The Treasury Envoy only kept the books; he had no say in how the Prefectural Treasury's resources were allocated. The treasury funds were mainly divided into two uses: one was paying taxes to the Heavenly King's Mansion and the Evil Court, and the other was covering Wuji Hall's day-to-day expenses.
Those daily expenses mainly consisted of salaries for the officials within the hall, along with the cost of maintaining the guard force. It was a sprawling mass of obligations, and the pressure was considerable. Before coming, Hu Sifeng had looked into it. Wuji Hall was considered a plum post.
The Prefectural Treasury handled well over a hundred thousand each year. If managed properly, it should be no problem to pocket five or six thousand Profound Yellow Essence annually. Of course, with the right strategy, even ten thousand was within reach.
He had just collected over ten thousand in congratulatory gifts and was in a fine mood, thinking he could get another sum out of the Prefectural Treasury and pay off some of Yiwen Pavilion's bad debts. Who could have known that, when he opened the treasury, only thirteen thousand remained?
As far as he knew, this year's taxes to the Heavenly King's Mansion and the Evil Court had not yet been paid.
Those two tax payments alone totaled forty thousand. On top of that, they still had to cover daily expenses. With only thirteen thousand Profound Yellow Essence left in the Prefectural Treasury, it was as if someone had dug a gigantic hole right beneath his feet.
He, Hu, had worked so hard to scheme his way into the position of Hall Master because he wanted to make a fortune, not to take the blame for someone else.
The moment he saw the state of the treasury, he flew into