Chang Lu was only halfway through his sentence.

An embroidered shoe came flying directly at his chest, landing a solid kick.

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His plump body flipped backward, the back of his head smacking hard against the bluestone pavement with a dull "thud" that made one's teeth ache.

The entire courtyard of palace servants dropped to their knees in unison, not daring to lift their heads.

Yu Wantang withdrew her foot, strolled over unhurriedly, and looked down at him from above.

"Does This Palace's stipend also depend on Eunuch Chang's whims?"

Chang Lu trembled violently in terror: "This servant... this servant would never dare! This servant was speaking utter nonsense! Your Ladyship, spare my life..."

"You wouldn't dare?" Yu Wantang nodded. "You merely dare to embezzle the consorts' stipends, and you dare to flaunt authority on another master's behalf right beneath This Palace's eyes."

Drenched in cold sweat from the pain, Chang Lu kowtowed in a pale panic, begging for mercy: "Your Ladyship, forgive me! This servant... this servant was only teaching an ill-mannered little maid a lesson..."

Yu Wantang did not even bother sparing him another glance. She walked directly to the main seat and sat down.

"This Palace was truly unaware that the rules of the imperial harem are now dictated by an eunuch like you to decide who is noble and who is base."

Chang Lu banged his head against the ground like a drum: "This servant wouldn't dare! This servant was muddle-headed for a moment! I beg Your Ladyship for mercy!"

"Withholding a master's stipend, insulting imperial consorts, and acting like a dog flaunting its master's power."

"Drag him down and give him thirty strikes of the heavy plank. Once done, lock him into the Disciplinary Chambers until he vomits out every single tael of silver he has pocketed over the years."

"Pin him down and flog him right before the entrance of the Imperial Household Department. Summon every supervising eunuch in the palace to watch. If anyone flogs him too lightly, they can take the remaining strokes for him."

Guards stuffed a rag into his mouth, seized him by both arms, and dragged him away.

Two burly guards immediately rushed forward, hauling Chang Lu away like a dead dog.

Before long, the muffled thud of wood striking flesh echoed from outside the courtyard walls.

One strike, then another.

The eunuchs kneeling in the courtyard pressed their foreheads against the ground, cold sweat completely soaking through the clothes on their backs.

Yu Wantang walked over to the young palace maid.

Only then did the little maid snap back to her senses, knocking her forehead against the floor: "This servant, Qinghe, thanks Your Ladyship for your immense grace!"

"Get up."

Yu Wantang bent down to pick up the scattered account ledgers on the floor, patted off the dust, and flipped through a couple of pages. They were densely filled with numbers written in delicate, graceful handwriting, every single inflow and outflow marked with absolute clarity.

"Did your lady keep these?"

Qinghe sniffled and nodded. "Our lady loves doing accounts. She audits the palace stipends every single month. But even when she found discrepancies, it was useless. The Imperial Household Department ignored her entirely, and even badmouthed her behind her back, saying she came from a merchant household and was hopelessly obsessed with money."

"What's wrong with being obsessed with money?" Yu Wantang shut the ledger. "The view inside a coin's eye is quite splendid."

Qinghe stood frozen in place, completely forgetting to shed tears.

Yu Wantang's tone softened slightly: "Go back and tell your master that This Palace will visit her at Changchun Palace shortly."

She turned and instructed Mammy Yu, "Pack the Imperial Household Department's general ledgers, master registries, and inventory receipts from the past three years into chests. Not a single volume is to be missed."

"Your Ladyship, where should they be sent once packed?"

"Changchun Palace."

Yu Wantang brushed off her sleeves and walked outside.

"This Palace is going to meet this Consort Xian."

...

Inside Changchun Palace, Consort Xian, Su Wanyue, was flicking the beads of an abacus.

The abacus beads clattered in a brisk, rapid patter.

When a maid entered to announce a guest, her hand shook, misplacing a bead. She hastily tucked the little ledger on the table into her sleeve and rose to greet the visitor.

She was nineteen years old, with a pleasantly plump, endearing appearance and lively, rolling eyes.

"This concubine greets the Empress. How does Your Ladyship have the leisure today..."

