Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

The willow catkins in the capital city are like snowflakes falling from the sky, landing on the mirror-like blue waves of Shichahai Lake, creating ripples.

The Right Governor's Mansion, the back garden.

Inside the open pavilion overlooking the water, Pei Yuan wore a loose, moon-white summer robe, the collar slightly open, revealing his collarbone.

He leaned back lazily in the wicker chair, his gaze quietly fixed on the koi carp vying for food in the pond.

"grown ups."

A series of slightly hurried footsteps broke the tranquility of the garden.

Lu Zheng, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, carrying a thick stack of account books, walked through the moon gate, sweating profusely, and strode into the open pavilion.

He slammed the stack of account books down on the table, took a deep breath, and gave a bitter smile.

"What's wrong? Has the Royal Trading Company's money gotten so plentiful that it's worn you out, a mere centurion of the Imperial Guard?"

Pei Yuan, fanning himself with a folding fan, made a leisurely joke.

Lu Zheng wiped the sweat from his forehead and began to complain.

"My lord, please don't make fun of me. Ever since the fleet from Southeast Asia returned, the five million taels of silver, along with the mountains of spices and gems, have all gone into the merchant treasury."

"These past few days, merchants from all over have been crowding the government office to buy spices."

Lu Zheng casually flipped open an account book and pointed to the dense ink marks on it, which looked like scribbled characters.

"Look at us. Our brothers in the Embroidered Uniform Guard are very good at killing people with knives. But asking them to use an abacus and keep accounts is worse than killing them."

"Most of the accountants we hired from outside were sly and dishonest; they would tamper with the accounts if we weren't careful. In just half a month, the accounts in the storeroom started to go wrong."

"The loss of a few dozen kilograms of pepper is secondary; the key issue is the cash flow, which has become a complete mess."

"The brothers stayed up all night trying to figure out an account, their eyes were bloodshot, but they still couldn't come to a conclusion."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yuan casually picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of the newly presented pre-Qingming Longjing tea, and showed no sign of anxiety.

"The Ming Dynasty supported so many scholars, how come they couldn't even find one who could do accounting?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng became even more furious.

"My lord, you have no idea what kind of pedantic scholars they are! I took your letter to the Imperial Academy and the Hanlin Academy, hoping to invite some officials who were knowledgeable in mathematics to help the Bureau of Commerce sort out the accounts. And guess what? Those old men in blue robes shook their heads like rattles."

"They say a gentleman doesn't speak of profit, that this business district is a place tainted by money, and that if they were to step inside, they would be disgracing Confucianism and sullying their hands that hold the pen!"

Enraged, Lu Zheng slammed his fist into a pillar.

"I really wanted to draw my sword and chop off all their clean hands! They're paid by the court, and now that the court wants to do business, they're putting on airs!"

Pei Yuan put down his teacup, tapped his folding fan lightly in his palm, and a cold smile of world-weariness curled at the corner of his mouth.

"They don't despise money; they despise me."

Pei Yuan stood up, walked to the railing of the waterside pavilion, and looked at the shimmering water.

"In the eyes of those orthodox civil officials, I am a treacherous official who is causing chaos in the court."

"The Royal Trading Company was established by me. In their eyes, overseas trade is nothing but frivolous tricks and deception, a way to profit at the expense of ordinary people. They would love for the company's accounts to be in complete disarray, and for the fleet to lose everything."

"So that the Emperor will give up on this idea, close the gates of the sea ban again, and return to their peaceful and prosperous world where men farm and women weave."

"We can't just sit here and wait, can we?"

Lu Zheng said urgently.

"This trading company is now His Majesty's darling. If there is a huge deficit in the accounts, His Majesty will blame us, and we, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, cannot afford to be offended."

"Deficit? In my hands, I can even cover the deficit in the national treasury. How could I let this Bureau of Commerce fall into disarray?"

Pei Yuan straightened his wide sleeves, a deep glint of planning flashing in his eyes.

"Since the old scholars in the court are useless, let's select a new group of useful scholars ourselves."

Pei Yuan turned around and strode towards the courtyard exit.

"Prepare the horses. I am going to the palace to meet the Emperor. The imperial examination system of the Ming Dynasty has been confined by the eight-legged essay for over a hundred years. It is time to let it breathe a sigh of relief."

Half an hour later.

The Forbidden City, the Qianqing Palace.

Emperor Chenghua, Zhu Jianji, did not review memorials in the warm pavilion today, but stayed in a side hall behind the Qianqing Palace.

This side hall has now been transformed into the emperor's "private treasury".

Inside the hall, more than a dozen large red-lacquered wooden chests were open, neatly stacked with gleaming silver.

The air was filled with a strong, pungent aroma of pepper and sandalwood.

Zhu Jianji, dressed in a bright yellow casual robe, held a fine South Sea ruby ​​in his hand, examining it closely in the sunlight streaming in through the window.

That face, which usually exuded an air of authority, was now filled with undisguised ecstasy.

"Your humble servant Pei Yuan greets Your Majesty."

Pei Yuan stepped over the high threshold and bowed deeply in respect.

"Minister Pei has arrived! Rise immediately!"

Zhu Jianji carefully placed the ruby ​​into a brocade box, turned around with a radiant face, and personally stepped forward to offer a helping hand.

"You've come at the perfect time, my dear minister. I was just having Wang Zhi count this batch of dividends that have been put into storage. You've done a great job in Tianjin! This room is full of rare and precious treasures; I've never seen so many even in my wildest dreams."

"With this confidence, let's see who dares to say the national treasury is empty!"

Pei Yuan stood up naturally, a humble smile appearing on his face at just the right moment.

"His Majesty possesses the wealth of the entire world; this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Once our fleet sails to the South Seas a few more times, even the side halls of the Qianqing Palace will be overflowing. However…"

Pei Yuan changed the subject, a worried expression appearing on his face, and let out a long sigh.

Zhu Jianji was incredibly astute.

Seeing his beloved minister, who was usually unfazed even by the collapse of Mount Tai, sigh, he immediately suppressed his smile.

"Why do you sigh, my dear minister? Has something gone wrong with the trading company?"

Pei Yuan bowed and clasped his hands, then embellished Lu Zheng's earlier complaints and reported them to the Emperor.

"...Your Majesty, please understand. It is not that I am complaining, but that the accounts are simply too complicated. The currencies and weights and measures of the Southeast Asian countries are all different from those of the Ming Dynasty."

"The process of a ship carrying goods in and out is far more complicated than the local autumn grain harvest."

Pei Yuan glanced at the Emperor's expression and continued speaking.

"Your humble servant originally intended to borrow several officials from the Imperial Academy who were well-versed in mathematics, but those officials all sternly refused on the grounds that 'a gentleman does not speak of profit.'"

"Your Majesty, I dare to speculate that they still harbor resentment towards Your Majesty's establishment of the Royal Trading Company, hence their passive resistance, attempting to let the Trading Company collapse on its own amidst these complex accounts."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jianji's good mood vanished instantly, replaced by imperial rage.

"These old fogies!"

Zhu Jianji slammed his hand on a wooden box full of silver next to him, making the silver ingots inside rattle loudly.

"They take my salary, yet they can't stand to see me living comfortably! What kind of gentleman doesn't speak of profit? They clearly can't stand to see me bypass them and control the wealth of this land for themselves!"

"If they won't do it, I don't even want to use them!"