The Ministry of Revenue in winter was like a well.
Well water never trespassed into river water; each bureau tended to its own duties...
But the water at the bottom of the well was always a few degrees colder than the water at its mouth.
The Shaanxi Office of Clear Accounts was the bottom of that well:
It oversaw frontier provisions and the tea-horse trade in Ganning, its business burdensome and its standing cold and neglected. Documents came and went in mountains, yet few cared to spare them another glance.
Zhang Zai sat in the duty room, a file titled [Request for Silver Allocations for Ningxia Winter Pay] spread across his desk.
He had spent three days checking this case.
The Ministry of War's figures, the Ministry of Revenue's precedents, and the imperial decree's directives all matched, item by item.
So today, he had taken up his brush, written "Approved," and sent it out.
Yet within half an hour, the document came back unchanged.
Attached to it was a slip bearing four words: Reconsider and Recheck.
At the sight, Zhang Zai's brows creased slightly.
He rose without hesitation and walked to the director's duty room. "Director Zhou, what doubts remain about the Winter Pay document?"
Director Zhou of the Shaanxi Office of Clear Accounts held a teacup, slowly raised his head, and said with a smile:
"Vice Director Zhang, there is something you do not know. By precedent, the Winter Pay figures must be checked jointly with the Ministry of War.
You have only just arrived at the Ministry of Revenue, Vice Director, and may not yet know every detail. Take your time. Better to proceed carefully."
"I have already exchanged the joint-review documents with the Ministry of War three times, and they raised no objections."
Zhang Zai said,