This Is a Lot of Bad Accounts

The scribes were either silent, spoke in seemingly logical but empty words, or excessively flattered the Lord of the Prefect, attributing wisdom and divine insight to him. They all hung onto the Lord's every word.

Upon reexamining the state treasury booklet, Shao Yunduan discovered the absence of seeds. This implied that he would need to spend money to purchase them from the three families this spring. While the three families had verbally agreed to supply seeds to the government at market prices, there were no contractual instructions that could serve as evidence.

This lack of formal agreements highlighted the considerable influence of the three families in Anze Province, as well as the former Prefect's indifference towards this matter.

The account book presented an even grimmer picture. Not only was there no money recorded, but it was also evident that significant debts were owed to the three major family clans and two additional family clans.