Lin Wanwan's words, "Before 'open source,' we need to see how the country's money actually 'flows' away," were like a feather gently scratching at Xiao Che's heart, making him both curious and somewhat impatient.
He looked at the queen before him, who always brought him endless surprises. Her bright almond-shaped eyes sparkled with a light he had never seen before—the excitement and certainty of a hunter about to discover the prey.
"What do you think?" Xiao Che's voice carried a hint of urgency that even he himself didn't realize. He was completely captivated by Lin Wanwan's train of thought and couldn't wait to know what she was really up to.
Lin Wanwan did not explain immediately, but instead made a request that shocked Xiao Che and even the entire Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you issue an edict to move all the income and expenditure accounts from the Ministry of Revenue's treasury for the past five years to the Imperial Study."
"All of them?" Xiao Che's eyebrows shot up, almost thinking he had misheard.
The Ministry of Revenue was the central authority for the nation's finances and provisions. How vast were the accounts for five years? Enough to fill an entire side hall! Moving them all to the Imperial Study, the symbol of the core of imperial power, was an unprecedented undertaking in history.
“Yes, all of them.” Lin Wanwan nodded emphatically, her eyes unwavering. “Not a single one can be missing.”
Seeing the unwavering conviction in her expression, Xiao Che's doubts were instantly replaced by a strong sense of trust. He knew that Wanwan would not speak without reason. There must be a deeper meaning behind her actions.
"Granted!" Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately summoned Wang Dequan, the chief eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, and ordered the Minister of Revenue to work with the head of the Granary Department to deliver all the account books from the fifth year of the Kaiyuan era of the Great Liang Dynasty to the Imperial Study within one hour! If there are any omissions, they will all be punished!
The emperor's decree struck like a thunderclap in the tranquil palace.
The officials of the Ministry of Revenue were thrown into chaos by this sudden imperial edict, yet dared not slacken in the slightest. In an instant, countless eunuchs and palace servants pushed carts piled high with account books, forming a long line along the palace road, marching in a mighty procession toward the Imperial Study.
In less than an hour, the once spacious and imposing imperial study was almost completely submerged.
Stacks and rolls of old, worn-out account books were carefully brought in, piled up from the floor to almost a person's height, exuding the unique smell of paper and ink. The air seemed to be filled with densely packed numbers, a sight that would make even the most experienced mathematician dizzy.
Wang Dequan, leading a group of Ministry of Revenue officials, knelt tremblingly outside the hall, unsure whether this was divine wrath or divine authority.
Standing before the small mountain of account books, Xiao Che felt an unprecedented pressure. He casually picked up the top book, the tax general ledger, and flipped through a few pages. The books, written in neat, official script, clearly recorded the tax amounts paid by each prefecture, the figures detailed and the organization clear. He then looked through several expenditure accounts, from official salaries to military spending; every entry seemed logical and well-founded, without any obvious flaws.
He frowned deeply; this was the traditional way of auditing accounts. The officials in the Ministry of Revenue were all seasoned veterans; even if there were shady dealings, they had already made sure the facade was flawless. Trying to find loopholes was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
He turned to look at Lin Wanwan, his eyes questioning.
However, Lin Wanwan's reaction once again surprised him.
Faced with this mountain of ledgers, she showed no fear or confusion. She didn't even glance at the most complex tax and expenditure ledgers that Xiao Che was examining. Her gaze was as precise as a hawk spotting its prey, sweeping directly over ninety-nine percent of the intricate information.
She walked up to a Ministry of Revenue official in charge of classifying ledgers and ordered in an unquestionable tone: "No need to organize anything else. Just extract all the transaction records for the two major monopolies of 'salt' and 'iron' over the years for me."
The official in charge was taken aback and subconsciously looked at the emperor. After receiving a nod from Xiao Che, he quickly responded and directed his subordinates to search through the mountain of books.
Soon, dozens of smaller volumes of specialty sales records, much thinner than the main ledger, were neatly laid out in front of Lin Wanwan.
Xiao Che looked at her, puzzled. The salt and iron monopoly was the most important and stable source of revenue for the national treasury. These accounts were always the clearest and least likely to have problems. Why did she choose to start with this?
Lin Wanwan didn't explain, but simply picked up the first booklet and quickly flipped through it.
Her movements were swift, her fingers dancing nimbly across the pages. But Xiao Che keenly noticed that she wasn't looking at the dry numbers at all, but rather at the names of the businesses listed after each large transaction.
One book, two books, three books...
As time went by, Lin Wanwan's eyes grew brighter and brighter, while Xiao Che's heart sank little by little.
Because he also discovered a strange pattern.
Regardless of the changing years or fluctuations in transaction volume, among those businesses that contributed the most profits to the national treasury and were practically worth more than a country, the same few names always appeared repeatedly—"Sihai Salt Company," "Tongda Iron Shop," and "The Chen Family of Jiangnan"...
He knew these names all too well!
When Lin Wanwan finished flipping through the last booklet and laid them out in a row on the imperial desk, the atmosphere in the entire imperial study had become extremely oppressive.
She stretched out her slender fingers and pointed heavily at each of the names that had appeared hundreds or thousands of times.
“Your Majesty, please look.” Her voice was terrifyingly calm, yet it carried a penetrating power that cut to the bone. “In the fifth year of the Kaiyuan era, they were the largest salt merchants. In the sixth year of the Kaiyuan era, they were still the largest iron merchants. And even this year, they still dominate the two most profitable businesses in Daliang.”
She raised her head, meeting Xiao Che's suddenly sharp gaze, and said, word by word:
"Your Majesty, do you understand now? The problem with our empire has never been that we collect too little tax or that we spend too much, but that our country's most profitable and vital businesses are controlled by only a handful of people from beginning to end!"
"And these people," Lin Wanwan's voice suddenly turned cold, like icicles in the dead of winter, piercing Xiao Che's heart, "as far as I know, the owner of 'Sihai Salt Company' is the Regent's younger brother; the backer of 'Tongda Iron Manor' is the Regent's most capable protégé; and the 'Chen Family of Jiangnan' is a family that has been related to the Regent's Palace by marriage for generations!"
Boom!
The truth, like the most dazzling lightning, tore through all the fog, revealing the bloody reality nakedly before Xiao Che.
He understood everything instantly!
"I understand!"
A low growl, suppressing boundless rage, burst forth from deep within Xiao Che's throat. He slammed his fist heavily onto the sandalwood imperial desk in front of him!
"Bang!"
The loud noise startled the officials and eunuchs outside the palace, who all knelt down in fear and fell silent.
Xiao Che's chest heaved violently, his eyes bloodshot with rage. He stared at the ledgers not as words, but as gigantic leeches crawling on the empire, frantically sucking its flesh!
"What a regent! What a royal uncle of mine!" He gritted his teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth. "They have monopolized the lifeblood of the empire! No matter how frugal I am, no matter how I try to increase revenue, I am only giving them a lifeline! Every penny I save will be used to enrich them through salt and iron, and then become the swords they use against me!"
After the overwhelming anger comes a deeper sense of powerlessness and predicament.
He slumped back onto the dragon throne, the anger in his eyes gradually replaced by a cold gloom.
He looked at Lin Wanwan and said in a hoarse voice, "Wanwan, you're right. But... the salt and iron monopoly is an ancestral system established by the founding emperor, and no one has dared to touch it for a hundred years. If I were to forcibly take it back from them, I would be making an enemy of half the court, which would inevitably lead to turmoil in the court, or even... a mutiny. What should I do?"
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