I'll steal Gao Qiu's life and lead the Song Dynasty to prosperity.

Chapter 109 Husband and Wife Settling Accounts

The sound of bells and drums from the lower court came.

Zhao Mingcheng walked slowly out of the imperial city with the crowd of people leaving the court.

As dusk settled, instead of returning directly to his residence, he turned and headed towards the Zhouqiao Night Market.

To be honest, dealing with those old faction members in the imperial court during the day is quite tiring.

At this moment, all he wanted to do was simple things, see some vibrant people, and buy some of his wife's favorite foods.

The two young people had only been married for a few days, and Zhao Mingcheng was still figuring out his feelings for Li Qingzhao. Fortunately, he had a clever maid named Yunzhui.

The day before yesterday, I casually asked her about it, and Yunzhui spilled the beans like beans from a bamboo tube: My wife loves sweets, especially the osmanthus soft cake from Granny Wang's shop at the east end of Zhouqiao Bridge—the kind that's fresh out of the pan, steaming hot, and thoroughly infused with osmanthus honey; she also loves the honey-pickled kumquats from Cao's fruit shop, which are perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, refreshing and appetizing; if it's a little drink, my wife doesn't like strong liquor, but prefers sweet, low-alcohol fruit wine or Shaoxing wine—

The night markets in the Song Dynasty were very developed. The Zhouqiao Night Market in Bianjing was already lit up and bustling with people.

The aromas from various food stalls mingled with the smoke from cooking fires, and the shouts, bargaining, and children's laughter blended together to create a warm and noisy atmosphere.

Zhao Mingcheng squeezed through the crowd, found Wang Po's cake stall, bought the still warm osmanthus soft cake, and carefully wrapped it in oil paper.

I also went to Cao's Fruit Shop and bought some of the best honey-preserved kumquats;

Finally, at the tavern, I picked out a small jar of sweet wine that was said to be from Jiangnan, made with glutinous rice and osmanthus flowers. It had a very low alcohol content and a sweet taste.

Carrying these things back to the mansion, dusk had already fallen.

The mansion was quiet, and the servants moved with shod footsteps.

Zhao Mingcheng walked straight to the bedroom and gently pushed open the door.

Li Qingzhao did not sit upright and wait like an ordinary bride, but leaned against the headboard, covered with a brocade quilt, holding a book in her hand, and reading it carefully by lamplight.

She wore a casual, light purple undergarment, her black hair was loosely tied up, she had removed her hairpins and jewelry, and her face was free of makeup.

In the dim indoor light, she appeared even more beautiful and pure, like a lotus emerging from clear water, but there was a lingering, languid weariness in her eyes and brows.

Hearing the door open, Li Qingzhao looked up.

Upon seeing that it was Zhao Mingcheng, a glint of light instantly lit up in her eyes. She subconsciously tried to sit up straight, but this aggravated a certain part of her body, causing her to hiss almost imperceptibly, and her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"Don't move."

Zhao Mingcheng quickly took a few steps, gently pressed her back onto the pillow, and casually placed the things he had bought on the small table beside the bed, speaking softly.

"If you're still feeling unwell, just rest. Why are you getting up?"

Li Qingzhao blushed slightly, gave him a reproachful look, and spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

"It's all your fault!"

On their wedding night, Zhao Mingcheng was physically strong and had extraordinary energy.

Li Qingzhao was a virgin, and although she gradually improved, she still felt soreness in her waist and legs and lacked energy these past two days, so she could only rest quietly in her room most of the time.

This is something that's hard to say outright, but it's something that husband and wife understand without saying a word.

Knowing he was in the wrong, Zhao Mingcheng chuckled and offered no explanation.

Simply open the oil paper package to reveal the white, soft, and glutinous pastries inside, adorned with golden osmanthus flowers. Then, uncover the jar of candied kumquats, and the sweet and slightly sour aroma immediately fills the air.

