Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 386 Discussion

The thought flashed through Choi Ji-ho's mind.

People often say that a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent, and that she only needs to stay at home to support her husband, raise her children, and manage household chores.

But the bookish charm before him, and the insightful Miss Shi who often discussed poetry and literature with him, were silently refuting this claim.

They may not know how to wield weapons, how to deploy troops, or how to fight on the battlefield and achieve great things like men.

But they were meticulous, intelligent and eager to learn, managing the affairs of the inner quarters in their own way, calculating the daily necessities, and keeping their mundane lives in perfect order.

Isn't this also a kind of ability, a kind of contribution?

Just like Shuyun, she used her intelligence to sort out the complicated accounts clearly, so that Miss Shi did not have to worry about these trivial matters and could work with peace of mind.

This seemingly meager strength, when gathered together, can support a whole world.

Before they knew it, the sun was setting, and the golden afterglow filled the front hall, casting long shadows of the two of them.

Shuyun remained engrossed in the account books, seemingly tireless.

Cui Zhihao glanced at the sky and said, "Miss Shuyun, why don't you take a break before dealing with this? Your eyes must be tired after looking at it for so long."

Shuyun didn't even look up, her fingers still rapidly moving across the abacus, and simply replied softly, "Thank you for your concern, Young Master Cui, I'm fine."

"These pages of accounts will be checked soon. It would be better to finish them all at once while my memory is still good."

Cui Zhihao sighed helplessly. This girl was quite impatient, and she was so dedicated when she did things.

He rephrased it: "Miss Shuyun, your daughter will be waking up soon. Why don't you arrange dinner first? We can't let Miss Shi wake up and still be waiting for dinner."

Shuyun paused when Shi was mentioned.

She looked up at the sky and saw that it was indeed nearing dusk. She quickly stopped what she was doing, stood up, and curtsied, saying, "It was my oversight."

"Thank you for the reminder, Young Master Cui. I will make the arrangements immediately."

After saying that, she carefully put away the ledger and abacus, and then carefully tidied up the table before turning around and walking quickly towards the kitchen.

Choi Ji-ho watched her retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He picked up the volume of the Book of Songs again, but his gaze was somewhat unfocused. The image of Shuyun diligently keeping accounts remained in his mind, along with that lingering thought—

Women in this world are perhaps truly underestimated.

"Young Master, Your Highness the Crown Prince, the Crown Princess has arrived at the door!"

Upon hearing this, Cui Zhihao immediately put down his book, stood up, straightened his clothes, and looked at Chen Ping'an calmly.

"Don't rush. Here's what we'll do: Miss Qinxin, go and invite your young lady. Miss Shiqing, go and tell Miss Shuyun to prepare a few more dishes."

"Let's go! Go and greet the emperor!"

Before Chen Ping'an could react, Young Master Cui had already walked far ahead, so he hurriedly chased after him.

As soon as Cui Zhihao arrived at the door, he saw Crown Prince Shen Yanzhou helping Crown Princess Lin Chuying down from the carriage.

He immediately knelt down to pay his respects and greeted them!

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess!"

Shen Yanzhou helped Lin Chuying up the three steps, his gaze sweeping over the two characters "Shi Mansion" on the lintel before turning to Cui Zhihao, who was still kneeling on the ground. His voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable authority: "Lord Cui, you may dispense with the formalities. I have come incognito today, so there is no need for such formalities."

Cui Zhihao then stood up and stood aside with his hands at his sides. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chen Ping'an leading Qin Xin and Shi Qing to the kitchen. He then winked at Chen Ping'an, who was leading the way, signaling him to take good care of the accompanying eunuchs and guards.

"Your Highness and the Empress's presence has brought great honor to my humble abode. I have prepared some fine tea and invite you to the inner hall for a discussion."

