The More He Squandered, the Richer He Got? Something Was Wrong with His Fief's Secret Accounts!

Gu Moran finished reading the last line of the system and forced a smile.

Uncle Fu noticed the change in his expression.

Your Highness?

Gu Moran turned and walked out of the alley.

"Have Zhao Si keep an eye on where Ye Qingyun is being held."

Uncle Fu followed.

Where is Chu Tianxing?

Gu Moran, "Keep an eye on it too."

He took two steps, then stopped.

"Tell Yuan Shen not to suppress what happened tonight; make it clear in the memorial."

Uncle Fu nodded.

"This old servant understands."

Gu Moran stepped out of the alley, and behind her came Chu Tianxing's cursing voice.

"Who broke my silver needle? Pay up!"

Cao Jin could no longer tolerate it.

" Chu Tianxing, shut up and rest."

Chu Tianxing replied quickly.

"You need to eat even while recovering, sir."

As dawn broke, Uncle Fu delivered three stacks of paper.

The top one is the initial draft discussed at the Clear River Teahouse, and underneath it is Yuan Shen's outline of his memorial.

Below that is the draft paper for the Chang'an County registration, which Cao Jin signed overnight.

Gu Moran first reached out and looked at the bottom one.

The official seal of Chang'an County hadn't been affixed yet, but Cao Jin's signature was already heavily written.

He touched the ink stain with his fingertip.

" Cao Jin has really been holding back for too long."

Uncle Fu handed over hot tea.

"The south of the city has been in chaos for years. He wants to get things done, but he has no money and no one to take responsibility for him."

Gu Moran to Yuan Shen's outline.

" Yuan Shen's memorial is also interesting; the first half of it scolded me quite severely."

Uncle Fu lowered his head and said, "Only harsh scolding is like true enlightenment."

Gu Moran chuckled.

"Fine, it was worth the scolding."

He continued reading, his gaze settling on the 20,000 taels of silver donated.

The fingertips slowed down.

Gu Moran up.

" Uncle Fu."

Uncle Fu was about to refill the tea.

"This old servant is here."

Gu Moran turned the page towards him.

"How much cash do we actually have in our Prince's mansion's accounts?"

Uncle Fu steadied his hand as he added tea.

"Your Highness is finally starting to care about these things."

"The Prince's mansion has incurred great expenses over the years, but this old servant has been keeping an eye on things for His Highness, and there are still tens of thousands of taels in the accounts."

"You've already taken out 20,000, how can you still have this much?"

Gu Moran was stunned for a moment, then simply stood up, bent down and pulled out the account book from the bottom of the bookshelf, slapping it onto the table.

He flipped through it very quickly.

"The redemption of Liu Ruyan at the Flower-Between Pavilion: three thousand taels."

"Wedding banquet reward: eight hundred taels."

"The bet at the gambling den is one thousand taels."

As the pages turned, the sound of paper rubbing together was particularly clear in the study.

The more Gu Moran looked, the more her brows furrowed.

"Over the years, I've spent all my money on drinking, gambling, admiring dancers, smashing antiques, buying birds, buying horses... and yet I'm still not short of money?"

Uncle Fu coughed lightly.

"Your Highness used to have a great interest."

Gu Moran glanced at him and pushed the ledger over.

"Look for yourself, I've wasted more than thirty or forty thousand taels of silver. How can the Prince Yi's Residence still be so wealthy? Could it be my mother? Just how much did she secretly slip me?"

Uncle Fu hung down.

"Your Highness, it's mainly the income from the fiefdom."

Gu Moran scratched his head and thought for a moment.

The last time I went to my fiefdom was five years ago.

Yi Prefecture sounds impressive, but in reality, it has long been torn apart by local bullies.

He was young, foolish, and ignorant back then.

The salt wells were abandoned, the tea gardens fell into the hands of wealthy landowners, and they couldn't get involved in the docks and waterway businesses on the Jin River.

They may appear wealthy on the surface, but only a small fraction actually end up in the royal palace.

But the Prince's Mansion's account is rather coincidental.

Every time the money flow is about to stop, a new flow is always added.

The replenishment was just right, not too much, not too little, inconspicuous, and without causing any disruption.

It looks like something a top accountant hired by the company in my previous life would do.

He pressed his hand against the edge of the ledger.

"Who was the expert who calculated the amount of silver in this account?"

Uncle Fu lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.