He picked up a piece of soft cake and held it to Li Qingzhao's lips.

"Want some freshly cooked food from Granny Wang's in Zhouqiao?"

Li Qingzhao was somewhat surprised, and the look of delight in her eyes deepened. She took a small bite from his hand, and the soft cake melted in her mouth, the fragrance of osmanthus filling her mouth, with just the right amount of sweetness.

She squinted her eyes contentedly, like a cat whose fur had been stroked.

"It's delicious! How did you know I like this, my husband?"

"Yunzhui told me." Zhao Mingcheng picked up another candied kumquat and fed it to her. "And this one, from Zhang's shop. They said it's your favorite sweet and sour flavor."

Li Qingzhao held a kumquat in her mouth, the sweet and sour juice melting in her mouth, but her heart felt even sweeter than the candied fruit.

For the first time, she discovered that her husband, who was calm and composed in the court and capable of leading troops and pacifying the barbarians on the frontier, also had such a thoughtful and considerate side.

This feeling of being silently remembered and carefully cared for instantly dispelled her anxiety about becoming a new wife.

Zhao Mingcheng then took two clean white jade cups, opened the jar of sweet wine, and poured a shallow amount into each cup.

The wine gleamed with an amber hue under the candlelight, its aroma a delightful blend of fruit and subtle alcohol.

He handed one cup to Li Qingzhao, picked up another cup for himself, and smiled.

"I know you like to drink. This liquor isn't strong, it's just right, but don't drink too much."

The two clinked glasses lightly and each took a small sip. The wine was indeed very light, with more of a floral and fruity sweetness and mellowness. It was warm and very comfortable as it went down their throats.

"My lord, how was the court today?" Li Qingzhao put down her wine cup, looked at Zhao Mingcheng, and asked softly.

Although she was confined to her boudoir, she came from a family with a strong academic background and was extremely intelligent. From the lingering seriousness in Zhao Mingcheng's brow and his act of buying these snacks to "please" him today, she could guess a thing or two.

Zhao Mingcheng sighed and didn't hide it from her.

He briefly recounted how Chen Guan and Zou Hao impeached him for unfairness in compiling history at the Chongzheng Hall, how Han Zhongyan demanded that he be dismissed from his post as historian and that the draft of history be revised, how he refuted them, and how the emperor ultimately expressed his support.

"In short, those old scholars resented that I had recorded the military achievements of the Hehuang region and the discussions in the court about defending against the Western Xia, feeling that I was praising border exploits," which clashed with their "peace and tranquility" stance.

As Zhao Mingcheng spoke, he poured Li Qingzhao another half-cup of wine, then poured one for himself, his tone tinged with sarcasm.

"If you want to condemn someone, you can always find a pretext. The historical record is in my hands, and I must bear these accusations."

Li Qingzhao listened quietly to Zhao Mingcheng's words. She slowly sipped her sweet wine, pondered for a moment, and then spoke slowly.

"Why should my husband get angry with them? The historian's pen is as firm as iron; the turbid will remain turbid, and the pure will remain pure."

If they can attack the historian's pen today because of political differences, will the historians of tomorrow not record what they did today?

Sima Qian of the Han Dynasty wrote the Records of the Grand Historian after being castrated, and Liu Zhiji of the Tang Dynasty argued that historians must record both good and evil deeds. The essence of a historian lies in not avoiding the powerful and not flattering the wealthy and powerful.

My husband, just keep to the record of history, and your conscience will be clear. As for those who are making a fuss—”

Li Qingzhao smiled slightly and said.

"It's like a summer insect discussing ice, or a frog in a well discussing the sea—it's just laughable. Does my husband really expect those old scholars who have never even seen a blade of grass on the frontier to understand the heroic deeds of the soldiers fighting on the frontier, or to grasp the principle of preparing for a rainy day?"

