Chapter 399 can't be suppressed no matter what.

Jiang Yu had served in the Ministry of Revenue, which had recently undergone a reshuffle, so Jiang Yu and Prince Rui would naturally not face any obstacles in entering the Imperial Treasury.

The Minister of Revenue personally greeted Jiang Yu, who then asked to enter the archives to review the files. The Minister of Revenue subconsciously stroked his beard, a barely perceptible hint of caution flashing in his eyes.

He muttered to himself, "The Duke of Chu is known for unearthing scandals from old documents. When she first entered officialdom, she handled two major cases that shook the court. Afterwards, I heard that the hidden clues were painstakingly unearthed from the old files in this archive. Now she's going into the archive again; could it be that she's going to find some crucial clue in these files?"

Although he thought this in his heart, he showed no sign on his face and respectfully led the two towards the archives. Upon arrival, Jiang Yu smiled and said to the Minister of Revenue, "Lord Li, there is no need to accompany us here. His Highness Prince Rui and I can review the files ourselves. If there is anything we need to trouble you with, we will send someone to report to you."

"Good, good." The Minister of Revenue smiled and agreed, instructing people to serve him carefully. He glanced at the three-story storehouse again, then turned and left.

Jiang Yu's gaze lingered on his retreating figure for a moment before he stepped into the Imperial Revenue Department. The current Minister of Revenue had only recently taken office and was personally selected by the Emperor. On the surface, he appeared to have no connection with the Prime Minister or the Prince of Lingnan, but what his true relationship was remained a mystery.

After dismissing the official in charge of the bookstore, she led Prince Rui directly up to the second floor. Looking at the rows of bookshelves, she said, "Officials are promoted based on their performance evaluations over the years. Virtue is judged by their character, ability by their talent, and diligence by their attitude. These are mostly comments written by their superiors. The degree of strictness or leniency depends entirely on people's opinions, leaving too much room for maneuver."

Jiang Yu walked to the shelf marked with the words "performance evaluation" and looked at Prince Rui, saying, "The performance evaluation is different. The percentage of taxes paid, the speed of criminal trials, the punctuality of grain transport to the port, even the length of river works repaired and the amount of grain stored in the granaries, all seem to be written down accurately, but if someone really wants to tamper with them, changing a number or making up an account is not difficult."

She pulled out a performance record book from Jiangnan Province, her fingertip tracing over a few lines of slightly darker ink. "But with enough records, comparing them from beginning to end, and connecting the dots, you can always spot where fictitious figures were filled in or old accounts were altered. The flaws we're looking for are hidden in these discrepancies. Look here..."

Prince Rui walked to her side and watched as her fair fingers pointed to a line of numbers. She then said, "Last year, the tax payment rate of Linxi County was clearly recorded as 70%, but this year, the performance record shows a sharp increase to 90%. It looks quite impressive."

Her finger slid down the numbers to the appendix detailing the grain warehouse's inventory records. "But look at this page," she said, "the actual inventory records for the same period show that the grain was only less than 10% more than last year..."

The two stood very close, their shoulders almost touching. The faint scent of plum blossoms emanating from Jiang Yu wafted into Prince Rui's nostrils, intoxicating him. However, his sharp mind allowed him to multitask; as soon as Jiang Yu finished speaking, he said:

“Pu Tonghe served as Minister of Personnel for many years and promoted many officials. Finding all the loopholes was not an easy task.”

Seeing Jiang Yu nod, he continued, "Today, let's first clarify the method for finding loopholes. Places like discrepancies between the performance record and the inventory ledger, signs of alteration, and abnormal data should all be noted down for key reference. Once we understand these intricacies, we can find trustworthy people to systematically investigate using our method today."

This coincided with Jiang Yu's thoughts. She raised her head slightly, looked at Prince Rui's exquisite face, and said, "That's what I was thinking too. Let's take Linxi County as an example and start our search."

"good."

Jiang Yu walked to the bookshelf, took out all the files related to Linxi County, and assigned the tasks to Prince Rui for review, leaving the rest to her. She was used to taking the lead and didn't see anything wrong with it. Prince Rui, on the other hand, was only trying to assist Jiang Yu and didn't think there was anything wrong with it either.

Therefore, in this patriarchal society, this "unconventional" working method proceeded very smoothly for the two of them.

Golden sunlight streamed slanting into the shelving, landing on the pearwood desk piled high with documents. A similarly elegant man and woman stood side-by-side, flipping through the ledgers, their fingertips occasionally brushing against each other, the rustling of pages mingling with the scent of camphor wood. Time flowed slowly, and as Jiang Yu reached for a document, her hand brushed against Prince Rui's long, slender hand.

The touch of their skin caused their faces to heat up rapidly. Jiang Yu felt a little embarrassed. If she explained that she hadn't touched the hand intentionally because it was pretty, would the other person believe her?

Feigning composure, she continued to take the files, then turned to look at Prince Rui's slightly flushed face and said, "I'll go pour you a cup of tea."

"No need, I can do it myself." Prince Rui immediately got up and walked to the small table. He glanced at his hand that had been touched, suppressed the corners of his lips that were turned up, picked up the teapot and walked back. He poured a cup of tea for Jiang Yu first, then poured one for himself, and then picked up the cup, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing his somewhat flustered movements, Jiang Yu tried her best to suppress the upward curve of her lips, but she couldn't. She could only pick up her cup and use the motion of drinking tea to mask her emotions.

Although it was only a county's case file, the workload was immense. It involved reviewing everything from household registration records and detailed tax ledgers for summer and autumn, to confessions and judgments in criminal cases, and even records of farmland irrigation ditch repairs. The two didn't finish their work until dusk.

After sitting for an entire afternoon, even with her excellent physical condition, Jiang Yu felt aches and pains in her back and waist. Standing up, she unconsciously moved her shoulders and waist. Prince Rui did the same; as they shifted their bodies, their eyes met and they couldn't help but laugh.

"Are you hungry? Let's go eat together," Jiang Yu said with a smile.

"Alright." Prince Rui liked their way of getting along; it was relaxed and natural. She wasn't the Duke of Chu, nor was she a minister favored by the emperor. He wasn't Prince Rui either; they were just an ordinary man and woman.

The two men each instructed their attendants to fetch spare robes, and after changing into them, they had their servants and sedan chairs pretend to be returning to their residences, while they exited through the back gate of the government office.

Night had fallen on the streets, and lanterns along the way lit up one after another, illuminating the bluestone pavement with flickering light. In the bustling streets of the day, where only a few late-night pedestrians hurried by, no one noticed the couple walking side by side.

Neither of them spoke, and the surroundings were utterly silent. Only the occasional sound of their wide robes rubbing against each other could be heard. The two lovers, deeply in love, enjoyed this tender atmosphere, yet also felt a touch of anxiety. Their hands, so close together, brushed against each other's sleeves with their fingertips almost imperceptibly, but just before touching, they gently curled up and hid inside their wide sleeves.

This was the first time Jiang Yu had experienced this bittersweet feeling, wanting to do something but also feeling conflicted. But after all, she had come from a more open society, so she steeled herself and reached out to grasp Prince Rui's slender fingers.