The first call of a morning bird had just begun outside the window when it was drowned out by the sound of horses' hooves in the distance.

Gu Moran didn't urge him.

After a while, Uncle Fu turned around and went behind the bookshelf, moved an old wooden box, and took out a gray ledger from a hidden compartment at the bottom of the box.

The ledger had neither the seal of the Prince's residence nor the signature of the accountant; only two words were written on the cover.

Yi Prefecture.

Seeing how well the account book was hidden, and noticing Uncle Fu's unusual silence, Gu Moran felt a growing unease rising in her heart.

Uncle Fu placed the ledger in front of him, his voice very low.

"Your Highness, please don't ask questions after you've finished reading."

Gu Moran reached out and opened it.

In the first year, they cleaned the salt wells, repaired the well frames, replaced the well ropes, and drove away the local bullies who occupied the wells.

The following year, the tea plantations were reorganized, small tea farmers were consolidated, and their old debts were reduced.

In the third year, river transport was opened, warehouses were set up, boats were hired, and trade routes to the Jiangnan were established.

In the fourth year, the official road was repaired and bridges were built. The money came from the account of Prince Yi's fiefdom and was recorded as donations from the people.

Gu Moran turned the pages one by one, slowing down her pace.

This was not the kind of behavior one would expect from the fiefdom of a ridiculous prince, as he remembered it.

This is a place where someone spent many years slowly transforming a barren piece of land into a place that can generate wealth.

He looked up at Uncle Fu.

Who did it?

Uncle Fu stood very straight, but his head was bowed, and he did not answer.

Gu Moran closed the ledger, her palm still resting on it.

"Something's not right about you. Is it that you can't say it, or that you're afraid to say it?"

Uncle Fu replied very slowly.

"Yes, they all are."

Gu Moran's gaze swept over him.

"Is it your mother?"

Uncle Fu didn't answer.

"Could it be Eunuch Zhang?"

Uncle Fu's hand, hidden in his sleeve, twitched.

Gu Moran's expression darkened further.

Holy crap.

Could I really be Eunuch Zhang's son?

He was getting a little anxious.

What was Eunuch Zhang's name before he entered the palace?

Uncle Fu's apple bobbed.

"Your Highness, it's better to avoid trouble."

Gu Moran leaned back in his chair, his voice tinged with melancholy.

" Uncle Fu, you've kept this from me too? You're not planning to stab me in the back, are you?"

Uncle Fu looked up at him and gave a wry smile.

"I'm relieved that Your Highness can still joke around."

Gu Moran couldn't manage a smile.

The image of Eunuch Zhang bending over to hand over honey water flashed through my mind.

Uncle Fu said softly, "Over the years, no matter how much Your Highness has spent, you've never stopped going outside."

"Only when you are alive and well can we all feel at ease."

Gu Moran her head to look at him.

"Everyone? Who exactly are you referring to, 'everyone'?"

Uncle Fu replied very softly.

"They are a group of people who hope that His Highness will always be carefree and never lack money."

Gu Moran cursed inwardly.

This is almost as if nothing was said, but it's precisely this kind of silence that makes it even harder to fall asleep.

Just as he was about to ask another question, the system panel popped up in front of him.

[Secret funds detected in the fiefdom.]

[The "Abnormal Background" marker continues to respond.]

[Added associated object: Liu Huaijin's old case.]

[Insufficient permissions to expand.]

Gu Moran stared at the three characters " Liu Huaijin," her fingertips pressing closer and closer to the edge of the ledger.

Isn't that the name of Liu Ruyan's deceased father?

Then recall the system notifications I've received recently.

Flower-Between Pavilion )

Eunuch Zhang.

Noble Consort Chen.

And there's this old account book from Yi Prefecture.

Perhaps they can be connected into a line?

Uncle Fu, seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, called out to him in a low voice.

Your Highness?

Gu Moran closed the gray ledger and tucked it into his pocket.

Prepare the horses.

Uncle Fu's expression changed.

"Your Highness hasn't rested for long; it's too early now."

Gu Moran stood up.

"It's better to do it sooner rather than later."

Uncle Fu lowered his voice.

Are you looking to go to the Hanzhang Hall?

I'll go ask my mother.

"But the Imperial Concubine might not be willing to say."

Gu Moran lifted her foot and walked out, speaking very steadily.

Whether she tells me or not is her business. If I don't ask, I really won't be able to sleep later.