Hearing this made Zhao Mingcheng feel very happy, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Your insight is brilliant, Madam! Indeed, it was pedantic of me to discuss ice with a summer insect! Come, let's drink!"

Li Qingzhao also raised her cup with a smile, and the two drank together.

After a few glasses of sweet wine, her pale face flushed slightly, making her even more charming, and her eyes became much more lively.

Zhao Mingcheng looked at her, then suddenly leaned closer, lowered his voice, and chuckled mischievously.

"However, speaking of which, my lady, have you been feeling rather weak and unwell these past two days? On our wedding night, I did my best as host," and now she needs to rest in bed. It seems I'll have to be more considerate of her in the future.

Zhao Mingcheng deliberately emphasized the word "consideration".

Li Qingzhao was taken aback at first, but then she realized that he was teasing her about her lack of stamina that night. She blushed deeply, and even the roots of her ears turned pink.

Ignoring her aching body, she raised her hand and lightly punched Zhao Mingcheng's shoulder, spitting out a curse.

"Pah! You're so frivolous! Who, who's weak! It's clearly you—you don't care!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized they were too blunt and lowered her head in embarrassment, but couldn't help stealing glances at him.

Zhao Mingcheng was amused by her shy, annoyed, and slightly angry little face, and he burst into laughter, completely sweeping away the gloom he felt in the court just now.

He took the opportunity to grasp Li Qingzhao's small hand that was pounding towards him, gently kneaded it, and smiled.

"Alright, alright, it was my fault. I'm just trying to make amends by buying you snacks and wine, my wife."

Li Qingzhao struggled a little but couldn't break free, so she let him hold her. Her face was still flushed, but the corners of her mouth quietly curved up. The two laughed and joked for a while, and the atmosphere became more and more warm and harmonious.

Zhao Mingcheng fed her two more pieces of soft cake and a kumquat. Seeing that her cup was empty, he poured her a fifth cup, but then held down her hand as she tried to pick it up.

"After you finish this glass, you can't drink anymore. Although this wine is sweet, it still has some aftereffects. I know you like to drink, but you're not feeling well yet, so you shouldn't drink too much."

Li Qingzhao nodded obediently and slowly drank the cup of wine. Sure enough, she felt warm all over and had a slightly tipsy feeling, but her mind remained clear.

She watched Zhao Mingcheng clear away the cups and saucers, and suddenly asked a question.

"Does my husband have anything else to do this evening?"

Zhao Mingcheng said, "Ningxiang's account summary has arrived, along with some accounts for furs and medicinal herbs. I need to check them out. I plan to go to my study to sort them out."

Upon hearing this, Li Qingzhao's eyes flashed with reluctance.

She and Zhao Mingcheng were newlyweds, deeply in love. During the day, he went to his office, and she felt that time was long when she was alone. When he finally came back, they talked for a while, but he had to go back to work.

Li Qingzhao pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, but still mustered her courage, raised her eyes, which were moistened by the wine, and looked at Zhao Mingcheng, her voice soft and gentle.

"Husband—do we really have to go to the study? Can we—bring those accounts—to here to settle them?"

Zhao Mingcheng was taken aback: "Here? The bedroom?"

Li Qingzhao blushed again, but still nodded, her voice even softer, filled with shyness.

"I just like my husband to be closer—you do your accounting, I'll just read my book next to you and won't bother you—is that alright?"

After she finished speaking, she realized that her reason was too "clingy" and was so embarrassed that she almost wanted to crawl under the covers.

Looking at her shy yet expectant expression, Zhao Mingcheng felt a warmth in his heart.

He was a man of great affection and loyalty, and he cherished Li Qingzhao dearly. Seeing her like this, how could he bear to refuse her?

Besides, it's perfectly acceptable to settle accounts in the bedroom.

"Alright." He smiled and gently stroked her nose. "As you wish, Madam. I'll go and get the account books right away."

