Chapter 109: Budget

Chapter 109: Budget

Yu Lanyi kept asking Zheng Shanci about Xiao Gaoyang.

Zheng Shanci said, "I work in the Ministry of Revenue, and he's in the Ministry of Personnel. I don't know much about him."

Yu Lanyi: "What does it matter if you're not in the same department? Aren't you friends?"

Zheng Shanci pinched the bridge of his nose, "I don't need to know every little thing about him. I've told you all I know."

Yu Lanyi let out an "oh" and lay on Zheng Shanci's chest, happily saying, "The Military Top Scholar still parades through the streets. Next year is the imperial examination, and there will be a new Military Top Scholar to see."

Zheng Shanci pinched Yu Lanyi's nose, "You never used to care about these things."

"Who said that? The imperial examination is very important," Yu Lanyi turned to face him, exhaling softly, "My brother is the Military Top Scholar. You see, there's a reason I used to dislike you. Now I don't dislike you anymore, you're the best there is."

Hearing this, Zheng Shanci felt a quiet comfort, "Thank you for the compliment."

Zheng Shanci glanced at Yu Lanyi's fair chest, his Adam's apple bobbing as he restrained himself.

After all, it was winter, and Lan Yi wasn't about to let him get too close.

Zheng Shanci just held him close as they slept.

Yu Lanyi adapted well. In winter, it's best to stay snug under the blankets and not move around much. The next day, after Zheng Shanci left for work, Yu Lanyi got up, had breakfast, and went to find Zheng Qingyin.

Today, Zheng Qingyin didn't go to the cloth shop; he was accompanying Mr. Zheng by the fire.

"Dad, I came to see you."

Mr. Zheng was happy to see Yu Lanyi and had him sit by the fire. They were burning firewood instead of charcoal, which made the room even warmer. Yu Lanyi felt all warm and cozy.

"Burning firewood really warms things up. We should do that at home too," Yu Lanyi said.

"Burning firewood really warms things up," Mr. Zheng saw Yu Lanyi's rosy complexion and fair skin, full of vitality. It looked like the young couple was doing just fine.

It looked like the young couple was doing just fine, but it had been three years since Shanci and Lanyi got married, and now it was almost the fourth year without a child. He felt a bit anxious. Seeing Yu Lanyi like this, he sighed inwardly.

The second son-in-law still seemed like a child himself. Could he be a good father if they had a child?

After his visit to the Zheng family, Yu Lanyi headed over to the Marquis's residence to share some laughs with Mr. Yu, staying for dinner and having Zheng Shanci come to pick him up.

Yu Lanyi took an orange from the plate to eat. The orange was a bit tart, but Yu Lanyi didn't mind; he even enjoyed it.

"If you like them, I'll have the maid pack a basket for you to take home," Mr. Yu said.

"You're the best, Dad," Yu Lanyi said sweetly.

"You only know how to say these few words," Mr. Yu patted his head, "Eat as much as you like. The house won't run out of food for you."

They wouldn't skimp on his food, but his monthly allowance was tight. Yu Lanyi pouted but didn't mention it to Mr. Yu. He managed to get by on his own, and as long as he was fed, the rest of the family wouldn't starve.

If Zheng Shanci got hungry, he could fend for himself.

As an official, Zheng Shanci could eat for free in the dining hall. At lunch, he dined with Cui Ziqi and a few others. Zheng Shanci's superior came, Director Duan from the Ministry of Personnel, known to be an honest man. His subordinate, the Ministry of Revenue's Jiang Lanli, was the Tanhu.

Jiang Lanli and Mei Huai were good friends, often together, while Xiao Gaoyang's relationship with them was more superficial.

"Sometimes I can't even get a word in edgewise when they start talking," Xiao Gaoyang said with a smile.

Jiang Lanli was originally meant to remain at the Hanlin Academy. He disliked the idea of moving to the Six Ministries and preferred to stay as a Hanlin scholar. The Ministry of Personnel couldn’t find a suitable candidate, so they had no choice but to assign Lanli.

Xiao Gaoyang continued to smile. He remembered something and said, "In a few days, I’ll have the wedding invitations sent to you. My fiancé and I are set to marry in two months."

Cui Ziqi was taken aback, "So soon?"

Xiao Gaoyang said tactfully, "My family is eager, and I believe it’s best to settle this sooner rather than later."

Xiao Gaoyang also appeared quite fond of Shi Geer.

Zheng Shanci offered his congratulations.

Xiao Gaoyang thanked his friend.

With the year drawing to a close, everyone in the Six Ministries was swamped. After lunch, they all returned to their duties. Zheng Shanci finished compiling the financial expenditure reports for various provinces and submitted them to Director Duan.

Director Duan, a middle-aged man, had a calm and gentle demeanor. When he saw Zheng Shanci arrive, he invited him to sit down, "You’ve done an excellent job; this section is very well-organized. By the way, you’ll need to work late tonight. The Ministry of Revenue is preparing next year's budget, so we might be working late into the night."

Director Duan didn’t set a strict deadline, but it might be as late as the third watch before they could leave. The Ministry of Revenue was the busiest of the six departments at year-end, with the Ministry of Rites coming in second.

Zheng Shanci took Director Duan’s reminder and stepped out to have a minor official inform his family that he’d be home very late.

The Ministry of Revenue oversaw the Great Yan Dynasty’s treasury, handling budget drafting, national treasury management, and ensuring every penny was spent wisely. In winter, each province had to submit its annual financial budget, which the Ministry of Revenue would review to calculate the Great Yan Dynasty’s total annual expenditure and present it to Emperor Wuming.