Today, Lin Chuying wore a moon-white jacket embroidered with magnolia blossoms. When the hem of her skirt trailed on the ground, a few round pearls were visible on the toes of her shoes. As she walked down the corridor, the pearl hairpins at her temples swayed gently without making a sound.

She looked at Cui Zhihao and said in a gentle tone, "Lord Cui, there's no need for you to go to such trouble. We've come today to discuss some matters with Miss Wanxia and to inquire about the aftermath of the disaster on East Street."

As they were talking, they arrived at the inner hall. Just as Cui Zhihao was about to invite the two to take a seat, a figure in plain clothes emerged from behind the screen.

Shi Wanxia was wearing a dark blue ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, revealing her fair and jade-like wrists. She was also holding half a piece of paper covered with writing in her hand.

Upon seeing the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, he quickly folded the paper and stuffed it into his sleeve, then curtsied and said, "Your humble servant Shi Wanxia greets Your Highness and Your Majesty."

"Please rise, Sister Wanxia."

Shen Yanzhou raised his hand in a gesture, his gaze falling on the ink stains peeking out from her sleeve. "Judging from your appearance, are you handling some matters?"

Shi Wanxia straightened up and said frankly, "Your Highness, we are indeed checking the resumes of officials from various departments of the Ministry of Revenue."

"As Your Highness requested, I have outlined all the work and responsibilities of the Ministry of Finance the other day, hoping it may be of some help to Your Highness."

A hint of approval flashed in Shen Yanzhou's eyes.

The guests and hosts took their seats, and a maid served hot tea. The rising steam blurred the banana leaves outside the window.

Shen Yanzhou took a sip of tea before slowly speaking: "The Ministry of Revenue has long been plagued by corruption. When we investigated the grain transport last year, we found that the officials in each department were either scions of powerful families holding positions and receiving salaries, or confidants placed by veteran officials. There were only three or five people who truly understood the allocation of money and grain."

“Now that Miss Late Summer has compiled her resume, why don’t you share your thoughts?”

Shi Wanxia took the paper out of her sleeve and laid it flat on the table.

The paper contained the names of more than twenty people written in small regular script, with their place of origin, years of service, and major achievements noted next to it.

"Your Highness, please take a look. This is the list of the chief clerks and assistant directors of the twelve departments of the Ministry of Revenue."

She pointed to the first name, "Zhou Mingyuan, the chief of the Department of Finance, is the cousin of the Minister of Rites. He has been in office for five years, and his annual reports on money and grain are full of errors, but he has been able to stay in office because of his powerful backing."

Lin Chuying leaned closer to take a look, her delicate brows furrowing slightly: "Zhou Mingyuan? Last month, my brother mentioned that the grain funds for disaster relief in Jiangnan were allocated through him, and there was a 30% shortage. After investigating, they only said that the accounts were recorded incorrectly."

"Your Majesty is right."

Shi Wanxia nodded and pointed to another place, "Su Wenqing, the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Finance, although he came from a poor family, calculated the optimal solution for grain and fodder loss when he served in Hexi, which saved the local military pay by 20%."

"But he is upright and refuses to curry favor with the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. He should have been promoted to a principal officer last year, but the promotion was suppressed."

Choi Ji-ho added, "Su Wenqing is indeed a capable person. I recommended him last year, but unfortunately..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone understood that he was being suppressed by the forces in the imperial court.

Shen Yanzhou tapped his fingers lightly on the table and pondered, "Someone like Zhou Mingyuan should be replaced."

"Someone like Su Wenqing should be promoted. Are there any others?"

"And there's also Manager Li from the warehouse department,"

Shi Wanxia's fingertips traced the last line.

"He was a veteran of three reigns. Although he did not understand the new accounting methods, he remembered the distribution of granaries in various departments thirty years ago. Last winter, when there was heavy snow in Guanzhong, he remembered that there was an abandoned granary at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain, which still contained 10,000 shi of old grain, which solved his immediate problem."

"But he's nearly seventy, I'm afraid..."