unexpectedly, behind the lacquered screen behind him, the third brother Lu Yunli's gentle voice like water suddenly came out:

"Why can't it be covered?"

"Third brother?!" Lu Wanlan's phoenix eyes lit up suddenly, she hurriedly got up, and ran to Lu Yunli's side with a smile, "Third brother, why are you back? Isn't the Ministry of Criminal Justice very busy?"

"It's true that the criminal department is busy, but your third brother is a mortal after all, so he should go home and rest, right?"

Lu Yunli walked slowly to the grand teacher's chair in the main hall, lifted his robe and sat down, took the hot tea brought by Xiaoxi and looked at Lu Wanlan curiously, continuing the question just now:

"Little sister, why don't you cover those account books?"

Seeing that the third brother came back, Lu Wanlan finally had a backbone, so she no longer had any scruples, and said seriously:
"The account book of shopkeeper Lai is blank, I can't cover it!"

"Blank?"

Hearing this, Lu Yunli's fingertips holding the teacup tightened slightly, and the ice in his eyes suddenly surged up and then disappeared quickly.

Then he asked patiently: "Then did you ask him why he handed in a blank account book? It was the same way it was handed over to your fourth brother before?"

"I asked, and he said no."

Lu Wanlan replied seriously:
"The reason why the blank account books were handed in this time is because the accounting of the silk part is more complicated. It is said that the Ministry of Accounts has returned all the silk account books turned in in the past two days. There are also grains escorted from various places in the south of the Yangtze River. Because the quantity was insufficient, they were sent back to Jiangnan for re-accounting. After going back and forth, they would not be able to return within two months. Those state officials who were ordered to re-account were afraid of another time, so they simply went to Beijing with their seals and sealed the account books together. Wait for the accounting department to calculate. Shopkeeper Lai said that the fourth brother is in Wang Gong's factory, and I will not be able to cope with this silk if I need to calculate it many times. I think this method can be emulated."

"In the end, I'm still useless..."

As Lu Wanlan spoke, her voice gradually became inaudible.

As long as I can figure out the complicated accounts by myself, I won't make trouble like this.

Lu Yunli looked at Lu Wanlan and lowered his head in disappointment. He didn't blame him, but just smiled and comforted him: "An inch is good, but a ruler is short. My little girl has her own strengths, so why belittle yourself?"

After he finished speaking, he still blamed himself when he saw the younger sister, and after a little thought, he changed his way to enlighten: "Then did he say, how complicated the accounts were in the past? How did your fourth brother handle it?"

"Well, I said it too."

After thinking about it carefully, Lu Wanlan recounted the words of the shopkeeper Lai:

"Before these silks are handed over to the household department, shopkeeper Lai and the fourth brother will personally check the niche seal. But even so, as long as the actuarial hand of the household department checks, the amount of silver converted will be determined by the weight of the whole piece of silk and the size of the silk. There are discrepancies due to the difference in thickness. The fourth brother has always been meticulous, and he will be clear every time. But if this is the case, it will take several trips to satisfy the account department. So this time, shopkeeper Lai thought and simply handed over the blank account book , wait for the Ministry of Accounts to finalize an accurate number, just fill it in."

"What he said is not unreasonable, why don't you agree?" Lu Yunli put down the teacup, as if he wanted to know the reason why Lu Wanlan didn't want to do this.

"Of course I can't agree."

After talking about this, Lu Wanlan regained her confidence, and said to Lu Yun vividly:
"There is a fixed amount of silk tax that the Lu family needs to pay every year. If the amount approved by the Ministry of Households is more than the amount, it is okay for them to refund the excess silk; but if the approved amount is less, we have to make up the amount. , if we don’t know where the entry and exit are and let them have the final say, wouldn’t it be a big loss for us?”

She thought for a while and said: "Besides, if this blank account book with a seal falls into the hands of a traitor, and there is no need to write any treasonous words on it, won't the Lu family suffer again?"

After hearing Lu Wanlan's reply, Lu Yunli nodded: "Little sister is really careful, you did a good job."

"Really? Third brother doesn't blame me?" Lu Wanlan pouted at the thought, "They also said that I, the patriarch, is incompetent, and I should abdicate to let the virtuous..."

"What's so strange?" Lu Yunli smiled dotingly, "No matter how incompetent the patriarch is, he is still the patriarch. What are you doing to them? Turn around and tell them to go."

Lu Wanlan, who had been blamed all morning, finally got a compliment, and most of the depression in her chest disappeared.

Thinking that the third brother will return to the mansion at this time, he must have not had lunch yet, so he calls Xiaoxi and Liying to the stove to prepare meals.

But there was no smile on the corner of Lu Yunli's mouth.

He knew that the officials of the household department had always been business-like and upright, so they would not increase taxes to harm the Lu family.And those account books are stamped with seals, if the whole book is not leaked out, it will not bring trouble to the Lu family.

but.

The subalterns of the prefectural governments stamped their seals together, and the household department knew about it but did not stop it. This was something he never thought of.

And in those yellow books and fish scale albums that have just been returned to the Ministry of Household Affairs, the same kind of inkpad is used for the entire niche seal, and it seems that the answer has been found.

(End of this chapter)