Before long, Zhao Mingcheng brought over a stack of account books, as well as writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and spread them out on the large desk by the window in the bedroom.

Li Qingzhao, wrapped in a brocade quilt, leaned against the headboard and actually picked up the scroll she had been reading earlier, pretending to read it.

But my gaze kept drifting to that tall, focused figure by the window.

Zhao Mingcheng quickly became engrossed in the accounts.

He adopted an account book format based on the principles of double-entry bookkeeping, which made the accounts clear, with clear debits and credits, and was far more efficient in accounting than the single-entry cash flow bookkeeping method commonly used today.

Zhao Mingcheng was seen sometimes writing notes on draft paper, and sometimes drawing in the account book. He was focused, and his profile was clearly defined in the candlelight, making him appear calm and reliable.

As Li Qingzhao read, the words on the book gradually blurred, and all that remained in her eyes was the silhouette of her husband.

She loved watching Zhao Mingcheng focused on his work, loved the faint scent of ink and the crisp aroma emanating from him, and cherished the peaceful feeling of having him by her side, a feeling of tranquility amidst the passing years.

Li Qingzhao quietly lifted the quilt, enduring the slight soreness in her body, slowly moved out of bed, and put on soft-soled embroidered shoes.

Like a cat, she quietly moved to another embroidered stool next to the desk, sat down, rested her chin on her hands, and just quietly watched him.

Zhao Mingcheng was so engrossed in his calculations that he didn't notice at first.

It wasn't until he finished calculating one account book, breathed a sigh of relief, and stretched his neck that he realized his wife had sat down beside him sometime earlier.

He was staring with wide, clear eyes at the ledger spread out in front of him, filled with strange symbols and the words "borrow" and "credit".

"Why did you come down? Be careful not to catch a cold."

Zhao Mingcheng hurriedly said, and casually draped one of his own outer robes over her shoulders.

"It's not cold." Li Qingzhao shook her head, pointed to a spot in the account book, and asked curiously.

"My lord, your method of bookkeeping seems different from what I usually see. What do 'debit' and 'credit' mean? Why do you record every income and expenditure in two places at the same time?"

Zhao Mingcheng was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected her to notice this and even ask the crucial question.

He explained simply.

"This is a bookkeeping method that I came up with myself. Ordinary bookkeeping only records the increase or decrease of money and goods, just like a stream of water."

My method treats each transaction as having two sides. For example, if I spend ten strings of cash to buy spices, I record a debit of ten strings of cash under the "spices" item, indicating an increase in the amount of spices.

At the same time, under the item "Silver Money," a "credit of ten strings" indicates a decrease in silver money. In this way, the origin, flow, increase, and decrease of each asset, commodity, and silver money can be mutually verified, clearly linked, less prone to error, and more easily revealing the overall profit and loss and the condition of each component.

As Zhao Mingcheng spoke, he casually drew a simple T-shaped account book pattern on the draft paper to illustrate his point.

Li Qingzhao listened intently, her brows furrowed slightly, and after a moment of thought, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"My husband's method is truly excellent! With such bookkeeping, each item is mutually constrained, and if one item is wrong, everything will fall apart, making it naturally easy to check."

Furthermore, when reviewing the general ledger, all debits and credits must equal; otherwise, there is an error. This method is far clearer and more rigorous than the simplistic accounts used by the household managers! How did you come up with this, my husband?

Zhao Mingcheng was even more surprised.

He only gave a brief explanation, but Li Qingzhao was able to instantly apply it to other situations and grasp the core balance principle of double-entry bookkeeping: "For every debit, there must be a credit, and the total debits and credits must equal each other" and the advantages of internal reconciliation!

Her comprehension and sensitivity to numbers far surpassed that of ordinary young women, and even many accountants might not be able to grasp it immediately. She truly deserves to be called the greatest female talent of all time.

"These are all things I just randomly came up with in my spare time."

