Li Er said with a smile, “Very good. I remember now—in the thirteenth year, there was indeed such a decree. The Emperor’s words are followed by law. You’ve executed it very well. Don’t be nervous. Take your time—explain this foreign-related tax refund. How did the Ministry of Works formulate it? How has Yuezhou implemented it? Speak about everything. No matter what you say, I guarantee no one will dare question you.”

Seeing the registrar begin to grow nervous after discovering that Duan Hong was a eunuch, Li Er consoled him with gentle words. This was another of his habits—he would lose his temper thunderously with court ministers, but he was always lenient and tolerant toward lower-level officials. Just now he was still losing his temper, but now he was as benevolent as a neighbor uncle. This situation changed with the other party’s status. He would never say words like “old brother” to Fang Xuanling or Du Ruhui, but if in the fields, he would put his arm around an old farmer’s shoulders and call him brother as if it were the most common thing.

“The honored guest does not know—Yuezhou has recently gained many foreign merchants. The gold blocks, silver blocks, gold dust, gold cakes, and silver cakes they bring are far inferior to our Great Tang’s exquisite products. The purity is also often insufficient. When conducting transactions, Great Tang merchants are unwilling to accept their mixed-quality gold and silver. At this time, the transaction price is determined according to the purity of the foreign merchants’ gold and silver.”

“Of course, in most cases, the purity of the foreign merchants’ gold and silver is stated at the lower end. Then the money house takes it back to recast. After removing the fire loss, there will be a certain surplus. This way, the accounts will show a surplus, and the accounts won’t balance. So this excess gold and silver is treated as the merchant’s profit and taxed again. Afterward, if there’s still a surplus, it will be returned to the merchant. The twenty-some silver coins appearing in the pearl trade’s accounts came about this way.”

Fang Xuanling supplemented, “This is indeed so. The Ministry of Revenue’s accounts cannot show deficits, but they also cannot tolerate surpluses. Each entry in, each entry out—after the two are calculated against each other, the account totals should be equal. Insufficient means missing income. Excess indicates an error somewhere. This also is not allowed. When I audit accounts, I will not tolerate shortfalls, nor will I tolerate surpluses appearing. Whether there are shortfalls or surpluses, it inevitably means illegal activities have occurred in that locality.”

Li Er nodded and flipped through the pearl trade’s account books again, asking, “The fourteenth year’s taxes are sixty percent more than the thirteenth year. Does this mean the pearl trade earned sixty percent more money last year than the year before?”

“In reply to the honored guest, not necessarily. In this petty official’s view, the pearl trade’s profits last year were more than double those of the year before. Previously, it was indeed as the honored guest said—if a merchant’s profits doubled, taxes would necessarily also double. After His Majesty reformed our Great Tang’s taxation, it became the current situation.”

Li Er was stunned and turned back to ask Fang Xuanling, “How did the Emperor reform taxation? How do I not know about this?”

Fang Xuanling said with a bitter smile, “What this Registrar Zhang speaks of must be the progressive tax system that Your Majesty proposed in the eleventh year. That is, the more taxes paid, the greater the strength of various tax reductions enjoyed. For example, paying one hundred silver coins in taxes versus paying one thousand silver coins in taxes—their business profits differ not by ten times, but sometimes even fifteen or sixteen times.”

Li Er immediately threw down the tea bowl in his hands and said angrily, “Doesn’t this mean the rich get richer and the poor get poorer? Those with less profit actually have to pay more taxes. This is unfair! One of your duties as Left Grand Councilor is to support the state and correct the Emperor’s errors. Knowing full well it was improper, what were you doing at that time?”

Before Fang Xuanling could bow down, Registrar Zhang was the first to faint with a thud. Yun Ye had Old Shao take Registrar Zhang and the several other petty officials to the back courtyard and instructed the guards to close the shop doors. This scene could not be seen by outsiders.

Fang Xuanling knelt on the ground with his head lowered, saying nothing. Du Ruhui was the same. Zhangsun stood up and, together with Li Tai, observed the calligraphy and paintings on the walls. Especially upon seeing that enormous painting of a turtle playing in water in the central hall, the mother and son whispered together, in very good spirits.

“Yun Ye, you speak. I don’t believe you didn’t know this result at the time. For the sake of making yourself rich, you’ve blackened your heart.”

Hearing the Emperor suddenly say this, Zhangsun turned around in surprise. Seeing the Emperor in a fury, she urgently said to Yun Ye, “You are not permitted to speak words of great treason.”

This was the first time Zhangsun had interrupted while the Emperor was handling government affairs. Li Er looked at Zhangsun in puzzlement and also discovered that his son Li Tai wore an embarrassed expression. He immediately realized that this matter probably couldn’t be blamed on others—most likely it was his own mistake. The Empress was salvaging face for him. After so many years as husband and wife, this tacit understanding was not lacking.

Yun Ye had just been about to speak freely when Zhangsun’s single sentence nearly choked him to death. He could only roll his eyes at the ceiling.

“Yun Ye, I am fatigued. I will return to the temporary palace to rest. We will discuss matters again tomorrow.” After Li Er gave instructions, the guards opened the main door. A carriage was driven over by guards. Li Er and Zhangsun climbed into the carriage. Guards continuously emerged from the main street to join the guard contingent. Under Li Tai’s command, they killed their way majestically toward the temporary palace.