Without a clear budget, spending could become haphazard, making it unclear whether the budget had been exceeded. However, it was unlikely the budget wouldn’t be exceeded, given the limited ability to cope with natural disasters in ancient times.

In the afternoon, everyone in the Ministry of Revenue got to work, pulling out the records from all thirteen provinces and starting to clarify the accounts.

Reviewing these documents was utterly draining; Zheng Shanci’s vision began to blur. The canteen served them dinner, and after the meal, they resumed their work.

Minister Lei and Vice Minister Mei were there as well. Everyone was in the same room, reviewing and organizing the data.

Jiang Lanli dozed off while working, and Zheng Shanci covered for him. As Director Duan approached, Zheng Shanci pinched Jiang Lanli, who jolted awake in pain and glanced at Zheng Shanci with a guilty expression.

"It’s fine," Zheng Shanci reassured him.

Jiang Lanli thanked him sincerely, "I’m exhausted. These numbers are making my head spin. I’d much rather write five essays back at the Hanlin Academy."

Zheng Shanci: "..."

Understood—the classic divide between literature and science.

Each person was responsible for a section. Minister Lei, seeing that the time was about right, called for everyone to report their calculated numbers. This was more stressful than being a county magistrate, as the Ministry of Revenue managed the finances of the entire Great Yan Dynasty, and every number was tied to a vast number of people.

Zheng Shanci reported his numbers, and after compiling the statistics, they began budgeting for the next year.

Zheng Shanci was just a small cog in this process. Ancient texts like "Zhoubi Suanjing," "Jiuzhang Suanshu," "Haidao Suanjing," and "Sunzi Suanjing" already contained the Pythagorean theorem, fractional operations, and addition and subtraction of positive and negative numbers. "Haidao Suanjing" also included measurement methods similar to levers and explained the properties and applications of similar triangles.

Throughout history, they had always stood on the shoulders of their predecessors to observe the world. Zheng Shanci let out a sigh and began his calculations. There was no communication among them; the room was filled only with the sound of abacuses.

At night, candles were lit, and a charcoal brazier was placed in the corner. The candlelight flickered as someone trimmed the wick. A pile of snow fell from the eaves and hit the ground. The palace corridors were lined with lanterns illuminating the path.

Zheng Shanci was called to report his numbers, and he did so. This wasn’t something that could be finished in a day. Minister Lei, looking somewhat weary, allowed them to rest and continue the next day.

The officials of the Ministry of Revenue breathed a sigh of relief, donned their cloaks, and left the ministry with their heads down. They walked out in silence; it was late, and speaking in the palace could cause echoes and easily attract the attention of the imperial guards.

Zheng Shanci waited and caught up with Minister Lei. Minister Lei looked at the sky, "What is it?"

Zheng Shanci mentioned that he had reviewed the budgets of the thirteen provinces from previous years, familiarized himself with the situation, and created a budget model. This model had its limitations and could only estimate minor natural disasters by plugging in variables and constants. It still relied heavily on data and the annual conditions of each province. This model served as a verification tool for the budget.

"I've done the calculations a few times using data from the Great Yan Dynasty's past years, and the results are roughly the same."

Minister Lei was taken aback and told Zheng Shanci to go home and get some rest.

Zheng Shanci headed home by carriage.

By the time he got home, the candles in the house had already been put out. Zheng Shanci crept into the house, washed up, and was about to slip into bed in the dark.

All of a sudden, the person in bed sat bolt upright, nearly scaring Zheng Shanci to death.

"Lan Yi?"

"..."

"Hurry up and get in," Yu Lanyi said with a cold snort, urging Zheng Shanci to join him.

Once in bed, Zheng Shanci reached for Yu Lanyi's hand, finding it warm. Zheng Shanci hugged his wife, buried his face in her neck, and melted into the bed.

"Why so clingy?" Yu Lanyi murmured, noticing how exhausted Zheng Shanci was, and he pulled the quilt snugly around him.

He shouldn't catch a cold.

It was so late that Yu Lanyi could barely keep his eyes open, like an owl on a night watch. His eyes were heavy, about to shut, when Zheng Shanci crept in like a thief.

"Little thief," Yu Lanyi whispered.

The little thief was soon asleep.

Yu Lanyi drifted off to sleep as well.

...

By the time Yu Lanyi woke up, Zheng Shanci had already left. He yawned and asked Jin Yun to help him get dressed.

"Oh, young master, today the master had us brew some goji berry tea for him to take to the Ministry of Revenue."

Jin Yun added, "He also took some fleeceflower root with him."

Yu Lanyi: "..."

"Since when does he care about his hair?"

Jin Yun sighed, "The master is swamped."

Yu Lanyi nodded solemnly; he was indeed overwhelmed. He came home last night, dead tired.

Yesterday, he even gave Zheng Shanci a scare; poor guy.

Yu Lanyi sipped a bowl of porridge and frowned, "Why does this porridge taste off? Forget it, no more porridge tomorrow."

Yu Lanyi asked Jin Yun to peel him an orange.

He felt a bit queasy, but the orange settled his stomach.

Yu Lanyi stayed indoors; it was too chilly to go out.

As Jin Yun peeled the orange for Yu Lanyi, he found it tart, but the young master didn't mind the sourness one bit.

Yu Lanyi planned to knit a pair of insoles for Zheng Shanci.

He enthusiastically took out the thread.

"In winter, wearing boots requires a pair of thick insoles. I'll embroider a pair for him; he'll be so touched."

Yu Lanyi cheerfully stitched the insoles, while Jin Yun looked on with concern.