Zhao Mingcheng brushed it off vaguely, then asked, "Madam, why are you also interested in this? And can you even read account books?"

Li Qingzhao smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

"In the past, when I had nothing to do, I loved to flip through all sorts of books."

Sometimes, I would secretly look at the books of the housekeepers and even the old account books from previous years. After looking at them a lot, I would find that the accounting methods used in the house were quite cumbersome and chaotic. At the end of the year, the housekeepers would always be overwhelmed with the accounts.

Seeing my husband's method today, I realized that bookkeeping could be so organized and meticulous. My husband truly is—always a source of surprises.

Looking into Li Qingzhao's bright eyes, Zhao Mingcheng suddenly had a thought.

He tentatively asked, "Then—would you like to learn this bookkeeping method, Madam? If you're interested, could you help me check these accounts? It'll be faster if two people do it."

"Really? May I do it?" Li Qingzhao's eyes lit up even more, filled with eager excitement.

"Why not?" Zhao Mingcheng laughed, pushing another ledger and a blank draft paper in front of her, and handing her a pen.

"Come, let me first explain to you the specific use of the 'debit' and 'credit' symbols, and how to classify various accounts —"

Zhao Mingcheng carefully instructed Li Qingzhao, and to his surprise, Li Qingzhao learned extremely quickly.

She was naturally intelligent, had a good memory, and had some experience in "reading accounts." With a little guidance from Zhao Mingcheng, she quickly grasped the essentials.

Zhao Mingcheng also taught Li Qingzhao Arabic numerals.

And so, the couple sat side by side at the desk, Zhao Mingcheng calculating the main data, and Li Qingzhao picking up her pen to organize the entries and verify the cross-references according to the new method.

Zhao Mingcheng would occasionally stop to point out a problem or two to his wife; Li Qingzhao would also occasionally have insightful opinions or discover problems, which she would discuss with her husband.

The account was originally expected to take one or two hours to complete.

Today, with the couple working together, they sorted things out clearly in less than an hour, and the accounts matched perfectly, down to the last penny.

Looking at the final, perfectly smooth "trial balance," Li Qingzhao breathed a long sigh of relief, a childlike smile of pure joy on her face, as if she had accomplished something of great significance.

Zhao Mingcheng closed the account book, looked at his wife beside him, who was radiant and showed no signs of fatigue, and was filled with emotion. He couldn't help but reach out and pat her head, teasing her.

"Truly astonishing! My wife is an accounting genius! Had I known this earlier, why would I have bothered hiring an accountant? From now on, I could have entrusted everything in the household, both inside and out, even those shady little businesses, to her! She'd be far more astute than any seasoned accountant!"

Li Qingzhao blushed at his words, but instead of being modest, she raised her chin with a hint of smugness.

"Husband, don't underestimate me. Although I dare not say that I am as good as the old accountant, I am more than capable of sorting out these accounts. In the future, if you have any such trivial matters, just leave them to me."

As she spoke, Li Qingzhao herself felt that her words were somewhat "presumptuous," and she couldn't help but giggle, her eyebrows curving and her eyes blooming like spring flowers.

As Zhao Mingcheng looked at her and smiled, he suddenly realized that this was the truly vivid and lively Li Qingzhao from history.

"Since Madam has said so, then I won't stand on ceremony."

As Zhao Mingcheng spoke, he swept her up in his arms.

Li Qingzhao buried her face in Zhao Mingcheng's chest, not daring to look at him anymore, and stammered.

"Bad guy—he's clearly a pale-faced scholar, yet he's as strong as an ox—what kind of impoliteness are you talking about?"

"What I mean by 'I'm being blunt' is that I'll have Madam settle the accounts for me from now on. What do you think, Madam?"

"I—I was also talking about settling accounts."

Zhao Mingcheng let out a long "oh," his tone mischievous.

"Oh, it seems we're on the same page. Perfect, I'll teach you a mental arithmetic method—"