Chapter 43: The Prince of Ruyang County!

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“Your servant is honored to report that the accounts have been thoroughly audited. I humbly present them for your inspection, Your Highness.”

“Li Zhao, what is this contraption you’re using? And who made it?”

“Your Highness, this device is called an abacus. I designed it myself. It can perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, making calculations very convenient!”

“Impressive, quite a useful tool… hmm, but what’s this?”

Li Zhao placed the audited ledgers before Prince Ning, who peered down only to find he could not understand a single thing. The numbers weren’t written in Arabic numerals but in characters like ‘one,’ ‘two,’ ‘three,’ and so forth—what could that mean?

Li Zhao explained that simple numerals are easy to alter or erase, so he replaced the ordinary numbers with the formal, written-out characters—such as ‘one’ as ‘壹,’ ‘two’ as ‘贰,’ and so on—to make tampering much more difficult.

“Good, good, very good!” Prince Ning repeated thrice, his eyes filled with admiration. He never imagined that among the royal clan’s offspring, there could be such a brilliant young talent. He resolved then and there to visit the palace the next day and report this method of accounting using formal numerals to the emperor, word for word.

Falsifying accounts and embezzling funds were common tricks of corrupt officials and clerks throughout the ages—persistent problems that no dynasty had solved. If they adopted this method of using formal numerals, it might not entirely eradicate tampering but could certainly restrain corrupt officials to some extent—a great benefit for the country and its people.

And the abacus—another fine invention! He would have craftsmen produce a few copies to show the emperor and promote its use as soon as possible.

...

Next, Prince Ning carefully examined the ledgers. The results shocked him: in just the past year, Shen Er had embezzled nearly one hundred thousand guan by inflating prices and altering accounts. And that was only what was recorded; the black market earnings, which weren’t accounted for, were likely much larger—perhaps several or even ten times that amount. Who would have thought a vermin of such magnitude lurked within his own mansion?

But ledgers alone were insufficient; they needed to recover the stolen funds!

“Send men to Shen Er’s residence immediately. Conduct a thorough search and see what they find!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

As steward of the prince’s mansion, Shen Er had his own private residence not far away. A squad of guards was dispatched and soon returned, bearing dozens of chests filled with gold, silver, jewels, antiques, and paintings. They also brought back over twenty young maidens, among them Xiao Wu, whose face was pale with fright.

Upon seeing Li Zhao, Xiao Wu seemed to understand something and was moved to tears.

“Wretched slave! You’ve embezzled heavily. Do you understand the gravity of your crime?”

“I know my guilt, Your Highness. Please forgive me… Uncle, I beg you for mercy. Most of the gold and treasures I obtained were offerings to you. The maidens were taken at your orders. Now that trouble has come, you cannot abandon me… sob!”

Realizing the matter had spiraled out of control, Shen Er knelt, begging desperately and clinging to the feet of the flamboyant prince, hoping for some intercession. But the prince suddenly delivered a fierce kick to Shen Er’s mouth.

The blow was severe—seven or eight large teeth were knocked out, and his jaw was dislocated. Shen Er’s mouth filled with blood, and he was left unable to speak, only whimpering incoherently.

Those present understood that the embezzlement and abduction were orchestrated by the flamboyant prince—Wei Renzha—in secret. It made sense; without support from behind, how could an old eunuch dare commit such atrocities?

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However, the matter was too sensitive for open discussion, so no one spoke further, watching instead to see how Prince Ning would handle the situation.

Pursuing the matter deeply would inevitably implicate the flamboyant prince, who was the younger brother of the princess consort. If this scandal became public, what face would remain for the Ning Mansion?

Yet, standing idly by was impossible.

Prince Ning’s stern gaze fell upon the flamboyant prince, prepared to uphold justice even at the cost of family loyalty. Just then, two figures hurried into the garden: a woman in her thirties elegantly dressed—Princess Wei, wife of Prince Ning—and a boy around ten years old, their son and heir, Li Lin.

Wei was the flamboyant prince’s elder sister. Hearing that her brother was in trouble and facing severe punishment, she rushed to plead, fearing her own influence insufficient, and brought her son along for support.

“Your Highness, please show mercy. Our Wei family has only this one bloodline through Renzha. If anything were to happen to him, I would have no will to live… sob!”

“Father, please spare Uncle this once. He will reform himself, I promise… sob!”

Prince Ning, Li Chengqi, was a man of strong sentiment. At their tearful pleas, his heart softened immediately.