Before she could finish, two large wooden chests were carried into the hall and set down with a heavy thud, kicking up dust that coated the hem of her skirt.

Yu Wantang sat in the main seat, lifted the chest lids, and revealed two chests packed full of account books.

"Three years of records from the Imperial Household Department—all here." She tilted her chin at Su Wanyue, devoid of any polite pretense.

Su Wanyue blinked, not daring to move. "Your Ladyship, this is..."

Yu Wantang picked up the uppermost ledger and tossed it straight into her arms.

"I hear you're skilled at bookkeeping."

Su Wanyue caught the ledger, her fingertips tracing over its cover.

"This concubine merely understands a little."

"Drop the false modesty."

Yu Wantang leaned back against the chair.

"Your father has operated as an imperial merchant for decades. When you were eight, you could already uncover falsified ledgers made by shop managers. Before entering the palace, you managed half of your family's businesses."

Su Wanyue looked up, a guarded edge creeping into her gaze.

Yu Wantang lifted her chin.

"You grew up with an abacus in hand, yet after entering the palace three years ago, you endured having your stipends embezzled to this extent. Aside from feigning ignorance to preserve your life, This Palace cannot fathom a second reason."

Su Wanyue remained silent.

Naturally, she knew how to audit accounts, and she knew exactly how much the Imperial Household Department had skimmed from her over the years.

But what good was knowing? She came from a merchant background. Although her father was wealthy, he held no political clout at court. Huo Linyuan had coveted her family's fortune and taken her into the harem, yet he disdained her lowly origin from the bottom of his heart.

If she had fought for it, she might not have gotten justice; more likely, she would have been reprimanded for lacking propriety.

Therefore, she could only endure.

Yu Wantang saw through her reservations and could not be bothered to beat around the bush.

"This Palace intends to audit the Imperial Household Department's books."

Su Wanyue cast her eyes down.

"Your Ladyship governs the six palaces and has no shortage of skilled accountants by your side. This concubine is dull-witted and fears disrupting Your Ladyship's grand affairs."

"You fear that once something is uncovered, This Palace will turn around and throw you out as a scapegoat."

She neither confirmed nor denied it.

Favors in the imperial harem were never granted freely.

If the Empress stood up for her today, she might demand her life in return tomorrow.

"You think too much."

Yu Wantang tapped her fingertips against the tabletop.

"This Palace does not slaughter the donkey once the grinding is done."

Yu Wantang pointed to the ledgers filling the floor.

"The Imperial Household Department is rotten to the core."

"As long as you uncover the deficit, twenty percent of whatever silver is recovered will belong to you as your private savings."

Su Wanyue snapped her head up, suspecting she had misheard: "Tw-twenty percent?"

"What, you think it's too little?"

"No!" Su Wanyue nearly bit her tongue.

What she lacked was someone who would authorize her to audit the books and even share the spoils with her.

The Imperial Household Department handled well over a million taels of silver each year.

Even if she only unearthed the tip of the iceberg, twenty percent would be an enormous sum.

Yet such words were simply too outrageous and unconventional.

Where was there an empress who openly promised to divide the spoils with an imperial consort?

Su Wanyue raised her eyes, carefully scrutinizing Yu Wantang.

"What does Your Ladyship need this concubine to do?"

"Audit the accounts."

"And besides that?"

"Nothing for now."

"Your Ladyship does not require this concubine's loyalty?"

Yu Wantang let out a soft laugh, leaning forward slightly to look directly into Su Wanyue's eyes.

"Follow This Palace, and you'll receive genuine gold and silver, living in comfort and plenty."

"As for loyalty—once you've pocketed enough money, you will naturally know which side to stand on."

Su Wanyue felt her throat run dry.

She suddenly realized that the Empress was completely different from the rumors.

When other consorts in the harem tried to win someone over, it was nothing more than bestowing a few bolts of silk, gifting some jewelry, and speaking of sisterly affection.

Once the gifts were accepted, a debt of gratitude was automatically incurred.

The Empress, however, laid everything out in broad daylight.

She would do the work.

The Empress would pay the money.

Neither would owe the other a thing.

Such a relationship, ironically, was far more reassuring.

————

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