Seeing the Emperor had left, Yun Ye helped the kneeling Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui to their feet, invited them to sit in chairs, personally poured tea for them, and only then said, “Minister Fang, Minister Du, think of a solution! When His Majesty does this, we’ll have no good days when we return to Chang’an. The progressive tax system was an opening His Majesty created for himself to pay less taxes. In the eleventh year of Zhenguan, the only person qualified to enjoy the benefits of this progressive tax system was Empress Zhangsun. His Majesty didn’t expect that after just two or three years, many more people would qualify to enjoy this tax system. Now he regrets it.”

“Back then, we all opposed it. It was His Majesty himself who acted arbitrarily. Now he’s using us to take the blame. What can be done? Government decrees cannot be changed from morning to evening.”

Fang Xuanling drank a mouthful of hot tea and said irritably, “What good solution does this old man have? With such a Majesty, we can only bitterly endure our days. This decree has greatly promoted Great Tang’s commercial development. Many small merchants have automatically merged, banding together to enjoy this decree’s feast. Now it seems it still benefits Great Tang. When major merchants become increasingly numerous, the court’s tax revenue will inevitably enter a bottleneck period. Wanting such rapid development again will be difficult.”

Du Ruhui set down his tea bowl and continued, “It’s not the first or second time His Majesty has issued decrees obtained by slapping his forehead. Aren’t the military retirement decree and the military horse law the same? Once he discovers something unsuitable, he’d rather stubbornly continue executing it than damage his own face. The retirement decree advanced the retirement time for garrison soldiers and also advanced their service time. It seems nothing has changed—the number of able-bodied men in the military has even increased. But this old man would rather have more soldiers in their forties than more sixteen or seventeen-year-old child soldiers. This matter of self-reducing combat power—many old generals have already complained about it.”

“Have you two discovered it? They’re all decrees seeking quick success and instant benefits, indicating His Majesty is anxious. He wants to complete in one breath the road that predecessors took decades or even over a hundred years to walk.”

“What’s there to be anxious about? Great Tang’s current excellent situation is rare in several hundred years. Externally there are no strong enemies, internally there are no worries, the four seas are at peace, the common people live and work in contentment. As long as we maintain the current situation, this old man dares say that in less than ten years, Great Tang will have its own new world. If we can maintain it for a hundred years, this old man doesn’t even dare imagine the situation at that time.”

“Greedy, greedy! Old Fang, you conscientiously handle court politics in Chang’an. This old man rushes about ceaselessly inspecting the great armies everywhere. Old Li drinks horse urine in the desert. Zhangsun gnaws on pickled vegetables on the grasslands. Three foreign generals squeeze Goguryeo people in the ice and snow. Marquis Yun suffers bitterly on the crisis-ridden seas. Isn’t it all for the sake of keeping Great Tang peaceful and trouble-free? Now he insists on creating new incidents. This time, this old man and Old Fang will not agree to let His Majesty cause more turmoil.”

After Du Ruhui finished speaking, he cupped his hands and went to his family’s grain shop. Fang Xuanling also went back to his family’s medicinal herb shop with his hands behind his back. Standing at the entrance to his family’s pearl trade, Yun Ye felt these two great figures at this moment more resembled shopkeepers who haggled over every coin.

“Marquis Yun, save me! This petty official truly did not know that person was His Majesty!”

“His Majesty is very reasonable. What you said wasn’t wrong, and you didn’t bend the law for personal gain. What are you worried about? Go back. You’re also in no mood to check accounts today. I estimate you’ll be promoted very soon.”

Old Shao stood behind Yun Ye, watching the departing Registrar Zhang, both alarmed and delighted, and said quietly, “This bastard has again benefited from our family’s glory. Out of nowhere, he got to see the Emperor’s countenance. Green smoke has risen from his ancestral graves.”

“Never mind whether people’s ancestral graves smoke or not. Your Marquis here is already smoking with anger. The imperial pearl is gone! I buried gold powder in the meat folds of so many oysters, and only this one top-quality pearl came out, and it was taken away by the Empress. I’m so angry I could die.”

“Marquis, don’t be angry. Old Shao here is also a battle-tested commercial genius. How could I possibly poke such a huge hole? Our family still has that rolling pearl. The gold-colored pearls produced by the oysters in the oyster field aren’t limited to just that one—there are still nine more stored in the treasury. That string of moonlight pearls was indeed the best treasure. When Empress comes, she certainly won’t pay, but she can’t return empty-handed! That string of children’s complexion pearls—this old servant specifically said they had already been selected by Young Miss Xiao Ya. Didn’t Her Majesty not take them? However, when we sell gold-colored pearls in the future, our family must produce a passable excuse.”

That’s right! This is what a Yun family person should be—able to distinguish between inside and outside even when facing the Emperor. Although Old Shao usually liked to boast, he was absolutely a first-rate talent. The imperial family had none of this.

“Are you stupid? Her Majesty just took a string of pearls and a rolling pearl from our family. You must publicize this matter greatly. Use red paper to write at the entrance: ‘Empress also loves pearls from my family.’ Just this sentence—don’t change it. I don’t believe that if Her Majesty loves something, the women of Yuezhou City won’t love it? Also, since Her Majesty patronized us, our shop’s value is different. Raise all the prices by thirty percent. I don’t believe we can’t earn back what Her Majesty took away.”

Old Shao hurriedly nodded in agreement. Even half a shichen after the Marquis had left, Old Shao was still clicking his tongue in admiration. His own Marquis was the true genius of commerce.