Moreover, this matter was not one to be made too public; otherwise, the Ning Mansion’s reputation would be irreparably damaged. It was best to minimize the fuss.

“Send Wei Renzha back home. He is to remain confined to his chambers for study and must not leave without permission. As for Shen Er, he has suffered enough—help him to rest.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Though Prince Ning was no great strategist, he had witnessed enough serious affairs to make swift decisions. He ordered Wei Renzha’s return under the guise of studying at home—a form of house arrest to prevent further trouble.

He also instructed trusted guards to escort Shen Er away to rest, with special emphasis on the word “rest.”

The guards understood and dragged the sobbing Shen Er away despite his struggles.

Shortly after, the head of the guards reported: Shen Er, filled with guilt, had hanged himself in his room. Whether he did it by his own hand or was assisted, the guards did not say, though everyone understood the implication.

Prince Ning then dispatched trusted men to return all the extorted money to the merchants listed in the ledgers and to send the abducted maidens home, striving to restore the Ning Mansion’s reputation.

With this, the matter was nearly resolved, save for one person who had yet to face punishment.

“Li Zhao, there is one more thing I wish to ask you.”

“I am unworthy of instruction, Your Highness. Please, go ahead.”

“My mansion is heavily guarded. Yet someone entered without invitation or summons. What punishment do you think such an act deserves?”

“Well...” Li Zhao knew this was directed at him. According to the Tang Code: trespassers on private property should receive forty lashes; if the owner kills the trespasser, the owner is blameless.

If trespassing on a commoner’s home was punished so harshly, what of sneaking into the prince’s mansion? Surely death was justifiable.

What to do?

With no room for excuses, Li Zhao chose to show submission and beg for mercy.

He stood at attention, looking pitifully at Prince Ning like a child who had made a mistake, evoking sympathy.

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“Haha! Adaptable and clever—a mischievous boy indeed. But I’m not buying it. Though you had your reasons for sneaking in, punishment is unavoidable.

However, since you helped me clean house, I’ll give you a chance. Earlier, you played the bamboo flute outside the garden, showing you understand music. I will send someone out to compete with you in music. If you win, you may leave safely.

If you lose, you’ll forfeit your position as a lesser commander and serve as a companion at my side. How does that sound?”

No one expected this condition. Was this really punishment? It was more like a disguised reward!

Everyone in Chang’an knew that serving as a companion in the Ning Mansion was a coveted post—enjoying daily feasts, entertainment, and travel with the prince. The salary was generous, the treatment excellent, and the prestige considerable. Winning the prince’s favor could lead to imperial promotion and great wealth. Countless people sought this position by any means.

Many guessed Li Zhao would quickly concede and stay on as a companion.

Would Li Zhao fold so easily?

Certainly not. The Ning Mansion was fine, but staying meant becoming a caged bird—luxurious yet deprived of freedom.

Such a life was intolerable to Li Zhao.

With no choice, he had to compete—but who would Prince Ning send?

“I, though unworthy, am willing to try!”

“Good. Hua Nu, you’ll compete against this mischievous boy!”

“Yes, Father!”

Out came a handsome young man—Prince Ning’s eldest illegitimate son, Li Jin, Prince of Ruyang, renowned as the foremost of the Four Talents of Chang’an. Known for his refined taste in music and striking beauty, he was hailed as the most handsome man in the imperial clan. His childhood nickname was “Hua Nu.”

Moreover, Prince Li Jin was famously devoted to wine, ranked second among the Eight Immortals of Drinking: “Ruyang’s three goblets raise heavenward, drooling at passing carts, wishing to be reassigned to the Wine Spring…” This verse described him perfectly.

“I have long heard of Your Highness’s reputation. Now seeing you in person, you truly embody the grace of moonlight and jade trees, worthy of being called the most handsome in the royal family.”

“You flatter me. Though I have not ventured out recently, I’ve heard there is a prodigy among the clan who can compose poetry in seven steps. It is a great pleasure to meet you today!”

“Kind words, kind words!”

...

Outwardly, Li Zhao smiled and chatted smoothly, but inwardly, he was cursing his luck.

Prince Li Jin was a celebrated musician, adept with the zither, drum, flute, and many other instruments. Li Zhao’s amateur skills were no match even combined tenfold.

If he lost, he would be forced to remain as a companion.

He could not lose. Absolutely could not lose.

There was only one option—win by surprise!